Tascam DR-10L Audio Recorder In-Depth Review

When it comes to recording sound for video production, everyone wants it to be easy, but most people aren’t willing to sacrifice sound quality for ease-of-use. Sounding professional is a top concern, no matter what. I’ve used lots of gear over the years, but it wasn’t until I tried the Tascam DR-10L belt-pack recorder that I realized that — for the first time — getting good sound in video production was kind of easy.

What is the Tascam DR-10L?

The Tascam DR-10L looks like a wireless mic belt-pack transmitter, but that’s not what it is. It’s a small audio recorder. You attach the included clip-on lavalier microphone to your subject and hide the body of the recorder on their belt, in one of their pockets, or in a body belt. Instead of wirelessly transmitting audio to a separate receiver device, it just records the sound. Afterwards, you take the audio files off the DR-10L and sync them with your footage in video editing software.

Why record sound this way? You don’t need to worry about interference or audio dropouts that can happen with wireless mic systems. With a belt-pack recorder, sound is recorded directly off the microphone at a high-resolution. With a wireless system, the sound is digitized, then it’s usually processed and sometimes encoded, then it needs to be unencoded and processed again at the receiver, and then it finally gets recorded. The sound quality is degraded before it gets recorded. Another advantage is that belt-pack recorders are much more power-efficient than wireless systems. They get many hours of operation from small batteries.

The big disadvantage of using a belt-pack recorder is that you can’t listen to the sound as you record, unless you also use it in conjunction with a wireless mic system (I explain how to do this in another section of this review). The DR-10L has a headphone output jack, but when you put this recorder on your on-screen talent and they get in front of the camera, you’re not going to be able to have your headphones plugged into it any longer. It’s important to plug in your headphones before you start shooting to hear what the mic sounds like. You need to determine that it isn’t picking up unwanted rustling sounds, and that you can clearly hear the person when they speak.

Because it was designed to worn by the person that’s being recorded, the DR-10L doesn’t have traditional Record and Stop buttons. Why? You don’t want them to accidentally get pressed while you’re working. These functions are handled by a recessed switch on the side of the unit that needs to be intentionally held in place to start and stop recording. It works well. I’ve been testing the DR-10L for several months and have shot several videos with it, and it has never accidentally started or stopped itself.

What comes with the Tascam DR-10L?

The Tascam DR-10L needs a single AAA battery and a MicroSD card in order to be used, but it doesn’t come with either item. However, it does come with a nice selection of accessories. I appreciate how the box isn’t covered with cheesy graphics and glossy photos. It’s just raw, unadorned cardboard with some blue ink. It screams utility, and I like that.

In the box you get:

• The recorder itself
• A removable belt-clip
• A lightly padded travel pouch that zips shut
• A printed owner’s manual
• A short Micro-USB to USB-A cable that fits in the pouch
• A lav microphone with a wire and a locking connector
• A metal alligator clip for the mic
• A metal windscreen for the mic

My Tascam DR-10L also came with a free copy of iZotope RX 7 Elements software, which removes hum, distortion, pops and clicks from your audio. It’s almost a complete package. The only thing missing (besides the card and the battery) is a fluffy windscreen. If you plan on using the DR-10L outdoors, you should get a separately available fluffy windscreen, so the mic won’t pick-up distracting wind noise. The models that fit the included microphone are the Rycote 065514 and the Auray Fuzzy Windbuster.

A cool feature when turning on the DR-10L

Once you get used to sliding and holding the recessed switch on the Tascam DR-10L, you can turn it on and off with reasonable confidence. One of the things I prefer about the Tascam DR-40X over the competing Zoom H4n Pro is that the Tascam powers on and is ready to record much more quickly. The DR-10L also powers on rather quickly. It takes about 7 seconds to boot up. Not bad. The majority of those 7 seconds are consumed by the unit making sure that you intended to turn it on.

A clever feature is that it can be powered on in two different states. If you pull and hold the recessed switch downward, the DR-10L boots up normally. If you pull the switch upwards, it boots up and immediately starts recording a new file. This also takes about 7 seconds to do. It’s a pretty awesome little feature, because sometimes you need to start recording as quickly as possible.

Using the Tascam DR-10L

The first time I used the Tascam DR-10L I was struck by how easy it was. You need to insert and format a MicroSD card, install a single AAA battery, and then turn it on and start recording. This is standard procedure for most audio recorders. What makes the DR-10L remarkable are the thoughtfully chosen default settings, and the radically different audio-for-video workflow it makes possible.

If you just use the default settings, you’ll likely end up with good sounding recordings. It defaults to creating 24bit 48kHz WAV files, which is the preferred format for audio files used in video production. The gain level is set to Medium, which is the best choice for people who don’t bother to adjust the levels, which, unfortunately, is probably the majority of users. Low cut is turned on, which is good because it prevents the device from recording super-low bass sounds. Sometimes normal footsteps create boomy noises that you’ll only hear on a sound system with a subwoofer, and it will sound odd and distracting. The low-cut feature prevents this.

One of the options in the DR-10L is a feature called DUAL RECORD. When you turn it on, the DR-10L will create two copies of the audio, one at the normal audio level, and the other at a lower level, either -6 or -12 dB lower. This way, if there’s a sudden increase in volume in the sound you’re recording, the lower copy of the audio won’t overload and distort.

I put a SanDisk Ultra UHS-I 16GB microSD card in my DR-10L when I got it, which is a comfortable amount of storage for an audio recorder. I turned DUAL REC on and chose the -12 dB option. I never came close to filling all the storage on the card, and I recorded two copies of everything. I highly recommend using this feature.

You can start and stop recording with the DR-10L as often as you want, but if you don’t bother to stop it and let the device continue recording, an interesting new workflow paradigm opens up. If you just let it roll, you can shoot your video without thinking about sound much at all. At the end of the shoot or during a break, you can stop the unit from recording.

This was a totally different approach to capturing sound for video shoots for me. You end up with larger and longer audio files that have many different takes on them. This creates a little more work in post, because you need to go through the lengthy files and figure out where the sound is that you need to sync, but this process is easier than it sounds.

To be fair, this workflow has been around a lot longer than the Tascam DR-10L. A decade ago the compact Zoom H1 audio recorder was released. A couple years later some inventive wedding videographers realized that they could plug a lav mic into it and hide the H1 in the groom’s jacket. This allowed them to capture perfect ceremony audio without needing to worry about dropouts and interference with wireless systems, which is a common problem during the ceremony and vows. Recorders like the DR-10L were created as a ready-made solution for this kind of task.

Much of the complexity of recording sound during a video shoot is removed when you use the “just let it roll” method with belt-pack recorders. This workflow requires that you put complete faith in the reliability of your gear. The audio recorder cannot let you down. The performance must be bullet-proof. That’s what is needed, and this is what the Tascam DR-10L delivers.

Build quality of the Tascam DR-10L

The body of the Tascam DR-10L is made out of plastic, but to me, it doesn’t feel cheap. The DR-10L feels solidly built. It’s lightweight and ultracompact. The Sennheiser EW100 wireless system is generally considered to be small in size, and as you can see in the first photo in this blog post, the DR-10L is considerably smaller.

With a single AAA battery, MicroSD card, and belt-clip installed, and with the included lav mic with its clip and windscreen attached, the DR-10L weighs 85 grams. If you prefer other weight units, here’s what it weighs:

• 0.085 kg
• 3.05 oz
• 0.19 lbs

For comparison, a Sennheiser EW100 transmitter with batteries and an ME 2 lav mic weighs 168 grams, 0.169 kg, 5.95 oz, or 0.37 lbs.

The DR-10L has a rather small but effective OLED display. The screen is very tiny, but it looks great and it gets the job done. It’s easy to read in various kinds of lighting. Like the Tascam DR-40X, the information that’s displayed on the DR-10L is logically organized and easy to understand. This is hugely important to me.

The battery door on the DR-10L is on a hinge. When you open it to change the battery, you cannot accidentally drop the battery door and lose it, or waste valuable time stooping down to retrieve it. Every aspect of this device seems like it was carefully considered for use in video production. In this regard, the DR-10L is a near triumph.

Battery life of the Tascam DR-10L

As mentioned earlier, the DR-10L runs on a single AAA battery. If you compare this recorder to competing models from other brands, running on a single small battery might seem like a downside, but in my experience the battery life has been outstanding.

When I first unboxed my DR-10L months ago, I installed a new Amazon Basics AAA battery. Since then I’ve shot three complete videos where I used the DR-10L as my primary audio capture device. Some of these shoots were extensive, spanning several days. I would often let the DR-10L record for a half hour or longer. The same battery I started out with is still in my DR-10L, and it seems to have a decent amount of life left in it.

One of the reasons why the battery is lasting so long is that I have the Power Save feature turned on. I explain what settings and features to use in a separate post called The Settings I Recommend for the Tascam DR-10L. All told, I am greatly impressed with the battery life of the Tascam DR-10L. It performs excellently with a basic alkaline battery. It would last for an absurdly long time with an Energizer Lithium AAA. I would even feel confident using a freshly charged Eneloop AAA on an important shoot.

If you end up in a situation where the battery of the DR-10L dies and you don’t have any AAA replacements with you, you can still power the unit with an external MicroUSB portable charger. Yet another thoughtful feature of the DR-10L.

The quality of the included lavalier microphone

When you buy an audio product that includes a microphone, the sound quality of the microphone is incredibly important. I used to work at a store that sold professional audio-for-video equipment and camera-mountable wireless mic systems were incredibly popular at the time. The models most people were interested in were the Sennheiser EW100 G2 and the Sony UWP-V1. I must have set both of these systems up hundreds of times so the customer could do a comparative sound test. Guess what? The Sennheiser won EVERY time because the included ME 2 lavalier sounded better than the mic that came with the Sony.

I’m still completely baffled today when companies release audio-for-video products that come with microphones that don’t sound as good as a Sennheiser ME 2. If this is the case, your product is either dead on arrival, or it has a serious $100 drawback that every prospective customer needs to strongly consider. I’m happy to report that the mic that comes with the DR-10L sounds just as good as a Sennheiser ME 2.

Not only does this mic sound great, it’s also built ruggedly. It has a locking 3.5mm connector so it won’t get unplugged. The housing of the mic capsule, the clip, and the windscreen are all made of metal. It’s professional and it sounds great. This microphone costs $90 USD on its own. The official model name is the Tascam TM-10LB.

Not only does the Tascam lav look and sound like the Sennheiser ME 2, the windscreen and mic clip are identical, and they fit both mics interchangeably. Are they the same mic? I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the included mic is excellent. The Tascam DR-10L is compatible with locking 3.5mm mics made for Sennheiser systems, and if you want a truly noticeable improvement in sound quality, you need to spend an extra $379 for this specific Sanken COS-11 D.

How to wirelessly monitor the sound of the Tascam DR-10L

If you have a wireless system like the Sennheiser EW100, you can monitor the sound of the Tascam DR-10L as you shoot. Why would you do this? It lets you to remotely listen to the audio as you’re recording it, so you can be confident it sounds good. Because the DR-10L captures audio without processing it like a wireless system does, you will have a better sounding recording on the DR-10L to sync with your footage in post. Lastly, this creates redundancy. You can record a high-quality copy of the audio in your camera, into a separate audio recorder, and in the DR-10L. This way, if one of them has a failure during the shoot, you will have other copies of the sound to use.

Here’s how to set this up:

1. Put the DR-10L and its included mic on your subject
2. In the menu of the DR-10L, adjust the MIC GAIN when your subject is speaking (if you don’t know how to set audio levels, you can learn how here)
3. Turn the headphone volume of the DR-10L all the way up
4. Connect the headphone output of the DR-10L to the MIC/LINE input on the Sennheiser transmitter with a short stereo male 3.5mm cable
5. In the menu of the Sennheiser transmitter, adjust the “Sensitivity” until the audio meter on the transmitter’s display is bouncing 3 1/4’s of the way up
6. In the menu of the Sennheiser receiver, adjust the “AF Out” until the audio meter on the receiver’s display is bouncing 3 1/4’s of the way up
7. Plug the Sennheiser receiver into either the Mic input of a camera, or into an audio recorder, and adjust the input of that device to a proper level

When I set this up and tested it, I found that I needed to go back re-adjust to the AF Out setting on the Sennheiser receiver in order to get a clean audio signal in the last device, which was a DSLR. If you’re using two DR-10L recorders in a shoot, you’re going to need a separate wireless system for each one. If you’re planning on plugging two wireless receivers into a camera that only has a single 3.5 Mic input, you’re going to need to use a Camcorder XLR Adapter box.

An obvious downside is that you need to put two devices on your subject. You’re also going to be using more batteries. If you don’t want to fuss with connecting the headphone output of the DR-10L to the input of a transmitter, you can just put two lav mics on your subject, one plugged into the wireless transmitter and the other plugged into the DR-10L. You can put both lav mics on a single clip if you use the separately available WindTech TC-12 Dual Lavalier tie clip.

What about the Zoom F2 and the Tentacle Sync TRACK E?

There are other belt-pack audio recorders available that were designed to compete directly with the Tascam DR-10L. The Zoom F2 is similar in size and it’s capable of 32-bit float recording. This means you never need to set the audio levels. No matter how loudly or quietly someone speaks when you’re recording, you can adjust it to the perfect level in post, and the audio will not clip or distort.

32-bit float recording is an extremely compelling feature, but it does come with some drawbacks. The main issue is that the audio files need to be converted to regular .WAV files in post before they can be used in video editing software. This adds an extra step of work. It also complicates the process of sharing audio files with other video editors or production people. 32-bit float files are also larger than regular audio files, but this isn’t a major concern.

The main issue you need to confront with the Zoom F2 is the quality of the included microphone. Simply put, the included mic does not sound as good as the TM-10LB that comes with the DR-10L. Also, the mic clip that comes with the Zoom is made of plastic. Lavalier clips need to withstand a lot of abuse, and they must not fail when in use. Plastic is not that material you want in this role.

In my opinion, to take full advantage of the Zoom F2, you need to upgrade the microphone. Somewhat ironically, a great choice for the upgrade is the Tascam TM-10LB, but that will cost you an extra $90 USD. So if you get the non-Bluetooth version of the Zoom F2 and the TM-10LB, you’ve spent $240 before tax. If you get the Bluetooth version, you’re at $290. In my opinion, this makes the Tascam DR-10L not only the best budget-friendly option, but an excellent choice outright.

The Tentacle Sync TRACK E is another compelling belt-pack recorder that also does 32-bit float recording. This company appears to have done the proper research, because this recorder comes with a lav mic that sounds as good as the ME 2. This model is priced at $350, so it’s significantly more expensive than the other options.

Tentacle Sync makes an excellent timecode product called the SYNC E for multi-camera shoots. The TRACK E belt-pack recorder has a built-in timecode generator, and you can sync the timecode from its mic input. If you have a master timecode generator, such as a SYNC E device, you can sync the TRACK E to it. If you have multiple TRACK E recorders, they all can be synced to the same timecode master. Doing this can extremely speed-up the post-production workflow of multi-camera shoots, because all of the audio and video can be synced in just a few seconds.

The TRACK E isn’t perfect. It’s dependent on a built-in rechargeable battery. It also only has a single control: a switch. You use it to turn it on, start and stop recording, and so on. It’s minimalism as a statement. The switch isn’t recessed, so it’s more likely to accidentally get activated. But, for anyone who needs timecode, especially people who are already invested in the Tentacle Sync workflow, the TRACK E is a compelling product.

What would I change about the Tascam DR-10L?

There are many features and details that impress me about the Tascam DR-10L, but there are a few things I would change. My main gripe is about feedback from the device when I start and stop recording, and when I turn it off.

When the DR-10L starts recording, the display slowly shows you some scrolling text, which is the name of the new file. Then it goes to a screen that shows a round dot and a running timer, which is its way of telling you it is recording. For such an important function, I want the device to be completely unambiguous. In my opinion, the moment it starts recording, I want to immediately see the word “RECORDING” on the screen. Then show me the file name and timer.

When you stop the DR-10L from recording, the display is again ambiguous. Instead of seeing the reassuring word “STOP” appear, it instead shows you the number of files it has on its memory card, which is a bit maddening. This is an important function. Please Tascam, put the user at ease. Tell them they just successfully did the thing they were trying to do.

The same ambiguous feedback occurs when you turn the DR-10L off. Holding the sliding switch downward for 7 seconds powers down the DR-10L, but the display doesn’t provide the information you need to see. What do you need to see? You need the display to show you the word “OFF.” Instead, the display shifts to half brightness, and when you release the sliding switch it goes dark. An ambiguous, unspoken goodbye.

My only other bone to pick is that sometimes when I try to slide the sliding switch, my finger will accidentally catch on something else, and the task I was trying to do will not happen. I suppose my finger is accidentally tugging on the volume Up and Down buttons instead of the sliding switch. It would be better if Tascam could figure out a way to make the sliding switch the only control on that side of the device. Ultimately, these are just small nitpicks. The DR-10L gets almost everything right.

If you record a bunch of long takes with a DR-10L, it can take quite a while to transfer the files to a computer if you use the included USB cable plugged into the port on the device. The port on the DR-10L is USB 2.0. I can transfer files much faster when I take the MicroSD card out of the DR-10L and use my external Transcend USB 3.0 card reader.

Sound recording examples of the Tascam DR-10L

I used the Tascam DR-10L as my primary audio recording device in this recent YouTube video:

Conclusion: What do I think of the Tascam DR-10L?

If you’ve read this blog post, you already know I’m deeply impressed with the Tascam DR-10L. It’s a well thought-out device that delivers great sound quality. Compared to all the other ways I’ve captured sound for video production, using the DR-10L is by far the easiest — as long as you’re comfortable with syncing external audio files with footage in video editing software, that is.

If you’re tempted by the ease of the 32-bit float recorders, that’s understandable, but you should know that using the Tascam DR-10L is pretty darn easy. There is no extra step of work in post to convert 32-bit files into normal audio files. Setting audio levels on the DR-10L is easy, and I assume most of the users of this recorder never bother to do so because the default settings sound so good. If you use the DUAL RECORD feature, you never have to worry about distorted audio, and if you need to clean something up in post, the DR-10L comes with the iZotope RX software bundle which costs $129 on its own.

I welcome competition and I’m excited there are more good belt-pack recorders to choose from, but I think the Tascam DR-10L is in a strong position. It’s just a great little recorder that comes with a great mic. It has a complete feature set, and it’s rediculuosly obvious that the people who made it completely understand the needs of video makers. I love this little thing, and I’m excited to make more videos with it.

👋 Hey there! If this was helpful, you can help me at no cost to yourself. Just click on the following links before you buy something at Amazon, B&H Photo, or eBay, and I’ll get a tiny commission if you make a purchase, even if you’re just getting a weird face strap. You could clip the DR-10L to it, I guess. 😐

Buy the Tascam DR-10L here…

Tascam DR-10L – Amazon, B&H Photo, eBay

Zoom F2 – Amazon, B&H Photo

Tentacle Sync TRACK E – Amazon, B&H Photo