Introduction
The Tascam TM-2X is a compact, versatile microphone that’s perfect for different jobs. In this review, we’ll dive into its features, performance, and overall value for money.
Design and Build Quality
- Sturdy and durable construction
- Compact and light design for easy portability
- Sleek black finish adds a touch of professionalism
The Tascam TM-2X’s build quality is impressive, ensuring it can withstand daily use and transport without any issues.
Setup and Compatibility
- Simple plug-and-play
- No need for additional software or drivers
- Works seamlessly with DSLRs, camcorders, and smartphones
Setting up the TM-2X is a breeze, and it’s compatible with a wide range of recording devices, making it incredibly versatile.
Audio Quality
- Captures clear and crisp audio
- Excellent background noise cancelling
- Suitable for a variety of recording scenarios
The TM-2X excels in delivering high-quality audio, ensuring that your recordings are professional and free from unwanted noise.
Directional Flexibility
- Switchable between shotgun and stereo modes
- Shotgun mode for focused directional recording
- Stereo mode for immersive audio capture
The ability to switch between shotgun and stereo modes is a major advantage, allowing you to adapt to different recording situations effortlessly.
Battery Life
- Long-lasting performance with a single AAA battery
- Economical power usage
- Ideal for long recording sessions
You can rely on the TM-2X to last through long recording sessions, thanks to its good use of battery power.
Pros
- Exceptional audio quality
- Versatile shotgun and stereo modes
- Easy to setup and goes with various devices
- Durable build quality
- Long-lasting battery life
Cons
- Lacks advanced audio settings
- No windscreen
Conclusion
The Tascam TM-2X is a great tool for people who make videos and want really good sound in a small device. It has different modes for recording sound and is tough, so it’s good for any recording setup. It doesn’t have fancy sound settings or a wind cover, but it works really well for the price.
UberGeek –
I am running this mic on my Sony HDR-XR 500, HDR XR-500V and HDR-CX700 cameras.Amazing difference in sound quality, especially at the football games!On the weekends I video for the drill team at the nearby high school.At the stadium, I use the mic set on the Low sensitivity. In the gym for the pep rally, I set the mic on the High Sensitivity.Works like a dream.Have not had a need for the boom arm yet, but it looks like it wouldn’t take much to break it. I would definitely like TASCAM to build a better arm! Trying to think of a way to reinforce it before I have to use it.The design of the arm makes it entirely too easy to be mistaken for a grab handle!!The shock mount head and dead cat are incredible!!The shock mount actually works. I shot a pep rally in the gym and the students are going crazy, jumping on the bleachers. The Optical Image Stabilization is doing its job on the camera… the mic head, you can see it bouncing in the shock mount doing its job too, so as to not transfer all the impact sound into the mic.Just make sure the mic is pointed at where you want it to be when inside the deadcat outside, when you take it out of your bag.Dec 2014 Update:Mic continues to work like a champ!!If you ignore the bad zoom and some rolling shutter artifacts at the start of the video (had the wrong lens with me the day i shot this, plus the IS was enabled on the lens) here is some video I shot this past weekend in an EXTREMELY LOUD Texas HS 6A Div1 Football playoff game. https://vimeo.com/113819280- Overall the sound quality of the mic is really good. HUGE improvement over the built-in mic. Much more compact than the Rode mic that my son uses on his camera.- The deadcat is really effective at killing the wind noise. On that same Vimeo stream, its a windy day, with the wind coming from behind me, but whipping around in the stadium.Interesting items noticed:- Had it hooked up to my HD Camcorder, which was mounted on a Manfrotto Tripod, with a Manfrotto fluid pan head on it, with a remote zoom switch on the control arm. (am NOT touching the camera to zoom, but using the on-arm remote zoom switch).- Had my headphones hooked up to the camera as well, so I could hear what the camera was hearing…- I could hear a slight thud through the mic as I gently grabbed the control arm of the tripod.- Hearing that, let me to some “thumping” experiments– thumped the arm, could hear it– mounted the mic on the “boom arm” that it comes with, the thumping was noticeably louder– took the boom off, and unplugged the Tascam… thumps were louder on in-camera mic– decided to go with the Tascam hooked up like regular.- the “shock mount” on the mic actually works very well. If you look at this video https://vimeo.com/107761350 the Tascam is mounted directly to the top of the camcorder (no boom arm). When the students get into their jumping and going crazy, the bleachers were physically bouncing. I looked up to see what the mic was doing… while the image stabilization was taking care of the camera, the shock mount was taking care of the mic. You could physically see it jiggling with the bleacher bounces, but the movement did not translate into recorded noise. Very nice to see it worked.Enjoy. Just remember, when using the deadcat… remember to check the angle on the mics before you start recording!
Scott MacLean –
I intended to use my Nikon D5300 for video as well as still shots. In particular, I wanted to use it to take video of live music shows. However, my initial efforts using the camera’s built-in stereo microphones were in a word, dismal. The microphones in the camera had a very narrow frequency range with a noticeable notch in the middle, as well as virtually nonexistent stereo separation. I knew I needed to do better.I did quite a bit of research, initially thinking I would go with a shotgun stereo mic, but after reading multiple reviews, decided to go with this Tascam mic. I already had a handheld Tascam digital recorder with very similar mics that made exceptional recordings. I had read several reviews complaining about the plastic shoes on this mic breaking. I figured I would do my best not to bash the mic when mounted (primarily on tripods when taking video) so that this would not be an issue.The mic arrived, I noticed the box looked like it had been opened before. However, the mic inside was fully packaged. I unpacked it, and first looked at the boom/extension. When I picked it up, the shoe fell off of it. Looking closer, the piece of plastic connecting the shoe to the rest of the boom was in fact broken.I figured I would use the mic to do testing, and when I picked it up, the shoe fell of it as well! It too had been broken. Obviously someone had broken the shoes on both the boom and the mic, then returned it – it had been refurbished (i.e. repackaged) and shipped out to me (by Amazon) as new! I was extremely unimpressed with this.To Amazon’s credit, they had a replacement (new, this time) unit in my hands two days later, and paid for the return of the broken unit. I then got to use the new mic for the first time that weekend.The results: spectacular! The difference in sound between the on-camera mics and this external mic are like night and day. The on-camera mics sound muddy and tonally narrow, with limited dynamics. The Tascam mic produces excellent sound, quite flat and with very good dynamics. The stereo imaging was excellent, and there was no evidence of overmodulation, despite the high SPL at the event.My tests in a quiet room with these mics on my D5300 did produce an audible noise floor in the form of hiss, at probably -30dB. Some other reviews attribute this to the mics, however I tried plugging the mics into my Tascam recorder, and the hiss was not evident. Therefore I attribute the hiss to the preamp and/or phantom power supply inside the D5300, not the microphones themselves. When recording any kind of decent audio levels the hiss is not evident however.With the boom installed, the sounds of autofocus motors in the lens are barely audible in recordings, and then only when the surrounding area is extremely quiet. Again, when recording any kind of audio level, autofocus motor noise will not be an issue.Overall I am very pleased with the sound of these mics. I will continue to be vigilant in handling the mics when mounted to the camera to try to avoid the shoe breakage issue that is so clearly a problem with them. That said, the manner in which I saw them broken could very likely be easily fixed with application of some epoxy.
FG –
Good clarity, doesn’t pick up radio interferenceThis is a great mic, and I’ve decided to ditch my Rode Videomic Go in place of the Tascam TM-2X. I have this mic hooked up to the Audio-In of a Lumens VCP-A50P PTZ camera, which is connected via SDI to a Blackmagic SDI-HDMI decoder, which in turn is connected to an Atem Mini Pro. Previously, my Rode Videomic would pick up all sorts of interference; flouro lights, WiFi, fans, etc., and this would come out as hissing and other audio distortions. In the same recording room, the Tascam TM-2X didn’t pick up any of the interference that the Rode picked up. The Tascam is clearly better designed, yet Rode are supposedly known for making good mics (obviously not the Videomic Go).
Corey –
As they say to the little league world series winning pitcher, Nice Arm!I bought this as I wanted to get a couple videos of my dogs first words as they are almost there, I can feel it! Anyway, I’m using a Nikon D5600 and the included arm fits in the shoe nicely and doesn’t overhang too much. The arm is lightweight and the microphone is perfect weight for it. You can also use the microphone direct to the camera without using the arm but I’m using autofocus so the arm is the way to go for me as it is far enough away with the arm that unwanted sounds are kept to a minimum. Also comes with a little furry hat for the bi-directional microphones that seems to do it’s job. The microphone heads can be moved independently of each other which makes excellent for interviews. All in all a nice little microphone with nice sound and the inclusion of the arm is a bonus that made me like my purchase even more.
Mike –
Omni directional stereo soundThis mic does what I need it for. It picks up ambient nature sounds in all directions. However it did record some interference on one occasion, which I read can happen. It hasn’t happened since so I am pleased with it.
Nicole –
Accessoires pour caméraParfait
C H –
Sound qualityThe sound quality is same as the camera’s one.