Introduction
The Tascam US-16×08 audio device is a smooth and adaptable tool made for musicians and producers. It’s easy to use and has great features, and it’s becoming really popular in the audio gear world.
Interface Design & Build Quality
- Sturdy construction ensures durability.
- Sleek design with intuitive layout for easy access to controls.
- Compact size, perfect for small studio setups.
Performance
- Crystal-clear audio quality for recording and playback.
- 16 inputs and 8 outputs provide ample versatility.
- Ultra-low latency ensures real-time monitoring without delay.
Connectivity & Compatibility
- Versatile connectivity options including USB 2.0.
- Compatible with various DAWs, ensuring flexibility in workflow.
- MIDI I/O expands its functionality for different setups.
Ease of Use
- Plug-and-play setup for quick installation.
- Intuitive software interface for hassle-free operation.
- Direct monitoring feature simplifies recording process.
Interface Pros
- Impressive build quality and design.
- Outstanding audio performance with low latency.
- Versatile connectivity options and compatibility.
- User-friendly interface and easy setup.
- Direct monitoring feature enhances recording experience.
Interface Cons
- Lack of USB-C connectivity.
- Some users reported driver issues on specific systems.
Conclusion
In summary, the Tascam US-16×08 audio device works really well, is built nicely, and has easy-to-use features. Though it doesn’t have USB-C and sometimes has small problems with drivers, it’s still a great option for both newbies and experts in making music because it performs well and can do many things.
Gozo –
I bought this for my little Garage room studio i built. I plugged this in to Garageband and it automatically detected all 16 inputs. Everything about it is great.
Amazon Customer –
I don’t think I’ve written more than two or three product reviews in the past 5 years, but having had so much experience with this product, the good and the bad, I wanted to offer input for anyone trying to decide. For background, I’m an audio engineer and musician full time and this is my primary audio interface, since I record live drums often. For those looking for the cheapest option to record a fully mic’d kit (and then some), this is it. 16 mono inputs, 8 outputs, and midi 5-pin give you a lot of versatility. I can’t speak to the quality of the live mixer as I use it solely as a USB interface.
GOOD STUFF:
You get 8 xlr inputs, with the option to switch on phantom power, grouped by two switches (1-4 and 5-8). Two more 1/4″ inputs on the front give you the option to switch between balanced line or instrument cables for each. The pre-amp for the instrument switch isn’t great, it isn’t terrible. It doesn’t degrade your raw guitar/bass sound, but doesn’t improve it all that much either. The primary line outs don’t seem to color the sound output whatsoever, having taken extensive audio measurements of my studio and compared it with the response charts (through REW) of other audio interfaces. –if you’re not sure what I’m talking about in this last sentence, all I mean is that the sound coming out of the interface is accurate and clean, compared to some interfaces which will alter your sound output, for the better or worse.
THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF:
The Windows drivers supplied by Tascam, as many have said, are terrible. After owning this product for two years, and downloading every update, including the most recent one released about a month ago (writing this review in July 2020), the primary issue has not been been fixed. That is, the latency will begin to drift over time, no matter your buffer settings. This means, that if you’re using these Tascam drivers to record drums or guitar with say, a 10 minute song, the audio itself will actually stretch and even if you have god-like timing, the recorded audio will begin to gradually drift off time and by the end could be as much as a 16th note off of what you played. Also, as someone who uses a lot of VST instruments, live monitoring is practically worthless as before long, it sounds like the buffer settings have been maxed out. HOWEVER, if you use Asio4all (the generic asio driver for windows), the issue is nonexistent. In terms of capability as a sound card of handling tons of processing, it’s not terrible, it’s not great. I have a powerhouse desktop I built myself purely for music work, and the weak link in my set up is the interface, as a lot of other interfaces I’ve used tend to provide slightly better processing before I need to start messing with my buffer settings.
Also, my first device stopped working inexplicably within two weeks, not registering a usb connection on either end, but Amazon replaced it immediately and this one hasn’t had issue in that regard since. It has survived everyday all day use for two years and even made it through a move undamaged. So I’m going to chalk my first product up to a one-off defect, but thought it was worth mentioning.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS PRODUCT:
DO NOT USE THE TASCAM DRIVERS ON WINDOWS. Use Asio4all.
As I’d imagine this will be the first serious audio interface for many people buying it, make sure you’re doing research on the proper way to set up audio connections. Use balanced cables to connect to your monitors, know when to use the switches for line vs. instrument or the ones on the back labeled +10dbu and -4dbv.
It’s a great value for a budget interface, and I’ve been using it for two years, but my next interface will definitely be something more reliable and capable, specifically in terms of drivers. Owning this interface has showed me firsthand why people will pay $1500+ for an RME, which is probably what I’ll upgrade to in the very near future to have something long-term.
B to the O to the C –
I bought this in 4/2015 and I use it all the time. I even travel with it. The software it comes with is not robust but useful. I use the front end compression and the volume faders as my monitoring system.
I currently have it running on X3 Sonar on pc Windows7 on a Intel i5 processor.
I admit, it did struggle at first. Then I upgraded the hard drive from a regular 5400 speed to a SSD HD, now its awesome. It has no problem multi tracking or keeping up. This might be part of the problem people experience. Samsung SSD’s are not expensive anymore.
The preamps are good. But it is recommended to use a actual mic preamp and line in into this unit. I use a tube Art MPA Pro II. It’s great.
Definitely worth the money.
justin pitonak –
… and lots of inputs and outputs.
Can do a lot more at once than my old 2×2.
Jaime RodrÃguez –
A mà parecer muy buen producto y muy buena calidad. Por años he ocupado Tascam en Máquinas multitrack y grabadoras portátiles sin tener problemas asà que la US-16×08 no me generaba dudas respecto a la calidad o los componentes pero al recibir el paquete y hacer el respectivo unboxing me parece que ningúna foto o video le hacen justicia al equipo. Se ve más robusto en fÃsico, la carcaza es metálica y aunque las perillas y conmutadores son de plástico se sienten de una plástico con buena calidad.
El manual está en varios idiomas y las instrucciones son fáciles de seguir. Solo descargue el controlador desde la página de Tascam y al instante mi Macbook Pro reconoció la interfaz en sus diferentes modalidades de bit rate y sample rate. Solo como observación las instrucciones indican que sin conectar el cable USB de la interfaz a la computadora se descargue el driver y se instale.
Probé con ProTools 2020.12 en 24bits/48khz y en 24bits/96khz sin presentar problemas o clicks digitales, además probé con Google Chrome y Youtube algunos vÃdeos solo para checar si presentaba alguna falla pero todo bien al momento.
Jodytek –
This is a great usb audio/midi interface for a home studio setup. I spent quite a bit of time reviewing mixers and interfaces for my setup. Ultimately one of my goals was to be able to record a 7-piece drum kit, and this can easily send you into the huge investment zone.
The Tascam is great if you can do all your twerking and tuning in a daw. I’m using Logic Pro, and these work great together. There are gain nobs and many other inputs beyond XLR are well, so it is very versatile. When not using for drums, it’s easy enough to plug in a guitar or mic and use for these types of use cases as well.
Let’s talk about the value. This device delivers on value. you could easily spend 3 to 4 times as much on other devices that can what this one can. Definitely Recommend
Carlos Quintino –
-The Review by Carlos Q-
-Main selling point is the onboard EQ, Compressor and a Stereo Reverb Bus. Many interfaces are starting to add these in DSP format so that latency is not added to the interface all the way through the daws.
The issues :
1. The Drivers are a mess, the drivers do not add a control panel applet ( to your Windows Control Panel) so you can change the sample rate, instead it is buried in the Windows Audio Playback section ( which is a complete disaster in Windows 10 vs the Clean Windows 7 version. In Windows 7 Audio was in it’s own applet ( which is how it should be).
2. The onboard EQ-Compressor-Stereo Reverb Bus are basic and really basic for this level of interface it’s 2020 not 1998.
3. The routing mixer section needs an overhaul as the interface has 3 modes this mixer becomes an eye sore and confusing.
4. This interface will have issues ( installs and is seen but will not work) with older non Intel USB2 based port chipsets ( as tried on an older Amd 3 core MSI laptop.
5. The volume pots are weak and the space between each one is narrow.
6. Power switch ( rocker type) is very weak
The Good Points
1. It’s a versatile Interface with 3 modes of operation ( Default is Interface/ preamp/ Mixer)
2. The chassis will allow for many mods ( piggy back ins and outs) and the shell has space to drill the holes for the sockets on the back side.
3. Easy to set it for each mode as button is on the front
4. Midi and other ports on the back ( Word clock, Digital I/O etc)
5. 8 XLR inputs on the front, so very fast to swap out connections.
It’s a basic starter Interface which will give you a good starting point with lot’s of I/O.
Tascam needs to add a control panel applet to the Windows Control Panel to bypass the horrible Windows 10 audio devices setup section. The reason is most people will right click the Audio Icon and attempt to setup their audio devices and instead they get a mashed up audio section within the new Control Panel section.
Terry –
I’m a drummer and newbie to home recording. When Covid hit I wanted to try my hand at recording at home and swapping songs with my bandmates.
Overall I am very happy with this unit after 7 months of use. I read about other audio interfaces being better, which are more expensive, however for someone just entering the world of home recording this was a budget choice. I have learned so much with this unit, it is easy to use. It has lots of inputs for mics, which mostly can be plugged into the front which is handy. The pre maps are good to my ears. It comes with software mixer which is easy to use. It is solid built, can be rack mounted or not. I’ve never had problems with latency, I record in real time no problem. I read about a lot of people complaining about win10 driver issues, I’ve never had problems – I’m running win10 64 bit on a laptop. Just remember you need to buy recording software, I use Reaper and it recognizes the Tascam no problem. The only negative I found was the Tascam is not recognized by Jamkazam and doesnt work properly when last I tried to connect (4 months ago), not sure if you plan on playing with others online. The knobs are a bit hard to use and its hard to read the front panel without great lighting but once you set your levels on your mics you shouldnt have to fiddle with it. Overall I would not hesitate recommending this unit to anyone.
Will –
I bought this five years ago so it has held up very well. If you’re just starting out and don’t know anything about audio interfaces and DAWs you might feel overwhelmed at first as I did, but it didn’t take long to get running using the basic features. I’m currently using it with Windows 10 on an older HP laptop with an Intel Core I7 dual core processor and 8 gb of RAM for tracking, and an older desktop PC with a Intel Core I7 quad core processor and 16 gb of ram for mixing and mastering and it works fine with no issues. The connections are pretty convenient with 8 XLR and 2 line/instrument inputs on the front as well as a headphone output. There are 6 more line inputs on the back and 8 line outs. Also it has midi in/out which I haven’t used so I can’t comment on that. So this unit provides a total of 16 inputs and 8 line outputs. Two of the line outputs are dedicated as the main left & right output to powered monitor speakers. There is a volume control for those on the front which is very convenient. That leaves 6 outputs that can be used as needed. Depending on your DAW that gives you a lot of options to run some outboard gear, create submixes for monitoring or whatever. It did take me some time to figure out how to apply some of the I/O features and your results may vary depending on your DAW setup but if you have some home recording experience you’ll probably be fine. The knobs feel pretty solid despite being plastic. They should be fine if you don’t knock this around. Rack ears are provided if you want to use a rack mount. I have mine in a rack case with a patch bay so all the Tascam’s back panel connections can be accessed from the front of the rack. Highly recommended.
I have not tried these last two features but the manual says it is capable of running as a 16 channel mixer using the Tascam US 16×08 Settings Panel application on your pc as well as a stand alone 8 channel mic preamp when not connected to a computer.
What I don’t like about this is the gain controls for channels 1-10 on the front panel are a bit small and placed close together so you have to be careful when adjusting levels to make sure you don’t accidentally move one of the adjacent knobs. Not a huge issue if you don’t have fat fingers like me.
Anyhow bottom line is this is a great interface for a good price.
Toronto Tonto –
There is nothing I don’t love about this unit. I bought the Celesonic as a replacement for my aging M-Audio Delta 1010. Every feature I could want is built-in to the Celesonic at a very nice price. I love the versatile physical design as it can either sit on a desk at a rehearsal gig or be rack mounted in my studio. As a studio DAW audio interface it was very easy to configure and I was ready to record in under 10 minutes. I love the built in Mic inputs complete with onboard 48V Phantom Power. The Celesonic is great for live rehearsals too as it has the option to act as a live mixer, with onboard DSP no less. All I needed was a power-amp and a laptop (that happened to sit nicely on top of the Celesonic) and the band was ready to go. Reverb, Compression and EQ are all built in! Although the Celesonic has a built-in MIDI interface, I prefer to use a second PC as my MIDI workstation so the Celesonic’s built-in digital inputs are great to have. I love the combined XLR/TRS inputs on the front panel as I can plug in guitar, bass and microphone at will. I don’t know how long the Celesonic has been on the market but if I’d had one in my hands ten years ago I could have saved a ton of money, as it single-handedly replaces my dbx channel strip, a host of outboard 48V mic pre-amps, and my Mackie live sound mixer.