Tascam Mixcast 4

P
odcasting clearly
creates its own
demands and a
dedicated device
certainly makes
sense. With Røde’s
Rodecaster and
Zoom’s PodTrak already making
waves, portastudio kings Tascam have
now entered the fray. Mixcast 4 is an
SD-based multiple input, multiple
output multitrack recorder with USB
interfacing. It lets you balance and
record the audio of your podcast as
either a stereo mix or in multitrack
format. This can then be transferred
via USB to various devices (Mac, PC
and iOS with Android to be added
soon) and Tascam’s Podcast Editor
software used to edit and export your
fi nal show (WAV, MP3, MP4).
Mixcast 4 has plenty of physical
controls and faders, a menu-driven
touchscreen, and eight trigger pads
for fi ring audio and effects. It works
as a standalone device, and although
quite heavy, it’s compact enough to
stick in a backpack. That said, some
aspects, like importing sound fi les to
pads, do require the software editor.
Connectivity is defi nitely one of
Mixcast 4’s strong points. There are
four phantom-powered mic inputs
(the fi rst four faders), and one stereo
line input on either ¼” TRS jacks or
minijack. Meanwhile, the outputs
include four headphones (headphone
1 is paralleled to a front mounted
minijack), and the main stereo
output. USB interfacing provides
14-out/2-in communication, with the
faders routed to individual USB
streams. The fi nal three stereo faders
carry a Bluetooth input, USB input
from the connected USB device and
audio from the trigger pads.
Each channel has Mute and
non-destructive Solo, with fader 1
also including Talkback. This routes
to headphones 2-4 and works even
with channel 1 muted. Channel-
specifi c processing is accessed via
touchscreen. You’ll fi nd de-essing and
noise suppression on all channels,
with 2-band EQ, exciter and
compressor on the mic channels. Mic
channels also have an assignable
effect – reverb or voice pitch changer.
Finally, Mic 1 has a dedicated
ducking processor. There’s also a
global Auto Mixer setting, which helps
manage levels across all four mics.
Mixcast 4 is clearly packed with
features, but still I found both the
hardware and Podcast Editor software
Overall Mixcast 4 is a very
accomplished device, which will let
you spend more time on the content
of your podcast rather than fretting
over the technical aspects.
intuitive. For example, you can use
the front-mounted TRRS headphone
as a mic source by assigning it to mic
input 1. So, your mic-equipped
headphones can also provide a
talkback mic. Brilliant. Also, each
trigger pad has six selectable
playback modes (one shot, latching
and so on), so you can tailor how they
behave. This is vital for making the
most of the trigger pad concept.
There are limitations. Mixcast 4
only operates at 24-bit / 48kHz,
although you can export in 16-bit and
at 44.1kHz. Also, editing parameters
via touchscreen isn’t very immediate,
particularly if you’ve got a bunch of
gate thresholds to set up. Finally,
although the mic inputs sound fi ne,
they’re not designed to compete with
a dedicated audiophile interface.
THE PROS & CONS
+
Compact and robust
Plenty of connectivity
Multitrack and stereo
operation modes
Well equipped
Podcast Editor
software available
Well integrated
talkback mic
-
Certain features only
accessible via
Podcast Editor
FM VERDICT
9.0
Tascam’s portable recording
knowhow captured in a
podcast-specifi c device.
If you’re in that game, it’s
defi nitely worth a look
Packed with
features but still intuitive
Tascam Mixcast 4 | Reviews
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