Perhaps you are familiar with handy recorders. As a category, they have existed for a long time. They started with the humble voice recorders that looked like the current Apple TV remote control. They were pretty good at being a single-function computer. Those devices had one job and plenty of limitations. Still, they were fun gadgets to have around. You can still get them to this day.

At some point, Zoom came along and gave us the H1. It was a bigger version of the same kind of device but with much better builtin mics. They kept iterating and improving until the category of handy recorder was resurrected and transformed into something more interesting. Competitors entered the field and before long, we had a genuine handy recorder market. Zoom still has the mindshare. But others have come along for their piece of the pie. Venerable Tascam is well poised to steal the crown. Perhaps they already have. Enter the Portacapture X8.

Well in hand

Zoom’s most recent handy recorder is the H8. It is a handy recorder that doesn’t easily fit into a hand. These beasts are more than glorified voice recorders; they are full recording studios in a portable form. The H8 has 6 XLR inputs plus a top capsule with stereo mics in an XY pattern. It has lots of knobs and buttons and still finds room for a capacious screen.

It is a fantastic device that is great at most of what it sets out to do. The main thing it forgot was that most hands have a limited capacity for holding things. The H8 feels like a device that was designed to be on a desk or stand. It is not really a hand-friendly device. It is as awkward for the hand as a 17” laptop is for the lap. It is a bit of a throwback device. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Just know that it was made with the sensibilities of a bygone era.

Tascam offers the more modern choice in the form of the Portacapture X8. The length and width of the X8 is a little smaller than iPhone 13 Pro Max. It makes up for it by being about three times thicker. Still, that is very much a hand-friendly package. Unlike the H8, it is a rectangular box. The design is simple, clean, and for a device of its kind, sleek. It is a handy recorder that is still made for the hand.

The X8 still manages to fit 4 XLR combo-ports that double as 1/4” inputs. You get camera in and out as well as an 1/8” headphone jack. A USB-C port also finds a home along the lower-right side of the device. There is a special port for a separately sold bluetooth receiver for remotely controlling the device with a smartphone. It is an impressive array of I/o that is sure to satisfy the needs of most people on the go, and even people who are more stationary.

It keeps its small profile by providing a large touchscreen for most controls as opposed to using hardware buttons and knobs. It still carries the physical controls you would expect such as REC and PLAY/PAUSE, HOME, and MARK. However, there are a couple of nice surprises such as a hardware volume dial for the headphones and a wheel that aids in operating the interface. This whole package easily fits in one hand without leaving you with the feeling of something missing from the package.

Mics you will actually want to use

I’ll start with the bad news: The build quality of the detachable stereo mics leaves a lot to be desired. The are lightweight with the feel of cheap plastic. I don’t feel confident in their durability. The H8 is just the opposite. The mics are sturdy and confidence-inspiring. Tascam cut some corners in the build quality of the mics. That is really the only place where the corner-cutting is obvious.

That said, the sound quality of the mics on both devices is excellent! Check out this sample recorded from the X8 in 32 bit float I held the recorder about 3” to 4” away from my mouth while speaking directly into it. I did use a fuzzy windscreen which I purchased separately. You can hear the quality for yourself. More on that in a bit.

Right now, my favorite mic is the Rode Podmic. And I have a SM7B. I own too many mics. But I have no need to reach for any of them when I want to record a podcast. I need only grab the X8 and start recording. That said, there are two reasons I will still reach for other mics:

1. I use sound clips in one of my podcasts. When I do that one, I would rather wear a headset mic to eliminate the extra handling noise of tapping the screen several times during the session.
2. When I am doing a podcast in my office, I don’t want to handhold the X8 for a long session lasting more than an hour. And I don’t want to mount it on a stand for one session of recording.

Regarding the second reason, it is not difficult to mount the unit on a stand. But I take this recorder with me all the time and just don’t want the extra fuss of mounting and dismounting the recorder repeatedly. It might not be an issue for anyone else. Besides, it gives me an excuse to continue using that excellent Podmic.

You should be aware that there is definitely handling noise when using the X8 handheld. It is not terrible. But it is worse than the H8. Recording with my SM35 Earworm means that the microphone is separated from the device and cannot pick up any handling noise. Even so, it is very nice to know I can just grab and go without giving a thought to bringing a microphone if I don’t want to. I genuinely look forward to using the builtin mics.

32 bit float

There is a lot more to 32 bit float than the math. And that’s a good thing since I don’t know the math. What you need to know is that 32 bit float allows you to ignore the gain when you record and set it in post without any degradation to the signal. Gain staging is a thing of the past.

You can set the gain as high as it will go and overdrive everything you record. At 24 bit, that recording would be unusable due to being horribly distorted. With 32 bit floating point, all the original data is captured and can be restored by simply lowering the gain during the edit. You do have to be using a DAW that can edit 32 bit float files. When you do it for the first time, it feels like magic.

The magic doesn’t stop with saving what would normally be distorted tracks. You can do the same trick with files that are recorded with the gain all the way down. You can whisper while recording with no gain and add digital gain in post. It will sound pristine without adding a single bit of noise to the track.

In practical terms, you never need to worry about losing a track because of a mistake in setting the gain. You cannot get a track that is too quiet. And you also cannot get a track that is too distorted due to gain. You don’t have to worry about keeping it between -12 and -6. You don’t have to worry about the clipping indicators. None of that matters in 32 bit float recordings. In fact, the Zoom F3 doesn’t even have gain control on the device because you simply don’t need it anymore. You can also say goodbye to safety tracks. 32 bit float is all the safety you need. It’s amazing!

Noteworthy features

Apps: There are lots of presets that present themselves as smartphone-style apps. They serve as a starting point for the task you want to do and streamline the interface for those tasks. It is not quite right to say they are there for beginners while full manual mode is for experienced users. Some functions only exist in the apps.

As a podcaster, I sometimes use the pads to play and pause long sound clips of speeches. You can bring them in and assign them to one of two sound pads. The problem is those pads only exist in the podcast app. So there is no option for doing this in manual mode. Certain effects are only found in the music app. In podcast mode, not all channels are available because the pads use them. Also, you cannot choose 32 bit float as a format in the podcast app. The best you can do is 24/48. The workaround is to enable dual recording and set the safety track to 32 bit float. That limitation is not in other apps. That said, the apps are generally implemented well and provide logical settings for what most people will want to do.

Control Wheel: On a device where buttons are at a premium, there is a rather large wheel occupying the bottom center to help you dial in precise values. You can use it to help you set a specific level: a thing you still need to do when not using 32 bit float. There are other places where it can be used. But it can’t be used everywhere you might find it useful. It is a good element if not somewhat underutilized.

USB Interface: At $499, the X8 is more than a handy recorder. It is also capable of serving as a USB interface to the computer for your professional mics and other gear. You can record sounds from your computer directly into the USB channel. It works just as well with the iPad. On the computer, you can assign multiple channels to different tracks. You can even record directly into the computer from the builtin stereo mics. I still prefer my desktop podcast mixer for recording in studio. But it would make an excellent interface for the notebook when on the go.

Bluetooth Remote App: If you purchase the bluetooth module, you can download a free app to your phone for controlling every function of the X8. That can be useful if you have the device on a podium while you are seated in the audience. Even at your desk, you can find a use for it. If you are using the builtin mics, the screen will be facing away from you. The remote app allows you to fully operate the device without physically interacting with it.

This does not exhaust the nice-to-have features on the device such as a cold shew mount, the headphone volume dial, and the relative ease of use. I like the punch-in recording feature that allows me to do a little recording while in one location and pick it up where I left off in another location. The speaker is terrible and is only slightly better than having no speaker at all. But it is still there if you don’t have headphones to listen to previous recordings. It is easy to see the value proposition.

Conclusion: An easy recommend

The Portacapture X8 is not for everyone. The $500 price tag sees to that. But if you have the money and want to up your audio game, the X8 is an easy recommend. It goes toe to toe with the best that Zoom has to offer, and beats it in many categories. You will have a hard time justifying spending more money for better audio.

The sample you heard was just me in my office speaking into the mics at the top of the device. I dropped the file in Logic Pro and applied my standard settings that I use for all my recordings. These include noise reduction, echo removal, and the like. If you are not impressed with the sound clip, blame my EQ settings, your speakers, internet compression algorithms, and everything else that can degrade the audio. Don’t blame the X8. In person, the sound is pristine. What you do with it after that is up to you.

As for value proposition, the audio quality of the kit mics should count for anywhere from a third to a half of the cost. The rest is easily justified by the rest of the features, hardware and interface. I wanted to solve my occasional gain issues. The problem is solved and the solution is worth it for me.

I just want to reiterate that the bluetooth module is a separate purchase. It would have been nice for that to have been a part of the unit. But it is in line with how other companies do it. The same is true for the windscreen. Plosives are atrocious without it. You will want to buy one, put it on, and keep it on. The sensitive mics are mounted directly to the body of the X8 and pick up a lot of handling noise. The Zoom H8 has a fraction of the noise, likely because there is more space between the mic capsules and the H8 body.

If you buy this device, expect it to have the 1.0 firmware on board. That firmware is criminally bad. I almost returned the X8 before checking to see if there was an update. There was. And it fixed the vast majority of issues that were present. You should update the firmware before attempting to use it for the first time. It makes all the difference.

All computers have software issues. Fortunately, they can be updated with fixes and new features. The Portacapture X8 is more computer than handy recorder. Once you square with that, you will be more than pleased with the purchase. The X8 is a step up for just about everyone who creates audio.

David Johnson