Tascam Buttons - Front:
- Input level wheel: raises/lowers the recording level
- Home Button: returns to home screen
- Limiter Switch: turns limiter on/off (recommended OFF)
- Mic Pad Switch: when ON, pads your recording level to reduce clipping
- Input Level Switch: which input is controlled by the input level wheel (should remain on STEREO)
- Menu Button: brings up the menu screen/returns to previous screen
- Enter Button: selects the highlighted option from the menu screens
- Selection Wheel: scrolls through menu options
- Next/Prev Buttons: toggles through recorded files in home screen
- Stop Button: Stops a recording/playback (if you don't hit this button to end your recording, it will not be saved!)
- Play/Pause Button: play the selected recording/pause playback
- Record Button: Press once to monitor level, press twice to record
Tascam Buttons - Side:
- Power Button
- USB Charging Port
- Line Out Signal Port (not applicable for CA155)
- Headphone Port
- Headphone level dial
- Hold Switch (leave set to OFF)
- Speaker Switch (ON plays audio out loud from the built-in speaker)
Display Screen Indicators:
- Selected input (should be UNI! If not, follow the selecting the input directions)
- Mono/Stereo mode (should be ST!)
- Battery life indicator
- Recording length indicator
- Recording indicator (displays a lone solid circle when recording)
- Recording level indicator (shoot for -12 dB)
- Input level indicator (use input level wheel to change)
- Previous recording file name (use Next/Prev buttons to toggle recordings for playback)
Formatting the SD Card:
- Have your sound subjects each speak to test level
- The loudest parts of their speech should peak at -12 dB
- If they are too loud/quiet, adjust the input level wheel until they peak at -12 dB (input level indicated with #3)
Making a recording:
- Once you have a good recording level, you are ready to record
- Press the record button once to monitor the audio
- At this point, the red circle light around the record button will begin to flash. You are not yet recording!
- Press the record button one more time (twice total) to begin recording
- At this point, the red circle light around the record button will stop flashing and stay solid red until you end the recording (note: the recording indicator also changes to solid circle when recording)
- To end the recording, you must press the stop button. Pressing the record button again will not stop and save your recording!
Playing Back a Recording:
- When in the home screen, use Next/Prev buttons to select the recording you wish to play back (selected recording indicated with #1 in second image)
- Press play button to hear the selected recording
- Press stop button to stop playback
General recording strategies:
- Avoid small rooms with blank, hard walls
- Try to find a carpeted room
- Avoid placing the recorder on a hard surface (you catch a lot of table reflections/reverb)
- Place the recorder as close to the sound source as possible
- Have your subjects all speak in order to test/set a good level prior to recording. (It's tempting to just fire everything up and go when you're in the heat of the moment. Make sure to relax, take your time, and set up the session properly before pressing record.)
Tascam Packing:
- Recorder goes face up
- USB Cable under Tascam
- Lithium Ion battery lives in recorder (do not remove)