The new Mixcast 4 Podcast Station from TASCAM looks very similar to the extraordinarily successful RØDECaster Pro Podcast Production Studio from Røde Microphones. But TASCAM was the inventor of the Portastudio, which is clearly where this concept was born. And both the Mixcast and the RØDECaster designs also borrow from original sampling control surfaces like the Akai MPC or the Maschine controller from Native Instruments, which is where those colorful large pads come from originally. So, there's no way of saying who holds the rights to the concept itself, even if it was the Australian company that envisaged the enormous market potential from the podcast phenomena - just before the world lockdown from a pandemic...
The fact that these products are targeting podcasting production is in itself an ingenuous redesign of what concepts the broadcast equipment manufacturers have offered for many years for radio production. Many studio-oriented audio manufacturers have stayed away from dedicated hardware for these applications, given the fact that everything can be done directly with software on computers, tablets and even smartphones. Broadcast equipment companies, on the other hand, always understood the merits of software and hardware integration in control surfaces. And so did a few successful musical instrument and DJ equipment companies, such as Native Instruments.
The TASCAM Mixcast 4 Podcast Station benefits from these trends and even surprises a bit, given that the company has suffered from stagnated sales of its latest all-in-one hardware recording systems, with extremely powerful Portastudios available at highly discounted prices globally. The Mixcast 4 basically says, forget about all that, and now look at it for podcast creation, live streaming, event production, or voice overs. It's still basically a Portastudio at heart, but serving a different purpose and - the brand hopes - different demographic.
The Mixcast 4 Podcast Station can mix and record four microphone inputs (hence the name), internal sounds and music via the system’s trigger pads, as well as external audio inputs from a phone or PC. The hardware holds an internal 14-track recorder that records directly to an SD memory card (basically all that's left for physical media on the consumer level, because of digital photography) and allows users to perform everything that is required for a live production. Recordings are in 24-bit/48kHz WAV for 2-channel stereo, and BWF for 14-channel poly.
On the Mixcast 4 hardware, we find a stress-free interface that incorporates 4 TRS/XLR combo jack mic inputs and 4 individual headphone outputs — making it effortless for as many as four podcasters to interact with each another. With the included auto-mixing function that automatically adjusts optimal levels, the Mixcast 4 makes it a snap to get professional results. Combined with the included 5-inch color touchscreen that provides quick and intuitive access to desired menu control settings, the system enables podcasters to focus on their content without being distracted by complex operational tasks - just like a real broadcast console.
But the Mixcast 4's rich feature set is then expanded and highly valued with the new (free) TASCAM Podcast Editor software, which supports editing, dynamics processing using integrated plug-ins, and full post-production. Combined, the new TASCAM Mixcast 4 offers a complete audio production environment from pre-production to project completion.
On the main approach, the TASCAM Podcast Editor software offers straightforward and practical editing of audio content, track arming, as well as configuration and assignment of sound effects and background music to the unit’s sound pads. The software fully integrates with Mixcast 4 and offers intuitive graphics and easy operation that help users with their production — eliminating the need for experience with DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software. No special driver is needed when used directly with Mixcast 4 and the software supports Windows, Mac OS, and iOS. Android OS will be supported in a future update but limited to two tracks and limited formats.
The Podcast Editor can be downloaded free of charge from TASCAM website and App Store and will probably turn into a valuable tool for production of Voice content in general. From recording to editing and file output, the TASCAM Podcast Editor supports all the waveform editing functions, with the results being exported as MP3/WAV files or as MP4 video files with a still image for YouTube. TASCAM even anticipates eventually introducing a voice-to-text transcription service for recorded audio tracks with a future update. Registration of a Tascam ID is required to download or activate the Podcast Editor.
The surfaces 8 fully customizable sound pads, each one 8 banks (layers) deep, will also inspire many other potential creative uses. In addition to preset sound effects, users can assign new sounds or even pre-recorded mic sounds that have been recorded on the unit. The Mixcast 4 sound pads also allow for easy and real-time voice effects such as voice transformation, reverb, and more to make live-streams and recordings even more interesting and fun.
In terms of connectivity, the Mixcast 4 Podcast Station is a fully-featured 14-input / 2-output USB-C audio interface for direct multi-track recording to a computer or other device, and supports a wireless Bluetooth connection (SBC, AAC codecs supported) that allows recording phone calls or playing background music from paired smartphones or tablets. PC connectivity also enables the unit to import sounds from a computer.
In addition, the TASCAM Mixcast 4 offers stereo line inputs that are selectable between 1/4” TRS and 3.5mm TRRS to easily mix and record phone conversations or input other sound sources like musical instruments. Other outputs include a front top panel 3.5mm TRRS headphone out that can mirror the output of headphone 1, along with stereo 1/4” TRS Main Monitor Outputs and a 3.5mm Stereo Line Out.
The TASCAM Mixcast 4 Podcast Station is expected to be available in September 2021 for approximately $600 US (final pricing is yet to be confirmed at time of publication).
www.tascam.com
