Tascam’s HD-P2 portable recorder is a new high-resolution stereo recorder. It’s all digital — it records direct to CompactFlash cards, and also has a FireWire port for getting that performance into your laptop as fast as possible. It records in 24 bits at 192kHz to WAV files, and can also take a timecode input to allow you to synchronise your recordings with external video, for example.

Recording to CompactFlash is the way of the future (or the present) — the Edirol R-1 Portable Recorder was a very nice all-in-one recorder, and now the HD-P2 has a few more high-end features. If only somebody could come up with a more interesting name for their recorder they would surely have a hit.

There are a couple of nice unexpected features: “The professional design of the HD-P2 extends to convenient details that pro users will appreciate. The Retake button allows the user to delete the last recording and set up to re-record with a single button press. As audio is recorded, the file headers are continually re-saved to protect your recording against accidental data loss. Files can be named from the front panel interface or using a PS/2 keyboard, which can also be used to control transport and setup features.”

Input options on the HD-P2 include two XLR mic inputs with phantom power built-in limiter. It also has unbalanced RCA ins and outs as well as S/PDIF digital I/O. There’s also a built-in speaker for monitoring and a built-in microphone, though they suggest this is for “interviews and educational use,” so they probably expect you to plug in a good quality microphone for recording music. In fact, Tascam also say you can use the features on the HD-P2 “to sync dailies or to conform dialog during post” — so they’re clearly going for the pro market with this device.