Tascam as audio interface to line-in?

Bill Cruise wrote:
Can I use my Tascam DP-02 as an audio interface for my iMac? I can go from the RCA output jacks on the Tascam with a mini-plug adapter cable to the Line-in on the iMac.

seems like it should work (though technically it's not an interface, you'd be using it as a pre-amp, and using the Mac's D/A converters)

Or is it better to use a product with a USB or Firewire interface for my iMac? If so, would results be significantly better?

better is really in the ear of the beholder. if you intend for this to be a "pro" bit of work, a good interface would be recommended. for fun, or semi pro, i rather doubt it would be "significantly" better (especially keeping in mind every bit of the signal chain counts. cheap mics with a $500 interface would be silly, just as a $1,000 mic into a cheap interface would be)

bottomline: stick with what you already have. record with it. listen critically to your recordings. do they sound good to your ear? if so, then you're golden. if not, then it may be time to look at some better gear

Bill Cruise wrote:
Do the Mac A/D converters compare favorably with many of the audio interfaces available?

Apple doesn't post the specs anywhere, but when one considers that a high end interface would probably start in the $300-$400 range, and the low end of good is in excess of $100, it's a safe bet that the built in converters are fairly low end.

Is this where the difference would be?

yes, but again, low end in this case is still pretty good. like i said, if you try it and are satisfied, there's no reason to turn up your nose because something else has better technical specs (in particular, if the end result is going to wind up being an AAC or mp3... that file compression is going to take all the advantages of high end gear and just toss them out the door)

you're welcome.

there's a bit of a learning curve to all this, but nothing all that huge. mostly it's a learn by doing kind of thing. poke at something, see what happens, if it's a good thing, remember it, if it's not, try something else.