Zoom MRS-1044CD Digital Recorder Review
Zoom
Posted 2002-04-30
We see a lot of gear come through here at MusicGearReview.com. In the beginning, when we started the site, we would get excited about every new review unit we received, simply because it was exciting to get the latest and greatest gear sent to you from the manufacturers. After 2 years on the web, though, we've seen it all. At least we thought we had. We play with so much gear around here it sometimes feels like work when writing these reviews.
Enter the Zoom MRS-1044CD. This incredible unit reminds me of a tootsie-roll, a whole bunch of incredibly sweet features rolled into one. We've had so much fun playing around and writing songs with this unit we almost decided to purchase one for our review rig. After all, you can pick up the MRS-1044CD for around a thousand bucks - far less expensive than some of the other units out there that don't come as close to the level of features and functionality this unit has.
This unit has it all. It's a digital hard disk recorder that features 10 audio tracks (100 v-takes, 10 v-takes per audio track. The Master
Track also has 10 v-takes, for various mixes of a single project), a CD-Burner, a programmable drum and rhythm machine with separate tracks for drums and bass, a guitar modeling and effects engine are built right in and more! The MRS-1044CD also features 24-bit digital signal processing built around 24-bit analog to digital and digital to analog converters that sample at 44.1kHz with NO compression. This is made possible by the inclusion of a hefty built in 40GB hard disk drive that when combined with the workstation engine provides the user with storage of up to 999 songs. In more realistic terms, you can get around 120 hours of tunes stored on this drive.
Connections to the unit are very generous. Zoom has provided 2 phantom powered XLR ins, 2 unbalanced 1/4" ins and a Hi-Z on line one, RCA master stereo outs, optical digital output and MIDI in and out. You can also purchase an optional SCSI or USB add-in card that makes interfacing to your PC a snap in the event you want to send files for backup or further software processing.
Writing songs was very easy. Sometimes with a unit that has this much functionality the learning curve is quite large, however the manual does a decent job of explaining all of the functions and there are some small step by step tutorials in there to get you started as well. I was up and running in less than an hour, although I certainly hadn't learned all of the units functions in that time.
Initially, I started off by writing some acoustic tracks with no rhythm programming to get the feel of things. This was extremely simple and the sound quality was excellent. I found myself using our Shure KSM27 Condenser Mic in conjunction with the 1/4" outs on my Ovation acoustic / electric to get the best acoustic tone possible with the equipment we have in our test rig. The tracks were stunning. Extremely clean and crisp.
After experimenting for a while with the rhythm section, I put together a couple different patterns to jam along with. I actually left my Ovation plugged in and started playing around with the guitar modeling section and came up with some cool "acoustic overdrive" tones that were pretty unique and formed a great foundation for a few tunes that I ended up writing while using the unit. After several hours over several days of playing around I decided to get serious and took the time to learn to program the rhythm section.
You can actually piece together patterns to create entire songs with this unit and because you have separate drums and bass tracks you've actually got 13 tracks to play with (including the master). Most of the remaining review period was spent with my trusty Fender Stratocaster, though, building songs using chord progressions I'd put together in the past and that found new life with the MRS-1044CD. The 100 available song markers made it easy to punch in and move around in the songs I was writing and became especially important when building the guitar solos.
The last test was taking all of the music I had put together and burning it to the CD. I've tested units from other manufacturers that were just a pain to learn at this step of the processing, but the manual for the MRS-1044CD made it pretty simple. Before long I was revisiting each tune I wrote in earlier sessions, mixing down to master and burning tracks. Simple.
Bottom Line:
You can find the Zoom MRS-1044CD on the web at places like Music123 for around $1099. The unit lists for $1999 and I think it would be worth it even at that price point. At the risk of sounding too positive, we think this is one heck of a unit. You can certainly find digital workstations with more capabilities and features - but usually for several thousand more dollars.
The MRS-1044CD is just right for someone like me who plays mostly guitar and really enjoys writing my own music. There are just enough tracks and oodles of features to play with that will keep me busy for some time. It's just too bad we have to send this unit back. It would have seen hundreds of hours of usage around here if it was allowed to stay.
