By 1997, analog recording had been almost totally replaced by digital technology. During a hiatus from music and a move from Orlando to Tallahassee, I had dismantled my home studio but when I set the studio back up I made the transition from analog to digital. Because the transition required me to re-learn certain aspects of recording and to keep things as simple as possible, I replaced my reel to reel decks with a Zoom MRS-1044 10-track digital "studio in a box", a unit that offered much of the simplicity of my old Tascam 244 cassette Portastudio with the recording and mixing advantages of computer recording.
The Zoom MRS-1044 featured 10 tracks of uncompressed 44.1 kHz, 16‑bit audio recording to the internal 15Gb EIDE hard disk, giving approximately 44 hours of mono audio track time. Frequency response was 20Hz‑20kHz ±1dB with a signal‑to‑noise ratio of 93dB. The unit included a rhythm section comprising a MIDI‑based stereo drum track using 30 different kits, each with 24 sounds, a mono bass track that offered 15 different bass sounds,
In terms of built-in effects, up to 6 insert effects were available such as Distortion, Flanger, Phaser, Wah, Pitch Shifter, Cabinet Simulator etc. which could be used simultaneously. All told, there were a total of 84 effect types, all based on Zoom's 24‑bit effects processing VAMS technology. Whether I chose to use that 70's British sound,
90's grunge sound, or 21 century's ultra high gain sound, the MRS-1044 let me shape any guitar or bass and add ajust about any effect needed.
Mastering effects could also be routed as insert effects, allowing their use not only for the master track but also for any individual track. This let me apply effects such as Multi-Band Compressor/ Equalizer, Lo-Fi, Dimension or Resonance Filter after recording.
Reverb, Chorus and Delay were also available as Send / Return effects.
Stereo recording via unbalanced or balanced inputs with switchable phantom power was available. Last but not least, final mixes were created through analog outs or via an S/PDIF optical output for mixing to DAT or CD's.
To record my acoustic drums, I added a Behringer Eurorack MX802, an ultra-compact mixing console with six basic input channels, four mono XLR/LINE (i.e., HiZ/LoZ) inputs and two stereo line-level inputs. Each channel has its own three bands of EQ, Aux send and return, stereo pan, and level controls. The first four channels also have a low-frequency cut switch and an input gain control. The mixer also has phantom power for condenser mics, like the overheads I routinely use.
Most people blow off Behringer as garbage gear, often times with good reason. Behringer has been known to "borrow" its competitors' designs (especially Mackie) through reverse engineering. It is no surprise that the MX802 is remarkably similar in appearance and features to its Mackie counterpart at a much lower cost. And while Behringer's quality control is famously lacking, when you get your hands on a unit that works as intended, it is every bit as good as units costing much more. I've been using mine since 1997 without a hitch.
Supplementing the MRS-1044 in terms of outboard effects, I added a Presonus BlueTube Stereo Tube Preamp to warm up the vocals and a Lexicon MPX100 Multi-Effects processor that dovetailed nicely with the Alesis Multiverb that I already had.
For reference monitors, I had to compromise from a budget standpoint after having sold off the Yamaha NS-10's. Fostex offered a pair of Model SS-1.1 satellite speakers coupled with the SW-1.1 subwoofer. The sub had a volume and bass control, left and right speaker outs for the satellites, and RCA audio ins. I demoed them and they sounded remarkable for the price and put them to use.
