Feature:
The ONLY machine with more than two simultaneous inputs in this price range. It has 6. The whole band can plug into separate channnels and play live. Go back later to clean up parts. There are on-board effects for everyone and they're quite effective. I particularly like the vocal effects. You'd need a ton of money to acheive the same product with separate components. You don't even need a bass player anymore, much to my bass players chagrin. The rhythm section is extensive and authentic. The hard driver holds like eight hours of eight tracks before it runs out of space. You can archive on cd and tre-load them later.

Quality:
It's built pretty rugged. I take mine to rehersals and it stands up. The sliders work smoothly, the screen is easy to see. I bought a re-furb. (hey, it wuz a hundred bucks cheaper!) and , of course, had a problem. See below

Value:
You won't beat the price on a 6 simultaneous input with these stellar effects, ever probably.

Desirability:
The 'all-in-one' ease of producing, especially for guitar player/singers, is too irresistable. Girlfriend's birthday? forgot? write & burn a song just for her....priceless.

Sound:
Excellent sound quality. I haven't used everything out there so how could i give a 10, but the presence and auto-mastering algorithms allow anyone to produce a demo quality cd with little experience.

Support:
After about 4 mos I had a problem with the hard drive and had to send it in. And, it was 'in the shop' for about eight weeks. The service dept. was empathetic. There's like 1 Zoom tech in the entire western universe. Even so, he cold soddered a hot wire or whatever and it has worked better than new since. Hey! i saved A $100!

Overall:
I don't want to have to know a lot, or go through a lot fo set up to lay down an incessant melody. If the rest of the band doesn't buy into it (the latest melody) i can go it alone (on-board rhythm/bass). I've only scratched the surface of its features...if i didn't own it, i'd buy it. Even though mine went to the shop.

Feature:
Dozens of effects for guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboards. Hundreds of preset drum and bass patterns. The sound quality of the the drums are as good as some of the best drum machines. Some of the guitar effects could be a little better. Some are very good. But you can always use your external effects.

Quality:
Seems pretty rugged. Heavy guage plastic shell. I plan on taking it on the road in about a week. It will fit comfortly in a small padded carry-on suitcase.

Value:
A whole lot of bang for the buck. If it broke I'd buy another.

Desirability:
I own it.

Sound:
The sound quality of this unit is outstanding. No artifacts, no hum, just crystal clear sound. I'm using a Shure Beta 87C mic for vocals with a high quality cable. The sound quality is just unbelievable!

Support:
None needed yet, so cant really say.

Overall:
For the guitarist/songwriter/recorded this is the rig to own. I find myself writing more and playing more with the help of this unit.

Feature:
playable out of the box.

Quality:
Very well put together

Value:
Good value in a competitive market.

Desirability:
It pretty much has about everything you could ever want except the vocalist.

Sound:
Preset guitar sounds not the greatest, although able to tweak and produce your own. Sound quality of CD is as good as professional CD's Drum and Bass sounds superb.

Support:
no need.

Overall:
the computer interface will keep it hot for a while. The preset drum and bass parts are great training aids for guitar players to sharpen their licks and expand styles, nice to be able to speed or slow tempos. Also the bass simulator is actually quite good for the guitar player, no need to change insturments. You can add parts to existing drum patterns, and again the Bounce function.

This machine is packed with functions, accesories you usually spend hundreds of $$ on - from an impressive programmable drum machine and rhythm section to a fast CD burner and a reasonable effect "rack" built in.

You will need a microphone (despite what they say). and the machine is a bit awkward to handle (many push buttons and rollers to handle for some functions) but once you figure it out it's OK - guess they did it for the sake of miniaturization!

It does not strike me as a pro machine. It's good and given a certain level of expertise may yield pro level results. I'd say it is the best deal for advanced musicians who don't intend to go pro as recording techs...

Overall - tremendous value per $$.

Feature:
Well, mine only arrived yesterday so I haven't even scratched the surface of what this little puppy can do. The few features I have played with so far have been very impressive.

Quality:
Its seems very well built. I'm not sure if I would take it gigging with me until I have a proper carrying unit. The faders seem a little delicate but that wont be a problem.

Value:
After searching the web and comparing different machines I'm definitely glad I chose the MRS-1266. I was a bit apprehensive about spending so much money on something that I knew nothing about but I reckon it'll be the best

Was considering this against the Yamaha AW16G. No doubt that has more tracks, but its higher price and the lack of a dedicated drum machine swung the vote in Zoom's favour. Over the years, I owned two Tascam cassette tape portastudios. However, I never got round to completing my songs, as I never had the budget to buy racks of sound modules and a drum machine. Now, with this all-in-one package, virtually anyone is able to get down to completing a demo and if you are good enough, I believe a professional sounding master recording is possible!

Do yourself a favour and buy proper microphones; at least one good condenser and one good dynamic. Direct miking will bring out the best in your production - record dry and insert the Zoom's built-in effects and bounce them onto virtual tracks for the best results.

Except for minor quibbles such as the inability to copy my own programmed drumkits across projects and the inability to replace previously saved backups with current projects on the CDRW (you have to erase it blank first), this is a fine machine.

Now to get back to my backlog of tunes and get them recorded, mixed and mastered!

Feature:
It is packed with multiple effects that were far better than I expected.

Quality:
Although new, the overall construction leads me to believe I will be using this for quite some time.

Value:
I spent a lot of time deciding which hard disk multi track recorder to invest in. Bottom line, I chose this one, and still don't regret paying over a grand to have it shipped to my house.

Sound:
This machine records crystal clear.

Feature:
No need for a bass guitar, drums,or effect pedals, This has got it all. And I discover something new every day.

Quality:
I've only had it 6 months but It seems pretty solid.

Value:
I looked at other recorders and nothing had the bells and whistles this had. Best money I ever spent.

Desirability:


Sound:
What you put in is what you get out. I could'nt belive it. "AWESOME"

Support:
Have'nt needed any for this unit or any other ZOOM product I've owned.

Overall:
Have'nt found anything to compare for the money. If it gets stolen I'd buy another one. "IN A HEARTBEAT"

Feature:
more features on this product than almost any other similar studio, over 400 algorithyms and percussion tracks, totaly editable.The least useful item for me is the ability to produce electronic drum sounds as we use live percussion. I like the fact that you can choose to have a CD burner or not. You can connect to a computer with phono leads or optional USB port either way, the output quality is stunning.

Quality:
The quality is quite good but I wouldn't want to move it around much, even though it seems robust.

Value:
This is probably the best value for money home studio on the market

Desirability:
It's good looking but not too flash

Sound:
The sound this recorder produces is exactly neutral, whatever you put in comes out.

Support:
I have not dealt with Zoom themselves, but the shop I bought it from has helped in upgrading the studio with the optional USB interface

Overall:
I think it will last a log timeI expect to supplement this unit with a bigger mixing desk