"We Are the World" Leads to Heightened Recognition in the Industry

The series first caught on and became popular among soul and country music artisans. Soul music, which requires a strictly tight rhythm, and country music, which relies much on the beauty of husky pianissimo voices, the clear and tight sound characteristic of digital equipment was attractive. Even still, only a few musicians were really using it. The unit gained the limelight and its popularity exploded in 1985, when three X-800 series machines were used for recording "We Are the World", which was a big hit and social phenomenon. The total number of tracks used for the one song was 96. For the vocal tracks alone during the recording session, more than 40 tracks were used. As a result, the well-known super musicians participating in the project took notice of the X-800's potential. This marked the beginning of the real breakthrough into the U.S. market. In the U.K., George Martin, the music producer famously known for producing Beatles records, began using it, and thus sparked its frequent use in British studios.