Boss BR-800 Portable Digital Recorder Overview & Demo Part 1

[jantequera7]

I'd like to know what scale is he using when he's soloing at 2:17. can someone help me? thanks!

[MusicFreak192939]

But can you make tracks on the computer and direct them? Cause it would be boring if it was the same thing playing over and over..

[kitoffelmel]

IMPORTANT QUESTION!!

Is this an 8 track recorder or 6 tracks?

because i only see 6 tracks, but is 5/6 and 7/8 double tracks or what you would call it?

i mean can you record a track on 5/6 and then record another track on top of the other on 5/6??

[ThatGuyCalledBradC]

Hey, Im looking for something to record with over the holidays so I can keep uplaoding to youtube. All that i will be recording is a Acoustic guitar, vocals and a bassline (maybe), Would the Tascam DP008 or This ^^ , be a better choice? Thankyou :)

[AndertonsMusic]

@ThatGuyCalledBradC We'd say the BR-800 is probably better suited to your needs.

[ManTheBlink]

Hay can someone help me please. I want to buy this for my band to record some demo's on (So we can postpone our EP and save up some serious money to get professional recordings done)

Is this piece of equipment any good? Is it good quality? If it helps, we're a 4-piece punk-rock/pop-punk band...Kind of like: Blink-182, Sum 41, Jimmy Eat World...That kind of music, so no heavy distortion or anything, haha.

HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED!

[AndertonsMusic]

@ManTheBlink Yeah it is Good quality and will record demos nicely for sure.

[Jmyster4]

hey ur that crazy gr-55 guy, are you well known? if you are then I guess I look like an idiot

[UKToneKing]

Is this machine also able to run through your amp, so that the sound comes out of your amp speakers, and also can U run it through your amp but use your amp as the guitar tone not the the unit, as I want to record my amp and also have some drums going as well ect

[AndertonsMusic]

@UKToneKing It certainly isn't designed to do that and you'd have to do something of a work around that wouldn't be idea (Put it in your amps effects loop but you'd have to adapt the Phono outs to jack and all sorts of impedance issues there). Sounds like you'd be better off with a full featured looper pedal like the Boss RC-300 to me

[UKToneKing]

@AndertonsMusic I was under the impresion, I could stick it into the bass channel of my bassman, and play guitar through the normal channel, becasue don't forget, my amp is not a switchable channel like most amps built today, mine is the silverface bassman, which works whichever channel U jacked into, was told I could play the drum beat through the bass channel and play through the normal channel, maybe I can do that, but not record ?

[AndertonsMusic]

@UKToneKing I don't really understand what you're trying to do. You can't (unless you amp is modded somehow?) play through both inputs on a Bassman at the same time. So you would have to keep plugging and unplugging depending on what you wanted to hear? Still sounds to me like a looper pedal would make a lot more sense but if you think you can achieve what you want with a BR-800 then maybe it is for you. You make the choice at the end of the day

[grandpaatemydildo]

Hi, can you use the BR800 as a simple looper with a footswitch? ie REC-PLAY-OVERDUB, as you can do with RC-3 for example?

[EFEdits]

Would u recommend this product for producing hip hop beats and songs?? i know it can be used as an interface and it has a inbuilt mic but can you put in more mics. and is it easy to use?? alot of questions :P

[AndertonsMusic]

@EFEdits For producing beats and hip hop tracks you'd probably be better off looking at something with pads. There's loads of things that will link to your computer but if you want something standalone look at the Akia MPC500 or the Korg Electribe units

[EFEdits]

@AndertonsMusic Thank you for replying quickly i already have the axiom 25 im just looking to build on my home 'studio' ;) just wondering would this be a good piece of equipment for doing so :)

[vitality91]

Is it good for recording acoustic drums as well?

[93fishi]

Is that an OLP guitar? I saw one somewhere for around £150 and was in two minds of getting it :P

[AndertonsMusic]

@93fishi That's a Music Man, the OLP is a cheaper licensed versions of Music Man (OLP standing for Official Licensed Product)

[93fishi]

@AndertonsMusic Ohhh i see, LOL i seem quite silly now -.-

[AndertonsMusic]

@93fishi easy mistake to make don't worry!

[castthom]

@93fishi add another zero and then times it by two and its around what you pay for that music man ;)

[UKToneKing]

@93fishi if U ever see a music man for £150, grab that sucker and run

[luptonontv]

Blues collector, the simplest way is to use the wav convertor software on the br-800 installation disc, or i think you can download it for free from boss. Take the your SD card from the br-800, put it in ur Pc, I use a sdhc card reader cause it's faster, when it's in open the br-800 wav convertor and choose the drive where your SD card is, select the song you will find this from a drop down, then select the individual tracks, including virtual tracks, then choose where u want to save them. The

[TheBluescollector]

I've tried ove rand over to get the songs in my boss br800 over to my computer using usb... hours have been spent... any one know? getting ready to get rid of mine and buy a zoom... if this don't happen soon. ebay here I come!

[davidrutland1]

I noticed he came in with the guitar a whole note after the beat started and then it just looped from where he came in.. how did he do that?? a pedal?? I own one of these but it's in the pawn and would like to get into looping when I get it out.. do you have to set some sort of punch in/out parameters to do what he did.. I guess I'll have to figure it out on my own.. but I can't get very much info on the net about looping with this thing anywhere..

[AndertonsMusic]

@davidrutland1 Yes you can use a pedal to punch in and out as Alex did.

[chrissegenetay]

hi guys, great review! alex is awesome! i was just wondering if he is using some sort of pedal when he does the loop recording?

[fasolia]

great video, but where in BR800 is the pad sounds???

thx

[TheDeadMouseStife]

He makes every thing look soooo easy, any bets that when I get one I wouldn't have a clue how the hell to use it

[DavinaFaerie]

If you're guitar has fret buzz will it pick up on this machine? :0/

Please someone let me know?

Thanks in advance... :0)

[zzacksback]

Very nice ,Its amazing . I'm getting one as soon I can .......

[Knopfkandidat]

IMPORTANT QUESTION: does the cakewalk sonar 8.5 LE software also work on older/weaker laptops??? PLEASE HELP!!!

[DavinaFaerie]

@Knopfkandidat I'm pretty positive it does... :0)

[KMatteKudasaiC]

Is that an actually song he's playing or did He just improvise it? I'd like to find it if so

[W2n1dowsx]

you bery bery good i like dat

[azfryguy]

I love that tasty jam he is playing 1:16-3:15

[DiatonicVids]

Can you record a guitar though an amp with this?

[Geetar2112]

H E L P. Morning all. I am very tempted to buy this as my last studio was about 100 years ago and this seems perfect for me - drums editor and everything:). I have seen may complaints online about the lack cut and paste feature - record a verse/chorus etc and c & P to anywhere on the song. Am I right in thinking that this can be done when you connect to a PC? If so, that´s OK as I would have it connected to my PC most of the time anyway....Thanks for any help/comments.

[Madvall]

Hi there !

That BR 800 rocks ! Recorded all my EP with this little devil ! Check my channel for a link if you want.

Cheers.

[starklombardi]

Man, in all of the videos I've seen Alex playing, he never ceases to impress, definitely a very talented versatile guitarist (can play any type of music).

Guys at @AndertonsMusic , greet Alex on my behalf. You'll be hearing from me for one of those BR-800. SOLD.

[rounard75]

Hello Alex, great demo of the new BR 800! I would like to know the model of your guitar because it sound very good and seams to be vey versatile. Thank you for your answer.

[LaGulaDelNorte]

name of the song in the begginin?

[Mary777renee]

I have the BR-800 but I have NO idea how to use it.. it's really complicated...?

[brandonlau]

It's amazing how many people know of Alex Hutchings when I mention him, he is somewhat of a legend on the internets around the worlds

[produccionesurizar2]

ALEX YOU SPEAK SPANISH?

[denmark477]

so is anyone going to tell us what the chords alex plays at the start or indeed tab the solo parts???plz

[lumpeater]

he's not actually doing a " live" demo. These tracks were pre-recorded. Look closely at 1:30 seconds when he stops playing to adjust the br800 ...the guitar playing continues. Either way this is a good recorder though...i own one.

[mtcguy]

@lumpeater I believe he really is doing live recording. He had recorded his first track, which was then looping, and his "adjustment" was selecting the new track to record to, and so on.

[uverdadeiro]

@lumpeater Wrong, that lick at 1:30 was recorded seconds before, it is a live demo

[bassteacher99]

No track edit functions STILL !?!?!?! Tisk tisk tisk boss ..... I thought there was an up grade to the software Coming out ???

The people that make decisions at these huge corporations are so brilliant but lack commen sense , it's not like they had to invent track edit technology , it's been in every recorder they made from the beginning ..... "Da dada da da da dada news flash this just in" SOME OF US LIKE TO EDIT ON THE MACHINE !!!!! if I wanted to work on my computer to record I would have

[onzki]

haha this guy is amazing..

[bobarist]

I purchased this recorder a short while ago. When I power on the record button for the first track lights up automatically. Is this suppose to happen?? I can't find anything about it in the manual. Thanks

[oezy]

why does his guitar sound like a bass? is this a special effect on the BR-800 ? Or is it a guitar synth like gr-20?

[TheEpiphone28]

can u do a report on the tascam dp 03

[ghostuk666]

Hi Alex, I was so excited when my br800 was delivered I felt like a kid at Christmas,

But after an hour with it trying to find the copy & paste option I realised it was removed from the unit and you had to use the sonar software.. WTF .. why would Roland do this I asked myself, they said it's what there customers wanted? Did I miss a meeting ? I have tryed and tryed to use this "portable music- production unit" with sonar and have now given up, and have gone back to the Br600. £350 for a doo

[gammypage]

lovely bit of music

[Techdrome]

How the hell did u get that great bass sound? Program is absolutely amazing, especially compatibility with computer, cause I can use it as soundcard, and loop station with regulating master of all lines is wooow!

[Sugarchristelle]

Terrible product. Lacks even basic editing features. They sell it with Sonar LE but just try getting it to work with the DAW, it's bullshit. Roland should be ashamed, this is seriously flawed. Buyer's be warned!! THIS IS A PIECE OF CRAP....buy a Zoom or a Korg, or anything but this awful piece of plastic. A complete waste of money AVOID

[elvis8burgers]

Very good demo of this machine, Alex, gives me a complete picture of what it can do - and fun to watch too. I'd buy one.

Compare it to this dudes uber dreary clip:

youtube.com/watch?v=IFIs7FYK5R­Q&feature=related

[auntygomez]

Hi im probly going to buy this, how are the drums? can you chop and paste like the br1180? i had that machine for 5 years then it just died......can you chop n cut n create your own tracks?



[KMatteKudasaiC]

The first thing you demo in this.. is this an actual song? If so I'd like to know, it' gorgeous

[Sugarchristelle]

The BR-800 is NOT an 8 track recorder. Tracks 5/6 and 7/8 are stereo tracks. You cannot separate them or dis-engage them, or un-pair them. So really what you have are 4 mono tracks and and two tracks that record in stereo. However the most remarkable step backwards with the BR800 is the inability to carry out simple track editing. The most basic track editing ie a copy/paste is unavailable. Ultimate, portable recording solution? Only if you install Sonar on your laptop & use both together!

[tupefuzz]

what kind of monitor should i get??? passive or active...or what do you recommend

[hall95rck]

what is your guitar name? :)

[fusion1275]

Thinking of buying this.. What footswitch are you using in your video to save the loops? Also was thinking of using this with pre-installed backing tracks I have on an SD. Can I also use a footswitch to maybe stop/start/forwards/backwards these??

Thanks

[barryboy121]

Just bought this... I'm dying to use it! BUT!!! When I plug my speakers in, Its really quiet :(! Any ideas whats up?

[MyLifeRSC]

wow that's an amazing piece of kit

[BathonDaniel]

Can you record singin' while playing guitar at same time ?

[distortionCAST]

Alex Hutchins doesn´t explains the steps to do the the phrase loop and he has some kind of footswitch to stop recording and he doesn´t say us that and the how he configure guitar Bass sound (steps)

[brotheregghead]

I have a couple questions aswell.

1.I can plug this into an amp and hear what's going on, correct?

2. What kind of USB cable do I need to plug this into my computer.

3. Could I record drums from my electric Yamaha DTXPLORER on this machine?

THank you!

[mcram3r]

hey the br800 looks grt, but i was wondering which is better the br800 or the br900cd?

[THEWHATMUSIC]

Can you use Sonar LE with BR 600?

[strabbs1]

i like alex, but he looks like he could be a serial killer one day, amazing musician thought, makes ya sic dunnit

[AndertonsMusic]

@strabbs1 Alex isn't a serial killer - he's actually a werewolf - be careful what you say. You can often see him using a BR800 on the moors during a full moon.

[alfoluke]

@AndertonsMusic ahahahah ;)

[strabbs1]

i like alex, but he looks like he could be a serial killer one day

[shell29fan1]

How does this compare to the Fostex MR8 HD?

[Quakelord1991]

Could you put in a song (such as from a band that you listen to) into the recorder and be able to edit that to help out with guitar parts you're trying to learn?

[Criddington]

Just a quick question, I've been looking all over the place for some idea of how good the condenser mics are on this beast; just if I decide I want to get the sound from my amp?

[4321micro]

once you recorded a guitar rhythm on track 1,

then bass on track 2.

if you want to go back and add more guitar rhythm, will Br-800 remember that rhythm guitar was assigned to track 1 or it will be still bass sound?

[4321micro]

can you tell what foot switch you use, how do you switch without stopping.

thanks.

[jasper11227]

track 5 and 6, 7 and 8 have single volume knobs, can you control the volume seperately???

[Astrat100]

This thing is in no way worth 449.00 bucks. It's a piece cheap plastic crap. Drums sound like plastic toys...the easy record did not function as directions stated. It's like a 200-250 dollar beginner toy. They put out an overpriced piece of junk and hire a pro to play in a video to market. I returned this within 5 hours of receiving it.  The touch buttons suck! Not my cup of tea...dam I hate tea!

[0AllForNaught0]

@Astrat100 You're out of your mind - and as soon as I finish my tracks I'm gonna prove you wrong on my channel. The songs on my channel are all recorded into the Micro BR BTW, if you're curious how the drums on these units can sound when mixed properly.

Also: there's WAY more options for the rhythm/drum sounds on the 800, and the drums can be made to sound really fat, and lifelike.

[velveteens13]

GREAT!!! Thanks.

[fredders56]

How does this compare to the BR-600 and is the manual more user friendly? Thanks...

[guitarinkrys]

Nice Playing! Really Great...

[khairulazharazman]

Anyone knows if this is better than the ZOOM R16?

[RolandAMC]

@khairulazharazman Having never used the Zoom R16 I couldn't tell you. But the features combined with ease of use, make the BR800 a winner in my books. :-)

[vierge99]

Can you create/edit rhythm tracks on the device itself or does that require PC interaction? I can't find that answer anywhere so far. Because the distant cousin device, BR-600 had velocity sensitive pads even. It would be a HUGE oversight by Boss to call this a total mobile studio solution if editing the tracks requires PC interactions. I don't care if there are 3,000 drum track presets. I want to make my own. I hope I'm wrong because I want the vocal effects this beauty has.

[lejoe48]

@vierge99 I agree with every word of your comment...too bad that Boss has forgotten this.

[RolandAMC]

@vierge99 In order to create your own unique drum beats, I believe you will need to connect it to a PC. The preset drum beats on the BR800 are very good and are very usable.

[0AllForNaught0]

@RolandAMC yeah - but the Micro BR had 100's of drum PATTERNS that could be combined in creative ways to make songs. Does the BR-800 function the same way? Also: a travesty on the Micro BR, all drum patterns were 4/4 time ONLY, if the BR-800 has/uses drum patterns internally (as I HOPE) did they at least include different time signatures?

It seems like you guys are being purposely vague about this, as it has been asked and not answered thus far.

[RolandAMC]

@0AllForNaught0 To be fair, we have only just received our demo stock last week. When we shot the video we were blessed with having one of a mere handful of BR800's in the entire UK! My apologies if you have not got the answer to your question as of yet (we've been working without manuals, up until now!)

My name is Kevin and I am the Roland Planet Manager at Andertons. If there are any really technical questions regarding the BR800, please feel free to email me at kevin.jubb@roland.co.uk :-)

[0AllForNaught0]

@RolandAMC I don't have any more "technical" questions - but what about it's case, is it metal and plastic, or just plastic? I already ordered mine, and I'm hoping that's a metal base on that thing.

Great demos btw - it's hard to find any real data on this machine, and you guys are being really thorough, much appreciated!

[0AllForNaught0]

@RolandAMC Also - when is the official release date on this in the UK and in the states? Musicians Friend had it on 7/27 a couple days ago, now it's 8/06.

If there are gonna be supply issues/backorders I might cancel my order and just get a BR-600.

[VcookiemonsterV]

@vierge99 i wonder if u can simply record your own percussion on a track. or record more tracks with sonar le that comes with it straight through the software and not use the br800 for making multiple tracks of acoustic percussions?????

[0AllForNaught0]

@vierge99 From what I've gathered, studying the interface and various demos, the 800 comes loaded with drum patterns just like the micro BR that you can combine as you wish. The software editor is for creating beats from scratch.

[SteveFEn7DER]

does it have phantom power so it will support all kind of mics?

[RolandAMC]

@Roland AMC Input 4 is the dedicated 'vocal' input and does has phantom power. It's also pre-programed to use the vocal designer FX that are on the BR800 taken from the Boss VE-20. Inputs 1-3 do not have phantom power.

[Natokowsky]

well the screens bigger. but yet again only 6 faders for 8 tracks and no pan buttons. sheesh.

[musicdon6]

Thanks for the excellent demo! The bass sounded killer too. It's amazing what Boss can do with FX these days. This recorder sounds perfect for an aspiring songwriter like me.

[Bowlieweekender]

Excuse my ignorance here but, How does one feed an electric guitar directly into this thing and hear it amplified live as you're recording? Do the line outs go to a pair of power monitors and you hear it that way?

[AndertonsMusic]

@Bowlieweekender This is really easy - you just plug your guitar straight in - all the FX you need to make the guitar sound great are built in to the BR800. You can listen to what you're playing either thorugh headphones, or via some monitor speakers (neither of which come with the unit).

[jamesrowland1987]

@AndertonsMusic @AndertonsMusic hey, i am completely new to these things so i have no idea what im doing. im wondering if its ok to use a normal guitar practice amp plugged into the headphone jack to hear what your'e doing? Also, although it already has effects built in, if i was to want to use one of my guitar pedals (e.g boss ds-1) do i use the dedicated effects port at the back or will it still work if i connect a pedal in between my guitar and a br-800? thanks

[gbugnard]

@AndertonsMusic Seems anyway interesting using it as a loop station since you have 8 tracks (so 8 loops, right?) with the effects on the same device. Is it possible to delete / stop a recorded loop? Can the loops recording be triggered by a foot pedal (for a use with a keyboard)?. Thanks!

[RolandAMC]

@Bowlieweekender There are no internal speakers on the BR800 so you can either monitor using headphones or take the main line outputs to some powered speakers. The Roland MA-15D's are really good for some basic speakers

[FrankyTown101]

Thank you for this video ! I'm quite interested in the BR-800 for both its recording and looping capabilities. But i would like to know if you can overdub on the same tracks when you loop. Thanks !

[AndertonsMusic]

@FrankyTown101 No you can’t. It’s not like a dedicated loop station/pedal, each individual recorded phrase is assigned it’s own track.

[tompaulsen2002]

@AndertonsMusic How does the "Loop Record" works then exactly? Can you have Loops with different lengths? Does it switch from record to play without stopping the sequencer? If so...it would make up for no overdubbing.

[RolandAMC]

@tompaulsen2002 You can record loops of different lengths. Once the initial song parameters have been set (Tempo/Time Sig.) double tap the rec arm button on track on to put the BR800 in loop record mode - ten press rec+play to start. To switch to the next track, all you need to do is arm the next track. You can jump out of rec mode by tapping the play button on each individual track.

[tompaulsen2002]

@RolandAMC Thank you! Is it possible to Loop-Play the previously recorded tracks?

[tompaulsen2002]

@RolandAMC Thank you! Is it possible to "Loop-Play" tracks?

[gbugnard]

@AndertonsMusic Seems interesting using it as a loop station, since you can add the effects directly on the same device. And 8 tracks means 8 loops, isn't it?

What about deleting a recorded loop on the go? Can the loop be triggered by a pedal? I would like to use it with a keyboard... So not possible to trigger the recording by hand.... Thanks

[gbugnard]

@AndertonsMusic Seems anyway interesting using it as a loop station since you have 8 tracks (so 8 loops, right?) with the effects on the same device. Is it possible to delete / stop a recorded loop? Can the loops recording be triggered by a foot pedal (for a use with a keyboard)?. Thanks!

[AndertonsMusic]

The honest answer is, I don’t know. All the BR Multi-tack recorders can PAN but don’t have dedicated PAN controllers. In the case of the BR800 I would guess that any audio processing whether dynamic or PAN would be accessed via the ‘TRACK’ button on the unit, with values being adjusted using the jog wheel/cursor. Sorry to have to guess, but as there is no manual in the UK to confirm this! As soon as we have stock we can confirm this.

[phillydude68]

Great video. I am getting one. Is there a way to pan tracks full left or full right? I am hoping that all tracks are not set to center only.Thanks

[janeknyamai]

i have a question.. can i export the wave file that have been recorded earlier and give it to a friend who is using a different recording software??

[SteveBrownOfficial]

Whatever gezzer.

[kopeckat]

how did you get BASS sound?

is it a regular guitar?

thanks.

[AndertonsMusic]

@kopeckat It's one of the FXon the BR800 - you just play your regular guitar & it transposes the note down an octave & EQ's it to make it sound like a bass - very cool!

[AndertonsMusic]

Just got back from holiday to see that my office has been hijacked by Alex & his BR800!! Great video - Alex is a really excellent demonstrator & really shows off the product well. If only I could play like him then I'd be making cool music on a BR800 too - love that bass line. Cheers Capt Anderton.

[Griffo2001]

Only Alex could whip up something this awesome in real-time! :D

[InsanoGerbil]

Got to love Alex. A king among men

[ESPSROCK]

Awesome video :)