BOSS Micro BR BR-80 Digital Recorder

Very versatile unit. I use it frequently to record a backing track and then play over it by plugging it into a Microcube Amp. Very small, fits in guitar case or pocket. Sound quality is very good, and its a great way to practice with headphones if you don't want to disturb others. Guitar FX are only available in MTS mode, not live record mode. If space is at a premium this device is the best at what it does. If you have more room the Zoom R8 is easier to use because it has physical knobs and less menus to get things done. I use both and sometimes together. The Boss BR-80 has a metal case which is nice, and the condensor mics sound good. Its easy to use once you understand how it works. Youtube videos are helpful, the book is also good for reference. I used mine for about a year, every day, and I mostly used the live recording mode, but finally got around to learning the MTS mode (multitrack system) and that is quite fun as well. Love the COSM effects. Battery life is kinda short, 2 or 3 hours, if you leave the LCD on for long periods, but it only takes 2 AA batteries so, it easy to carry spares. I usually use it with a power supply . For me, I wouldn't own it as my only recorder, as it is too difficult to mix down tracks and there is no way to do insert effects, external compression etc. - but its is great for songwriting, and practicing. You can copy your work off the sd card or plug the entire device into a computer and copy it off that way. Its best used as tracking recorder, or a practice and songwriting device, mixing and mastering is possible but limited, compared to what you can do on a computer or a full size recording desk.

I have only had it a short time, I hope that I will get better with it as time goes on. I tried some recording of live performances. They came out kind of muddy sounding, not very clear. It was recorded from my seat in the audience so that may not be the best way to do things. The on board microphones sounded very good with my acoustic guitar at close range. Probably just need to learn how to position the unit to get the best out of it. The other thing I noticed is that there is not much difference when you change pickups or playing position, it all sounds the same. I bought it mostly as a practice tool so I like it so far, maybe I can update as I get better at using it.

The first thing I tried to do with this unit was to record myself while playing along with the pre-recorded music that comes with it, which sounded great. First problem: the pre-recorded tunes have no beginning or end, so you can't create a complete song. Next problem: when I tried to move the recording to my computer I couldn't; the recorder kept saying that the song was "protected." No problem I thought, I'll just move a few songs from my computer to the BR-80 and play along with them. This ended up requiring a couple of days of uploading software, updating the firmware on the BR-80 (it came with version 1.2 and the Boss website is already up to 1.6), etc.. Once I was good to go I tried to move the songs; a few hours later I had managed to move 2 out of 10 songs, and have no idea why some moved and some didn't. Moving songs from the BR-80 to the computer? Kinda sorta worked. Very, very confusing interface. Then I tried to use the unit for what it's mainly designed for, recording a song idea in "live record" mode and then moving the recording to "Multi Track Recording" mode so I could add more tracks to it. Despite a couple of hours of effort I never succeeded in moving the Live Recording track to MTR. Then I tried just recording in the MTR mode to begin with. It works, but I could never get any of the effects to kick in, including reverb. And it kept playing an annoying rhythm track in the background. I was able to switch the rhythm track off, but doing so seems to switch off all the effects (if they were ever on in the first place?). As near as I can figure the Live Record mode requires that you use the built-in microphones (which sound great by the way) and doesn't allow you to add in any effects. Probably the best way to record with this thing is to just switch off all the effects and use it to mike an amp that has whatever effects you normally use. My plan now is to use the BR-80 and it's built-in mikes in Live Record mode to record song ideas and then try to move that recording to Garage Band on my computer and add on tracks that way, assuming that I can figure out how to reliably move songs from the BR-80 to my computer. I'm going to guess that this thing might work better with a PC; I don't think the interface was designed with Apple in mind. By the way I was using the BR-80 to record harmonica, using both the built-in mikes and a Shure 545 external mike.

Botched "upgrade" of original Micro BR removes 2 useful features: (1) You can no longer set auto punch-in/punch-out points on the fly, by tapping the A/B button. Instead, you must navigate menus, then key in specific time points or measure numbers -- insane. (2) No more onboard track export or mixdown to MP3. You can only mix down to .WAV -- also crazy. Many people will find the original Micro BR (which is now discounted) more usable. It's a good multi-track recorder, and an outstanding practice tool for guitar (etc.) Also consider the Zoom H4n: Similar onboard amp models and guitar/bass effects, but with higher sampling rates, better specs across the board, better onboard mics, and XLR inputs. This BR-80 adds several new features/models that the original Micro BR lacked, but they don't offset the removed features. Odd anachronisms and limitations remain: No 96 kHz/24-bit recording or modeling. Only two delay models, each limited to 1 sec. New auto-tune and auto harmonizer can't be chained to amp models or guitar effects. What's new? You get 8-track mixing and 64 tracks per project, instead of 4 and 32. Stereo onboard mics, instead of mono mic. Support for SD cards up to 32 GB, instead of 1 GB. Limiter and 4-band EQ are now chainable to the guitar amp/FX bank. Several new amp models for guitar and bass -- but they aren't that well-differentiated, and their 44.1 kHz sampling leaves them sounding a generation behind Zoom's 96 kHz models. Several new FX models: distortion boxes, Uni-Vibe phaser, rotary speaker, octaver, guitar-to-bass (fun), and "acoustic simulator" (poorly rendered). MP3 playback no longer locks out reverb bank. Meh.