Boss BR-1600CD 16-Track Digital Studio Multitrack Recorder

zZounds' Take on Boss BR-1600CD

A lot of multitrack recorders bill themselves as "self-contained" studios, but you don't want to be a studio manager. You're a musician and a songwriter who needs to make full-band demos, and you want to track your band as cleanly, as quickly, and as reliably as possible. The BOSS BR-1600CD is a streamlined, high quality digital multitrack recorder that knows what you want it to do, and helps you do exactly that, without a clunky interface or unnecessary features. It was designed to help you go from inspiration to a physical copy of your music on audio CD with your original inspiration intact. In short, it's the perfect full-band demo machine.

Full Band Recording

So what makes the perfect full-band demo machine? Firstly, you're going to need enough inputs. Drums are the biggest input hog, usually requiring a minimum of three mics for proper tracking. The BR-1600CD offers eight simultaneous channels of recording, so you'll be able to get your drums down cleanly and still have plenty of channels to spare. On some digital multitracks, most inputs are 1/4" jacks, with only two or four XLR connections. This kind of setup requires additional equipment to properly connect additional microphones, but on the BOSS unit, each input is an XLR-equipped mic preamp. You can connect eight microphones to the recorder without needing to rout them through outboard mic preamps first, greatly simplifying setup.

The BOSS Guided Tour To Recording
With everything hooked up and mics placed, simply turn on your BR-1600CD and the unit will guide you through every step of the recording process. Assign your inputs to recording channels, hit record and start playing. It's that easy. Once you've laid down your initial eight tracks, you've still got an additionaleight channels on which to layer overdubs, or even bounce to free up more tracks for recording; the BOSS BR-1600CD provides feedback and instruction via its brightly backlit LCD screen, making every function easy to understand and execute. With a big 40GB hard drive as its recording medium, the BR-1600CD not only handles sixteen tracks of simultaneous audio, but it also allows for sixteen virtual tracks per channel for alternate takes or redoes without losing the original. All these features take the anxiety out of the recording experience, letting you focus on the performance and the song.

Streamlined, but Feature-Rich

Even though you want to get your songs down as soon as inspiration strikes, you still want your demos to sound as good as possible. That's why the BR-1600CD records CD-quality digital audio (16-bit, 44.1kHz resolution). It's also why the BOSS 16-Channel Multitrack comes with a suite of effects and digital processing tools for adding a bit of polish to your raw recordings. . . and if anyone knows digital effects, it's BOSS, makers of some of the most popular stompbox effects in the world. A dedicated Hi-Z input jack lets you record guitar and bass directly, and also lets you take advantage of BOSS's renowned COSM-powered amp and cabinet modeling. Even if you don't have the most acoustically perfect space, your tracks will still sound studio huge. . . just another way the BR-1600 makes getting your tracks down easier. Don't have your own band yet? No problem, the 1600 has a built-in drum machine and bass loops. There's even vocal pitch correction, harmonizing effects, and easy-to-understand mastering effects to make your finished product sound its best, with minimal hassle. When you're happy with the sound, just use the recorder's built-in CD burner to make an audio CD of your music that will play in any CD player. It's still the most convenient and universal medium for distributing your music to family, fans, and booking agents.

Get A Great Deal On Essential Recording Accessories
If you really want to get the most out of your demos--and save a ton on recording gear--check out the Studio Package that zZounds has put together for this BOSS BR series digital multitracker. Just choose "New, with Studio Package," and you'll get a fantastic deal on gear that'll make your demos sound even better: the Audio Technica AT2020 condenser microphone sounds amazingly detailed on vocals, acoustic guitars, and many other instruments. The KRK Rokit RP5 G2 reference monitors are the latest, greatest incarnation of the popular studio monitors, with an improved frequency response that'll ensure you're hearing the same thing that everyone else listens to your music will hear. Add in all those little essentials like a pop filter, mic stand, and necessary cabling, and this package saves you almost $150 as compared to buying the same components separately. Plus, you can rest assured that the home recording experts at zZounds have picked out the best value for your dollar. After all, most everyone here has recorded a demo or two for their own musical projects.

Your demo is a very special recording. Fewer folks will hear it, but in many ways it can be an even more important document of your band than a publicly released album. You should be tracking your demos with a recorder that was specifically designed to make the highest-quality demos with the least amount of effort: the BOSS BR-1600CD.

Manufacturer's Description for Boss BR-1600CD 16-Track Digital Studio

The BR-1600CD Digital Recording Studio combines Boss famous, easy-to-use interface with eight XLR inputs for recording eight tracks simultaneously. This affordable 16-track recorder comes loaded with effects for guitars and vocals;including COSM Overdrive/Distortion, Amp Modeling and a new Vocal Tool Boxplus convenient PCM drum and bass tracks, a 40GB hard drive, CD-R/RW drive and USB port. It's the perfect way to record your band.

What's New in Version 2
BOSS’s BR-1600CD 16-track recorder, the most popular and full-featured portable 16-track on the market, expands with a Version 2 upgrade. Already powerful with its eight XLR inputs for simultaneous recording, pro-grade effects, and backing tracks, the BR-1600CD with Version 2 upgrade (free for all previous BR-1600 units) improves and adds to the existing effects, including COSM® bass amp models from the GT-6B, enhanced vocal tools, MIDI sync capability, and more. Also new to Version 2 — the BR-1600CD can read BR-1200CD/1180CD song data, no conversion process necessary.

Features:

* 16-track (256 V-Track) digital studio with 40GB hard drive and CD-R/RW drive
* Record all 8 XLR inputs simultaneously, ideal for tracking live performances
* Powerful onboard effects including COSM modeling for guitar, bass and microphones
* New Vocal Tool Box with auto pitch correction and Harmony Sequence function
* 16 individual Track EQs, plus 8 dedicated compressors
* Mastering Tool Kit with multi-band compression for loud and punchy CDs
* Create backing tracks quickly with new Drum/Bass and Loop Phrase tracks
* Step and realtime sequencer, plus automatic tempo mapping for imported loops
* USB port for easy data exchange, plus V-LINK video control (V-LINK requires Ediorl DV7-PR with software version 1.50 or higher).
* COSM models added (derived from BOSS’s GT-6B)
* Enhanced Vocal Tool Box for better vocals and backings
* MIDI Slave capable for control from external MIDI devices
* BR-1180CD/1200CD data compatible

Optional Studio Package Contents
1 x Hosa CPA203 Dual RCA To Dual RCA Cable (9.75 Foot)
1 x RaXXess Stoppit Microphone Pop Filter/Popper Stopper
1 x OnStage 7701B Tripod Boom Mic Stand
1 x Whirlwind MC20 XLR Microphone Cable (20 Foot)
2 x KRK RP5G2 Rokit Powered Two Way Active Monitor
1 x Audio-Technica AT2020 Side Address Studio Microphone
1 x Memorex CDR80 50-Pack Spindle (52x, 700MB) zZounds is an authorized dealer of Boss products.

Tracks
Tracks: 16
V-Tracks: 256 (16 V-Tracks per each Track)
* Up to 8 tracks can be recorded simultaneously, and up to 16 tracks can be played back simultaneously.

Maximum Useful Capacity / Recording Time
Internal Hard Disk: 40 G bytes
Recording Time: 120 hours (conversion in one track)
* The recording times shown above are approximate. Times may vary depending on the number of songs and size of imported loop phrase that were created.
* The recording time s shown are the total for all tracks used. Therefore, if each of the sixteen tracks contain an equal amount of data, the length of the resulting song will be approximately 1/16 of the time shown.

Signal Processing

AD Conversion
Guitar/Bass: 24 bit, AF Method
Vocal: 24 bit, Delta Sigma Modulation
Multi-Track: 24 bit, Delta Sigma Modulation
Stereo Tracks: 24 bit, Delta Sigma Modulation

DA Conversion
24 bit, Delta Sigma Modulation
Internal Processing: 24 bit (digital mixer section)
Recording Data: 16 bit linear

Sample Rate 44.1 kHz

Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20 kHz (+1/-3 dB)

Total Distortion 0.02 % or less (Input Sens: Center, 1 kHz at nominal output level)

Nominal Input Level (Variable)
Guitar/Bass jack: -10dBu
Mic 1-8 Jacks (XLR): -40 dBu
Input 1-8 jacks (1/4"): -10 dBu

Input Impedance
Guitar/Bass Jack: 1 MOhm
Mic 1-8 Jacks (XLR): 12.5 kOhms (hot-cold), 6.5 kOhms (hot-gnd, cold-gnd)
Input 1-8 Jacks (1/4"): 22 kOhms

Nominal Output Level
Line Out Jack: -10 dBu

Output Impedance
Line Out Jack: 2 kOhms
Phones 1, 2 Jack: 100 Ohms

Recommended Load Impedance
Line Out Jack: 20 kOhms or greater
Phones 1, 2 jack: 8-50 Ohms

Residual Noise Level
Line Out Jack: -90 dBu or less (Input Select: Guitar/Bass, input terminated with 1 kOhm, Input Sens: Center, IHF-A, typ.)

Interface
Digital In: S/PDIF 16-24 bit (coaxial type)
Digital Out: S/PDIF 16-24 bit (coaxial type)
USB connecter (B type)

Display 130 x 36 mm (Backlit LCD)

Connectors
MIDI In connector
MIDI Out connector
USB connector
Digital In connector: Coaxial type
Digital Out connector: Coaxial type)
Foot SW Jack: 1/4 inch phone type
Exp Pedal Jack: Stereo 1/4 in. phone type
Line Out Jacks: RCA Phono type
Input 1-8 Jacks: Unbalanced, 1/4 in. phone type
Mic 1-8 Jacks: XLR balanced
Phones 1 Jack: Stereo 1/4 in. phone type
Phones 2 Jack: Stereo 1/4 in. phone type
Guitar/Bass Jack: 1/4 in. phone type

Power Supply
DC 12 V; AC Adaptor (Roland PSB-3U)

Power Consumption 3 A

Physical Dimensions
19-1/2 (W) x 13-3/8 (D) x 3-15/16 (H) inches / 494 (W) x 339 (D) x 99 (H) mm
Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz / 4.9 kg (Excluding AC Adaptor)

Included Accessories
AC Adaptor: PSB-3U
Owner's Manual
Effect Patch List
Discrete Drums (CD-ROM)

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging

Base Item

Shipping Weight: 18 lbs

Shipping Dimensions: 24 x 17 x 8 in

with Studio Package

Shipping Weight: 63 lbs

Sound Samples

•   Demo