Boss Micro BR BR-80 Digital Recorder

The pocket-sized Boss BR-80 eight-track recorder has everything you need: a 1/4" guitar input, built-in effects, eBand backing tracks, USB output, and more.

$319.99

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    $40.00
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    $80.00

Boss BR-800 Multitrack Digital Recorder

No longer available at zZounds
With 8 playback tracks plus an additional stereo track for the onboard rhythm machine, the Boss BR-800 digital recorder encourages you to think big.

Capture your musical ideas anywhere, anytime, with the Boss BR-800 portable digital audio recorder. This ultra-lightweight song sketchpad gives you four tracks of simultaneous recording and eight tracks of simultaneous playback, plus an additional stereo track for its built-in drum machine. Connect up to four XLR microphones or 1/4-inch line inputs, plug in your guitar or bass to the high-impedance (Hi-Z) 1/4-inch input, or simply fire up the onboard stereo condenser microphone to capture quick acoustic guitar, scratch vocals, practice sessions, and more. Running on 6 AA batteries or with the included power adapter, the BR-800 records to inexpensive SD/SDHC flash memory cards. And because it's a Boss, this recorder comes loaded with a huge variety of effects processors for your guitar, bass, or vocals -- all with an easy-to-use touch-sensor interface that will get you recording fast.

Check out this video from Boss to see how the BR-800 is great for guitarists:


Four Mic/Line Analog Inputs + Built-In Stereo Microphone

Even if you've never used a portable recorder before, you'll find that the Boss BR-800 makes it easy to capture your ideas on the fly. Press the "EZ Record" button, select your source input, and you're rolling. On the back of the unit, you'll find I/O to plug in any source you'd like to record: four 1/4-inch line/XLR mic inputs, switchable +48V phantom power on channel 4, and a 1/4-inch hi-z instrument input on channel 1 for your guitar or bass. In fact, you read more don't even need to plug in a microphone to start tracking on the BR-800: it's got a stereo pair of condenser microphones built right into left and right sides of the unit -- great for field recordings, capturing live shows, or quickie demos. Press the "Song Sketch" button to record the onboard microphones in CD-quality 44.1 kHz/16-bit stereo .WAV format.

4 Tracks Recording, 8 Tracks Playback + DR-880 Drums

Want to build up your composition layer by layer? The BR-800 has four simultaneous recording tracks, with up to 64 virtual tracks available -- which means you can lay down performances without erasing your old ones. In fact, these "v-tracks" mean you can record up to 64 performances and play back any eight of them at a time. Plug in a momentary footswitch pedal, and you'll be able to punch in and out of tracks with your foot, while keeping your hands free to play your instrument. Or press the "Retry" button to re-cue a recording and fix your mistakes. In addition to your 8 tracks of playback, the BR-800 gives you an additional stereo playback track dedicated to the built-in drum machine. Based on the Boss DR-880 Dr. Rhythm drum machine, this rhythm-programming powerhouse gives you a plethora of editable drum patterns to jam along with.

Built-In Boss Effects for Guitar, Bass, and Vocals

Guitarists are familiar with Boss as the name behind the some of the industry's most ubiquitous guitar effects pedals. So it's no surprise that this Boss recorder comes with a 1/4-inch hi-z (high-impedance) input jack to plug your guitar or bass in directly -- plus tons of powerful built-in Boss effects derived from the GT-10 pedalboard series and VE-20 vocal processor. COSM acoustic modeling effects and the AP-1 preamp help beef up your acoustic guitar parts, while doubling, pitch correction, and "smart harmonies" help enhance your vocal recordings.

A Multitracker with Battery-Powered Portability

One of the BR-800's greatest assets is how lightweight and portable it is. The recorder fits in your backpack and runs on six AA batteries for 5.5 hours of continuous use. There's no delicate hard drive here -- just fast, affordable, removable SD card or SDHC card media. Your BR-800 comes with a 1 GB card to get you started, and can accommodate up to a 32 GB SDHC (SD High Capacity) card that can hold up to 48 hours of CD-quality 44.1 kHz/16-bit audio -- or a whopping 272 hours of recording time in Boss' proprietary multitrack recording format. Weighing in at two pounds and measuring less than 12 inches across, the BR-800 gives you serious multitracking power and flexibility, in a form factor that's not much bigger than a handheld recorder.

DAW Integration over USB, Ableton Live Lite Included

While portable recorders are ultra-convenient, it's hard to beat a computer-based DAW for producing music. That's why the Boss BR-800 is designed for complete integration with your computer recording setup. Transfer your creations to your computer over the included USB cable for backup or further editing -- then keep your BR-800 plugged in as a bus-powered USB audio interface and control surface for your DAW audio production software. Don't have a favorite DAW yet? The BR-800 comes with Ableton Live Lite software, including a library of loops and backing tracks to build upon.

Features:

- 8-track portable recorder with 4 tracks of simultaneous recording and 64 "virtual tracks"
- EZ Recording feature gets you rolling fast
- 8-track simultaneous playback plus dedicated stereo rhythm track
- "Song Sketch" recording with built-in onboard mics
- Boss-quality guitar, bass, and vocal effects
- Power from 6 AA batteries or the included power adapter
- Touch-sensor switches mean less stuff to go wrong
- Plug in the included USB cable to use as a bus-powered 44.1 kHz/16-bit audio interface for your DAW

Don't let your musical ideas go uncaptured. Record anywhere, anytime, with the BR-800 portable digital audio recorder from Boss.
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Number of Tracks:
- Track: 8
- Simultaneously recording track: 4
- V-Track: 64 (8 V-Tracks per each Track)

Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz

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

AD Conversion:
- 24 bit
- 24-bit + AF method (GUITAR/BASS input)
- *AF (Adaptive Focus) method is a proprietary method from Roland that vastly improves the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the A/D and D/A converters.

DA Conversion: 24bit

Compatible Card Capacity:
- SD Card: 1 GB to 2 GB
- SDHC Card: 4 GB to 32 GB

Data Type:
- HiFi (MT2) Roland/BOSS original format
- 16 bit linear stereo WAV format(*)
- *SONG SKETCH only

Recording Time:
(for multi-track recording)
- *Conversion in one track
- 1 GB: 8 hours 40 minutes
- 2 GB: 17 hours
- 4 GB: 34 hours
- 8 GB: 68 hours
- 16 GB: 136 hours
- 32 GB: 272 hours
- * The above-listed recording times are approximate. Times may be slightly shorter depending on the number of songs that were created.
- * The above number is the total for all the tracks that are used. If each of the eight tracks contain an equal amount of data, the length of the resulting song will be approximately 1/8 of the above.
Recording Time
(for SONG SKETCH)
- *Stereo recording
- 1 GB: 90 minutes
- 2 GB: 3 hours
- 4 GB: 6 hours
- 8 GB: 12 hours
- 16 GB: 24 hours
- 32 GB: 48 hours

Nominal Input Level:
- GUITAR/BASS jack: -10 dBu
- INPUT 1 to 4 jacks: -50 to -20 dBu (XLR type), -26 to +4 dBu (1/4" TRS phone type)
- LINE IN jack: -10 dBu

Input Impedance:
- GUITAR/BASS jack: 1 M ohm
- INPUT 1 to 4 jacks: 3k ohms (XLR type), 47 k ohms (1/4" TRS phone type)
- LINE IN jack: 10 k ohms

Nominal Output Level:
- LINE OUT jacks: -10 dBu

Output Impedance LINE OUT jacks: 1 k ohm

Recommended Load Impedance:
- LINE OUT jacks: 20 k ohms or greater
- PHONES jack: 32 to 100 ohms

Residual Noise Level: LINE OUT jacks:-85 dBu or less (IHF-A Typ.)

Display: 128 x 64 dots (Backlit LCD)

Connectors: GUITAR/BASS jack (1/4" phone type), INPUT 1--4 jacks (XLR type / 1/4" TRS phone type), LINE IN jack (Stereo miniature phone type), FOOT SW/EXP PEDAL (1/4" TRS phone type), LINE OUT jacks (RCA phono type), PHONES jack (Stereo 1/4" phone type), USB connector, DC IN jack

USB Function: Audio Input/Output, MIDI Input/Output, File Transfer, BUS Power operation

Power Supply:
- DC 9V: AC Adaptor
- Size AA Dry battery x 6 (alkaline batteries recommended)
- USB Bus Power

Current Draw:
- 280 mA (DC IN)
- 480 mA (USB Bus Power)

Battery Life for Continuous Use:
- Approximately 5.5 hours
- (Alkaline dry batteries, with continuous playback of 8 tracks, phantom power off)
- * May vary according to usage conditions, phantom power used, batteries used, and type of SD card used.

Accessories
- SD Card (1 GB), AC Adaptor, USB Cable, BR-800 DVD-ROM, Owner's Manual
Options:
- Footswitch: FS-5U, Pedal Switch: DP-2 (Roland), Expression Pedal: EV-5 (Roland), FV-500L/FV-500H, Soft Case: BA-CB1

Size and Weight
Width:
- 289 mm
- 11-7/16 inches

Depth:
- 184 mm
- 7-1/4 inches

Height:
- 58 mm
- 2-5/16 inches

Weight:
- 890 g
- 2 lbs.
* 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms* USB Driver for BR-800 requires Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.4 or later. For more detail, please refer to the documents attached with the drivers.
In the interest of product improvement, the specifications and/or appearance of this unit are subject to change without prior notice.

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 323-890-3700

Boss BR800 Multitrack Digital Recorder

BOSS continues its top-selling tradition of portable, affordable multi-trackers with the BR-800 -- a battery-powered studio to go. The sleek design is made possible by touch-sensor switches and SD-card recording media. Up to four tracks can be recorded simultaneously with eight tracks of simultaneous playback plus an additional stereo track dedicated to the built-in rhythm generator. The BR-800's powerful onboard effects processor includes GT-10/10B effects, VE-20 vocal effects and harmonies, and COSM(R)-based acoustic-guitar body modeling. EZ Recording feature interactively guides through the recording process. A stereo microphone is also built into the BR-800 for instant "Song Sketch" recording. No matter where you roam, you'll never miss a moment of musical inspiration with the BR-800.

Features

- 4-track simultaneous recording, 8-track simultaneous playback plus dedicated stereo rhythm track playback
- EZ Recording interactively guides through the recording process
- Powerful guitar, bass, and vocal effects derived from BOSS's flagship processors
- Song Sketch recording for quick stereo capture in WAV format
- Built-in advanced drum machine with editor software
- Functions as a USB audio interface and DAW control surface
- Built-in stereo condenser microphone for instant recording
- Sleek interface based on touch sensors
- 1GB SD included (supports up to 32GB SDHC card)
- Runs on six AA batteries/USB bus power/AC adaptor (included)

EZ Recording

Whether you're creating intricate, multi-layered songs or point-and-capture field recordings, the BR-800 makes the recording process fast and easy. Beginners will love the EZ Recording mode that interactively guides you through the recording process. Other helpful features include the convenient Retry function, which recues automatically to fix mistakes, and Song Sketch recording for instant, one-touch capture. There's also a built-in stereo condenser microphone plus a DR-880-quality rhythm generator for adding drum and percussion tracks to your songs.

Pro Effects

Enhance your recordings with the powerful BOSS effects onboard the BR-800. Many of the effects are derived from BOSS's flagship processors, including vocal effects from the VE-20, COSM(R) guitar/bass amps and effects from the GT-10 series, modeled acoustic-guitar body effects from the AP-1 preamp, which imparts pro-quality miked-up sound and rich body tone to line-recorded acoustic guitar. You'll be amazed at how much processing power is built into this little recorder, and how excellent the effects sound.

Mobility

You can power the BR-800 from the included AC adaptor, or, for ultimate mobility, it can be powered from six AA batteries. Record anywhere! Stereo microphones are also built into the BR-800 for instant "Song Sketch" recordings -- great for capturing song ideas (acoustic guitar and vocals, for example) from any location.

USB Enhanced

The BR-800's USB compatibility enables a variety of functionality with computers. Connected to a PC, the BR-800 will function as a USB audio interface for recordings that utilize the internal effects. The BR-800 can also function as a control surface for DAW software.

Optional Recording Package Contents:

- 2 x KRK RP5G2 Rokit G2 5-Inch Powered Studio Monitors
- 1 x MXL 440/441 Dual Studio Microphone Pack
- 1 x On-Stage 7701B Tripod Boom Microphone Stand
- 2 x CBI MLC20 XLR Microphone Cable (20 Foot)

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. (30 ratings)
Submitted February 5, 2011 by a customer from nycap.rr.com

Boss BR-800 Recorder Customer Review

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I will keep this around for as long as it lasts. I am really having a blast!

Sound
My last experience with a multi-track recorder was a four track tape recorder from many years ago. The sound was awful and it had a lot of limitations. The BR-800 sounds simply amazing.

Features
The BR-800 comes with a power adapter, a USB cable and a DVD with software including Sonar, a WAV converter and a rhythm editor. I play the guitar and with the BR-800 I feel like I can express my potential. It's almost like having a band in a box. I really like the wheel to select the various options although it takes a bit to get used to it and I definitely like the touch sensors (no clicking noises).

Ease of Use
I was impressed with how easy it was to start recording. The first few days I just toyed with it and managed to record a song using all the tracks with barely a glance to the manual. Then I started studying the manual as well and found it well written although lacking on certain issues (like mixing and mastering).

Quality
The BR-800 seems definitely well put together but I am not sure how well it would handle the "on the road" treatment. For one thing, it's extremely light (which is obviously a plus as far as portability is concerned) but be careful not to trip in any of the cables or the whole recorder is going to fly off the desk. In my case, I don't really plan to use read more this much out of the house so no big deal. The other thing is that the top part of the case has a really nice finish to it but shows all the fingerprints and really attracts quite a bit of dust (and with touch sensors there will be plenty of fingerprints).

Value
I did quite a bit of research before purchasing the BR-800. I considered older used Boss products and new similar ones (Zoom, etc.). For my kind of situation this seemed like the best value. Now, after 40 some days, I can say that I am totally satisfied with sound and quality.

Manufacturer Support
I just called support for a question about a problem with the SD card. The response of the very laid back person (way too laid back in my opinion) was pretty much "dude, the SD card is your problem because it's media so go buy another one". Not really what you would expect from a company after you spend several hundred dollars on their product. Hopefully, they are better when it comes to actual technical support.

The Wow Factor
As I said before, it's a band in a box. I wish stuff like this was around 20 years ago.

Musical Background:
A guy with his guitar

Musical Style:
Rock
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No longer available at zZounds