Boss BR series of outboard recording gear in general

Started by MarkFromHawaii, November 08, 2014, 04:39:31 PM

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MarkFromHawaii

I don't know if there is an existing thread on this but I may be one of those odd fellows who actually likes those "old" BR series of stand-alone workstations.  A few weeks ago my trusty friend, the BR1180CD, finally bit the dust.  It appears to be a hard drive failure and I've seen the DIY videos on YouTube where I can replace the drive with one that would have about 4x the capacity.  But I also want to upgrade to something with more channels, better fidelity, features, etc.  It seems the closest in the Boss lineup would be the BR-800 but it seems like a step back.  I don't know what Boss/Roland have in their plans as far as these stand-alone units - the BR-800 was introduced a few years ago and maybe that will be it.  I know I can go with the TASCAM DP32 but what I really like about the BR series is the built-in drum machine and easy plug and play functionality.  And yes, I know I can probably find a BR1600CD on eBay. A few years ago I installed Steinberg's Cubase LE on my older Win XP machine (it came free with a Yamaha MM6 keyboard) and I was really disappointed in the complexity of just installing it, using it, and with latency issues.  I can't find the installation CD - probably trashed it - so I'm not going to install it on my Win 7 PC.

In the interim before I decide what to get with my hard earned cash, I've downloaded and installed freeware Audacity and Anvil (for midi recording and editing).  They're okay but as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for".  I guess this is just a geezer rant pining for the good old days of plug and play stand-alones...  ::)
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Elantric

#1


But there might be more life left in your old BR-1180 if you enjoyed using it ( no re-learning curve, Built in Drums, COSM Amp Modeling
Repair Guide: Replacing a Boss BR-1180 hard drive



For the price of the the old BR1180 $1,100
Ive moved to Ipad  and far happier:

Today you can do 16 in 16 out low latency 24 bit recording on IOS 7

Auria DAW - currently 50% off at $24.99

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auria/id524122834?mt=8




+

Many like Cubasis for IOS $49
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cubasis-music-production-system/id583976519?mt=8






Focusrite 18i20 ( Restock $320

http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-18i20






It works on an iPad - and of course the newer the better 

MarkFromHawaii

Thanks Elantric.  I've yet to swallow the iOS koolaid  ;D even though my wife has an iPad and my daughter has a macbook.  Maybe I can convince my wife to download Auria if I pay for it and then I can demo it.  She runs a music school after all...

http://www.keikikani.com/
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Elantric

#3
QuoteMaybe I can convince my wife to download Auria if I pay for it and then I can demo it.  She runs a music school after all...

Many devices work with ipad

I keep a cheap Fender G-DEC 3  and headphones and Traveler Pro travel guitar at my girlfriend apartment and with only the $20 Apple USB Camera Adapter and a USB cable I can make multitrack demos with iPAd and use the Fender as my audio interface 

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6003.0





But if you need the old school mutlitrack for demo and a footswitch for punch in out - these are not too bad - but restriced to 16 bit audio



or

if you need built in drums


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/multitrack-recorders/zoom-r8-8-track-sd-recorder-sampler-usb-interface?src=3XBACR


and there is the MicroBR BR80 - we have a group buy  - check your inbox