« A great all-in-one recording console for those who can't have a DAW »

The BR1600-CD is the BOSS flagship multi-track digital console recorder. The "CD" designation on the end of the part number indicates that there is a CD burner on-board the console so that when you're done mixing and mastering the songs, you can burn them to the CD drive and have a professional-sounding CD for way less than all of the equivalent studio time would have cost. The BR1600-CD has eight dual-purpose inputs that can accept 1/4" or XLR, and the XLR can provide phantom power to all eight ports. All eight channels can be recorded simultaneously which makes it incredibly flexible for recording stereo guitars, one or two at a time, or as you'll read below, a complete drum set. One of the great features of the BR is the ability to record tracks then export them to WAV format so they can be imported into another program such as SONAR or Pro Tools. The internal 40 GB hard drive is capable of storing a full album's worth of songs with multiple takes per track.

UTILIZATION

I bought this recorder before computer-based recording really took off and became consumer-affordable. I liked the fact that there were multiple tracks, a built-in CD recorder, and built-in processing and mastering effects. This is an all-in-one solution that is supposed to allow you to record, mix, master, and burn all your music onto a CD. The real sticking point with this unit is the interface and controls--tasks that should be relatively simple require scrolling through several menus and REALLY knowing this system inside and out. The included tutorial DVD is good, but not great. Don't get me wrong, this is a great unit and WILL allow you to produce professional-quality CDs. The problem is that the industry model changed and the fact that you can purchase hardware and software for your computer for equal or less than the price of the BR-1600CD makes it hard to justify unless you don't have a computer. The upgrade to version 2.0 software was easy to perform but didn't really make a noticeable difference. I've since moved to computer DAW recording but still use my BR units for scratch tracks and ideas. One point to emphasize is that when my band needed to record drum tracks, no one had an interface that would accommodate mic'ing up a full drum set. The BR-1600CD was the perfect solution. With eight XLR inputs we were able to mic up the entire drum kit, record the drum tracks, and export the files in .WAV format so that we could then import them into Pro Tools and save a ton of money and studio time, and got great-sounding drum tracks.

SOUNDS

The BOSS BR-1600-CD has the BOSS GT-6 guitar processor engine on-board plus a vocal toolkit. Considering when the BR-16000-CD was launched this was something relatively unheard of. Having the basic functionality of the GT-6 floor processor at your fingertips to record both guitar and bass, plus an additional on-board vocal toolkit and mastering tools make the BR-1600-CD a force to be reckoned with. Understand, these are not "light" versions or stripped-down versions of the GT-6 and vocal toolkit, these are the full suites of effects and mastering tools. All of the sounds in the BR are top-notch and intended to allow you to produce professional-grade recordings, all of which can be mixed down locally and burned directly to CD.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're not ready to take the leap into computer-based recording, this is the top of the consumer-grade products. You could obviously purchase more expensive Roland or other units, but for the money, this is the recording console to have. Once you go through the instructional DVD a couple of times and master the navigation of the controls the BR-1600-CD can be used to record, mix, master, and produce a professional-quality CD recording, worthy of any home or car stereo. If you don't have your own studio, or can't afford studio time but want to get your music out to the world, this is the unit for you.