Boss BR-864 8-Track Digital Studio

At 48, I've been playing guitar and writing songs for about 36 years "in the closet". Three years ago I decided to "come out". I hooked up with a couple local songwriters groups and have since "played out", joined ASCAP, and begun to build a catalog with the Library of Congress. I write "arty" singer/songwriter tunes and enjoy the same from other artist. Recording is my fondest pleasure. The BR-864 is the answer to my dreams. It's easy to use and my first CD was received favorably by the muscians I admire. Good job Boss/Roland!

I researched several units before deciding on the 864. It has everything I need to make good recordings. I bought it from Musicians Friend for $495.00. It's down to $395.00 now, but, that didn't cheapen our love affair.

Simplicity and potential. I could work with this unit for months to come and still not utilize the many capable variations. I had a problem achieving a desired function, early on. I called Boss. The tech worked very hard with me to remedy the problem. Yes, it was my fault! I've had no further problems since. I'm still amazed at the multitude of effects and options. I'm convinced that it's limitless. I sometimes get depressed when I think that someday, in the distant future, it may quit working and I'll have to seach for a new "mate".

The 864 only has one XLR mic input. I wish it had one more. I can work with it, but sometimes I'd like to have one more. Just never satisfied, are we?

The BR-864 is a pretty tough unit. Mine stays in the bedroom studio. I keep it on a piece of foam cut-out to protect it from vibrations and movement. I also keep it covered when not in use. It's my baby. I've had no problems with buttons, knobs, ins/outs, or flaky "guts", but then, she's pretty spoiled. Very user friendly.

When I feel the "mojo" and I know I'm going to record, for me, it's like going on a date. Not because the unit is intimidating, but, because I know I won't come out for hours, and when I do I'll have a warm glow about me. Weird, huh? This is a fine unit and capable of so much. I would recommend it to anyone.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Having played in a band when I was younger and having now taken up the guitar instead of drums, I wanted a way of recording an entire song with myself producing every sound within the confines of my spare room. I looked at several alternatives and settled on the 864 - it was purchased from Sound Control in Bristol (England) and I paid £350 cash.

The sound quality is exceptional given that I used to record with a microphone - there are no longer dogs barking in the background and I don't annoy anyone else - I can record at ANY time and although I have not taken it out of the house since buying it, anyWHERE.
The range of effects if outstanding, particularly on the guitar and vocal side of things. The list of features is vast and providing you can be bothered to invest the countless hours to learn how to achieve the desired result (it will do just about everything you can conceive of) - then it is an excellent buy.

The first thing that annoys me is the construction. Yes it has to be lightweight, but I fear that I have to treat it with kidgloves as it does not seem to be very robust. It consequently lives in its box which I have simply modified with scissors to allow the lid the shut despite it being permanently connected to the relevant cables. I would personally have prefered to sacrifice some of the weight aspect for an aluminium case and paid more.
The second point is by far the most daunting aspect. Initially I was lead to believe that the 864 was simple to use in that it is like a conventional cassette recorder - well it has stop/start/record buttons like a normal recorder but there any similarity ends. It is horrifically complicated to operate beyond the basic recording functionality. Having had it for nearly 8 months I am still struggling to assimilate the basic ways of doing things. Although the manual is well written and has lots of diagrammatical help, there is something incredibly convoluted about the way the instructions are phrased - and I am a systems analyst, not some uninitiated numpty with no clue. In fact I would go as far as to say it is beyond the reach of many of its purchasers and despite what other reviewers may write, I suspect few wish to lose face by admitting we are in rocket science territory. A 200 page instruction manual should tell you something about the product before you even turn the device on and that is - there is a lot of stuff to learn.
The built-in drum sounds are extremely weak also and lack any real 'kick' - I prefer the more laborious route of connecting my Yamaha pads and laying the percussion side down manually.

As above, I find it lacking in the longevity department - a more durable case would inspire more confidence. That said, it is of a reasonable quality and the rear panel offers a great many connectivity options.

Too complicated - FAR too complicated.

Excellent audio quality.

Excellent range of features, provided you can be bothered to assimilate all the modes and buttons and flashing lights. Yes you can take it out of the box and record within 10 minutes, but do anything else and be prepared to let your instrument gather some dust whilst you go back to school.

The price is about right.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this unit on ebay for $385 U. S. and $15 shipping

This is the first recorder I have ever had. I was able to record and play back within a few hours using the COSM guitar effects and umlti channels. I connected to the game port of my Phillips CD player. It sounded great. I was able to use one of the 40 patches for mic so my voice didn't sound too bad. The guitar patches were very satisfactory. You can plug your guitar into your effects pad and then use the onboard effects as well. nice.

The manual was a little clunky. i had to read it several times and play with the machine before it started to make sense. It would be nice if the memory card were 512 instead of 128. for the money it's great.

good construction

I am more than satisfied with this unit. I am amazed at all the effects that are built in. the sound is very good on most patches.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought the unit in Germany for 500 Euros, this included (a non original Boss power supply).

The portablility and the ease of use I like best, also the sound quality is very good. I take theunit everywhere I want and can even run it for a long time on batteries. Because of its portability and easy of use it promotes what it is all about ; your creativity making music.

The biggest shock is that you don't have software to convert the recordings on your PC, you have to convert your tracks on the unit itself to .wav or .aif format before you can export it to the PC. The conversion on the unit takes a lot off room on the Compact Memory card so the included 128 Compact Flash doesn't get you very far. It is super frustrating that after your recording you find out that you can't convert it because your Compact Flash card is full. It is strange because the BR-8 and the BR-532; which are older machines do have the software to convert on the PC. I contacted Roland; they have no plans providing the software.
The internal microfone is also noit very good; using a good external microfone ( I use a Shure SM58) works very well and is recommended.
Also; one can only plug one guitar in and one microphone; I would have liked extra inputs.

The Boss-Br864 feels pretty solid (better than the Fostex). The knobs and functionality are similar from the ofther (bigger) Boss multitrack recorders so when you upgrade the learning curve you have with this unit transfers easilly.

Overall; for guitarists / song writers like myself a recommendation; unit which you have years of recording learning and flexibility. The lack of software conversion is a big minus; recommend to get the 1 GB Compact Flash.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com