Micro BR-80

[baterpruf]

Noticed this on YouTube. I hope it's not going to become a common problem with BR-80s as they get older.



Anyone here experiencing similar glitches with the wheel?

I'm kind of worried... I am experiencing (a lot) this problem, and it's making my br-80 almost unusable. Everything depends on the xxxxx wheel!! And the best part... I don't have the bill!! Great!!

It started as a random problem... but now it won't work. I tried opening it up to pieces but it didnt look bad, I just blowed in case it was some dirt and closed again, I know very little electronics.

My ideas at the moment:
--I can update firmware but I know another user with that problem and updating didnt work for him.
--I can use a cleaner spray I have for cleaning guitar contacts. Would it be safe?
--Find a replacement for the component and changing it... very difficult both things
--Paying the official service... I'm sure it will cost nearly the same as a new one.
Any advice will be wellcome.

I had the microBR before and the + - buttons were ok and faster!! It looks as this wheel is a delicate component and it can happen to many people with time. I love the br80 but I didn't like the wheel not even when it worked fine.

[chip]

Hi . I can't help with the fix but you say you lost the bill. Did you register it with Roland?, if so that should get you it fixed. Don't these come with a three year warranty? I must admit, although I haven't got one.  I did think the wheel looked a little fragile and a possible fail point in the future.

[baterpruf]

Thank you Chip but no, I don't have any chance to use the warranty.

I opened it up again and now tried the contact cleaner and... omfg! It seems to work much better now! I didn't have many expectations but it feels ok. I'll write everything down so it might help other people.

If you have a BR-80 and the wheel starts to fail and do funny things:

You need a very little cross screwdriver and a contact cleaner spray (mine says Kontakt 60 from Kontakt Chemie).
Take out the wires, bateries and SD card.
Open the grey case taking out the screws on the sides.
Open the black case taking out the screws on the back, including one in the wheel center.
Now you have the green circuit board alone. Impressive to look at, by the way... I should have taken a photo.
Clean the round component under the wheel with the spray, I used very little.
Wait for it to get absolutlely dry, blow to see if there's any liquid between the pieces.
Close everything trying not to mess anything... (I lost one of the screws, Murphys Law...)

The proces is not difficult and it's worth trying, maybe even if you have the warranty, because sometimes it takes too long to get it back from them.

Is there any song in the world dedicated to the contact cleaner? It has deserved one!

[chip]

Hey , well done there. I know I wouldn't like to do that job. I have the original, so far so good, but if anything happens there is a photo guide plus instruction on how to get into it on here.

[Geir]

Thanks for the info jirous !!! Good to know it can be opened relatively straight-forward!!

I've opened the original MBR many times, and also posted pictures here, but I wasn't the first so I really aapreciated the pics when I first opened mine. If anyone opens the BR80 (or any other BR for that matter) please remember to take many pictures and tell us about any problems you may have had.

[tomcor33]

My Data wheel is kinda tight to turn easily I sometimes have to use 2 fingers to get it to turn.
Does anyone else have a tight wheel? So when you take it apart there is a screw in back that holds the wheel? Is there like a round metal contact on the board that the wheel contacts? You could probably use some 90% alcohol also to clean it. I am a tech by trade.

[DannyB_KY]

I have not taken my BR8 apart to verify, but the rotary switch is most like a photo optic switch. Basically it uses mirrors.

 I would try a short blast of compressed air before I would start spraying cleaners in there. A cleaner that leaves a residue in not a good thing!

This sounds like the silicon case would be handy to help keep dust out if nothing else.

[chip]

Well I went and done it, the MBR 80 arrived yesterday, first impressions.
No case.
Packaging not in the same bracket as the original
Not as nice looking as the MBR
Feels more delicate than the MBR
I have today off, so more later, no doubt something will crop up.

[chip]

And, WOW i'm impressed. COSM effects are way better than the shiny one, very easy to use, I suppose this comes from the fact I have used the original so much talk about a duck to water. The drums though sound flat not like the original. The originals drums seemed, well more like drums but these are strange. Is this normal? I have messed with the eq and stuff but they, at the moment are not in the same league, It may be me though.

Apart from the drums this is awsome, I did a short recording using the acoustic cosm and used some harmony stuff ( cosm) on the vocals ( far out). I am not quite sure what pitch shifter/ correction does as yet. The bass simulator is a bit odd, I like to play a chord now and again but I do have a normal bass anyway. The Sensitivity is loads better on the mics and guitar. The 8 tracks are just what the doctor ordered, so far I like it lots. I find the wheel very easy to deal with and everything is so much faster to get to..... rock on.

[Geir]

ahh this reminds me, I've gotta write my br80 review soon ...

[Bluesberry]

ahh this reminds me, I've gotta write my br80 review soon ...

Yes, I would love to hear your complete appraisal........

[chip]

After some more recording and messing about, the new recorder is just dandy. I did have some problems with guitar levels but looked back through the posts and found a good explanation from who else but 64. I find the recorder a very different animal to the original, not as loud for one, as in recording.

 I am still having a few problems with the vocal level, after I set the sens I then go to recording level but I can't keep out the top segments. The reason I have them up there is because I can't here myself singing very well. Should I lower the levels on the guitars? The vocals sound ok in the top segments and there doesn't appear to be any clipping/distorsion, no peak indicator either. I place the mic ( mbr mics) about 2ft away from myself but lower down from the mouth, there is no peaking in mastering mode either, when I playback the songs. I miss going into to levels ect while in mastering mode.

I am liking this new arrival, having 8 tracks is great and it has bought some good mojo to my projects, the cosm effects are a jump up from the original but I am only touching the surface with them as yet, I like the  harmony stuff  for vocals but the bass simluator is quite frankly rubbish. So that's how it is so far. Any tips would be great............

[64Guitars]

I am still having a few problems with the vocal level, after I set the sens I then go to recording level but I can't keep out the top segments. The reason I have them up there is because I can't here myself singing very well. Should I lower the levels on the guitars?

When you're recording your vocals, the levels of the other tracks (guitar, etc.) only affect playback. They have no effect on the final recording. So, yes, turn down those tracks so that you can hear your vocals. You can also try panning them wide to separate them from the vocal. For example, pan one guitar full left and the bass full right, and leave the input (your vocal) in the middle. Again, this has no effect on the final recording, so don't worry if those tracks don't sound "good". Just set them any way that makes it easier for you to record your vocal. When you do your final mix, then you need to set the track levels and panning properly since this will be recorded. But until then, feel free to adjust the levels and panning any way that helps you record your tracks.

One problem you might encounter when you turn down the guitar, etc. is that the overall volume isn't loud enough in your headphones. Don't try to compensate for that by increasing the recording levels. Instead, consider buying a separate headphone amplifier or mixer to get more volume. It connects to the Line Out jack of the BR and you plug your headphones into it instead of the BR.

the bass simluator is quite frankly rubbish.

I know what you mean but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's rubbish. All pitch converters have the limitation of only being able to detect one note at a time. Now you may be thinking that you're only playing one note at a time when playing your bass lines. The trouble is, it's easy to accidentally pick the adjacent string, or generate a harmonic of some sort which then causes a glitch in the bass simulator because it sees two notes simultaneously (even if you only hear one) and it can't determine a single pitch from it. So, to get good results out of any pitch converter, you have to play very cleanly. No harmonics, finger noise, string scrapes/thumps, etc. And no double notes. If you can do that (it's not easy), the bass simulator will work well. Probably the biggest potential for double notes is when you play a note on one string followed by a note on another string. You have to make sure the first string is fully muted before you pick the next string. If you don't mute the first string properly, it will still be playing when you pick the next note, resulting in two notes at the same time and a very confused pitch converter which will complain with a rude noise.

[chip]

Cheers for that 64. As far as bass goes I use a real one anyway, much better. I will have some more attempts Thursday, I have one song completed apart from the dreaded drums, always a pain, I was going to do them at work today but it was a busy day,, so maybe tomorrow. Is that a song title?  The gig has been cancelled on Wedensday but the football is on, so no big deal there. The recordings on the original were thrown away but some may get the new 80 treatment.

[Redler]

Although, I'm owner of BR-80, I haven't browsed this thread hardly at all...

In my opinion, when recording acoustic guitar, I feel the sound is too compressed, though I switch comp to off position or recording without effects... Does anyone agree with me? How to get more dynamic to the tone? Or does anyone have any good preset or tip? I've heard here great acoustic tones/tunes (recorded on BR-80), so it is sure possible...

Thanks,

Kari