Recording with Reverb on BR800...

[iluvchiclets]

Hi everyone,

I recently recorded a lovely 1 hour stereo improvisation on one of my synthesizers.  I enjoyed how it sounded using the BR800 on-board reverb but, when I used the Boss WAV converter to create a CD copy,  my reverb was not included!

Am I only able to "print" the reverb on my stereo tracks by mastering them?  I want to make sure there is not another way I could have recorded this session to include reverb in the first place...

Thanks in advance!

[64Guitars]

Reverb is a "loop" effect rather than an "insert" effect. Insert effects are normally inserted between the input signal (guitar, mic, etc.) and the record track. So, obviously, the effect is recorded to the track. But the BR-800's loop effects (reverb, chorus, and delay) are located differently in the signal path. They are applied to the stereo output of the mixer section. In normal record mode, your signal has already been recorded before it gets to the loop effects. So you hear the effect while you're recording or playing back your tracks, but the loop effect isn't actually recorded.

But in mixdown (mastering/bounce) mode, the output from the loop effects is sent to the destination tracks where it is recorded. The loop effects are applied to all of the tracks, the drums, and the selected input simultaneously. You can control how much of the effect is applied to a particular track or input by adjusting its "send" value (see page 84 of the BR-800 manual). If you set a send control to minimum, then that track or input will not have any effect applied to it.

So, to apply reverb to your tracks, you have to bounce/master them, then export the target tracks of the bounce as a WAV file. There's no way to record loop effects in normal record mode (as opposed to mastering mode).

For more information, see this topic:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=20237.0

and this post:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=689.msg4292#msg4292

[iluvchiclets]

Thanks 64Guitars!

By the way - in case no one has told you lately, your answers are awesome!  I always enjoy your thorough responses.  I appreciate you letting me know I am doing it the right way, and I am making appropriate notes in my BR800 manual.

I am currently re-formatting my card, as the second time I "Mastered" my stereo tracks I got a "Card Full" error.  There was over half the memory remaining on the card, so I can't figure out what went wrong?  I am thinking it might have be fragmented?

(I had to re-master again because I didn't realize the Master Fader controls the Mastered track level.  My first Mastered try was super quiet!)

[iluvchiclets]

Arrgh - another "Card Full" error!  After re-formatting too. 

I think it's time I tried the "save current state" function?  My one song is a stereo track that is 1 hour and 10 minutes in length...could it be the BR800 is remembering the pre-mastered version?  That is what's hogging the memory?