Minimalism: The case for the boss BR recorder series in 2021

[64Guitars]

I've found the instrument input jack is giving me constant static/noise. It may be time to finally move on from the BR line.

I wouldn't abandon the BR just because of a noisy guitar jack. It shouldn't be very hard to fix. It's probably just a bad solder connection. I'd open the case and have a look. You'll probably find that the connection of the shield/ground terminal has come off the circuit board. Just solder it back in place and it should be good as new. If that doesn't sound like the sort of job you'd like to tackle yourself, I'm sure that any decent electronics repair shop can do it for you. And it should cost a lot less than buying a new multitrack recorder. Even if the jack turns out to be broken, a replacement jack shouldn't cost more than $4.

[64Guitars]

I noticed that the later picture that oldrottenhead posted of his well-worn MBR is no longer present in that thread. Just had a quick dig on Facebook and found it posted in the Boss Micro br group:

Thanks. I updated the broken links to point to your attachment.

[64Guitars]

Who is with me and loves their BR?

Yep. I still love my BR-864 which I've now had for just over 17 years.

If yours broke, would you buy another BOSS, the MIcro BR,  or a similar box from Zoom, or Tascam?

I like buying new products rather than used, and the only BR still available new from Boss is the BR-80 which is too small for my needs. So, if I had to replace my BR-864, I'd probably buy a Tascam DP-24SD or a DP-03SD. The DP-24SD has way more tracks than I need but I like its features, especially the colour LCD display.

[StephenM]

Who is with me and loves their BR?

Yep. I still love my BR-864 which I've now had for just over 17 years.

If yours broke, would you buy another BOSS, the MIcro BR,  or a similar box from Zoom, or Tascam?

I like buying new products rather than used, and the only BR still available new from Boss is the BR-80 which is too small for my needs. So, if I had to replace my BR-864, I'd probably buy a Tascam DP-24SD or a DP-03SD. The DP-24SD has way more tracks than I need but I like its features, especially the colour LCD display.

I thought about getting the Tascam... they have the one with an actual mixing board and 30 track recorder... that would be cool, especially if you are doing live sound for bands and want to record.... i read a lot of reviews on them...in the end I stayed with my BR1600s for now...

[Oldrottenhead]

I remember a while back a pic was posted of your well-worn M-BR. It was beautiful and awe- inspiring.  (Really, Boss should have sent you some reward...)
Is there any chance of seeing that again?

I assume you mean this topic from 2010:

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=7352.0

But that was over 10 years ago. I think Oldrottenhead should update that topic with some new pictures so we can see what's left of it.

I noticed that the later picture that oldrottenhead posted of his well-worn MBR is no longer present in that thread. Just had a quick dig on Facebook and found it posted in the Boss Micro br group:



Holy Sandblasters!

Did Roland/BOSS ever send you a case for it, James? They should have sent a recognition plaque as well... 

yes roland sent me a leather case for it, but was for a br80 i'm sure i passed it on to a br80 owner.

[alfstone]

IMO, actually the best choice is the Tascam Model 12.

Alfredo

[StephenM]

I replied to this thread earlier but it got lost in the ethernet, so i will try and recall what i said.

I have had my MicroBR since this site started. And like Greeny have done a few thousand songs on it.  I progressed a few years back to the BR800 but still used my MicroBr for vocals. Since i got a Macbook last year, my BR800 has lay unused. I take my MicroBr with me everywhere, as i can turn it on when i get inspiration and capture that before i forget it. With garageBand i find it quite quick to set up and get going, unlike Cubase on my PC, that needs configured for whatever i happen to be using at any given time. I try to do everything onboard theMacbook now, however like on the BR800 i still tend to use the MicroBR for vocals, whilst i struggle to find a way to work with mics that matches what i get from the MicroBR. Of late i have used the MicroBR quite a lot, but not for my own songwriting. i work in residential child care, and the boys i work with are learning to use it to write their own songs. it can be a bit sore on the ears but is quite rewarding. One young boy can work it with his eyes closed now, despite all the wording and marking on the buttons being worn away with years of use.
Like Greeny if my MicroBr died i would replace it immediately.

I love hearing about you working with the boys on songwriting...that is incredible...!!!!!!! good on ya mate

[Flash Harry]

I remember a while back a pic was posted of your well-worn M-BR. It was beautiful and awe- inspiring.  (Really, Boss should have sent you some reward...)
Is there any chance of seeing that again?

I assume you mean this topic from 2010:

https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=7352.0

But that was over 10 years ago. I think Oldrottenhead should update that topic with some new pictures so we can see what's left of it.

there is still a painting in the attic

[Ted]

I asked a similar question last year: BR 800 is Nine Years Old — Still worth considering?

I still haven't made the leap to a BR 800; still sticking with the Micro BR as my core device (and cheating from time to time with Garageband and Audacity).

But the other day I was taking to someone with a BR 600, who had never really gotten around to learning how to use it. Rather than telling him to dig in and learn the gadget, I found myself saying, If you haven't learned it yet, you should probably go straight to Garageband on an iPad

Myself, I don't think I'll go that route. I'm going to stick to my Micro BR. I have an extra one (that I fried almost 12 years ago) for spare parts.

[WarpCanada]

I have an ipad, and the trouble with ipads is that (A) the built-in mic is rubbish and (B) the experience of buying an audiointerface and plugging it into the ipad is not fun and (C) the idea of a direct attached high quality microphone that works with ipad and is self powered is appealing but I haven't found one I would recommend YET.

In 2021, since Boss seems to have exited the market,I think a single purpose TASCAM or ZOOM recorder might be the heir apparent.  I would miss the nice Rhythm features built into the Boss, and the nice COSM stuff that BOSS has that nobody else does just that well.  Maybe since ZOOM also makes Guitar pedals, they might get this right some day?

Also not fun with ipad is that you are basically using a full powered DAW like Garageband or Cubasis on iPad and that's not much different from using a full PC daw.

The Boss recorder's microphones are just SO good for the price and overall, nothing else on the market makes me happy. I hope mine don't break.
There's just something minimalist and distraction free about the Boss BR units, that an ipad with its wifi and games and web browser is not.  Distractions are where you sit down to record a song and end up playing candy crush or doom-scrolling on Facebook or Reddit instead of creating art.