Micro BR-80

[cuthbert]

Have you guys tried importing drum tracks?

I currently sketch out riffs using the inbuilt drums, but then for actually recording the song I build the drum pattern in EZ drummer on the pc, export the racks as audio and import it as audio tracks to the BR-80.

This means two things:

1) no issues at all with the time signatures of imported tracks

Hi newi123,

You may be overlooking a couple of things:

1. You're importing audio tracks - these are not the same as SMF which are midi and have note, tempo, and time signature data.
2. Because you're not using SMF for your tempo and time signature, you're using the tempo and time signature in the song itself. All the BR-80 patterns (except some metronomes) are 4/4, so that means your beats and bars in the song may not sync up with your audio tracks that have drums.

If you don't use beats and bars in the recorder or EZ drummer, then these two points may not be important to you. Or if you can match the tempo & time signature from EZ drummer in the BR-80, then you may be able to get beats and bars working correctly across both.

[Tony W]

System Update to 1.04 note:

I don't know if anyone else will see this or not, but I tried to do a system update with a non-factory SD card, that didn't give me any errors, and it failed repeatedly.

I finally grabbed the factory card, repeated the instructions and it was fine.

[Bossmgk]

What settings?

OK I,II say it again! I use br 80 for live gigs. I make my backing tracks for the songs and play along with them (eBand).  Almost 200 songs I set with guitar (user)effects and guitar volume, for each song ,  ready to go when I start "play"(great function). I guess the update will change guitar effect settings on br 80 ? So it's big job again!

But I badly need 3/4 time-signature drum loops or patterns on board. Anybody, please let us know if it works with the new update!

[Bossmgk]

System Update to 1.04 note:

I finally grabbed the factory card, repeated the instructions and it was fine.

Was it blank the factory card, when update?

[cuthbert]

Was it blank the factory card, when update?

It doesn't have to be. My factory card had 200 MB free, and it worked just fine.

If you're the cautious type, make sure to back up the card before you upgrade the firmware - and use fresh batteries or the correct power adapter even if you are not the cautious type, as it takes a few minutes to finish flashing the firmware.

[newi123]

Have you guys tried importing drum tracks?

I currently sketch out riffs using the inbuilt drums, but then for actually recording the song I build the drum pattern in EZ drummer on the pc, export the racks as audio and import it as audio tracks to the BR-80.

This means two things:

1) no issues at all with the time signatures of imported tracks

Hi newi123,

You may be overlooking a couple of things:

1. You're importing audio tracks - these are not the same as SMF which are midi and have note, tempo, and time signature data.
2. Because you're not using SMF for your tempo and time signature, you're using the tempo and time signature in the song itself. All the BR-80 patterns (except some metronomes) are 4/4, so that means your beats and bars in the song may not sync up with your audio tracks that have drums.

If you don't use beats and bars in the recorder or EZ drummer, then these two points may not be important to you. Or if you can match the tempo & time signature from EZ drummer in the BR-80, then you may be able to get beats and bars working correctly across both.

Hey Cuthbert,

Yep - the point was they are audio tracks, and as you say have nothing at all to do with the BR rhythm section - I then have no need for any tempo / beat / time signatures in the BR80 - I just play along with the audio I've imported and use the time clock on the BR for ref to points in the song. If I want a track in 9/16 that's fine (not that I can play in 9/16 you understand!). I can then export the recorded tracks back into the DAW I use (reaper) and they match perfectly with the time signature / tempo drums in the DAW that were already set up when I created the EZ drummer track.

As well as totally bypassing the time signature issues (you guys can now play all the waltzes you like) it also means that I get to use better & more flexible drum samples. Even if I do successfully import external midi files into the BR (always a bit hit and miss anyway as some of the midi notes never seem to correspond exactly) they are of course played using the BR samples, which are ok but not great.

Lastly, if you want to want to use the BR to track but then mix on a PC / Mac my other point was there is no easy way to export the BR drum track if you've used it. I can export audio tracks using the wave converter, but I don't think this allows me to export the BR midi drums as a .wav file (?). For me mixing / editing is also much easier than using the track editing functions on the BR.

It's a great bit of kit by itself - but when used in conjunction with a DAW it is close to unbeatable for me currently I think!

[cuthbert]

Yep - the point was they are audio tracks, and as you say have nothing at all to do with the BR rhythm section - I then have no need for any tempo / beat / time signatures in the BR80 - I just play along with the audio I've imported and use the time clock on the BR for ref to points in the song. If I want a track in 9/16 that's fine (not that I can play in 9/16 you understand!). I can then export the recorded tracks back into the DAW I use (reaper) and they match perfectly with the time signature / tempo drums in the DAW that were already set up when I created the EZ drummer track.

As well as totally bypassing the time signature issues (you guys can now play all the waltzes you like) it also means that I get to use better & more flexible drum samples. Even if I do successfully import external midi files into the BR (always a bit hit and miss anyway as some of the midi notes never seem to correspond exactly) they are of course played using the BR samples, which are ok but not great.

I do understand the point you were making, newi123. But my point is that your preferred method discards a couple of prominent features of the recorder - and if you're not using them, then those features are purely noise. You're also saying you pretty much do all the rhythm in EZ drummer before you begin recording in the BR-80, whereas if you set up your tempo and time signature in the recorder, you could play to a click track and then do your drums somewhere else with complete accuracy and timing intact. A difference of recording approach, for sure - and whatever works best for one is the best approach.

So if completely bypassing tempo, bars, and beats in the recorder works for you, terrific. But the fact does remain that Roland had complaints of a bug on their hands and they (appear to) have addressed it in a firmware update.

Lastly, if you want to want to use the BR to track but then mix on a PC / Mac my other point was there is no easy way to export the BR drum track if you've used it. I can export audio tracks using the wave converter, but I don't think this allows me to export the BR midi drums as a .wav file (?). For me mixing / editing is also much easier than using the track editing functions on the BR.

There is a fairly easy way to get the rhythm out: solo the rhythm track, and then master it to WAV. Or you could bounce it to a free pair of tracks, and then pick it out with the BRWC later. It would probably be nicer (but also a new feature) to also allow SMF export of the rhythm track from the recorder.

[64Guitars]

It would probably be nicer (but also a new feature) to also allow SMF export of the rhythm track from the recorder.

Yes, that would allow the best of both worlds. You'd have all the advantages of the built-in drum machine while recording your tracks. Then, after all the tracks are recorded, you could export the drum arrangement to a midi file and enhance it as much as you like in Hydrogen, EZ Drummer, or some other drum editor.

I hope Roland's listening. SMF Export should be included in all future BRs. They've already got SMF Import. How hard can it be to add its compliment? Seems like a no-brainer to me, and it would be such a useful feature.

[loicrremy]

Hi,

1 day ago, I received my BR and have read all manual ant test every thing  (almost ! ) , but I'm did not found how to empty the BEST30 list ?


Loïc

[64Guitars]

I just noticed that Roland US has released two more Workshop booklets for the BR-80. Now there are five BR-80 workshop booklets:

Book 1 - "Getting to Know the BR-80"
http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/BR80WS01.pdf

Book 2 - "Jam"  (covers eBand mode)
http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/BR80WS02.pdf

Book 3 - "Record"  (covers Live Rec mode)
http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/BR80WS03.pdf

Book 4 - "Share"  (covers the BR Wave Converter)
http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/BR80WS04.pdf

Book 5 - "Using the BR-80 as an Audio Interface"
http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/media/pdf/BR80WS05.pdf