BR800 Erasing between A & B?

[Glenn Mitchell]

This is a commonly used function on the MBR but I don't see any way to do this on the BR800?
I can set the AB points ok but see no Erase A to B function
Other than to scrub and set the start and end in track erase?
I miss my AB buttons.
Also is there no "Go to End" button? Like the Stop/FF in the MBR?

[64Guitars]

This is a commonly used function on the MBR but I don't see any way to do this on the BR800?
I can set the AB points ok but see no Erase A to B function

There doesn't seem to be an A-B option for Erase or Move but there is for Copy. That seems like an oversight since other BRs have an A-B option on all three types of editing.

One thing you could check is to set your A-B points before going into the Track Erase screen and see if it affects the default values for Start and End. If these happen to default to the A-B points, then you could perform an A-B erase that way. If not, then I guess you're out of luck. Still, you've got the option to erase portions of a track by specifying start and end times or start and end measures.

Also is there no "Go to End" button? Like the Stop/FF in the MBR?

The BR-800 cannot detect simultaneous button presses except for [STOP] and [PLAY] (the scrub function). I assume it's a limit of the touch sensor technology.

Page 154 of the BR-800 manual states:

The BR-800 can detect that two buttons are pressed only when activating the Scrub operation (hold down the [STOP] button and press the [PLAY] button). Simultaneous button operation will not work correctly in other situations.

There's a dedicated button for Return to Zero but there doesn't seem to be any way to go directly to the start or end of the music as there is in other BRs with [STOP][REW] and [STOP][FF].

[Glenn Mitchell]

That's a shame. I also don't "get" the scrub function so it's looking like I'll be doing most editing on the DAW.
This unfortunately means, if songs are recorded on the BR, that one needs to convert files and import to the DAW and then back to the BR if you want to master there, or more likely, using the BR as a controller for the DAW and forgetting about the BR as an editor. It becomes just a mixer like the M Box thingy.
It almost seems as if they used the controller function as an excuse not to include some pretty basic editing functions.
I also misunderstood what the BR would do and imagined a simultaneous BR & DAW recording (to both) with real-time simultaneous editing rather than the conversion concept.
IOW what was changed on the BR would be changed on the DAW and vice versa real-time.
Maybe one day.
One can never do enough research.
Just venting frustration.
I'll learn to work with this and there are so many more tools to work with now.

[64Guitars]

This unfortunately means, if songs are recorded on the BR, that one needs to convert files and import to the DAW and then back to the BR if you want to master there, or more likely, using the BR as a controller for the DAW and forgetting about the BR as an editor.

Personally, I never use mastering effects anyway, so I'd have no reason to export my tracks from the DAW back to the BR. I'd just do my final mix, etc. in the DAW. Even if I did want some mastering effects, I'm sure SONAR is just as capable of that as the BR is, if not more so.

What I like about the BR-800 is that it gives you the best of both worlds. During the creative, musical part of song development, you can record your individual tracks without being tied to a computer. Then in the more technical part of completing your song, you can use the DAW controlled by the BR-800's faders and transport controls for your final mix, editing, post processing and mastering. Since you no longer need your instruments and microphones at this stage, working on the computer is actually quite convenient and gives you the advantage of a much more informative screen.

It becomes just a mixer like the M Box thingy.

The important difference is that the BR-800 also records, so you can record your tracks without a computer. This is where standalone multitrack recorders really shine compared to DAWs. Being tied to a computer and having to deal with all its inherent problems is not what you want when you're trying to concentrate on your musical performance and song creation. And if, like me, you have a desktop computer that's located in a different part of the house from your musical instruments, a standalone multitrack recorder allows you to take the recorder to where the instruments are located instead of taking the instruments to where the computer is located. And standalone recorders are completely silent, unlike computers which can generate a lot of noise from fans, hard drives, etc. which can be picked up by sensitive microphones.

So, for me, recording the individual tracks on a standalone multitrack recorder, then mixing, editing, mastering, etc. on the computer is the ideal way to create a song.

It almost seems as if they used the controller function as an excuse not to include some pretty basic editing functions.

That may have been true when the BR-800 was first released, but with the version 1.10 update, the BR-800 now has sufficient track editing features to be used entirely standalone, if desired. Sure, they left out A-B erase and move, but those aren't critical features when you have move and erase by time or measure. It would have been nice if they'd included A-B erase/move, but I don't think it's a big deal that it's missing. My BR-864 has A-B erase and move, and I don't think I've ever used them. Time and measure allows me to set the start and end points much more accurately.

[Glenn Mitchell]

I guess that's the main frustration, that I'm not familiar with Sonar so I'm still clinging to the hardware and old habits.
For one I do have all my gear in the same room as the computer and the fans do create a conflict with the mics. I have been putting it to standby while I track with mics but that means I can't directly track to the DAW for that part anyway.
(I need to find out if my laptop can run Sonar and if it has a decent sound card.)
I see that Sonar has some fabulous tools and that, if I knew what I was doing, there would be little reason to mix or master much in the BR.
Thanks for getting back, I was a little discouraged this morning but I'm hopeful now that things will work out in time.