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

[WarpCanada]

One of the funny things about my Gear Fetish, because hey, I have one, is my fetish for the Simplification of Things Due to Buying Gear.

This idea that I can somehow keep buying MORE STUFF and yet be simplifying my setup.

And sometimes, there are absolutely transformative purchases that bear this sometimes silly idea out.  One of them has been the Boss Recorder, my BR-600.

Here are the reasons I love it:

1. The built in stereo mics sound ridiculously good for how inexpensive a used Boss BR-600 is on Reverb or Ebay.

2. The press-and-go workflow is ridiculously easy compared to a PC and a DAW.

3. I can plug in a mic but mostly I don't.  I mostly sing and play into the thing, in one take and may add a second track of backing vocals or rhythm guitar, but I keep it simple.

4. I write my songs even the ones I plan to record on my PC with better mics, by singing into the BR-600 and then the next day I play it back and decide, I like the first verse but not the second verse, or I think these chords are boring, I want to try something else.

5. I can take this little unit anywhere, it runs on batteries. I can take it on vacation with me, I can write and record songs at the beach, or up in the mountains, or in a yurt on an island.

6. The built in effects including reverb are very useful.

7. The built in drum features are wonderful.

I really really like my Boss recorder and I use it every day even though my PC is more powerful and the phantom-powered large element condensor microphones that I have on my PC rig sound better.   

The only bummer to me is that it seems like Boss doesn't care any more.  Perhaps Zoom has taken over the crown?

Who is with me and loves their BR? If yours broke, would you buy another BOSS, the MIcro BR,  or a similar box from Zoom, or Tascam?

[Greeny]

Everything I've recorded for 13 years has been on my little Boss MBR 4-track. It's part of me now, and I don't want to 'move on' or use software to do the job. After 2,000 songs, the original one got a loose connection in the headphone socket so I bought another one on eBay.

The only changes to how I record now are replacing the MBR drums with GarageBand ones (more programmable, and I got bored of / used up the Boss presets), and more recently, using an SM-58 rather than the onboard mic. Not that there's anything wrong with that onboard mic.

I didn't buy the BR-80 although I was tempted. The lack of drums seemed like madness at the time. Boss were right, of course. They could see where this was all heading: a hardware-free world of GarageBand etc. Which is why they'll probably never release or update another standalone recorder. It's not that they don't care, it's just that they wouldn't sell any apart from to people like us. We are a very niche and probably unprofitable audience.

To me though, it's still like having Abbey Road in my pocket. And because I like familiarity and can't / won't follow instructions, I don't want to learn something else now.

[Greeny]

My view on Zoom is that they saw a gap in the market for live recording. The kind of thing Hook was trying to do recently: record a band live, quick demos, musical notes etc. Or even YouTubers / Vloggers. And they are probably right. 

I used to plug the MBR straight into the mixing desk to record open mics though.

[T.C. Elliott]

I've owned my BR-900 since 2007. I still use it daily. But 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. That being said, I have a Zoom R24 I bought used at a good price. I've only used it long enough to make sure it works.

I guess the answer to your question is yes, I'm in the middle of that right now.

[WarpCanada]

Tried a shot of Deoxit/ContactCleaner on the input jack?

I would also consider opening it up with a screwdriver and cleaning the jack with a qtip coated in deoxit, or even just alcohol, and bend the innards of the jack back in a bit with pliers so they make clean contact again.

If it's loose and wobbly it just might be possible to tighten it up again with your fingers or a dab of hot melt glue.

[Oldrottenhead]

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.

[Hilary]

I've got a BR80 and love mine. I just press the red button and it's done. My wheel is going though so it some point it will die and a will miss it.

I wonder if it's being replaced with the video age - dare I say it TikTok - it has very impressive video editing for an app. It's all podcasts and TikTok now and filters and circular lights.

I'll be bereft when mine finally goes.

[hooper]

despite all the wording and marking on the buttons being worn away with years of use.

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?

[64Guitars]

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.

[cuthbert]

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...