BR 1600 users

[guitarron]

has anyone ever used the drum bass feature
am interested in how it works-
does it follow chords punched in to it somehow? like an auto arranger device
just curious
post some preset examples if possible
thanks

[Bosko Schwartz]

I am a BR-1600 user, but I have never used the drum or bass features, but I do know that the drum machine is standard to most Boss recorders, and works pretty much the same way.  Same with the bass, I believe.  What you have to do for the bassline to work is create a "chord map" so that the Boss knows what notes to play over your chords -- sounds very tedious to me, and I would never use it.  Partly because of the tedium and partly because I don't want a machine coming up with my basslines for me.  But for those without bass guitars and those who don't want to have to tinker with basslines, it may work out.

I think the drum machine is pretty standard, though, and I bet anyone here who uses programmed drums on any Boss could help you.

As for the bass, I think if you ask the same question in other boards, there may be some people who own the 900 or 1200, for example, that have used this function.

I am sorry that this post is probably of absolutely zero help to you.  I just wanted to make sure you knew I wasn't completely ignoring you!

[guitarron]

i'm trying to see what advantage there is from the 1200 to the 1600.
mic pre's is about it
does the 1600 record 8 tracks simultaneously?
that would be a big deal

[SteveB]

GTR - Yep, the BR1600 will record on all 8 inputs. So you can mike-up the band if you wish. The internal drum and bass that's included with BR1200 (and I presume it's the same one supplied with the 1600), is functional and can be made to produce decent arrangements, though as BSZ pointed out, it can be a tedious affair. Though to be fair to the Boss designers, the Bells-&-Whistles are there if you want to do everything yourself. Now, I'm not going to fall out with anyone over this, but my experience is with the BR864, BR900, and the BR1200 is that the internal drum patterns do differ between the models. Certainly I cannot find exactly the same patterns on the 1200 as are on the 900, and I left a pattern from the 864 in-situ when I transfered it to the 900 because I couldn't locate the exact pattern there. Don't forget though, Boss do upgrade their versions via the Internet, so perhaps eventually all the machines will have all the patterns. The 1600 has 16 tracks, but, tracks 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, are stereo and can't be split into mono tracks. On the 1200, tracks 9/10, 11/12, are stereo, and the internal bass is dedicated to track 8. On the 1600, the dedicated bass track is one of the stereo tracks (which I don't really understand, I have the 1200, not the 1600). Both these machines can produce fantastic results. Good luck with your decision.

[Bosko Schwartz]

YES!  Echoing SteveB's comments, the 8 simultaneous inputs are the main reason I have a BR-1600.  For me, it's to mic drums properly.  If the simultaneous inputs are important to you, it's well worth the money!

[guitarron]

GTR - The 1600 has 16 tracks, but, tracks 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, are stereo and can't be split into mono tracks. On the 1200, tracks 9/10, 11/12, are stereo, and the internal bass is dedicated to track 8. On the 1600, the dedicated bass track is one of the stereo tracks (which I don't really understand, I have the 1200, not the 1600). Both these machines can produce fantastic results. Good luck with your decision.

so it's got 8 mono tracks and 4 stereo tracks-
the 600 5/6 and 7/8 stereo
i wouldnt think of wasting a stereo trk on a bass track, unless the track has stereo effects
does the 1200 use a hard drive? what size?

[Flash Harry]

Pah! not wasting a stereo track on a bass track! Wash your mouth out.

[Bosko Schwartz]

I myself routinely use 2 tracks for bass.  And yes, you can apply stereo effects to the twin bass track.  But again, I wouldn't use the auto bass track on any Boss recorder when you could just manually do the bass yourself many different ways -- even if you don't own a bass, have access to one, or even know how to play it.

[guitarron]

Pah! not wasting a stereo track on a bass track! Wash your mouth out.

you know-i thought you would be offended FH-lol
sorry 'bout that chief

[SteveB]

does the 1200 use a hard drive? what size?

GTR - Yes, the 1200 has a 40gb hard-drive. The latest from Boss by the way, is that the BR1600 is now shipping with an 80gb hard-drive, so if you do go for the 1600, make sure you don't get palmed-off with the 40gb version, unless it's dramatically reduced in price.
Don't forget also, that you're not just talking about 12 or 16 tracks here. With the V-tracks, the 1200 is effectively a 196-track recorder, and if you wished to dedicate the whole 40gbs to one song, you could do. There are also features which I haven't seen mentioned anywhere on the board yet (Though admittedly I'm still a Newbie), such as the speaker-simulation facility on these machines 1200/1600, which will give you some idea as to how your song etc will sound while being outputted through various speakers: Little lo-fi to Big Boomers (It isn't Earth-shattering, but it is something not found on the smaller models).

Once you have one of these machines, then there really isn't anymore you're gonna need in the recording dept, just listen to Pinedog, & Bosco's offerings in their respective threads. (I choose those two, because I haven't yet listened to others in the threads.). Any money you then have left over can be spent on beers and guitars!