Designing the next Micro BR

[64Guitars]

This is why I would like to see a separate unit that is just drum pads and plugs into the micro BR via USB, even if buying this separate unit put my total cost higher then buying the BR-600 I am more likely to go that route so that I can have the pocket portability of the Micro BR when I want, but also the flexibility of real time drums when I am at home or at a show.

I like this idea! 

Korg already makes a nice USB-MIDI drum pad controller for $60 US that seems well suited to the Micro BR:

http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=NanoSeries&category_id=8

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/nanoPAD/

I'm sure Roland could make a similar USB-MIDI drum pad controller for a reasonable price.

The USB port on the current Micro BR is the device type (slave) which would not work for attaching a drum pad controller. The next Micro BR would need to have either a USB OTG port or a separate USB Host port so that it can act as a USB master rather than a slave (storage drive). But this is something that I've already mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. In addition to midi controllers, a USB OTG or Host port would allow you to attach portable hard drives, USB flash drives, etc. for storing your songs without needing access to a computer.

Of course, they would have to add midi over USB capabilities to the next Micro BR in order to make the midi drum pad controller work. The current Micro BR does not have midi. I'm not sure how much that would increase the price of the next Micro BR, but it would be well worth it. Roland might choose to use their own proprietary protocol to handle their own drum pad controller. But standard midi over USB would be much better as you could use any controller you like (such as the Korg, for example) rather than being forced to use whatever drum pad controller Roland decides to offer. Also, standard midi over USB might allow you to use other controllers such as the Korg nanoKontrol:

This would give you real faders and other controls to make mixing easier and more enjoyable. Very cool! 

[drutgat]

The Micro BR is the bottom of the BR line. Obviously, it's going to have reduced features compared to the more expensive BR models for marketing reasons. Also, the Micro BR's small size makes it less than ideal for pattern programming.

I don't think that there's anything obvious about that at all: I'm talking about technological capabilities, not marketing. What I meant is that it's technically possible for Boss to make this if they want to - and why wouldn't they want to? Surely, even if this feature duplicated those on other Boss units, the point would be that it existed within such a portable unit.

And as for the other problems you mentioned above, I refer you once again to the Zoom PS04, which, as I've said previously, had a display almost the same size as the Micro BR, and contained a fully programmable drum machine, with killer sounds.

[quote from drutgat]That would only be a good compromise for those (unlike myself) who already own/use other units utilizing the BR Rhythm Editor software.[/quote]

Huh?    Anyone can use the BR Rhythm Editor software to create/edit patterns and arrangements and play them on their computer. You don't even have to own a multi-track recorder, never mind a specific Boss recorder.

Sorry, didn't realize that, but please see my comment below.

The limitation is that only the BR-600, BR-864, and BR-900CD can currently import the pattern and arrangement files created by the BR Rhythm Editor into the BR's drum machine. But, if Roland/Boss adopted my idea in the next version of the Micro BR, then it too would be capable of importing the BR Rhythm Editor's pattern and arrangement files. In my opinion, this would be a much better way of providing custom patterns and arrangements for the next Micro BR than to add pattern editing capabilities inside the Micro BR, given the problems with its limited user interface as described above. The BR Rhythm Editor provides a very slick user interface that makes drum programming much easier.

I think we're talking at cross purposes here because my thrust all along has been about using the Micro BR as a fully *self-contained* unit, rather than having to carry attachments to use with it, or having to plug it into a PC in order to use software to augment its capabilities. It is, after all, marketed as a portable unit.

About the Micro BR's preset patterns being in 4/4 time only, I'd like to point out that this is not a unique limitation of the Micro BR. All of the BRs contain only 4/4 patterns in their presets (actually, the BR-1200 has 2 patterns in 5/4 and 3 in 6/8, and the BR-1600 has 3 patterns in 5/4 and 4 in 6/8). What's unique about the Micro BR is that you can't create custom patterns, or use custom patterns created with the BR Rhythm Editor or another BR. If you could, then you could use any time signature you like.

Once again  , I don't care about the Micro BR's limitation in relation to anything else - I've always talked (see above) about the *fact* that its technologically possible and realistic to have a fully programmable drum machine within the Boss, and also to include presets in different time signatures.

What's "unique" about the Boss, in addition to its positive features, is that it could contain some features which it doesn't, and - in the case of time signtures other than 4/4, and also in the case of a drum machine - these are features which many other users here have also talked about as limitations which they would like to see removed.

[vibedog]

I just downloaded the BR-900CD Rhythm Editor and it is cool and it would be sweet if they would allow it to be used with the Micro BR.

I'm new to this forum and I want to say many thanks for all the great info, including the preset spreadsheet.

My comments regarding the next Micro-BR largely mimic the others that have been posted:
1) record ext mic and guitar at same time
2) expand the size of sd card beyond 1 Gig
3) much better battery management, I really need to get some rechargeables.

Other ideas
1) have a direct out to connect to the guitar input of my amp.  Thus, using the micro as a stompbox.  This wouldn't be the typical usage but I'd like the ability to do this.  There may be a latency issue, I don't know.
2) allow the BR to be used as an audio interface for computer recording software.
3) have a Micro-BR computer interface that does everything the software on the Micro-BR does but in a much easier gui way.  Including drop and drag drum arrangements.  This isn't meant as a replacement for Ableton (or whatever) but as an alternative to doing everything on a little menu screen.  The portability of the Micro-BR is awesome, but if the sketching is done and it is time to do some cleaning up, a computer interface would be nice.  I suspect the developers already have something like this for themselves.

For a somewhat different direction, Boss could make a Micro-BR attachment for the ipod touch.  This way, Boss could focus on the audio hardware side of things and not reinvent the wheel where user interface is concerned.  The touchscreen allows for things like sliders (never as good as real analog ones but still better than buttons) and a tap drum pad interface (there are already applications like this in the iphone app store).  I would guess some company will come up with a killer ipod interface before too long, and because I really like Boss (Roland) products, I hope it is them.

[beleg]

Another thing that I would like them to update/change is adding an option to shift or not shift the rest of the pattern when you insert a new section in a drum arrangement.    Currently when you insert it automatically shifts everything over by one mesure. This is normally what I want it to do, but sometimes I don't. It would be nice if after you clicked insert, it asked you if you wanted to shift everything or keep everything in its current positions 

[wooperman]

I want a simple sync. Not full midi, just master or slave sync.
Then you could use any drum machine you wanted, program yer jam, sync it up and record it to one of the trax....you could still do this but I like making sure its all in step with the Micro's measures.
Why this was not included through the USB port makes me dizzy. USB port is the window to the world!!!!!!

[64Guitars]

Another thing that I would like them to update/change is adding an option to shift or not shift the rest of the pattern when you insert a new section in a drum arrangement.

There's a simpler and more effective solution to the insert problem. Instead of having us specify the Starting Measure of each step, they should have us specify the Step Length in measures. The BR wouldn't need to know the starting measures if it knew the length of each step, so there'd be nothing to adjust after an insert. The first step would always start at measure 1 (as it does now) and play for the specified number of measures. The second step would then begin playing immediately after the first. The actual measure number that happens to be wouldn't matter.

[tkofaith]

8. Related to the above, if they can't include a hard case, they could provide a soft case which has a fold over flap which closes with a press-stud. The open ended design of the current case allows dust and debris to not only fall into the case, but also does not protect the open end of the Micro BR (ports, input holes).

I got this case at the local Walmart for less than US $9.  It has places for sd cards, and batteries.

[Tony]

Three things would seriously make me think about buying an updated version:
1. A usb port that could take something like a Korg Padkontroller or Nanopad;
2. The ability to import the drum patterns from the other machines in the BR range;
3. A guitar out jack (1/4") so that I could fix it to my guitar strap and use it as my regular effects processor.

These have probably all been covered else where in this discussion but the three, in this order, came to me in a dream during my mid-afternoon nap today.  You can't ignore those dreams.

[beleg]

3. A guitar out jack (1/4") so that I could fix it to my guitar strap and use it as my regular effects processor.

This is a great idea. I could even see taking one of my older junk guitars and embedding a micro BR inside the body if I could figure a way to change the batteries.

[Flash Harry]

I could even see taking one of my older junk guitars and embedding a micro BR inside the body if I could figure a way to change the batteries.

Put the power up the guitar lead.