This is my forth report on my new BR-800. I have finished reading the manual from cover to cover. The thought (whether you like it or not) that went into this machine is amazing.
I read the manual and then I mapped out all of the menus of which there are (8) – Main Menu, Track Menu, Effects Menu, Rhythm Menu, Song Sketch, EZ Record, Master FX and Tap Tempo. These are all initiated by touch pad buttons on the face of
the BR-800. Being a sort of visual person I had to map menus out to understand how the machine functions. Once I did this using the machine became easier for me.
The BR-800 can be as simple as a Volkswagen or as complicated as a Formula One racer. By complicated I mean that you have a lot of control over your sound. After you open a new song you could start out with EZ Record which sets everything up for you in terms of Rhythm, Input mode and Effects. I used it once and I don’t know if I would use it again, this might be more for folks who write a lot of their own stuff and want to get something down quick.
The next step up would be to open a new song, select your input mode and record track by track. You can then master on the machine or transfer to the computer. This is what I have done most (so far). The complication/control starts at this level. One can really get into the plethora of effects combinations that are available for the various input modes. There are several input modes - guitar, line in, four balanced inputs and the onboard mics. The BR-800 has ways of simplifying use of effects staring at the input level pre-set patches up to EZ Tone adjustments , and finally to tweaking individual AMP, EQ, Reverb, Pan, Chorus, Limiter, Vocal Effects and Delay settings.
The track editing functions is the only thing that I found missing, however, tracks can be edited on the computer using the USB connection. For those who use a lot of midi you will be disappointed, there is no midi in/out. Personally I never use midi in my recording so I don’t miss it.
Next I need to get more into the Rhythm Arrangement area…