Considering BR8 please help...

[koolkkeith]

Hey everyone, hope you are having a great day!

I was looking for some opinions on the br-8, do you like it or not? I know that there are only two inputs...I really dont think this is a problem for me at this point but can I use my Tascam 414 as a submixer and then imput into the br8 to get around this? Also, has anyone taken advantage of the new software capabilities recently put out on the roland website? Can you take your zip disk and make a .wav out of it? How do you like the BR-8 is it worth the $700 ? Thanks for your help!

 

[PeteAnon]

BR-8 is recommended

I highly recommend the BR-8. I'm not sure how you would use your 414 as a submixer... I've got one of those, too.... the Portastudio, right?

Anyway, BR-8 is great for tracking. I prefer a standalone piece of equipment for that, while some on this forum will recommend that you use your computer. I like to use my computer for editing and mixing, and I do use the wave file converter for this.

Here's how I do it:

Track in BR-8 --> Br8/Wav converter --> Edit/Mix in n-track ($35 program) --> Wav/Br8 converter --> BR-8 --> Standalone CD burner (via optical cable)


So it's all digital from the point the music is tracked, to CD. If you have a CD burner on your computer, you could obviously save yourself a couple steps there at the end. I think the sound is good.

This is not a self-promotion, but my mp3 page just went up, and I have a short test song up there. Bass and guitar are both recorded with my guitar, plugged direct into the BR-8. The guitar sound is a built-in BR-8 patch, and the bass is done with my guitar using a BR-8 bass-simulation patch. The drums were done with Fruity Loops, which is a neat drum-software package. I took the drum loop first and imported it into my BR-8, and then recorded the other 2 instruments. Anyway, check it out-- this is what the BR-8 can do! The song is called "Loopes des Fruites":

http://www.mp3.com/PeteAnon


Pete

 

[72fender]

I also have a BR-8 and it's perfect for I do, writing songs and recording demos for my band. Keep in mind that at the lowest compression and using all 8 tracks that you'll be able to record a 5 min song. The BR-8 wasn't made for recording a 'live' band but I've heard of some artists doing this.

I don't have a internal ZIP drive so I record my tracks thru my soundcard using Adaptac Spin Doctor software that came with my CD burner.

Here is a link to a song that I did as a BR-8 demo http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/152/the_primetime_blues_band.html

,all the effects, even the bass sim were created within the BR-8, I did use a Roland DR-5 drum machine but was MIDI controlled from the BR-8.

TigerDirect.com had a ten pack of 100mb ZIP for $59,

 

[a2fay]

Fast and easy. That's what you get with the BR-8. If you like complex tools, you might tire of it quickly. I don't have any mp3's but I do have a chronicle about my first year of working with a BR-8. My ongoing evaluation is at

http://br8page.editthispage.com

Good luck in finding the machine which suits you best.
- rt