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Boss BR-800 Demo

Item ID: BR800d

8-track Digital Recorder/Audio Interface with 4-track Simultaneous Recording, 8-track Playback, Built-in Drum Machine, Effects, and 1GB SD Card

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Condition: This item was thoroughly inspected by our factory-authorized service team. It is certified to be in perfect working order. There are a few light marks on the workstation. While the literature may be rough, the product inside is in great shape and contains the full manufacturer's warranty. What does Demo mean? The image(s) shown do not necessarily represent the condition of this particular item.

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From Our Research Team:

A Full-functioning Digital Studio — to Go!

BOSS knows a thing or two about portable recording. After all, their BR series has been a staple in home studios ever since home studios went digital. So it stands to reason that the BOSS BR-800 is loaded with pretty much everything that has made the BR series the go-to digital recorder for affordable portable recording. Leading the charge is 4-track simultaneous recording (8-track simultaneous playback plus stereo rhythm track playback). Add to that a passel of guitar, bass, and vocal effects culled from BOSS's flagship processors (another area in which BOSS is a widely respected leader). And you can go anywhere with the BR-800, as you can power it on six AA batteries.

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A built-in mic lets you easily throw down song ideas. Plus, the built-in rhythm machine lets you take your ideas from sketches to fully formed tunes, all within the BR-800. But the fun doesn't stop there! Plug the BR-800 into virtually any USB-equipped computer, and the BR-800 instantly becomes a USB audio interface. And to get you up and crafting music on your computer, BOSS included a copy of SONAR 8.5 LE software, along with full audio loops and backing tracks. The BR series recorders have always been regarded as big bang-for-the-buck units, and the BR-800 continues that tradition — and throws in some very cool extras too!

BOSS BR-800 8-track Digital Recorder Features at a Glance:
  • 4-track simultaneous recording
  • 8-track simultaneous playback plus dedicated stereo rhythm track playback
  • EZ Recording interactively guides you through the recording process
  • Guitar, bass, and vocal effects derived from BOSS's flagship processors
  • Song Sketch recording for quick stereo capture in WAV format
  • Built-in advanced drum machine with editor software
  • Functions as a USB audio interface and a DAW control surface
  • Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 LE software, along with full audio loops and backing tracks
  • Built-in stereo condenser microphone for instant recording
  • Sleek new interface based on touch sensors
  • 1GB SD included (supports up to 32GB SDHC card)
  • Runs on 6 AA batteries, USB bus power, or AC adapter (included)

The hits just keep coming from BOSS's BR series, with the BR-800!
Specification Detail
Simultaneous Rec Tracks 4
Simultaneous Play Tracks 8
Sample Rate 44.1kHz
Bit Rate 24-bit
Effects Yes
EQ No EQ onboard
Compression As Effect
Phantom Power Yes (1 channel)
Number of Mic Preamps 4
Audio Interface Yes
Computer Connectivity USB
Built-in Mics 2
Analog Inputs 11
Analog Outputs 2 + headphones
Digital Inputs No digital inputs
Digital Outputs No digital outputs
Other I/O No additional I/O
Storage SD (up to 32GB)
Faders 8
Fader Throw Compact (short-throw)
Power USB bus/6 x AA/9V DC adapter (included)
Height 2-5/16"
Depth 7-1/4"
Width 11-7/16"
Weight 2 lbs.
Manufacturer Part Number BR-800

BR-800 Image Gallery

Can We Help?

Sweetwater's friendly and knowledgeable Sales Engineers are regarded as the most experienced and educated professionals in the music industry, with extensive music backgrounds and intense training on the latest products and technologies. As your personal contact here at Sweetwater, they are available to provide personalized advice any time you need it.
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What Makes a Product a "Demo"?
At Sweetwater, "Demo" usually means one of the following:
  • It might have spent a little time in our display room.
  • A Sales Engineer may have put it through its paces to explain it to customers.
  • It could have been tried out for a few days.
We treat demo models exactly as we treat new gear. You get a full manufacturer's warranty, as well as Sweetwater's commitment to customer satisfaction. Other than it having been in someone's hands or hanging on a rack for a brief period of time, it's as good as new - at a great bargain!

Please note that this product is available in limited or single quantities.
While we do our best to keep our online product information up to date, we cannot guarantee that this product will be in stock at the time your order is placed (for instance, another customer could be purchasing this product as you read this text). If you would like to verify that this product is in stock prior to making your purchase, please contact us or call toll free (800) 222-4700.

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From the customer service call after my order, to e-mailing me a copy of the invoice, to the great price, free shipping and candy in the box...a pleasure!


Rick, Gloucester, MA

Reviews

based on 13 reviews

High Tech made simple

by Bill from South Florida
December 19, 2011
Music Background: Hobbyist
This is a unit that can be up and running right out of the box. I have no experience with recording and wasn't sure if I would be able to put together my creations, but this little unit just blew me a... read more [+]way. There is a demonstration on You tube on how simple it is to use but that only scratches the surface on the many features it has. High tech recording has never been made any easier. This unit comes with a built in effects box along with a drum machine that produces a professional recoding that is just as good as a studio. If your in the market for a recorder at an affordable price, you just found it!! close [-]

The more I use it, the more impressed I am!

by Bruce Boatner from Boise, ID
October 28, 2011
Music Background: Ex-professional musician - now just for fun.
I'm willing to bet there was a corporate meeting at Roland to decide where to apply their best and brightest, and they decided that the best market decision would be to upgrade the BR-600 to the BR-80... read more [+]0. The quality of recordings that this little machine produces is phenomenal, due largely I believe to the integration of very advanced (and quiet) hardware that has evolved over a long time. If you look at, say, the BR-1600 (at 3 times the cost), you will immediately become aware of the significant advancements of this product.

Maybe they'll give the BR-1600 the "star treatment" as well in the future, and if so, it should be a doozy! But I don't think that's going to happen, because of one thing - the DAW. They can still afford to optimize a product like the BR-800 because it is a niche market due to its portability, etc.

Personally, I prefer the hardware solution, and I have used a couple of DAWs with far less success in the final product than I have produced directly on the BR-800. Because of the built-in signal processing, the BR-800 produces an incredibly CLEAN sound, which takes a great deal of effort to duplicate in the DAW. The menu/function set of the BR-800 is very intuitive and straightforward and its functionality (make sure you download V1.10 of the operating system) is adequate, although it does leave a few things to be desired. First, you've only got 6 faders, and sometimes you really feel like you've only got 6 tracks. 5/6 and 7/8 are stereo pairs. You've got 64 virtual tracks (good), but you can only use one virtual track per "actual" track (not so good).

Also you cannot bounce/mix multiple tracks down to a single track (not good). Additionally you're limited on how you can move and copy tracks based on pairs, etc. HOWEVER, once you buy into their scheme, it starts to make a lot of sense and you can work around it rather easily. I use spare virtual tracks as convenient backups for other tracks I'm experimenting with.

There are PC/MAC support products that come with the BR-800. The WAV converter is great - move audio files back and forth to PC - and the Drum Editor is good too. It comes bundled with Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 LE, and all I can say about that is GOOD LUCK!

Another shortcoming is only 1 phantom power port. Still, I would say that it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I had it Fed-Exed in for the "Y" job and was producing usable audio within a couple of hours. I have looked at the specs of the Zoom products, and I believe that they would not be able to give me the flexibility and concrete results that the Boss does. close [-]

One great litttle package.....one great value

by larry york from brunswick Ohio
November 10, 2010
Music Background: 40 rs experience, musician, hobbyist, guitarist.
The boss br 800 is like all other boss products that have come before it. Much more features and a great value for your money. Setting up and recording is easy and getting just the sound you want is a... read more [+] piece of cake. Get yourself a decent pair of headphones and desktop monitors and your well on your way to making fantastic recordings. The built in mics are a great alternative also and give credible results. This thing makes you want to play and record all the time. close [-]

A great portable, powerful and easy to use 8 track recorder

by Tony Houston from Columbus, OH
September 10, 2010
Music Background: Guitarist, home recorder, songwriter
I love my BR-800 and already have recorded several songs. As mentioned in the other reviews, more advanced track editing wasn't added in the system...but after talking to BOSS tech support, they told ... read more [+]me that a new firmware update will soon be released to correct this oversight.

As far as the absence of MIDI-in/out.....so what? I record with Reaper DAW with a Axiom 25 USB-2 MIDI keyboard controller & a Edirol UA-4FX external audio. When I installed the BR-800 software, Reaper found the ASIO drivers and I can use my BR-800 as a external audio/controller interface.

The BR-800 does come bundled with SONAR LE, but my vintage single core AMD PC crashes with SONAR if I record more than five tracks with plug-ins. I'm building a quad-core system and will install SONAR on it.

But, lets get back to the BR-800...it is easy to learn to record. You'll spend more time recording, and less time learning how to record.

The guitar, bass, and vocal COSM effects are great IMO..plus the BR-800 has drums. It's really easy to create a drum arrangement and export/import Wav files with the BR-800 (check out my BR-800 video tutorials on YT).

The BR-800 will operate on batteries for remote recording as wave recorder, and will power-up via USB from a PC/laptop, and with a 32GB SD card you get have hours of recording time. close [-]

boss br800

by ROY from R.I.
December 28, 2011
Music Background: Guitar hobbyist and more
It is a great recorder to get started with. If you need to record something, to record on the fly ,or at home or studio this is for you. Text support is there to help you if you run into any problems.... read more [+] Full of effects for guitar and a ton of drum beats and I said guitar because that is what I play. By it and you will see. close [-]
Read more reviews

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See Also: Multitrack Recorders , Boss , Boss Digital Multitrack Recorders

Boss BR-800

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