I picked up a pair of Roland DS-30a. Just arrived. I'd say with one being low and 10 being high, they are in 9 shape. I did a little research, and indeed they didn't get great reviews in the day, especially for low end referencing. But, I was going to buy some small iLoud speakers as a second set of monitors for my amateur hobby home studio. So I decided to look for and wait for a good pair of DS-30a to show up for a fair price. I decided on the DS-30a because I wanted the smallest in the DS series. They are overpriced relative to newer perhaps better monitors. But for what I need (first), and curiosity about trying the BR Speaker Modeling feature (second) what the heck. The size is perfect for me. I love the power switch is on the front (my KRK Rokit G6 power switch is on the back). They sound good to me.
Nice! I keep a look out myself for a pair, but they rarely come up these days, and if they do they are too expensive for what they are compared to current offerings. There are not too many choices for monitors with digital inputs these days though... Well done on getting a set. I believe they are quite capable, and being that they were designed to pair with the BR/VS recorders should work great.
Thanks for the tip! I just got a BR1600CD for recording my modular synth and guitar. Is there a good workflow with the BR to use one input and do multiple takes across tracks without having to physically plug into that input? Another thing I'm stuck on is input monitoring. I prefer to monitor my guitar from my amp and record using it's direct out. I'd rather not hear the direct out through the BR while recording but only on playback.
Hey Ben, thanks for the comment! You can route audio to *any* track without having to physically unplug the cables. To do this, use the "Stereo Tracks" input source and plug into any of the inputs at the rear. Press the track arm button on the track you want to record to so it lights up. If you want to use a different v-track, press the v-track button. As per the video - make sure to mute any of the unused inputs to avoid any unwanted noise. With regards to your second question, unfortunately the BR1600 doesn't have a way to create a "monitor" mix which is different to the input signal. There *is* a work around, which involved using the "Multi-track" input source, but when you do that, you lose the ability to send audio to specific tracks - as per your 1st question. This is because, in multi-track mode, it records audio from the input directly to the track, so input 1 goes to track 1, input 2 goes to track 2 etc. Another way you could do it, is to use a cheap external mixer with a mono function. Route only the Left channel to the mixer and set it to mono. You can then adjust the levels of your inputs by using the pan controls on the BR1600. Pan hard left for full volume and hard right to mute a signal. Any position in between will vary the volume between the two. This will have no effect on the recorded signal as the pan setting is fully adjustable after recording.
@@masteringtoolkit Oh cool the stereo tracks feature is exactly what I was looking for. So it just brings all connections in at once and if 2 tracks are set to record it sums all odd inputs to the left and even inputs to the right? And if 1 channel is selected it just combines everything to mono? I'm considering grabbing a nice A/D/A converter and using 2 inputs from it as my main input for lower noise.
@@bendedavis Yes, thats exactly how stereo tracks works. You can also use the "Simul" input source in the same way (and Guitar or Vocal too for a single input source) and select *any* track(s) to record to, but with those modes, you *must* be connected into inputs 1 & 2. With "Stereo", you can use any of the inputs. The preamps on the BR1600 are obvioulsy not in the Avalon/GML class, but are definitely servicable. Make sure to give them a full test out to see if you need to fork out for an external unit. Let us know how you go!
Please don't stop posting br1600 content. I'm committed to using this as my centerpiece. I love that it requires me to think differently about how I make my music. I truly appreciate you.
Thank you so very much for going over these elementary actions, because I own the BR 1180, but I am sure that the inner workings are very similar to the BR 1600! Even the owners manual doesn’t tell you how to select a song.
You're welcome William - glad I could help. Much of the functions and functionality is common across the BR range, so will translate between models. The BR 1180 was the first BR recorder I had and is what got me hooked on them - its a great little machine.
Hello!...thanks for this video ,very hepful and your time is gold to share this and all the capabilities of these wonderful recorders. I had already written to you some time ago,your time is gold for your effort in showing what is not included in the manuals. Boss doesn't realize that there are many people in different places who still enjoy these recording machines? Your work is very valuable and we are looking forward to the next video. Un abrazo grande para ti desde Chile! And have a nice day!
Hello Alex, yes I remember our previous conversation :) Thanks very much for commenting again. I'm glad to hear that you are still enjoying the videos. It definitely gives me an incentive to keep going with them knowing that they are appreciated. I will do - and you too! Best regards from Perth Australia.
i'm so glad you're still making these!! i really appreciate it, having such a well explained resource about a bit of gear i intend to use often and deeply :)
You're welcome! It's a piece of gear I'm very passionate about. Being so niche, I sometimes wonder if I should bother - especially when I see that the average viewing times for these videos only range from 10-30%, but having comments like this, does encourage me to keep putting them up - albeit infrequently. So, thank you 👍
So you were able to initialize it without issue, but then have an error when you reboot? Is it a new HDD? Maybe try another (even an old one) if you have one handy.
Excellent. So amazing the capabilities. Thinking of picking up a second one. All the Boss digital recorders are capable still but the people who get the most and best out of them dive deep into the settings and tweak and learn. Thanks for your series. I'm still learning mixing, while I get boosting gain (recovery) after compression, for some reason I tend to use reductive EQ because I'm afraid of mudding up the mix. Hey, I wonder if the monitor profiling is significant enough feature to find an old pair of the Roland studio monitors?
Thanks Chris. They are definitely a capable machine. I guess it's like anything though, you really need to learn all its capabilities to get the most out of it. Mixing is definitely an art in itself. I did an online mixing course a while back, and even though it was obviously intended for a DAW, I was able to follow along for the most part on the BR1600 with the included tracks, which was very helpful. I'm in the cutting EQ camp too, but in relation to the video, the EQ (or compression) has no effect on the track (other than to purely boost or cut the track volume) as the band setting (or threshold) are all at zero. I keep an eye out for the old Roland monitors myself too, but they rarely come up these days, and if they do, they are usually overpriced for what you get compared to a current set of good studio monitors. If they were cheap enough, I'll probably grab a set, but TBH, they wouldn't have any impact on your ability to create good mixes as long as you are using a good set of monitors or a set of headphones that you are very familiar with (in terms of sound reproduction). It would be pretty cool to be able to switch between different outputs though to audition how they sound.
Very informative video..I was in heaven when I first recorded with my BR-1600 and added drums. I would get questions from users about programming drums..I would tell them, to not to think 'programming' drums, but arranging drums. I would first think about the song; what style, what tempo, etc..than choose a Verse, for example V1 of the style I wanted. I would record the entire song to that 'V1', than go back and 'Insert Fills', keeping track of the bars..
Thanks Tony - Exactly! That's how I approach it too, and what I tried to get across on the video. Pick a single pattern that is typical of what you are going for - this can be preset or user pattern, lay down some guide audio tracks to sketch out the song and then go back and make an arrangement to follow the guide audio. I probably made it sound way more complicated than it really is. Hopefully it doesn't deter anyone from trying it out...
I have this machine it is good quality but is so complicated you need to be a scientist to use all the features thats why they sell used for next to nothing
I actually find it quite logical to use. If you take the time to learn how it works, it's actually pretty straight forward - no need to be a scientist! :) It's no different to if you are new to using a DAW - you still have to learn how it works to use it properly. I may have made it seem more complicated than it is in the video, but that's because I wanted to show *all* of the features and how they work. You don't have to use any of them if you dont want. They are just there as an option. You can always record the drums using one of the other 5 options I mentioned in the video.
I too find setting up and programming the onboard drums pretty complicating. To set it up for a complete song is so frustrating. I just use an external drum machine for recording drums. So much simpler and time saving.
Hey. My Br 1600 displayed the HDD error message a few times during recording when it would crash, and then it began displaying the same message and the unit wouldn't boot up any more, but now it doesn't even power up even though the power button seems intact and functional. I'm going to replace the drive but do you think another fault is indicated by the current failure to power up? Like could the failed drive cause that..? Also how do I format the CD to the ISO requirements you listed? Will my PC guide me to do this? And does extracting the firmware update require an app? Thanks heaps in advance if you can help with all this, any help you can give would be much appreciated. Cheers.
The BR1600 will boot even without a drive installed. Remove the current HD and restart the machine. If it boots, then replace the HD and you should be good to go again. I have seen similar failure before and the cause was most often the HD. Formatting the CD is done by whatever software you use to burn the CD. I've always used Nero, but whatever software you use should have settings (in properties for the complitation?) to change the format. The firmware is in a zip file. No special software required. To open in Windows, click on the zip file in the left hand pane of windows explorer. You will see the contents on the right hand pane, which you can then copy to where ever you need. Good luck!
@@masteringtoolkit hey thanks a lot for all that. It powered up to the br1600 logo screen so that's a good start. I've found a few hard drives that should work and are advertised to work in the unit but they're 2-4 times the cost of an 80G Western Digital IDE HDD I found online. All the listed specs match. Can you foresee any reason why it might not work? I was trying to get Maxtor, Seagate or IBM because they're recommended but the expensive drives are not these anyway and the western Digital drive is only about $20US. Thanks again for your help.
@@eternity8811 No problem - glad to help. If it booted without a drive, then all should be good when you put a new one in. Do not worry about specs for the drive. ANY standard 3.5" IDE HDD will work. They shipped with 40GB drives originally and then later on with 80GB. You can use any size, but the BR1600 will only be able to use a maximum of 80GB. A Western Digital will work fine.
@@masteringtoolkit thanks. I just noticed some differences in the configuration of the middle set of pins (the group of 8/9) and thought this might cause problems. But if I remember correctly there were only 2 cables connected to the HDD, ie only the 4 pin and 40 pin connectors are utilised when installed in the br1600 anyway... Cheers. Really appreciate your responses. All the best.
@@masteringtoolkithey there I'm on another account now. I got it working again though I think the hard drive I got was "refurbished" perhaps. Is there any way to tell? There are slight marks around the mounting screw holes and signs a sticker had been removed from the metal casing underside. Haven't figured out how to extract the files yet. I have to open it in internet explorer right..? Thanks
hey mate I just revived a br-1180 and have been enjoying messing around with it. Do you know if its possible to copy and paste audio sections on the same track.I have one 4 bar section of guitar and would like to duplicate it across the next 8 bars on the same track. I just find the manual instructions and UI a little confusing.
Hey Dan, Yes it is. Assuming your 4 bar guitar part is located at bar 1-4 On your BR1180 go to Utility/Track and Copy Enter in the Track and V-Track for both source and destination (the same if you want them on the same track) Highlight "LOC" and press Enter Enter the Start and End of your 4 Bar section - bar 1 - 4 "To" is the where you want the 1st copy to go - bar 5 Number of copies is x2 to get the 8 bar extension Set "From" to match the Start location - bar 1 Highlight GO and press Enter.
Hello Gerhard. Is your BR1600 firmware up to date? The Vocal Toolbox was updated in version 2 to get more a few more options - its well worth updating. There is quite a detailed explanation on how to use the Vocal toolbox in the Version 2 update manual which might help: www.boss.info/global/support/by_product/br-1600cd/owners_manuals/6ab702e6-6cc3-48af-a870-3ff0f79fdea3/
@@user-ny7jn3xx1r For backing vocals that have a healthy amount of reverb and are not upfront in the mix, I think they are quite usable, but obviously that's very subjective. Give it a try on a track yourself and see what you think.
Hi, were the screws for the optical drive particularly unique? Or were they the kind of thing that could be easily substituted? Also: How do I go about creating partitions and does this increase service life of a helical scanning drive?
No, not really. I think they may even have the same thread as the ones going into the frame, just a little shorter with a washer underneath. You create partitions from the "Initialize" menu under Utility/HDD. Selecting "Normal" mode will divide the drive into 40GB partitions (up to a max of 2), while using the DIV2-8 modes will divide the drive in equal sized partitions (up to a max total of 80GB). A helical scanning drive is for writing data to magnetic tape? The BR1600 uses a standard IDE HDD. Using partitions will not extend the life of an IDE drive. This is only relevant when using a SSD and using un-partitioned space for "over provisioning".
I was incredibly luck to find this one. I've seen them for sale that were "like new", but this one has never been used (ex display stock from a (drum!) music store). I started on 4 track tape Tascam Porta Two (HS). I still have it and it's still going strong! It was a great way to get into home recording. Thanks for the comment Albert!
I have a BR-1200 I'm wondering can you install the discrete drum loops or import the loops on your BR-1600 correctly? Because after I installed the new Hard drive, importing the loops, they aren't installing correctly. I'm wondering if this because of the automatic partition set up on the Hard drive?
The Discrete drum loops work for both the BR1200 and BR1600 (the BR1180 loops also work). Formatting the HDD has no effect on being able to import them back onto the machine. If you have the Loop Phrases saved as WAV files, or if you have the original CD, then use the Loop Phrase Import function. If you have them backed up as data, then use the Data Save/Load function.
@@masteringtoolkit Thx for replying. I've had this machine for several decades now. I re-initalized the 40G hdd once because I got error hdd full and it wasn't full. This time I bought a new hdd 80G. The loops that I reloaded up easily after the first re-initalization didn't load up with the new Hdd. It stopped at 6 on A & B and both those letters had 50 loop phrases in them from the factory, they loaded up when I initalized the Hdd a few years ago. But they're are not all uploading on the new hdd for some reason. There is a slit in the plastic at the top of the new hdd, the ebay seller said it doesn't effect the hdd function. That part I'm not sure of. I think the hdd shouldn't have any defects. So I asked them to send a new one.
@@bqktwcommentary No problem - glad to help! It does seem unlikely that the HDD is faulty, but you never know. Try switching to the 2nd partition on the drive and see if that works. If you still have the original 40gb drive, try putting that back temporarily and see if you can load the loops. If you have no luck, it could indicate a fault with the backup CD (you don't mention if you are using a data back up or the original Drum CD?) or the CD drive? If you run through the above, it should at least narrow down the cause of the problem hopefully.
@@masteringtoolkit i have the original discrete drums cd and I used the import loop/ phrase button to import. Like I said earlier its only uploading part of the loops. The loops were already uploaded to the 40g hdd when I tried initialize function to reset the hdd after getting the message hdd full when I tried to record. That worked to record for a while but it didn't last. It would let me reupload all the songs I had on the hdd before and the hdd wasn't even close to full. This is problem lots of folks have had. So I decided to replace the hdd
@@bqktwcommentary Ah yes, having the "HD full message" appearing when it's not, is definitely a sign that the HD may be on the way out. As you've noted, a format works for a while, but the issue will return. Replacing the HD is the only real fix. What firmware do you have installed? The last version (v2.20) addressed an issue where "the remaining capacity of internal drive may be lost atypically", so it is worth updaing if you havent already.
If everything else is working well, there is no reason you cant keep using it. It has a Digital Out (Optical) which you can use to get your tracks/songs off the machine in lieu of the CD drive. You can also use the Line Outs like I explain in the video, but this will only be an analog transfer. You may also be able to find a replacement CD drive (or another donor BR1180) and you can swap it out too if you want, which is a very simple job.
I renewed all parts. It was HELL. Roland dragged it out to 5 months of calls to get parts. It seemed they don't want to sell you parts. Had to buy 2 new hard drives. Both were faulty. But got the second working. I'm retired and had lots of time to deal with their bulsht. Good luck guys.
You can them on Ebay: www.ebay.com/itm/374686700928?itmmeta=01HT4BQDBZXJP90M5352YT6RHB&hash=item573d115580:g:Ap0AAOxyMxpRqLAI&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8Evf4FeTuL3xGRXGPIiFwXKmCJXvLtNjh%2B5%2F7oQanrUMsL7eq8Hr7dWKZTF24%2B69N00mzFr9myqcxYQ5rf5LCgv7QIs%2B%2BjR9iv1ZnSVj86ZLx4e%2FmrnphvMOFvdeBXM6V8zCfDqD9rVXe1G%2FqxNrF0bX%2BDLuTqns4f4yb9KDFD%2B3buirwqtYrkxEeILfT5sWt8BcpSWkMkTsVRtWPL7VSpJLqXOplkLvb3nulIcyRBZ8%2FVj1s2yaec5eG19COILGvW6Bk0EPABbNc%2FSHXraxdJ5ftRi%2Bo%2B8Nci542nLnRnTOQZWH4urHQnd64tlsYhqlWw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4zW3YvRYw
The purpose is so that you can have your song start on Bar 1 of the song (and still include a count in - without having to delete it) or if the song has a "freefom" section before the song, you can have Bar 1 be when the actual song starts.
Wow!..the infinite capabilities of these machines are surprising, considering that today people are focused on recording with a computer. These recorders have been on the market for many years and still work very well! I take care of my BR 1200 like gold! You are a master at explaining beyond the manuals and their supposedly correct information. Thanks for this information! Greetings from Chile !
My home recording started on BR 8 (only after the famous tascam 4 track) I still have my 1200 and use it for reverbs and delays and effects essentially but also the faders as midi controlling plugins. I love it but the 2 inputs were very limiting. It will always have a place in my heart
Does anyone know if the BR-1600 is more advanced than, let's say, the Roland VS-1880 or VS-1824? I would think it is because it comes with the effects where the VS series needs to have add-in boards (expensive) to get the effects built into the BR-series. I ask because I am curious and thinking about picking up a used VS-1880 or VS-1824 that works if I can get one affordably, just for fun. But, if the VS-series is less advanced than the BR-series, I don't need more stuff. The VS recorders, specifically the VS-2000CD, that can use an external monitor look interesting.
Wow. What a wealth of information. I will not lie, I'll be watching this one several times. I know the answer to this is both obvious and perhaps infinite, what are common benefits of having two BR-1600s linked? For, recording a drum kit - each piece plus overhead. Recording a full band live giving each performer/instrument a track plus mic the room. Anything else I'm not thinking of as a home recording hobbyist that worth consideration? I knew this video was coming and anticipated it. You exceeded my expectations!
Thank you Chris! I wasn't sure how much this video would appeal, being a very specific topic. Glad to hear that it will be of use to you. Recording a band in a live situation is the most common use for doing this, with the drums being a great example too. For someone who just records by themselves, this aspect doesn't really hold much appeal I guess. However, even forgetting the ability to record 16 tracks simultaneously, it still affords you double the amount of playback tracks too. This has a two fold advantage of both allowing you to record double the amount of tracks that you can playback at the same time (obviously), and have double the faders to work with. You can mix up to 32 channels of audio on the fly without having to bounce anything! This comes is particularly handy if you like to use something like backing vocals/doubles and harmonies. You can get some really complex, even choir like vocals using this and not have to worry about the track count.
Hey Chris - I got notification of your comment, but it did show up here for some reason? To answer you question: If you are using digital audio between the two BR 1600 recorders, the flow of audio MUST go from the Master to the Slave (the opposite to how Roland says to do it), so all your bounces end up on the Slave, not the Master. If you are using analog connections, it can go either way. Yes, you can expand your track count by adding the BR 1200 to the BR 1600. Digital audio on the BR 1200 is optical not coaxial cable and is only an OUT, so you will need a converter to get the signal from optical to coaxial (and will again flow TO the Slave BR 1600) or use analog connections. I didn't test it out with the BR 1200, so let us know how it goes if you do!
@@masteringtoolkit Thanks! I had a long post/question but figured it out so I deleted it. Sorry for confusion. Your response above further clarifies. Specifically, the difference between digital and line for audio transfer between units.
Gran vídeo ❤ una pregunta cuando se conecta un instrumento o un microfono y los botones de entrada parpadean en rojo es normal o estarian saturando la senal del audio es decir deben de ensenderce o no es normal y ls otra consulta seria que si en el marcador del master el (0) se inica saturación o el 4 estaria corecto me refiero a los niveles que aparecen del 44 al 0
It is normal (and desirable) for the input peak light to come on. This represents an input signal of -6dB, so you want it to flash "occasionally" while you record your track. If this is the case, then it is not overloading the signal. As for the scale on the faders, the mark in the centre of the darkened area is "unity" and is the point at which the signal is neither cut or boosted. The scale on the faders is non linear, so it's ideal to aim to have the faders at, or close to this location as it allows the finest control of the volume in this area. To make sure you don't clip using the faders, you need to check the level on screen and make sure that it doesn't reach the very top, which would indicate clipping. Aim to have the peak level fall just below.
Great video!!! I also have a Tascam DP-32 that record 32 channels in 48khz, but don't have MIDI, digital I/O, FXs and a lot more functions than only have with BR-1600... I love my BR.. Thank you so much for your videos!!!
Yes, MIDI is great to have and sadly missing on a lot of modern equipment unfortunately. Combine that with the digital I/O and effects as you say, and I completely agree - it's a killer package!
Tony! Mr. Blues. I learned how to use my BR-600 from your videos and some of my BR-800 too! Thank you! Are you still recording DAWless these days? Do you have or are you considering getting a BR-1600?
@@Fezzler61 I have a BR1600, I was one of the first to have one due to my brother working at Roland in L.A. I just never got around to doing a video on it because my band was consistently playing. I still record using the BR-800, as well as the BR-1600. I do transfer the stem tracks to my PC and use Reaper, for adding drums and mastering plug-ins.
I must congratulate you on your excellent video. You inform and clearly demonstrate what you need and how to do it. I only wish others would watch your videos as they are the perfect examples of how to make proper instruction videos. 10 stars out of 10
These videos are terrific. I don't know why but I love my BR1600 and can still record great music on mine. I have a question, can you do a video on recording with the digital input. I'm pretty sure its only 16bit resolution so that really limits the amount of digital audio you can record... unless its 24bit?
Thanks Mitchell - I appreciate the comments! Me too, and I totally agree that you can get fantastic result from them. I haven't done a video on using the digital input, but it will be touched on in the next video which is on syncing two units together (and connecting them via the digital In/Out) Having a digital In and Out is fantastic and something I use all the time. It's great for trading audio between the BR and a PC/Laptop. With regards to bit rate, it can be either 16 or 24bit, but must have a sample rate of 44.1kHz.
