OK, I’ll admit it… I’m a big fan of guitar gadgets, and when I saw this thing I just knew I had to write about it – and maybe purchase one.
Its BOSS’s new ultra-portable Pro Digital Studio, the MICRO-BR. Just a bit bigger than an iPod, its apparently got everything you could want in an on-the-go recording device, including two-track simultaneous recording, four-track playback, and up to 32 virtual tracks – that’s a lot of tracks for a piece of equipment that fits in your pocket.
According to BOSS the MICRO-BR also sports its own on-board digital drum machine with nearly 300 patterns (a really nice touch for the practicing guitarist,) and also some built-in effects, though at the time of writing I couldn’t find a list of which effects were included.
The MICRO-BR can also play MP3s (which can be uploaded to the device via USB,) and you can even play them back at a reduced tempo without effecting the pitch – perfect for dissecting your favorite tunes and really figuring out what makes them tick.
Features include–
- Ultra portable, only slightly larger than an iPod
- 4-track playback, 32 V-Tracks
- Loads and plays MP3 files
- Multi-effects onboard; dedicated guitar input
- Time-Stretch and Center Cancel features (including MP3 files)
- 293 rhythm patterns
- Built-in tuner and microphone
- USB port for data transfer
- SD Card slot for recording media, 128MB card included
The BOSS MICRO-BR uses SD (Secure Digital) media to store all data, so just like your digital camera, when one card’s full you should be able to just swap it out for an empty card. The unit is just 5-3/8“ x 3-3/16” x 7/8“.
- Video Demonstration Of The New BOSS MICRO BR
- Finally, A Review Of The BOSS Micro-BR
- ‘59 Fender Bassman In A Box… Am I The Only One Scared, Here?!
- Speed Linking: 30 Years Ago Today… Elvis Left The Building, Pocket POD Review,
- See The BOSS/Fender ‘65 Deluxe Reverb Pedal In Action
- BOSS Recreates Roland RE-201 Space Echo In A Digital Pedal
- VOX Releases DA15 Digital Guitar Amp
- Video Demo Of The New Electro-Harmonix Micro POG
- See The BOSS/Fender ‘59 Bassman Pedal In Action
- It’s Back! Gibson Re-Releases Limited Edition Custom Shop Reverse Flying V
- Gibson’s New Website & Forum For The HD 6X Digital Les Paul
- Finally: Gibson’s Digital Les Paul Heading To Stores
August 8th, 2006 at 7:18 am
I have been looking at Digital 4 Tracks for my daughter, ok, maybe she will let me play with it, lol.
I can not believe the size of this thing. I had a Fostex 4 Track back in the late 80’s, it was expensive, bulky and heavy. But it was still my favorite non instrument piece of equipment.
And now look at all the features in this rather small device, holy smoke!
I will certainly look into this one, thanks Cary !
October 9th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
Any idea what recording resolutions are supported? 44khz? What about recording file format?
October 9th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Good questions, John––surprisingly, BOSS doesn’t include either of these specs on their product page, and gives only passing mention to the fact that the MICRO-BR supports MP3s.
I’ll see if I can find some updated info for you in the near future… : )
November 11th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
You can download the manual on the Boss website. I believe it records at 24bit 44kHz and records as a wav file.
November 11th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Hey, thanks for the much needed feedback, Alex. I’ve had more than a few people ask about the specs, and wasn’t having much luck finding them. It looks like a promising little gadget. The video demonstration on Roland’s website was pretty danged impressive.
:)
November 25th, 2006 at 3:17 pm
Hello It supports it’s own file format called “brs” or something like this. I own it 2 weeks and I’m really impressed… It’s amazing how many features it has. One weak point is battery consuming issue (2-3 working hours ) - it needs lot of power to work, but fortunately Boss offers a power supply adaptor. I strongly recommend it! Effects, built-in mic recordings are high quality. I’m really happy I’ve bought it :-)
November 26th, 2006 at 3:20 am
do you know if the micro br supports sd cards larger than 2gb?
November 26th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
no, 1gb max.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:19 am
To anyone that has this it it possible to power it through its usb connection, would save me 20 bucks on the psu
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:53 am
My husband is looking for a stereo recorder to record live music at a club (he has a couple of bands and they want to hear live recordings). I’ve looked at the Zoom H4 too but am unsure which to get. The Boss Micro BR certainly does more cool stuff, but is the stereo recording as good? Does anyone know? Thank you so much!
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:30 am
to michelle:
I am also in the process of trying to buy a zoom vs. h4 .. based on my research online and also trying to call or chat with reps. from guitarcenter.com, zzsounds.com, and sweetwater.com —- i am inclined to think that zoom has better sound than boss especially for more live recording…
i was told by most of the reps. that since i’m an electric guitar player, the boss micro br is better due all the added features —- it’s really designed for a guitar player’s needs.
so they told me that if i’m alright with less sound quality, go for the boss micro br as it does everything else it’s supposed to do —- but if quality of sound is more important to you, get the zoom h4.
hope it helps!! i’m going to samash today, hopefully if i see both items for myself, i can decide better.
cheers!
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:35 am
USB power - no, it is not possible.
Live recordings- If you set input level correctly it records with very good quality. I record rehearsals and I’m happy with it.
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:05 am
question:
1) how many guitar inputs are there?
2) any external mic input — any comment on quality of voice recording from its own internal mic versus an external mic?
3) how many simultaneous recordings does it allow —- will i be able to record the voice and guitar simultaneously?
very much appreciate your help ;)
December 7th, 2006 at 6:02 pm
hello, I have kind of a dilema here. I am trying to get a good portable digital recorder, for songwriting and demo-making.
So far I have seen 2 that have interested me, the ToneWork’s PXR-4 Pandora, or this Boss’s Micro BR. I have already read the features on both of them and I just can’t figure it out.
Can somebody help me out?
Thanks !
December 25th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Go for Boss! Won’t reget it, trus me. I record at home (I’m bass a player), rehersals, live events - this stuff is incredibe! - (I don’t work for Boss :-) regards
December 27th, 2006 at 9:56 am
miles:
1) There is a single guitar input
2) There is a 1/8” external mic input. The built in mic is not that bad, but it records less “tight” and more airy than a more professional mic, such as the Shure SM57 (the only mic I have tried with the Micro BR) would.
3) You are only allowed to record from one input at a time, though you can route this input into two different tracks while recording. Of course however, you can record one mic input, but be singing and playing guitar into that one mic.
Cheers :)
December 27th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
I bought this unit a few days ago as I wanted to have a mini portable recorder. There was much I could not seem to find out about it from the docs I found online, so I thought I would make a note of some of my observations/thoughts in case they are of interest/help (I am keeping track of a few notes on this and some feature requests at blog.colartz.com).
Overall
Is it cool? Yes I think this is a neat unit. It is about the size of 2 packs of cards side by side, and very light. Initially a bit tricky to get your head around the button controls. Some nice sound FX and drumbeats making this a useful and versatile battery powered tool for mobile music making.
Observations
1) Compatible SD Cards.
There is very little info on what is compatible, and so you are left wondering whether or not a card you might buy will work in it or not. Well, I tried one of the Veho 1GB 133x Hi Speed Secure Digital Cards in it and it seems to work fine. I also tried a Veho 2GB Ultra Fast 133x Secure Digital Card in it, and that also seems to work OK. Interesting, as the documentation gives no clue that this might be possible.
2) Will it work with a 2GB SD card?
Seemingly yes :) . See note above .
3) Can you record a line in or external mic signal to one track at the same time as a guitar to another track?
Sadly no, not that I can see. This should be something that the unit allows, as you can record line / ext input in stereo (i.e. to 2 tracks at the same time)
4) Can you set a count in time e.g. 2 bars before the recording starts?
Not that I can see although you can “punch inâ€. This would a useful feature, though.
5) Can you load up the SD card with WAV loops and use these in your mix.
Sadly no - it stores the recorded audio data in some special consolidated track data .DAT format. Although it seems to be possible to convert (import) individual WAV files to the V-track data format on the device, it would be so much better if it used/saved (even only if as an option) to WAV files directly - meaning you could also easily copy your recordings on/off the device without first exporting them. IMHO this is quite a limitation.
6) Can the SD card be read/written to from an SD card reader?
Yes. It was not clear from the docs as to whether the SD Card was strangely formatted and the ONLY way to get to the data on the card was via a USB / PC connection. Because you can read the SD card in a card reader (well I can), then it is possible to use that instead of USB cable connection.
7) Can you edit the drum patterns?
Not that I can see.
This is still a cool unit and I am looking forward to exploring it more.
January 2nd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
How are the drum tacks? Does it have some nice rhythms for gut bucket blues and reagge?
January 9th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Tim Cole, very good analysis and review. Thanks!
I am wondering if the export is only to a wav file or does it support export to mp3 file format. I assume the export is the mixdown function and the mixdown is stored on the SD media card. Also how long does the export take for a 3-4 minute track roughly?
January 9th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Howdy folks,
Since the comments here have gotten so long I’ve decided to start a thread over on our brand new Guitar Forum. I hope you’ll all consider heading over there to carry on the conversation––the forum is brand new, so it could really use some members.
Hope to see you there! ––Cary
January 10th, 2007 at 4:17 am
Hi . I´m thinking of buying the microboss, but can anyone tell me if it can loop? On fotos there is a A-B button, is that for looping? Anotherthing; the timestrech does it go to half tempo, (and how is the quality then?), or is only like 20-30 %? Anyone who can help is kind Morten
January 18th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Thread moved to: BOSS Micro-BR :: Questions & Answers