Boss BR-1180CD

As soon as I'd plugged in my guitar, and ajusted the sensitivity botton with my pick-up output it just sounded great. and I've sofar not had any problems navigating around in the guitar FX interface. The FX for MIC and LINE inputs are likewise idioticly intuitive. Its easy to switch FX-type and eg. use guitar preset on synth plugged in through the LINE IN or use the compressor in the LINE section as a primitive master compressor.
The seccond FX processor is primeraly for reverbs but includes also doublin', delay and chorus. Sadly you can only use 1 of these three at a time.
The mastering prosess is a piece of cake but has caused me some trouble.
So has the MIDI connection. I first tried hooking my BR-1180CD up with my old Ensoniq VFX/SD synth-sequencer syncing framerates and shit, but it turned out, my only use for the MIDI was to play Ensoniq drumsounds with the BOSS drummachine. an idea I quit while it would cause me to save all the Ensoniq drumkits in GM.
The built in drummachine is, even if you have no experience with boss drum devices, quite easy to use.
Unlike the FX, the audio track editing tooke some time for me to get used to. Erasing unintended noise by marks is quite easy, but when it comes to more advanced copying and pasting it can seem pretty circumstancial(?) compared to pc-based systems.

I'm overall satisfied with the guitar preamp sounds. E.g. the "wox drive" gives a nice natural warmth to the tone. The drummachine sounds great to.

The room little in between the LCD-display and the transperant plastic cover has been infected with dust, and I don't dare screwing it totally apart to wipe it of. It makes me a little sad, that I did'nt keep covering it in the plastic protection it was delivered in.
Another thing that sometimes makes me swear in anger is the mastering prosess that once in a while stresses the computer so much that a "Drive busy!"-dialog pops up and brakes the prosess. Other times i've had to restart the device while it would'nt even record the master; but besides that I've not had any trouble at all.

I've mostly used my BOSS with my Gibson ES-135 with P-100 pick-ups (sometimes through the emulated mixer output of my Marshall JTM60, sounds great but why bother); Beyerdynamic M88N(C) microfone; Ensoniq VFX/SD music production synthesizer and an Yamaha DX11 synthesizer.
I will only reccomend this device to people who play guitar. It's great when you want to make a quick sketch or try some ideas, and you can actually create a decent demo recording if you add some keaboards and stuff to it and use the built in drummachine; but make no mistake: It's no HD-recorder in the common sense of the word - for that particular use there is a thousand better alternatives. It's more like a guitar composer notebook...thing.

When I first saw the BR-1180 I was iffy on it.
Since trying a Boss BR-532 I was very nervous to hear the sound, But very very suprised at the quality of build and sound.
Since Boss claims it to be the "easiest Digital recorder in the world", Manuel SHAMUEL!
This unit was shipped with Version 2 software. Not sure if that means realy anything to me........

I have realy only needed the manuel a couple of times.

I am recording various instruments(guitar bass drums keys percusion etc.)....
I record drums mainly by way of a Yamaha DTXpress electronic drum set and using the internal guitar sounds. I have been impressed by Boss efects for a while now(I had a Boss GT-3 for a while) and cant say much bad about them.
I havent noticed much noise in the recordings themselves but did notice some odd sounds through my monitors(sounds like a Hard drive spinning). I use a set of M-Audio BX-5 monitors.......
I listen to alot of ambiant music(A Perfect Circle, various others) and the reverbs are great for the sounds I want!
Two ins may be limiting for some but I have never realy needed a load of in's.... I record drums with one mic so its no big deal to me.

I would depend on this machine for personal home studio use and recording live gigs.

I have delt with roland and boss alot in the past(havent needed them yet on the BR).... I can say I have ever had a problem with them.
Though I did work at a Mars music in MN and heard some bad stories about them.

I like this machine having had a few others(Yamaha AW16G, Roland VS-880EX, VS-840, VS-890)... It beats the heck out of casette 4-tracks!!!!
I love it and will recomend it to anyone!

If it was stollen I would flipp out, and then call my insurence agent and get another!

I do wish it had a USB port though.........
I have been playing music for 12years and graduated for the afore mentioned Casette 4-track........ It meats my needs and then some.

Very easy to get a good sound out of it I find.
Manual is good if you take your time and try everything
suggested. Although I still can't seem to figure out how to
build a rhythm track with the internal drum machine. The drums
sound decent but I'm having trouble with that part.
This was the version II unit, with internal CD burner.
I found once you go through and create a few tunes, get them mixed
mastered, and finally cut the CD. It's all repetition and pretty
basic to use. I do hate that damned 'good sounding' but 'immposible
to program' drum kit though! I'll give it a healthy 9 though!

I record with both acoustic and electric guitars.
Takamine and Strat Plus. I record direct because there are just
so many preprogramed samples to play through, I find I don't need
much else. Lots of the crunch samples all start sounding the same
after a short time. There are some cool variations but there must
be 25 different distortion tones, and once you get to #18, you can't
remember what #3 sounded like, ya know? Acoustic samples are pretty
good, but in the end, I usually decide that an acoustic plugged in direct, with no effects sounds better. My nylon string records really
nicely through it. Very easy to balance volumes between tracks, easy to pan L & R. The after thought effects, like adding reverb or delay
work well and sound good to my ear. We'll put it this way, I'm still a beginner, definitely not a techno wizard, and I've only recorded about 10 tunes so far. When I play the finished CD's for friends they
are invariably blown away that it was created in my living room in like 2 hours. 'nuff said. This is not an absolute professional unit,
but if you want to make 'professional type' recording in your home -
you can't beat this thing! I love it. Almost forgot to mention the Bass simulations, noew I'm sure they would sound better if I actually
played a bass through them but, I don't and they do a decent impression of a bass in my opinion. Good enough that I don't even consider buying a bass anymore.

Like I said, I've only done 10 or so songs. Not had any problems
what-so-ever.
Then again, I am VERY! careful with this unit. I plug inputs in
carefully, pull them out carefully, don't drink coffee around it,
you know common sense stuff that people tend to forget when they are
in a rush, that's when problems arise! I would not use this live
to record a band, might be too fragile with the built in hard drive and all. plus it doesn't have enough inputs to record a full band!

Nevr had to deal with them,I have had many BOSS pedals, with
nary a problem. I don't expect any with this unit either.

I'm recording mostly acoustic instrumentals. all original stuff.
With the occasional electric guitar in the background, or taking up
a solo. It ceratinly helps me make music! If it were lost or stolen
I'd buy another one ASAP. I traded in a BR-532 to get this unit.
It's a definite extension of the 532. Only with a built in CD burner.
that there is worth it's weight in gold. A quick $1,000 and I'm totally state of the art! Sometimes, I'll just plug my Strat in and
play through the unit with moniters and treat it like an amp basically
it sounds terrific in my living room. In fact, I've got a nice Fender
Princeton amp that is just kinda sitting there now. I know lots of folks out there will say this is not as good as PRO TOOLS and all, and they are right but it comes down to this, Most of the people considering buying a unit like this, whatever it is, KORG, BOSS or
whatever, you're not going to quit your day job (sorry to be the one to tell you) and become a professional musician or recording engineer
so any of these units will be better and sound better than you can even imagine, all I know is this, the BR1180CD is a fanatic unit.
Everything I've recorded sounds great. The compliments never stop coming when I let people listen. That is best testimonial you will ever get!

Version 2.0 Refurb with Warranty from AMS. Some of my positive points must be couched by the disclaimer it is the best I could find for my purposes at this price pont. You cxan always spend more for more...

I would like to do computer based 24 bit recording like some of my more technically oriented friends but I swear they could teach PhD courses in MIDI. I cannot even start to figure out the Sonar software loaded on my computer. This I just plugged in, tweaked, and laid down 5 cool tracks within an hour. It IS a tool for guitarists, not for primary keyboard or synth composers. Built in Drum machine is not as easy to program as a free satndin Boss DR, but is great for jamming to Riffs and can be programmed for songs, but you will definitely need the manual and practice. With two XLR and 1 1/4" in, it cannot multitrack record my entire 8 piece band at once (but is a great practice tool for the band running stereo outs from the 20 channel Mackie mixer). For home doodling it is nearly perfect. Really wish it had a USB out like the Korgs and even the Boss BR 864, but decided CD transfer to my computer will suffice for my needs so this was a keeper. I cannot imagine how owners of the 1180 without the CD burner will be able to do anything useful with their units but that would be a different review. You Do need to read the Manual. I also got the optional Video, and am in the market for the book available re this unit. I have not found any user groups, unlike the great Korg site. Maybe I am the only one who owns this?...

It is 16 Bit/ 44 KHz. Fine for home use, and the current standard for CDs. I almost sprang for the newly released BR 1600 for more tracks and features but that is at least $1250 (WHERE?? you ask- my secret) and is still 16 bit so not in the sweet spot for pricing.

No problems with sound. Hard drive based so be gentle. Built in guitar models are SWEET. I used some to go out straight to DAT to overdub some of my solos at the studio we rent to record a CD. Basically you get a Boss Gt 6 thrown in. Drum machine thrown in. Mixing tool kit thrown in. Do no be an idiot and pay $1000- $1245 but shop around and this is the ONE!

NA. Not a gig machine, but nicely portable and quick set up if you want stero recording of your badn from a mixer for practice or gigs. Faders and knobs feel solid.

I had questions. Called the 800#, got a knowlegeable rep on the first try. He faxed some extra documents. Compared to Fender a real deal. I see they do not have manuals in PDF so 8 here.

I am an accomplished guitarist. I use this for practice and as a song notebook daily. I did not buy it blindly. Looked at the Yamahas, Korgs, Rolands, thought about computer based recording on my state of the art Dell. For a relative technophobe who just wants to play guitar, for portability, and for a real "studio in a box", this is one of the best out there and the best for my price needs. I now have bucks left over for a nice set of monitors. Or another axe!!!

This is essentially a computer, so get ready for the left--right--brain collisions as you endeavor to translate your creative vision!!

I went so far as to research extensively on the web, and even bought well ahead of buying it, the video owners manual, which itself came on VHS and opened with very erratic sound levels -- not a good image-builder!

Today, I am still struggling with the rhythm builder functions, which refuse to import all the drum loops from my brand new SOnic Foundry CD; reads to load, then stops with an ERROR sign! Also, when you lay a rhythm track, paly it back, and there will be empty holes, and it arbitrarily STOPS on EMPTY when you try to continue building out more measures!!!

It is very easy to record guitar and voice, so just label this thing as a guitar/composer's rig, for laying down ideas, NOT for making presentable CDs!

I use acoustic guitars, as Taylor 12 mikes, and plugged in via-Fishman saddle pu. and a Telecaster and a precision bass and mic a mando and harps.
The effects are so-so --- very digital in origin, like a Game Boy I suppose.

I just want a decent sound, but I bought this thing for its claimed attributes -- i.e., the rhythm builders, which sound good in principle, but just do not work, so I paid too much for nothing!

Again, this is essentially a computer. Enough said.

I will try tech support, but am not optimistic.

This was such a great concept............so sad.

This is supposed to help me make nusic, but it is chasing me away! This was supposed to be the missing pallette and canvas for the painter, but you might as well take a spray can to a subway wall!

Manual is well written and indexed. Browse through it, then learn by doing.

Roughly every third take it would record with significant wow, making my Baldwin grand piano sound like a sick banjo. I was going to exchange it for another BR1180cd, but then, fooling with the insert effects [in modes Rec Dry, Tracks 1/2, and master], I discovered that compression and EQ were being applied to the L channel much more than the R... Neat... Boss can keep it, I'll try the Korg d1200mkII. Also, the reverbs, which sounded OK with a cheap, ancient Realistic mic, just sounded cheap with my Shure KSM32 condensers. Finally, why record at 16 bit and play at 24 bit - to confuse the unwary [like myself until another reviewer clued me in]?

Out of the box it had at least two defects - what else can I say?

The store said Boss was great with support. And I was the first one to have a problem. And 2+2=...-7?

The box said made in Japan, but I think mine was..."Assembled with perversity by the natives of central F--kupistan". Great for masochists who love wasting hours and hours of their lives.

I am NOT a technical guy by any means. I want to have gear that I plug in and GO! That pretty much describes the BR-1180-CD unit! I have a Yamaha MT 50 that worked pertty well for my last recording (analog), but lets face it, this is the new milliniuem and I need to get with the prorgam! The manual was real intimidating (over 150 pages), but it has lots of pictures so it is not that bad! It took me a few minutes to figure out how to edit patches, and I had not cracked the manual open yet!

I use a Taylor 514C with bridge p/u and a Crown internal mic for my acoustic set up. I also go thru a Line 6 Delay box then direct into the BR-1180. I have some noise issues and cannot figure out exactly where they are coming from. I am able to master most of it out in the fiinal mixing, but it is still there. I am assuming it is from the compressor (I have a BOSS GT3 and that compressor is REAL noisy). The built in Mastering Tools take care of most of the hissing though. I love the DOUBLER effect! It really fills in places that need a fuller sound. But overall the quality of the final product is really good.

Only had it a few months so time will tell.

Never needed them and no offense to them as I am sure they are all nice people, but i hope I never do!

I am pretty much just a solo fingerstyle guitarist and this little unit has been just great. I also played my electric guitar direct into the 1180 and just used the onboard effects. I got a real sweet "Ventures" style tone out of it for one fun song I did, then a real full distortion and hard compression thing on another song (no noise with the electric btw). I also like the built in CD burner! I made a master, copied it, then sent it out for reproduction! How easy can it get!? I also took this thing to a friend's house to get help mixing and mastering as he has one of his own. What he showed me was exactly what I was doing to begin with. I could not believe this unit was THAT easy to use, I thought there had to be more to it than that!

I have found this to be one of the easiest units to use that I have tried. (Yamaha AW16G, Korg D1200, Zoom MRS-802 to name a few) I LOVE the icon interface, and the layout is extremely intuitive. Even though it is very simple to get a basic recording out of it, you MUST read the manual, and even then you're really on your own to experiment and figure out what works and what doesn't. I happen to have the new version 2.0 that incorporates programmable rythm tracks, some minor tweaks and shortcuts.

I come from the days or reel to reel 4 track recording, so I can't imagine the sound getting any better. Even the built-in amp sims are good, and very tweakable.(I'm still using a Vamp2 for the real takes though) The effects are what you'd expect with a Boss product, although I wish there were more reverbs to choose from in the loop effects (Only Hall and Room are available)

I owned a BR-8 a while back and had absolutely no issues. I have read extensively in the BR-1180 users groups and checked around, and it seems like a solid unit. The only reason I'm giving it a "5" is because it's too soon to tell if it will stand the test of time. I CAN say that I upgraded mine with the user-intallable CD burner, and had some minor issues with "Data Read Error" on occassion, but my dealer was great with replacing it, and have'nt had any problems so far wih the replacement. (Knock on wood). In fact, the CD burner is the only really questionable part of the recorder, since they use the dinky laptop burners that are very fragile.

When the CD burner went bad, I called their tech support and was surprised to have my call answered on the first ring by a rep that was extremely helpful and friendly. Very impressive and thorough!

Unless your record company is paying the tab, or unless you need to record live drums, I can't imagine anyone needing anything else! I have extensively researching every unit under $1000, and in my opinion the Boss wins hands down. The runner-up for me was the Yamaha AW16G, but it was more money, and didn't include built in drums, only had 2 effects processors, less than stellar amp sims/effects, and had more inputs than I could ever use. I actually took home a Zoom MRS-802CD since it seemed to be identical in features as the BR-1180, but cheaper, but I soon realized that it was not even close. The 802 requires you to navigate layers of menus that are all abbreviated, and the layout is extremely clunky to navigate. Also, the provedure to import loops or samples on the 802 seemed way too complicated when compared to the BR-1180. Another contender I had contemplated was a new unit Boss is releasing called the BR-864, that is replacing the Br-532. It has 8 tracks, programmable drum tracks, and most of the goodies of it's bigger brother...but for half the price. The reason I didn't wait for it's release, was because it runs on Compact Flash which is limited on recording time, and also lacks all of the finer points that the BR-1180 has. In the end I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Complaints? I wish:the display was a tad larger, more drum kits were available, the track arming buttons were labelled so you knew what you were hitting in the rythm promgramming mode, standard size CD burner could be used so it could be replaced more cheaply and was a little sturdier. I should point out that these are minor points compared at what I would have called a miracle 10 years ago!

I bought this unit used without the manual. And within a single day, I had figured out everything but the internal drum machine. I've had several recorders so I am already familiar with this type of unit. I've had the Roland 880EX, the Roland 1880, and the Yamaha AW4416. I sold them all because I got tired of having to refer to the manual everytime I wanted to use effects or mix down etc. The Boss 1180's claim that you don't need the manual is not a hoax. If you want to add effects you push a button and there it is. Anything you want to use on this machine is simple to do so. To get familiar with the other units I've owned you had to use it everyday and still you had to refer to the manual to perform most common tasks. I'm simply amazed that this unit is so simple to use as compared to the others. I really really hate to give something a 10 but by doing so it doesn' mean I think it's perfect, But I do believe its the best in this catagory.

At first I wasn't crazy about the sound, but when I mastered the final takes on a couple of demos I had recorded, the background noise and digital squeelingness (how about that word?) were not on the CD I had made. Also, I have to add that I didn't mess with the EQ much so I'm sure it can only get better. I scrolled through the COSM effects and was surprised how useable some of them were. There are so many that I really haven't had time to analyze each one but I will say they're good. It also has phantom power which is cool. I've only had this unit for two weeks so I'm sure that I'll figure out how to tweek it to make better sound quality as I go.

Again, It is used and I've only had it a couple of weeks but I've had no problems.

Not dealt with them.

I really like this thing. I'm not trying to make large production studio recordings, however I feel that this unit is capable of quality recordings. I am using this mainly for recording ideas, working on arrangements, general song writting stuff. It has a 20gb hard drive which is ample space, phantom power, good effects. My only complaint is that you can only record two tracks at one time. Which is only a problem if you are going to record studio mic'd drums or something.For what I use it for, It's perfecct! It's nice to have this when you're working on a song and not really interested in reading a manual that ultimately steals your creative drive and turns it into frustration. I'd like to see this in an 18 or 24 track version with more simultaneous recording tracks and yet keep its simple user friendly vibe. If it were stolen, I'd call the cops. If it were lost, I'd call the cops and tell them it was stolen. Then I'd beat the cop up for looking at my wife, take his uniform and cruiser and pull some people over and talk to them calmly and seriously while I had a snott bubble hanging from my nose. I'd then ask them what they were laughing at as if my feelings were hurt and suddenly sprint away into the dark screaming and crying.

If you want to use the unit like and analogue tape deck then it is a doddle, but it aint a tape deck it is a digital work station. When it comes to working with other digital instruments ... forget it. They sacrificed too much to make it guitar friendly

As usual people who make guitar effects think we are all screaming bonkers rock-a-maniacs, to me one screaming guitar sounds much like another. Also any guitarist in a position to spend US$1000 on a recorder is going to have guitar effects comming out their ears? But guitarists are not likely to have many vocal effects, and this unit is very short on vocal effects. This category is sound quality the actual recorded sound cannot be faulted for quality, you can't expect more from a "home" device.

It's worked thus far, but the CD tray is the same as that you get with a notebook computer, and needs to be used with care.

NOT NEEDED IT

My music is classed as "contemporary" and I do not think I made the right purchase decision.
Over 30 years of playing and a room stcked out with stuff,
If it was lost or stolen then I would not consider buying again
No hassle recording like a tape deck, hate the tiny LCD, hey boss they're not that exspensive, funky guitar tuner
I compared it with everything, it was not my first choice but the deal I was offered was too good to miss ... probably!
The unit seems (I am waiting for support) totally ignore MIDI Recording midi (even if 8 out of 16 track) would make it a much better unit.
Because I use a lot of midi it gets in the way because it is no different to analogue tape with more tracks, but for guitar work it is the easiest to use,
It is another mark in the colum of horses for courses, if you are a guitarist only then you are going to be in seventh heaven I suppose, but once you put down the guitar ... ? You cannopt fault the quality of finished product you could produce from it, it has to be the best in class for sound recording quality, but no midi interpretation except from line in tends to defeat the object of going didgital