Boss BR-532

how was it out of the box you ask... i think it was about a week before i started getting comfortable with it.... getting really grovy sounds out of it and began to understand the whole thing....and remeber some of the things you discount at first come forward latter and surprise you as to how deep this thing really is ..

good sound system in this thing lots of options very tweekable
i went through a grey period a blue period a redhot period a star spangled molly period even a good golly period.. and it was all fueled with the presets and tweeks in this box a whole lotta scope..

its a tough old buzzard of a thing a little big and akward for my tastes but i have gigged with it in the open air on batties and it does all right packs up okay too..

never had any trouble with the unit

i use the BR-532 to travel to other planets [on keysboards]
with guitar and voice ..i also vist new orleans and the mississippi... new england coffee houses and the big areanas of the 60's and 70's with it.. .its a time machine sure..
its a looper in a way...but its not so much an instrument in it's self you need to be always feeding it signals and sounds...
sound that can be cut and moved arround.. til your memory runs out....its a memory box where you grab hold of time and shine your attentions on various parts of it.
..its like a box where you can touch and manipulate things that could never be touched or molded before..its like this big old studio building shrunk into the size of a laptop....full of rooms and corridors full of amps and mics and effects.and magical gizmos.

.and you are its owner. its god...it gives you a funny feeling when you look at it...

The 532's sound is great. Its my other equipment I worry about. The editing is the fun part. I love using the A/B to coppy measures that are extreamly long but exactly the same. I took a couple peaks at the manual but there is no greater mentor then yourself. If you take time to familierize yourself with the buttons and knobs (which wont take long at all), you will be creating great music and having fun doing it in no time.

Even though the 532 was designed for guitarist, I us my multitrack recorder with my keyboard and laptop. As long as you record with a low input level, the playback will sound LIVE. The line effects are wonderfull. The effects add qualities which my keyboard n'or my laptop never produced. When I am producing and recording, I dont try to sound like no one but myself. Plus, the BR532-doesnt creat the sound-brings the sound together. Some of the mic effects are only usefull for MCs and performers who like to produce skits.

This is my first (and only for the moment) digital recorder. It's the only recorder I can depend on. But if you want me to be literal, I must say it beets using my stereo's taperecorder. If I were on a gig, the 532 would BE my backup.

I never needed their assistance.

I use my BR532 to record my hiphop and RnB tracks. My friends who (thinks they) are focussed rappers comes by the house, all the time, to lay tracks. I love their sound when it is played back. However, their lines are wack. I own a YAMAHA DJX-IIB, a HP notebook with XP professional, and a Sony bookshelf stereo. Although though my setup isn't professionally in tact, my recorded results always have a radio sound when it is on CD. If my recorder was to be stollen, I probably would have to choose between replacing it or keeping my cable on. It will be hard to choose. I love all the feature that my BR532 have to offer. I have the 32MB card that comes with it. What I hate even more about it is eventually I will force myself to purchase a 125MB Smart Media card. I did compare rge BR532 to other BOSS products. This won me over because of its low price and size. I really wish it had a usb port in addition to the card slot and I wish it had a MIDI in so I can controle it with my keyboard. When recording, it's metronome always keeps me in check. The .wav to BR format would be a lot more usefill if ALL .wav formats could be formatted into BR.

There are a few oddly placed buttons that can frustrate you but I like the clunky old-school box mentality and after a while you begin to work quite quickly. If you've used any boss/roland drum machines, you'll be familiar with the overall approach to functionality.

There's nothing wrong with the sound quality considering the cost and size of the unit. Don't expect too much and you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've recorded tracks that could only be improved in a professional studio and depending on how clean you can get the sound, you may be able to walk into a studio with most of your track pre-recorded on the br-532.

It's not an ideal world and there is a frustrating fault with the BR-532. A 'card read error' has occurred twice and I've completely lost a couple of major productions. Just get a card reader that talks to your computer and keep a file of tracks; a back-up. It's essential. Don't be lazy: you must back-up continuously. I am living breathing (weeping) proof that back-ups are required. I've given the machine a low rating because I don't believe any fault is acceptable and after two incidences of the same problem, I'm a little scared every time I start a new project. We all have the right to believe our intellectual property and time are worth more than any piece of equipment, so losing a track with 60 parts is pretty heartbreaking. Back-up!

I've never used the customer support because the only problem I've had is with memory cards; the rest of the functions work beautifully.

If you play electric instruments and don't feel like joining the herd of electro-sheep, this thing will suit you perfectly. I played with Cubase for ages, then got the BR-532 and never looked back. The internal effects are very nice. I produced something that sounded like Slayer V Deicide with an acoustic bass through the boss effects. Use a 128 smart card. Don't muck around with the 32 unless you're a learner. I've been playing in bands and producing music for 20 years and I must admit that this is one of the best things I've bought. It's a real shame about the 'card read error' problem (which Boss/Roland take no responsibilty for, of course). Just back it up and you'll be fine. When choosing between software or hard-disc, remember that you can potentially record 32 tracks on this little baby, so don't think of it as the old school 4-track; it's much better than that.

Easy to use, but includes some limitations.

Not bad, but not great either. Even in the highest quality recording mode (which is compressed at about 2.3:1), the recorded sound lacks the crispness of the original. Specifically, I found that the high end is compromised. I only owned this unit for 2 hours. I recorded directly from an XV-88 and was disappointed at the sound quality. I was monitoring through a high quality system.

Overall the contruction appears solid. The card slot cover, however; is plastic and hinged and undoubtably someone will end up breaking it with no problem. I own a lot of Roland gear, and their reputation for products with longevity is well-deserved.

Good, once you get them.

I purchased this unit to have a portable recorder to take on the road in order to obtain remote content for studio projects. I believe I made a poor choice based on my needs...for guitarists this may be an amazing unit, but for me it was disappointing. I returned this item and ordered a Yamaha AW16G. The yamaha was twice the price, so it's not a fair comparison, so I'll hold judgement.

Bottom Line:
Sound quality that is good but not great.
A lot of features for the price.
Not for the serious recording dude.

Specs are available at roland.co.uk

Obviously with any new kit some time should be taken to get to grips with it [the Boss SD-1 is the only exception =0) ]. I have had some previous with 4-tracks which benefiited me in that I was able to start recording in a few button presses. Should you be a compete novice to recording then you will need to read the manual and experiment.

To their credit, Boss have made this unit as painless as possible though. Its well laid out and the manual is very clear. Once you're clued up, there's no stopping you. Naturally, editing fx patches, using the Rhythm Machine. and getting the most out of the virtual tracks are a little more complicated, but the tutorials in the manual will get you started.

My only concern is the memory capacity. If you expecting to do some serious creative layering, then get a 128mb card. Even with a 128mb card, Ive ran out of memory everytime and so a card reader is also useful. That way you can back up the data from the card to free up tracks. You can also convert it to a .wav file for CD burning. The best solution would be a built in Hard Disk, but for the price and sound of this unit you cant really complain.

I am most impressed with this unit. Its very near CD quality. Producing your tracks does take practice - you wont get it first time. But after several attempts at recording my creations, Im beginning to produce some very credible results.

The onboard effects are usable with the exception of the distorion [crap]. For distortion I mike my amp. Reverb, compressor, trem, delay and chorus [and other mod effects] are very good and can be used for all mike as well as guitar. Thumbs up for the bass simlator - not all of us own a bass or have access to one. The rhythm track is also a bonus even if it does sound a little too electronic.

The unit produces an extremely clear recording. However, you will need some other equipment so that the quality carries across to the final mix.

A GOOD MICROPHONE - use a crap mike and you'll get a crap recording. Its doesnt have to be expensive. A Shure SM57 or Beyer TGX48 or TGX58. Shure also dot he PG series, which Ive heard good things about. Unfortunately the Boss unit can only record 1 mic at a time, so its not "drum friendly". However, a mike mixer is inexpensive and very useful.

The built-in mike is ok, but does pick up the clicking of the buttons.

HEADPHONES / MONITORS - Again dont need to expensive. I DO NOT recommend monitoring through headphones. Everything seems to sound good through headphones, but can sound radically different [EMPTY!] through a stereo after mix down. Use the headphones to perform takes, but monitor the mix [after every take] through the line out to a stereo [AUX] or purpose built monitors. That way you get no surprises, and youre hearing how your finished song will sound on your CD player.

A GOOD EAR - LISTEN AFTER EVERY TAKE. As some point you WILL need to bounce, and whilst this can be re-done you need to have the right tracks to bounce in the first place. So you will need to be patient and not settle for the slightest error as it will stick out.

IMAGINATION - As you do need to bounce to layer track after track, you'll need to work out all the parts of the song to begin with. This takes experience and imagination. I always listen to finished mix and remark on where it can be improved. However, with every song I record I find less and less to remark on.

Made out of "keyboard plastic" and well built. All trimmers and pots feel nice and sturdy. No problems as yet.

Roland posted me a manual so that I could have the full info about the unit before I bought it. I also lost the 2 thumb screws that hold the memory card cover. They sent me replacements for free !!!

Love it. Its not just a "notepad". Because its digital its quick to edit and you dont have to worry about tape quality or noise. If youre just starting out this is a great buy.

Top 3 good points.
Sound quality
Bass sim and Drum machine included.
Ability to tranfer files to PC and burn CD.

Top 3 bad points.
1. Limited Memory
2. Only 1 mic input - cant record more than one mic in one take.
3. No effects send/return

Basically, Iv never really got the sound I wanted out of this unit, guitarwise I mean, editing patches was fairly easy, the manual is quite complex, but you really need to know the basics like using the rhythm guide and putting up patterns etc and makin use of all the tracks etc and your on your way for recording, I dont own it anymore, I owned it for 2 years and sold it to a friend wasnt really my bag I guess,

I used a gibson Les paul ephiphone, the noise was fairly low, some effects are pretty useless in means of quality but u can still get decent sounds out of it overall, I think the chorus was ok, delay was ok, not bad, decent sounds overall, didnt get the steve vai tone though :o?

absolutly dependable, hey it's Boss!! know what I mean

Im a full time musician, recording artist, play mostly intrumental rock/blues, this unit did the job, like I said, not a xtradinaire unit but good! it did the job for me while I had it, iv been playin for about 8 years, the unit can be a little tricky at times but be sure to always have the manual close and you should be ok, you will get used to workin with it with the time, the only thing I disliked about it was the drum patterns which i found uhm a little bit too cheesy for me, but doesent mean you wont like it, but defenitly worth getting if you want to lay some ideas down! no better way, trust me, I give this unit a 8, it does the job

I bought mine used and, apparently, someone spilled chocolate milk on it and I didn't know until it finally died one day. My friend fixed it, and was able to get the schematics for this machine. IF YOU NEED A COPY OF THE SCHEMATICS, EMAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU JPEGS:

chrisjonesblue@hotmail.com

It depends on your knowledge of recording to define how easy this unit is to use really. I had a smidgeon of past experience with analogue recording, and I found that immeasurably useful to me. However, without the instruction manual, I'd be lost completely. I've had the unit for about two weeks now, and it really has opened up my eyes to new things. Once you know how to record basic tracks with the on-board effects, use the rhythm guide and (this is the killer) bounce tracks in both stereo and mono, then you've mastered it all basically.

Before buying the machine (it was my first recording kit), I have had ideas for songs, but been unable to make them anything more than ideas. Now I can just lay it down quickly, add to it and enhance everything.

I mainly play guitar and keyboards through the unit, with a variety of weird effects, like the Line 6 FM-4 etc... I find that it records guitar superbly, keyboard less so (the keyboard I have has to go into the guitar/bass input, which messes up the input volumes) and the onboard mic is surprisingly good. I didn't think it would be as receptive or as clear quality, but it saves money on buying a mic I will rarely use.

The rhythm track SOUNDS quite decent, but I find it a bit on the cruddy side, cos I'm not into cheesy drumbeats. However, if standard beats are "your bag baby" then you'll be pleased with it.

A few of the voice transformers produce weird and horrible background noises, which wind me up, but I'm not a singer by day, so I'll live with it. The bass sim also suffers from this kind of digital frippery (lol, what does THAT mean?) and it tracks badly in places. When you are playing it through the input port, it sounds a lot worse than it does on a track though, so I usually just either get a REAL bass or play whatever and go over the bits that sound shoddy.

Plus, the digital output has been really useful, cos I can record straight to minidisc. Also, the Smartmedia card is a really good way to store music. Although the 32-MB standard one isn't really enough to create a full song, you can get a smartmedia card reader for about 15 quid and waz all your stuff on the computer. From here, download the Boss 532 Wav convertor software from the boss website, then run the file through some program like Soundforge, Cubase, Cakewalk etc...you can put your own songs on the internet or CD!!! and the machine only cost three hundred quid! The digitalness may be scorned by some traditionalists, but it's easy and sounds as good as whatever you put in, so I like it a lot.

I'd never use it at a gig (I'm in a band, so I don't need backing tracks), but apparently 6 normal AA batteries last 7 hours, so it seems dependable to be. It's made of plastic, but so what? I can't see any problems with the construction, although it appears to have far too many lights and LED's on the unit! It's not a problem, but it's probly a big power-sucker, so I tend to use an adapter anyway.

never dealt with boss, but I can't see why I'd have to. At a guess, I'd say the bigger the corporation, the less customer support you'll get, and Boss is a huge company...

The kit has allowed me to start becoming more electronic in my music, which I haven't been able to do, not being a drum player, and not being able to play effects with a normal melody and so on (I only have the two hands, so creating a WHOLE piece of music is difficult). Now, I can basically record drums off my keyboard (synthy type electro ones) and THEN carry on to finish the song, so I like it. The fact that you can change the parameters on EVERY effect and guitar sim also does it for me.

I compared this to other similar priced digital recorders, and reviews of this product have been good, so I got it. It's not let me down.

Couple of problems though. The drumbeats provided are mostly absolute poo. So far, out of all the songs I've done on it, I've used them for only one. The song was a comedy cover of Craig David's appallingly arrogant "Seven Days", which I deemed the appalingly standard/cheesy beats worthy of. There should be a sort of "recording in" for the rhythm guide, so you can record your own rhythm samples. Failing that, updates on the internet for new rhythm tracks.

Also, I find that memory is just oblitereated when using the amount of V-Tracks I do (I record a drumkit entirely seperately i.e. bass drum: track 1
snare drum: track 2
hi-hat: track 3
then bounce it all down)

Hopefully, a 128MB card will have enough to make up, but they are fifty quid.

On the whole, I love this machine, and find it easy to create a wide variety of songs on it. I have done the aforementioned comedy cover of a Craig David song, an alternative indie track, a radiohead electronic style song, a mellow Turin Brakes/Nick Drake/Pink Floyd pastiche etc...Whatever style you want to record, you will be able to and then make hard copies of it too, if you have a PC and all the gubbins. If you haven't got a recorder and want one for about this price, honestly, get one of these. This will keep you happy for the time being for recording full songs, and when you're big and famous, you can then use it for recording demo tracks. I suspect I'll never grow out of this

This thing is so easy to use. I keep finding new, cool features and stuff that really help. Familiarity through use...
The rhythm programming is quite easy (hey, BOSS, where's the 3/4, 6/8 rhythms? Can you do an upgrade that'll make these work?). Recording, bouncing, mixing etc. all very easy.

Ok, step one: shell out for a 128MB smartmedia card. Working in anything but the HiFi is just for "notepad" work. There's too much background hiss on the normal memory "resolution" and to work in HiFi you need more memory than the little 32MB will afford. The effects are somewhat useable, but I have found that using a SansAmp Tri_AC (for guitar) before the effects gets a more organic sound. Some of the pre-sets are a little too "wasp in a jar" for my tastes. The fretless preset is FANTASTIC when used with a real fretless bass. The bass presets are too fuzzy. The bass simulator is fun, but not really usable. Good for a reference when writing, but it's better to put a real bass in through a tube/tube simulator pre-amp. Vocal presets - the "real" ones are relatively good (the chipmunk thing is a waste of everyone's time). Go get a condenser mic (they're less than $150). You won't regret it. Rythm sounds are actually quite useable (don't forget to add a little reverb). The STD1 and ROOM are the most used.

Good as gold.

Who?

I use it for songwriting. Rock/folk/pop/blues. I can finally get the sound in my head to come alive (my wife thanks me for this - having put up with the endless acoustic guitar noodling without having the benefit of the finished product). It's a cool little tool. I think I will be getting some PC software for mixing, but, in the meantime I'll keep pushing with this little beast. I wish there were a better interface for sharing files with a PC.

THe BR-532 is pretty easy to use, especially if you're familiar with Portastudio style layouts. The fact that you're not rewinding tape over and over again really streamlines things, and the controls basically work the same as a casette deck. It's even fairly easy to navigate through the various utility menus, though I'm still learning how to edit effects patches. The manual is actually pretty good, and mine came with a Turbo Start video, but I have yet to view it.

The onboard effects and presets are actually pretty decent. They're not great, but their tweakability is a big plus, and I've been able to conjure some great sounds adjusting gain levels, picking new speaker simulators, EQing, etc. The clean settings seem really great right off the bat, and don't need much tweaking. The bass simulator is ok. It doesn't sound great on its own, but when you put it in context with drums and guitars it really sits well in the mix and sounds pretty realistic. I use a regular bass (the BR-532 has presets for bass to, which are good), but in a pinch it works great.

The drum sounds aren't bad, but I haven't gone through using them too much....I have an outboard drum machine.

Overall, home studios are very much "garbage in, garbage out". If you record sucktastic tones, you get...are you ready....sucktastic tones. If you take your time, tweak things right, you'll have the tones you're looking for. I have no qualms recording my guitar straight into this thing, tweaking one of the presets, and getting a great sounding guitar tone. I have a Rick 12 string however that doesn't seem to like any of the presets. So I mic it up...problem solved (adding a little on board mic compression to my already dynacomped Ric sounds fantastic by the way). The capabilities of this thing are enormous for the price and package...if you spend some time with it, you'll have fantastic results.

Seesm pretty solid. It's very portable, but I imagine it'll stay at home.

I had looked at this and some other, larger digital studios. I'm a cassette deck Tascam vet, so I have a little background. First off, I'm incredibly late to the party. V-tracks, and the capability to bounce to them, have completely changed the way I record and arrange. I never thought I would want to try multiple takes of a part (which is why V-tracks were never really a selling point for me), but I actually find that using them to draft guitar or bass parts has helped greatly. And I never realized the capability to bounce to them. It helps me stay much more organized (keeping rhythm parts on tracks 1 and 2, lead parts on 3 and 4, etc) and this helps things lock together much tighter. Plus since its digital, there's no sound quality loss. I try to limit my bouncing as much as possible, and this has made my recordings sound even better.

I mostly like stripped down stuff, and decided that it would be better for me financially to forgo bigger, expensive stuff. I originally feared out growing this unit, and I'm sure I will one day, but for now it is exactly what I was looking for. My recordings have sounded much better than they ever did on tape, and I can work much faster and more efficiently.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
- Very Easy. This was my first recorder, and i was getting great guitar tones right out of the box. When i screwed with the pre-sets to customize my tone, i was amazed at how diverse my possibilities were.

How about Editing patches?
- I found the editing of the effects patches to be easy as well. Everything is labeled clearly on the screen so it's almost foolproof.

How is the manual for it?
- The manual was very easy to read. It was almost like they were trying to guide me through it, rather than spout it off in a confusing manner. It took me no time to learn how to utilize all of it's features.

What setup are you using with this?
- I play a Squire Double Fat Strat through a Fender Princeton 1x12. I don't use the amp modeler for too much, but i do emulate the speaker cabinets. What i do is run a line out of my amps "Pre-amp Out" into the input of my Br-532. I turn off the amp modeler, but leave on the speaker emulation. With that setup, it's easy to get a full bodied stack sound out of a small 1x12 amp. The added bonus of going direct is a plus, considering that i live in an apartment complex.

Are the effects weak?
- Hell no. Although i rarely use effects (i stick with my stomp boxes), i've been able to count on the built in effects whenever i need them.

Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?
- With my direct setup that i described above, i've been able to get a sound reminiscent of STP's first record. "Wicked Garden" sounds great, as well as "Sex Type Thing" and "Plush".

The Boss BR-532 is very dependable. I've never had a problem with it.

My overall rating of the BR-532 on a 1-10 scale is an 8. It's excellent for recording anything you can dream up. My only problem is the cost of upgrading the memory.

This is the easiest machine to record with that I have used (Compared to tape 4-tracks and computer programs). It is set up like all Boss equipment, so if you own any other Boss stuff and like it, then using this thing is going to be very intuitive to you.

Made especially for guitar players, the COSM preamp takes about 5 minutes to master. You can edit all of your patches. The recording process is simple, too, once you get the hang of it. I know it with my eyes closed now.

The manual is alright. I read it once, just to get started, and with a little time I knew how to do everything that this machine can possibly do (I mean that).

The sound quality is what it is. First I will tell you that there is no substitute for a professionally-miced amp with a good preamp fed into a Neve board, but that is obvious. Consider getting a cheap preamp (I use an Art with the V-3 Technology), and filtering your guitar through that to fatten the sound. The COSM is alright if you have nothing else. For the first year I owned this thing, I didn't use any preamps, and people tell me the sounds are good.

Be careful not to get distorted signals when recording mics and basses. I find that recording at lower levels will get you a better signal without distortion, even though it sounds like shit when you are recording.

I definitely have outgrown the effects on this thing. They don't respond like a real guitar (you won't be getting any feedback). There are record emulators and some of cool vocal effects that still come in handy. Basically, I feel that having the effects right there really help you when you get inspired, so they aren't useless to me.

I bought a tech 21 10 amp, which works like a SansAmp. This gives me a real amp tone, without having to mic the amp. So I go out of the amp, into a preamp, into the board with no effects. This sounds ten times better than the COSM.

My friend has one of these things, too, and he has taken it to Denmark and Africa, and I just did some songs on it this weekend. I used to carry mine in my car and record at my friend's house, but now I have it in a studio setting. It is tough if you are gentle.

NA

This is where I get to say my peace. The only reason I am submitting a review is to let people know that this machine is, singlehandedly, improved my life. Fuck the CD-Burning digital recorders, Smartcard is sooo much better, and I'll tell you why. For $40 you can buy a Smartcard reader for your computer, download the BR-532 software off the internet that turns your tracks into wav files, and dump it into Soundforge or Cool Edit Pro. Now you can add effects, visually edit your mixes, save all the wav files, and really work on a mix for a long time.

Bottom line - The BR-532 is best used as a recording device for guitarists who don't have bandmates and have visions of songs that they need to get down on CD. I am selling CD's right now that I used my BR-532 to create. They don't sound bad, because I have all the time in the world to tweak these songs at my own pace.

This thing is so cheap and easy to use, I can be stoned at 4 in the morning and still operate it. Basically, I have been able to compose music that I never would have thought possible to create without this baby. If I ever record these songs in a studio with professionals, I already know how I want everything to be.

You CANNOT record drums through this - don't even try. Does it say, "records drums" anywhere on the package? So don't complain and get a mixing board.

I must have one of these things as long as I live. I will be a millionaire and still have on of these - why? Because they are so easy to use. It helps me make music better than any drug, and it is probably the best $350 I have ever spent.

A majority of music products and gear are either cheap and useless or overpriced and pretentious. Very few are in the category of tools that enable talented musicicans to express themselves, and those are the ones that last (ie, the Leslie Speaker, Wah-Wahs, Moogs, and MPC's). Something tells me that this specific machine, while not on par with the others mentioned, will reach a level of respect among musicians over the years because it is so fuckin' cheap, yet still a real instrument. Who knows, suckers 40 years from now may be paying a thousand bucks for these things on eBay. I don't really care. I just know that it is products like these that help me achieve my musical visions and goals, while allowing my poor ass to still eat.

Good sound is the only kind I have gotten from it.
Most of it is pretty easy to use. I think the instruction book could make it easier to understand the editing features. It isn't written in a way that makes it easy to understand or find information. Editing with multiple versions of tracks, inserts, loops, rythm patterns is confusing from the manual.
It provides a nice array of features and functionality for the money but once I have figured it out, I found only a few things I dislike about it: It is an energy hog. The batteries go quickly.
It is a data storage hog. The 32mb Smartcard holds about one song if you are using several versions of each of the 4 tracks. Then there is the challenge of how to move it somewhere else in its digital format. The only digital outputs for direct connection to a computer/cd burner is a fiber optic connection (no way to receive that on my pc), or the MIDI out (me and my pc don't know how to connect through this). It seems this leaves me with the need to transfer it through the Smartcard. So now I find myself ordering a SmartCard reader for my PC and I am on the hunt for the software I need on my PC to read this file. Any ideas how I get this software?

I am mostly miking things through a Shure m57 mic. It sounds great. There are 2 mic connectors but it can only receive from one or the other of them on one track per record operation. (It can record 2 tracks simultaneously, but one is necessarily guitar/bass and the other a mic. When recording guitar and mic simultaneously, the options for effects is greatly limited. Some of the transforming effets are a little flakey, for example the bass simulator when playing a lower note shifts to a higher octave.

Yes, with plenty of smartcard space and batteries. Only after significant experience with it. It can be easy to make an operator until having learned from mistakes.

I cannot find a website for Boss to tell me how to download software to my pc to read their Smartcard file.

folk rock,good match (except rythm patterns), 4 yrs guitar,
It is light and compact. I chose it over Tascom
I am learning from it. The rythm features are helping me to learn how much work I need to do with holding a tempo.

I purchased my unit at about 11:30 a.m. and by 8:00 p.m. I had a complete 4 minute song that included 2 guitar tracks, a bass track, a vocal track, and programmed a drum pattern. I did this without having any prior experience with any recorder. You have to read the manual and play with it, that is how you learn. The manual would be 100 pages long if they spelled every little detail out to you, and who wants that? Not me. The Br-532 looks like a 4 track, but there is a total of 32 tracks if you use the V-Track option. Very cool.

The best sound is obtained by using the highest recording quality setting. They give you 3 options, with each using more or less memory on your card. You will need a 128mb card in order to have enough room, at the highest quality setting. The lower quality sound options produced hiss, but the highest setting was as clear as a bell. The internal effects are o.k. I wasn't real happy with the distorted guitar sounds. I was able to get a better quality guitar sound by plugging in my V-Amp2. You can edit all of the effects to your own taste. The vocal effects are very good. I also use separate drum machine. The internal drums are good for producing the basic tracks, but they are not very flexable.You can string different patterns together to make a complete song, but the patterns are not programmable, so you cannot add cymbal crashes and accents.

I haven't had any problems with my unit in the 9 months that I've had it.

I have not had to use the customer support for a problem. Boss does offer a free software download from there website, that allows you to covert the Br tracks over to wav. files that you can transfer to your computer.

I read some reviews that really slammed the BR-532. I can only assume that these people really didn't give it a try. This is just like an instrument, you shouldn't expect to pick it up and play it instantly. It is not that complicated however, and you should be making good music in a matter of a couple hours. I would buy this again. As I said before you will need to get a 128MB card. I am able to use the highest recording setting and record 16 tracks with room to spare. I transfer my tracks to my computer where I have mix them to a CD. If you don't do this, you will have to bounce the V-Tracks down to hear everything at the same time. That would be my only complaint. I would like to have an option where you can hear all of the tracks at the same time, without bouncing, but you can only listen to 4 tracks at a time.

Fairly easy to record just a basic recording and once you've checked the manual it's easy to start programming the drums and using the auto-punch function etc.

The manual is ok.

I've been using my Encore Strat and Gibson LP directly in to the input and there's a few dodgy effects like the bass simulator and one or two distortions but apart from that the sound is very good.

Seems sturdy.

Never delt with them

I've been playing for just over 2 years and decided I needed something to help me improve my playing and this thing fits the bill. What you get for the money is amazing! It can simulate bass, acoustic and even a 7 string! It also includes dedicated effects for guitar, bass, acoustic and vocals. Amazing! If it was stolen I'd definately replace it.

So am I the only one that thinks the COSM effects on this unit are great? I only hear everyone bitch about them. ALL of the effects are great I think, even if you can't really put them to good use. There are many parameters you can program for each so you can really get that exact flanger "swoosh" or that perfect "arena" reverb. Very easy to program and save these patches, But more on that later.

The manual is completley bogus. Only read it when you are stuck on something. It is very confusing! Mine came with the Video Manual as well and it is only good for a laugh. It shows some old-timer happily recording and doing basic crap that is not very helpful or informative.

The tuner is OK.

Make sure you press the buttons for tracks 1&2 or 3&4 at the same time and their respective lights will blink for the tracks engaged. You are now in Stereo mode. It takes up a hell of a lot of memory on the Smart Media card but it makes The COSM sound that much better! And for the kid that plugs his drum machine with the ping-pong cymbals and beats (drummers....) into the dual Stereo RCA make sure you have 2 lights blinking to achieve your True Stereo sound. To my ears, after recording anything mono and then going to this Stereo mode, the recorder breathes new life into the effects and you get the true delays, reverbs, shifter, flanger, and phaser, etc. the way they are meant to sound. Give it a try in Stereo with headphones, too!

The effects are so good I haven't even miked my cab up yet. Did try my drummers kit once and that sucked because I had 2 tracks active and recording but I think the Mics phased each other out or something and the end result was ~poop~. Anyone have any ideas for recording live drums with this thing?

The Bass simulators (Tight and Loose) aren't spectacular. They tend to mess up if you hit 2 strings together-you get this wierd wobbly sound that throws the pitch. The best results I've had using the Bass sims are rolling back the volume knob on my guitar(be sure to compensate by adjusting the input knob on the recorder).

Sweet Lead in stereo is a favorite of mine as well as tweaking the phaser on a clean sound for great swirly tone when fingerpicking.

Wide Acoustic is great and a handful of the distortions.

TW Clean is cool if you change the amp sim to Vox and up the gain a bit for a soulful blues overdrive.

For anyone who cares-I have been playing for almost 6 years and have pretty good structural knowledge of home recording. I play blues, metal, progressive rock, and everything in between. The digital BR-8 is my 2nd recorder and is really a great buy. A huge step up from my old analog Tascam Portastudio.

The drum tracks are great to set the mood and tempo of the song. I wouldn't record my first album on this. The drums are fairly easy to use and even if they all sound the same who cares? I like to speed the tempo to 300 just to see if he can play along..hehe

Too many other features to go through here. Um, real quick-
Mic effects, Line in effects, internal mic, loop effects, lit LCD screen, and a bunch of other stuff. (YOU'RE WELCOME, BOSS)

Had this for about 5 months and dropped it once on the living room floor from about 4 feet in the air. WHOOPS. Put a little scratch on the surface but all the gears still turn..I own some Boss stompboxes and they are tough! I bet my friend he couldn't break mine by slamming it on his basement floor....you know who won 20 bucks, baby!!

Haven't dealt with Boss Support ever.

Great for my needs. An aspiring guitar player with too many ideas in my head, the BR-8 helps me compose, arrange, re-compose and re-arrange all of my hit-songs.

Some tips from Josh:

Buy a 128 mb Smart Media card, the stock 32 MB records about 10 or 15 minutes on 4 tracks EVEN on crappy quality recordings (you can adjust recording quality). Look up these cards on the web. I found a 128 mb for 45 bucks!

Buy an Ac adaptor from Radio shack for 10 bucks. My Energizer batteries lasted for about 2 or 3 hours.

After you erase a track or song always "Optimize" and it cleans your card comlpetley of the things you erased.

Thanks for listening!

as a singer songwriter of some 30 years standing i've used many recording mediums from 2 track reel to reels, portastudios etc. I've had the BR532 out on demo from my local store and it's driving me crazy. For a start the manual is like every other manual I've ever read. It reads like it has been translated from japanese. Little things like an "in2 instaed of "it" can cause untold confusion. as to the unit itself. big problems with the drum section. Having sat until 4.30a.m. I still cannot figure how to put together a decent drum programme for a song. Over and over, step by step with the manual produced nothing that was supposed to happen.Pressing the ON/OFF Auto to hear what had been programmed produced only sounds that didn't figure at all. In fact several times I got different kits and patterns playing back from those that I had programmed in.n the whole I am not overly impressed and will be returning the unit t6o the store. No sale. Derek, Belfast.

this unit is very easy to use. manual is good clear and answered any questions that arose during use.

this unit has recorded everything I have recorded with it perfectly. it is a forgiving piece of gear.

absolutely dependable.

it's a boss product. I have never had a roland /boss product fail.

30 years of playing. blues , rock, punk (melvins ,flipper) noise, abstract sound design, I use a roland vg8, nord modular, kurzweil 2vx, alesis QRS, nano bass, boss DR770, line 6 stomp boxes, drum kat dk10 pads evolution mk245c keyboards peavey 1600x controller
mac and pc computers sound forge, acid, reason, recycle, cubase 5.1 , lots of boss stomp boxes, e-bow, roland cube30 amp(mostly for generating beautiful feed back)
this unit as a replacement, as I accidently plugged a peavey power adaptor into to the last unit I owned, when I was very tired ( smoke came out of the midi port! whoops....) yes I would replace it again.
this is a very helpful tool for creating audio projects, for the money its a great deal.

Very easy to use-- on night on a caffeine and cigarette high and I was set. A good idea is to just jump in with both feet, manual in hand, and start laying tracks as sitting around reading the manual itself will only put you to sleep. Bouncing definitely takes a little faith and sometime actually doing it-- and I'm still not sure where those "V-Tracks" traipse off to...I just pray they show back up when I'm ready to put another track down...

Sound quality is only as good as the effort you're willing to put into it...a reliance on the onboard effects will get you, tada, mediocre guitar tones. The same is true for the drums which are passable, at best...however, set up your tweed in the bathroom with good mic placement and you're set...a lot of it has to do with the onboard effects, which I would stay away from using and lean more towards being creative in your own space (moving the unit around, getting good room sounds, etc...)...although I record everything myself...I think a drum machine or sampler is a must however.

Seems to be very reliable...not unlike all those BOSS pedals I've trampled at shows for the last 15 years...

Haven't tried to contact them...so I'll reserve judgment.

This is a solid unit that makes very good recordings...ultimately it's also very flexible, which is kind of the point. Again, the drum/guitar patches are good for sketching demos, not so good if you're planning on recording your major-label debut, although I doubt anyone has that misconception about this unit. The SMART cards the thing uses are a pain in the ass...with the "bohemian rhapsody" amount of guitar overdubs I do, the thing maxes out almost at one song with the 64bit card and, apparently, would only hold about two full songs with the 120 bit upgrade. Another guy on this site had a very good idea about backing up every cluster of tracks onto a CD burner and then sending them back into the line input (i.e. dump down and premix drums/bass/rhythm guitar on one CD and send it back to one track, obviating the need for more smartcards...I'm doing this now, to lesser quality with a tape deck, but plan on buying a stand alone CD burner, which can be used a bunch of different ways and, at musicians friend, is only going for about 2 franklins. Not bad for a versatile unit...doing it directly to your computer is a better option. So, that said, a solid B+ on the unit...but you can get A+ sounds if you're willing to be either creative or spend some more $$$.

I'm writing this review as a WARNING to people who assume that this is a flexible tool for multi-track recording.
though it's designed and usable as a personal studio...this thing is made for guitar players, and leaves some SERIOUS problems/oversights for people who are looking to use it for more general/flexible construction... this thing was meant to leat guitar players sit on their bed and plug right in with no amp (internal amp models) and play along to patterns (internal drum tracking) and lay down tracks without any ourboard production equipment (...come on the thing has a mic ON IT...).
this is all well and good, but as such, it has SERIOUS SHORTCOMINGS and logic problems for people who actually want to exercise some production skill and/or use it to lay down dracks from outboard gear (drum machines, turntables, etc...ANYTHING Stero). that already has things sounding the way you want 'em.

this thing is easy to use,...and is definitely programmed to make sense to guitarists... anything that uses the names "crunch" and "lead" programmed in as effect patches is meant for guitarists.
the virtual tracking and UNDO feature are very handy, and the battery power is a nice idea....c'mon...this caters to people who will be satisfied with internal drum patterns/programmability.
(...I'm a drummer...with appropriate bias: they may sound good, but that's about all...)

1 give it a 1 because of ONE problem that completely ruins my ability to make anything sound good on this machine: STEREO DISCRETE LINE-IN.

as mentioned before...the effects can sound good, and the unit has several different fidelity/bitrate modes of recording.
the guit/bass and mic MONO ins work jus fine...minimal noise...

the REAL PROBLEM in sound is that the LINE IN is a stereo RCA IN jack...which when used, automatically records to tracks,
but the 2 line-in tracks DO NOT seperate the stereo in.
it seems to automatically collapse everything coming in thru the stereo ins to just another MONO...and the "PAN IN" parameter that you can set for each of the 2 tracks only lets you set how far left or right the MONO LINE IN is panned, and the two component tracks of the stereo line in cannot even be set to seperate pan.

...so all the awesome stereo-rich texutre coming out of my drum machines and samplers (different cymbals set to different sides, ping-ponging percussion, and samples sweeping from one side to another) is turned into MONO GARBAGE...

Oh SURE, this box has stereo effect in it, and the manual even advises you to pan tracks around to that things won't get "too buried in the (center of) the mix"...

maybe I'm overlooking something, but if I'm right.

WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING BOSS?...
do you expect guitar players (and anyone else in your target market) to only hear or think in MONO...
GOD DAMMIT...
I really hope that this just a(nother) case of boss writing crappy manuals and doing NO help to convey the conceptual nature of their products. I could not find any solution in the manual, so if there is something I'm overlooking, please SOMEONE HELP.

EVEN if this machine can record stereo ins as stereo discrete tracks, then the machne AND the manual should make it a LOT more obvious.

small, compact, black
(I'm SO glad boss got over thier orange fetish...).

It's stury and well built. so it would take quite a few throws at the wall before my frustrations would be fully satisfied.

neither boss nor roland (their parent company) has manuals availble for online download (...yay KORG), and it is futile to try to get help via email.

I would rather

again I'm rating this a "1" in terms of
'what a hunk of junk' ACCORDING TO MY NEEDS.

god dammit, god dammit. I don't know about the rest of you, but I hear the world in stereo.

for guitarists sitting in their bedroom, this thing is a godsend. sure, there is a great virtue in havine "scratch work templates" for recording that can do so much, allowing you to (as mentioned before) to 'lay something down before you forget it'...

however, just like like CD-burners-built-into-synths/sequences/grooveboxes, computer programs like acid loops, and the over-powered "backing/accompaniment" grooveboxes that roland builds, this is just one more piece of marketing filth that will have WAY too many people thinking they can "make a record...maaaaan" from within the confines of their bedroom and a set of joggers headphones.

Depending on what you are doing, somethings are easy, and some-well I still haven't figured them out. The manual again, some of it well written ,some I cannot figure out. First off, I couldn't get the demo songs to play. And bouncing tracks - the manual is usless in my opinion for this. If you have ever used any effects before, then editing these are no different. Easy to perform the actual editing, but a pain in the ass trying to get the right sound.It takes a while to learn how to use the rythm guide, and I still don't know if you can actually program an entire song exactly the way you want it.

Ok here we go, this thing in my opinion has some really good clean sounds. The distorted, and amp modeling things are ONLY good for plugging in quickly and laying down an idea before you forget it. I am a guitar player, and as any , I am very picky about my sound, which is why I spent a million dollars in effects and amps. SO I use them . I turn of the amp modeling and use the delays, and such on the Boss. I think the drum sounds are very cool. You have 9 differnt kits, and I haven't listened to them all yet, so some of them may suck. I like the ROOM kit myself.

Don't know yet, haven't had it that long.

See above.

This thing is great for what I wanted it for. To make my original music as easily as possible. I can write without anyone (like drummers ) wasting my time. I write it, then give the drummer a copy without the drums on it, let him do his thing, then AFTER he has learned the song, I'll take the boss and record a real drum track, and record over that. It saves me a lot of time, as i can get the song to him to learn, and not wast time on recording him messing up every five minutes. It inspires me to write and to play. It is much more fun playing and writing to a full band rather than just my guitar. Again it is great for what I wanted it for. I still don't know how to use a lot of the features like the cut and paste and how to bounce tracks, because the manual is a little confusing, but within half an hour, I wrote a song that was something I would never have dreamed I could write.It needs to come with an adapter though!

I can't really imagine a unit being much easier to use than this one. The manual is written in a typically dry and indifferent style, but the info is in there. Maneuvering around the menu screens is very simple and fairly self-explanatory. And the "undo" feature is a godsend for those times you accidentally press the wrong button. Hopefully in the future there will be multiple undos available (currently, there is just one).

I'm a bit mystified at the complaints I've read about the quality of the drums. Maybe they're referring to the house/hip-hop/techno styles (which I have no use for), but the rock/pop/jazz drums are excellent-sounding. I've played my tunes for lots of people who remarked "I didn't know you played drums." If you program tastefully, with fills and variations (rather than just playing one loop all the way through), your rhythm tracks will sound great. The one glaring ommission is the complete lack of drum beats in 3/4 or 6/8 time. What were they thinking with that? Still, you can get around it. Some of the 4/4 beats, when slowed down have a distinctly 3/4 feel. But really, it's not as if 3/4 is some obscure, barely-used time sig. Hopefully, they'll get on that.

As far as the effects go, my only complaint might be a lack of variety as far as ungarnished "clean" tones. But the various types of distorted guitar sounds are awesome, and there's a good selection of vocal mikes to choose from. The buzzing that some people have mentioned is pretty much cured by the software update (more on that below).

Totally reliable. I haven't even found the need to use a larger card than the one that comes with the unit. But then, I do my mixing with Cool Edit Pro, so I don't have the need to fit every track on the BR.

Here's the weakest area in my opinion. The Boss website is pretty much useless for BR532 support. And neither the website nor the manual mentions the software update, which is incredible to me. I learned about it in the BR532 Yahoo users group and just downloaded it. Makes a big difference.

I do a wide variety of pop/rock/blues/jazz/folk, etc, and have yet to be disappointed. But I do think that if you're interested in that "studio" sound, you're going to have to invest in some kind of audio editing software. The BR532 is an excellent *recorder*, but it simply doesn't have the equipment for high-quality mixing/mastering. But for the price, there's nothing that touches it IMO. You've got a world of effects, amp sounds and a drum machine, plus digital sound quality and smart media storage/transfer, all for under $400.

Frankly, I don't see the point in shelling out more $ for the BR8. With this one, you've got 32 virtual tracks, plus unlimited track bouncing. You'd have to have some seriously complicated tunes to require more than that. Plus, for some reason I can't fathom, the BR8 doesn't have a high-impedence mike jack, whereas this one does. If (like me) you were previously using an analog 4-track, you're going to be thrilled with the jump to digital. Within a month, you'll be looking back at your old recordings and shuddering at the dismal sound quality you settled for before.

Very easy to use for recording,straightforward,recording by itself couldn't be easier.
Now about the COSM,it's a pain in the ass to go through the menus and submenus,I miss knobs!Same for the fx.
The 'song making' is a good thing,it takes time to make a good drum track but it's worth it.
You'll need to update for a 128kb smart media card as the 32kb supplied doesn't give enough recording time,the card is quickly full after 2 songs with the 4 tracks recorded.One shouldn't be bothered with checking the room available while recording and composing.
You'll need to get the AC adaptor too because the batteries run low very quickly.It's another problem.
So,it's just usable out of the box but nothing more.

About the COSM:
The distortion are very poor,they sound very shitty,no difference between them apart from eq,very cheap and thin sounding,buzzy,fuzzy,.They are usable if you tweak a lot but you won't get a good sound anyway.So my advice is to switch the COSM off and get your guitar sound from a POD or similar,these digital modelers aren't perfect but far better than the awful guitar sounds you get from the BOSS recorder.
Same for the fx (apart maybe from the delays),very,very cheap sounding(the reverbs sound like a very fast echo!!)
The drums are ok but all the patterns sound the same,so it's tiring after a while.They are usable though,but better use a zoom drum machine for example.
Now the recording themselves sound very good,much,much better than the 4 tracks on tape.Digital editing makes life so easy and it's so clean!
I record onto MD and it sounds great,not like a professional recording of course,but not like an amateur one either!
So,my advice is to get your guitar,bass,drums sounds from other boxes and record onto the boss,you won't be disappointed!
(the bass similutor is absolutely awful!).
So I'll give it a 6 because the on board sounds are crap but the recorder itself is good.

No problems so far after nearly one year

It's very good as a first digital recorder,very easy to use,sounds good even with the crappy COSM,must sound fantastic with better amps emulator and good fx.I'm gonna get a V-amp or a J-station and it should improve the overall sound quality dramatically!
If it were stolen I would get an 8 track digital recorder without any fx nor COSM,just a high quality recorder with hard disk,and I would get all my sounds from other devices