Boss BR-864

In comparing this to the Boss BR-532, I would have to say that the patches have been VASTLY improved. Out of the box, the majority of the patches can be used without tweaking.

There is a lot of depth to the amount of tweaking that can be done. It is set up much like any of the other multi-effect units that are out there - the even added the ability to connect an EXPRESSION PEDAL. The expression pedal can do anything from adjusting the volume to acting as a wah pedal.

Editing patches is very easy and almost intuitive. There is a lot of depth in terms of what can be tweaked - moreso than in some of the multi-effect pedals than I have seen.

The manual is typical - Japanese converted to English. And as usual, unless you are familiar with any of the Boss units, there can be some confusion - this confustion usually revolves things like setting up the rhythm guide, but there is a lot of help on the web to help you get through that.

The sound quality on this is awesome. I use this with a set of studio quality nearfield monitors and a host of supporting guitars, keyboards and vocal mics.

I was getting some hum, but was primarily due to ground loop hum. Easily fixable.

I've ab'd this by recording a CD to the 864 and then switching between what was recorded and what was being played back. There was no appreciable difference between the two.

I have never had any issues with any Boss products.

Since this is a recorder, it can work with virtually any type of music, although the patches are geared towards guitar/bass/vocal. There are no really lush keyboard amp sims or things of that nature, but with some creativity - you can create any effect that you like.

I have owned several Roland VS-Studios, and the predecessor BR-532. This is by far superior to those from the perspective of a guitar player. Unlike the VS-Studios, you don't have to worry about which bus you are applying effects to or anything of that nature. As far as comparing to the 532, you can see what's going on with all 8 tracks at a time, instead of having the ability to only look at 2 at a time.

If it were stolen, I'm not sure that I would replace it, simply because I do more gigging than recording now.

I love its portability. I can grab a handful of batteries and my Stewart RoadRunner Guitar (http://www.stewartguitars.com) pack my tent and go out to the middle of nowhere for the weekend and record till my hearts content.

There is one feature I WISH it would have... since there are only 4 faders for this 8 track any time you switch between using the faders for tracks 1-4 and 4-8, the faders jump to the current fader location once the fader is moved. So, if the fader is set at Unity for track 1 and all the way down for track 5 and you want to gradually increase the volume on track 5 at some point during the mixdown the volume on channel 5 will immediately be where the fader is set to and not where you want it. This is annoying. It would be cool if the fader did not have any effect until the slider was actually moved.

Just a bit of info that is not that obvious from the BR-864 promo
material (inc. Roland website): the USB interface on the BR-864 does
not support Windows 98 and according to Roland Product Support, it is
unlikely that a driver will be developed for Windows 98. I suppose
that this shouldn't be a surprise since Windows 98 is getting a bit
long in the tooth but it's a shame for those who have it and don't
wish to upgrade.

On a brighter note, the BR-864 USB interface does seem to work with
Linux.

This unit..>ROCKS!!!! 8 recording tracks. Uses Compact Flash media, and includes a 128meg stick to start off with. I sold my BR1180CD last week because it actually had more than I needed, but since I've owned one I'll continue to make comparisons between the two, because so far there's not much difference between the two. I will not compare this unit to the Boss BR-532 since the 864 is VERY close in form, function, and features as the BR-1180. Other than being relatively close in size to the 532, there isn't much siliarity between the two. Anyway, the onboard amp simulators and effects seem to be identical to the 1180. There's 99 guitar/bass patches, 40 mic patches, 50 line patches, 50 simultaneous patches, and 19 mastering patches! In fact, it appears to me that there the same number, names, and parameters as the 1180! I thought for sure they would have scaled down the options on the 864, but I was relieved to see the were essentially the same!! Editing the amp sims is actually just as easy as the 1180. The biggest difference is that the 1180 has an icon interface that does make it easier to read and navigate. The 864 has a double line display that has characters which is just as easy to navigate through. Like the 1180, you have user patches and preset patches. The manual is JUST as thick as the 1180 (Almost 200 pages!) No matter how easy this unit is to use out of the box, I recommend reading the entire manual, since this unit has TONS of features that can only be realized by reading everything at least once. Since I received the first unit my store recieved, I'd have to assume I have the first firmware version. The good news is the USB interface should make any future revisions a no-brainer. The controls are laid out almost identically to the 1180, with the exception of having only 4 track sliders, but it has a shift key that re-assigns tracks 5-8 to the 4 sliders, which makes it a little more work to switch back and forth to the tracks. I've owned a lot of digital recorders recently, and BOSS still makes the most intuitive recorders made. If you've used the 1180 before, you should need very little time to get things rolling.

I run my Jackson solist straight into the 864, and get superior results. I actually prefer the built in amp sims over my Line 6 PODxt! (With less clutter and setup time.) I'm sure others will disagree, but the sounds this thing can produce on it's own are truly amazing. When I'm not recording, I've started to hook up the output to my keyboard amp to practice. I mainly play hard rock/metal, and I can nail the sound that I like. Sure, it does'nt sound like a mic'd Marshall or Mesa, but I don't care. Even the acoustic amp sims are pretty nice. No, it doesn't sound exactly like a true acoustic, but they make a nice alternative to a dry clean sound. The patches sound IDENTICAL to the 1180!(which is good!) The recording quality seems to be as good as the 1180 as well! I see myself getting a 512meg stick, since there's not a ton of time using the supplied 128 stick. In fact, using all 8 tracks will only let you record one small song at high quality. The good news, is that you can save it to your computer and start fresh. If you want to work on another song, bring it back and keep rolling. Another cool feature, is the onboard drum machine. Unlike the BR532 which was a glorified metronome, the 864 has sampled drum sounds that are MUCH better. If you want, you can load .wav drum sounds to customize the kits, or even add a sound effect. I have an Alesis SR-16 that I'll continue to use since it's easier than programming the BOSS, but it's a cool feature if you don't want to spend the cash on a dedicated drum machine.

Every Boss product I've ever owned has been a workhorse. The main reason I like this unit over the 1180 is that there's no hard drive to break, and no flimsy laptop cd burner to break. Based on my 1180, I would expect this to last. (knock on wood) Time will tell. I usually wait a while before buying a new line of anything, but I feel confident that this unit is solid. The fact that they tout this unit as being a take-anywhere portable studio leads me to think they have a lot of faith in it's durability, so we'll see. Since it's new and untested, I'm gonna give it a "7" for now.

I used to work for a music store years ago, and (in my experience) they had the worst customer service I've seen. I hope times have changed, but luckily I haven't needed them since that time. I hopefully will never need to test them.

I know this review is mushy and gushing, but it's rare that I buy a piece of equipment that I actually get excited about. I sold my BR1180 because it actually had more than I needed, and was expensive. I would spend an hour or two once or twice a week with it, and it just didn't justify the price to me. When I had read the NAMM reports here on Harmony Central about it's upcoming release, it had my name written all over it! For the money, this thing will NEVER be beat!(at least for the next couple of weeks anyway;) I really can't believe that Boss made the 864 so similar to it's bigger brother. Sure, there are more features on the 1180 for the hardcore users. But on the whole, for what I do, the differences aren't worth the extra $600. To record years ago, I had bought a Yamaha 4-track cassette recorder, an entire effects rack, a master cassette deck, and microphones that cost about $1000. For less than half of the cost you can now get more tracks, better effects, less setup time, and superior results! For me, the 864 is about VALUE, which this thing is loaded with. Gripes? Yes...I think they should include the AC adapter. I don't see the point of making the unit battery powered. I really can't see someone lugging their guitar, cords, headphones, and recorder to the park for a day of blissful recording. I would think the people pointing and laughing at me would be so distracting I wouldn't get much work done. I wish it had all 8 sliders, as it does get tiring having to set the sliders for tracks 1 to 4, then hitting the button to get to tracks 5 to 8, and doing it all over again to tweak a track back on tracks 1 to 4 again. Again, for the money it's a small concession. I wish they included a 512meg stick with the unit. I can't imagine anyone complaing that they just have TOO much recording time. More is always better than not enough. Other than those minor issues I'm thrilled with my purchase. This little guy earns his keep in so many ways that I just can't say enough good things about it. If you're a "sometimes" recording musician that doesn't need the Cadilliac of recorders, think of the 864 as the Honda Civic of recorders. Not much money, reliable, and gets you where you want to go.