Boss BR-900CD

Mine came with firmware 1.0 but I have upgraded to 2.12 (2.0 and above add extra features). The manual is pretty good, but if you don't already understand what "punching", "scrub", etc. mean it can get confusing. For laying down tracks it's very intuitive, arming the next available track for you, selecting a set of tracks for you when it's time to bounce or master. Once you've created a new song, it's as simple as pressing one button for the input(s) you want to use and setting levels before hitting the record button. Drum programming is confusing but Roland finally released software (free download) to allow programming from a computer. It's a must have if you intend to use the drums (it also greatly simplifies loading drum samples and SMFs). Virtual tracks are a source of confusion...there are really 64 tracks available but you can only access 8 at a time for mixing. MIDI synchronization works flawlessly. Sound quality is very good, but it does use data compression so it's not true CD quality.

I use the direct input for both e-gtr and e-bass, line input for synths and the mike inputs for everything else. I found the amp simulations very usable for guitar, not so much for bass (too muddy). Being able to record without an amp using headphones is worth the sonic tradeoff to me, I'm sure others will not agree. It only gets noisy when you have heavy compression or high gain and the noise suppressor isn't set properly. The COSM FX sound very good, if you have used other Boss processors you already know what they sound like. The global reverb is OK but nothing special. There are no tempo-synched delays which is unfortunate. The mike preamps are OK, they are not noisy and have enough gain for most applications. Certainly the sound is more than adequate for a small "personal" multitracker.

The only downsides to reliability are the typical external power supply and the plastic casing. There's no moving parts besides the CD drive...just buttons, scroll wheel, sliders and knobs. That's one big advantage of using flash memory over tape or a hard drive.

Online support is very good, although it's worth knowing about the different Roland websites since some downloads are not available at all sites. For example, I could only get the 2.12 OS from Germany or Japan, the USA site has 2.10 instead. I haven't had to contact Roland for support, the various online documents and videos answered all the questions I had.

I play a variety of music from electronic "space music" to acoustic folk. It's a good match as long as you don't need more than 8 audio tracks (or can be satisfied with bouncing to free up tracks). I've been playing and recording for almost 40 years, the rest of my "studio" is a Yamaha Motif workstation synth,a DSI Evolver monosynth and some mikes...typical hobbyist setup. My favorite feature is memory based recording which makes FF/REW/locate instantaneous and the machine totally silent. I do wish it had a monitoring buss in addition to the main mix buss. If I didn't already own plenty of CF cards, I'd be concerned that 1 GB is the max card size (these are getting harder to find every day). If lost or stolen, I would probably get another one.

Since I had used the micro br, I found it fairly easy; basic format is the same except it has sliding faders which means you don't have to use a scrolling menu to select the track etc.
I love the 'Scrub' feature. This enables you to pinpoint the exact micro second that a note begins so you can punch in with accuracy.

Comes with a 1gb sound card. The manual clearly and simply tells you how to delete the demo songs after you have listened to them.

It is easy to edit the patches and they can be saved as user patches.

My cd burner burns anything I throw at it. Very good quality.

The manual is very comprehensive but there are tricks to learn; it shows you how to do everything, but doing it well takes a bit of practice.

I am using a Hagstrom Viking (335 type), an Aria Pro 11 archtop, and a much modified Tele.
On the other end I am using a cheap set of Behringer MS20 powered monitor, and a set of mid priced Phillips headphones.

The monitors are getting the signal via the RCA outputs at the moment but I plan to buy an optical lead soon (yes, the BR900 does accomodate both) to improve things a little. Not that there is anything wrong with the RCAs; I need to replace the leads, so might as well go digital.

No noise. 24 bit recording. Garbage in, garbage out.
My recordings sound as good as any commercial recording. In fact, after 35 years of playing, 25 of those as a pro, I am finally going to record my debut cd - on this unit. I will leave the mastering to a mastering studio, however. You can master with this unit, but... well, see the last paragraph in the 1st category.

Effects good but I don't use them; I'm a jazz player and try to get that pure jazz tone. Just a little reverb.

Boss is as reliable as you can get. In all my years of playing I have never had a Boss product let me down.

Any problems have been 'driver error'.

Never needed them

Let's face it, China is world leader in technology now. In The 70's & 80's we used to say "Jap crap", but now their technology is highly sought.
China is in the same place today. You can but Chinese rubbish but this is not part of it.

As I said, I play jazz; demanding music and I am a perfectionist.
I looked at a LOT of other brands and options. Money is a bit short at the moment so I had to be sure I was getting the best value for my dollar.

This machine does just about everything. Just wish it made coffee because I am having so much fun that I am becoming sleep deprived.

Warning BOSS BR 900 CD (MADE IN CHINA)Not JAPAN- Bought it NEW


What a complete waste of money

CD burner not guaranteed to work even with the right recommended cd's
HA HA HA cardboard carry case OPENS opposite end of CARRY HANDLE
ha ha what a joke
Manual is extremely vague and very confusing another inspiration killer
DEMO SONGS ha ha ha who wants demo songs that take up valueable storage space -Infact they are very annoying to listen to and just get in the way.

Why waste money when u can get an Apple laptop Made in USA with far greater memory and tracks that WILL LAST that was recommended by other musicians
So many musicians are sick to death of inferior junk

-Thats my only option left unless someone can recommend a multitarck studio made in Japan- USA-germany (cant find one)

I ended up throwing this thing against the WALL where it rightfully belongs after a week
Wasnt going to spend 1 extra second in wasting time with this inspiration killer -

Good luck everyone and Happy recording

I've had this little beast for over a year and have recorded a ton of stuff on it. You MUST read and re-reread and re-read the manual to get it down.. you know...RTFM! The DVD was pretty useless to me, was WAY to fast and not deep enough.
The trick to this is to start simple and as you go on, read the manuel when you get stuck, read again...and keep doing it until you KNOW it! Otherwise, you'll just get frustrated. Mine looks 100 years old by now.
I can lay down tracks and get a song up and running in 30 minutes, and that includes mixing. A friend who bought one, but is too lazy to read the manuel, can hardly turn it on!
So with some patience and the manual near-by, you should be able to get it down.

I used to record directly through the machine, but got rather fed up with the internal sounds (which you can edit...but will go back to their normal settings if you turn off the machine).

So recently I have been micing with a shure sm57 my bass amp, and smaller tube guitar amps and am getting a great sound. I turn off ALL the effects and record dry, then later add effects during bouncing and mixing. I have found this results in a more real and natural sound, while using the effects can give ear fatigue and sound boring after awhile. (I even turn the preset reverb to 0...not leave it at 10)

I play all original music heavy funk punk blues (I guess), and by using the smaller amps, I can hear the drums over the headphones. If I use my Marshall, it's too loud in a small studio...(unless I cover it up with blankets and go into the next room...and which I do, taking the boss with me, attached to a long extension chord!

All the effects are fun at first, but in the end, you should create your own sound with amps, real drums ect.

The drums are nice and creating patterns etc is easy enough...but they are a machine...and of course a drum machine is really just a metronone... but you can get some great ideas down, and then build on that with real drums.

Tip: watch and trust the levels. It's very easy to trust your ears and not the levels, but after mixing into MP3, you will be too harsh and loud. Also, mix your bass with a lot of treble...if it's too bassy, it won't come through when you mix it down and into final MP3. (you can hear it fine with the headphones, but over cheaper speakers, sometimes it will get lost)...bye bye analogue quality...:(

The mixing is a GREAT feature. Once you have created your tracks, bounced them, and mixed them, then for the final mix, it is always surprising to listen to the professional quailty...as long as you did everything else right!!

I also use an old tube poweramp to run it through my monitors and with the drums or a live band, with use a mixer.

My biggest gripe is, wish it had more mic inputs.

So far so good, going on 1+ years... still rocking and I use it 4 or 5 times a week. And on Sundays record my church's sermons. Have burnt 100's of CD's and have had no problem.

Excellent...call up boss and they will spend hours on the phone explaining anything

I play buesl, punk, funk, psychedelic noise, etc...and it works great. I also use it to record tracks, down load to my PC, convert to MP3, send off to my friends, and have created a lot of stuff that ay as well.

Been playing since I was 24 am 50 now. Been recording for 5 years..ahh.. to be able to re-record over and over a 100 times without sacrifsicing quality as witha tape, is WONDERFUL. It also helps you to FORGET about the machine..

I love it, take it on vacations, (even have recorded outdoor sounds then use them on recordings) to weddings, funerals, whatever. Makes a great gift to give someone a CD after their wedding and say, here...alwasy a treat.

My final say is, I would upgrade to another one with my inputs, like the 1200, and all the effects are great, but after awhile, I rarely use them. Oh yes, get the 1 gig sound card...otherwise you will run out of space with one song.

Look, I love my Br900cd, but the fact is this item is terrible when it comes to ease of use. In fact, I imagine my review is gonna seem odd, because I am rating everything great save for the ease of use. It's actually because the product can do so damn much that makes it difficult to use. With so many abilities, and so few buttons it was designed so that often you must use combinations of buttons to do seemingly simple tasks.

So the product is difficult to use...no biggie, right? As long as you eventually can read the manual and et it then it should be a problem. WRONG. The manual, I have read many times, and I swear to go still do not understand it.

I am sad to say that I have had this product for about 6 months and am currrently only utilizing about 15% of everything it can do. I read a review on musiciansfriend prior to buying the purchasing the item. The reviewer, whom I didn't listen to, but should have, said:

This is an item designed by sound engineers, not musicians" and that Man was very right.

I do not run it through an amp, but rather my own PA system. it adds no excess noise, and it keeps my strat sounding wonderfully bluesy. The effects are awesome too. I didn't buy the item for the effects, as I, and many musicians know, often presets that are built into digital products lack the spice that an actual set up will allow, however, many of the clean tones are great-and as a bonus, I was suprised at the quality of the acoustic and bass simulators. The only negative may be the distortions, there could be a few more cleaner ones, rather than the many "over the top gain effects."

It's boss. Meaning, it can survive a car wreck. I keep mine by a window, and one day to my horror, it was left open while it rained. I came into my room to see it covered in water. I freaked out because it's of it's value to me. I unplugged it, and wiped it down as best I could, but water had gone into the empty spaces where the input volume bars are. I let it sit for about a day and a half, pluged it in, and since then has been working fine. I'm very lucky.

haven't needed to/.

Rating overall quality is difficult, because the studio can do so much, so excellent, yet lacks such because of how difficult it is to use. Honestly, if it were stolen, I probably would search for a more easy to use product, however, I believe most studios would probably be difficult to use, and have half the capabilities the RP900CD has.

I have not seen the DVD item that can be purchased that is supposed to make it easier to understand using it. After reading some of the above reviews, I am goin to immeadiatly purchase and watch it. Hopefully it will help.

This is a fairly complicated piece of gear that takes a little research to get all the goodies to work properly. The DVD is a must have, it opens the world up and more. Once the basics are understood, this is the bomb!!

I play guitar, bass, keys, vocals, acoustic guitar and stand up bass with this straight in and if anyone else who owns this thinks there is anything wrong with the sounds they get, they need to look at their gear or read a little more in the manual. I have had this for about 2 months and have already recorded 43 full length songs. The first few were so so, but the latest ones sound as good if not better than most of the crap that plays on your favorite radio station. Musician friends and non playing friends alike cannot believe that what they are hearing is just me and my br900.

Not a single problem yet except composing rhythm arrangements, but I haven't read that far into the manual yet. Give me time, I'll get it.

I play what I like to call Downtempo Trance Groove, sounds like NIN if Reznor were on painkillers really, I also love to play metal and funk/groove/r&b/soul/jazz. You name, I play it. I have been playing for going on 21 years and never in my life have I been so addicted to playing and recording music. I've been to 2 or 3 PRO??? studios and spent many hours trying to get that sound only to go home and realize the reason it sounded so damn good there was that we were listening to it through $2000 speakers, not the speakers normal people have in their cars or house. This is capable of creating very complex, and professional sounding recordings if you pay attention to the sound you are putting into it. I have been trying off and on most of my life to make some sort of impact in the world of music, and now I am only about 1 year away from doing that. I truly believe that if you spend the time needed to get things right from the get go, you will be shocked at the results!!!

hI There can any one tell my how to put backing music on my boss 900 and then play my guitar throw it and record it on to a CD thanks RAB

It definitely helps to read the manual, which is very extensive, but not definitive. Supplemental resources, such as forums, user groups and other sources, should be utilized to truly de-bug real-world experience problems. A DVD is also available which makes life easier for the noobie, but those familiar with recording techniques, will most likely jump right in the mix, so to speak.

At a sampling rate of 16bit/44.1khz, (CD quality) the sound is relatively good for home-made demos and other projects. The sampled drum sounds work well for getting ideas down, and prior to the release of the rhythm editor, it was a pain to experiment with the drum sounds. The upgrade in software also is a big plus, showing Roland's commitment to its design and its customers.

I've thought about using the unit as backing tracks for my solo work, but I'll have to put it to the test in the field. At home, it is rock-solid.

No need. The product is well-made and has never given me problems requiring contact with Roland's corporate offices.

I have laid down tracks to a sequencer, overdubbed one track at a time and have simultaneously recorded two tracks at a time, usually with my Roland FR-7 v-accordion, playing everything from acoustic stuff to more electronic experimental material. I've been playing for over 12 years and it is nice to finally record the ideas in my head and burn them to a CD. Prior to this one, I had the BOSS MicroBR, but the limit on tracks forced me to go this way. I like the shift to more tracks and manual control of the faders, rather than buttons. Going from idea to recording is a big step, but one that each of us needs to take to get the sound out there. The BOSS BR-900CD is a great compact tool that helps musicians accomplish this goal.

I wish it had upgraded firmware to recognize higher capacity compactflash cards.

This machine is fairly easy to use if you've used any other kinds of 8-track recorders, however there are some functions i cannot figure out no matter how many times i read the manual. I get confused tring to use the v-tracks, i still haven't been able to structure a complete drum pattern and i don't know what the hell i did but for some reason my master fader is not working but instead my track 3 fader is working as the master fader. Can anyone can figure out how that might have happened?

The sound quality is very good and has every possible option available to get the sound the way you want it. The preset reverb is a little too high for some songs at 10 so you might need to turn it down a little. It's tough to get the right guitar sound with the presets too so you might need to play with the settings.

I have had this machine for 2 1/2 months now and have had a few problems. First as i already mentioned about the master fader getting switched with my track 3 fader. Second when using the internal mic sometimes you get feedback. Like any machine you will notice little glitches from time to time.

I still have my 8-track under warrenty so i have not needed to deal with the company.

This thing is very complex to use .
You simply cannot use it without reading and re-reading the manual.
Having said that, once you get the hang of the basics, it quickly becomes second nature.
The DVD really SHOULD ship with these - its frankly a disgrace that you have to pay extra for it.
I havent edited patches yet, but did download and install the new version 2 patches with ease.
Check the Roland site and the excellent 64Guitars [a BR expert] site, plus the yahoo group for great ideas and information.

Excellent - the new patches are frankly brilliant for heavy rock and metal.
Plug guitar directly in, line out to your Hi- fi and away you go.
No background noise.
We record the drums live - initially using two external condensors, but soon to be a full drum mic set - mixer- BR , with overdubbing of bass and guitar tracks
The results are excellent though it takes a bit of practice to understand bouncing tracks and mastering .
I use it to record my sons , and so far have been impressed with what it can do.
At this price you cant expect more than two channel [track] recording, so we are going to experiment with recording drums, vocals and guitar live [ 9 mics to drums, 1 vocal, 1 to guitar cab] mixing on the fly and sending the two tracks to the BR to add bass, rhythm and lead later on.
Some may argue that a computer set up would be better for this, but the BR is such a versatile little beast with built in COSM effects, portability, battery power that software based options dont tick my boes, not at just over 300GBP anyway!

so far fine, but havent had it long

downloads are good and software support seems excellent

The band are metal and the BR was largely bought so that the principal songwriters, my sons, can put down ideas and play around with them.
It will also be used to record live performances with decnet external condensors
Initially I was going to get the 600, but bigger size, more functions on the unit rather than hidden in menus and easier inputs for phantom power, line etc made it the better choice for me.

I wish you could record more tracks at once, but to be honest, the other features make up for this deficiency.
Its a tool - you will not get studio quality sound, but you will have something to let you write more easily and make your mistakes before paying for studio time.

I'm writing this short review to rebut the review below that
claims that the rhythm track tempo is lost once a track is
recorded. I originally had this problem myself with the BR-864
(which I've reviewed on Harmony Central) and thought others might
have the same problem. Apologies for the slight abuse of this
space.

The problem is that the tempo of a rhythm pattern is not stored.
So if you set the pattern tempo, record a track, and then come
back to your song later, the tempo you used when recording is
lost, and the default 120 bpm tempo is used.

The solution is to create a rhythm *arrangement* for your song.
It is very easy to create an arrangement that contains just a
single pattern. The tempo must be set as desired for the arrangement.
The arrangement and its tempo will be stored as part of the
song data, so when you return to your song the tempo will restored
correctly.

Well, I consider myself fairly good with looking at a machine for 5 minutes and figuring out the buttons right away and making things work the way they should, but this one is definitely not one of them. Reading the manual helps, but it's still not very easy. You're gonna need the DVD manual to really understand what's going here. I wouldn't recommend this machine to people who are not familiar with recording techniques/terminology and people who are not patient.

Effects are great and they sound fairly clean, overrall. The drum machine sounds pretty realistic and have a thick sound to them. However, I wouldn't recommend this drum set for musicians into techno, new wave, or dance music. The drum set seems geared for rock and r&b musicians.

I've only had it for 2 weeks. So far, it hasn't done anything strange or give me errors.

I play all kinds of music, but I'd say that this machine seems geared for guitarists. I compared this machine to other products and I'm very satisfied with my purchase, and I think I made the right decision. This is definitely helping me write more music and even inspires me, but I would definitely recommend that you get the DVD manual and learn all the features and techniques before you can truly appreciate what this machine could do.

This product does take a little time to become familiar with and appreciate all the bells and whistles provided. The manual is well written and explains things clearly - at least for me it did. This is my second recording product from boss the first was the VS-880 so I do have experience with these types of manuals. After a little practice things will become much clearer. I give this an 8 because it does take time to understand the machine especially with all the possibilities it offers.

For me the sound and effects are perfect. I have recorded a few songs within 2 weeks and I am very happy with the quality. If you use good quality equipment you get good results. If you input junk then you get junk in return. I was able to borrow a $1000 mic and I couldn't believe the quality this recorder is capable of for the money. The effects are great and can be manipulated to your hearts content. Distortion effects sound really good, as well as the vocal, drums and other effect simulations - remember this is Boss. I did burn a MP3 CD and yes it sounded great. I give it a 9 because a 10 would be for home studios more expensive than this (i.e Br 1600cd)

I have owned it for 2 weeks. I do baby it - no jerking, banging, shaking or dropping the machine - it's digital. If you fail to treat it with care and respect your asking for trouble. I give it a 10 - no problems thus far.

Never had to deal with the company. So I really can't leave an opinion.

I used it to record acoustic guitar and vocals - which it did beautifully. I used it to record hard rock, again it did it beautifully. I recorded with a Yamaha LL6 and Godin Sdxt - not only was I impressed but my friends as well with the sound quality. If it was stolen I would definitely purchase another one - it has motivated me to record my music and made it very easy and convenient doing so. My only wish for the Br 900 is that it had larger and dedicated drum pads. In order to access the other drum sounds you must push a button which is inconvenient - but nothing major. When I donwn load to my computer the file is transferred in wav. format - a large file - luckily I have freeware that converts it to MP3 for burning CDs or down loading to my website. I give this a 9 - I am personally very happy with this machine and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to record their own music.

i found this very simple to use except for the drum machine.i bought a boss dr-5 drum machine for a hundred dollars off ebay and programmed the bass and drums on it.you can use the 1/4 inch outs to the line in on the br900 and it sounds great and its way easier to program the drums and bass.

the sounds are good but they all seem to have reverb.i haven't figured out how to turn them off yet.i use a cheap ibanez rx120 guitar but it sounds good just plugged straight in the br.i haven't heard any noise out of this thing it's super clear

iv'e only had it for two weeks but it seems reliable.i would trust this on a gig because i think boss equipment is reliable

never dealt with the company or had repairs yet

rock/blues/funk ive been playing for twenty years.so far i really like it.if it were stolen i would replace it.or i might get the br1200 cause it has easy compose on the drums.since buying the boss br900 and the boss dr-5 i have came up with so much music in the past month i don't know if i can ever get it all recorded.boss equipment is super insriring.

I'm actually reviewing the earlier model of this which is the br 864, but is essentially the same. It takes a while to wrap your brain around this thing if, like me, you've never recorded before. But once you get into this thing the sounds are nothing short of amazing. It should be required to by a recording book ahead of time because I got stuck in a couple of spots until I broke down and got one. If you want an example of what it can sound like go to cdbaby.com/cd/bcgarner

I think eventually I got all the sounds I wanted to get so I would have to say the sound quality is excellent! The amp models and effects are great. You just have to take a certain sound and tweak it till your satisfied. I sometimes would have as many as 20 tracks going. I would just use the v tracks for storage and when I was ready to start mixing down I would just take the first 8 tracks and bounce those, over and over again if necessary,(the redo button is so awsome!). I used an alesis sr16 drum machine because the on board drum machine was a little tough maybe this new version is easier.

I could really depend on this unit a lot. Sometimes it would do a little wierd thing but I would just turn it off and on again, once in a while, and everything was fine. I would definately get a 1 gig flash card. That really helped a lot. I also got a computer type of battery backup surge protection to prevent spikes after a power outage or for just "dirty" electricity. It's a small but worthwhile investment.

boss is a mish mash. most of the time you get decent help, but sometimes you get someone who is personality challenged.

The style I did on this cd was southern rock, blues, and jazz. I was able to plug in my electric guitar, bass, acoustics and classical direct and get a good sound. I was also able to master on this. It helps if you have a direction to go in. I studied classic rock songs for a year before I recorded anything because I wanted to hear how those producers were getting those sounds. Obviously you can't tell which buttons they pushed and what not, but I figured a lot out just by listening closely. I used to listen to chet atkins and leo kottke records to play their music note for note. I was always a fanatic for getting every note even the mistakes. Yes even great players make mistakes. If you decide on this product I can tell you you'll get your monies worth. If you have any musical inclination though you may want to spend a bit more and go for the 1600. I wish I had a few more tracks when I was mixing down. It would have made things so much easier. But If you're just doing a couple of instruments and a vocal or 2 you'll be fine, but don't underestimate the power under the hood.

This machine is described as being "intuitive". Well I can say that it most definately is not, it has a tiny screen to view things on, and a funny orange backlight that hurts your eyes after a while. The manual is very hard work, I'm sure there are chunks missing out of it, I found actually recording things quite easy, however programming drums, and stuff is nigh on impossible, however I have resigned myself to not really using these(see later comments). I hate the way that even when you are using the metronome function just to keep you in time with a view to overdubbing percussion , the fact that the rhythm track doesnt actually "record", and then resets iteself automatically to 120bpm, means that when you overdub the next instrument, the metronome is out of sync with what you have recorded. The only solution is to run a drum/rhythm/metronome and record it onto one of the tracks, but then you lose one of your eight tracks, when the machine was sold as one where you didnt need to do that. You also cant even "bounce" the metronome track onto another track to preserve the sync!

This is where the unit has at least some redemption. The modelling sounds are good, if a bit repetitive. I mainly wanted to record acoustic instruments, and many of the sounds are geared towards the rock and metal side of the spectrum, but even these have their uses. The good thing is that if you record an acoustic guitar part, with a capo, to record the bass track, you can use the same guitar, with the same capo position, run into the bass simulator, to give a creditable bass sound, in the right key without having to transpose onto another instrument. The vocal effects are ok for recording percussion, from even non-instruments! Some of the death metal guitar sounds have their uses as an effect mixed low on some tracks too. Running obscure instruments like dulcimers and mandolas through these simulators is a bit of fun too. Trouble is its back to staying in time, what do you do with naff stadium drums, and a metronome with a mind of its own.

Trouble is any kind of creativity is severely stifled by this machines lack of useable features which were marketed heavily as being essential. You keep hitting proverbial brick walls, and getting frustrated, by which time the creative spark has gone.

The drum sounds are naff for anything subtle, they are too loud and lack any kind of finesse or ability to be changed. Even changing to the jazz kit preset gives over the top, repetitive drum sounds. Even the 15 year old Alesis SR16 has got the ability to change/customise drum sounds! And theyre selling for #80 new!! Great for doing rock covers, but for owt else, the BR900CD is nigh on useless. They are also nigh on impossible to program. This machine would be ideal for producing Karaoke backings for aspiring rock singers or air guitarists, there are some cynical programs in it, there is a preset 70s rock song drum sequence which when coupled with the 70s guitar sounds could give you a note perfect version of All Right Now, if that was your thing.

But I bought it as a compact recording studio, to get down acoustic tracks in time, to experiment with overdubbing acoustic instruments and percussion, which as an 8 track digital studio should be well within its capabilities. Had I known what the reality was I would have bought a simpler machine (probably from one of Boss competitors) and a simple drum machine as a time keeping device. I would have had more fun and I would probably have had spare money to invest in something else fun too.

I have noticed that there is interference on the machine, from other sources, it is prone to picking up hum and hiss, especially through the mains.

Seems well built, my "recording studio" is a breakfast bar in a kitchen, I suppose it would survive a fall off this, I'll just be careful with it.
The squishy buttons do seem like they are the sort of things that might give trouble with age, the knobs seem tough enough, but the faders feel a bit delicate too.

Plastic case scratches easily, but metal chassis redeems things.

Contacted Roland by email twice, ignored at first, then got an email explaining a certain problem in techno-speak, which didnt really solve it. Finally they referred me to a more local shop, where the guy there was very helpful. Trouble is that seeing as that shop wasnt the place where I bought it from in the first place [bought mail order from Turnkey in London, who gave me little help at all :-(], technically it was not their problem, it was only their goodwill that managed to at least get me started with this thing [thanks Sound on Sound, Leeds;-)] Plus I had to get myself and BR900 over there in the first place too, a 50 mile round trip. Its Rolands problem with the operation of their machines first and foremost, they should be providing better support, they have been less than helpful. I currently have an email query with them over the timekeeping of the rhythm track, I am still awaiting a reply.

Music- Acoustic based using a variety of guitars in bth standard and open tunings(slide too), odd instruments such as appalacian dulcimers, bouzoukis, mandolas,lap steel, hand percussion. Plus an old Telecaster for electric sounds and a bass too. World/bluesy/acoustic influence in my playing, but listen to all sorts, including guitar driven rock/indie stuff too. Playing for years on and off, family commitments forced a retirement from being a gigging musician, now play mainly for relaxation/fun and also the joy of collecting/repairing/learning new instruments. I thought this bit of kit would enhance this. It didnt!

Dont get me wrong, as a tool for a working rock based musician, this would be great, the sounds would suit you a treat, the drums would be just fine (yould take weeks to learn how to program them though). It would make a good demo machine. The trouble is that you could do the same with a cheap drum machine and a four track cassette portastudio. I was looking for quality sound recording, ease of use, and a wide variety of sound modelling. Above all I wanted to enjoy making music again. This promised this but didnt deliver.

Stolen/lost? Id buy something better/more relevant with the insurance and probably have some change.

Love about it? The acoustic sounds/the bass modelling sounds/the vocal modelling. I could live with just these, its just that I paid extra for the stuff I hate such as;-

a)The drum/rhythm section is awful, hard to program, naff bombastic sounds, and now I find that even the metronome is useless. b)The over excess of distorted rock sounds (it would have been nicer to have has some actual guitar modelling sounds rather than just amp/tone sounds. I could have used turning my Tele into a Les Paul or a 335! What use can I make of Aussie Rock presets!?). c)The small orange screen that gives you migranes. d)The instruction "manual" which has not only lost something in translation but seems to have lost something, full stop. e)the support from Roland(or lack of it). There should be better backup for what is a complicated product, I know that ther are other manufacturers of product far less complex, whos support is ten times better.

Before I bought this I did much research, I comtempleted the Zoom products which were cheaper and the Tascam products which had less features, I went with Boss because of their reputation for quality and ease of use. Not my wisest decision! This is a jack of some trades, a skivvy of the others, and the master of none of them.

Does it help me make music. No, it makes creating music much more complicated and frustrating, more than I ever thought it would. Dont get me wrong I was prepared to have to do some work and put time in to learning to use it, but it was sold as an easy "intuitive" machine, to "plug in and play", I didnt anticipate the hassle and the dissappointment that the BR900CD has given. #100 odd more would have got me a lap top, which would have done a better job and been more versatile.

Its funny that the ad for the machine, shows a chap in a sparse bedroom, with his head buried in the wall, and a trashed Strat in the foreground. Never has an ad been so true to life for a product, the BR900CD he was probably using is nowhere to be seen, hurled out of the window no doubt, before he smashed his guitar and his head!!!!!

Sorry Boss, this machine promised so much, and had delivered so little, certainly to this particular type of musician.

Considering the incredible capabilities, the ease of use as a new user is reasonable. It may be intimidating at first, but anything complex whether this unit or a Boeing 747, requires a lot of study and experience before the operator's skill matches the machine's capabilities.

The manual could be clearer, but all of the information is there, and by following the sometimes-confusing English, every operation can be learned.

Have not yet edited patches, but it seems to be easy. I enjoy the presets!

Very low noise, and excellent patch sounds.

No problems so far.

n.a.

Jazz and Blues player. 20 years. A stand-alone recording studio of high quality.