Roland (Boss) BR-1600 Tutorial

Some months ago my cousin gave me a ‘Roland/Boss BR-1180 Multi-Track Recorder’ he told me that I would need to read the instructions thoroughly as it is quite a complicated machine with lots of built-in features. He went on to say that there were some parts of this device that he still hadn’t figured out and he’d had this unit for some years. I glanced through the manual and my eyes glazed over, this was clearly going to take some time and some sort of a degree in sound technology! At the end of the day, I’m a musician and just wanted to get on with the process of recording.
I did a quick internet search to see if there were any guides or tips online and came across the ‘Roland DVD Instruction Manual’ for the Boss BR-1180, so I decided to purchase this. I was not disappointed! The whole set up is explained and demonstrated by David Wills who is a professional Sound Engineer having worked with some leading music artists.
The DVD takes the form of a course and you are presented with a menu which links to various chapters in which David takes you through step by step, explaining and demonstrating the various features and bells and whistles. This means you can easily jump in and out of needed or relevant sections.
I took some notes as I watched and enjoyed David’s relaxed style. He is never patronising and explains things thoroughly and gives reasons for the various settings and things to look out for and experiment with. Not only is David a fine sound guy but also a great musician. He demonstrates step by step, how to make your very first recording right through to the mixing and mastering stages. That said, David doesn’t attempt to ‘wow’ with his guitar playing but simply focuses on giving you the help you need to apply various effects and get the best sound from your instrument. Within weeks I found I was recording and producing my own material. My cousin was amazed at the results. ‘I never got it to sound as good as that!’ he told me. Whenever I got stuck on something I would simply refer back to the DVD. Sometime after this I decided to upgrade my device to the Boss BR-1600 CD. I wasted no time in seeking out the ‘Video Guide’ for this. On this occasion however I noticed that there was an online course available by David Wills. The advantage of this means that you can access your training guide anywhere, from your PC, Tablet or Mobile. I can now sit in my music room with the BR-1600CD in front of me while accessing the instruction guide from my mobile or PC. It’s also available instantly, no need to wait for a DVD to arrive. I somehow feel I’ve got to know David now as I’ve been through these guides so many times. He’s like a fellow bandmate giving you a hand. Being shown how to do something is a lot quicker than struggling through a complicated manual that’s for sure. If you want to take things further then ‘ProAudio expert’ offer follow up training on all aspects of sound engineering. All that remains is for me to say Thank You David for your help and to assure any fellow players or budding sound engineers out there – you won’t be disappointed!

This is one of the best tutorials on the market today. I would recommend it to anyone.

I've owned a Boss BR-1600 multi-track recorder for years and have relied on the user manual to navigate through the various menus and features. Not until I ran across David's tutorial recently did I have a way of quickly refreshing my memory on all the functions within the recorder. I have purchased a number of products from ProAudioEXP over the years and all have been informative and easy to follow. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn new products/workflows or refresh features lost within the cobwebs of the past.

I like most bought the 1600 recorder a year ago and wanted a more simpler understanding of the unit. So the video was what to get. It did help me start to understand the unit as to what things did and why. After putting a good year into the unit he was right hes not gonna tell you what sounds best for you.If you think your going to watch it and blow out recordings like a pro its not likley. True you will have a better understanding and I will have to say its great to go back to the video to reference things in the begginning. Time and more time and trying different recording projects will build up your experience with the unit. I am now working with a sequencer and other midi keyboards and drum machines all sync together with the unit and its wonderful now. The video bearly touched on any of that stuff. I would suggest buying a good drum machine that flam and rolls and midi it to the BR the drum sounds. The BR drums sound great but having more controll over sensitivity and effects help create better drum patterns to play into unit using BR drums. But time on the unit will get you their and experimenting will get you better at finding the level of sounds and realizim you want, it also depends on what type of music your trying to record.Its putting the time into trying and experimenting. I took me a good year before I was able to feel confident with how to produce a good sound and thousands of dollars to get the room setup to record.The guitar sounds are so so in the unit and I find mic-ing a amp to beat all the programed guitar sounds. So dont beat yourself up it will take practice to get a good sound and the video only outlines what each thing does. Some things he breezes over so fast youll find your self rewinding the video to catch it. But most of the stuff he explains is good. I would say you will need the video to break through the learning process. The Booklets a bit deep at times with the video it really helps. But in time it all makes sense if you keep on ...

extremly usefull!!i think this is the easiest and the best way to lurn to record your songs

I purchased the BR-1600 machine about four years ago. I am still trying to gain proficiency on this machine. It is a very, very complex recording device. As DVD presenter/audio engineer, Mr. David Wills says, It is far from being a little demo machine. The BR-1600 machine includes a 71 page introduction manual and a 300 page directions manual that reads like original Japanese, translated into English. The pages of both my manuals are worn, dog eared from usage. I purchased the BR-1600 DVD Training Tutorial to aid my failed attempts and frustrations with trying to master this monster. This DVD compresses all the BR-1600 features and functions into 110 minutes. I ve seen the entire DVD three times, and studied selected chapters. The end result is the DVD is really a complete usage overview, rather than a thorough training course for BR-1600 owners. BR-1600 features are visually articulated with more emphasis rather than repeated efforts made to educate the user. As for training , it s far to compressed to cover all technical aspects offered by the BR-1600.My honest evaluations are that I am glad I purchased the DVD. The visual overviews and operations will aid your confidence in knowing it is possible to fully appreciate all the technical marvels offered by the BR-1600. The DVD just confirms what I have learned over the years when I read marketing slogans like It s easy to record your band. That translates into, With hours and hours of study and practical applications, you will be able to successfully achieve satisfactory recording results. Bottom line, this DVD should be included with the purchase of the BR-1600 machine.

Purchased for my 17 year old Nephew, he loves it.

Excellent tutorial. Wished it had info on syncing with the DR-880 drum machine, but other than that no complaints.

I purchased the BR-1600 machine about four years ago. I am still trying to gain proficiency on this machine. It is a very, very complex recording device. As DVD presenter/audio engineer, Mr. David Wills says, "It is far from being a little demo machine." The BR-1600 machine includes a 71 page introduction manual and a 300 page directions manual that reads like original Japanese, translated into English. The pages of both my manuals are worn, dog eared from usage. I purchased the BR-1600 DVD Training Tutorial to aid my failed attempts and frustrations with trying to master this monster. This DVD compresses all the BR-1600 features and functions into 110 minutes. I've seen the entire DVD three times, and studied selected chapters. The end result is the DVD is really a complete usage overview, rather than a thorough training course for BR-1600 owners. BR-1600 features are visually articulated with more emphasis rather than repeated efforts made to educate the user. As for "training", it's far to compressed to cover all technical aspects offered by the BR-1600. Prior education is required before successful handling can be achieved.

I recently bought the BR-1600 and as I am a musician and NOT a technician, I thought I could do with some help getting the most out of this machine. It takes you step by step through all the features but you should not discard the written manual as some basic knowledge is required. It plays perfectly well on my (British) DVD player and TV.