Boss BR-800 Digital Recorder

Boss BR-800 – An Eight-Track Studio That Fits in a Gig Bag

The Boss BR-800 is a portable digital multitrack recorder that puts a complete songwriting studio in one compact unit: eight tracks of playback, four-track simultaneous recording to SD card, built-in stereo condenser microphones, COSM effects for guitar, bass and vocals, and a rhythm section with hundreds of patterns to write against. It also works as a USB audio interface and control surface for your DAW, so songs started on the BR-800 can grow up in the studio.

For guitarists and songwriters, it remains one of the most direct routes ever made from an idea to a finished demo – no computer required.

Key features

• 8-track playback with 4-track simultaneous recording
• Records to SD and SDHC cards up to 32 GB
• Built-in stereo condenser microphones for instant capture
• COSM amp and effects modelling for guitar and bass, plus vocal effects
• Rhythm generator with built-in drum patterns and arrangement tools
• EZ Recording mode that sets levels and effects for you
• USB audio interface and DAW control surface function
• Hi-Z guitar input, XLR microphone input with phantom power and stereo line input
• Runs on 6 AA batteries or the included AC adaptor

Capture the idea while it is still an idea

Songs rarely arrive when you are sitting in front of a configured DAW. The BR-800’s built-in stereo microphones and battery power mean it can live on a coffee table, in a rehearsal room or on the road, ready the moment something is worth keeping. EZ Recording interviews you briefly – what are you recording, how loud is it – and sets input levels and a suitable effect, so a first take is seconds away rather than a setup session away. Four tracks record at once, enough for a small band playing together, and eight playback tracks with virtual tracks underneath give arrangements room to develop.

COSM effects and a rhythm section on board

The effects engine draws on Boss’s COSM modelling from its flagship guitar and vocal processors: amp models and stompbox effects for guitar and bass, pitch correction, harmony and studio effects for vocals, plus mastering effects for the final mix. The rhythm generator supplies drum patterns across rock, pop, blues and more, with arrangement tools to build them into full song structures – a far better writing partner than a metronome, and it never cancels a rehearsal.

From standalone sketchpad to studio hub

Connect the BR-800 by USB and it becomes an audio interface for recording into your DAW and a hands-on control surface for transport and mixing, with its recordings transferable from the SD card. That dual life – standalone recorder away from the computer, studio tool in front of it – is why the BR-800 stayed in gig bags for years after launch.

Discontinued but well documented and widely supported, the BR-800 is a complete, self-contained songwriting studio for players who would rather record than configure.