At Musikmesse 2011, Boss introduced the Micro BR BR-80 Digital Recorder, an updated and improved version of the company's Micro BR multitrack recorder.

The Micro BR BR-80 offers recording musicians an eight-track upgrade to the first Micro BR, plus the latest Boss guitar and vocal effects, built-in rhythms, onboard stereo mics, jamming, and practice features directly inherited from the Boss eBand JS-8. The new digital recorder also features Live Record mode, which essentially turns the unit into a functional stereo handheld field recorder.

Ideal for guitarists, songwriters, and musicians, the Micro BR BR-80 is small enough to fit in a pocket, but powerful enough to use on pro-level music productions. The recorder boasts 2 tracks of simultaneous WAV-format recording, 8 tracks of playback, and 64 virtual tracks for advanced editing and mixdown. Stereo condenser microphones are built in for up to 500 hours of recording time (with the optional 32 GB SDHC card) for capturing song ideas and rehearsals quickly. Also included are dedicated inputs for connecting a guitar, a microphone, or any stereo line-level device.

When it comes to effects, the Micro BR BR-80 delivers. Onboard are COSM guitar and bass effects, dedicated vocal effects taken from the VE-20 Vocal Performer, and a suite of mastering effects. As with all BR-series recorders, effects are easy to dial in, letting you capture sounds with ease. For more extensive tweaking, you can tinker with the effects in detail via a set of adjustable parameters.

Songwriters will like that the unit has a host of backing rhythm tracks in a large variety of musical styles. The rhythms feature drum and percussion sounds and are organized into patterns designed for use in different song sections.

In addition, the Micro BR BR-80 offers an extensive set of features for music practice and jamming. The new eBand mode provides a library of backing tracks and rhythm patterns to play along with, and your own WAV or MP3 songs can be imported as well. Variable speed playback, variable pitch, and A-B Repeat features enable you to learn riffs and practice songs in different keys and tempos. The Center Cancel function allows you to minimize the sound of guitar solos and vocals in pre-recorded tracks.

A handy USB port lets you use the BR-80 as an audio interface with effects for computer-based recording. It also makes it easy to import and export WAV and MP3 audio tracks.

Micro BR BR-80 digital recorder comes with a software bundle with Cakewalk Sonar X1 LE, the eBand Song List Editor, and the BR Wave Converter.

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