Boss BR-1180CD, BR-1180 User Manual

BR-1180CD

BR-1180

Digital Recording Studio

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It’s a Fact…

The BOSS BR-1180CD/BR-1180 is a powerful, all-inone digital recording studio. It provides 10 playback tracks—with a stereo mastering track—and 80 Virtual Tracks for recording. Key features include:

• Huge 20GB hard drive that provides a staggering 60 hours of uncompressed recording time

• Built-in CD-RW drive in BR-1180 (or optional user-installable upgrade for the BR-1180) provides internal audio CD burning, data backup, importing and exporting of .wav files and more

•2 XLR mic inputs with phantom power, plus Hi-Z guitar input and line inputs

• Onboard COSM® multi-effects processor plus reverb, delay, and Mastering Tool Kit effects

• Separate Rhythm Guide with many realistic drum sounds and a variety of patterns including rock, blues, country, jazz and more

• Easy and intuitive icon-based interface simplifies recording, bouncing and mixing

Loading and Playing a Demo Song

Use the following procedure to load and play back a demo song in the BR-1180CD:

1. Press UTILITY. Press CURSOR or until “SONG” is displayed. Press ENTER/YES.

2. Press oruntil “SONG SELECT” is displayed. Press ENTER/YES.

3. Press  or  to highlight “Take a Ride,” and press ENTER/YES to select it.

4. If “Save Current?” is displayed, press ENTER/YES to save the song that’s currently loaded.

5. Press PLAY and bring up the AUDIO TRACK MIXER faders, the MASTER fader and the RHYTHM/LOOP faders to listen to the demo.

Creating a New Song

1. Press UTILITY. Press orto display “SONG,” and press ENTER/YES.

2. Press orto display “SONG NEW,” and press ENTER/YES—“Data Type:" is displayed.

3. Turn the TIME/VALUE dial to select LIN for the best recording quality.

4. Press  to highlight “GO” and press ENTER/YES.

5. If "Save Current?" is displayed, press ENTER/YES—the BR-1180 creates a new song.

Using the Rhythm Guide Feature

1. Press the STEREO RHYTHM/LOOP EDIT button until it’s lit red.

2. Press STEREO RHYTHM/LOOP ON/OFF until it’s lit solid red—the currently selected rhythm arrangement plays.

3. Raise the STEREO RHYTHM/LOOP fader to set the desired listening volume.

4. Press , ,  and/or  to highlight “ARRANGE” and turn the TIME/VALUE dial to select an arrangement such as P5 ARG.ROCK5.

5 Tap at least four times on the TAP button to set

the desired tempo.

6. Press STEREO RHYTHM/LOOP ON/OFF until it flashes red to signify Auto mode, and press EXIT/NO to return to the main display screen.

Using the GUITAR/BASS Input

1. Press the REC MODE button so INPUT lights.

2. Plug a guitar into the GUITAR/BASS input.

3. Press the left INPUT SELECT button to turn on the GUITAR/BASS input.

4. Adjust the left SENS knob until its red PEAK light flashes occasionally when the guitar is playing at its loudest level.

5. Turn the INPUT LEVEL knob until the IN meter on the LCD screen displays a level between -12 and -4.

Inserting an Effect

For this example, we’ll insert a COSM Guitar Amp processor on the guitar input.

1. If necessary, press the COSM EFFECTS button so it lights red.

2. Press the COSM EFFECTS button to display the effects patch list.

3. Select a guitar patch—such as P29 Tube Stack—with the TIME/VALUE dial.

4. Play the guitar to hear the effect, or select another preset with the TIME/VALUE dial.

5. Press EXIT/NO to return to the main screen.

BR-1180CD

BR-1180

Digital Recording Studio

TurboStart

Recording Your Performance

Note: To play along with the Rhythm Guide, the ON/OFF AUTO button must be flashing red. To turn off the Rhythm Guide, press this button so it’s not lit.

1. Set your recording level and choose the desired effect, as described earlier.

2. Press REC TRACK 1 so it lights red.

3. Raise the first AUDIO TRACK MIXER fader and the MASTER fader to set your listening level.

4. Press the REC button, followed by PLAY—you're now recording on Track 1.

5. When you’re finished recording, press STOP. Press the ZERO button to return to the start of the song, and press PLAY to listen to your recording. Adjust the fader in Step 3 if desired.

Adding Reverb to a Recording Track

1. Press the REVERB button.

2. Press  or  until is displayed.

3. Turn the TIME/VALUE dial to set the amount of reverb to be applied to Track 1.

4. Press PLAY to listen to the recording on Track 1 with reverb. You can turn TIME/VALUE to adjust the reverb level as the song plays.

Note: To add chorus or delay to Track 1, press CHORUS/DELAY twice in Step 1 for chorus or once for delay, and then perform Steps 2-4.

"REVERB:SEND:TRACK 1"

Mixing Down Your Tracks

Before burning an audio CD, you’ll combine—or “bounce”—all of your recorded tracks, along with their respective mixer settings and effects, onto two tracks. This is called “mixing down.” We’ll use Tracks 9/10, the default mixdown destination tracks.

1. Adjust all of your mixer settings, including level, panning, and effects, as desired.

2. Press the REC MODE button until the BOUNCE indicator lights—the REC TRACK 9/10 button blinks.

3. Press the REC button and then PLAY to begin the mixdown.

4. Press STOP at the end of the song.

5. Bring Faders 1-8 all the way down.

6. Press ZERO and then PLAY to listen to the mix you’ve recorded on Tracks 9/10.

Mastering with the MTK Effects

In the “mastering” process, you’ll use the onboard Mastering Tool Kit (“MTK”) Effects to help smooth out the mix’s volume fluctuations and to balance its overall treble-bass characteristics. We’ll master the mix we previously recorded on Tracks 9/10.

Note: During mastering, the BR-1180 records your mastered mix onto a special pair of Virtual Tracks belonging to Tracks 9/10—these Virtual Tracks are your “mastering tracks.”

1. Press the REC MODE button until the MASTERING indicator lights.

2. Press the MASTERING TOOL KIT button to display the MTK selection screen. (If “MTK OFF” is displayed, press MASTERING TOOL KIT one more time.)

3. Use the CURSOR buttons to highlight the MTK patch number, and turn the TIME/VALUE dial to select the desired MTK effect.

4. Press EXIT/NO to return to the Mastering Tool Kit screen.

5. Press PLAY and adjust the volume of the mix on Tracks 9/10 as desired.

6. Press STOP and then press ZERO to return to the beginning of the song.

7. Press REC and then press PLAY to begin recording.

8. When you reach the end of the song, press STOP to finish mastering.

Note: When mastering is complete, the BR-1180 automatically selects the mastering tracks for playback through Fader 9/10. The MTK effects processor is no longer needed—you’ve already recorded your MTK effects onto your mastering tracks—so the BR-1180 turns it off for you.

9. Press ZERO to return to the top of the song, and press PLAY to hear your mastered tracks.