Boss BR-1200CD User Manual

b

BR-1200CD

Digital Recording

Workstation

TurboStart

Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of the BOSS
BR-1200CD. This TurboStart contains step-by-step
instructions that will quickly introduce you to the
BR-1200CD’s major features.

Loading and Playing the Demo Song

Use the following procedure to load and play back
the demo song in the BR-1200CD:

1. Press UTILITY.

2. Press  until the SONG icon is displayed.
3 Press F2 for SONG.

4. Press  until SONG SELECT is displayed.

5. Press F2 to select it.

6. Use your   buttons to select a demo song.

7. Press F4 (GO) to load the selected song.

8. If “Save Current?” is displayed, press ENTER to
continue loading the song.

9. Bring up the TRACK MIXER and MASTER
faders, and press PLAY to hear the demo song.

Recording a Song

Here’s how to record a guitar track while using effects
and playing along with the Rhythm Guide.

Creating a New Song

1. Press UTILITY.

2. Use the  buttons until SONG is displayed.

3. Press F2 to select SONG.

4. Press F3 (NEW).

5. Turn TIME/VALUE to select the song’s track
type.

4. Press F4 (GO).

Note: Track types can be freely changed even after
Song New has been completed.

Inserting Effects on the Inputs

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

1. If the COSM button is not lit red, press the button
to turn it red.

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

3. Turn the TIME/VALUE dial to select P011 Warm
Drive.

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

Adding A Steady Beat with the Rhythm

Patterns are the rhythms that play back in the
BR-1200CD—these are the building blocks of an
arrangement. To make the patterns play back in a
certain order, or for a certain duration of time, create
an arrangement.

1. Press the PROGRAMMABLE RHYTHM
ARRANGEMENT/PATTERN button so the
ARRANGMENT indicator lights red.

2. Press PROGRAMMABLE RHYTHM EDIT.

3. Use the  buttons and the TIME/VALUE dial
to navigate to the Arrangement box and select
U005-UserArrange5.

4. Press  to go to BPM and turn TIME/VALUE to
set the tempo to the desired value.

5. Press F2 to select VIEW.

6. Make sure the arrow at the far left of the screen
points to “Drums,” and use F3 to select ArrEdit.
This allows you to edit the drum arrangement.

7. Press  to go to PATTERN and select P002
Rock 02 – V1 using the TIME/VALUE dial.

8. Press  to go to LENGTH and use the
TIME/VALUE dial to select 100—this sets the
number of measures for which the pattern plays.

9. Set the 11/12 fader to the desired listening level.

10. Press ZERO, and then press PLAY to hear the
drums.

Guide

Using the Dedicated Inputs

1. Plug the guitar into the GUITAR/BASS input.

2. Press the GUITAR/BASS button so it lights red.

3. Adjust the first SENS knob (input sensitivity for
GUITAR/BASS) until the red PEAK light flashes
occasionally when the instrument is played at its
loudest level.

4. Adjust the INPUT LEVEL knob until the first
meter on the LCD screen averages between –12
and –4.

5. Press REC MODE to light the INPUT indicator.

TBS 236 ©2006 Roland Corporation U.S.

Recording a Performance

1. To select and arm a recording track, press the
round REC TRACK button of the track you wish
to record.

2. Press the REC button—it flashes red to indicate
it’s ready to start recording.

3. Press PLAY to start recording.

4. When you’re finished recording, press STOP.

5. Press the ZERO button to rewind to the
beginning of the song, and press PLAY to listen
to the track, adjusting the faders as necessary.

www.BOSSUS.com

Page 1

b

BR-1200CD

Digital Recording

Workstation

TurboStart

Adding Reverb to the Recording Track

1. Press the REVERB button.

2. Press F3 (EDIT).

3. Select the type of reverb you’d like to use on the
track: “Room,” “Hall,” or “Plate.”

4. Use  and to select the desired track.

5. Use the VALUE1/PAN knob to adjust the level.

Note: To add chorus or delay, use the same
procedure, pressing CHORUS/DELAY in Step 1.

Saving a Song

1. Press the UTILITY button.

2. Press F2 for the SONG icon.

3. Press F4 (STORE).

4. When display asks “SAVE CURRENT?”, press
ENTER/YES.

Shortcut: Hold down the STOP button and then
press the REC button to make the “Save Current?”
screen appear. Press ENTER/YES to save the song.

Mixing Down Your Tracks

When creating an audio CD, you must combine, or
“bounce,” all recorded tracks down to two tracks in a
process called “mixing down.”

Mixing Down (Bouncing) to Track 11/12

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

2. Press REC TRACK 11/12’s REC TRACK button
so it flashes red and the rest of the tracks’
buttons remain green—Track 11/12’s first
V-Track is selected for recording.

3. Press ZERO to return to the start of the song.

4. Press the REC button so it flashes red, and then
press PLAY to begin the mixdown. Adjust the
faders as necessary during playback.

5. Press STOP when you’ve reached the end of the
song or the point at which you want to stop the
mixdown.

6. Press ZERO, and then PLAY to play back the
mixed down audio.

Mastering with the MTK Effects

After mixing down, “mastering” uses the MTK—for
“Mastering Tool Kit”—effects to smooth out changes
in volume that occur over the course of a song.

1. Press REC MODE several times until the
MASTERING indicator lights.

2. Press the MASTERING TOOL KIT button to turn
the mastering effects on.

3. Turn the TIME/VALUE dial to select the desired
MTK effect.

4. Press PLAY and adjust the volume of Track
11/12.

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

6. Press REC to go into Record Standby mode,
and then press PLAY to begin recording.

7. At the end of the song, press STOP.

8. Press ZERO, and then PLAY to hear your
mastered tracks.

Note: Since you mixed your song onto Track 11/12
V-Track 1 in the previous section, the BR-1200CD
automatically selected Track 11/12 V-Track 2 for
mastering. You can actually use any V-Tracks you
like. See the Owner’s Manual for details.

Burning a CD

The BR-1200CD’s Track at Once operation allows
you to create a CD one song at a time.

1. Place a blank CD-R disc in the CD-R/RW drive.

2. Press the AUDIO CD WRITE/PLAY button.

3. Press F1 to highlight the WRITE icon.

4. Press F1 to highlight the TR. AT ONCE icon.

5. Use the  buttons and the TIME/VALUE dial
to select the pair of V-Tracks you want to write to
CD. (If you mastered your mix as described
above, this’ll be Track 11/12 V-Track 2.)

6. Press F3 (GO).

7. Set the write speed to X8, and press ENTER.

8. When the display shows ”Write Sure?” press
ENTER to begin writing the CD.

9. When the CD is finished burning, the
BR-1200CD asks, “Finalize?”
If you’d like to write additional songs on this
particular CD, don’t finalize it. However, you
must finalize a CD in order to play it on an
ordinary CD player.

10. Press ENTER/YES to finalize the CD, or
EXIT/NO if you want to add more songs.

TBS 236 ©2006 Roland Corporation U.S.

www.BOSSUS.com

Page 2