• 8 simultaneous playback tracks, 64 V-Tracks
• CompactFlash memory card slot for recording media; 128MB card included
• Powerful guitar and effects processor, including vocal FX and pitch corrector
• Built-in drum machine with velocity-sensitive pads
• USB port for data transfer/computer connectivity

• The BR-600 provides eight simultaneous playback tracks, but there's more than meets the eye. Each of the eight tracks also contains eight V-Tracks (virtual tracks), which gives musicians quick access to 64 tracks of recorded material. They can record dozens of takes, and choose their favorites for mixdown. Tracks can be manipulated with the powerful effects built into the BR-600. Derived from BOSS high-end recorders, these quality algorithms can give even the dullest tracks maximum impact mist

The BR-600 provides eight simultaneous playback tracks, but there's more than meets the eye. Each of the eight tracks also contains eight V-Tracks (virtual tracks), which gives musicians quick access to 64 tracks of recorded material. They can record dozens of takes, and choose their favorites for mixdown. Tracks can be manipulated with the powerful effects built into the BR-600. Derived from BOSS high-end recorders, these quality algorithms can give even the dullest tracks maximum impact mistakes can be fixed, mixes can be mastered. Included in the effects suite: COSM® guitar and bass amp models plus chorus, delay, reverb, and EQ for every channel. Pitch correction is provided as well.

The reason this device was made is to have a full studio in your lap while traveling, for beginners this device is highly recommended, it has everything you need even a tuner, so instead of just playing one guitar(you can play rhythm and solos with a drum beat and jam all by your self) you can use 4 mono tracks and 2 stereo tracks. what i do for more tracks is that i record the tracks on (jet audio) then record it back on a stereo track so by that i have recorded the rhythm with the drum beat and have 3 stereo tracks left for a solo (because when you push track 1 and track 2 they record together giving you a stereo track) so you can record track 1&2 then track 3&4 then track 5/6 then track 7/8 giving you 4 stereo tracks. the whole concept of music changed when i started recording on the BR-600. about the mic if you put 2 mics you will get different sound effects then installing one mic (for example the chipmunks sound is with 2 mics and darth vader sound is with one mic)my sister likes to play around with these funny sounds lol(i really liked the sound used in the movie screem you know on the telephone with my friends lol) i didn't know that mics had sound effects before buying the BR-600, about the drums you can select (PAD) this option gives you a complete drum set by pushing on the buttons what i liked is that when you push hard on it it gives you a loud sound and when you just tap it it gives you a very soft sound as like playing on real drums, the device has a right and left built in mic (but with out sound effects) this is cool for recording an idea instantly.the device has lots of features so i don't know all of them yet, the BR-600 is really awesome and loaded with fun and can be used in recording any kind of sounds.

Don't be deceived in to buying off-the-shelf Compact Flash (SanDisk, etc.) This box is proprietary in the worst sense here. Only Boss Compact Flash will work. Very bad/stupid decision on their part.

The BR-600 is a useful machine, but there are some limitations. The 8 tracks are actually 4 unique tracks and 2 stereo tracks. This is limiting when recording back up guitar, two drum tracks, bass and then, oops, out of tracks, have to mix down. The unit uses 1G Flash Memory or smaller. You can't use a larger capacity memory. 1G will fill up after 5 or 6 songs if you've recorded a few takes and mixed down a few times. The unit comes with a 256M chip that won't last long. At $50 - $60 each the 1G memory chips will eat up a lot of cash. Also, the 1G Flash chips are getting hard to find since most consumers want larger memory capacity for newer devices.

For about $50 more than the new BR-600 you can pick up the Fostex MR-16HD. This machine has a 40G hard drive. It also has 8 unique inputs, with 4 stereo tracks. A similar problem to the BR-600, but 8 tracks give you much more versatility than 4.

I'm going to keep my BR-600 to use to record rehearsals and live gigs, but I'll rely on the Fostex for studio work.

Pros: Easy to use - read the manual first, then consult as needed. Pretty easy to get the hang of the selection dial, buttons and controls.
Built-in microphones work very well, but the automatic compression will pick up background noise during silent passages.
The built-in effects are useful and sound very good.
The "Virtual Track" feature is excellent as you can record up to 32 mono tracks and 15 stereo tracks (they count these as 62 total virtual tracks -plus the target 2 tracks) before mixing/bouncing down to a stereo track. This can allow you to keep your originally recorded tracks after mix-downs in case you want to make a different mix-down or decide you don't like the sound of the mix-down.
Cons: Recorder does not come with the AC power supply (but it does run off batteries too)
The included memory card is too small for practical use - first thing you need to do is find a compatible 1Gig card.
You can only transfer two tracks at a time to a computer in WAV format (but you can back up everything at once with typical Windows drag-and-drop).

Recommended for: Band/solo demos; amateur musicians who want to share their music

I read reviews on other sites and it looks like some of us forget that for this kind of price, the amount of possibilities and independence the br-600 provides a musician would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.

If the br-600 were as basic as someone else wished it were in another review somewhere else, it would be booed and wouldn't sell. I found the manual challenging to read but definitely not impossible. The challenge is actually fun and the recorder can also be used in a very basic way.

I had no issue with noise from the stereo microphones and the tracks sound crystal clear. Stay away from other adapters, appliances or neon light that might generate interferences.

To sum it up, I am no gadget geek nor a digital recording expert, actually I am mostly a musician and rather old school at that, but buying this thing finally made me give away my old Tascam 4 track tape recorder. I say buy it if you're open minded and have a little spare time to learn how to use it! :-)

Cons: does not ship with an AC adapter (minus 1 star)! duh...