The following article will guide through creating custom drum Patterns and Arrangements using the included BR-800 Rhythm Editor software.
Software Installation
Install the application software and the driver:
- BR-800 Rhythm Editor Software
BR-800 Rhythm Editor (Windows)
BR-800 Rhythm Editor (Mac) - BR-800 Driver
Select the driver for the computer's operating system and install: BOSS - BR-800 | Digital Recorder
Connecting the BR-800
After installing the BR-800 Rhythm Editor Software as well as the driver:
- Turn on the power to the BR-800.
- Connect the BR-800 to the computer with a USB cable.
- Press the [MENU] button
- Use the dial to select “USB” and then press ENTER.
- Use the dial to select “RHYTHM EDITOR” and then press ENTER.
- [Windows]
a. Open the BR-800 Rhythm Editor software.
b. In the BR Rhythm Editor software, click on “Setup” and then select “Set Up Audio Device…”
c. In the “Output Device” setting, select “OUT (BR-800)”.
[Mac OS]
a. Open “System Preferences” of Mac OS and click on “Sound”.
b. Click on the OUPUT tab and then select “BR-800 44.1kHz”.
Creating a Pattern
Drum Patterns are the building blocks for the internal drum machine in the BR-800. Typically, a drummer playing in a band repeatedly plays fixed sequences one or two measures in length. In the BR-800, these basic repeated units are called “patterns.”
- Connect the BR-800 according to the instructions in the “Connecting the BR-800” section above
- In the PATTERN section, click on the Bank Selection button and select “Song”.
- Click on the Pattern Selection button and select an empty Song Pattern (e.g. “EMPTY001”).
- Click on the Pattern Name field to name the Song Pattern.
- Click on the TIME SIGNATURE Selection button to select a desired time signature.
- Click on the LENGTH field to select the desired amount of measures that you would like in the Pattern.
You may now create your Pattern. The following example includes adding the CROSS STICK sound at the third beat of the first measure and the TOM1 sound at the first beat of the second measure. - Double-click on the CROSS STICK sound at the third beat of the first measure.
- Double-click on the TOM 1 sound at the first beat of the second measure.
- In the PATTERN section, click the
button to hear the Pattern play. Press the 
to end playback. - Click the
button. - Select the save destination and then click OK. The Pattern will be stored into the BR-800’s internal memory.
- Close down the BR Rhythm Editor software.
- On the BR-800, press EXIT and then ENTER to close the computer connection.
Creating an Arrangement
Although a pattern can be used by itself like a metronome to guide through practicing, that would mean that the rhythm does not change from the beginning to the end of the song. If you want to create a song that has musical variation, you’ll want to place different patterns in an appropriate order such as: Intro Pattern ➝ Chorus Pattern ➝ Break Pattern ➝ Ending Pattern. On the BR-800, data that places patterns in a specific order for performance is called an “Arrangement.”
- Connect the BR-800 according to the instructions in the “Connecting the BR-800” section above.
- In the ARRANGEMENT section of the BR Rhythm Editor software, click on the Bank Selection button and select “Song”.
- Click on the Arrangement Selection button and select an empty Song Arrangement (e.g. “EMPT001”).
- Click on the Arrangement Name field to name the Song Pattern.
- In the PATTERN section, select the Pattern Bank and Song Pattern that you would like to import into the Arrangement.
- Drag the select Song Pattern into the Arrangement.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until your Arrangement programming is complete.
- In the ARRANGEMENT section, click the PLAY button, to hear the Arrangement play. Press the STOP button to end playback.
- Click the
button. - Select the save destination and then click OK. The Arrangement will be stored into the BR-800’s internal memory.
- Close down the BR Rhythm Editor software.
- On the BR-800, press EXIT and then ENTER to close the computer connection.