BOSS DB-30 Digital Metronome, Portable, Ruggedly Built, and Packed with fun Play-Along patterns and Reference Tuning

If you're learning to play the piano, then a decent metronome is something that you cannot do without. Most pianists tend to prefer the classic wooden wind-up variety, and having listened to the sounds that are produced by most of the cheaper electronic metronomes out there, I can understand why. There's nothing that can beat the timeless "donk-donk-donk-ding!" sound of a traditional metronome... or is there? Enter the Boss DB-90 digital metronome, made by Roland. Instead of producing cheap-sounding digital beeps, the DB-90 actually plays back recorded samples of a traditional wooden metronome. The traditional metronome pendulum is also simulated on the LCD screen via a series of lines that give the illusion of a moving pendulum, whilst two red LEDs just above the screen flash in time with the beat. In spite of looking quite complicated, the DB-90 is actually very easy to operate. Press the "Power" button to turn it on, then press the "Beat/Pattern" button (bottom row on the left) and rotate the big orange knob to select the number of beats per bar (displayed on the screen under "STYLE"). Now press "Tempo" and rotate the big orange knob to select the number of beats per minute. Then press the big "Start/Stop" button to start the metronome. Now you can have some fun with the sliders. The first slider controls the volume of the bell; the second slider controls the volume of the beat; and the next three sliders allow you to sound eighth-notes, sixteenth-notes and triplets. You'll probably not want to use these very much, but they're there if you ever need them. The last slider is the overall volume control. This metronome has plenty of volume to it, so if you're playing a digital piano, you'll probably be only using 30% volume. Want to try using a different sound for your metronome? No problem. Pressing "Voice" allows you to use the big orange knob to scroll through the four built-in voices. In addition to the standard "wooden" tone, there is a higher-pitched tone, a lower-pitched tone and a human "counting" voice. The DB-90 includes a backlight for the screen, but pressing the "Light" button only turns it on for 5 seconds. If you want the backlight to remain on, you'll first have to press the "power" button to turn the unit off, then hold down the "light" button whilst pressing the "power" button again to turn the unit back on. The backlight will now remain on until you switch the unit off. You can do this any time you like without worrying about losing your rhythm settings, because everything is saved to memory automatically. In terms of connectivity, the BD-90 has it all. There are two headphone sockets (3.5mm and 6.35mm), a 6.35mm socket for you to connect a start/stop footswitch, a 6.35mm 2-way socket for you to change the rhythm memories (up/down) with your foot via another special footswitch. There are also some input sockets, including a MIDI-in, although this probably goes beyond what most people will actually use. Once you've started using this metronome as part of your daily music practice, you'll probably want to buy a power supply for it, because it chews through batteries quite quickly. Only three small negatives: (1) Roland wired this metronome to switch seamlessly to using battery power in the event of a cable disconnection or a power failure. Whilst I can understand why they have done this, it also means that if you connect your DB-90 to an external power supply, and then you forget to turn your power supply on, the unit will continue to operate normally, but using battery power instead. This feature might result in you going through more batteries than you intended. (2) The metronome has 50 user memories so that you can save and recall your favourite rhythms. However, when you change the battery, all your user memories get reset, and there is no way of backing up your data. (3) The pull-out plastic stand at the back of the unit feels a bit flimsy. When deciding which metronome is right for you, certain challenging questions will need to be asked. Is it really worth paying £105 for a complicated-looking digital metronome that requires its own separate power supply when you can buy a traditional wood-effect wind-up one (complete with bell) for under £30? I wrestled with this dilemma myself, and I chose to go digital. Your choice might be different to mine, but the most important thing is to buy a metronome that you can live with, and which makes your daily music practice a more enjoyable experience.

Nice piece of kit. Have bought electronic metronomes before but don't like the beeps. This has the option of sounding like a standard wind up metronome, which I prefer. The rhythm part of it is awesome. If you want a quality product & can afford it don't hesitate, just buy it, you won't be disappointed.

As someone who practices guitar (electric) a lot this was the missing piece of equipment. To be able to get up at 5.00 am and plug my guitar stright into this metronome , plug the headphones in as well and be practicing in seconds with a fully controlable backing rythm without disturbing anybody is superb. I have a digital studio on my PC (FL Stuio), two really good amplifiers, keyboard controller and a set of drum pads yet I am continually reaching for the BOSS DB-90 for those 10 to 15 minute practibes where you don't want to do a full setup. As is usual these day you have to buy a mains supply adaptor seperately but the battery lasts well so this isn't to much of a hassle. Case and controls are plastic but I am happy with that as they seem robust enough. I am an electronics engineer and I can tell within seconds if a bit of kit is well made or not I will admit I thought twice abou paying the asking price for this but now i've got it I am glad I did. I love it.

Presumes a good musical knowledge. It does everything you could require. Flimsy, lacklustre construction, the lettering is barely legible. At this price, come on!

Over all I am happy with the DB-90. The best thing about the unit for me is the ability to adjust the volume of the 1/4 1/8 1/16 notes on the front of the unit. Very handy when it all seems too busy. Cons: Far too extensive but it is a large format and I know of no other large format metronomes. The inbuilt stand to angle the unit at 70 degrees from the desk is appallingly flimsy and will collapse as soon as you go near the buttons. I am personally going to design and 3D print a better solution but not everyone has that luxury. Would I buy it again in hindsight? Yes. There is no alternative for a larger format machine with a lot of features including MIDI sync etc.

Very good Quality

God of all the metronomes. I like so much its natural metronome sound, its jog dial. Do not use battery but plug charger but agree the battery runs out very quickly.. Only complaint is after it is unplgged and then plugged back or if electricty goes away, when powered back on, the meters have to be moved up or down otherwise they sound at top level even though they are at the lowest. I kept the stars at 5 because I believe these little faults are not enough to wipe one.

Great, easy to use and loud, makes it really easy to keep in the groove.