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User Manual
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JoeCo bluebox User Manual

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 1
BLUEBOX
Workstation Interface RECORDER
User Manual
V 1.0 rev 3
Date: September 2016
This manual only covers the BBWR Recorder and should be read in conjunction with the Quick Start Guide.
More information is available in the LOGIN area of the JoeCo Website
www.joeco.co.uk . Visitors can gain immediate access to more detailed information
whilst EndUsers, once approved, are eligible for software upgrades and other downloads.
IF YOU NEED INFORMATION IN A HURRY, REGISTER AS A VISITOR AND UPGRADE TO AN ENDUSER LATER ON.
© JoeCo Limited 2009 - 2016. E&OE. All rights reserved. All trademarks and names are recognised as the property of their respective owners
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Contents
BLUEBOX ..................................................................................................................... 1
Workstation Interface RECORDER ............................................................................... 1
Important Safety Information .................................................................................................. 3
WARNING - Read the following before proceeding : ........................................................... 3
Copyright Warning ................................................................................................................... 4
Opening the Box ....................................................................................................................... 5
Box Contents ....................................................................................................................... 5
Controls and interfaces ............................................................................................................ 6
Front Panel .......................................................................................................................... 6
Rear Panel ........................................................................................................................... 7
JoeCo Control for Mac and PC .................................................................................................. 8
Mic/Line Input Controls ....................................................................................................... 8
Low Latency Input Monitor Mix .......................................................................................... 9
Workstation Output Monitor Mix ....................................................................................... 9
Transport and Master ........................................................................................................ 10
Installation.............................................................................................................................. 10
How to wire up the BBWR ................................................................................................. 10
Normal Operation .................................................................................................................. 13
Setting up .......................................................................................................................... 13
Use as an Audio Interface with Local Recording Backup ................................................... 14
Setting up as an Audio Interface ....................................................................................... 14
Local Recording ................................................................................................................. 15
Playback ............................................................................................................................ 16
File Names ......................................................................................................................... 17
Playback and Virtual Sound Checking ................................................................................ 20
Monitoring ........................................................................................................................ 21
Summary of Combined Front Panel Controls .................................................................... 22
Using the Menu ...................................................................................................................... 23
Menu structure and operation .......................................................................................... 23
Software updates ................................................................................................................... 32
Linking multiple BlueBox Recorders together......................................................................... 34
Using a PS2 keyboard ............................................................................................................. 36
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................... 37
Safe’n’Sound Record Recovery .......................................................................................... 39
Summary Of Alert Messages ............................................................................................. 40
JoeCo Conditions of Use ......................................................................................................... 42
Software Licence Agreement ............................................................................................ 44
Warranty Information ....................................................................................................... 47
Product Returns ................................................................................................................ 50
Product and End User Registration.................................................................................... 50
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Important Safety Information
WARNING - Read the following before proceeding :
Read instructions: Retain these safety and operating instructions for future
reference. Adhere to all warnings printed here and on the equipment. Follow the operating instructions printed in this User Guide.
Do not remove covers: Operate the equipment with its covers correctly fitted. Refer any service work on the equipment to competent authorised technical personnel only.
Power sources: Connect the equipment using the mains power adapter supplied. Power cord routing: Route power cords so that they are not likely to be walked on,
stretched or pinched by items placed upon or against them. Grounding: Do not defeat the grounding and polarisation means of the power cord adapter or plug. Do not remove or tamper with any ground connection in the power cord. Water and moisture: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock do not expose the equipment to rain or moisture or use it in damp or wet conditions. Do not place containers of liquid on it which might spill into any openings. Ventilation: Do not obstruct any ventilation. If the equipment is to be operated in a flight-case ensure that it is constructed to allow adequate ventilation. Heat and vibration: Do not locate the equipment in a place subject to excessive heat or direct sunlight as this could be a fire hazard. Locate the equipment away from any devices which produce heat or cause excessive vibration. Servicing: Unplug the power immediately if the unit is exposed to moisture, spilled liquid, the power adapter becomes damaged, during lightening storms, or if smoke, odour or noise is noticed. Refer servicing to qualified technical personnel only. Installation: Install the equipment in accordance with the instructions printed in this User Guide. Use the equipment connections for their intended purpose only.
Precautions
Environment: Protect from excessive dirt, dust, heat and vibration both when
operating and storing. Avoid drinks spillage, tobacco ash, smoke, and exposure to rain and moisture. If the equipment becomes wet, remove power immediately. Allow to dry out thoroughly before using again. Cleaning: Avoid the use of chemicals, abrasives or solvents. The equipment is best cleaned with a dry lint-free cloth. Do not remove the cover to clean the unit.
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Damage: To prevent damage to the equipment cosmetics, avoid placing heavy
objects on the unit, scratching the surface with sharp objects, or subjecting the unit to rough handling and vibration. Transporting: The equipment should be transported in the original packing or purpose built flight case to protect it from damage during transit. Cables: Plan the location of the equipment so that the connecting cables are not fully extended. Full extension of the cables can stress the equipment and cables and may result in undesired performance. Ensure that all cables are located such that they cannot be stood on or tripped over. The 25way D-sub connectors should not be over tightened and you should provide adequate strain relief to ensure that the weight of the cable looms does not rely on the D-type connectors themselves. Tie them to the rack with cable ties.
Copyright Warning
JoeCo’s recorder products are designed to enable you to record and reproduce
material to which you own the copyright, or material which the copyright owner has granted you permission to record and/or reproduce.
It is illegal to record, reproduce, distribute, sell, hire, lend, perform or broadcast all or part of a work (written or musical composition, broadcast, performance or similar) whose copyright is held by a third party without the permission of that third party.
Do not use this Product for purposes that could infringe a copyright held by a third party. JoeCo and its authorised distributors and resellers assume no responsibility whatsoever with regard to any infringements of third-party copyrights arising through your misuse of this Product.
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Opening the Box
Box Contents
Inside the box you will find the following:
BlueBox Workstation Interface Recorder Power Supply USB2 interface cable User Manual Quick Start Guide
The BlueBox Workstation Interface Recorder (BBWR) is not a standard multitrack recorder nor is it a digital audio workstation (DAW). It has been designed specifically to act as an audio interface for an audio workstation whilst making a safety backup of every recording in case of computer problems. It can also capture multitrack audio directly to a USB2/3 drive in live acquisition applications.
A number of specific features have been added to make it suitable and safe in a live environment such as playback lockout, protection against accidentally ending a recording and no general purpose operating system.
Some features often found in other multitrack machines are not present in the BlueBox Recorder such as overdubbing and punch in facilities.
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Controls and interfaces
Front Panel
The front panel of the BlueBox Workstation Recorder contains user controls for the unit. The buttons are all touch sensitive which prevents them wearing out through constant use – just place the flat of your finger on the button to operate.
The left hand side of the unit contains the metering section. Each channel or Track [1 through 24] has 3 rows of metering LEDs above the Track Arming LEDs.
Green = signal present: dimly lit at approx -45dBFS; bright at -22dBFS,
Yellow = good signal level: dim at -22dBFS; bright at -10dBFS
Red = getting hot / clip: dim at -10dBFS; bright red at 0dBFS
The metering LEDs get brighter as the signal level gets louder and the Red LED can be set to stay on when an overload occurs. The meters are positioned above a two colour LED that indicates whether the track is armed ready for recording or not (Green for playback ready; Red for record ready). There are also indicators for power, Disk activity and Playback Lockout
To the right of the JoeCo logo is the control wheel which has a number of functions explained later.
Then there are the main Transport controls [PLAY, STOP, RECORD] with the four other control buttons above [L-R: BACK, MARK, LOOP, MENU].
Finally, at the right hand side of the front panel is the colour LCD display. This is the primary user interface and shows the current mode of operation along with settings and any error messages. Most screens are colour coded to more easily see what is happening from a distance.
Metering
Transport
Controls
Control buttons
Display
Data
Wheel
Headphones O
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Rear Panel
The rear panel will look slightly different depending on which style of audio interface you have on your BlueBox Workstation Recorder. The areas indicated in the diagram below are explained in more detail later in this manual.
The upper three 25 way D-type (also called D-sub) connectors are the main microphone / line analogue input connectors. The lower three D-type connectors are the balanced outputs. The cable looms should conform to the TASCAM standard for analogue i/o. (N.B. all pin outs are available on the visitor page of the JoeCo website Login area)
The 9-pin socket should connect to the JoeCoRemote hardware which allows full control of the unit using an iPad. This is the recommended method of controlling the BBWR.
Linear timecode can be provided on the tip of the ¼” jack socket; the ring of the same
socket is for a momentary contact closure or footswitch. The BNC connector can accept either a Video or WordClock clocking signal
A PS2 keyboard socket allows control and text input from a standard PS2 style keyboard.
Power is provided by the supplied external power supply via the Kycon 4 pole connector (pin 1&3 = GND, 2&4 = +12V @ 3.3A)
Mic / line inputs
USB2 i/face
Balanced Analogue outputs
Clocks Disk
Keyboard
Headphones Timecode
Power Video/WC
JoeCo
Remote
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JoeCoControl for Mac and PC
The JoeCoControl app for PC and Mac gives the user full control of the BBWR’s inputs and effects. It also gives full control of a 48ch headphone mixer with control of both the local low latency headphone mix on the BlueBox and the headphone mix from your DAW to the outputs of your BlueBox.
Mic/Line Input Controls
The Mic/line Input control window allows control of the BBWR’s Inputs and effects. When Mic is selected the +48V (phantom power), HPF (High Pass Filter), Limit (soft limiter), 28dB Pad and Phase reverse buttons become active. The green Limit buttons turn amber to indicate that the limiter has been activated to reduce the level on that channel. Faders adjust the input level gain and you can also type accurate gains into the field at the bottom of each fader.
The 28dB Pad allows for mics with very high output levels and even line level signals to be processed through the limiter and high-pass filter effects
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Low Latency Input Monitor Mix
The Low Latency Input Monitor Mix window allows control of the local Low Latency headphone Monitor Mix on the BlueBox providing Pan and Level controls for each channel of the monitor mix along with familiar mute and solo functions. The resultant mix is routed to the rear headphone socket and is available for a producer or director to listen to the monitor mix during the recording.
The front panel headphone socket provides the engineer’s mix which will normally be the same mix unless the engineer uses a PFL button when it will monitor just that channel in Pre-Fade Listen mode.
Workstation Output Monitor Mix
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The Workstation Output Monitor Mix window allows control of the headphone mix for the DAW outputs. Like the Low Latency Input Monitor Mix window, this provides Pan and Level controls for each channel for the monitor mix along with mute and solo functions.
In the same fashion as the Low Latency Input Monitor Mix, the resultant mix is routed to the rear headphone socket and is available for a producer or director to listen to the monitor mix during the recording.
Transport and Master
The Transport and Master Window displays information and controls relevant to the BlueBox’s local recording. From this window you can send the BlueBox into record and stop the recording. You can also adjust the master headphone volume. It also tells you how much recording time there is left on the disk before it is full and for how long the BlueBox has been recording.
Installation
How to wire up the BBWR
Audio connections
If you have also purchased the optional JoeCo Input BreakOut Box (BOBIN), this will have been supplied with three 25way D-sub to D-sub cable looms which plug directly between the upper row of connectors on the back of the BBWR unit and the D-subs on the BOB. You can then use the XLR-F connectors on the BOBIN to plug your microphones or line sources into the unit.
Alternatively you can use 25way D-sub to XLR-F cables looms (one for each bank of 8 channels). These are wired to the TASCAM analogue format (as are ProTools systems) and can be purchased through your supplier.
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The analogue audio outputs, if required, are line level and appear on the lower row of 25way D-sub connectors. They use the same pin out (TASCAM analogue format) as the input connectors.
For connection to your Workstation, plug a high quality USB2-A to USB2-B cable between the USB2-B socket on your BlueBox and the USB2-A socket of your Mac or PC.
The BlueBox Recorder line outputs can be switched between Low and Pro levels in the Setup Menu (page 28).
Setting
LOW
PRO
Nominal level
-10dBu
+4dBu
Headroom above nominal level
14dB
18dB
0dBFS (when digital clipping will occur)
+4dBu
+21dBu
Power connection
The BBWR is supplied with its own power supply which plugs into the dc inlet at the
rear right of the unit (or left if you’re looking at the rear as you read this). Although
the unit can accept a suitable regulated dc input from a 12V battery powered cart for example it should always be used with the power supply provided if possible. A mounting lug is provided to cable tie the power cable if you wish.
Choosing and connecting a disk drive
The BlueBox Recorder is not particularly fussy about its Disk Drive. We cannot guarantee that every drive in the world will work but most do. Critical features are:
Up to 2TB with USB2 or USB3 interface 7200rpm recommended Formatted with FAT32 Filing System Mains powered (except fast USB2 pen drives, aka thumb drives / memory
sticks)
This means that most drives that are both Mac and PC compatible will work ok. USB2 can carry up to 480Mbits/s of data and for recording 24 tracks of 96kHz/24bit the maximum data rate we need is less than 60Mbits/s so there’s normally plenty of headroom. JoeCo has already tested numerous USB2 drives from Western Digital, Glyph, Seagate, Verbatim, Samsung, Buffalo and others and found them to work well. We chose the FAT32 filing system because it is compatible with all major Operating
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Systems and it’s also the format chosen for the AES31 digital interchange standard. USB3 drives are backwards compatible with USB2 and should also work well.
However, bus-powered drives (such as the Western Digital Passport series) typically draw more current during spin up than the USB2 specification allows (limited to 500mA) and can therefore not be used without providing a separate power supply.
Standard Flash RAM drives (aka Pen Drives) are not fast enough to take the full USB2 data rates that the BBWR requires but the fastest ones normally work ok. Larger thumb drives (128GB and bigger) are typically much faster and usually work very well. Ask the shop if you can try the drive with the BBWR before you buy it.
Plug the disk drive into the USB2 socket on the back of the BBWR unit and then power up the drive. The drive will be scanned, logged and ready to use in a matter of seconds. If it takes more than 20 seconds to log the drive or the BlueBox reports “WRONG DISK FORMAT”, check that the disk is formatted correctly. The BlueBox can be used to reformat the drive to FAT32 (see page 32)
Checking that everything works
Once you have powered the unit up and the disk drive is connected and powered up you should be ready to record. Press the record button and away you go!
The basic screen should look something like this when first powered up with a drive attached.
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Normal Operation
Whenever you power up the BBWR it first checks the date against its internal real­time clock. The first time the BBWR enters RECORD each day, it creates a folder on the drive named \YYYY-MM-DD.BBR and makes this the current folder (where YYYY is the year, MM is the month and DD is the day). [The real-time clock will have been set up at the factory but you will need to adjust it to your local time – see page 29]
It does this so that all today’s recordings will be kept together in one folder. If you
happen to be recording late into the night past midnight, the BBWR will not create a new folder until the next time it’s powered up so all the recordings during a typical concert for example will still be kept together.
After you’ve finished recording you can rename the current folder using the NAME
MANAGER Menu or Ctrl-f on a keyboard. The BBWR will then create a new folder with today’s date the next time you enter Record
The front panel controls are all touch sensitive. Just place the flat part of your finger firmly on the panel over the control – the area your finger covers is more important than the pressure you apply.
Setting up
Setting up your BBWR will largely be determined by what you are trying to achieve. If the unit is being used in a Broadcast, TV or Film Sound environment then it’s likely to be the primary recorder connected directly to the microphones and any other audio sources. It might be mounted on a cart and thus powered from a 12V battery power source in which case you may want to disable banks of channels that you are not currently using to preserve battery life for example
If you are recording a concert, you may want to patch the unit into Mic Splitters at the stage box and then you need to determine whether phantom power for capacitor mics is derived from the Monitor console, the FOH console or the BBWR. You might also want to use the BBWR as the primary mic pre amps and use the balanced outputs to feed the monitors and PA.
For each channel you will need to set the input to mic or line input level; enable phantom power if using Capacitor (Condenser) mics; decide whether you need to insert a High Pass Filter (HPF) to reduce low frequency “pops” and plosives; set the
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soft limiter if required; determine whether you need to reverse the phase on any channel. Then you can adjust the input levels.
BBWR - Audio Interface with Local Recording Backup
One of the features that makes the BBWR unique is its ability to record locally on a USB 2/3 drive while simultaneously providing an audio interface to a Mac or Pc allowing you to make a recording on your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). To use this feature, the option ‘Mode’ in the Main Menu must be set to Workstation.
N.B. We recommend in a studio environment that you put the BBWR into record on
all channels that you’re using at the start of the day and only press stop when all
recording is finished. This will then act as a safety backup for the whole day’s work and it will also make finding a specific lost take much easier. All recordings are time stamped so if you know that a take was recorded at about 3:10pm it will be relatively easy to find using its time. In a Live or Location scenario you will most likely have different priorities and need to make each recording as separate takes.
Setting up as an Audio Interface
This will differ slightly depending on which DAW you have and whether you are using the BlueBox with a Mac or a PC. The MAC OSX version uses Core Audio drivers whereas the Windows version uses the JoeCo ASIO drivers.
A USB-A to USB-B cable should be connected between the USB-B socket on your BlueBox and into the USB-A socket on your computer. The option ‘Mode’ in the Main Menu of the BBWR should be set to Workstation.
Download and install the JoeCoControl app from the JoeCo Website (www.joeco.co.uk). Once installed, wired and powered up, open the
BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 15
JoeCo Control app. The app should connect immediately and you should have access to all the input channel and monitoring controls (as detailed on Pages 8-10)
Open your DAW software and go into the audio preferences menu. You should then select your BlueBox as an input device in the Input Menu and an output device in the Output Menu. Enable as many inputs and outputs as you require for your project or all of them if that suits your working environment. Adjust buffer size to improve latency – we’ve found that around 6mS works well ok with older Mac computers at 96k but it will be determined by your own computer’s performance. Set the sample rate for your project. The sample rate on the BlueBox itself will automatically change the match the sample rate in the DAW. Close the audio preferences window and you are ready to record.
Local Recording
The BBWR can operate in conjunction with a DAW as a Backup Recorder or as a stand-alone multichannel recorder. To operate in conjunction with a DAW, the option ‘Mode’ in the Main Menu should be set to Workstation. To use the BBWR as a standalone multichannel recorder the option ‘Mode’ in the Main Menu should be set to BlueBox Live.
Once set up, the BBWR is ready to record within seconds of logging the drive – just press the REC button and it will begin recording. The record button flashes to show
that it’s creating the files and then turns solid once in record.
Once the unit is recording, the STOP button must be held down for a couple of seconds to end the recording. This is to prevent someone brushing against the controls and accidentally dropping out of record.
However, if you want to mark the end of one recording and the start of another you can just press the REC button again. You can also set MARKS by pressing the MARK button which will appear in the Cue Chunk of the BWAV files which some DAWs can use and will enable you to create loops easily for Virtual Sound Checking.
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