Numark BCM135 OWNER’S MANUAL

Professional Disc Jockey Products

the

™

BEATKEEPER

Audio Synchronized Beat Counter

BCM135

II

OWNER’S MANUAL

PLEASE READ !

NUMARK BCM135

the

Beatkeeper

™

II

AUDIO SYNCHRONIZED BEAT COUNTER

A LETTER FROM THE INVENTOR:

Dear Customer,
Congratulations on your purchase of the second generation BeatkeeperII™. This
product is the culmination of a quest to bring more “feel” into mixing so that mixing
duds like myself can finally use those fancy CD mixers, or those of us who still swear
by vinyl can mix with greater ease.
Features like the Beat Assist are the result of working with working DJs like
yourself and noticing that it's frustrating to wait for the computer to figure everything
out for you. The downbeat start minimizes your need to be a control panel expert and
allows you to keep your hands on the music, where they belong. The bar graph was put
in so you could keep the mix precise and prevent it from drifting into a “bad mix”.

Now that was the first generation. We listened to your feedback and made several

improvements for the BeatkeeperII™.

You now have 2 extra audio inputs so you can now work with up to 4 phono/line
sources. The BeatkeeperII™ will track the beat of all 4 sources at the same time so you
can mix from turntables to CDs, check BPMs on other sources during a mix, cue up
more than 1 song for a mix.

Many of you responded that the beat offset and BPM displays would be better if they
updated faster. So we made the BeatkeeperII™ even more responsive. It now updates
the displays on every beat so you can get a quicker, sharper mix.

We also saw new CD players with pitch adjustments of +/- 16%, and sometimes even
higher. So the BeatkeeperII™ was designed so you can pitch the music up or down as
much as you want, and the BeatkeeperII™ will continue to track the tempo.
Take care and good luck with your new BeatkeeperII™.

Regards,
Elliot Marx
Advanced Audio Concepts

©1995,1996 Advanced Audio Concepts

BCM123 User’s Manual

©1995 Captive Artist Group

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 4
RECORDING PRODUCT SERIAL NUMBER 5
INTRODUCTION 6
PARTS LIST 7
FCC NOTES 7
FEATURES 8

Automatic Input Adjustment
Beat Assist
Scanning Ranges
Visual Mixing
Prepping For A Mix
Syncing To Off Beats

FRONT PANEL DIAGRAM 10
REAR PANEL DIAGRAM 12
INSTALLATION 13
OPERATION 14

BPM Range Select
Using Your Beatkeeper™
Beat Assist
Mixing
Non-Fading Mixes

TROUBLESHOOTING 18
SPECIFICATIONS 22
WARRANTY INFORMATION 23
SERVICE & PRODUCT SUPPORT 24

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN !

CAUTION: To prevent the risk of electric shock, do not remove the cover (or hack).

There are no user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service

personnel.

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS

All of the safety and operating instructions should be read before the Beatkeeper™ is

operated.

HEED WARNINGS

Adhere to all warnings and precautions in the operating instructions.

RETAIN INSTRUCTIONS

The operating instructions should be retained for future reference.

WATER AND MOISTURE

Care should be taken so that liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through

openings. The Beatkeeper™ should not be used near water (for example, near a

bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming

pool, etc).

LOCATION

The Beatkeeper™ should be securely mounted in a stable location or a sturdy rack.

HEAT

The Beatkeeper™ should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators,

stoves, or other household appliances that produce heat.

POWER SOURCES

This product is intended to be powered solely by the 9V 500mA adapter

provided within the original packaging of the product. The use of any other adapter

or any unintended voltage source may cause product malfunction and will instantly

void the product's warranty.

POWER-CORD PROTECTION

Power-supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or

pinched by items placed on or against them. Pay particular attention to the power

adapter at it’s plug end and the point where it exits from the Beatkeeper™.

NON-USE PERIODS

The Beatkeeper's ™ power switch only controls power to the unit's displays. The

remainder of the component still draws power when the power switch is off. We

recommend leaving the unit unplugged during prolonged periods of non-use.

CLEANING

The Beatkeeper™ should be cleaned only with a polishing cloth or a soft dry

cloth. Never clean with furniture wax, benzine, insecticides or other volatile

liquids since they may corrode the cabinet.

Servicing

The unit should be serviced by qualified service personnel when one or more

of the following has occurred:

• A. The power adapter has been damaged due to cutting or melting of the cord
or power plug.

• B. The unit appears damaged, or exhibits a sudden, unexplained drop in
performance.

• C. Liquids have been spilled into the unit.

• D. The unit has been subjected to excessive shock, such as being dropped.

• E. The unit malfunctions after hooking up the RCA ports to sources other than
phono or line output audio signals.

• F. The unit malfunctions after hooking up the wrong power adapter.

Please note that items A, C, D, E, and F are not covered by the 1

year warranty.

FOR YOUR RECORDS

Please record the model name and serial number of your unit
as shown on the back of the case, as well as the dealer from
whom you purchased the unit. Retain this information for
your records.

Model No: BCM135

Serial Number:
Purchased From:
Date Purchased:

INTRODUCTION

CONGRATULATIONS you have just purchased the first

ever 4 input rack-mountable mix tracker,“the Beatkeeper™ II”,
brought to you by NUMARK. This unit is designed to help you

perform beat mixing with greater ease and accuracy. The Numark
Beatkeeper™ works for both CD and record turntable setups and it
automatically detects the input signal level so you don't have to
fool around with extra switches. Providing you with visual cueing,
the Beatkeeper™ will greatly improve the quality and precision of
your mixes, especially in loud mixing environments or at gigs with
'odd' echoes.
Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the
BCM135 by reading the following information. The Numark

Beatkeeper™ is not only a new product, but a new kind of
product. If you have never used

the

BEATKEEPER™ we can

guarantee you've never used a Dual Audio Synchronized
Beat Counter before. Taking a few minutes now will
undoubtedly save you time, headaches, and
embarrassment while DJing. If you're the type that has never

read instructions before, this manual is designed to give you the
basics up front (bold text entries); and for everyone else, there's
more detail if you want it following each section in plain text.

PARTS LIST

Before you connect or use your Beatkeeper™, please check to make
sure your Beatkeeper™ was shipped with all of the following items:

(1) Beatkeeper™ II
(1) AC Adapter (110V or 220V )
(4) Sets of Patch Cords
(1) Set of Rack Mounting Hardware (4 screws and 4 washers,
may be contained with adapter)
(1) Owner’s Manual (If you are reading this, it's probably in your

hands.)

FCC NOTES

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
We can not guarantee interference free operation in a particular
installation. If the unit does cause interference to any radio or television
reception, attempt to reduce the interference by one or more of the
following means.
a) Turn or move the other unit and/or its antennae.
b) Move this unit further from the effected unit.
c) Plug the two units into different AC outlets, so that they are on different
circuits.
This device also complies with EN55022 Class B radiated and
conducted emissions limits. Note from the manufacturer: At the time this
product was tested, it was classified as a professional audio product and
thus was only required to meet class A emissions requirements. This
product has been designed to comply with the more stringent class B
emissions requirements for equipment intended for sale to the home audio
market, as well as allowing the use of this product in radio installations.

FEATURES

The Beatkeeper™ is more than just a finger tapping, hand-held

calculator; it's a rack mountable, beat counting device which actually

synchronizes to the music. The Beatkeeper™ allows you to hear,

feel, and now see your beat mixes as they occur. Whether you use

CDs or are still doing that vinyl thing, bad mixes can be a thing of the

past. Now you can mix like a pro all the time, every time.

Automatic Input Adjustment

If you're still using vinyl, you'll be surprised how easy it is now to mix with CDs. The

Beatkeeper™ is so versatile, you can use it with CDs, records, or even tapes if you dare.

The Beatkeeper™ automatically adjusts its sensing circuitry for each input right when

the music starts.

Beat Assist

The Beatkeeper™ is foolproof. If the beat ever stops, the Beat Assist button gets the

Beatkeeper™ back on track, quickly and easily with the push of a single button.

Scanning Ranges

The Beatkeeper™ can track any music between 50 and 199 beats per minute. Since

most dance music is between 80-150BPM you normally won't need to worry about this
special range feature we have provided. Occasionally, however, you may need to track
the high speeds of Meringue or Salsa music, or the low speeds of R&B slow jams. For
this we've added a BPM select button for three scanning ranges: low for 50-95 BPM,
medium for 80-150, and high for 130-199. Just hit the BPM select button to choose
which one. The default is the medium range which works for most music used in beat
mixing.
Note: the BPM range only affects the BPM number displayed when the
Beatkeeper™ is originally looking for the tempo. You can manually set the tempo to
anything between 50 and 199 beats per minute regardless of the BPM range selected.

Visual Mixing

Once you've synced the Beatkeeper™ you've opened a whole new dimension in

mixing. The Beatkeeper™ has two bar graphs - one showing the tempo difference, and
the other showing the beat offset. Now you can see when your mix is on track. If the
beats start to drift, you'll be able to easily adjust the music before your audience can
hear it. No other beat counter or automatic mixer can give you the power to make a
more accurate mix.