1010music BlueBox User manual

Bluebox
V1.0.5
User Manual

Page 2 of 50 Copyright 1010music LLC 2020
Bluebox User Manual v 1.0.5 Jan 7, 2021
Welcome 5
Setup 6
MicroSD Card for Storage 6
Power 6
Standard Power Outlet: 6
USB Power Outlet: 6
Input Connections 7
Sleep Mode 7
Put Bluebox in Sleep Mode: 7
Wake Bluebox Up from Sleep Mode: 7
Output Connections 8
Meter Bridge Layout 8
Set the Meter Bridge Layout: 8
Mapping of Inputs to Tracks 9
Map Inputs To Tracks: 9
Track Labels 9
Rename a Track: 9
Gain 10
Adjust the Gain to Balance your Inputs: 10
Controls Overview 11
Control Modes 12
MIXER Mode vs TRACK Mode 13
When to Use MIXER Mode 13
When to Use TRACK Mode 13
Display Overview 14

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PROJ Mode 15
Save Changes to the Current Project: 16
Load a Different Project: 16
Create a New Project: 17
Rename a Project: 17
Select a Tempo and Set up the Metronome: 18
MIXER Mode 19
Control One Setting for Multiple Tracks: 21
Arm the Main Output for Recording or Mute the Main Output: 22
TRACK Mode 23
Change Settings for a Single Track: 24
MAIN Mode 25
Adjust Output Levels: 25
Mute an Output: 25
Congure Signal Routing and Compression Settings: 26
EQ Mode 29
Adjust the EQ for a Track or the Main Mix: 30
FX Mode 32
FX View Modes 32
Adjust Reverb and Delay Effects Settings: 33
EDIT Mode 36
Make a WAV File Stop Playing: 37
Play a WAV le for a Track: 37
Add a File to a Project: 38
Remove a WAV le from a Project: 39
Rename a WAV File: 39
Delete a WAV le from a Project: 40
Playback a Recording of the Main Output: 40

TOOLS Mode 41
Adjust the Screen Brightness: 41
See How Much Space is Available on the microSD Card: 41
See What Firmware Version You Are Using: 41
Record and Play WAV Files 42
Record One or More Tracks: 42
Record the Main Mix: 43
Play a WAV le for a Track: 43
MicroSD File Management 44
Copy a Project or Make a Backup on Your Computer: 44
MIDI Controller Mapping 45
Control Bluebox Settings with a MIDI Controller: 45
MIDI Clock Synchronization 46
Setup Bluebox to Follow a MIDI Clock: 46
Setup Bluebox to Send a MIDI Clock: 46
Update Firmware 47
Update the Bluebox Firmware: 47
Common Tasks 48
How to Balance Levels for the Main Mix: 48
How to Mute a Track: 48
How to Mute an Output: 48
How to Adjust a Track’s Sends to Out 2 and CUE/Phones: 49
How to Adjust a Track’s Sends to FX1 and FX2: 49
How to Use Headphones to Monitor the Main Output: 49
How to Send a Dry Track Signal to an External Device for Processing: 50
Learn More 50
Stay in touch 50
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WELCOME
Welcome to the Bluebox User Manual. If you want to get up and running quickly with
bluebox, the Quick Start Guide will walk you through basic setup and the primary
features. The Quick Start Guide was included in the package with your bluebox, and you
can nd it on our Bluebox Support page at:
1010music.com/blueboxdocs
If you are ready for more detail, you are in the right place. We will go into more detail
about set up options, explain the features available in each of the different modes, and
help you nd all the available options. We will cover how to tweak your mix, how to route
your signals to the different outputs and the effects, how to rene your sound using EQ
and FX, and how to record tracks and the main output. We will also review how to play
back the WAV les you have recorded or stored on your microSD card, and how to select
the Active WAV le for each track. Along the way we will see how to save your settings
into different project les, congure the metronome, adjust the tempo and use MIDI
controllers with bluebox.
If you still have questions after reading this manual, join our forum at
forum.1010music.com. You can specically get bluebox support at:
https://forum.1010music.com/forum/products/bluebox-compact-digital-mixer-recorder/
support-bluebox
Our support team and other users are out there to help you and to exchange ideas about
how to get the most out of bluebox. Registered forum users can also get the latest
rmware with new features and bug xes in the downloads section of the forum.
Registration is free, but you will need to provide an email address.
Before you get started, you may want to check for rmware updates for your bluebox.
You can learn how to do that in the Update Firmware section near the end of this
document.

SETUP
By now you have probably already plugged in your bluebox and pushed a few buttons.
Let’s make sure you have everything ready so you can follow along with the user manual.
Bluebox stores all of your project settings and WAV les to microSD. Your bluebox ships
with a microSD card. Before you can use bluebox, you will need to insert the microSD
card, connect the bluebox to power, and connect the inputs and outputs. After that, you
can setup your tracks, and adjust the gain to balance the levels of your inputs.
MicroSD Card for Storage
Take the microSD card out of it’s plastic case, A
in the gure to the right. Insert the microSD
card, with the text facing up and the notched
edge to the right, into the MICRO SD slot on the
front panel. The card reader is spring loaded.
Push the card in to remove it when needed
later. Leave it in for now.
Power
Bluebox needs to be connected to a 2 amp
power source. You can plug it into a standard
power outlet or a USB power supply. Either way,
you will insert the square end of the USB Power
cord, B, into the POWER connection on the
back panel. The connection is snug to ensure
that the device stays plugged in during use.
Standard Power Outlet:
If you are plugging directly into a standard
power outlet, slide the appropriate two or three
prong connector, E, onto the USB power
supply, D. Then connect the atter end of the
USB power cord, B, into the USB connection on
the power supply. Bluebox will turn on as soon
as the power is connected.
USB Power Outlet:
If you are using your own USB power supply,
plug the atter end of the USB power cord into
a 2 amp USB power supply, such as a USB
outlet or a USB battery.
Back Panel
Front Panel
A B CD E
What’s in the Box
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Input Connections
To use bluebox to mix signals from other devices, you will need to connect them to
bluebox’s input jacks. Bluebox can receive both standard audio line level and Eurorack
level inputs in each of the 6 stereo 3.5 mm TRS jacks. Use 3.5 mm TRS cables for the
connections. You can use a splitter to connect two separate mono signals to one stereo
input if desired. Later we will see how to map these to separate tracks.
NOTE:
►Not all USB power supplies are created equal. Make sure your power
supply can provide 2 amps of power. The USB power supply included
with bluebox will do this.
►Not all USB Type B cables are the same. Some are made only for data,
while others are designed to carry power. Bluebox comes with a USB
Type B power cable. If you want to replace it with a longer cable, be
sure it is rated to carry power.
►You can take the microSD card out and reinsert while bluebox is
powered up.
NOTE:
►Bluebox has AC coupled inputs. You cannot use them to record Control
Voltage. Check out the 1010music blackbox if you want to do this.
►The bluebox outputs are DC Coupled.
►If you are only receiving input on the left channel, check your input
cables. TR cables will work, but the audio will be in the left channel
only. Use TRS cables to get a full stereo signal.
Sleep Mode
When you are done using bluebox, you can simply unplug it to turn it fully off, or you can
put it into sleep mode.
Put Bluebox in Sleep Mode:
1. Press and hold the B button for 3 seconds. The screen will go dark and all sound
will stop. The power usage will be reduced but the unit is still on.
Wake Bluebox Up from Sleep Mode:
1. Push the A or B button or any of the square white Control Mode buttons.

Output Connections
Use 3.5 mm TRS patch cords to connect bluebox’s stereo outputs to your speakers. You
can also plug headphones directly into the PHONES output. Here are a few things to note
about the bluebox outputs:
NOTE:
►Effects signals are only routed to the Main output on Out 1.
►Out 2 is useful for sending out the dry signal for selected tracks, for
example for external effects processing.
►The PHONES or CUE output can be used either to hear the dry signal
for a selected subset of tracks, or it can be congured to duplicate the
Main signal.
►You can adjust the volume and track routing for each of the outputs
independently. We will cover that later when we take about MAIN
control mode.
Meter Bridge Layout
You can congure bluebox to display meters for 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12
tracks. If you keep the track count low the meters will be bigger,
making them easier to see and easier to control with the touch
screen. You can choose to display the meters in one row or two. In
Double Row mode, the knob mapping is more intuitive, but some
people prefer Single Row mode to see all the meters side by side.
Set the Meter Bridge Layout:
1. Push the white MIXER button, a in the gure, to enter
MIXER Control Mode.
2. Push the B button, b in the gure, to bring up the Mixer
Conguration screen.
3. Touch the option in the list to select the number of tracks
you want bluebox to display in the meter bridge.
4. Touch the option at the bottom of the screen to select
Single Row or Double Row display mode for the meter
bridge.
a
b
MIXER
Conguration
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a
b
TRACK
Conguration
Mapping of Inputs to Tracks
You might have an instrument connected to input 1, but want it to
be track 5. You might also want to split the stereo signal from input
3 to be controlled as two mono tracks on tracks 7 and 8 so you can
adjust their settings independently.
Map Inputs To Tracks:
1. Push the white TRACK button, a in the gure, to enter
TRACK Control Mode.
2. Push the round black B button, b in the gure, to bring up
the Track Conguration screen.
3. Touch a track in the meter bridge at the top of the screen to
select it.
4. In the bottom grid, the active inputs for this track are
highlighted blue. Touch the inputs to toggle them on and
off.
Track Labels
To help you keep track of what you have plugged into each of the inputs, you can name
your tracks. If you are using twelve tracks in Single Row mode, only one character will be
displayed in the track meter header. If you are using fewer tracks and Double Row mode,
more characters are displayed.
Rename a Track:
1. Push TRACK and then push B. You will see the Track conguration screen.
2. Touch a track meter to select the track. The selected track meter is highlighted
pink.
NOTE:
►Each input can only be mapped to one track. If you try to map an input
to a second track, the mapping to the rst track will be removed.
►You cannot map signals from two different input numbers to the same
track. E.g. you cannot map 2L and 3R to the same track.
►You can split the left and right inputs from one input number to two
different track numbers as mono tracks.

3. Touch the track label in the middle of the screen to bring
up the text keyboard where you can enter a new name.
4. Touch the ABC or 123 button at the bottom of the screen to
toggle between the numeric and alphabetic keyboard.
Touch the back arrow ← to backspace. Touch the caret ^ to
toggle the letter case. Turn a knob to change the position of
the cursor.
5. Touch Enter to save your change.
Gain
Gain adjusts the level of an incoming signal before it is sent to any
outputs or other signal paths. Use the gain to normalize the audio
levels coming from Eurorack, pro audio, or consumer level gear.
When connecting a new input, it is a good idea to adjust the gain
rst to get a good initial level. This can also help avoid clipping if your
source signal is too high, as seen by a red bar at the top of the meter.
Later you can use Volume to control the relative level of each input
throughout your mix.
Adjust the Gain to Balance your Inputs:
1. Make some sound by sending a signal from your sources.
2. Push MIXER and you will see the meters move with the
incoming signal.
3. Touch Gain at the bottom of the screen. If you don’t see the
Gain option at the bottom of the screen, touch MIXER again
to toggle the control panel.
4. Four of the tracks are highlighted in the meter bridge at
the top of the screen. The knobs are controlling the
highlighted tracks. Touch a different group or push A to
select another group. Turn a knob to adjust the gain for a
track. You can also touch a slider and move your nger up
and down or left and right to control the level for that
meter.
At this point, when you send a signal to the input you should be able
to hear it through the equipment connected to the bluebox output.
You should see the meters on the meter bridge moving in response
to the incoming signal. If you see the track meters moving but don’t
hear anything from the outputs, skip ahead and read how to control
the output levels in the MAIN Mode section below.Next we will get
acquainted with the general control scheme for bluebox.
Text Keyboard
MIXER Gain
Control
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CONTROLS OVERVIEW
By now you probably want to get started using your bluebox. Buttons labeled A and B
don’t really tell what you they do and they seem to be different on different screens. The
following general ideas can help you nd your way around the controls:
We will address the specics about how the knobs and buttons work for each control
mode as we review them. REC, STOP and PLAY work the same in all control modes.
General Controls Behavior
White Buttons Select a control mode. Push again to access additional
screens for a control mode. The button for the current
control mode is brighter than the others.
Touch Select tracks or control panels, adjust levels and toggle
settings. Touch a meter or on screen knob and slide your
nger up and down or left and right to make an
adjustment.
Knobs Turn a hardware knob to adjust a parameter or make a
selection in a list. In conguration lists, the top knobs select
a parameter and the bottom knobs change the value.
A Button Change the knob focus when there are multiple banks of
controls. In the EDIT screen, pushing A toggles the active
playback state for a WAV le.
B Button Access conguration options for the current control mode,
when available.
REC, STOP and
PLAY
Controls playback and recording of tracks and the Main Mix.
You can play a WAV le that has been mapped to a track
when the track is not armed for recording. Push Rec + Play
to Start Recording the Armed Tracks. This will also record
the Main Mix when armed.
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Control
Mode When to Use It
MIXER Use MIXER when you want to focus on one control option from
the bottom of the screen across many tracks at the top of the
screen. Here, the knobs control the top part of the screen. You can
adjust the mix, congure track sends, and arm tracks for
recording here. You can access the Meter Conguration screen
from here by pressing B.
TRACK Use TRACK when you want to focus on one track at a time and
adjust multiple settings for that track. Here, the knobs control the
bottom part of the screen. You can adjust the mix, congure track
sends, and arm tracks for recording here. You can access the
Track Conguration screen here by pressing B.
MAIN You can adjust the level and mute each of the three outputs here.
You can access the Output Conguration screen by pressing B
from here.
EQ Here you can adjust the four band equalizer for each track.
FX Adjust the settings for the delay and reverb effects here. These are
global settings that apply to all signals sent to the effects by the
tracks.
EDIT See the list of WAV les associated with each track. These could
be les recorded for this track or les chosen from the microSD
card. You can set a WAV le to be Active to playback when you
push PLAY. The Active WAV will not play if the track is armed for
recording. Each track can have zero or one Active WAV les.
This is also where you can toggle MIDI Learn mode on and off.
PROJ Use this mode to save your settings to a project le. A project
saves the state of the track conguration, meter conguration,
and all controls. It also retains the mapping of the WAV les.
Create new projects to store different sets of settings and WAV
les.
TOOLS Keep track of your available space on your microSD card here. You
can also adjust the screen brightness and see which version of
the bluebox rmware you are running.
CONTROL MODES
As you have seen during setup, the white square buttons are used to select a Control
Mode. How do you know which Control Mode to use? Here’s a brief outline to help guide
you to the correct control mode.
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MIXER Mode vs TRACK Mode
MIXER and TRACK mode both allow you to control the same settings, but they let you
approach them from different perspectives. When should you use each one?
When to Use MIXER Mode
Use MIXER mode when you want to focus on one setting and control it for multiple tracks.
In this mode, each knob controls the selected setting for a different track. Select a setting
to control from the bottom of the screen, and use the knobs to adjust the different tracks
at the top of the screen.
When to Use TRACK Mode
Use TRACK mode when you want to narrow your focus to one track and control various
settings for that track all at once. In this mode, each knob controls a different setting for
the selected track.
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7
Track 8
Choose a Track Setting
Knobs control tracks
at the top of the screen
Select a
group of
tracks for
the knobs
AB
MIXER Mode Controls
TRACK Mode Controls
FX1
CUE
FX2
OUT2
Choose a Track Select a
control bank
for the knobs
AB
Knobs control the
bottom of the screen

DISPLAY OVERVIEW
Let’s give some names to the elements on the screen so we can talk about them. Now is
also a good time to talk about the color conventions that bluebox uses to show the state
of different tracks.
The top bar of the screen displays timing information and warnings.
The numbers in the top left display the play clock time in the format
bars : beats. The numbers in the top right display the time in the
format hours : minutes : seconds. The space in between these two
is usually blank. When the microSD card is almost full, red text will
appear here displaying the amount of space remaining on the card.
Consider cleaning up some les or getting an additional microSD
card if you need to continue to record.
The MIXER, TRACK, MAIN, EQ AND FX Control modes display the Meter Bridge and the
Main Output Level meter. The Meter Bridge shows the current level of the corresponding
input for each track. Generally, this is the level that is being sent to the Main output at
Out 1, after gain and volume settings are applied. In MIXER mode, the meters show the
signal being controlled at the time.
The text across the top of each meter is the track name. The pink track or tracks are
currently selected. Tap a track to change the selection. As you change settings, track
highlight colors and track name text colors indicate different states:
Green Highlight: Solo mode.
Red Highlight: Armed for recording.
Gray Text & Meter: Muted
Pink Highlight: Selected to work with the knobs
Light Blue Frame: MIDI Learn mode is enabled. Controls with blue frames can be
mapped to a MIDI control. To toggle MIDI Learn mode on or
off, push EDIT, and then touch LEARN.
In MIXER control mode, there are a few triangular indicators along the edges of the
meters. The currently active indicator is white, and the others are gray. The indicator
moves as you change the level, and the current numeric setting is displayed on the meter.
The number disappears a few seconds after you stop changing the setting.
The bar along the right of the screen with the label M is the Main Output Level meter. This
meter represents the level of the output to Out 1. In MIXER control mode you can touch
the Main Output Level meter to mute it or arm it for recording.
Each of these rst ve control modes has a different set of controls along the bottom of
the display. MIXER, EQ and FX control modes have multiple control options that can be
accessed by pushing the control mode button repeatedly to cycle through the options.
MIXER Mode
with Storage
Warning
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PROJ MODE
After you have spent some time setting up bluebox, you can save your work to the
project. You can have as many projects as can t on the microSD card, and then you can
get another microSD card, or archive les to your computer to make more room. I
suggest you create a new project to use as you explore bluebox.
When you push PROJ, you see a list of projects on the current microSD card. There are a
few demonstration projects on the included microSD card. These projects show the
different meter bridge layouts. Here’s how to use the controls in PROJ mode:
NOTE:
►Bluebox does not automatically save your changes. When you change
projects or unplug bluebox, any unsaved changes will be lost.
Control Control Behavior in PROJ Mode
Knobs Scroll through the list of les and select a le.
Touch Touch menu options.
PROJ button No additional functions in PROJ mode.
A button Not used in PROJ mode.
B button Opens the Project Conguration screen, where you can set the tempo
and congure metronome options..

Save Changes to the Current Project:
Be sure you to save changes so you don’ t lose your work.
1. Push PROJ. Bluebox will show you a list of projects on
the microSD card.
2. Touch Save in the top menu to save your changes. The
XML les on the microSD card for this project will be
updated to have the current settings. This includes all
settings and the list of les for the project.
Load a Different Project:
Loading a project replaces all of the settings on bluebox with those saved in the project,
including the list of WAV les for the project.
1. Push PROJ and you will see the list of projects on the microSD card.
2. Turn a knob to select project to load.
3. Touch Load in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Bluebox will update the
settings and WAV le list with the information saved in the selected project.
NOTE:
►The Load menu option is disabled if the current project is selected. If
you want to revert to the saved version of the project, load a different
project and then reload the desired project.
►The Save menu option is disabled if there are no new changes to save.
PROJ Mode
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Create a New Project:
1. Push PROJ.
2. Touch File and then New in the menu bar.
3. Use the on-screen text keyboard to enter a name for
your new project if desired. Touch Clear at the top of the
screen if you want to start with a blank name. Turn a
knob to change the cursor position. Touch <– to
backspace. Touch 123 or ABC to change between text
and number entry. Touch the ^ to toggle between upper
and lower case letters.
4. Touch Enter when you are done typing the new name.
Bluebox will create the new project with default settings
and load it.
Rename a Project:
1. Push PROJ.
2. Touch File and then Rename in the menu bar.
3. Use the on-screen text keyboard to enter a new name for your new project.
Touch Clear at the top of the screen if you want to start with a blank name. Turn
a knob to change the cursor position. Touch <– to backspace. Touch 123 or ABC to
change between text and number entry. Touch the ^ to toggle between upper
and lower case letters.
4. Touch Enter when you are done typing the new name. Bluebox will rename the
project. The project folder on the microSD card will be updated to match.
PROJ File Menu
NOTE:
►Renaming a project does not save the changes to the project.

Select a Tempo and Set up the Metronome:
Bluebox uses the tempo for some synchronized effects, the clock
display, the metronome and synchronizing with external MIDI
devices.
1. Push PROJ.
2. Push the B button to bring up the Project Conguration
Screen.
3. Turn a top knob or touch a setting to select it.
4. Turn a bottom knob to change the value for the selected
setting.
Here are the available tempo and metronome settings: Project
Conguration
Setting Description
BPM The tempo used for the project. See the MIDI section below
for information about how this works with external MIDI
devices.
Metronome You can turn the metronome off, or you can turn it on only
when recording, or whenever you push PLAY. Note that the
metronome will not be recorded.
Met Output Choose which output the metronome will play through.
Options are Main (Out 1), CUE (Phones), Out 2.
Met Gain Adjust the level of the metronome. Value can be -96.0 dB
through + 20.0 dB.
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MIXER MODE
Do you want to control one setting for multiple tracks at once? MIXER mode is the place
to do that. MIXER mode and TRACK mode allow you to control the following settings for
each track:
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Control
Option Description
Vol The track level going to the Main output connected to OUT1
Gain Trim the input to balance the incoming signals
Solo Disables the output to Main for all other tracks. Tracks in Solo
mode have a green outline.
Mute Disables the output to Main for the muted tracks or the main
output. The track label and meter bars are gray for muted tracks.
Rec Arms the selected track or the Main output for recording. Armed
tracks have a red outline.
Pan Adjust how much of the signal is sent to the left and right
channels of the sends for this track
FX1 Control the level of the track audio sent to FX1 (Delay)
FX2 Control the level of the track audio sent to FX2 (Reverb)
CUE The track level going to the output connected to PHONES
OUT2 The track level going to the output connected to OUT2
NOTE:
►You can also arm the Main Output for recording and mute the Main
Output in MIXER mode.

When you push the MIXER button, the meter bridge lls most of the screen, the Main
output meter is along the right, and the Control Options buttons are along the bottom of
the screen. As mentioned earlier, the knobs and buttons do different things in different
modes. Here’s how they work in MIXER mode:
Control Control Behavior in MIXER Mode
Knobs Adjust selected setting for different tracks
Touch Touch and drag to adjust a level. Tap to change knob focus
or toggle state of a meter.
MIXER button Toggle between two control option panels at bottom of
screen.
A button Change knob focus to the next bank of meters.
B button Open the Mixer Conguration Screen. See the SETUP
section above to learn more about this.
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