JoeCo BlackBox BBR1US User manual

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 1
BLACKBOX RECORDER
User Manual
V 3.0 rev 1
Date: October 2013
Congratulations on your purchase of the JoeCo BlackBox Recorder. This document
will lead you through the basics of how to set up and use the product. The BlackBox
Recorder (BBR) has been designed to be as simple as possible to set up and operate.
Consequently you will find that this user manual is not a long document and can be
read from cover to cover in a short while. However, we strongly recommend that you
do read it just in case there are some aspects of the product that are not immediately
obvious.
This manual covers all 24 channel variants of the BlackBox Recorder: BBR1B; BBR1D;
BBR1A; BBR1U and BBR1US 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 - 2013. E&OE. All rights reserved. All trademarks and names are
recognised as the property of their respective owners

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Contents
BLACKBOX 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
Installation................................................................................................................ 9
Deciding where to install ..................................................................................... 9
How to wire the BBR into your console ............................................................... 9
Deciding on a disk drive ..................................................................................... 10
Connecting a disk drive...................................................................................... 11
Power connection.............................................................................................. 11
Checking that everything works ........................................................................ 12
Normal Operation .................................................................................................. 12
Recording........................................................................................................... 13
Playback............................................................................................................. 14
File Names ......................................................................................................... 15
Virtual Sound Checking...................................................................................... 17
Monitoring......................................................................................................... 18
Summary of Combined Controls........................................................................ 19
Using the Menu...................................................................................................... 20
Menu structure and operation .......................................................................... 20
Setting up adjustable parameters...................................................................... 20
Software updates............................................................................................... 28
Linking multiple BlackBox Recorders together....................................................... 30
Using a PS2 keyboard ............................................................................................. 33
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................... 34
Safe’n’Sound Record Recovery .......................................................................... 36
Summary of Alert Messages .............................................................................. 36
JoeCo Conditions of Use......................................................................................... 38
Software Licence Agreement ................................................................................. 40
Warranty Information ............................................................................................ 44
Product Returns ..................................................................................................... 46
Product and End User Registration ........................................................................ 47

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 3
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.

Page | 4 BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0
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.
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 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 use of this Product.

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Opening the Box
Box Contents
Inside the box you will find the following:
BlackBox Recorder
Power Supply
User Manual
Quick Start Guide
3 x Input /Output (i/o) cables (only included with the unbalanced BBR1U,
otherwise available separately)
The BlackBox Recorder is not a standard multitrack recorder nor is it a digital audio
workstation (DAW). It has been designed specifically to capture multitrack audio in
live acquisition applications and will not necessarily be appropriate for use in a studio
situation. It will typically be used to record audio material onto a USB2 drive for
subsequent editing and processing in a DAW.
A number of specific features have been added to make it suitable and safe in a live
environment such as built-in analogue relays, playback lockout, protection against
accidentally ending a recording, virtual sound checking, no general purpose operating
system, etc.
Some features often found in other multitrack machines are not present in the
BlackBox Recorder such as overdubbing and punch in facilities.

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Controls and interfaces
Front Panel
The front panel of the BlackBox Recorder contains all the 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 Disk
activity and Playback Lockout which can prevent you from accidentally entering
playback during the performance.
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
Metering Area
Transport
Controls
Control buttons
Display
Data
Wheel

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 7
and any error messages. Most screens are colour coded to more easily see what is
happening from a distance.
Rear Panel
The rear panel will look slightly different depending on which style of audio interface
you have on your BlackBox Recorder. The areas indicated in the diagram below are
explained in more detail later in this manual.
The lower 3 D-type (sometimes called D-sub) connectors* are the main unbalanced
analogue i/o connectors on the BBR1U, BBR1A and BBR1D. The cable looms 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)
On the BBR1B with Balanced i/o, these lower 3 D-type connectors* are the balanced
inputs and the upper row are the balanced outputs. The BBR1B does not have the
loop through inserts as the output cables can be plugged into any external effects
required before returning to the console.
On the BBR1A (lightpipe i/o) version the upper option area contains the lightpipe i/o
connections and the lower row of D-types are unbalanced analogue i/o (See BBR1A
Quick Start Guide for diagram).
On the BBR1D (AES/EBU i/o) version the upper row of D-type connectors provide
digital i/o (normally configured to the Yamaha standard pin out) and the lower row of
D-types are unbalanced analogue i/o
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 MIDI input is “open
loop” format. The 9-pin socket allows control via Sony PII format. A PS2 keyboard
socket allows control and text input from a standard PS2 style keyboard.
i/o options
Loop through insert points
Unbalanced Analogue i/o*
Clocks
Disk
Keyboard
Headphones
Timecode,
Sync and
Control
Power

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The rest of the rear panel is fairly self explanatory we hope and is explained in
greater detail later in this manual. There are more technical details on the JoeCo
website (www.joeco.co.uk) should you require them.

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 9
Installation
Deciding where to install
In a live situation, it depends on whether the live engineer wants to be able to see
the BBR interface or not and whether you intend to utilise the Virtual Sound Check
facility. The analogue cable looms supplied with the standard unbalanced unit are 3m
long so if you’re planning on mounting the unit in a rack close to your console then
that will be the deciding factor. However, some people will prefer to install it close to
the stage box. It’s best to install it at eye level for ease of operating the menus.
How to wire the BBR into your console
The BBR1U is normally supplied with 3 analogue breakout looms that are designed to
plug directly into the insert points on your mixing console. Each loom is terminated in
8 labelled TRS ¼” jacks which have both the send and return signals (on tip and ring
respectively with the sleeve being the ground connection). The advantages of
plugging into the insert break points are:
a) The insert points are as close to the mic amps as possible (and therefore
will be recording the cleanest signal), and
b) you can use the BlackBox as a Virtual Sound Check device.
However, some people will prefer to take their signal from group or direct outputs,
or other places within the signal chain of the mixing desk, which is fine. The BBR1U
BlackBox Recorder accepts unbalanced audio (as this is what most insert break points
provide), and can be switched between Low and Pro levels in the Setup Menu (page
25).
Setting
LOW
PRO
Nominal level
-10dBu
+4dBu
Headroom above nominal level
14dB
18dB
0dBFS (when digital clipping will occur)
+4dBu
+22dBu
The units with unbalanced analogue audio i/o have the outputs of the top 8 channels
(17-24) available on the “loop through insert” points on the rear panel. These 8 TRS
¼” jack sockets allow you to plug external effects (such as you might want to insert
into a channel on the console) into the signal chain. As the BBR has used up the insert
points on the console, these allow you to still insert effects such as compressors into
some channels. The loop through inserts are only available on the unbalanced

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analogue outputs of the BBR1 and are disabled on the balanced BBR1B i/o and when
using digital i/o.
The BBR1B (balanced i/o) accepts the same levels as the BBR1U but uses
electronically balanced signals. Its balanced inputs are the lower row of three 25-way
D-type connectors and its balanced outputs are the upper row.
The same type of i/o cables can be used, but in this case the tip is the hot (+ve) signal
and the ring is the cold (-ve) signal with the sleeve acting as ground. There are some
desks that provide balanced insert break points, but in many cases you will want to
connect a Balanced BBR1B to group outputs on the console. i/o cable looms are not
supplied with the balanced or digital versions as there are too many variants to cater
for every eventuality. However, your dealer will be happy to supply suitable cable
looms for your application.
It is not possible to use the balanced i/o unit plugged into unbalanced inserts as if it
were an unbalanced unit, but it is possible to feed the inputs from an unbalanced
feed providing you ground the cold (-ve) input signal. This will need special cables to
be made.
Both the unbalanced and the balanced versions of the BBR1 have analogue relays on
the i/o connectors to ensure that even in the event of a power failure, the input
signal will be looped through to the output so that there is no risk of losing audio
through the console.
If you have either of the digital i/o variants of the BlackBox Recorder, the digital
signals are accessed on the upper row of i/o connectors. The AES/EBU i/o signals
appears on the upper row of 25-way D-type connectors (default = Yamaha digital pin
out) and the Lightpipe connectors are the normal TOSLINK type. Just wire these to
the console in the normal way, but pay special attention to the clocking signals to
ensure that the BBR1 is being clocked correctly. There is more on this subject later, in
the clocking section (page 22).
Deciding on a disk drive
The BlackBox 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
Mains powered
7200rpm recommended

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 11
Formatted with FAT32 Filing System
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
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 BBR requires but the fastest ones normally work ok. Larger thumb
drives (64GB and larger) are typically much faster and usually work well. Ask the shop
if you can try the drive with the BBR before you buy it.
Connecting a disk drive
Plug the disk drive into the USB2 socket on the back of the BBR1 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 BlackBox reports
“WRONG DISK FORMAT”, check that the disk is formatted correctly. The BlackBox can
be used to reformat the drive to FAT32 (see page 28)
Power connection
The BBR1 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 dc input between 7.5V and 15V it should always be
used with the power supply provided. A mounting lug is provided to cable tie the
power cable if you wish.

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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.
Normal Operation
Whenever you power up the BBR it first checks the date against its internal real-time
clock. The first time the BBR 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 26]
It does this so that all today’s recordings will be kept together in one folder. If you
happen to be recording a late concert which goes on past midnight, the BBR will not
create a new folder until the next time it’s powered up so all the songs recorded
during a typical concert will still be kept together.
The 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.

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 13
Recording
On power up, the BBR 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
Song 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 enable you to create loops easily for Virtual Sound Checking.
At the end of a recording the BBR will have to do some housekeeping such as closing
the files and writing file headers to the disk to keep it in prime condition. The DISK
LED and the STOP button will flash until the BBR has finished writing to the disk. Wait
until it has finished before starting the next operation. It’s particularly important
that the files have been closed before you unplug the USB disk drive. The BlackBox
will try to recover files that have not been properly closed (see Safe’n’Sound
Record Recovery - page 36) but there’s no guarantee especially if another operating
system has written to the disk in the meantime).
The BBR remembers its settings in Flash RAM internally so you should only have to
set the following things up once.
You might want to record at a different sample rate or bit depth to that at
which the BBR is currently set (page 23)
The unit may be set up to only record certain tracks and you may want to
record on more (or less) tracks (page 21)
You may want to timestamp the recording against timecode (page 23) or set
up the unit to use an external audio clock (page 22)
All these items can be controlled from the menu which is described later in this
manual.

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Playback
Normally, the last recording made will be immediately available for playback.
However the BBR may be set to “PLAYBACK LOCKOUT” indicated by the LED in the
Metering area of the front panel in which case
the play button will have no effect. “PLAYBACK
LOCKOUT” is a safety feature that prevents the
operator from accidentally starting to playback
recorded material during the middle of the
concert! This can cause severe embarrassment
and could be a career limiting move for any
sound engineer.
If the BBR is set to “PLAYBACK LOCKOUT” and you want to disable it temporarily to
perform a Virtual Sound Check, press the MENU button to enter the MENU and
PLAYBACK LOCKOUT is the first item on the list. Press MENU again and it will remove
the tick () mark against PLAYBACK LOCKOUT. Press BACK to exit the MENU and you
can now use Playback normally. PLAYBACK LOCKOUT can be set to manual in the
SETUP menu preventing it automatically engaging after each recording
Fast Wind
FAST FORWARD and REWIND functions within a SONG are achieved by holding the
STOP button down whilst moving the data wheel. Playback will then commence from
this position in the Song
Selecting Songs
To select other songs for playback you will need to press the MENU button. Move the
data wheel until Song Select is highlighted; press MENU again; Select Song Folder if
required and then move the data wheel to select the song you want to play back;
press MENU to confirm.
When a previously recorded Song is loaded for playback, the 24 Green “playback
ready”LEDs positioned underneath the meter section indicate which tracks are
present and ready for playback.
If you load a Song that was recorded at a different sample rate, a warning will be
displayed in the Song Name area of the main screen showing the original sample rate
in red.

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 15
Next / Previous Song
When the BBR is in STOP, the MARK and LOOP buttons will move you to the previous
and next song respectively in the current folder.
Recent Songs
As Songs are recorded or replayed, they will automatically be placed into the Recent
Songs list which is located in the Song Select menu. This allows you to quickly access
the Songs that you regularly play for sound checks, etc. The Recent Songs list is
stored on the disk itself so the list will change if you use a different disk.
File Names
The BBR names the audio files it creates as follows:
nnn-tt.WAV
Where nnn is the song number (between 001 and 999) and tt is the track number
(between 01 and 24).
The track number is not shown on the main BBR user interface screen but it’s used by
the BBR to determine which file replays through which output and will be vital in post
production.
Renaming Songs
If you plug a PS2 keyboard into the BBR1 it is possible to rename Songs to help find
them more easily later on the BBR or in post production on a Digital Audio
Workstation (DAW). The keyboard connector on the BBR is a PS2 style Mini DIN
connector. This was chosen specifically to avoid getting it mixed up with the USB
connection for the Disk Drive –most PC or electronics shops will sell PS2 keyboards.
It is possible to name Songs and tracks using the menu buttons and data wheel (see
page 26) but you’ll find it much quicker using a standard 102 key PS2 keyboard
To rename a song: use “Ctrl-S” and then type in the name that you want. The BBR will
accept capital and lower case letters, spaces and all normal characters that
computers will accept in file names except the dash “-“ (any illegal characters will be
replaced with an underscore “_”). You can navigate backwards and forwards using
the left and right arrow keys. The delete and backspace keys operate as you would
expect. Finish by pressing “Enter” on the keyboard. (Escape will cancel any changes).
The resulting tracks will be called
nnn-tt.Song Name.WAV

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where “Song Name” is the new name that you typed. This will rename all the tracks
[01 - 24] of this song in this folder with this new Song Name. [Note: It is important for
the BlackBox to keep the nnn-tt prefix so that it knows which audio files belong
together as a Song and which track is to be played out of which output. It also helps
some DAWs to place the tracks in their playlist in the correct order / position for
playback.]
So for example, if the current song is 001(unnamed) and you decide to name it
“Herringbone”, you will end up with the following files on your disk
001-01.Herringbone.WAV
001-02.Herringbone.WAV
001-03.Herringbone.WAV
...
001-24.Herringbone.WAV
Renaming tracks
To rename a track: use “Ctrl+<digit><digit>T” on the keyboard (where <digit><digit>
is a number between 01 and 24 to select which track you want to name) then type in
the name that you want. The BBR will accept the same characters as for Song Names,
above. Finish renaming the track by pressing “Enter” on the keyboard (or arrow
up/down if you want to immediately name another track). The resulting tracks will be
called
nnn-tt.Song Name-Track Name.WAV
where “Track Name” is the new name that you just typed. If you use the down arrow,
the BBR will automatically move on to the next track so that you can rename it too.
You may want to name all the tracks similarly for every Song that you’re going to
record. At most concerts, if the kick drum is plugged into channel 2 then it will remain
that way for the whole evening if not the whole tour. To facilitate this, the Track Arm
or the Name Manager MENU allows you to load the track names from an existing
Song and then use them as a template. Select the
Song which has appropriately named tracks as if
for Playback (see above).
Enter the Track Arm MENU or the Name
Manager MENU and then select the Track Name
Template MENU. Select “Copy names from song”
and this will populate all the Track names for you

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 17
automatically. All Songs that you record subsequently will use these Track names.
The Track names will be stored in the Flash memory so you can use them time after
time.
So for example, assuming that channel 1 on the console is a bass guitar and channel 2
is a kick drum, you would use “Ctrl-01T” and then type “Bass” before pressing “Down
Arrow” and then “Kick”, etc. and you would end up with files named:
001-01.Herringbone-Bass.WAV
001-02.Herringbone-Kick.WAV
001-03.Herringbone-Snare.WAV
...
001-24.Herringbone-Daphne Nose Flute mic.WAV
The next Song might contain files named as follows:
002-01.Haddock Marsala-Bass.WAV
002-02.Haddock Marsala-Kick.WAV
002-03.Haddock Marsala-Snare.WAV
...
002-24.Haddock Marsala-Daphne Nose Flute mic.WAV
But it would use the track names you have entered automatically.
It is completely optional whether you rename Songs or Tracks. The BBR does not
require you to do it; it merely helps in post production when the disk has hundreds of
WAV files in each folder. The basic naming scheme and time stamping will keep the
files well organised anyway.
Virtual Sound Checking
If you are using the BlackBox Recorder for Virtual Sound Checking you may need the
ability to Loop around certain sections of the audio, such as a chorus. This is where
the MARK and LOOP buttons are primarily used.
MARK and LOOP operations
Pressing the MARK button either during the
Recording or during Playback will place
Markers in the Song File itself. Multiple
Markers can be set within a Song. The Markers
are indicated on the Transport Function Bar
Having set some Markers, the LOOP button will
create a playback Loop and continually play

Page | 18 BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0
back the MARKED section of the Song.
If the LOOP button is pressed between Markers, the BlackBox will continue in
playback until it reaches the next Marker, Loop back to the previous Marker and then
recommence playback. There will be a short break in playback while the BlackBox
loops back to the earlier Marker (i.e. it does not create a continuous loop).
If, however, there are no later Markers, pressing the LOOP button will create a Loop
between the last Marker and the current playback position.
LOOP mode will remain active until you press LOOP again. You are able to STOP and
restart PLAY whilst remaining in LOOP mode.
In STOP, holding down MARK and using the data wheel will jump to the next and
subsequent Markers within the Song so that you can start playback from a specific
Marker.
In PLAYBACK, holding down the MARK button while using the data wheel enables the
deletion of Markers that are no longer required in the current Song. Clockwise
movement will delete one (or more) later Marker(s); Anticlockwise will delete one,
(or more) earlier Marker(s).
The Markers are stored in the audio files in what’s known as a Cue Chunk, which
many (but not all) DAWs can read. So they may also be used to indicate a place in the
recording to post production.
Monitoring
It is possible to monitor a summing mix, a rough mix or individual tracks or pairs of
tracks on the BBR via the headphone output. The summing mix “ALL” will place every
odd numbered track on the left channel and every even numbered track on the right
channel.
The data wheel will alter the volume of the
headphone output (when not in the MENU). The
volume is displayed on the colour display while
you adjust it.
If you hold down the BACK button whilst using
the data wheel, you will change what is heard in
the headphones. The options are “MIX”; “ALL”;
“1-2”; “3-4”, etc. with ALL being the summing mix mentioned above and the
individual track pairs being a pre-fade listen of each pair of tracks (panned hard left

BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0 Page | 19
and right). The Monitor... section of the menu controls the level and pan settings in
the MIX mode.
The Monitor Menu allows you to set the BACK button to toggle the data wheel
function between selecting the PFL / solo channel and controlling the headphone
volume. In this mode, the MARK button will cancel PFL and return to the MIX setting
allowing you to quickly switch back to a full rough mix when you need to. The MARK
and BACK buttons flash while the data wheel is used to indicate this mode.
The Monitor Menu also allows you to elect to solo individual channels in mono,
rather than pairs in stereo. It is also where you set the peak hold time. You can select
the Hi-res metering mode where the Track Arm LEDs on the meter display will show
the level on the channel(s) that are being soloed.
The headphone output is routed through an automatic gain control so that quiet
signals can be as easily heard during the concert as louder ones. This does not affect
the recording at all. The amount of automatic gain in the headphone signal chain is
adjustable in the Monitor Menu (up to 40dB of gain) and the current gain added is
indicated by yellow dots on the gain display.
Summary of Combined Controls
Transport Mode
Press/Hold
Wheel
Function
Any
-
< or >
Headphone monitor volume
Any
BACK
< or >
Headphone monitor solo channel
Any (PFL toggle
mode)
BACK
-
Swap between volume and solo
channel select
Any (PFL toggle
mode)
MARK
-
Exit solo and return to mix setting
In STOP
STOP
< or >
Fast rewind or Fast forward wind
In STOP
MARK
< or >
Select MARKER for PLAY position
In STOP
MARK
-
Select Previous Song
IN STOP
LOOP
-
Select Next Song
In PLAY
MARK
<
DELETE previous MARKER(s)
In PLAY
MARK
>
DELETE subsequent MARKER(s)
In PLAY
LOOP
-
Enter LOOP mode at next MARKER or
immediately if no subsequent
MARKERS
In PLAY/RECORD
MARK
-
Set a MARKER at current time
In RECORD
REC
-
Mark the start of a new SONG

Page | 20 BLACKBOX RECORDER - User Manual v3.0
Using the Menu
The following section discusses the menu in more detail. Throughout the menu
operations the MENU button moves forward through the structure and also acts as a
CONFIRM button; the BACK button moves backwards through the menu structure
and can act as an ESCAPE button. The data wheel acts as a selector and data entry
wheel whilst in the menu structure. The MARK and LOOP buttons also replicate the
wheel to advance down or retreat up the menus, selecting the next or previous menu
item.
Once you have adjusted and confirmed the setting or parameter that you want to
change, use the BACK button to exit the menu and get back to the normal main
screen display. On the whole it’s pretty obvious so try it.
Menu items are of 4 types
Submenu: These are shown by an ellipsis after the name, e.g.
"Date/Time...". When you press MENU the BBR loads the submenu.
Multiple choice: These show a colon after the option title,
e.g. "Line-in mon: E-E(via DSP)". When you press MENU the option turns
red and you can scroll through the available options and press MENU again
when you have made your choice.
Tick box: These are preceded by a tick
() if selected or an empty tick box if
not selected. e.g. “Display Song TC”
Press MENU to toggle the option.
Action: These are preceded by a
hatchet or tomahawk symbol. When
you press MENU the BBR executes the
option indicated, e.g.
"/

Reset". Where appropriate the BBR will show a "buried hatchet" symbol
in red after execution.
Menu structure and operation
To enter the menu, press the MENU button in the Control section of the front panel.
Setting up adjustable parameters
This list may not be exhaustive as JoeCo is constantly improving its products and may
have added features to the software since this document was authored. However,