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
Congratulations on your purchase of the JoeCo BlueBox Workstation Interface
Recorder (BBWR). This document will lead you through the basics of how to set up
and use the product. The BlueBox BBWR Workstation Interface Recorder 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 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

Page | 2 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
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

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 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 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
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. 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.

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 5
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

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 7
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

Page | 8 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
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

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 9
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.

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 11
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

Page | 12 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
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.

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 13
Normal Operation
Whenever you power up the BBWR it first checks the date against its internal real-
time 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

Page | 14 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
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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At the end of a recording the BBWR 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 BBWR 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
BlueBox will try to recover files that have not been properly closed (see
Safe’n’Sound Record Recovery - page 39) but there’s no guarantee especially if
another operating system has accessed and written to the disk in the meantime).
The BBWR 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 BBWR is currently set (page 27)
The unit may be set up to only record certain tracks and you may want to
record on more (or less) tracks (page 24)
You may want to timestamp the recording against timecode (page 26) or set
up the unit to use an external audio clock (page 26)
You may prefer to think of each recording as a SONG (e.g. in concerts) rather
than a TAKE. This can be changed in the Setup MENU (page 27)
All these items can be controlled from the menu which is described later in this
manual.
Playback
Normally, the last recording made will be immediately available for playback.
However the BBWR 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 at an inappropriate time.
If the BBWR is set to “PLAYBACK LOCKOUT” and
you want to disable it temporarily to check a
recording, press the MENU button to enter the MENU and PLAYBACK LOCKOUT is the
top 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

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 17
Fast Wind
FAST FORWARD and REWIND functions within a recording are achieved by holding
the STOP button down whilst moving the data wheel. Playback will then commence
from this position.
Selecting Recordings for playback
To select another recording for playback you will need to press the MENU button.
Move the data wheel until Take Select is highlighted; press MENU again; Select
Folder if required and then move the data wheel to select the take you want to play
back; press MENU to confirm.
When a previous recording 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 Take that was recorded at a different sample rate, a warning will be
displayed in the Name area of the main screen showing the original sample rate in
red.
Next / Previous Take
When the BBWR is in STOP, the MARK and LOOP buttons will move you to the
previous and next take respectively in the current folder.
Recent Takes
As recordings are made or replayed, they will automatically be placed into the Recent
Recordings list which is located in the Take Select menu. This allows you to quickly
access the days’ Recordings. The Recent Takes list is stored on the disk itself so the
list will change if you use a different disk.
File Names
The BBWR names the audio files it creates as follows:
nnn-tt.WAV
Where nnn is the take number (between 001 and 999) and tt is the track number
(between 01 and 24).

Page | 18 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
The track number is not shown on the main BBWR user interface screen but it’s used
by the BBWR to determine which file replays through which output and will be vital
in post production.
Renaming Takes
Using a PS2 keyboard plugged into the BBWR or the JoeCoRemote app for iPad it is
possible to rename “Takes”to help find them more easily later on the BBWR or in
post production on a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). The keyboard connector on
the BBWR is a PS2 style Mini DIN connector. It is also possible to name Takes and
tracks using the menu buttons and data wheel (see page 30) but you’ll find it much
quicker using the JoeCoRemote or a standard PS2 keyboard
To rename a take on a PS2 keyboard, use “Ctrl-S” and then type in the name that you
want. The BBWR 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.Take Name.WAV
where “Take Name” is the new name that you typed. This will rename all the tracks
[01 - 24] of this take in this folder with this new Take Name. [Note: It is important for
the BlueBox to keep the nnn-tt prefix so that it knows which audio files belong
together as a Take 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 take is 001(unnamed) and you decide to name it
“Scene1”, you will end up with the following files on your disk
001-01.Scene1.WAV
001-02.Scene1.WAV
001-03.Scene1.WAV
...
001-24.Scene1.WAV

BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0 Page | 19
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 BBWR will accept the same characters as for Take
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.Take Name-Track Name.WAV
where “Track Name” is the new name that you just typed. If you use the down arrow,
the BBWR 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 Take that you’re going to record. If Sandra’s
mic is plugged into channel 2 then it will probably
remain that way for the whole day’s shoot. To
facilitate this, the Track Arm or the Name
Manager MENU allows you to load the track
names from an existing Take and then use them as
a template. Select the Take 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 take”and this will populate all the
Track names for you automatically. All Takes 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 is George’s mic and channel 2 is Sandra’s,
you would use “Ctrl-01T” and then type “George” before pressing “Down Arrow” and
then “Sandra”, etc. and you would end up with files named:
001-01.Scene1-George.WAV
001-02.Scene1-Sandra.WAV
001-03.Scene1-Jimmy.WAV
...
001-24.Scene1-Daphne.WAV
The next Take might contain files named as follows:

Page | 20 BLUEBOX WORKSTATION RECORDER - User Manual v1.0
002-01.Scene2-George.WAV
002-02. Scene2 -Sandra.WAV
002-03. Scene2 -Jimmy.WAV
...
002-24. Scene2 -Daphne.WAV
But it would use the track names you have entered automatically.
It is completely optional whether you rename Takes or Tracks. The BBWR 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.
Playback and Virtual Sound Checking
If you are using the BlueBox Recorder for Playback or 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 Take File itself. Multiple
Markers can be set within a Take. The Markers
are indicated on the Transport Function Bar
Having set some Markers, the LOOP button will create a playback Loop and
continually play back the MARKED section of the Take.
If the LOOP button is pressed between Markers, the BlueBox 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 BlueBox
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.