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

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Contents
BLUEBOX ..................................................................................................................... 1
Workstation Interface RECORDER ............................................................................... 1
Important Safety Information .................................................................................................. 3
WARNING - Read the following before proceeding :........................................................... 3
Copyright Warning ................................................................................................................... 4
Opening the Box....................................................................................................................... 5
Box Contents ....................................................................................................................... 5
Controls and interfaces ............................................................................................................ 6
Front Panel.......................................................................................................................... 6
Rear Panel ........................................................................................................................... 7
JoeCo Control for Mac and PC.................................................................................................. 8
Mic/Line Input Controls....................................................................................................... 8
Low Latency Input Monitor Mix .......................................................................................... 9
Workstation Output Monitor Mix ....................................................................................... 9
Transport and Master........................................................................................................ 10
Installation.............................................................................................................................. 10
How to wire up the BBWR................................................................................................. 10
Normal Operation .................................................................................................................. 13
Setting up .......................................................................................................................... 13
Use as an Audio Interface with Local Recording Backup ................................................... 14
Setting up as an Audio Interface ....................................................................................... 14
Local Recording ................................................................................................................. 15
Playback ............................................................................................................................ 16
File Names......................................................................................................................... 17
Playback and Virtual Sound Checking................................................................................ 20
Monitoring ........................................................................................................................ 21
Summary of Combined Front Panel Controls .................................................................... 22
Using the Menu...................................................................................................................... 23
Menu structure and operation.......................................................................................... 23
Software updates ................................................................................................................... 32
Linking multiple BlueBox Recorders together......................................................................... 34
Using a PS2 keyboard ............................................................................................................. 36
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................... 37
Safe’n’Sound Record Recovery.......................................................................................... 39
Summary Of Alert Messages ............................................................................................. 40
JoeCo Conditions of Use ......................................................................................................... 42
Software Licence Agreement ............................................................................................ 44
Warranty Information ....................................................................................................... 47
Product Returns ................................................................................................................ 50
Product and End User Registration.................................................................................... 50

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.

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Damage: To prevent damage to the equipment cosmetics, avoid placing heavy
objects on the unit, scratching the surface with sharp objects, or subjecting the unit
to rough handling and vibration.
Transporting: The equipment should be transported in the original packing or
purpose built flight case to protect it from damage during transit.
Cables: Plan the location of the equipment so that the connecting cables are not fully
extended. Full extension of the cables can stress the equipment and cables and may
result in undesired performance. Ensure that all cables are located such that they
cannot be stood on or tripped over. The 25way D-sub connectors should not be over
tightened and you should provide adequate strain relief to ensure that the weight of
the cable looms does not rely on the D-type connectors themselves. Tie them to the
rack with cable ties.
Copyright Warning
JoeCo’s recorder products are designed to enable you to record and reproduce
material to which you own the copyright, or material which the copyright owner has
granted you permission to record and/or reproduce.
It is illegal to record, reproduce, distribute, sell, hire, lend, perform or broadcast all or
part of a work (written or musical composition, broadcast, performance or similar)
whose copyright is held by a third party without the permission of that third party.
Do not use this Product for purposes that could infringe a copyright held by a third
party. JoeCo and its authorised distributors and resellers assume no responsibility
whatsoever with regard to any infringements of third-party copyrights arising
through your misuse of this Product.

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Opening the Box
Box Contents
Inside the box you will find the following:
BlueBox Workstation Interface Recorder
Power Supply
USB2 interface cable
User Manual
Quick Start Guide
The BlueBox Workstation Interface Recorder (BBWR) is not a standard multitrack
recorder nor is it a digital audio workstation (DAW). It has been designed specifically
to act as an audio interface for an audio workstation whilst making a safety backup of
every recording in case of computer problems. It can also capture multitrack audio
directly to a USB2/3 drive in live acquisition applications.
A number of specific features have been added to make it suitable and safe in a live
environment such as playback lockout, protection against accidentally ending a
recording and no general purpose operating system.
Some features often found in other multitrack machines are not present in the
BlueBox Recorder such as overdubbing and punch in facilities.

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Controls and interfaces
Front Panel
The front panel of the BlueBox Workstation Recorder contains user controls for the
unit. The buttons are all touch sensitive which prevents them wearing out through
constant use –just place the flat of your finger on the button to operate.
The left hand side of the unit contains the metering section. Each channel or Track [1
through 24] has 3 rows of metering LEDs above the Track Arming LEDs.
Green = signal present: dimly lit at approx -45dBFS; bright at -22dBFS,
Yellow = good signal level: dim at -22dBFS; bright at -10dBFS
Red = getting hot / clip: dim at -10dBFS; bright red at 0dBFS
The metering LEDs get brighter as the signal level gets louder and the Red LED can be
set to stay on when an overload occurs. The meters are positioned above a two
colour LED that indicates whether the track is armed ready for recording or not
(Green for playback ready; Red for record ready). There are also indicators for power,
Disk activity and Playback Lockout
To the right of the JoeCo logo is the control wheel which has a number of functions
explained later.
Then there are the main Transport controls [PLAY, STOP, RECORD] with the four
other control buttons above [L-R: BACK, MARK, LOOP, MENU].
Finally, at the right hand side of the front panel is the colour LCD display. This is the
primary user interface and shows the current mode of operation along with settings
and any error messages. Most screens are colour coded to more easily see what is
happening from a distance.
Metering
Transport
Controls
Control buttons
Display
Data
Wheel
Headphones O

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

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JoeCoControl for Mac and PC
The JoeCoControl app for PC and Mac gives the user full control of the BBWR’s inputs
and effects. It also gives full control of a 48ch headphone mixer with control of both
the local low latency headphone mix on the BlueBox and the headphone mix from
your DAW to the outputs of your BlueBox.
Mic/Line Input Controls
The Mic/line Input control window allows control of the BBWR’s Inputs and effects.
When Mic is selected the +48V (phantom power), HPF (High Pass Filter), Limit (soft
limiter), 28dB Pad and Phase reverse buttons become active. The green Limit buttons
turn amber to indicate that the limiter has been activated to reduce the level on that
channel. Faders adjust the input level gain and you can also type accurate gains into
the field at the bottom of each fader.
The 28dB Pad allows for mics with very high output levels and even line level signals
to be processed through the limiter and high-pass filter effects

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Low Latency Input Monitor Mix
The Low Latency Input Monitor Mix window allows control of the local Low Latency
headphone Monitor Mix on the BlueBox providing Pan and Level controls for each
channel of the monitor mix along with familiar mute and solo functions. The resultant
mix is routed to the rear headphone socket and is available for a producer or director
to listen to the monitor mix during the recording.
The front panel headphone socket provides the engineer’s mix which will normally be
the same mix unless the engineer uses a PFL button when it will monitor just that
channel in Pre-Fade Listen mode.
Workstation Output Monitor Mix

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The Workstation Output Monitor Mix window allows control of the headphone mix
for the DAW outputs. Like the Low Latency Input Monitor Mix window, this provides
Pan and Level controls for each channel for the monitor mix along with mute and
solo functions.
In the same fashion as the Low Latency Input Monitor Mix, the resultant mix is
routed to the rear headphone socket and is available for a producer or director to
listen to the monitor mix during the recording.
Transport and Master
The Transport and Master Window displays
information and controls relevant to the
BlueBox’s local recording. From this
window you can send the BlueBox into
record and stop the recording. You can also
adjust the master headphone volume. It
also tells you how much recording time
there is left on the disk before it is full and
for how long the BlueBox has been
recording.
Installation
How to wire up the BBWR
Audio connections
If you have also purchased the optional JoeCo Input BreakOut Box (BOBIN), this will
have been supplied with three 25way D-sub to D-sub cable looms which plug directly
between the upper row of connectors on the back of the BBWR unit and the D-subs
on the BOB. You can then use the XLR-F connectors on the BOBIN to plug your
microphones or line sources into the unit.
Alternatively you can use 25way D-sub to XLR-F cables looms (one for each bank of 8
channels). These are wired to the TASCAM analogue format (as are ProTools systems)
and can be purchased through your supplier.