BLUEBOX REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- This is the Bluebox digital audio mixer and recorder from 1010Music. In this video, we look at all the features of this device. Bluebox is a 12 track audio mixer for use in the studio or live performance.
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The stiff clarity of this review is actually very refreshing
Thanks
agreed
@@zaloo Clear and concise without the fluff - Thank you!
Thank you for doing this video. It saved me a lot of time and headache from pressing buttons and twisting knobs. I'm not lost anymore lol.
Thanks! Glad it helped.
Thanks for the review! I hope 1010 adds looping.
That would be awesome.
And punch-in recording instead of only from start
they have an history of regular update with big improvements, let's hope so:)
Great review. Thanks for diving deep on this one. It’s a unique bit of kit. I could see going to someplace cool (cabin in the woods, seaside rental, etc.). and using this to record. 😀
Nice! Sounds like fun.
Nice review👍Just a couple of quick questions:
- can the Squarp Pyramid work as a controller for the midi functions into the Bluebox, and/or receive and record midi if it's the master sequencer/clock?
- also, are all takes saved as .wav files? and with regards to making a master track can you record any number of new tracks while already recorded tracks(takes) are playing, and then re-record your set of desired takes with master effects and EQ for a master track? Thanks!
I pre-ordered my BlueBox and can't wait for it to get here. I have limited table space and this will solve a lot of my problems.
Awesome! Enjoy.
Excellent review, a weird thing about this recorder though; in newer firmware, the track recordings are recorded post EQ, Fader, and Mutes, meaning that as soon as you play your tracks back, they’re being EQ’d a second time. 😼
Interesting. That’s good to know. I wonder if that’s on purpose.
What a concise, clear review. Subscribed.
Thanks!
I feel super old knowing that people have to be told what a portastudio is lol.
Don't . 16 yo kids are getting into tape tracking again . Haha
@@ibrajimenez2098 that's cool
Great video! You mention at the end about it potentially becoming an interface, is this likely? Seems a bonkers missed opportunity that it isn’t already - however, if this really is on the cards in a future update it would be a must buy…
Failing that, how easy is it to upload the audio tracks to logic after recording? If this is easy that’s still a nice alternative.
I’ve been interested in the Tascam Model12 for a while but the compact nature of this appeals and has made me think twice!
Yeah, 1010 mentioned to me that they have no plans to make it into an interface. It seems like a missed opportunity indeed.
Love the simple logical workflow and design in 1010 equipment
Now the Blue box has class compliant usb audio streaming to computers!
Hmmm, looks like I'm selling my Zoom R16.
Superb overview and tutorial! You really have me wanting an OP-1 now. Definitely looks amazing way to record and mix all the modular synths and boxes in my studio.
Thanks! Yes. The op1 is a special device.
Hello Ollie, keep coming on your channel expecting new content. Nope ! I miss you !
Thanks! I appreciate it. It’s been a crazy year. Lots of good content in the pipeline.
@@OllieLoops Good to hear. Love your channel. Was worried. Glad you’re ok.
Thanks for the overview! If I plug 6 TRS cables into the inputs, can I still record 12 tracks? All my audio sources are from a 6-channel DI unit which sends anything I need to record.
Thanks,. I believe that will work if you record everything live. But keep in mind that tracks are linked LR, so it's not the same as 12 mono tracks that you can record to independently. Hope that helps.
hello mr loops!! I have a few questions regarding BLUEBOX
hey, what questions do you have?
@@OllieLoopsfirst of all 🔊🔊🔊🙌🏾 I see you’re using the deluge🙌🏾🙌🏾 I’m thinking about using it l for a live set with my 2 deluge and multiple synths
A) does the blue box have compression for every channel or is it just for the master output?
B) is it stable?
I found the blackbox to be a highly disappointing product, so I'm sceptical....
Fair enough. What was your experience?
@@OllieLoops while the hardware was great, as was the overall concept, I found the software to be very buggy and limiting. It got to the point where I'd be checking 1010's site super regularly hoping there was a bug that was fixed or some relatively basic feature included in the new firmware. In the end I spent way too much time being frustrated with it which would in turn would eat away at my creative energy. I don't know what it's like now, but basically they put it on the market something like a year before the software was ready. I don't think it's right to make your customers unknowing beta testers for your poor software.
Thanks for that info. I understand. Did you end up using the Blackbox or did you find another device?
@@OllieLoops I ended up switching to the mpc one. It's certainly not as compact and portable, but the software is far superior.
@@marantz1 it's very good now.. the features they added recently have made it a beast.
Great tutorial, I have a question that hopefully you can answer, let's say I'm playing live, at the end of a song I want to change to a new project but I want to keep a synth (lyra-8) playing in the background while I prepare the next project, my question is, if I change project there is a small pause that prevent any sound to go out for a second?
I believe there would be a pause or disruption in the audio when switching projects.
Is it just me or does the screen look misaligned? Camera angle?
There is a bit of a camera angle thing happening. The device is angled a few degrees on the top. That plus the camera lens, etc makes the device not perfectly square.
As per usual with your videos, well structured, clear and concise information. Many thanks!
Thanks!!
I wonder if anyone has tried a controller with midi I/O and motorised faders like the Behringer X-touch Compact to control the Bluebox?
Interesting question. Let us know if you try it.
Can you record lead and background vocals. guitar, keys? I know this is for primary beat box users, but I was looking to put together musical song ideas quickly without using my computer. I do care about sound quality, but I think this can pull it off. Please advise. Thank You
Thanks for your comment and questions. You can record any audio that you want including vocals, guitars, drums, or even podcasts. It’s specifically designed for musicians who don’t want to use their computer. I hope that helps.
Ideally guitar needs some kind of preamp to get to line level
Nice, but track edit features.. cut, move, exchange..would be a big improvement for me.
Thanks for your comment. Those are good thoughts.
Dope review
Thanks!
Can you have different mixes controlled by midi? So one could save different mixes for a live set
I don’t think you can change the project file or mix via midi. You could either set up a project file that could work for your live set as a whole. Or simply load a new project file between songs.
Technically it is a DAW, and it's simplistic, but very compact. But it is a DAW.
That may be a stretch considering you can’t edit audio in it.
@@OllieLoops You have a point if you consider that a criterium to be a workstation, and tbh I had not considered that editing was not possible in the device. Anyway it's a good and clear review video, well done :)
Great video. Thanks so much for making it. Toward the end, when you mention the lack of certain functions, what do you mean by multichannel wav files? I understood that recording multiple channels at the same time would results in multiple tracks in the SD card...in other words separate wav files/ stems to work with in a DAW. Are you saying otherwise?
Thanks! And thanks for your questions. Let me try to answer them. First, it’s lacking recording features found on many recorders such as overdub, punch in/out, looping, etc. Bluebox would benefit from these features. Multichannel WAVs are singular files which contain each stem within them, not as a stereo file, but several channels. When you drop the file into most DAWs, your stems/tracks are already organized and it’s a simple workflow. Currently, the device creates individual stems, so you need to align them within a DAW one by one. Not a big deal, but it would be more streamlined via multichannel WAVs. I hope that makes sense.
@@OllieLoops Totally makes sense, thanks! I didn’t know that existed. Awesome. Happy holidays!
Can you export your tracks/mix/song into 1 wav file
So it can be mastered?
You can export the overall output to a wav file, I recall.
@@OllieLoops ok, thanks for the reply
Great review!! Thanks a lot!
Thanks!
Can you edit the take you just recorded? Like Start / End points, Fades or Reverse?
Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of editing options. You would have to think about it like recording to tape.
@@OllieLoops yes, you’re correct. I appreciate so much the BlackBox already, I had some misleading expectations for the BlueBox. As you say, it should be seen as a straight 12 tracks mixer/recorder, not a DAW.
hey very nice review.is it possible to connect two bluebox to work as one mixer 24 channels?
Thanks! I think you could send the outputs of one into another. But I don’t think there is a way to connect them digitally.
@@OllieLoops for sure any mixer can connect from the output to the other input of a mixer,but could be great if can connect via usb as one mixer with 24 channels and 4 outpouts and save files as one mixer!could be great as future request uptade
I agree. I would recommend letting 1010 Music know. It’s a good suggestion.
My favorite UA-cam channel
Thanks! I’m so glad you like it. Thanks for your support.
Thanks for an informative video.
You’re welcome.
ok you are convincing me on this one Ollie
Awesome! If you get it from the link on the description, it helps me out.
I was hoping you would show how to record in a finished song from the blackbox into the blue box! I myself would want to have my kick on it’s own track, bass on its own track etc.
but if I’ve created a song on the blackbox, how do we get all the instruments 🎻 from the blackbox onto its own tracks so we can EQ THEM separately? I have a blackbox and have been looking for a way to better master my songs.
I’m still not clean on the transfer process from the blackbox as a completed song to the blue box for proper mixing and mastering?🤔
Thanks fo your comment and questions. In short, you would need to record parts from instruments and/or Blackbox onto Bluebox as groups of stems. For example, you may record all your cymbals and snare to one track on Bluebox. Then you may put kick drum on another. The trick is to mute all parts that you don't want to record and group similar sounds that can be mixed together. You can then create layers for your song including guitar, bass, keys, etc. The process is very simple, you just have to record on Bluebox and play other instruments in time with the recording. You should be able to midi clock some devices to start in time with Bluebox. I hope that helps.
@@OllieLoops Ok first off, thanks for replying, so many youtubers don't answer serious questions. So if this is the case why create a song on the blackbox if you still have to deconstruct it to get it on the bluebox. Or have to play the song mode on blackbox and mute everything except the sound you want to move to the bluebox. Which means I will have to repeat this process for the number of sounds I have in the song. This could take hours. the song will have to play multiples time from the blackbox from the beginning unmuting and muting sounds until everything is re-recorded on the blue box??? this sounds like old school multi tracking.... if the Song is 3mins long and I have Kick, snare open closed hat, bass, piano, strings etc. just in this example I would have to play the song about 3-4 times grouping like sounds, kick and bass together, piano and strings together, Wow not what I was hoping the bluebox would do... When everything the bluebox does should be included in the blackbox so mastering can be done straight from one device... I'm sad now!!!! Sounds like I will just have to take all the waves off the blackbox and load them on my MPC... recreate it from there then master straight out of the MPC X... But thanks again for trying to answer the question... means alot
@@IMakeBeats no problem. I'm happy to help. The devices are ultimately very different. Blackbox could be used as a drum machine while Bluebox could be used as a multitrack recorder. In this way, you can layer sounds that you could not get with just the Blackbox alone. Likewise, you can't create sounds on Bluebox, so you would want something like Blackbox to sample and sequence other sounds into it.
Further, if you have an MPC X already, then it does most of what Bluebox and Blackbox do. However, what it doesn't do is act as a central mixer for your musical setup, not as well as Bluebox. That's where I think Bluebox shines, it's a very compact and convenient mixer that also happens to record. It works well for me, because I can run an MPC and Blackbox, along with several other devices into it, including guitar, and it allows me to have a relatively large music setup via Bluebox. I don't so much use it to record music tracks that way, but use it to play multiple instruments at once. I hope that helps.
@@OllieLoops what would really help would be to see how you've done this. a video showing how you use the mpc and the bluebox together I think would really clear up some unanswered questions. I would really look forward to seeing this video... I've been looking for a way to master my song's on the blackbox. I'm a 100% standalone user so I don't use a DAW at all. please create a video showing how to take songs from the blackbox and properly put them on the bluebox for mixing and mastering...
@@IMakeBeats I understand. I have several useful videos in the works. Stay tuned.
No usb disk mode:(
That would be nice.
@@OllieLoops really surprised its not there.
@@IIrandhandleII I hear ya. I would have liked to have seen USB Audio so it could be an audio interface. What a killer feature that would have been.
@@OllieLoops that sounds like a very cpu intense feature, I thought at least usb disk mode would be pretty easy to implement to transfer files easily to computer since it is likely already plugged in to a machine. Maybe in a future update, It is my first 1010 machine so I'm not sure how good they are with updates.
@@IIrandhandleII I understand. You can try to contact them with that request/question. It's a good one and worth having them hear it from users.
Where did you go?
Hey, thanks for your comment. I’m alive and well. It’s a very busy year for me as some of my other projects are keeping me preoccupied. I plan a return to the channel in the future. Thanks for your support.
@@OllieLoops I am glad to hear you're doing well, and just working on some other things. I didn't know if you had called it quites. I obviously hope not, but I also know YT can be quite the grind and creators need to do what's best for them. Warm regards.
Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts and support.
Nice
But am looking for something simpler
Thanks! You could check out an older 4 track tape portastudio. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
@@OllieLoops or something like the Korg D888 but you’d then need to track out your stems individually which would be a massive ballache.
1010’s workflow is nice. I own Blackbox and have owned a fair few other samplers & grooveboxes and the 1010 workflow is far easier to get to grips with than many others.
The only real competition I see at this pricepoint is the zoom L12 and both units have some pros & cons.
@@davidholmes3776 Good thoughts David. Thanks for the input. And good call on the Kord D888. There are certainly pros and cons to each device and workflow.
is there any way to record guitar or vocals on it ?
Yes, use a Di for a guitar or bass and use a mic pre for a mic. Once the signals are converted to line level, you can input them into the Bluebox.
Ideally guitar needs some kind of preamp to get to line level
if i plug a microphone with a effects processor and a guitar through a guitar pedal will that be like providing a pre amp and enable me to record on blue box
its a v 6 zoom processor . thanks man its impportant i want to record my music with this thing
Thanks for your question. I believe if you come out of the headphone output into the Bluebox, that should work. And with a guitar, you need to go through a DI of some sort then into the Bluebox. I hope that helps.
@@OllieLoops I was thinking maybe guitar pedal also zoom or spire studio but I’m not sure how any other suggestions I feel this thing could be perfect I just need guitar as well
@@strangesevin you can have whatever guitar pedals you want before the DI. The DI is just there to convert the signal.
@@OllieLoops I’ll have to look up di I appreciate the help I have had my eye on this thing for a while I was thinking vocal processor would have been like a pre amp I’m really not sure what to do
@@strangesevin The zoom should work fine for your vocals, but you need a different strategy (DI) for the guitar. In both cases, you need to convert the signals (mic or instrument) to a line level signal for them to work on Bluebox. I hope that helps.
which firmware is that?
I recall it’s 1.0.9, but you can see it in the video when it comes to the tools section.
I’ll wait until till they add track play back loop 🔁 record features.
Hopefully those happen.
Blackbox can give you what you need minus the mixer features.
@@fernandomercado5519 well i think you have volume per track on the blackbox, so you could midi map this to a lets say a launch control and have a 16 Track looper with faders.
@@cheliozlatchkeykid7886 oh, that’s true
It's a good product, but still not available.
I don’t think it’s been officially released to retailers yet. Late December is what I heard.
@@OllieLoops Yah, it's the only missing piece to my collection. Anyway, good tutorial.
1010music said on their facebook page that they expect to ship the units in early January. Thomann currently expects them on January 15th.
@@g3cd awesome!!!
great video
Thanks!
Does this have midi sync start and stop recording? If so, it's one of the few new multitrack recorders on the market that does....And it would be an instant buy for me.
Yes it does.
I like the concept of a small DAW and I like the features of the Bluebox, but dislike the design of the user interface. I wish teenage engineering would do something like this and get it to bee easy and fun to use. Actually, the trick is to get it to be fun to watch someone else use!