Let's face it, buying the most expensive rack-mounted pc (or mac), adding 3x audio interfaces, a digital mixer and putting it all in a massive rack on wheel is not cheap, it's not very portable, and it's a recipe for disaster. I have helped in the past setting up something like that, and I cannot even begin to describe the nightmare it was working with MLAN protocol (if you don't know what it is, no surprise. It was multichannel audio and midi via a single Firewire400 cable, using Yamaha's proprietary system - one of those ideas that look great on paper but which never really worked, like imagine the complexity of setting up a local network and add digital clocks losing sync every two minutes).
So when I first read about the BlackBox recorder I was intrigued, but it was only last week when I had the chance to see one in detail (in an otherwise incredibly boring LIMS 2009).
The BlackBox is beautiful because it is so simple: a small rack-mountable (1 unit) device which accepts 24 analogue inputs and records them as discrete tracks on to a connected hard drive.
Now if you are like me, and have already started thinking of the possible drawbacks.... let me give you the answers I found:
1) the converters are top quality 24 bit 96 KHz - the developer of the BlackBox is the man that originally designed the SADiE system (and if you don't know what SADiE is, keep in mind that most of your favourite records have probably been mastered on it).
2) the files are saved in time-stamped Broadcast Wav, so you can take the hard drive and connect it to anything using whichever software you like (Pro Tools, Logic, Nuendo) and they will open immediately and appear in the right order. There is no need to have a BlackBox to open the files, no need to 'export' in one format or another. Any computer that can read FAT32-formatted drives (and currently that's all of them) will have no problems at all.
3) the BlackBox doesn't run on some sort of windows, osX or Linux which could crash during the recording. It's as stable and solid as any other hardware recorder you've ever used (but the firmware can still be updated to add new features in the future, if required).
4) there is a wide range of adapter cables to choose from, so you can go in as TRS jack, XLR, and it's possible to have an optional choice of digital inputs (ADAT, AES/EBU).
5) only 24 tracks? no. You can stack multiple units to get all the channels you need.
6) What about naming the tracks you are going to record? After all you don't want to get back to the studio having to sort out a few hundred of tracks all called 'audio_01_1.wav'... There is a computer keyboard input at the back so you can name things right (and th efront panel has a lovely colour LCD which is easy to read in the dark and has all the information you need).
7) there is a dedicated headphone output so you can check any file at any time without having to connect the hard drive to a computer (genius).
8) in fact it's hard to stress too much how easy is to set up and use this thing: you might know nothing at all of mixers, computers, nothing, and still plug a common hard drive in to the unit and simply press record.
I would strongly recommend the BlackBox to anyone working in live music, broadcasting, or anywhere else there is the need to capture a performance with fool-proof reliability.
Some people might feel that a rack of Digidesign converters and a laptop is the way to go, and I personally think they are crazy, but even if you insist on having a Pro Tools rig as your main recorder, you'd be crazy not to have a BlackBox as a backup.
To read more about it check http://www.joeco.co.uk/main/BBR1_Summary.php
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