Audio and routing

Audio setup in bblx: input channels, languages, wires, outputs, and connecting Behringer X32 through a USB card.

Workspace

Open “Translation”. The diagram consists of three columns: “Inputs” — where speech comes from, “Translations” — which languages to translate into, and “Outputs” — where to send the translation. Lines between the circular ports show connections; the cards alone do not mean that audio is connected.

1. Add a source and channels

Click “+ Source”, select a microphone or mixer input, and check the desired channel numbers. The “Channels” button on the card lets you change them later. The checkboxes in this window show channels on the diagram but do not connect them to translation. For app audio, use “Choose another application…” if this option is available on your OS.

2. Connect a language

Click “+ Language”, find the desired language by name or code, and select it. This is the output language; the program detects the source speech automatically. If a card for the desired language already exists, use it.

Drag a wire from the circular port of the source channel to “Speech” in the language card. You can start from either end. To connect using the keyboard, press Tab to move to the first port and press Enter or Space, then activate the second port in the same way. Escape cancels an unfinished connection.

You can connect several channels from one device to a single language: they are averaged into mono rather than becoming separate translations. Connecting another device replaces that language's previous input. One source can be used for several languages.

3. Assign outputs

For headphones or a return to the mixer, click “+ Device” in the outputs column, select a device, and check the channels. Connect “Translation” in the language card to the port of the desired output channel. For stereo headphones, assign both channels: they will receive the same mono translation signal.

Another way is to use the “Outputs” button in the language card: select an output device you have already added and check the desired channels in the matrix. Here, each checkbox immediately connects or disconnects the translation; there is no “Apply” button. All channels provided by the device and driver are available, including channel 32. A single hardware output channel cannot receive two languages at the same time: choose a free channel for the second one.

For listeners' phones, check “Local network” or “Internet” in the language card, or connect the translation to the corresponding network port. You can use hardware and network outputs simultaneously. The QR and copy-link buttons are located in the rows of these network outputs. The «Remote control» block sits at the bottom of the diagram and is intended for organizers, not the audience. How to show QR and save PNG

Editing and deleting connections

Click a wire, a channel row, or a card title, then “Delete” at the bottom of the diagram or Delete / Backspace. Deleting a connected object requires confirmation and removes its connections. To remove just one assignment, select the wire itself, not the device or language card.

Changing output channels and network assignments does not restart translation. Changing the input restarts only the corresponding language. During an event, change routing deliberately: output assignments take effect immediately.

Missing and reconnected devices

If a device is disconnected, its card, channels, and wires are retained. bblx restores assignments when a device with the same native identifier appears; an identical name is not enough, and there is no automatic substitution with the system's default device. You can check the status in “Details”. To switch to another device, add it and reconnect the desired channels.

Check the signal and gain

While translation is stopped, click “Check microphone” on the source card or “Check input” for app audio or system audio. Say a phrase and check the meter. This local check requires neither an account nor hours; it tests the input, not the translation or the return to the mixer.

Above the diagram are input and output “Gain” and Autogain — automatic level adjustment. First, get a clean speech signal at the source itself; do not try to fix already distorted audio by adjusting gain in the program. Before the event, listen to the actual output at a low volume and prevent translation from being fed back into the input.

Before starting

For a language to be ready, it needs an available input and at least one output. With an account connected and a balance available, click “Start translation”. Unfinished cards remain drafts: no paid session is opened for them. Each active language uses time separately, regardless of the number of outputs and listeners.

After testing or during a break, click “Stop”, confirm the stop, and wait for “Translation stopped”. Silence and closing the listener page do not stop hours from being used up.

Behringer X32 and the X-USB USB card

bblx is compatible with Behringer X32 through an installed X-USB card: the console sends speech to the program via USB and can receive translation back on separate channels. This is an audio connection, not remote control of X32 faders or scenes. The computer needs internet access for AI translation.

Connect the computer to the USB-B connector on the expansion card at the back of the console. The front USB-A port for a flash drive and recording does not replace the audio interface. Check the label on the installed card: the following steps apply to X-USB, not to just any card in the X32 slot.

On macOS, X-USB works through CoreAudio without a separate manufacturer driver. On Windows, install the official X-USB driver for your OS version; in bblx, select the card device with the ASIO: prefix for input and output to access the full set of channels. The Windows system stereo device may show only two channels. In SETUP → Card, select 32 in / 32 out mode; match the sample rates of the console and driver. For this setup, 48 kHz is recommended (the card also supports 44.1 kHz).

Example: speech from X32 and translation return

The example below uses a microphone on local input 1 and a free block of channels 25–32 for the return. Save the console scene and first make sure this block is not in use. Do not change routing during a live event without coordinating with the sound engineer. Routing tab names may vary depending on the firmware.

1. On the X32, in Routing → Card Out (or Card), assign the first eight channels sent to the computer to Local 1–8. The physical Local 1 input will then feed USB channel 1. This is a direct input, not the finished Main LR mix.
2. In bblx, use “+ Source” to select X-USB, check channel 1, and connect it to “Speech” for the desired language. With translation stopped, check the speech using the “Check microphone” button.
3. For the return, use “+ Device” to select the output of the same X-USB and check channel 1. Connect the language's “Translation” to this output. Use other free output channels for additional languages.
4. On the X32, in Routing → Inputs (or Home), assign the Card 1–8 source to the free block of input channels 25–32. Translation from USB output channel 1 will appear on console channel 25, and from USB channel 2 on channel 26. The USB channel number does not have to match the console channel strip number.
5. Route the return channel to the desired bus or output for headphones or a translation distribution system. Start at a low volume and listen to each language after starting bblx. Do not send the translation back into the program's speech input.

If speech is taken from a console bus instead of Local 1, exclude all translation return channels from that bus: you need a separate speech mix without a feedback loop. For listeners on the network, a hardware return to the X32 is optional — use bblx network outputs.

If you cannot hear the X32 or can see only two channels

Check that you are using the USB-B port on the X-USB card itself, 32 in / 32 out mode, and the official ASIO driver on Windows. Close other programs that are using the ASIO device, and check the sample rate. If the device is visible but there is no speech, check Routing → Card Out and the input number in bblx. If translation is coming out of bblx but cannot be heard on the console, check the return channel's Card source, mute, fader, and bus assignment.

Official resources: X-USB — specifications and drivers, X32 — manuals in the Downloads section. Compatibility is based on the USB audio interface and channel support in bblx; test your console, card, OS, and driver before the event. These instructions do not replace testing your specific setup.