Never touched one before? Perfect. We'll go slowly, with a big labeled drawing for every part, and one small step at a time. Nothing here assumes you already know anything.
Every picture on this page is a simplified, clearly-labeled diagram drawn just for this guide — it's easier to follow than a photo and it prints cleanly, even in black and white. Two real video walkthroughs are near the bottom if you'd like to watch someone press the buttons.
There are two. They work almost exactly the same way — same screen, same idea. The big one just has a few more buttons and sockets. Look at the size and the number of big square "camera" buttons along the front.
It's the smaller, lighter one, with three HDMI camera sockets on the back and up to 5 scene layouts. Around $500.
It's the bigger, heavier metal one, with four HDMI camera sockets, two screen outputs, and up to 7 scenes. Around $1,199.
You don't need all of this at once — but here's the full shopping list. The first four get you recording; the rest are for fancier shows.
This is what you look at while you work. Five kinds of things live here. Match the numbers on the picture to the plain-English list underneath.
All the cables go into the back. You only need four kinds of socket to get going: power, camera, microphone, and headphones. (A fifth — a USB drive — is for recording.)
The big camera buttons glow in different colors. This is the single most useful thing to learn — the color tells you exactly what each camera is doing right now.
Here's the whole hookup in one picture. Cameras and mics go into the box; headphones and power come out. Do them in any order.
Once it's on, the touchscreen shows your cameras at the top and your sound levels below. Here's what you're looking at.
Four little moments, start to finish:
If you have two or more cameras plugged in, switching is just pressing a button.
If your voice sounds too deep or "boomy," you can thin it out. The quickest fix lives right on the screen.
Going live means sending your show straight to YouTube, Facebook, etc. You set it up once on a computer, then you can go live from the box.
Every hobby has its jargon. Here are the words you'll bump into, in plain English.
The flat cable that carries picture from a camera into the box. Same kind of cable your TV uses.
The round, three-pin plug on the end of a proper microphone cable. It clicks into the combo jack.
The round socket that cleverly accepts either an XLR mic plug or a ¼-inch plug. "Combo" = it takes both.
Some microphones need a little electricity to work. Turning on "phantom power" (often labeled +48V) sends it up the mic cable. If your mic is silent, it may need this switched on.
The knob you turn and press. Not a volume dial — it's how you move around and choose things on the screen.
An on-screen slider for one sound's volume. Slide up = louder, down = quieter.
A way of formatting (preparing) a USB drive so the box can record onto it. If a drive won't work, re-format it to ExFAT.
A saved "look" — which cameras show, plus any logo or layout. Press a scene button to jump to that whole setup at once.
Hanging a green sheet behind you and having the box erase the green, so you appear over a picture instead.
Recording every camera as its own separate file, so you can re-edit later instead of being stuck with your live cuts.
A secret password YouTube/Facebook give you so the box can send your live show to your channel. Never share it.
How much detail the video keeps. Higher = better looking but bigger files and more internet needed. The defaults are fine to start.
Almost every problem a beginner hits is one of these. Find your symptom, do the fix.
Two friendly, start-to-finish video walkthroughs — one for each model. Press play and follow along.
Want more? We've gathered 22 hand-picked video tutorials and reviews for both models.
Tip: use your browser's Print (Ctrl+P / ⌘P) to print just the guide — the menus and videos drop away automatically.
Ready for more detail once you're comfortable? These go deeper, task by task: