Crewbox 1.0
Crewbox documentation
What Crewbox is, what runs where, and a map of these docs.
Crewbox is crew comms for a temporary event. One program, the box, runs on a laptop or small PC on your own Wi-Fi. Crew scan a QR code, pick a name and they're in: chat, push-to-talk voice, the running order, patch sheets, lighting plots, a show log, LED wall readings and a network audit. There is no cloud, no account and no app store, and nothing on site needs the internet.
What runs where
| Part | Runs on | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| The box | One machine on the event network: macOS, Windows or Linux | Serves the app, keeps every message, file and document, and runs the voice server. |
| The app | Any phone, tablet or laptop browser on the event network | Everything crew see. It keeps a copy of what it has loaded, so it opens and works with the box out of reach. |
| The Android app | Android phones | The same app, plus lock-screen alerts with no internet and a microphone over plain http://. |
| The menu bar or tray item | The machine running the box | Join link, event PIN, QR poster, stop. |
The box needs no internet. When it has some, it uses it for three small things: checking its licence, checking for a new version once a day, and sending a crash report if you agree to it. Privacy and your data lists every byte.
What's in it
| Area | For | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Channels, direct messages, @mentions, photos and files, search | Chat |
| Voice | Push-to-talk party line in any channel | Voice |
| Running order | Who's on, on which stage, and when | Running order |
| Patch sheets | Input patch per act, sub-boxes, stage patch, lineup, versions | Patch sheets |
| Lighting | Fixture patch, DMX clash checks, positions, plan, front and 3D views, live DMX | Lighting |
| Show log | A timestamped record of what happened, that can't be edited after the fact | Show log |
| Video | LED processor readings, and Resolume screen maps | Video |
| Network | The crew, lighting and media networks, graded for A/V | Network |
| Admin | Crew, channels, event settings, licence, updates | Admin panel |
Chat is always on. The other modules can be switched off per box
(CREWBOX_MODULES, see Setup, connect and the box).
Where to start
- Setting up a box for the first time: Installing, then Getting started.
- Joining a box someone else runs: Join the crew by QR.
- Running a show on it: Run the box on show day.
- Looking up one button: the reference pages, starting with Around the app.
- Something is wrong: Troubleshooting and the FAQ.
Licensing in one paragraph
Crewbox is paid software with a free 30-day trial. A licence covers 1 box and any number of crew. Crew never need a licence, and nothing about a licence ever stops chat, voice or any crew feature: without one, only the operator's event setup is locked. The details are in Installing.
- InstallingInstall the box on macOS, Windows or Linux, put the Android app on phones, start the trial or enter a licence key, update, and uninstall.
- Getting startedFrom a freshly installed box to crew chatting on their phones, in ten steps.
- Run the box on show dayFor the operator: before doors, during the show, and packing down, with the menu bar, the command line and the admin panel.
- Join the crew by QRFor crew: scan the code, pick a name and a PIN, and sign back in later on any device.
- Import a patch sheetBring a festival master patch or any spreadsheet into Crewbox as a CSV, check it, fix it, and keep it live.
- Import a lighting rigBring a rig in from an MVR (with GDTF profiles) or a CSV from Lightwright or a console, and what each route gives you.
- Audit the networkFind out whether the site's networks are good enough for A/V, what exactly is wrong if not, and hand venue IT a report with the evidence.
- Monitor LED walls and screen mapsWatch LED processors read-only from any phone, share the Resolume screen map, and see which screens go dark when an input loses signal.
- Drive the box from a deskThe keyed control API for Stream Deck, Bitfocus Companion or any HTTP client - raise the on-air tally, read the running order, post to a channel.
- HTTPS, names and certificatesWhy browsers need HTTPS for the microphone and home-screen install, and how to give the box a name and a certificate that work with no internet.
- Around the appThe sidebar, your name row, the connection banners, themes, and the dialogs every crew member can open.
- ChatChannels, direct messages, the composer, mentions, files and photos, the message filter and search.
- VoicePush-to-talk party lines in any channel - joining, the talk button, locking the mic open, audio settings, and the HTTPS rule.
- Running orderWho's on, on which stage, and when - the board, the sidebar countdowns, and editing acts and times.
- Patch sheetsEvery control in the patch module - the sheet list, the grid, the toolbar, sub-boxes, the stage patch, the lineup, versions, sharing and export.
- LightingEvery control in the lighting module - plots, the fixture list, addressing checks, positions, the plan, front and 3D views, and live DMX from the desk.
- Show logThe event's record of what happened and when - logging an entry, corrections, filters, and the show report.
- VideoEvery control in the video module - LED walls, adding and watching processors, the sweep, screen maps, feeds and test cards.
- NetworkEvery part of the network audit - the grades, the three network cards and their findings, the event strip, the deep probe and the report.
- Admin panelEverything in the admin panel - unlocking it, crew PINs, channels, the box's readiness list and settings, networks, updates, the licence, crash reports and export.
- Setup, connect and the boxThe setup page, the /connect poster, the terminal banner, the menu bar and tray, the command line, and every environment variable.
- Keyboard shortcutsEvery keyboard shortcut in Crewbox, by where it works.
- FAQShort answers about internet, phones, crew numbers, licensing, the trial, updates and your data.
- TroubleshootingStart from the symptom - joining, connecting, voice, alerts, missing messages, lighting levels, and problems with the box itself.
- Privacy and your dataWhat the box stores, the little that leaves the venue and when, and what the network module listens to.