Valu-Rec User Manual.

Install

1. Download Valu-Rec from the link above and choose the Windows or Mac installer.
2. Windows: run the installer and follow the steps.
3. Mac: open the DMG and drag Valu-Rec to Applications. When you first use it, allow Screen Recording and Microphone, then quit and reopen Valu-Rec if the previews stay black. Capture cards also need Camera.

Quick start

1. Type the Master name at the top.
2. Click Preview 1 and choose your witness source.
3. Click Preview 2 and choose your documents source.
4. In the Audio card, tick Meeting Audio and choose a source. Tick My Mic if you want your voice recorded.
5. Do a short test recording and play the files back.
6. Press PRESS TO RECORD. Press PRESS TO STOP RECORDING when you go off the record.

Ready to record, shown with sample pictures.

Sources

Click a preview to choose what it records:

• Meeting app: Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or Webex. Valu-Rec looks for the meeting window.
• Display: a whole monitor.
• Capture cards and cameras: USB HDMI capture cards and webcams.
• App windows: any open window.

Press + Add Video Source for Source 3 and Source 4, up to 4 sources in all. Untick Record on a source if you only need it on the Stage, because each recorded file adds work for the computer.

Crop lets you trim a source. Use it to remove window title bars or black edges.

Zoom tip: Zoom's video and shared screen windows both use the title Zoom Meeting. Check both previews at the start of each meeting. Dual-monitor mode in Zoom gives each its own window, and a second display, or a dummy HDMI plug, helps.

The Stage and layouts

The Stage shows 2 sources at a time. Source 1 is always the corner window. Source 2 fills the background unless you tick Use as Stage background on Source 3 or 4.

Click a layout, or use its hotkey, while recording.

• PIP Size sets the size of the corner window.
• Double-click the corner window on the Stage to resize it live.
• Side by Side shows 2 sources at 50% each. Swap Sides flips them.
• Settings, Video, Layout change chooses a cut or a fade.

Audio

Audio is off until you choose it. If you start with no audio selected, Valu-Rec warns you that the recording will have no sound.

• All computer sound: everything your computer plays.
• One app only (Windows): Zoom, Teams, Webex, Chrome, Edge, or Brave.
• A device: Loopback, a virtual cable, or an audio interface.
• My Mic: your microphone, with a Mute Mic button and a banner while it's live.
• + Add Source: add another device.
• Meeting left, Mic right: keep the two on separate stereo channels.

Mac with Loopback: if Loopback sends Zoom straight to your headphones, choose LOOPBACK as Meeting Audio rather than All computer sound.

The Audio card and Session Times in the right column.

Date and time stamp

The stamp is drawn into the sources that have it turned on. By default, that's Witness. Change that in Settings, under Sources. The Stage shows the stamp as part of the picture, so it shrinks with the corner window.

1. Double-click the time on the Stage.
2. Drag Size and choose Place.
3. For any other spot, tick Free placement and drag the box. Press Done.

The Date and Time box. The picture stays live behind it.

Settings has more options: font, color, bar darkness, outline, date style, 24-hour time, seconds, two lines, and time zone. Type a zone such as MT, BST, India, Tokyo, or +5:30. Use internet time protects the stamp from a wrong computer clock, but check your Windows or Mac time zone too.

File names and folders

Files are named from the initials of the master name, the date, a count, and an ending, such as JD110526_1_Zoom Meeting.mp4. Each job gets its own folder, with a subfolder for each source.

• Append: the ending defaults to the source name. Type your own, such as Dash Cam. Empty the box to go back to the source name.
• Untick Append to leave the ending off.
• Files that share one folder keep their fixed ending so they can't overwrite each other.
• Change the file name style, save folder, bitrate, and H.264 or H.265 in Settings.

Recording

• Press PRESS TO RECORD or Ctrl+Alt+R. The bottom bar shows the time, files, and dropped frames.
• Tick or untick Record during a recording to stop or restart one file.
• Session Times logs your on and off times with a running total, and a text copy goes in the job folder.
• If the Witness source is lost, the file shows OFFLINE and keeps recording. If shared Docs stop, the last picture holds until they return.
• Click CPU in the bottom bar to open Task Manager or Activity Monitor.

Crash safety and PARANOID

Valu-Rec saves files in small pieces as it records, so a crash or power loss should keep everything up to about the last moments. Nothing can guarantee every failure, so keep a backup recording on jobs that matter.

PARANOID, in Settings under Save & Naming, saves every file to two folders. Use a second physical drive. If one drive fails, the other keeps going, and Valu-Rec alarms you.

The Stress Test in Settings tests your drives and how many files your computer can record at once.

Presets and new jobs

• New Job clears the name and session times, and keeps your sources and settings.
• Save Preset saves your setup. Double-click a .valurec file to open it.
• When you reopen Valu-Rec, your last setup comes back.

Hotkeys

These work even when Valu-Rec isn't the front app, and can be changed in Settings. Point a Stream Deck or other controller at them.

Settings

Sources, naming, and video settings.

Most settings wait until you press Apply, in the bar at the top of the window. Stamp settings change right away. Preview: Light uses less CPU on older computers and doesn't change the recording. Check My Setup tests your sources, sound, disk, and clock.

Troubleshooting

• Preview is black on Mac: allow Screen Recording in System Settings, then quit and reopen Valu-Rec.
• No sound from a device on Mac: allow Microphone in System Settings.
• Mouse still shows: a capture card records what its HDMI signal shows, so the mouse can't be hidden there.
• Wrong Zoom window: click the preview and choose again, or use Crop.
• Stamp shows the wrong hour: check the computer's time zone.
• Dropped frames: untick Record on sources you don't need, lower the bitrate, close other apps, or use a faster drive.
• Choppy preview: set Preview to Smooth. It doesn't change the recording.

Crash details are saved in crash-log.txt in your Documents, Valu-Rec folder. Questions? Call Daniel Holmstock at 540-718-3545.