Sony ICD-BX022 Manual

Once a recording has been erased, you 

cannot retrieve it.

If the message you want to erase is locked in 

the menu, you cannot erase the message.

  Select the message you want to erase 

when the IC recorder is in the stop or 

playback mode.

  Press [ERASE] while you are playing 

back the message you want to erase, or 

press and hold [ERASE] during the stop 

mode.
A beep will sound and the message 

number and “ERASE” will flash.
When “BEEP” in the menu is set to 

“OFF,” no beep sound will be heard.

  

ERASE

  Press [ERASE] again.

“ERASE” appears in the display window 

and the selected message will be erased.
Not pressing [ERASE] for one minute 

cancels erasing.
When a message is erased, the 

remaining messages will advance and 

be renumbered so that there will be no 

space between messages.

  Press [ (stop)] before step 3 of 

“Selecting a message and erasing it.”

The recording environment varies from 

situation to situation. The dimensions 

of a room, the loudness of speech, or a 

location near noisy equipment can make a 

difference, etc. The desired sound quality 

also differs depending on the purpose of 

the recording.

Therefore, a trial recording is very useful to 

avoid missing an important recording, or to 

create an environment to record sound with 

the ideal quality.

The IC recorder may record various sounds 

other than voice, and the sounds will be 

heard as noise. 

Sounds that occur when you touch the IC 

recorder (touch noise) 

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Rustling sounds of your clothes (when 

putting the IC recorder in your pocket) 

Vibration sounds (when putting the IC 

recorder on a desk or a piano, etc.) 

Noise from air conditioner, projector, 

PC, etc. 

Extra ambient sounds (when recording a 

lecture or a lesson) 

Breath hitting the microphone when 

recording near your mouth (pop noise) 

Noise caused when recording in long play 

recording mode (“LP”)

Touch noises may be recorded when you 

touch the IC recorder during recording. 

Try to avoid touching the IC recorder 

until the recording ends. 

Move the IC recorder far from the sound 

source, or eliminate the noise. 

Select the best recording mode according 

to the situation. We recommend you to 

set the recording mode to the high-

quality mode (“HQ”) when you are 

concerned about ambient noise. 

Select the best microphone sensitivity 

according to the situation. Please try 

to lower the setting of the microphone 

sensitivity when the ambient sounds 

become noise and it is not easy to hear the 

target sound. 

The IC recorder allows you to record 

in a variety of situations. This section 

introduces easy recording setup for 2 

typical scenes. 

The noise of vibration, etc., transmitted 

from the desk can be reduced by putting a 

handkerchief under the IC recorder. 

Record near the speaker.

When recording, hold the IC recorder beside 

your mouth to avoid breathing into the 

built-in microphone. 

When you record holding the IC recorder in 

your hand, please note that the sounds  from 

touching the IC recorder (touch noise) are 

not recorded.

To obtain the best recording results, 

perform a trial recording in advance.

The IC recorder has a noise cut function. 

The noise cut function reduces the noise, 

therefore you can hear the recorded file 

more clearly.

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  Press [MENU] to enter the menu mode.

The menu mode window will be 

displayed.

  Press [–] or [+] to 

select the menu item for which 

you want to set, and then press 

[ PLAY/STOP•ENTER].

  Press [–] or [+] to select the 

setting that you want to set, and then 

press [ PLAY/STOP•ENTER].

  Press [ (stop)] to exit the menu mode.

If you do not press any button for 1 minute, 

the menu mode is automatically canceled and 

the window will return to the normal display.

Press [MENU] during menu mode.

Press [ (stop)].

*: Initial setting
MODE

Sets the recording mode.

HQ*: High-quality monaural recording mode 

(44.1 kHz/128 kbps)

You can record with monaural high-quality 

sound.

SP: Standard play monaural recording mode 

(44.1 kHz/48 kbps)

You can record with standard quality 

sound.

LP: Long play monaural recording mode 

(11.025 kHz/8 kbps)

You can record for a longer time with 

monaural sound.
Note

You cannot change the recording mode while

recording.

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Sets the microphone sensitivity.

*: To record a sound far away from the IC 

recorder or a low sound, such as a recording 

made in a spacious room.

: To record dictation with a microphone 

in front of your mouth, a sound near the IC 

recorder, or a loud sound.

Sets the VOR (Voice Operated Recording) 

function. 

ON: Recording starts when the IC recorder 

detects sound and pauses when no sound 

is heard, eliminating recording during 

soundless periods. The VOR function is 

activated when [

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 REC/PAUSE] is pressed.

OFF*: The VOR function does not work.

Recording pauses when the sound level is too 

low during recording (“VOR PAUSE” flashes). 

Recording starts again when the sound level 

increases.

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Sets the DPC (Digital Pitch Control) function.

ON: You can adjust the speed of the playback 

in a range from +100% to –50%, by 10% 

increments for the + setting and by 5% 

decrements for the – setting.

OFF*: The DPC function is canceled.
N-CUT

Sets the noise cut function.

ON: The distortion of very low and high 

frequencies which are outside the human 

voice range is reduced, therefore you can 

hear the human voice more clearly.

OFF*: The noise cut function does not work.

The effect of the noise cut function may be 

different depending on the condition of the 

recorded voice.

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Sets the easy search function.

ON: You can go forward for about 10 seconds 

by pressing [



+] and go back for about 3 

seconds by pressing [–



]. This function 

is useful when attempting to locate desired 

point in a long recording.

OFF*: The easy search function does not 

work. When you press [



+] or [–



], 

a message will be moved forward or 

backward.

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ELAPSE*: During recording, the recording 

time of the current message

During playing back, the elapsed playback 

time of one message

REMAIN: During recording or being stopped, 

the available recording time

During playing back, the remaining time of 

the message

REC DATE: Recording date

REC TIME: Recording time
SET DATE

Sets the year, month, day, hour, and minute in 

sequence.
HOUR

Sets the clock display.

12H: AM12:00 = midnight, PM12:00 = noon

24H*: 0:00 = midnight, 12:00 = noon
BEEP

Sets whether a beep will be heard or not.

ON*: A beep will sound to indicate that an 

operation has been accepted or an error has 

occurred.

OFF: No beep sound will be heard.
LOCK

Locks the message so that you cannot move 

it, erase it.

ON: The lock function is activated.

OFF*: The lock function is canceled.
MOVE

The selected message will be moved to the 

selected folder ( ,  , or  ).

Before attempting to move a message, select 

the message to be moved, and then go to the 

menu window.
ALL ERASE

All messages in the selected folder will be 

erased.

Select a folder from which all messages are to 

be erased, and then go to the menu window 

and press [ PLAY/STOP•ENTER] while 

“ALL ERASE” is flashing.

If you connect commercially available 

headphones to the  (headphone) jack 

before you start, you can monitor the 

recording. You can adjust the monitoring 

volume by pressing [VOL –/+], but the 

recording level is fixed.

When you are using the built-in speaker 

or monitoring the recording, the noise cut 

function may not be effective.

  Connect an external microphone or 

other equipment to the  (microphone) 

jack when the IC recorder is in the stop 

mode.
When the recording mode is set to “HQ,” 

and a stereo microphone is used, you can 

record sound in stereo.
When you use an other equipment, 

connect the audio output connector 

(stereo mini-plug) of other equipment 

to the  (microphone) jack of the IC 

recorder using an audio connecting cable 

(not supplied).
For details about the audio connecting 

cable, see “Specifications.”

  Press [FOLDER] to select the folder in 

which you want to record messages ( , 

, or  ).

  Press [ REC/PAUSE] to start recording.

The built-in microphone is automatically 

cut off.
If the input level is not strong enough, 

adjust the microphone sensitivity on the 

IC recorder.
When a plug in power type microphone 

is connected, power is automatically 

supplied to the microphone from the IC 

recorder.

  Press [ (stop)] to stop recording.

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Before you start recording, we recommend 

you make a trial recording first.

You can use the ECM-TL3 headphone-

type electret condenser microphone (not 

supplied) to record sound from a telephone 

or a cell phone.

For details on how to make the connection, 

refer to the operating instructions supplied 

with the ECM-TL3 microphone.

Connect a commercially available 

headphones to the  (headphone) jack. 

The built-in speaker will be automatically 

disconnected.

Connect an active or passive speaker (not 

supplied) to the  (headphone) jack.

When “EASY-S” is set to “ON” in the menu, 

you can quickly locate the point at which 

you wish to start playback by pressing 

[–] or [+] repeatedly during 

playback.

You can go back approx. 3 seconds by 

pressing [–] once, or advance approx. 

10 seconds by pressing [+] once. This 

function is useful for locating a desired 

point in a long recording.

During playback, press and hold 

[ PLAY/STOP•ENTER] until “ ”  

appears. The selected message will be 

played back repeatedly.

To resume normal playback, press 

[ PLAY/STOP•ENTER] again.

You can record the message of the IC 

recorder on other equipment.

Before you start recording, we recommend 

you to make trial recording first.

  Connect the  (headphone) jack of the 

IC recorder to the audio input connector 

(stereo minijack) of other equipment 

using an audio connecting cable (not 

supplied).
For details about the audio connecting 

cable, see “Specifications.”

  Press [ PLAY/STOP•ENTER] to start 

playback and at the same time set the 

connected equipment to the recording 

mode.
A message from the IC recorder will be 

recorded on the equipment connected.

  Press  (stop) on the IC recorder. Also 

stop the connected equipment at the 

same time.

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Operate the unit only on 3.0 V or 2.4 V DC. 

Use two LR03 (size AAA) alkaline batteries 

or two NH-AAA rechargeable batteries.

You cannot charge the rechargeable 

batteries using the unit.

Do not operate the unit while driving, 

cycling or operating any motorized vehicle.

Do not leave the unit in a location near 

heat sources, or in a place subject to direct 

sunlight, excessive dust or mechanical 

shock.

Should any solid object or liquid fall into 

the unit, remove the batteries and have 

the unit checked by qualified personnel 

before operating it any further.

Be careful not to allow water to splash 

on the unit. The unit is not water-proof. 

In particular, be careful in the following 

situations.

When you have the unit in your pocket 

and go to the bathroom, etc.

When you bend down, the unit may 

drop into the water and may get wet.

When you use the unit in an 

environment where the unit is exposed 

to rain, snow, or humidity.

In circumstances where you get sweaty.

If you touch the unit with wet hands 

or if you put the unit in the pocket of 

sweaty clothes, the unit may get wet.

You may feel pain in your ears if you 

use the headphones when the ambient 

air is very dry. This is not because of 

a malfunction of the headphones, but 

because of static electricity accumulated 

in your body. You can reduce static 

electricity by wearing non-synthetic 

clothes that prevent the emergence of 

static electricity.

To clean the exterior, use a soft cloth 

slightly moistened in water. Do not use 

alcohol, benzine or thinner.

If you have any questions or problems 

concerning your unit, please consult your 

nearest Sony dealer.

To avoid potential risk of data loss 

caused by accidental operation or 

malfunction of the IC recorder, we 

recommend that you save a backup copy 

of your recorded messages on a tape 

recorder, etc.

Capacity (User available capacity)

2 GB (approx. 1.79 GB = 1,924,136,960 Byte)

A part of the memory capacity is used as a 

management area.
Frequency range

HQ: 75 Hz - 17,000 Hz

SP: 75 Hz - 15,000 Hz

LP: 80 Hz - 3,500 Hz

MP3 bit rate and sampling frequency for 

recording mode

HQ: 44.1 kHz, 128 kbps

SP: 44.1 kHz,  48 kbps

LP: 11.025 kHz, 8 kbps

Speaker

Approx. 28 mm 

(1 1/8 in.)

 dia.

Input/Output

Microphone jack (minijack, stereo)

input for plug in power, minimum input 

level 0.6 mV

Headphone jack (minijack, stereo)

recommended output for 16 ohms 

impedance headphones

Playback speed control (DPC)

+100% to –50%

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Power output

300 mW
Power requirements

Two LR03 (size AAA) alkaline batteries 

(supplied): 3.0 V DC

Two NH-AAA rechargeable batteries (not 

supplied): 2.4 V DC
Operating temperature

5˚C - 35˚C 

(41˚F - 95˚F)

Dimensions (w/h/d) (not incl. projecting 

parts and controls) (JEITA)*

1

41.5 mm × 114.5 mm × 21.3 mm 

(1 11/16 in.  × 

4 5/8 in. × 27/32 in.)

Mass (JEITA)*

1

Approx. 76 g 

(2 5/8 oz)

 including LR03 (size 

AAA) alkaline batteries

*

1

  Measured value by the standard of JEITA 

(Japan Electronics and Information 

Technology Industries Association)

Supplied accessories

See “Step 1: Checking the Contents of the 

Package.”
Optional accessories

Electret condenser microphone ECM-CS10, 

ECM-CZ10, ECM-DS70P, ECM-DS30P, 

ECM-CS3, ECM-TL3

Audio connecting cable*

2

 RK-G136, RK-G139

Rechargeable battery NH-AAA-B2KN

Compact charger & 2-pc AAA Multi-Use

Premium batteries BCG-34HS2KAN
*

2

  Audio connecting cable

RK-G139  Stereo 

mini-plug*

Mini-plug 

(monaural)*

RK-G136  Stereo 

mini-plug*

Stereo 

mini-plug*

(without resistor)

Your dealer may not handle some of the 

above listed optional accessories. Please ask 

the dealer for detailed information.

Design and specifications are subject to 

change without notice.

The maximum recording time of all the 

folders is as follows.
HQ mode

33 hr.

20 min.

89 hr.

534 hr.

25 min.

(hr. : hours/min. : minutes)

*

3

  When you are going to record continuously 

for a long time, you may have to replace 

the batteries with new ones in the midst of 

recording.

*

4

  The maximum recording time varies if you 

record messages in mixed recording mode.

When using Sony LR03 (SG) (size AAA) 

alkaline batteries (with continuous use)
Recording mode*

6

Recording

Approx. 

34 hr.

Approx. 

39 hr.

Approx. 

55 hr.

Playback*

7

 

through speaker

Approx. 

12 hr.

Approx. 

12 hr.

Approx. 

12 hr.

Playback using the 

headphones

Approx. 

36 hr.

Approx. 

36 hr.

Approx. 

36 hr.

(hr. : hours)

When using Sony NH-AAA rechargeable 

batteries (with continuous use)
Recording mode*

6

Recording

Approx. 

22 hr. 

Approx. 

27 hr.

Approx. 

37 hr.

Playback*

7

 through 

speaker

Approx. 

10 hr. 

Approx. 

10 hr.

Approx. 

10 hr.

Playback using the 

headphones

Approx. 

25 hr. 

Approx. 

25 hr.

Approx. 

25 hr.

(hr. : hours)

*

5

  The battery life is measured in testing using 

methods proprietary to Sony, and with the 

initial settings for the IC recorder.

*

6

  For details about the recording mode, see 

“Menu settings.”

*

7

  When playing back music through the 

internal speaker with the volume level set to 

27

*

MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology 

and patents licensed from Fraunhofer IIS 

and Thomson.

All other trademarks and registered 

trademarks are trademarks or registered 

trademarks of their respective holders.

Furthermore, “ 

TM

 ” and “ 

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 ” are not 

mentioned in each case in this manual.