Very nice demo of what the Blackbox is capable of doing. I recently received my Blackbox and am still amazed at how much was packed into this mighty micro machine from jump. One of my favorite features is the sweepable high and low pass filter. I can only imagine how much better it will be with a few updates to take it to the next level such as a stable wav file from a recorded song, a few more effects added to the current reverb and delay, a hopeful 2-band parametric, 3 band, or 5 band eq, and the ability to use individual settings of compression for each pad. Oh...and maybe the ability to use the nice little pads to bang out drum parts in addition to the touchscreen. That would be great since they have a nice feel to them.
Hi, also pre-ordered one, crazy stuff. Notice this thing is also capable of sending its sequences through its MIDI-out, so basically a 16 part hardware sequencer... amazing stuff, 1010music has nailed it.
I believe it would be worth making a video on how to record a sample, trim it and loop it in sync with the rest of the song as a clip. My attempt was to use first sample mode to do the recording and trimming, then clip mode to time stretch it/sync it with the rest. I wonder if I'm using the right workflow to do that as when I turn to clip mode, all my trimming gets away, and I can't save the cropped sample to another file which I would then load as a clip,, so I'm stuck with loops edited outside the blackbox only if I want to use time stretch. Maybe it's not implemented yet and hence would be a good feature request.
This track reminds me of a song by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs... I want to get the blackbox one day. Great video showing how powerful this unit is!
Hello App Axis. To produce a multi-track wav do the following: 1. Preset the volume, pan, filtering, effect level, etc. for each track you want record. 2. Select an empty track to record the other tracks (up to 15) to. 3. Press the Info button 4. Plug one end of a 1/8" stereo cord into output 1 and the other end into the line in. Set the sampling mode to resample. 5. Turn off the metronome so its sound does not record into your wav file. 6. Press play to adjust your gain control to a max of a -6db output if you plan to master the finished wav file in a daw. If not, adjust the gain to just under clupping. This should be focused around the loudest area of your track. 7. Once your gain is set, decide whether you are going to record from song mode or from freestyle mode which is basically making real time adjustments during your recording i.e filter adjustments to different tracks, muting, etc. 8. Set a particular measure length for your finished wav you want or set it to custom length, meaning it will record from the time you begin recording, until you press stop. 9. If you are ready and are happy with all your settings, then let the recording session begin. 10. When you are finished reording to your selected track, it will have a name on the pad for that track. Save your project, unplug the usb power then plug the micro sd card into your pc to locate your mixed down wav file. That is it. 11. I suggest doing a few dry run projects to get the hang of doing the settings and sucessfully doing a short-lengthed mixdown before attempting to do an official mixdown of your project, but that is up to you. I hope this helps you and others out. Happy recording.
hi dan , amazing video, although it were not apart of this coverage, I had wondered upon slicing a sample into several different parts, are you able to split those slices along the 16 pads ? I also wanted to know is it 16 pads per sequence or 16 pads for all sequences ?
No, you would have to load up the sample on all 16 pads, and then dial in the start and end time for each "slice" to do that. The Slicer mode is for mapping slices (up to 64) to the notes on one pad. In this way you can effectively have 64 samples in each pad (1024 samples per preset)
@@Dan_Pearson ok that makes absolute sense , so basically it is limited to 16 pads per preset which is fine. I'm just wondering if you have up 64 samples on each pad , how are you then able to variate the composition on one pad ?
You could modulate the pitch of the cell via MIDI? I have to test this out some more. The 64 slices example is typically for one shots like drum samples.
There's just 16 PADS, but it depends on the mode being used. Multisample can hold up to 88 samples mapped by keyrange and velocity layers and the Slicer can have up to 128 slices, each of which could be a one shot or loop, depending on the .wav file loaded.
@@Equalibeats no, you can use larger cards, just make sure it's a high quality one with fast data transfer. I think 1010music have successfully tested up to 512GB cards forum.1010music.com/forum/products/blackbox/general-discussion-blackbox/11298-microsd-card-comparison
Is it possible to edit , chop, quantize or warp longer samples on blackbox? Tempo matching you know. For instance: A project is in 120 bpm and I load a 40 sec long 140bpm or 80 bpm sample let s say and I want to fit in ... so tempo match or quantization or warp kinda thing. Thx
Nice! Trying to decide between this, Circuit and one of the Electribes. How much more sophisticated would you say this is over them, and at what cost of complexity?
It looks great. I love the sequencer and would consider hooking it up to my old korg x5d in multi voice mode hopefully turning it in to a workstation.......good idea/bad idea?
Fantastic run-through. Can't wait for my Blackbox. Edit: I just realized how generic my comment sounded. Let me try again. Thank you for creating such an in-depth video about this preset you made, it's cool to see how such a great track was made in detail. I'm really looking forward to your future videos and I'll be watching your channel closely!
If I wouldn’t use this to sequence other hardware, is it overkill? I love the ease of use, sample stretching and the sounds for a box that’s away from my computer. Like a less expensive, smaller MPC Live?
Does this let me add audio to an SD card and then play it back? How long can the loops be, and how many can it play at the same time? Also, does it have “songs” so I could use it live. Considering using it as a sequencer / studio tool and then for live use
Hi Dan. Nice demo. I just ordered one of these and I have a question on the inputs. If I were to use one of the audio inputs to record a guitar or drums, would the quantize function correct any timing errors? I’m assuming it would not since I wouldn’t be using the MIDI input, but I thought I’d ask. Thanks!
I'm putting together my first home studio, and I was planning on getting a laptop, but I'm considering grabbing this instead. Is there any reason I should avoid doing that?
Blackbox is certainly a lot less powerful and versatile than a DAW, but in my experience limitation is actually good for creativity, especially when first starting out. Having said that, I tend to use blackbox as more of a sketchpad for musical ideas, then arrange and mix them in my DAW.
Two questions: First, during your "solo" section, the guitar solo still had a few bars to go when the song advanced to the "breakdown". How does the BlackBox handle this? Would the guitar bit continue into any part/section you placed after the "solo" section? Secondly, is there MIDI implementation to use the BlackBox as a live looper, like a foot pedal looper? Could a live loop be "pre-designated" to be a time stretched loop? I'm torn between the BlackBox and the Deluge, as the Deluge has a new looper functionality, but only two outputs. The BlackBox, despite the 1/8" I/O, has multiple outputs...very important if you want to have percussion, synths and guitar go to separate amps/destinations. Great video!
The guitar synth solo is a recording that's in Sample Mode and it is triggered once and plays out to the end, so yes it will carry over sections. The bitbox module has the ability to use a gate signal (foot switch) to trigger the recording, but it hasn't been ported over to Blackbox yet.
You can dial in pre-determined loop lengths and set the recording to "threshold", so it starts recording when it receives a signal. Perfect for hands free looping!
Each of the 16 sequencer cells can hold 16 sequences up to 128 steps in length (so 256 in total) and the Song Mode can have up to 16 different 32 bar sections for automation and arrangement.
i think i will get one and hope they will update it with some more FX. it could be a perfect add on to my octatrack to trigger some one shot samples and background loops on the fly. just need to buy a korg nano pad or a arturia beat step to have a better control. btw thanks for the video.
I was wondering that also. I like it a lot. I do have the Deluge so this is a bit redundant for me. But I love it. I wish it had a built in battery though.
I was just thinking that it can be used for DJing if the workflow allows for loading samples and previewing via headphone output before triggering to play out of master output. My fingers would cramp fast though with that screen. External controller will be required.
Yes, use output 1 as the master and cue samples on the headphones using output 2 or 3, then switch it back to output 1 when you're ready to play it. There is still a ways to go with midi mapping, but it's going to be great when it's fully implemented
ahh 4 voices out of EACH cell. ok now it is sounding good. you can have multiple cells with different kits and polys. What happens when the touchscreen dies? Easily replaceable? This is definitely sounding like it is a Linux box with a touch screen.
Fair enough, the MPC certainly looks like a powerful beast. More connections and a bigger screen too. It is almost double the price, though. That has to be a factor for many people.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Very nice demo of what the Blackbox is capable of doing. I recently received my Blackbox and am still amazed at how much was packed into this mighty micro machine from jump. One of my favorite features is the sweepable high and low pass filter. I can only imagine how much better it will be with a few updates to take it to the next level such as a stable wav file from a recorded song, a few more effects added to the current reverb and delay, a hopeful 2-band parametric, 3 band, or 5 band eq, and the ability to use individual settings of compression for each pad. Oh...and maybe the ability to use the nice little pads to bang out drum parts in addition to the touchscreen. That would be great since they have a nice feel to them.
How do u export a finished multitrack song?
@@AppAxis I replied to your other question related to this.
Hi, also pre-ordered one, crazy stuff. Notice this thing is also capable of sending its sequences through its MIDI-out, so basically a 16 part hardware sequencer... amazing stuff, 1010music has nailed it.
OH yea.. this info i was looking for! this on paper looks too great to be true... but its real...
Nice way of explaining. This little box is going to be the brain of my gear.
I believe it would be worth making a video on how to record a sample, trim it and loop it in sync with the rest of the song as a clip. My attempt was to use first sample mode to do the recording and trimming, then clip mode to time stretch it/sync it with the rest. I wonder if I'm using the right workflow to do that as when I turn to clip mode, all my trimming gets away, and I can't save the cropped sample to another file which I would then load as a clip,, so I'm stuck with loops edited outside the blackbox only if I want to use time stretch. Maybe it's not implemented yet and hence would be a good feature request.
Cool portable DAW... I'd say this is a great alternative to spending alot of money on Abelton, Push 2, etc... Great demo... Thanks... :)
Excellent overview, and kudos for answering all the sensible questions below. For that sir you get a sub :). Cheers!!
really great tutorial and the track is a BOP
Thanks!
pre order mine, can't wait! thanks for the great video!
My pleasure!
This track reminds me of a song by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs... I want to get the blackbox one day. Great video showing how powerful this unit is!
So dope! You should upload this song somewhere
Can it offload a finished song as a multitrack wav file?
Hello App Axis. To produce a multi-track wav do the following:
1. Preset the volume, pan, filtering, effect level, etc. for each track you want record.
2. Select an empty track to record the other tracks (up to 15) to.
3. Press the Info button
4. Plug one end of a 1/8" stereo cord into output 1 and the other end into the line in.
Set the sampling mode to resample.
5. Turn off the metronome so its sound does not record into your wav file.
6. Press play to adjust your gain control to a max of a -6db output if you plan to master the finished wav file in a daw. If not, adjust the gain to just under clupping. This should be focused around the loudest area of your track.
7. Once your gain is set, decide whether you are going to record from song mode or from freestyle mode which is basically making real time adjustments during your recording i.e filter adjustments to different tracks, muting, etc.
8. Set a particular measure length for your finished wav you want or set it to custom length, meaning it will record from the time you begin recording, until you press stop.
9. If you are ready and are happy with all your settings, then let the recording session begin.
10. When you are finished reording to your selected track, it will have a name on the pad for that track. Save your project, unplug the usb power then plug the micro sd card into your pc to locate your mixed down wav file. That is it.
11. I suggest doing a few dry run projects to get the hang of doing the settings and sucessfully doing a short-lengthed mixdown before attempting to do an official mixdown of your project, but that is up to you. I hope this helps you and others out. Happy recording.
Deleswa Productions very thorough. Thanks bro!
@@AppAxis No worries.
Man, I love your jam!! Just got mine and trying to find my way around it. Trying to use it as a live looper and struggling a bit.
Hi Josh, It can take a bit of tweaking to get it looping as intended. Feel free to email me at dan.pearson23@gmail.com and we can go over it in detail
pre ordered mine cant wait
Muito bom. Très bien. Very good
Well done.
Really good video thanks 🙏
hi dan , amazing video, although it were not apart of this coverage, I had wondered upon slicing a sample into several different parts, are you able to split those slices along the 16 pads ? I also wanted to know is it 16 pads per sequence or 16 pads for all sequences ?
No, you would have to load up the sample on all 16 pads, and then dial in the start and end time for each "slice" to do that. The Slicer mode is for mapping slices (up to 64) to the notes on one pad. In this way you can effectively have 64 samples in each pad (1024 samples per preset)
@@Dan_Pearson ok that makes absolute sense , so basically it is limited to 16 pads per preset which is fine. I'm just wondering if you have up 64 samples on each pad , how are you then able to variate the composition on one pad ?
You could modulate the pitch of the cell via MIDI? I have to test this out some more. The 64 slices example is typically for one shots like drum samples.
@@Dan_Pearson thanks Dan much appreciated, if you could do an in depth video on sampling in the future , be great .
I'm working on a more in-depth video at the moment
so dope. how many pads does it have? is it just one bank of16? or are there multiple banks too?
There's just 16 PADS, but it depends on the mode being used. Multisample can hold up to 88 samples mapped by keyrange and velocity layers and the Slicer can have up to 128 slices, each of which could be a one shot or loop, depending on the .wav file loaded.
Also, the amount of banks (presets) is only limited by the size of your micro SD card. i.e. hundreds if it's a decent sized card.
@@Dan_Pearson i watched another video where it says teh SD limitation was 4GB is this true or can you use larger SD cards?
@@Dan_Pearson thanks so much! I have an OP1 and I think it would pair with it nicely!
@@Equalibeats no, you can use larger cards, just make sure it's a high quality one with fast data transfer. I think 1010music have successfully tested up to 512GB cards
forum.1010music.com/forum/products/blackbox/general-discussion-blackbox/11298-microsd-card-comparison
Very cool Dan! Would love to see a Toolbox in-depth video from you. Especially with the new beta firmware.
What type of export options does the BB offer?
Is it possible to edit , chop, quantize or warp longer samples on blackbox?
Tempo matching you know.
For instance:
A project is in 120 bpm and I load a 40 sec long 140bpm or 80 bpm sample let s say and I want to fit in ... so tempo match or quantization or warp kinda thing. Thx
I think you can because everything is streamed from SD. The time stretch algo on the BB is really good as well.
Nice! Trying to decide between this, Circuit and one of the Electribes. How much more sophisticated would you say this is over them, and at what cost of complexity?
I haven't owned either of those, so I couldn't say, but blackbox is very easy to use
It looks great.
I love the sequencer and would consider hooking it up to my old korg x5d in multi voice mode hopefully turning it in to a workstation.......good idea/bad idea?
Each sequencer cell can hold 16 sequences, giving a total of 256, which opens up a lot of possibilites
@@Dan_Pearson So, does it have pattern chain to arrange patterns into a song, ie; verse, chorus, mid 8, verse and chorus and then save in this order?
@@evannorth5397 Yes, it's called Song Mode and you can store up to 16 sections
Fantastic run-through. Can't wait for my Blackbox.
Edit: I just realized how generic my comment sounded. Let me try again. Thank you for creating such an in-depth video about this preset you made, it's cool to see how such a great track was made in detail. I'm really looking forward to your future videos and I'll be watching your channel closely!
Thanks a lot!
If I wouldn’t use this to sequence other hardware, is it overkill? I love the ease of use, sample stretching and the sounds for a box that’s away from my computer. Like a less expensive, smaller MPC Live?
Is the touchscreen pad play velocity sensitive? Also, would be nice if they had a real pad mode that allowed playing the real pads.
The slider to the right is for controlling velocity when using the touch screen
Does this let me add audio to an SD card and then play it back? How long can the loops be, and how many can it play at the same time? Also, does it have “songs” so I could use it live. Considering using it as a sequencer / studio tool and then for live use
Hi Dan. Nice demo. I just ordered one of these and I have a question on the inputs. If I were to use one of the audio inputs to record a guitar or drums, would the quantize function correct any timing errors? I’m assuming it would not since I wouldn’t be using the MIDI input, but I thought I’d ask. Thanks!
No, the quantization only works with MIDI.
I'm putting together my first home studio, and I was planning on getting a laptop, but I'm considering grabbing this instead. Is there any reason I should avoid doing that?
Blackbox is certainly a lot less powerful and versatile than a DAW, but in my experience limitation is actually good for creativity, especially when first starting out. Having said that, I tend to use blackbox as more of a sketchpad for musical ideas, then arrange and mix them in my DAW.
Two questions: First, during your "solo" section, the guitar solo still had a few bars to go when the song advanced to the "breakdown". How does the BlackBox handle this? Would the guitar bit continue into any part/section you placed after the "solo" section?
Secondly, is there MIDI implementation to use the BlackBox as a live looper, like a foot pedal looper? Could a live loop be "pre-designated" to be a time stretched loop?
I'm torn between the BlackBox and the Deluge, as the Deluge has a new looper functionality, but only two outputs. The BlackBox, despite the 1/8" I/O, has multiple outputs...very important if you want to have percussion, synths and guitar go to separate amps/destinations.
Great video!
The guitar synth solo is a recording that's in Sample Mode and it is triggered once and plays out to the end, so yes it will carry over sections. The bitbox module has the ability to use a gate signal (foot switch) to trigger the recording, but it hasn't been ported over to Blackbox yet.
Ahhh, I get it. So it could come with future firmware. I’ve been following 1010music’s eurorack kit for a bit, for this reason.
You can dial in pre-determined loop lengths and set the recording to "threshold", so it starts recording when it receives a signal. Perfect for hands free looping!
My keyboards sequencer doesnt work....i need a stand alone sequencer and not mpc
Each of the 16 sequencer cells can hold 16 sequences up to 128 steps in length (so 256 in total) and the Song Mode can have up to 16 different 32 bar sections for automation and arrangement.
@@Dan_Pearson thanx....and how many songs can this hold....?
It depends on the size of your micro SD card. Many hundreds
@@Dan_Pearson -woa...thanx...👍..my sp 505...going to ebay 😂
Sorry one more question: I can plug in a usb keyboard to sequence polyphonic chords ?
Yes you can
i think i will get one and hope they will update it with some more FX. it could be a perfect add on to my octatrack to trigger some one shot samples and background loops on the fly. just need to buy a korg nano pad or a arturia beat step to have a better control. btw thanks for the video.
I'm very interested in this machine, can you play the samples polyphonic in the keyboard?
Yes, you can play up to 4 notes
@@Dan_Pearson Thanks! I think im definitively getting it when its back in stock!
I was wondering that also. I like it a lot. I do have the Deluge so this is a bit redundant for me. But I love it. I wish it had a built in battery though.
So Dope! Can you do a demo to DJ using Black box as well as laying vocals for songwriting.
Will do!
I was just thinking that it can be used for DJing if the workflow allows for loading samples and previewing via headphone output before triggering to play out of master output. My fingers would cramp fast though with that screen. External controller will be required.
Yes, use output 1 as the master and cue samples on the headphones using output 2 or 3, then switch it back to output 1 when you're ready to play it. There is still a ways to go with midi mapping, but it's going to be great when it's fully implemented
Nice! Sounds a little like Daphni
Thanks a lot!
Thinking the exact same thing 👍
ahh 4 voices out of EACH cell. ok now it is sounding good. you can have multiple cells with different kits and polys. What happens when the touchscreen dies? Easily replaceable? This is definitely sounding like it is a Linux box with a touch screen.
Yes on the screen replacement. It's based around ARM chip with embedded code.
Cool demo! What’s the total time for stereo sampling per pad? Also, can each pad loop free without being tied to a certain master loop? Thanks!
Samples can be up to 4GB in size, so that's a few hours. Yes, pads can loop freely when the quantize settings are deactivated.
look like a very good drums machine ...
Can this sound as gritty as my old akai S series samplers?
Sounds inspired by Odessa Caribou. Interesting.
I hadn't heard that track before, but yes it's the same chord progression.
@@Dan_Pearson
The additional components make a great difference and adds to the vibe.
No Fair Bro. No Fair.
I do wonder why anyone would buy this over an MPC live?
It's a lot smaller and more portable for one
@@Dan_Pearson Not enough to make a practical difference for me. I take my live to gigs and jam sessions in a shouder bag without issue.
Fair enough, the MPC certainly looks like a powerful beast. More connections and a bigger screen too. It is almost double the price, though. That has to be a factor for many people.