![1010music black box](https://kumkoniak.com/71.jpg)
The workflow is very fluid and the interface lends itself well to any style of navigation. From left to right there are: PADS, KEYS, SEQS, SONG, FX, MIX, PSET, TOOLS and the intention of the layout is to prescribe a certain workflow, moving from the sample-triggering touchscreen pads and on-screen keyboard through sequencing, song structure, onboard effects, and then to a final mix. The Blackbox lays out a set of function pages which are quickly accessed via their dedicated buttons. Take into account that Blackbox is polyphonic-up to 16 simultaneous notes can be played, up to 4 notes per pad, on up to 4 pads-and the potential of this diminutive powerhouse begins to come into focus. Included with Blackbox are two 5-pin DIN to TRS adapters, a USB cable and wall wart, and a microSD card containing a variety of presets and close to 1000 samples to get you started. All the jacks are 3.5mm and include: clock in and out, MIDI in and out, a stereo audio input, a stereo headphone output, and three stereo audio outs which Blackbox allows to be split. The touchscreen offers a familiar navigation experience, the knob assignments seem perfect for dialing in each parameter, and the dedicated buttons for the Blackbox's different function pages all combine for a streamlined user experience, and I found the interplay between the touchscreen, knobs, and buttons to be a great combination.Īlong the rear of the unit are the inputs and outputs as well as a USB port used to power Blackbox. Housed in a sturdy, dark grey metal housing, it sports a large LCD touchscreen along with a handful of great feeling, soft-touch knobs and buttons. A standalone desktop sampling workstation with an intelligent blend of inspiring work flow, ease-of-use, and a powerful feature set, at just around 5.5" square and only an inch or so at the thickest, the Blackbox won't intrude on a packed studio tabletop, and is small enough to easily slip in a backpack or bag, and can be powered via a USB powerbank. The only slight disappointment is that the stereo input and 3 stereo outputs are all on mini-jack but then it fits with the compact nature of the device and also it’s a not uncommon Eurorack style format.Some devices have the inherent flexibility to do what you expect them to do but to also inspire you to do things you may not ever have considered doing. Then with the three big Stop, Rec and Play buttons you are all set.
![1010music black box 1010music black box](https://cdn.korn.eu/pictures/product/400/272916.jpg)
Data entry is achieved via the 4 big knobs. The info button at the top brings up information within the page, sampling settings and such like. “FX” and “Mix” do what you imagine them to do, “PSet” is for browsing prests and “Tools” is where the sample editing comes into play.
![1010music black box 1010music black box](https://www.sequencer.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1010MUSIC-Black-Box-Sampler.jpg)
“Seqs” is for building sequences and “Song” lets you chain these together into songs. “Pads” and “Keys”lets you play your samples in real time from either drum pads or a virtual keyboard.
![1010music black box 1010music black box](https://www.sequencer.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Analogue-Solutions-Impulsive-Command.jpg)
There are 8 pages to deal with selectable from the 8 buttons on the front panel. It comes with over 800 samples ready to go although really you’re going to be wanting to make your own as you go – that’s what it’s good at. It’s a great little workflow that lends itself to dawless tabletop music making.
![1010music black box 1010music black box](https://united-music.ru/pub/products/27933/340x340/5f3b265c3fd8dcd282a0bd653987ef22.jpg)
You can slice up samples, sync them to each other, build loops with different tempos and perform it all back through the interface or over MIDI. But of course, it goes a lot deeper than that. What I like about it is that you can sample on-the-fly and use the touch screen to fire off those samples instantly within your music.
![1010music black box](https://kumkoniak.com/71.jpg)