1010music Blackbox 3.0 User manual

Blackbox 3.0
User Manual
Apr 21, 2023
This manual still needs another editing and technical review pass. Please
excuse the typos and small inconsistencies.

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Blackbox 3.0 User Manual
WELCOME 8
SET UP BLACKBOX 9
MicroSD Card for Storage................................................................................................................ 9
Power...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Standard Power Outlet .............................................................................................................. 9
USB Power Outlet ........................................................................................................................ 9
Output Connections........................................................................................................................ 10
Control the Volume ...........................................................................................................................11
Test Your Setup ..................................................................................................................................11
Connect an Audio Input for Sampling ........................................................................................11
OVERVIEW 12
Navigation Highlights......................................................................................................................12
Display Highlights.............................................................................................................................13
QUICK START 14
Explore PADS ..................................................................................................................................... 14
Explore KEYS.......................................................................................................................................15
Explore Sequences ...........................................................................................................................15
Explore Songs .....................................................................................................................................16
Song Mode and REC | STOP | PLAY Buttons ............................................................................17
Explore Presets ..................................................................................................................................18
To Load a Preset..................................................................................................................... 18
To Save a Preset ..................................................................................................................... 18
To Create and Name a Preset: ......................................................................................... 19
SCREEN NAVIGATION MAP 20
WORK WITH PADS 21
Steps Common to All Pad Modes ................................................................................................21
To Load a WAV File into a Pad: .........................................................................................22
To Set Pad Mode, Loop and End Points on the WAV Form Screen .....................23
To Congure Pad Parameters...........................................................................................25
To Add Modulation to a Parameter................................................................................ 26
Table of Contents

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Global Pad Parameters...................................................................................................................27
Main Parameters ........................................................................................................................ 27
Conf Parameters ......................................................................................................................... 28
LFO Parameters ..........................................................................................................................30
Set Up a Sample Pad........................................................................................................................31
Single Sample Pads .................................................................................................................... 31
Pos Parameters Specic to Sample Pads........................................................................... 31
Conf Parameters Specic to Sample Pads........................................................................ 33
Loop Fading..................................................................................................................................34
Multi-Sample Pads..................................................................................................................... 35
To Load a Sample Bank into a Multi-Sample Pad:.....................................................35
Work with a Clip Pad ......................................................................................................................38
Pos Pad Parameters Specic to Clip Mode....................................................................... 39
Clip Mode and Quantization...................................................................................................40
Tips for Synchronizing Clips .............................................................................................. 41
Work with Slicer Pads..................................................................................................................... 41
Pos Pad Parameters Specic to Slicer Mode ...................................................................42
To Manually Create or Remove Slices ........................................................................... 43
To Use Auto Scan to Create Slices..................................................................................44
To Use Slice to Grid ..............................................................................................................44
To Use Slices to Synchronize Playback of Clip Pads................................................44
Work with Granular Pads ..............................................................................................................45
Pad Parameters Specic to Granular Mode .....................................................................45
Record New WAV Files.................................................................................................................. 46
To record a single WAV le ..............................................................................................46
Work with WAV Files Recorded on Blackbox ..................................................................49
If you are recording WAVs for the current preset .................................................... 49
If you are recording WAVs to build up a library of sounds.................................... 49
Advanced Recording Techniques.........................................................................................50
To Use Resampling to Layer Recordings and Save Effects ................................... 50
To Record a Multi-Sample Bank using MIDI or CV + Gate Automation..............52
To save the values you have congured for a pad back to the WAV le......... 56

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Trim WAV Files ..................................................................................................................................57
Use Clipboard Functions with Pads...........................................................................................58
Manage WAV Files ...........................................................................................................................59
Working with WAV Files on the MicroSD Card................................................................ 59
To Delete, Save As or Rename a WAV File................................................................... 60
To Pack a Preset..................................................................................................................... 61
WORK WITH KEYS 62
Use the KEYS Screen to Play Individual Pads ........................................................................62
To Play a Sample, Granular or Clip Pad With the KEYS Screen ........................... 62
To Play Slicer Mode Pads With Keys.............................................................................. 62
To Select a Scale on the Grid Keyboard........................................................................ 64
To Change Which Pad is Playing on the Keys Screen............................................. 64
Use the Keys Screen with Sequences.......................................................................................65
To Record a Keys or MIDI Sequence Using the Keys Screen Mapped to a
Sequence................................................................................................................................. 65
To Record a Keys Sequence Using the Keys Screen Mapped to a Pad ............. 65
WORK WITH SEQUENCES 66
Sequence Patterns...........................................................................................................................66
To Select the Active Pattern for a Sequence from the Sequences Grid........... 66
To Record a Sequence ........................................................................................................ 67
Record and Play Sequences .........................................................................................................67
To Toggle Song Mode On and Off................................................................................... 67
To Select the Active Pattern for a Sequence from the Sequencer Screen...... 67
To Play Sequences ............................................................................................................... 69
To Edit and View the Notes and Pad Triggers in a Sequence .............................. 70
To Copy and Clear Sequences........................................................................................... 71
To Edit Sequence and Pattern Settings ....................................................................... 72
To Use Sequence Quick Action Buttons ...................................................................... 74
To Adjust Probability and Velocity for Note Events ................................................. 74
To Import a MID le into a Sequence.............................................................................75

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WORK WITH SONGS 77
Parts of a Scene ................................................................................................................................78
To Manage Scenes ............................................................................................................... 79
To Reorder Scenes................................................................................................................ 79
Keep ..................................................................................................................................................... 80
To Record a Sequence during Song Playback ........................................................... 80
APPLY EFFECTS 81
To Route a Pad to an Effect ............................................................................................... 81
To Modify Effect Parameters ............................................................................................ 81
To Apply Modulation to Effect Parameters................................................................. 83
EQ CONTROL 84
To Adjust the EQ ................................................................................................................... 85
ADJUST THE MIX 86
To Adjust the Sound Level and Pan of a Pad.............................................................. 86
To Mute and Unmute Pads................................................................................................ 86
MANAGE PRESETS 87
To Save Changes to a Preset ............................................................................................ 88
To Load a Preset.................................................................................................................... 89
To Pack a Preset.................................................................................................................... 89
To Clean Unused WAV Files Out of a Preset’s Folder .............................................. 90
To Delete a Preset ................................................................................................................ 90
To Rename a Preset.............................................................................................................. 91
To Save Current Changes as a New Preset .................................................................. 91
Work with Preset Files on the MicroSD Card .........................................................................92
Legacy Presets ..................................................................................................................................92
What will happen to my legacy presets? How do I convert them to the new
le structure? ........................................................................................................................ 92
When will my legacy WAV les get cleaned out of the root folder? ................ 93
TOOLS 94
Settings on the Tools Screen....................................................................................................... 94

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USE MIDI DEVICES WITH BLACKBOX 96
Work with MIDI Inputs ...................................................................................................................96
To Trigger Pad Hits and Sequences with MIDI .......................................................... 97
To Play Notes and Use Common MIDI Modulation Commands on a Pad:....... 98
To Record Sequences in Keys Mode with MIDI.......................................................... 99
To Map MIDI Control Changes to Pad and Effect Parameters ............................. 99
To Clear a MIDI CC Mapping to a blackbox Parameter ........................................... 99
MIDI Triggered Recording ...........................................................................................................101
To Congure Blackbox to Use MIDI Triggered Recording: ...................................101
To Clear a Specic Pad Using MIDI ................................................................................101
To Trigger Recording to a Specic Pad Using MIDI: ...............................................102
To Use MIDI Notes Actions to Record or Clear a Pad..............................................103
Using Song Mode with MIDI.......................................................................................................104
To Trigger Song Scenes with a MIDI Device ............................................................. 104
Summary of MIDI Global In Channel Note Mappings ....................................................... 105
To Disable MIDI Triggered Recording and Pad Clearing ......................................106
Sharing of MIDI Input Channels ............................................................................................... 106
Use MIDI Program Change to Open a Preset ...................................................................... 107
To Enable or Disable MIDI Program Changes ..........................................................107
Work with MIDI Outputs..............................................................................................................108
Use MIDI Out to Play an External MIDI Instrument Along with blackbox .......... 109
To Send MIDI Notes from a Keys or Pads Sequence to an External MIDI
Instrument ............................................................................................................................109
Use MIDI Sequences to Play an External MIDI Instrument ...................................... 109
To Setup a MIDI Sequence and Add Notes via the Touchscreen ...................... 110
To Record a MIDI Sequence Using the Keys Screen ............................................... 110
To Record a MIDI Sequence Using an External MIDI Controller ...........................111
SYNCHRONIZE PLAYBACK WITH A CLOCK 112
Time Units for Display and Sync ............................................................................................... 112
Send the Blackbox Clock Signal to External Devices ........................................................ 112
Congure Blackbox to Follow an External Clock ................................................................ 113
Reset the Clock ................................................................................................................................114
Tap Tempo ........................................................................................................................................114

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POWERING MIDI DEVICES 115
CREATE PRESET TEMPLATES FOR RE-USE 116
To Congure a Pad without a WAV le .......................................................................116
To Add a WAV le to a Template Pad ...........................................................................116
REDUCE ALIASING WHEN PLAYING PADS CHROMATICALLY 117
To Use HighQ Mode to Reduce Aliasing.......................................................................117
PROCESSOR MANAGEMENT TIPS 118
UPDATE FIRMWARE, AUDIO FILES AND PRESETS 119
Switch to a New MicroSD Card While Operating Blackbox............................................. 119
Backup Your Presets and WAV Files ........................................................................................ 119
Install New Firmware ..................................................................................................................... 119
To Install New Firmware ....................................................................................................119
Reset a Blackbox Preset to Factory Settings ....................................................................... 120
TECHNICAL SPECS 121
Onboard Memory ............................................................................................................................ 121
Maximum Sample Length............................................................................................................ 121
Samples Supported ........................................................................................................................ 121
Maximum Number of Voices Supported................................................................................. 121
Pin Mapping for Mini TRS Jack to MIDI 5 Pin DIN Connectors........................................122
STAY UP TO DATE 123
Demonstration Videos and Latest Documentation............................................................123
Latest Troubleshooting Tips........................................................................................................123
Connect with Other Blackbox Users........................................................................................123
Contact Us..........................................................................................................................................123

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WELCOME
Welcome to the blackbox user manual. Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you want
to get a quick overview of the basic features of blackbox, please check out the Quick Start
Guide. You can nd it in the box with your blackbox, or on the blackbox support page at:
https://1010music.com/blackboxdocs
If you are ready to get more detail about a specic feature or learn more of the
capabilities of this portable sampling studio, then this is the document for you. We will
get into more detail about setup options, explain the features in each of the screens, get
your MIDI connections working, move les around and cover some tips to get the most
out of your blackbox.
If you still have questions after reading this manual, join our forum at forum.1010music.
com. You can specically get blackbox support at:
https://forum.1010music.com/forum/products/blackbox/support-blackbox
Our support team and other users are out there to help you and to exchange ideas about
how to get the most out of blackbox. Registered forum users can also get the latest
rmware with new features and bug xes in the downloads section of the forum.
Registration is free, but you will need to provide an email address.
Before you get started, you may want to check for rmware updates for your blackbox.
Learn how to do that in Update Firmware, Audio Files and Presets section near the end of
this document, or in the YouTube video at https://youtu.be/jiu5tJFYiVE. This document
covers version 3.0 rmware.
Pads Keys Sequences
FXSong Scenes Mixer

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SET UP BLACKBOX
You have probably already plugged in your blackbox and started to play with it. Let’s
make sure you have everything set up properly so you can follow along with the manual.
Blackbox stores all of the samples and presets on the microSD card. Before you can use
the blackbox, you will need to insert the microSD card, connect to power and connect to
one or more outputs. You can then also connect an audio input for recording.
MicroSD Card for Storage
Take the microSD card out of the plastic case, Ain the
gure to the right. Insert the microSD card, with the text
facing up and the notched edge to the right, into the
MICRO SD slot, S, on the front panel. The card reader is
spring loaded. Push the card in to remove it when
needed later. Leave it in for now.
Power
Blackbox needs to be connected to a 2 amp power
source, using a USB cable designed to carry power. You
can plug it into a standard power outlet or a USB power
supply. Either way, you will insert the square end of the
USB Power cord, B, into the POWER connection on the
back panel. The connection is snug to ensure that the
device stays plugged in during use.
Standard Power Outlet
If you are plugging directly into a standard power outlet,
slide the appropriate two or three prong connector, E,
onto the USB power supply, D. Then connect the atter
end of the USB power cord, B, into the USB connection
on the power supply. Bluebox will turn on as soon as the
power is connected.
USB Power Outlet
If you are using your own USB power supply, plug the
atter end of the USB power cord into a 2 amp USB
power supply, such as a USB outlet or a USB battery
AA B CD
What Comes in the Box
S
MicroSD Slot

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Output Connections
Connect speakers or headphones to the 3.5 mm stereo
audio outputs on the back panel. To start, we
recommend connecting external speakers or
headphones to the PHONES jack, since all outputs are
routed to the PHONES jack and you can control volume
from blackbox. All of the audio jacks are stereo 3.5mm
connectors. This makes for a total of 6 audio outputs (3
Audio Out jacks x2), stereo headphones, and a stereo
input. The audio output will be at Eurorack levels which
is +/- 5 volts. This is louder than a consumer electronics
line level, so you may need a mixer to connect with
consumer electronics gear.
NOTE:
►Not all USB power supplies are created equal. Make sure your power
supply can provide 2 amps of power. The USB power supply included
with blackbox will do this.
►Not all USB Type B cables are the same. Some are made only for data,
while others are designed to carry power. Blackbox comes with a USB
Type B power cable. If you want to replace it with a longer cable, be
sure it is rated to carry power.
►You can take the microSD card out and reinsert while blackbox is
powered up.
►When you plug blackbox into a USB power bank, keep in mind that
these power banks do not send information to blackbox about how
much power is remaining. There may be a low power indicator light on
the power bank itself. Blackbox will not give you a warning when power
is low, so be sure to save your presets before the power bank runs out.
►Some batteries may not be sufcient to support a USB MIDI device in
addition to blackbox. See Powering MIDI Devices below for more
information.
Back Panel

Test Your Setup
Let’s make sure you are getting some sound out of your blackbox
before we continue.
1. Press the PADS button. You will see a grid of samples that
have been assigned to the current preset.
2. Touch one of the pads on the touchscreen to trigger
playback of the pad. You should hear the sample playing
out through the connected audio output.
If you don’t hear anything, try a different pad. Some pads may be
assigned to different outputs, but all pads will play out through the
PHONES output. If you get a white bar across the bottom of the pad,
push the PLAY button to start the clock and enable playback of the
Clip pad.
Connect an Audio Input for Sampling
Blackbox assumes Eurorack level audio is coming in to the AUDIO IN jack at +/-5V. If you
are using a line level signal of +/- 1V, you may need to adjust the input gain on the
recording screen. You could also use a mixer or preamp with your microphone or other
input to adjust the level of the incoming signal. See the section Record a New Wave File
for more information about working with inputs.
Your blackbox should be setup and working now. Next we will cover the basic controls
and workow of blackbox.
Pads Screen
Control the Volume
If you are using the PHONES jack, you can control the volume of the
output:
1. Press the TOOLS button and then touch the Main tab.
2. Turn the top knob to select the Headphone parameter,
then turn the bottom to adjust the level.
Tools Screen
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OVERVIEW
Blackbox is a compact sampling studio.
With blackbox, you can record and play
samples, sequence those samples into
patterns and riffs, and then record those
sequences into scenes, which together can
form a song. Use blackbox to record
complete compositions from the comfort of
your studio or, with the help of a USB power
block, from the seat of your train or the park
bench. You can also use blackbox to create
materials to play in the background while
you sing or perform with other instruments.
We can’t wait to see what you create with it!
Blackbox has a fairly simple set of input controls. You choose which functional area you
are controlling by pushing the white navigation buttons. You control playback and
recording of clips, sequences and songs using the black REC,STOP and PLAY buttons.
You select and trigger sound elements and congure parameters using the touch screen
and the knobs. The INFO button allows you to drill into an item selected on the screen to
edit more details. Push it again to access more detailed information about the item. The
BACK button takes you to the previous screen.
Navigation Highlights
To build your song with blackbox, start by working through the navigation buttons from
left to right. You can certainly jump around and do things in any order, but the general
ow is to start on the left and move to the right.
PADS Play, record, and organize a bank of samples. Blackbox comes with hundreds of
samples and allows you to record or transfer over your own WAV les.
KEYS Play samples chromatically using a piano keyboard style input or a grid input.
SEQS Record sequences as you play pads or keys. Each sequence can record any one
or more of the pads. Toggle sequences on and off over time.
SONG Assemble Sequences in desired order as Scenes in a Song. Each Scene can be
played a set number of times or looped, and can be toggled manually.
FX Apply effects to individual pads. Adjust the parameters for the delay and reverb
effects. Apply EQ to the mix.
MIX Adjust the volume and pan of each pad. Mute pads.
PSET Save your work and start a new creation.
TOOLS Congure settings that persist across presets.
BACK INFO
blackbox
PADS KEYS SEQS SONG FX MIX PSET TOOLS
REC STOP PLAY

Display Highlights
The black bar along the top of the screen displays the blackbox playback state and
recording context. The number pair on the left displays the overall playback time in
measures and beats. The text in the middle displays the recording context. In Song Mode,
this will display the name of the scene that you are recording into. When not in Song
Mode, this displays the number of the sequence that will be recorded. You can toggle the
state of Song Mode by pushing the SONG button, then touching the on-screen Song
button. Song Mode is active when the on-screen button is blue. In the top right-hand
corner, a progress bar displays the current playback progress of the sequence or scene
that has recording context.
Pads Screen
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QUICK START
Blackbox comes with a number of presets on the included microSD card. Let’s explore
one to see how blackbox works. We will dive into more detail later. We will start by loading
a preset:
1. Push the white PSET button to see the preset loader screen.
2. Turn any knob to scroll through the list of presets until you have SL BASS MUSIC
KIT highlighted in blue.
3. Touch the Load button at the top of the screen to load the preset and go to the
PADS screen. If this preset is already loaded, the Load button will be disabled.
Explore PADS
Touch the PADS button to go to the Pads screen with a grid of 16 WAV les. Touch a pad
to trigger it. Depending on how the pad is congured, the sample might play all the way
through each time you press it, it might play only while you are touching the pad, or it
might play until you touch it again. A blue progress bar appears at the bottom of the pad
while it is playing. If you toggle off a pad, but it is still playing due to quantization settings,
the blue progress bar is replaced with a black bar. You can trigger multiple sample pads
at once.
The pink box indicates which pad is currently selected. Use the touch screen or a knob to
select a pad. Push INFO once to display the WAV screen and a second time to see the
parameters screens for the selected pad. Touch the page names at the bottom of the
parameters screen to access additional parameter pages. Touch the name of the WAV le
at the top of the waveform screen to select a different WAV le for this pad. Touch the
grid icon in the top left corner to select a different pad to edit. The colored square in the
grid indicates the selected pad.
Pads With Velocity Slider Pads With Clipboard Menu

While on the Pads screen, turn the lower right knob to access the
Clipboard menu, where you can cut, copy, paste and clear pads. Turn
the knob the other way to bring back the Velocity slider.
Explore KEYS
Let’s nd some new ways to play with our samples on the Keys
screen. To start, please select one of the pads labeled SY Chor and
push the KEYS button. Blackbox displays a keyboard on the screen.
Touch some of the keys on the keyboard to hear the selected pad
play pitch shifted by key. You can adjust which octave is playing by
touching the arrow buttons above the keyboard or by turning a
knob. The C keys are numbered so you can quickly identify which
octave will be playing.
Push INFO to access the Grid Based keyboard. Use the two buttons
at the top right of the screen to select the Key and Scale that will be
used by the grid keyboard. Now you can play without worrying
about hitting an off-key note.
If you have a slicer pad selected when you are on the Keys screen, the keys and grid
squares will trigger different slices. The rst slice plays with C2. We will go into more detail
about slicer pads later.
Explore Sequences
Now that we know how to trigger the pads, let’s play some sequences. Before we do that,
let’s take a minute to turn off Song Mode. Push the white SONG button. You will see a list
of scenes that have been created for this song. Touch the on-screen
Song button to toggle the state of Song Mode. The on-screen Song
button is blue when Song Mode is active, but for now let’s make it
gray for inactive so we can focus on sequences.
Push SEQS to go to the Sequences screen with a grid of 16 sequence
cells. The cells that have sequences have dots in the mini-piano roll
icon on the cell. Touch one or more lled cells to make them active.
A white box appears around the active sequences. Push the black
PLAY button to play the active sequences. Touch sequences to turn
them on and off. There may be a delay in response as the blackbox
waits for the next quantization point before triggering the sequence.
Playing sequences have a blue progress bar at the bottom of the cell.
Sequences that are queued and waiting for a quantization break to
play have a white box in place of the blue progress bar. Push STOP
when you are done. Push STOP a second time to interrupt any pads
that continue to play out after the sequence ended.
Grid Keyboard
Sequences
Keys Screen
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Select a sequence by touching the cell or turning a knob. The currently selected sequence
is highlighted pink. The number of this sequence is displayed in the context bar above the
grid. This is visible on all of the top-level screens. This is the sequence that will capture the
notes and pad triggers you play while recording. Push the INFO button to access the
piano roll for the sequence. Push INFO again to access parameter pages for the sequence.
Select an empty sequence cell and we will record into it. Push PADS to go to the Pads
screen. Hold down the REC button and push PLAY to start recording a sequence. After
the 4 beat count down, tap some pads to create a sequence. By default, the sequence is
one bar long. Blackbox will play the sequence in a loop as soon as you record it. If you tap
some more pads, you will add more pad triggers to the sequence. Push REC to stop
recording while the sequence still plays. You can choose different sequences to record
into while the other sequences are playing. Press STOP when you want the sequences to
stop.
Note that each cell has a letter in the bottom right corner, from A through D. These are
four different Patterns, unique sequences that are stored in the same cell, for a total of 64
sequences. Any one pattern in a cell can play back at a time.
Before we move on to song scenes, go back to the SEQS screen and touch OFF on the
right. This will deactivate all sequences.
Explore Songs
Push the SONG button to go to the Song Screens with its list of song
scenes. Touch the on-screen Song button to enable Song Mode (it
turns blue). When you do this, the context bar at the top of the
screen now lists the selected scene. The top left shows the current
bar:beat. Under that are boxes that display tempo and swing
amount, controlled by the top left and top right knobs. You can alter
them in real time during playback.
Pressing PLAY will play the scenes in order, starting with the selected scene (highlighted
in pink). Touching any scene during playback will queue it to play next. Scene changes
happen on the next quantization bar so they remain in sync.
Each scene has a name (the default is the word Scene followed by a number assigned in
order as the scene is created), two grids, and a number M X N, where M is the number of
bars in the longest used sequence and N is the Play Count, the number of times the
longest sequence is played back during the scene. You set the Play Count for a scene by
pushing the INFO button. Press BACK or SONG to return to the song display.
The rst grid lets you set pads that re once at the beginning of a scene, and the second
grid shows which sequence patterns will play back in the scene.
Song Scenes

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The Loop button at the top of the screen has three settings: off (button is gray), Loop1
(blue; loops the current scene), and LoopA (blue; loops all scenes in the song, in order).
Push STOP to end playback.
During song playback, you can push the PADS button or the SEQS button to watch pads
and sequence patterns get triggered as the song moves from scene to scene.
Song
mode?
Button
Pressed
Result
On PLAY Play the currently selected scene. The scene will loop the
number of times specied, and then the next scene will
start. Any active sequences (with a white frame on the
SEQ screen) will be deactivated before the scene starts.
Any armed clips (white status bar on Pads screen) will
also be unarmed before the scene starts.
On REC +
Play Record a new sequence while playing back a scene. Note
that the sequence must be active in the song scene if you
want to hear it play after you record it.
On STOP Stop playing and recording all scenes and sequences.
Off PLAY Play all active sequences and armed clips. You can start
and stop sequences while playing. The sequences will
play in a loop until you press STOP or deactivate them.
Off REC +
Play Play any active sequences and record any PADS or KEYS
entries into the currently selected sequence. This is
recorded as an overlay so you can add to a sequence over
time. The sequences will play and record in a loop until
you press STOP or deactivate them.
Off STOP Stop playing and recording all sequences.
Song Mode and REC | STOP | PLAY Buttons
The black square buttons have functions shown in the table below. Notice that when
Song Mode is off, they affect recording and playback for sequences (with the exception of
recording new samples on the Sample Recording screen), and the top line of the display
shows the currently playing sequence. When Song Mode is on, they affect playback of
selected scenes, and the top line of the display shows the currently playing scene.
You can use the Grab feature in the Song Edit menu to capture the current playback state
into the currently selected scene.

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Note:
►Be aware that blackbox does not automatically save your work. If you
load a different preset or turn off the blackbox, you will lose any edits
you’ve made to an unsaved preset. So save often!
Preset
Management
Note:
►When blackbox rst starts up, it loads the last preset you used on the
microSD card in the slot. However, any unsaved edits from your last
session will be gone.
Explore Presets
A Preset is the master le that stores a blackbox composition. It holds the pad
assignments, sequences, song scenes, effects settings, Mix settings, and the detailed
parameters for each of these.
To Load a Preset
1. Push the PSET button to access the Preset Management Screen.
It displays a list of the available presets on your microSD card,
with the currently selected preset highlighted in blue. There is
also a set of three buttons: File, Save, and Load.
2. Turn any knob to scroll up and down the list. When you nd the
preset you want, touch the Load button and your preset will load.
Then press any other button (PADS,KEYS, etc.) to begin working
with it.
To Save a Preset
Push the PSET button and press Save. This will save your changes to the current preset.

Page 19 of 123
Copyright 1010music LLC 2023
Blackbox 3.0 User Manual
Preset File Menu
Note:
►We’ll discuss the other File menu operations (Clear and Pack) later on.
To Create and Name a Preset:
1. Push the PSET button and touch File to open the File menu.
2. Press New. A menu will pop up with the name “New Preset” and a
typewriter keyboard with familiar controls like numerics, shift
lock, space, and delete. Use the Clear button to remove the
default name.
3. Type in a new name for your preset, and nally, touch the Enter
button to complete the rename and load your new preset.
The File menu also has a Delete button; you’ll get an “are you sure?”
button to conrm. If you change your mind, just push PSET again.
This operation can’t be undone, so be careful!

Copyright 1010music LLC 2023
Page 20 of 123
Blackbox 3.0 User Manual
SCREEN NAVIGATION MAP
The diagram below shows the primary navigation paths through blackbox.
Sequences
Pads
FX Parameters
FX
Keys Grid
Mix Mute
(empty pad)
"New Rec"
Tools
Presets
Pad Parameters
Load and Record
Modulation
Parameters
Waveform
"Option"
B
I
= Push Button
= Push INFO
= Push BACK
= Touch On Screen
Key
B
B
B
I
B
I
B
B
I
B
B
B
I
I
I
I
I
"Load"
B
BACK INFO
blackbox
PADS KEYS SEQS SONG FX MIX PSET TOOLS
REC STOP PLAY
TOOLS
PSET
MIX
FX
FX
FX
KEYS
KEYS
Seq
PADS
Piano Roll
Scene Parameters
SONG Song Scenes
Seq Params -
Pattern A
Seq
Parameters
FX Modulation
Parameters
Load and Record
Multi Mode
“1X”→”MX”
EQ