1010music Blackbox User manual

BLACKBOX
USER MANUAL

BLACKBOX USER MANUAL v 0.9.8
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Table of Contents
Welcome 4!
Overview 5!
Setup Blackbox 6!
Control'the'Volume' 6!
Test'Your'Setup' 6!
Connect'an'Audio'Input'for'Sampling' 6!
Working'with'a'Battery' 6!
Explore a Preset 7!
Explore'PADS' 7!
Explore'KEYS' 7!
Explore'Sequences' 7!
Explore'Song'Sections' 8!
Song'Mode'and'REC'|'STOP'|'PLAY'Buttons' 8!
Create a New Preset 10!
Create'and'Name'the'Preset'10!
Work With PADS 11!
Select'WAV'Files'and'Assign'Pad'Modes'11!
Set!up!a!Sample!Pad!16!
Work!with!a!Clip!Pad!17!
Work!with!Slicer!Pads!19!
Use!Slices!to!Synchronize!Playback!of!Clip!Pads!20!
Record'a'New'WAV'File'21!
Managing'WAV'Files'23!
Working!with!WAV!Files!on!the!microSD!Card!23!
Delete!or!Rename!a!WAV!File!23!
Use Keys to Play Pitch Shifted WAV Files 25!
To'Play'a'Clip'or'Sample'Pad'With'Keys:'25!
To'Play'Slices'With'Keys:'25!
Work with Sequences 26!
Record'and'Play'Sequences'26!
To!Record!a!Sequence:!26!
To!Play!Sequences:!27!
Edit'and'View'the'Notes'and'Pad'Triggers'in'a'Sequence'27!
Edit'Sequence'Settings'28!
Use'Sequence'Quick'Action'Buttons' 29!

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Work with Song Sections 30!
Toggle'Song'Mode'30!
Record'and'Play'Song'Sections'30!
To!Record!a!Song!Section:!30!
Apply Effects 33!
Adjust the Mix 34!
To'Adjust'the'Sound'Level'and'Pan'of'a'Pad:'34!
To'Mute'and'Unmute'Pads:'34!
Manage Presets 35!
Save'Changes'to'a'Preset'35!
Load'a'Preset'35!
Delete'a'Preset'36!
Rename'a'Preset'36!
Save'Current'Changes'as'a'New'Preset'36!
Work'with'Preset'Files'on'the'MicroSD'Card'37!
Use Tools to Customize Your Blackbox 38!
Use MIDI Devices with Blackbox 39!
Powering'MIDI'Devices'39!
MIDI'Channel'Precedence'39!
MIDI'Program'Change'40!
Advanced Features 41!
Use'MIDI'Modulation'to'Control'Playback'41!
Use'MIDI'Notes'to'Play'Slices'41!
Synchronize'Playback'with'a'Clock'42!
Reset!the!Clock!43!
Update Firmware, Audio Files and Presets 44!
Switch'to'a'New'MicroSD'Card'While'Operating'Blackbox'44!
Backup'Your'Presets'and'WAV'Files'44!
Install'New'Firmware'44!
Reset'Blackbox'Presets'to'Factory'Settings'44!
Technical Specs 46!
On'Board'Memory'46!
Maximum'Sample'Length'46!
Samples'Supported'46!
Maximum'Number'of'Voices'Supported'46!
Pin'Mapping'for'Mini'TRS'Jack'to'MIDI'5'Pin'DIN'Connectors'46!
Stay Up To Date 48!
Demonstration'Videos'and'Latest'Docs'48!

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Connect'with'Other'Blackbox'Users'48!
Contact'Us'48!

BLACKBOX USER MANUAL v 0.9.8
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Welcome
Blackbox by 1010music 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 sections, 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!
Pads
Keys
Sequences
Song Sections
FX
Mixer

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Overview
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 transport
buttons. You select and trigger sound elements and configure parameters using
the touch screen and the knobs. The INFO button allows you to drill into an item
on the screen to edit more details. Push it repeatedly to access detailed
information about the item. The BACK button takes you back to the main
screen for the current functional area.
Blackbox was designed so that you build your song by working through the
navigation buttons from left to right. You can certainly jump around and do
things in any order, but the general flow is to start on the left and move to the
right.
1. On the PADS screen, Record and organize a bank of samples. Blackbox comes with prerecorded samples and
allows you to record or transfer over your own WAV files.
2. Play samples using either the PADS or KEYS screens. You can also connect a MIDI device to blackbox to trigger
pads.
3. On the SEQS screen, record sequences as you play pads or keys. Each sequence can record any one or more of the
pads.
4. On the SONG screen, enable Song Mode to record Song Sections as you turn sequences on and off.
5. On the FX screen, adjust the parameters for the delay and reverb effects.
6. On the MIX screen, adjust the volume and pan of each pad.
7. On the PSET screen, save your work and start a new creation.
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 section 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 section that has recording context.
In this manual, we will first briefly make sure you have blackbox set up correctly and can make some sound with it. Next, we
will explore one of the built in presets so that you can see what blackbox is capable of doing. After that, we will quickly create
a new preset so you have a blank slate to use as we next walk through the basic use of the screens behind each of the
navigation buttons. That will be followed by a discussion of how to use \MIDI devices with blackbox, along with some more
advanced usage features. Lastly, we will delve into managing blackbox firmware and files, touch on a couple of technical
specs and finally tell you where you can find more information about blackbox and other 1010music products.
This manual was written for version 0.9.8 of the blackbox firmware.
BACK INFO
blackbox
PADS KEYS SEQS SONG FX MIX PSET TOOLS
REC STOP PLAY

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Setup Blackbox
To get started with blackbox, simply insert the microSD card in the
front slot, plug it in, and connect it to speakers or headphones. The
microSD card slot is along the short front panel. The power jack and
audio outputs are 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.
Note:
•A microSD card must be inserted into blackbox before you
can get started. All presets are stored on the microSD card.
Preset changes are only saved when you choose to save them.
Control the Volume
If you are using the phones jack, you will want to control the volume of
the output:
1. Press the TOOLS button.
2. Turn the knob next to the Headphone parameter in the top
right.
Test Your Setup
Let’s make sure you are getting some sound out of your blackbox before we go any deeper.
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 here 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.
Connect an Audio Input for Sampling
Blackbox assumes Eurorack level audio is coming in to the audio input 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 pre-amp with your
microphone or other input to adjust the level of the incoming signal.
Working with a Battery
You can plug blackbox into a USB power bank when you are away from a power outlet. However, 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 sufficient to support a USB MIDI device in addition to blackbox. See Powering MIDI Devices
below for more information.

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Explore a Preset
Blackbox comes with a number of presets preinstalled on the 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.
Explore PADS
Touch the PADS button to go to the Pads screen with a grid of 16 WAV files. Touch a pad to
trigger it. Depending on how the pad is configured, 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. You can trigger multiple 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 repeatedly to drill into the WAV screen and parameters screens for
the selected pad. Touch the name of the WAV file at the top of the waveform screen to select a different WAV file for this
pad. Please select one of the pads labeled SY Chor so we can have fun with it on the Keys
screen.
Explore KEYS
With SY Chor selected on the Pads screen, 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.
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
sections 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 filled
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.
Select a sequence by touching the cell or turning a knob. The currently selected sequence is highlighted pink. The number
Pads
Keys
Sequences

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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 repeatedly to cycle
through the piano roll and 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 finish recording 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.
Before we move on to song sections, go back to the SEQS screen and touch DEACT on the right. This will deactivate all
sequences.
Explore Song Sections
Push the SONG button to go to the Song screen with its list of song sections. Touch the on-
screen Song button to enable Song Mode. Notice that the context bar at the top of the
screen now displays the name of the currently selected section. Now press PLAY to play the
song sections in order starting with the selected section. You can jump around between the
sections by touching a section to make it the next section. You can play a section on loop by
touching the Loop button at the top of the screen.
While a song section is playing, push the SEQS button to watch as blackbox plays the
sequences in the section. You can play additional sequences by making them active. This will
not add to the song section because you aren’t recording yet.
While a song section is playing, push the PADS button to watch pads being triggered by the sequences in the song section.
Touch a pad to trigger it and play along. On the Song screen, turn the top left knob to adjust the BPM of the internal clock.
The song will slow down or speed up in real time as you adjust this. Turn the top right knob to adjust the amount of swing in
the notes.
Push STOP to end playback of the song section.
Song Mode and REC | STOP | PLAY Buttons
Let’s talk about Song Mode and the transit buttons. When Song Mode is disabled, the PLAY, STOP and REC buttons
generally control the sequences. The one exception is when you are recording a new sample on the Sample Recording
screen. When Song Mode is enabled, the PLAY, STOP and REC buttons control the song sections. The text in the top
middle of the top-level screens always indicates what will be the target of a recording action. If Song Mode is disabled, this
text will indicate which sequence cell is currently selected, e.g. Seq 8. When Song Mode is enabled, this text will indicate
which Song section is currently selected, e.g. Inspiration. Here’s what happens when you use the transit buttons in the
different modes:
Song
Mode?
Button
Pressed
Action
Enabled
PLAY
Play the currently selected section plus any active sequences.
Enabled
REC + PLAY
Record start and stop events for sequences and save this in the selected section.
This information is recorded as an overlay, so you can add to a section over time.
Song Sections

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Song
Mode?
Button
Pressed
Action
Enabled
STOP
Stop playing and recording all sections and sequences.
Disabled
PLAY
Play any active sequences. You can start and stop sequences while playing. The
sequences will play in a loop until you press STOP or deactivate them.
Disabled
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.
Disabled
STOP
Stop playing and recording all sequences.
To record a song section, select the section you want to record into and then hold REC while you press PLAY. Any
sequences that are active at this time will start to play and be recorded into the section. Touch sequence cells to activate
and deactivate them and add them to the section. If you record on top of a previously recorded section, it will add to the
content that is already there.
If you want to save the work you have done so far, push PSET, touch File and then touch Save or Save As. If you choose
Save As, you will have a chance to save to a new preset so you don’t overwrite the original preset. Note that blackbox does
not automatically save changes as you work. If you don’t save your changes, the preset will remain in its original state on
your microSD card when you load a different preset, create a new preset or power down blackbox.
Hopefully, that’s enough to give you a feel for what blackbox can do. We will dive into more detail about each of the
functional areas of blackbox next.

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Create a New Preset
A preset is the master file that stores a blackbox composition. It holds the pad assignments,
sequences, song sections, FX settings, Mix settings and the detailed parameters for each of
these. Blackbox does not automatically save your work. You will need
To Create and Name a Preset:
First, you will create a new preset that will be used to store your creation. Follow these steps
to create and name your preset:
1. Touch the PSET button below the screen to display the Preset Management screen.
This screen shows a list of the presets stored on the microSD card with a menu
across the top. The currently selected preset is highlighted in blue.
2. Touch New in the top menu. A new preset is added to the list with the name New
Preset xx, where xx is the next available number.
3. Touch the File button in the top row of the Touch Screen to display the Preset
File Menu.
4. Touch the Rename menu button to display the on screen keyboard.
5. Touch the back arrow <- to backspace through the preset name to clear it. Then use
the onscreen keyboard to type in a new name. Use the carat button ^to toggle
between upper and lower case letters. Touch the 123 button to display the numeric
keyboard if needed. When the name is complete, touch return to save the name
and return to the Presets screen with the new preset selected.
6. Touch the Load button to start working with your new preset from the Pads screen.
Note:
•If you do not Load the new preset in Step 6 above, the previous preset is still loaded in memory.
Keyboard Screen
Preset File Menu
Preset Management
Screen

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Work With PADS
Each pad in blackbox can be assigned a WAV file. You can configure playback options, such as trigger mode and looping,
individually for each pad. Once a pad is loaded, you can touch the pad on the main Pads screen to trigger it. You can also
use the Keys screen to play the currently selected pad. When you trigger a pad from the Keys screen, the WAV file is pitch
shifted to correspond to the note played.
To Select WAV Files and Assign Pad Modes:
From the Pads screen you will choose WAV files to assign to pads and assign a mode to each pad. The main screen has a 4x4
grid of 16 light gray pads. A WAV file can be assigned to each of these pads, and each pad is assigned a Pad Mode. The
available Pad Modes are sample, clip and slicer:
Icon
Pad
Mode
Description
Reverse
Playbac
k
Quantiz
e
Set
Loop
point
s
Play
Slices
Sample
Use a sample pad when you want to be able to control
start and end points for playback and looping. This mode
supports reverse playback, along with forward and
bidirectional looping. For example, you might use Sample
mode with a melodic sample. Sample mode supports 4-
note polyphony.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Clip
Use Clip mode when you want to use synchronized loops
and quantized playback. Clip mode works well with drum
loops between one and eight measures long. Clip mode
supports 2-note polyphony.
No
Yes
No
No
Slicer
Use Slicer mode when you have a WAV file with multiple
sections that you want to trigger independently. Slicer
mode supports 2-note polyphony.
No
No
No
Yes
Each pad can have a different Pad Mode. You can use the same WAV file in different pads in different Pad Modes. To load a
WAV file into a pad:
1. Push the PADS button to bring up the Pads screen.
2. Select a pad by touching it or using the control knobs to cycle through the pads. (The top control knobs move the
selection horizontally. The bottom control knobs move the selection vertically.) The selected pad is highlighted
pink.
3. Press the INFO button. If the pad was empty, the Load and Record screen will be displayed. If the pad already
had a WAV file assigned, the Waveform screen will be displayed.

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4. If you are on the Load and Record screen, touch Load in the top menu bar. If you are on the Waveform screen,
touch the name of the WAV file at the top of the screen (SY Chord1 LF in the example). You will now be on the
WAV file selection screen.
5. From the WAV file selection screen, Use the control knobs to scroll through the list of files. The selected file name
has a blue highlight. Touch Play to preview the highlighted file. The Play button will turn blue to show that auto-
preview is enabled. Blackbox will play each WAV file once when you pause on it while scrolling. If you have a
sequence or a MIDI input trigger playing for this pad, blackbox will play the selected WAV file whenever a trigger is
received for this pad. Touch the Play button again to disable auto-preview mode. Touch Load to assign the
selected WAV file to this pad. When looking at the list of files, list items that start with a slash \ are directories. Load
a directory to see its contents. The file path is displayed above the list of files (e.g. SoundtrackLoops\SL Bass
Mu in the example above.) Touch the caret ^to navigate back up the directory tree. Touch the back arrow ßto go
back to the previous screen.
Once you have loaded a WAV file, you will be on the Waveform screen. There are a number of important features on the
Waveform screen. The grid icon in the top left of the screen, immediately below the clock counter, provides a graphical
representation of which pad in the grid you are configuring. You can touch it to return to the Main screen. The icon just to the
right of that is a button that allows you to select the Pad Mode. The text in the top bar displays the first characters of the
name of the loaded WAV file, and can be touched to choose a different file. Trigger playback by touching the arrow button
on the right.
There are two views of the waveform displayed on the screen. The top view always display the full waveform with a blue
square indicating the subsection of the waveform that is displayed in the bottom, bigger waveform. You can use pinch and
stretch touchscreen gestures to zoom in and out of the waveform, then swipe to scroll along the length of the waveform. You
can quickly jump to a different section of a long waveform by touching that section of the wave in the top view.
The bottom waveform shows a pink bracket that indicates the portion of the WAV file that will be played by this pad. Turn
the top left knob to adjust the start position, and the top right knob to adjust the length. If this pad uses looping, a white
bracket appears to show the loop points. Turn the bottom two knobs to adjust the loop start and loop end points.
The next step is to configure general pad parameters including choosing a Pad Mode.
1. Touch the icon immediately to the left of the WAV file name at the top of the screen to display the Pad Mode menu.
Touch one of the options, Sample, Clip or Slicer, to set the Pad Mode. The icon changes to represent the
selected Pad Mode. See the table on the previous page for a description of each of these modes.
2. From the waveform screen, press the INFO button to display Pad Parameters Screen 1. You can continue to press
INFO to cycle through the Pad Parameter Screens and the Waveform Screen.
WAV Load and Record
Screen
Waveform Screen WAV File Selection
Screen

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3. On Pad Parameters Screen 1, there are four menu items below the measure and
beat count. The left most item is the grid icon. The second menu item is the
output selection button (Out1 in the example screenshot). Touch this menu
item to display the list of output options:
Output
Option
Description
Out1,
2, 3
The output of this pad is sent to selected output in stereo.
Out1L,
1R, 2L,
2R, 3L,
3R
The output of this pad is sent to the left or right stereo
channel of the selected output.
FX1
Send the signal to FX1 for processing. The output of FX1 then
goes to Out1.
FX2
Send the signal to FX2 for processing. The output of FX2 then
goes to Out1.
Note:
•The PHONES output will always contain a mix of all of the outputs.
4. Touch the desired output option to select it.
5. The next menu item (Poly in the example screenshot) controls the polyphony of the pad. Touch the menu option to
select Polyphonic or Monophonic playback for this pad. Sample pads support 4-note polyphony. Clip mode and
Slicer mode support 2-note polyphony.
6. The last menu item displays an abbreviated version of the WAV file name (KI O in the screenshot). Touch this
menu item to start playback of the pad. The playback functionality will depend on the other parameter settings.
The WAV file is playing when this menu item is highlighted blue.
7. As you push INFO, blackbox will cycle through the Pad Parameter screens and the WAV screen. Some of the pad
parameters are the same for all Pad Modes, while others vary by mode. Touch the control knob closest to each of
the parameter to set its value. Here are the parameters that are the same for all Pad Modes:
Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
Level
Adjusts the loudness level of
the pad
-96.0 to +12.0 db
Yes
Pitch
Adjusts the pitch of the pad up
or down
-24.0 to +24.0 semitones
Yes
Filter
Applies either a high pass or
low pass filter to this pad.
-100% to +100%
Negative values apply a low pass filter. Positive
values apply a high pass filter.
No
Pad Parameters Screen 1

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Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
Launch
Mode
This controls how a note trigger
affects the playback of a pad.
Trigger: Activate the Pad by touching the pad or
through MIDI note on. Blackbox will start playback
of the WAV file and play through to the end.
Gate: Begin the WAV file playback in the same
manner as Trigger mode. But in Gate mode,
playback will stop when you release the touch or
the MIDI note is released.
Toggle: Begin the WAV file playback in the same
manner as Trigger mode. When another trigger
event happens, the playback will stop.
No
Attack
The time it takes for the sound to reach its loudest
level
0.0 to 100.0% The attack
percentage is a logarithmic
scale between 0 and 9 seconds.
No
Decay
How long it takes for the sound to go from the
initial peak to the sustain level
0.0 to 100.0% The decay
percentage is a logarithmic
scale between 0 and 38
seconds.
No
Sustain
The volume level that the sound maintains when
you hold a note
0.0 to 100.0%
No
Release
The release specifies how long the note will
continue to play and fade out when the note is
released. In Gate mode, the release begins when
the touch ends, the gate signal goes low, or the
MIDI note off event occurs. In Toggle mode, the
release begins when the toggle off occurs. In
Trigger mode with sample pads the release
begins when reaching the Loop End point in loop
mode, or the Start + Len point when not looping.
In Trigger mode for Clips and Slicers, the
release has no effect.
0 to 100% The release
percentage is a logarithmic
scale between 0 and 38
seconds.
No

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Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
MIDI
Specifies a MIDI channel to be
used to play this pad pitch
shifted and to modulate
parameters for this pad.
Default, Ch1 through Ch16.
The GlobalMIDI channel configured in Tools is used
to trigger all pads by mapping a note to each pad.
This MIDI parameter sets an additional MIDI
channel that this pad will respond to in a different
way. If set to Default, this pad only responds to the
GlobalMIDI channel.
When a value other than Default is assigned to this
parameter, the MIDI signal on the designated
channel will trigger playback of the WAV file at the
corresponding pitch. Note 64 (typically middle C)
will play the note as recorded, unless the WAV file
has information that maps it to a different base
note. Each note above or below the base note will
transpose the pitch the corresponding number of
semitones.
If you want to use MIDI controls to modulate
parameters for this pad, you will need to specify the
source MIDI channel here.
More than one pad can be assigned to the same
MIDI channel. In this case, both pads will be
triggered.
Any MIDI channel that is mapped to a pad using
this parameter no longer triggers sequences or pad
hits on unmapped pads, even if the GlobalMIDI
channel is set to OMNI.
No
The remaining parameters are specific to the Pad Mode (slicer, sample or clip). We will discuss each Pad Mode
individually in the next sections.
8. At the top of the Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release parameters page, the menu
option to the right of the grid icon allows you to control exclusive grouping of pads.
Touch this menu option, Excl C in the screenshot, to see the options. Touch an
option to select it. When Excl X is selected, there will not be an exclusive behavior
for this pad. When a pad is assigned to Exclusive Group A, B, C or D, any other pad
in this group will stop whenever a pad in the group is triggered.
Several of the pad parameters have three black boxes below them. These pads are potential
modulation targets, and these boxes are used to control the modulation parameters. We will discuss modulation later in the
Advanced Features section.
The remaining configuration options for a pad vary based on which Pad Mode is selected. We will walk through the
configuration of each of the Pad Modes next.
Pad Exclusive Groupings

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Set up a Sample Pad
Use a sample pad when you only want to play or loop through a WAV file with no slicing and no synchronization within the
playback. This Pad Mode supports reverse playback, along with forward and bidirectional looping. For example, you might
use Sample Mode with a melodic sample. You can also use the Start and Len parameters to play a portion of the WAV file.
Follow the steps in the previous section to create a sample pad. An example of a good WAV file to use for a sample pad is
\drums\Kick 1.wav. Press the INFO button to cycle through the Pad Parameters screens and the Waveform screen. Use
the control knob closest to the parameter name to change the value of a parameter. The table below describes the
parameters available that are specific to a sample pad.
Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
Loop Mode
Controls whether the WAV file plays in a loop,
and the direction of the loop.
When looping is enabled, if you have the
Launch Mode set to Trigger, looping will
happen for the duration of the Release phase
of the note.
If you have the Launch Mode set to Gate,
looping plays through the gate pulse and the
release time.
If you have the Launch Mode set to Toggle,
looping starts to play when the initial pulse is
received and continues until the terminating
toggle pulse is received.
If Loop Mode is Bidirect, and Rev is ON, play
back will start from the end of the sample,
and then loop as described, but starting with
the Loop End to Loop Start pass.
None: Plays once from the value assigned to
the Start parameter through the value assigned
to the Length parameter.
Forward: Plays from the value assigned to
the Start parameter through the value assigned
to the Loop End Parameter, then jumps back to
the value of the Loop Start parameter. Play
continues to loop between Loop Start and
Loop End for the duration of the note.
Bidirect: Works similarly to forward, but loop
playback proceeds from Loop Start to Loop
End then backwards to Loop Start. It then
repeats the looping back and forth.
No
Rev
When Reverse is ON, the WAV file will play in
reverse.
ON, OFF
No
Start
Point where playback will begin when playing
forward or ends when playing in reverse.
Expressed in samples.
0 to number of samples in the file
Yes
Sample Mode Parameters
More Sample Mode Parameters

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Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
LpStr
Point where the looping will begin when
playing forward, or looping will end when
playing in reverse. Expressed in samples.
Must be before or equal to LpEnd.
0 to number of samples in the file
Yes
Len
When Loop Mode is None, how long the
sample will play past the value of the Start
parameter. Expressed in samples.
0 to number of samples in the file
Yes
LpEnd
Point where the looping will end when
playing forwards, or looping will begin when
playing in reverse. Expressed in samples.
Must be after or equal to LpStr.
0 to number of samples in the file
Yes
You can also set the values for Start, LpStr, Len, and LpEnd from the Waveform screen. When viewing the waveform,
the pink frame on the large waveform represents the Start and Len parameters. You can move these end points by turning
the top two control knobs. If Loop Mode is set to Forward or Bidirect, you will also see a white frame within the pink
frame that defines the Loop Start and Loop End points. Use the bottom two control knobs to adjust these end points.
The corresponding values for the end points are displayed above and below the large waveform. The sensitivity of the
control knobs depends on the Zoom level. Zoom out to make big adjustments then zoom in to make fine adjustments.
Work with a Clip Pad
Use Clip Mode for WAV files where you want to use synchronized loops and quantized
playback for the entire WAV file. Clip Mode works well with drum loops between one and
eight measures long. This is the only Pad Mode that supports quantization. An example
of a file that works well with Clip Mode is \SoundtrackLoops\SL LoFi Hip
Hop2\SY L Pad14 A Melody2 08. This clip is used in the preset SL LOFI HIP
HOP KIT 2.
The following parameters are specific to Clip mode:
Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
Loop Mode
Controls whether the WAV file plays in a loop.
The whole WAV file will be played in the loop
for clip pads. Only forward looping is
supported with clip pads.
On, Off
No
Clip Parameters

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Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod
Target?
Quant Size
Use Quant Size to quantize when the
playback starts and stops. Quantization will
cause playback to snap to a musical grid with
intervals specified by the Quant Size
parameter. When quantization is used, the
note trigger will cause playback to start and
end on the next quant size boundary.
None - always start and stop immediately
1/16 - sixteenth note
1/8 - eighth note
1/4 - quarter note
1/2 - half note
1 bar - a whole note assuming 4/4 time
2 bars
4 bars
8 bars
No
Sync
Sync is only enabled when quantizing is
enabled (the Quant Size parameter is not
None.) The Sync feature prevents timing drift
that can occur when the length and BPM of a
clip does not align exactly with the tempo of
playback. When Sync is used, blackbox will
realign the audio to match the clock at the
step size specified here.
Even slight differences between WAV file
BPM and clock tempo can cause significant
drift over time. Select a value for Syncthat
will control the size of the musical unit to
which the clip will be synchronized. Choose
small settings for rhythmic or percussion clips.
Choose large settings for sustained tones or
drones.
None – playback will occur at the original rate.
Looping will happen as soon as the sample
ends.
1/16 - quantize to the next sixteenth note time
1/8 - eighth note
1/4 - quarter note
1/2 - half note
1 bar - a whole note assuming 4/4 time
Slice (See Use Slices to Synchronize Playback
of Clip Padsbelow for more information)
No
Let’s talk some more about Quant Size and Sync. When a Quant Size other than None is selected, the playback of the wave
file will be delayed until the next selected unit of music as specified in Quant Size. This will ensure that your playback “snaps
to the grid” of the beats established by your clock. Sometimes, the WAV file you are playing is longer than one beat. For
example, the WAV file might contain a 2 bar drum riff. For a clip pad, blackbox will make some assumptions about where the
beats in your file occur. In Clip mode, blackbox will play the whole 2 bar riff when the note is triggered. But the beats in the
WAV file might not be playing at the same tempo as the clock speed. If you leave Sync set to None, the WAV file will play in
its entirety and will get out of sync with your clock. If your WAV file tempo is faster than your clock tempo, it will sound like
the beats are running ahead of the rest of the music. If your WAV file tempo is slower than your clock tempo, it will sound like
your drums are lagging. If you want to fix that, then choose the value for Sync that identifies how tightly you want to snap to
the clock while the WAV file is playing in response to a single sustained note trigger. While the note is playing, the sync will
cause the playback of the WAV file to jump to the next selected sync increment in the file when the corresponding clock time
has passed. So if the WAV was a little faster than your clock, the playback position will jump backwards to move the playback
of the WAV to the selected clock increment. If the WAV is slower than your clock, the playback position will jump ahead to
the selected clock increment. This will work well if the difference between the BPM of your WAV file and the BPM of your
clock is small. It will sound like a stutter if the difference is large.

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Work with Slicer Pads
Slicer Mode is useful when a single WAV file has multiple sections that you want to
trigger independently. For example, if you have a drum riff you may want to trigger
different drum hits within the drum riff independently. Or if you have a recording of a
vocal track, you may get an interesting effect if you skip around to playback different
words or phrases over time.
In order to use Slicer mode effectively, you will need to identify slices within the WAV
file. Blackbox can automatically detect the slice points within the wave file, and you can
manually add or remove slice points. The WAV files in the folder LOOPMASTERS\01
Loops\Drums are good examples to try with slice mode.
The following parameters are specific to Slicer Mode:
Parameter
Description
Range of Values
Mod Target?
Loop Mode
Controls whether the slice playback is
looped. This does not work with Launch
Mode of Trigger. Use Launch Mode of Gate
or Toggle if you want to loop slices.
On, Off
No
Slice
Indicates which slice will be played when a
note is triggered. You can use modulation
to vary this value over time.
1 through the number of slices in the
pad.
Yes
Slice Seq
When Slice Seq is set to a value other than
None, each trigger received on the
modulation source assigned to this
parameter will advance the selection of the
next slice to play.
The value of this parameter controls the
order in which slice selection is advanced.
None: This parameter will not be used
to control the order of playback of slices.
Forward: A trigger will cause the
playback to move to the next slice.
Backwards: A trigger will cause the
playback to move to the previous slice
Random: A trigger will cause the
playback to move to a randomly
selected slice
Stagger: A trigger will cause the
playback to move through the slices in a
somewhat random way. It will move
forward a few slices, then back a couple
of slices, and repeat.
Yes
In addition to setting parameters for a slicer pad, you also need to create the slices. There are three ways to do this:
manually, auto scan, and slice to grid. When you configure slices manually, you set each loop point yourself by defining and
removing splits. The manual process may also be used to refine the results after you use auto scan or slice to grid. When you
use auto scan, blackbox uses an internal algorithm to decide where to place the splits. You can control the sensitivity of the
algorithm. When you use slice to grid, you define a fixed number of slices and blackbox will create splits that evenly divide
the WAV file into the specified number of slices.
Slicer Pad Parameters
Screen