M-AUDIO Black Box User Manual

Black Box

New Version 2 Firmware

Quick Start Guide

English

GREETINGS FROM ROGER LINN

Thank you for purchasing the Black Box, a very exciting product created collaboratively by Roger Linn
Design and the great folks at M-Audio. You may know me as the inventor of the first digital drum machines
in the 1980s, or from my MPC MIDI Production Center products with AKAI in the 1990s. But you may not
know that I’m also a guitarist, and my passion for guitar sound led to my more recent creation of the
award-winning AdrenaLinn beat-synced guitar effects processor (www.rogerlinndesign.com.) Now I’m
very proud to combine the best parts of AdrenaLinn with M-Audio’s considerable expertise in computer­centric recording products. The result is the Black Box.

What is the Black Box? It’s a superb amp modeler combined with a unique effects processor that syncs to
an internal drum machine. It’s also a complete digital audio interface to your computer. The beat-synced
effects are the part I enjoy most: tremolo, flanging, delay—even looped sequences of filtered tones or
arpeggiated notes and more—all playing in perfect sync to the beat or your recording software! And now
with the improved Version 2 firmware, it’s far more powerful than before. I think you’ll find—as others
have—that the Black Box will lead you down a path of new musical ideas and head-turning recordings.

On behalf of all the creative minds at both M-Audio and Roger Linn Design, I’d like to welcome you to the
brave new world of the Black Box!

INTRODUCTION

This Quick Start Guide contains enough information to get you up and running quickly. IT IS NOT A
COMPLETE USER GUIDE. To download the User Guide, go to www.m-audio.com and click on Support/

Manuals. This document will give you more details about the extensive functionality of the Black Box,
including pedal programming, software driver installation, and more.

English

IMPORTANT!

Audio equipment should ALWAYS be powered on and off in a precise order. The power amp that feeds
your speakers should ALWAYS be turned ON LAST and turned OFF FIRST. If you turn other pieces of audio
equipment on while they are connected to the powered speakers, loud transient pop noises will occur—
possibly damaging your hearing and your speakers. Always turn on all of the other audio devices that
are connected to your powered speakers BEFORE you turn on your powered speakers. The same is true
for turning things off. ALWAYS turn off your powered speakers BEFORE you turn off any other equipment
connected to them. Following this simple rule will ensure that both your ears and your speakers will
function optimally for a long time to come.

Black Box Quick Start Guide • 1

NEW VERSION 2 FIRMWARE

This Black Box has been upgraded to our new version 2 firmware, making it far more powerful than
before at no extra cost. Enhancements include:

< The number of amp models has been increased from 12 to 40 and the original amps have been

improved to be more accurate. We’ve also included four classic bass amps, a fuzz tone, an octave
fuzz and a clean mic preamp.

< The number of effect types is increased from 43 to 121. In addition to new variations on the existing

effects, we’ve added many unique filter sequences, tremolo sequences and arpeggio sequences,
as well as great new effects like rotary, vibrato, auto-pan, talk pedal, volume swell, fixed filters and
even a few sci-fi effects.

< An assortment of minor enhancements.

However, we didn’t stop there. We also added a number of new bonus features:

< Amp Mid control
< Reverb
< Compression
< Link Drumbeat: Now selecting a preset will automatically call up its assigned drumbeat, which

you can change.

< Tempo Source: Now you can select one of three sources for the playing tempo: the preset’s

assigned tempo, the drumbeat’s assigned tempo or the global tempo.

These new bonus features go beyond the 16 parameter menus in the LCD display, so we created a new
Shift mode to access their settings. To learn about Shift mode, see the section entitled “Additional Shift
Parameters.”

HOOK IT UP AND START JAMMING NOW

To start playing immediately, follow the simple instructions below. For more detailed information, please
read the rest of this guide and the User Guide.

Quick Setup

1. Plug the main 1⁄4” outputs on the back of the Black Box into a pair of powered speakers and/or
plug a pair of headphones in the front.

2. Plug your guitar in the front of the Black Box and turn up your guitar’s volume.

3. Set the MIX knob on the upper-right side of the Black Box to the hard left “Input” setting.

4. Start playing and turn up the Guitar Input level knob until the clip light only comes on when you
play hard.

5. Turn up the Output Level knob on the upper-right side to taste.

Getting Sounds

< Use the PRESET INCREMENT and PRESET DECREMENT buttons to try out different effect presets.
< Press the START/STOP button to hear the drum machine.
< Use the DRUMBEAT INCREMENT and DRUMBEAT DECREMENT buttons to select different beats.
< Use the TAP TEMPO button to set the tempo of the drum machine.

2 • Black Box Quick Start Guide

INPUT/OUTPUT CONTROLS

These are the four knobs on the right side of the Black Box:

< Guitar input level knob - controls the amount of incoming guitar signal.
< Mic input level knob - controls the amount of incoming mic signal.
< Mix input/playback level knob - controls how much of the guitar and drum sounds you hear

versus how much output from the computer you will hear.

< Output level knob - controls the overall unit volume output.

WORKING WITH PRESETS

A preset is a unique combination of all the settings that affect the guitar sound, including guitar amp
models, effects and delay. There are 100 fixed factory presets (0-99) followed by 100 editable user presets
(0-99). To browse the presets, press the PRESET INCREMENT and PRESET DECREMENT keys. Hold either
button to quickly scroll through the presets. The number and 6-character name of the currently active
preset will always appear in the LCD display after a preset is selected.

To edit the settings that comprise a preset, you’ll use the AMP, FX, DELAY and UTILITY buttons. When one
of these buttons is pressed, the lower part of the LCD display will show different parameter name sets
in each of the four lower sections of the display. These parameters can be adjusted using the four rotary
controls below the display.

Note that unless you store the preset after you make any changes, your changes will be lost when you
select a different preset. To remind you to save, the word EDIT will appear in the display whenever you
change any of the preset’s parameters..

ADJUSTING THE AMP MODELS AND COMPRESSION

English

When you press AMP, the four rotary controls will show the functions AMP, AMP DRIVE, AMP BASS and
AMP TREBLE in the bottom of the LCD:

Amp - This knob (#1) is used to select one of 40 guitar amplifier models. For a complete list and
descriptions of the AMP models, please refer to the PDF manual.

Amp Drive - This knob (#2) lets you control the amount of distorted overdrive for the selected amp.

< SHIFT: To adjust Compression, select Amp Drive then double-tap the AMP button. (See the

“Additional Shift Parameters” section below.) The range is from CMP 0 (no compression) to
CMP 99 (maximum compression).

Amp Bass - This knob (#3) behaves just like the bass control of the modeled amp that’s selected.

< SHIFT: To adjust Amp Mid, select Amp Bass then double-tap the AMP button. (See the “Additional

Shift Parameters” section below.) This control behaves just like the mid control of the modeled
amp that’s selected. The range is from MID 0 (minimum) to MID 99 (maximum).

Amp Treble

- This knob (#4) behaves just like the treble control of the selected modeled amp.

Black Box Quick Start Guide • 3

ADJUSTING THE EFFECTS

The Black Box has 121 different modulation and filter effects, including 60 looped sequences of filter tones
or tremolo effect levels. The modulation and sequence effects are normally beat-synced to the internal
drum machine tempo, but they can also lock to incoming MIDI Clock tempo. This assures that your effects
are always in perfect time with the drum machine or your DAW session. For a complete list of the effects,
refer to the full Users Guide.

When you press FX, the following four rotary control functions will appear in the bottom of the LCD:

Effect - This knob (#1) is used to select one of 121 effect types.

FX Speed or FX Freq - This knob (#2) controls either the FX SPEED or FX FREQUENCY, depending on

which effect is selected:

1) FX Speed

and ranges from 0-99 (fixed speeds of .1 cycle per second through 10 cycles per second),
followed by 16 tempo-synced speeds:

2) FX Freq (frequency) controls the “brightness” of the effect for Random Filter or Filter Sequence

effects. “0” is the lowest frequency setting, which creates a deep tone. The highest setting is
“99,” which creates a very bright tone.

FX Depth or FX Key - This knob (#2) controls either the FX DEPTH or FX KEY, depending on which effect
is selected:

1) FX Depth controls how shallow or deep the effect becomes over time. A setting of 0 gives

no movement; a setting of 99 gives maximum movement. A setting of -99 gives maximum
negative movement; for example, this will cause the Auto Wah effect to sweep down instead
of up when you play a note.

2) FX Key

arpeggio sequence to a different musical key in semitone steps from 0 to 99.

FX Wet/Dry - This is a balance control between the affected and unaffected signal. 0 is no effect (effect
is bypassed) and 99 is full effect.

controls the speed of modulation effects (effects that cycle up and down over time)

8M 8 measures 4N 1/4 note

4M 4 measures 4T 1/4 note triplet

2M 2 measures 8N 1/8 note

2MT One cycle every 2 whole note triplets 8T 1/8 note triplet

1M 1 measure 16N 1/16 note

1MT One cycle every whole note triplet 16T 1/16 note triplet

2N 1/2 note 32N 1/32 note

2T 1/2 note triplet 32T 1/32 note triplet

only appears when the Arpeggiator effect is selected. It allows you to transpose the

4 • Black Box Quick Start Guide