M-audio BLACK BOX RELOADED user guide

Reloaded: with updated ﬁrmware and additional features.

User Guide

English

Table Of Contents

English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Hello From Roger Linn Introduction

What’s in the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Minimum Computer System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Version 2 Firmware Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Front Panel Connectors

Rear Panel Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Top Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Presets and Drumbeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Editing the Guitar Amp and Compression Settings

Amp Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Editing the Modulation and Filter Effects Modulation and Filter Effect Descriptions

Editing the Delay and Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Editing the Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Assigning Momentary Foot Switch Pedal Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Accessing the Shift Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Tuner Function How to Store and Name a Preset Initializing Black Box to Factory Settings Connecting your Hardware to the Computer Using the Black Box with the Computer Driver Installation

Control Panels

Recording with a DAW (digital audio workstation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Troubleshooting Warranty Speciﬁcations

MIDI Implementation Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Windows XP (SP2)

Mac OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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Effects & MIDI Page Latency Page (Windows Only) Presets & Firmware Page About Page

Channel Mode, System Common and System Real Time Messages Universal System Exclusive Messages System Exclusive Messages

Data Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-Bit Data Packing

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© 2006 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, speciﬁcations, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, M-Audio and Black Box are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

IMPORTANT!

Audio equipment should ALWAYS be powered up and down in a certain order. The power amp feeding 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 pops will occur which can damage your hearing and your speakers. Always turn on all of your 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.

Hello 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 of me from having invented 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 many of the best parts of AdrenaLinn with M-Audio’s considerable expertise in computer-centric 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. Plus, it’s a complete digital audio interface that connects to your computer via USB. 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 tempo. 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.

English

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

Thank you for choosing the M-Audio Black Box. The Black Box has been designed to inspire any guitarist by providing great-sounding amp models, drum loops and beat-synced effects. Using the convenience of USB, the Black Box is also a high-resolution 24-bit/

44.1kHz audio interface for your computer, complete with instrument input, microphone input, balanced analog outputs and S/PDIF digital output. Included WDM, ASIO II, and Core Audio drivers allow for easy setup with any recording application that is compatible with Windows XP (SP2), Mac OS X 10.3.9, 10.4.4 or higher.

As a stand-alone device, the Black Box is primarily a songwriting or performance tool. Alternatively, you can use its USB connection to record directly to your computer. However, the analog outputs or digital S/PDIF output can be used to send your guitar’s processed signal to other recording devices. The main outputs can be used with powered monitors like the M-Audio BX5a’s and the headphone jack can be used with standard headphones. There are 40 amp models, 121 modulation and ﬁlter effect types, an independent beatsynced delay effect, reverb, compression and 100 different drumbeats to choose from. All of the effects automatically lock to the tempo of the drumbeat or your recording software. This way, the sounds of your effects are always in perfect sync with your music. A chromatic tuner is also built in.

Even if you are an experienced musician and digital recording enthusiast, we recommend you take a few moments to read through this owners’ manual and familiarize yourself with the Black Box’s features and operation. You may also want to refer to your audio software’s documentation, to better understand how the Black Box’s features are integrated with your audio software. Your experience and enjoyment of your Black Box will be greatly enhanced by a good working knowledge of your audio software.

User Guide ♦ 3

What’s in the Box

Your Black Box package contains the following:

< Black Box

< CD-ROM containing driver software and user manual in PDF form.

< CD-ROM containing Ableton Live Lite 4 GTR and Pro Sessions Drum Loops

< Printed Quick Start Guide

< USB cable

< 9 Volt AC 1A Power Supply

< Mic stand mounting bracket with screws

Minimum Computer System Requirements

If you intend to use your Black Box as an audio interface with your computer, please make certain that your computer meets the minimum requirements below. See the “Driver Installation” section later in this manual for instructions on using the Black Box with a computer.

Windows*

< Pentium III – 500 MHz

< 128 MB RAM

< Windows XP (SP2) with DirectX 9.0c or higher

< Onboard USB connection

The Black Box is not supported under Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME or Windows 2000.

Mac OS*

< Macintosh G3/G4** 500 MHz

< 512 MB RAM

< OS X 10.3.9 / 10.4.4

< Onboard USB connection

*Please be sure to also check your DAW software’s minimum system requirements, as they may be higher than those of the Black Box.

**G3/G4 accelerator cards not supported.

New Version 2 Firmware Inside

Your Black Box has been upgraded to our new version 2 ﬁrmware, making it far more powerful than before at no extra cost. If you’re familiar with the original Black Box, the principal new features are:

< The number of amp models is increased from 12 to 40 and the original amps have been improved to be more accurate. Plus,

we’ve included four classic bass amps, a fuzz tone and an octave fuzz.

< The number of effect types is increased from 43 to 121. In addition to new variations of the existing effects, we’ve added

lots more of Black Box’s 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.

< Myraid enhancements to existing features.

User Guide ♦ 4

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.”

Front Panel Connectors

< Plug your headphones into the jack with the headphone icon (11).

English

< Plug your guitar into the Guitar Input jack (12).

Rear Panel Connectors

< Plug a dynamic microphone into the Mic input (1).

< Use the Balanced Outputs to connect to powered speakers or an analog mixer (2).

< Use a 75-ohm S/PDIF cable to record from the S/PDIF digital output (44.1kHz only) (3).

< Mic stand mount (optional hardware you may attach to bottom of the device with four mounting screws) (4).

< Connect an expression pedal, like the M-Audio EX-P, to the Expression pedal jack to control continuous functions like wah

effects (5).

< Connect momentary pedals, like the M-Audio SP-1, to the P1 (6) and P2 (7) jacks to control on/off functions like Start/Stop,

Inc/Dec, etc. (6).

< Connect the USB connection on the Black Box to your computer with the included USB cable (8).

User Guide ♦ 5

< Only use the 9V AC 1000ma power supply included in the package. Using an improper power supply can damage your

unit (9).

< Use a Kensington lock system with the Kensington lock slot to protect your unit from theft (10).

Top Panel

Drumbeat Increment (up arrow) key (23)

Black Box has 100 ﬁxed drumbeats, numbered 00-99. Pressing this key will show the current drumbeat number and name for three seconds; pressing it again within this time will select the next higher drumbeat number. Holding it will rapidly and repeatedly increment the drumbeat number.

Drumbeat Decrement (down arrow) key (25)

Black Box has 100 ﬁxed drumbeats, numbered 00-99. Pressing this key will show the current drumbeat number and name for three seconds; pressing it again within this time will select the next lower drumbeat number. Holding it will rapidly and repeatedly decrement the drumbeat number.

Drumbeat View (press Drumbeat Increment [23] and Drumbeat Decrement [25] simultaneously)

Pressing these two keys simultaneously will change the display to show the current drumbeat number and name for three seconds.

Preset Increment (up arrow) key (27)

A preset is a unique combination of all the settings that affect the guitar sound, including guitar amp models, effects, delay, reverb and compression. Black Box has 100 ﬁxed “factory” presets numbered 00-99, followed by 100 editable “user” presets number 00-99. Pressing this key will increment the preset. Holding it will rapidly and repeatedly increment the preset number.

Preset Decrement (down arrow) key (29)

A preset is a unique combination of all the settings that affect the guitar sound, including guitar amp models, effects, delay, reverb and compression. Black Box has 100 ﬁxed “factory” presets numbered 00-99, followed by 100 editable “user” presets numbered 00-99. Pressing this key will decrement the preset number. Holding it will rapidly and repeatedly decrement the preset number.

Store (press Preset Increment [27] and Preset Decrement [29] simultaneously)

Press these two keys simultaneously to store any edits to the current preset into either the same or a different preset. See the section “How to Store and Name a Preset” for more information.

User Guide ♦ 6

Tap Tempo Key (31)

This key allows you to enter the tempo for the drum machine by tapping 1/4 notes. As the effects are beat-synced to the drum machine, this also sets the tempo of the effects. The drums do not need to be playing for the effects to lock to the tempo.

This key has another special function: It enables a simple intro or ending to the drumbeat. To hear a simple intro of four 1/4 note hi-hats before the drumbeat starts, press Tap Tempo before pressing Start/Stop. If the drumbeat is playing, press Tap Tempo before pressing Start/Stop to automatically stop the drumbeat playing at the exact beginning of the next measure.

Amp Key (22)

Pressing the Amp key brings up the four AMP menus in the LCD; AMP, AMP DRIVE, AMP BASS and AMP TREBLE. The rotary control under each menu parameter in the LCD allows you to change the parameter value. Holding the Amp key down for one half second will turn the amp effect off and “AMP OFF” will be displayed in the LCD. Holding the Amp key down for another half second will turn the amp effect back on, and “AMP OFF” will disappear from the LCD display.

FX Key (24)

Pressing the FX key brings up the four Effects menus in the LCD; EFFECT, FX SPEED or FX FREQUENCY, FX DEPTH or FX KEY and FX WET/DRY. The rotary control under each menu parameter in the LCD allows you to change the parameter value. Holding the FX key down for 1/2 second will turn the effect off and “FX OFF” will display in the LCD. Holding the FX key down for another half second will turn the effect back on, and FX OFF will disappear from the LCD display.

Compare (press Amp [22] and FX [24] simultaneously)

If both the Amp and FX keys are pressed simultaneously, the Compare function is activated and “COMPARE” will be displayed in the LCD. During this time, any edits to the preset are removed, permitting you to compare your changes to the original, unedited preset. Press the Amp and FX keys simultaneously again to exit the Compare function.

Delay Key (26)

Pressing the Delay key brings up the four Delay menus in the LCD; DELAY TIME, DELAY REPEATS, DELAY VOLUME and DRUMS TO DELAY. The rotary control under each menu parameter in the LCD allows you to change the parameter value. Holding the Delay key down for one half second will turn the delay effect off and “DLY OFF” will display in the LCD. Holding the Delay key down for another half second will turn the delay effect back on. “DLY OFF” will disappear from the LCD display.

Utility Key (28)

Pressing the Utility key brings up the four Utility menus in the LCD; PRESET VOLUME, GUITAR/DRUMS BALANCE, EXPRESSION PEDAL and TEMPO. The rotary control under each menu parameter in the LCD allows you to change the parameter value. When both the Delay and Utility keys are quickly pressed simultaneously, the Tuner function is activated. “TUNER” will be displayed on the LCD along with the note value of the currently played string. Press any key to exit the Tuner function and “TUNER” will disappear from the LCD display.

English

Tuner (press Delay [26] and Utility [28] simultaneously)

If both the Delay and Utility keys are pressed simultaneously, the Tuner function is activated and “TUNER” will be displayed in the LCD. When the Tuner is active the display will tell you if the notes you’re playing are in standard guitar tuning. See the section entitled “Tuner Function” for more information.

Start/Stop Key (32)

Pressing this key will start and stop the drum machine. When in Play mode, the tempo LED will blink 1/4 notes at the current tempo. When in Stop mode, the LED will be unlit. To hear a simple intro of four 1⁄4-note hi-hats before the drumbeat starts, press Tap Tempo before pressing Start/Stop. If the drumbeat is playing, press Tap Tempo before pressing Start/Stop to automatically stop the drumbeat playing at the exact beginning of the next measure.

Rotary Controls (13)

These are used to change the parameter values and also used to name presets. When a parameter value has been changed, “EDIT” will be displayed in the LCD display and “PARAMETER” will be displayed. This is a reminder that you must store any changes to keep them. If the changes are not stored and another preset is loaded, the previous preset will revert to its stored settings.

LCD Display (33)

All presets, parameters and values are displayed in the LCD.

Mic Input Control

The Mic Input knob (17) boosts the level of the mic input signal. The green Signal LED (21) will light when a detectable threshold input level is reached. The red Clip LED (20) will light if the input signal is too hot. The best input signal level is achieved when the green LED is solid and the red LED only blinks occasionally. This input mixes into the other audio outputs so when not using the mic input, turn this knob down to minimize any noise.

User Guide ♦ 7

Mix (Input/Playback) Knob (16)

This knob is used when recording into a multi-track recording application or DAW via USB. It is a ratio control you can use to balance how much input signal you hear versus how much playback signal you hear from the DAW. When you are overdubbing tracks, you’ll need to hear previously recorded tracks or a click track to play along with as well as your input signal. Adjust this control to ﬁt your needs. When you are mixing down a song, this knob should be turned all the way to the right as you will not need to hear any input signals while mixing.

Output Level (15)

This controls the overall volume to the Main Outputs as well as the headphones.

Guitar Input Control (14)

The Guitar Input knob boosts the level of the guitar input signal. The green Signal LED (19) will light when a detectable threshold input level is reached. The red Clip LED (18) will light if the input signal is too hot. The best input signal level is achieved when the green LED is solid and the red LED only blinks occasionally.

Presets and Drumbeats

Presets

A preset is a unique combination of all the settings that affect the guitar sound, including guitar amp models, effects, delay, reverb and compression. There are 100 ﬁxed factory presets (0-99) and 100 editable user presets (0-99). To change between presets, press the Preset Increment (27) and Preset Decrement (29) keys. The 100 user presets follow the 100 factory presets. The active preset number and six-character name will always appear 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 display will show four names. These are the functions of the four rotary controls below the display. For example, when you press Amp, the four rotary controls will have the functions AMP, DRIVE, AMP BASS and AMP TREBLE.

Drumbeats

There are 100 ﬁxed drumbeats numbered 0 to 99. To view the current drumbeat number and name for three seconds, press either Drumbeat Increment, Drumbeat Decrement or both. Press Drumbeat Increment (23) during this time to go to the next higher drumbeat; press Drumbeat Decrement (25) during this time to go to the previous lower drumbeat. Hold Drumbeat Increment to rapidly and repeatedly increment the drumbeat number; hold Drumbeat Decrement to rapidly and repeatedly decrement the drumbeat number.

User Guide ♦ 8

Editing the Guitar Amp and Compression Settings

Black Box provides 40 highly accurate and dynamic guitar amp models based on the most popular classic and modern amps in existence. We even throw in four bass amps, a few custom amp designs of our own, a fuzz tone and octave fuzz, plus a clean mic preampliﬁer. This represents a tremendous library of cherished guitar tones from which to choose, and will deﬁnitely allow you to ﬁnd the sound you need for your songs.

Black Box also provides an audio compressor. This is useful either as a note sustainer or as a limiter, reducing the level of loud notes and increasing the level of soft notes. It is placed in the signal chain just before the amp modeling.

To access the amp model and compressor settings, press the Amp key. The lower part of the screen will display the following four control parameters: AMP, DRIVE, AMP BASS and AMP TREBLE. Here is a description of those four settings plus a couple of others:

Amp

This knob (#1) is used to select one of 40 guitar ampliﬁer models.

Amp Drive

This knob (#2) changes the Amp Drive (0-99), which affects the amount of distortion in the signal. On most amp models, a setting of 0 is a clean sound and higher settings give increasing levels of distortion or overdrive. The amount of overdrive depends on the amp selected.

Compression (Shift: Amp Drive)

This permits the level of drive to the compressor, adjustable from 0 to 99:

< CMP 0 (no compression)

< CMP 99 (maximum compression)

English

This is a Shift parameter. To view or adjust it:

1) Press the Amp button and select column 2.

2) Double-tap the Amp button to enter Shift mode.

3) The screen will show the current Compression value. To change it, turn rotary control 2.

Use lower values to gently limit peaks. Use higher values to sustain your guitar notes, similar to increasing Amp Drive but without the distortion that overdriving provides.

Amp Bass

This knob (#3) lets you control the amount of bass. The knob’s range and frequency follow that of the modeled amp and therefore vary depending on the amp selected. The control range is from 0 to 99.

Amp Mid (Shift: Amp Bass)

To adjust Amp Mid, select Amp Bass then double-tap the Amp button. (See the “Additional Shift Parameters” section below.) This lets you control the amount of midrange. The knob’s range and frequency follow that of the modeled amp and therefore vary depending on the amp selected. The control range is from MID 0 to MID 99.

Amp Treble

This knob (#4) lets you control the amount of treble. The knob’s range and frequency follow that of the modeled amp and therefore vary depending on the amp selected. The control range is from 0 to 99.

Amp On/Off

Hold the Amp button for one half second to bypass amp modeling entirely. When bypassed, the Amp Off icon will appear in the LCD. Hold it again for one half second to re-enable amp modeling; the Amp Off icon will disappear.

User Guide ♦ 9

Amp Descriptions

Here’s a list of the amp names and the original guitar amps they were modeled after:

1. BASMAN Fender Bassman

2. DLXREV Fender Deluxe Reverb

3. TWNREV Fender Twin Reverb

4. DELUXE Fender Deluxe

5. CHAMP Fender Champ

6. MAR 45 Marshall JTM45

7. PLEXI Marshall Super Lead Plexi

8. MAR800 Marshall JCM800

9. MAR2K Marshall JCM2000

10. VOKS30 VoxAC30

11. VOKS15 VoxAC15

12. JAZZ Roland Jazz Chorus

13. HIWHAT Hiwatt DR103

14. STU70S (Studio 1970s) Mesa Boogie Mark IIc

15. BIG90S (Big 1990s) Mesa Boogie Dual Rectiﬁer

16. SOLDON Soldano SLO 100

17. UBER Bogner Uberschall

18. DIESEL Diezel VH4

19. ANGLE ENGL Powerball

20. EDDIEV Peavey 5150 MkII

21. XTACY Bogner Ecstasy

22. BUDDHA Budda Twinmaster

23. CHIEF Matchless Chieftain

24. INTENS Custom model with an intense high-gain solo tone

25. BIGMID Custom model with strong high-gain mid tone

26. SIZZLE Custom model with a present high-end sizzle

27. PLEXIS Custom model based on Marshall Super Lead Plexi with EQ

28. SCOOP Custom high gain model with scooped mid

29. CRISP Custom model with a ‘60s twangy tone

30. HOLLOW Custom model with a hollow tone

31. BITE Custom model with biting high notes

32. NECKPU Custom model, great with a Strat neck pickup

33. SOLID Custom model with a solid tone

34. ACO360 Bass amp: Acoustic 360

35. AMPSVT Bass amp: Ampeg SVT

36. GK 800 Bass amp: Gallien-Krueger 800RB

37. SWR500 Bass amp: SWR SM500

38. FUZZ Fuzz tone

39. OCTAVE Octave fuzz

40. MICPRE Clean mic preamp

Note: M-Audio and Black Box are trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc . All other product names used are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or afﬁliated with Avid Technology, Inc. These trademarks of the other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of those manufacturers whose tones and sounds were studied during M-Audio’s sound model development. No claim is made that the Black Box duplicates these sounds exactly, but rather that it produces tones inspired by these classic amps. Reference to artists and bands is for informational purposes only and does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of the Black Box by such artists or bands.

User Guide ♦ 10

The following is a description of each of the 40 amps modeled in the Black Box.

1. BASMAN (based on Fender Bassman)

The Bassman is a marvelous and very early Fender amp that was embraced by many blues, rock and country guitarists in the ‘60s. With four 10” speakers and very sweet 40-watt power amp distortion, this one is worthy of the high prices the originals fetch. Excellent clear as well as overdriven, our hats are off to Leo and the guys. Incidentally, this was the amp that Marshall virtually copied in designing their early amps.

2. DLXREV (based on Fender Deluxe Reverb)

The Deluxe Reverb is another stellar Fender design. With a single 12”, a very high and intense treble and sweet power amp distortion, this amp was and still is a popular mid-volume blues/rock amp. The bass folds over a little because of the open back, single 12” design, but that’s part of the sound. Oddly, they chose to call the tremolo on this early amp “vibrato.” The real amp had only bass and treble controls, so in adding our Mid control, we tried to stick to the spirit of the Fender design principle by looking at what they did in subsequent models.

3. TWNREV (based on Fender Twin Reverb)

It seemed that in the ‘70s, just about everybody had a Twin or a friend that had one. With 100 watts in two 12” speakers as well as intense treble boost, this amp is probably responsible for more tinnitus than any other. It might not achieve that much distortion by today’s standards, but it gets a sound that’s pure classic Fender.

4. DELUXE (based on Fender Deluxe)

This early Fender delivered great distortion—regardless of whether it was intended or not—by virtue of its low power and relatively ﬂat EQ before the distortion. I’m not sure if Leo bought into Minimalism with this design, but this little screamer had but one “tone” control, effectively a treble control. In adding our bass and mid controls, we tried to predict what Leo would have done had he been less austere.

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5. CHAMP (based on Fender Champ)

Intended as a low-cost beginner’s amp, the small ‘60s-vintage tweed unit was embraced by a number of studio players who valued it for its solid tone and kindness to their backs when carrying it around. The little speaker didn’t deliver much low end, but the uniquely crisp high end more than makes up for it.

6. MAR 45 (based on Marshall JTM45)

Released in 1962, this amazing amp head has a full, warm and remarkable tone. Though its circuitry is largely copied from the original Fender Bassman, subtle differences gave it its own distinct and very attractive personality.

7. PLEXI (based on Marshall 100 watt Super Lead “Plexi”)

This wasn’t just an amp but almost an instrument in itself, redeﬁning how guitar is played—it’s that signiﬁcant. Released in 1966, this 100-watt head is the heart of the famous Marshall stack used by countless bands in the ’60 and ‘70s. Along with the JTM-45, this amp was usually played with all controls set to full because compared to later high-gain amps, it doesn’t provide that much gain.

8. MAR800 (based on Marshall JCM800)

A very popular evolution of the Plexi, this was one of the ﬁrst amps to include higher gain, a master volume and an overdrive stage before the tone controls. Although preamp distortion isn’t quite the same as power amp distortion, it introduced a distinctive tone similar to putting a distortion stomp box before your amp. The full and intense high gain sound further redeﬁned lead guitar.

9. MAR 2K (based on Marshall JCM2000 TSL100)

This modern amp stretched the Marshall sound to include more versatile tone controls and 3 channels—clean, crunch and lead. You could easily switch between clean, full mid, scooped mid and super high gain tones just by switching channels. We modeled the lead channel here and love the full bass and warm treble it serves up.

10. VOKS30 (based on VoxAC30 Top Boost)

A unique and truly inspired design, the VoxAC30 is one of the most famous and coveted amps ever created. It was used by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and lots of other British Invasion bands on tons of early recordings, as well as later recordings by Brian May of Queen and countless others. Originally launched in the late ‘50s, this gem produced a warm and singing power amp distortion by virtue of its 30 watts into two 12” speakers. Both the intense but warm treble and the full bass are characteristically different than other amps, making it a highly addictive amp to play through.

User Guide ♦ 11

11. VOKS15 (based on VoxAC15)

This smaller precursor to the AC30 produced an understatedly elegant 15 watts of power into a single 12” speaker. It wasn’t exactly a stadium ﬁller but like the 30, it delivered a warm and unique tone that is cherished to this day.

12. JAZZ (based on Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120)

A classic transistor amp? You bet. This was a very popular unit for its shimmering highs, full range and loud, clear tones. It departed from the designs of the day with its inclusion of chorus instead of the standard tremolo. This will give you a lovely soft jazz tone, an intense treble twang and even a bit of overdrive.

13. HIWHAT (based on Hiwatt DR103)

Most famous for Pete Townshend’s sound on old The Who recordings, this classic was also popularized by David Gilmour and many others. With a brilliant and responsive tone unlike any others of the day, it’s easy to see why those who have played them won’t turn back.

14. STU70S (“Studio 1970s”, based on Mesa Boogie Mk II)

This innovative design put high quality and high gain together into a small, portable package, making it the choice of studio pros in the ‘70s. It’s the perfect gig amp—it produces a very solid midrange tone with great sustain and articulation, plus unusually high volume for its small size.

15. BIG90S (“Big 1990s”, based on Mesa Boogie Dual Rectiﬁer Solo head)

Clear guitar tone? Who needs it?! This exceptional amp turns your guitar signal into a solo or crunch tone that is powerful, thick, well-deﬁned and just plain fun to play. Our model of this monster will give you all that low-end power, high-end sizzle, scooped or full mids and make you sound huge. Revel in your tonal grandeur.

16. SOLDON (based on Soldano SLO 100 Super Lead Overdrive)

We’re sold on this amp. Originally released in 1987, this stellar design was a major force in deﬁning the high gain sound in scores of famous players. Solid both in tone and construction, we’re proud to pay homage to this ﬁne creation with our Black Box model.

17. UBER (based on Bogner Uberschall)

Designed primarily for heavy playing and aggressive styles of music, this amp blows all others out of the water. It delivers extreme gain and volume while staying focused—no mushy sounds here. This model is guaranteed to split eardrums and shatter rib cages.

18. DIESEL (based on channel 4 of a Diezel VH4)

This is an intense, very high gain lead amp with big bass and great high end for the most shredding of shredders. German engineering at its best.

19. ANGLE (based on ENGL Powerball)

Another great work of German engineering, ENGL’s high gain amps are played by the likes of Richie Blackmore and Steve Morse. The Powerball is the culmination of years of research and creation by the ENGL team. Extreme ﬂexibility, tone and gain structure converge in this unit, resulting in the ultimate amp. Close the windows and doors and crank this model up.

20. EDDIEV (based on Peavey 5150 MkII)

This amp is the result of a collaboration between guitar god Eddie Van Halen and the all-American Peavey musical instrument company. We think they achieved something great here and we’re certainly not alone in our opinion. Check out our model of this ﬁne creation and savor its exceptional lead tone and rhythm crunch, which goes well beyond the classic Van Halen “brown sound.”

21. XTASY (based on Bogner Ecstasy)

This great Bogner amp was designed to deliver more of the classic tones like the Marshall amps Mr. Bogner used to personally modify for the likes of Eddie Van Halen. A versatile amp delivering clean to bark to growl and beyond, we’re proud to model this ﬁne design.

22. BUDDHA (based on Budda Twinmaster)

A well-loved boutique amp, this gem is similar in tone to an old blackface Fender Deluxe but with more midrange fullness. With relatively low power, the distortion here is all in the power amp and that’s a big part of its sound. Great note articulation with mild or higher gain.

23. CHIEF (based on Matchless Chieftain)

Another superb boutique amp, this one has a unique and addictive sound (not to mention a very cool backlit “Matchless” logo on the front panel). With a Class A power amp, a unique tone circuit and two 12” speakers, there is a quality to the mids and highs in this amp that is, well, Matchless. We’ve done our best to model its special character.

User Guide ♦ 12

24. INTENS (same as Black Box version 1’s “LAMOD”)

This is the same model as version 1 software’s “LAMOD” (L.A. modern high gain amp). It delivers a very intense, screaming lead tone. Not for the faint of heart—it may make you faint of hearing.

25. BIGMID (same as Black Box version 1’s “UBER”)

This is the same model as version 1 software’s “UBER” (Bogner Uberschall). Since our new and improved UBER model better represents that ﬁne amp, we kept this one but changed its named to better reﬂect its true nature. This model delivers a very solid and powerful midrange lead tone to cut through a mix.

26. SIZZLE (same as Black Box version 1’s “MAVRIK”)

This is the same model as version 1 software’s “MAVRIK” (Mesa Boogie Maverick), but we’ve renamed it Sizzle to emphasize its own special personality. This model delivers tremendous presence.

27. PLEXIS (same as Black Box version 1’s “PLEXI”)

This is the same model as version 1 software’s “PLEXI” (Marshall Super Lead “Plexi” 100 watt). Though we’ve created a new Plexi model for version 2 software, we kept this one because it captures a particular character of Marshall recordings of the 70s. (Think of Free’s “All Right Now”.)

28. SCOOP (a custom high gain model with scooped mid)

This custom model gives a big scooped-mid high-gain tone for solid crunch or lead work. Scoop away...

29. CRISP (a custom model with a 60s twangy tone)

This fun model gives a very crisp, twangy exaggerated tone for those early Beatles chord or solo clear sounds, often originally achieved with a VoxAC15 and console EQ. Sounds great overdriven too.

30. HOLLOW (a custom model with a cool, “hollow” sound)

This custom model gives an exaggerated “hollow” sound that will make people turn their heads and say “huh?” Try it for something completely different.

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31. BITE (a custom model with biting high notes)

This custom model gives a great treble bite on the high notes coupled with a nice, overall warmth. Sort of like an AC30 off-mic’d through warm console EQ.

32. NECKPU (a custom model great for a Strat neck pickup)

This completely exaggerated “amp + console EQ” model gives an intensely boosted upper-mid treble and high bass with almost no mids, intended to be used when playing a Strat on the neck pickup. Think of the Rolling Stones’ “Midnight Rambler” or Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary.”

33. SOLID (a custom model with a very solid crunch and lead tone)

This custom amp model delivers a vintage tone with hints of Tweed Fender Deluxe but with tight upper bass, strong mids and pronounced high-end presence. Its solid rhythm crunch and vintage lead tones will take you places where other amps fear to tread.

34. ACO360 (based on Acoustic 360 bass amp)

The Acoustic 360 was another amp that just about everybody in the ‘70s used, including John Paul Jones. Its deep, loud bass partly derives from its unique 18” folded horn design. We pay homage to this ﬁne instrument in our model.

35. AMPSVT (based on Ampeg SVT bass amp)

The 300-watt SVT—a classic and virtually ubiquitous rock bass amp of the ’60s and ‘70s—was heavy both in tone and weight, particularly with the 8” x 10” SVT cabinet we used for our model.

36. GK 800 (based on Gallien-Krueger 800RB bass amp)

Gallien-Krueger amps are very well-engineered, very loud and very heavy! (We dare you to try lifting the 800RB head, from which this model was created.) The Gallien-Krueger team understands that you need massive amounts of power to reproduce low bass without distortion. Beyond that, they also understand bass tone. This amp, very popular in the ‘80s, was a testament to an intimate knowledge of all the fundamentals that bassists require. We honor the Gallien-Krueger team with our model of their ﬁne amp.

User Guide ♦ 13

37 SWR500 (based on SWR SM500 bass amp)

The SWR-500, upon which our model is based, is the successor to the world-famous SWR400, chosen by professionals for its welldeﬁned tone and graphic EQ. SWR amps have great, versatile sound and high, consistent quality and we’re proud to include it in the Black Box’s arsenal.

38. FUZZ (fuzz tone)

This amp and stomp box hybrid gives you the sound of vintage fuzz tones like Fuzz Face with bass, mid and treble controls. Think “American Woman” and create your own classic.

39. OCTAVE (based on Octave fuzz)

Here you’ll ﬁnd the classic Octave Fuzz sound, heard on hits like “Purple Haze.” Excellent results are achieved on the high E string above the 7th fret using the neck pickup.

40. MICPRE (a clean mic preamp)

Select this one to get the clean, warm sound of plugging directly into the console. Thought we don’t recommend drive settings above 0, overdriving it will produce a sound similar to the opening of the Beatles’ “Revolution.” Don’t worry—this won’t damage the circuitry...

User Guide ♦ 14

Editing the Modulation and Filter Effects

The Black Box has 121 different modulation and ﬁlter effects for you to choose from, most of which can be beat-synced to the drumbeats or to an external MIDI clock. It is these synchronized effects—including Black Box’s wonderful ﬁlter sequences—that help make this device so creative, fun and inspirational to work with.

When you press FX, the lower part of the screen will display the following four control parameters: EFFECT, FX SPEED (or FX FREQ), FX DEPTH (or FX KEY), and FX WET/DRY. Here is a description of those settings:

Effect

This knob (#1) is used to select one of 121 modulation or ﬁlter effects. See the next section “Modulation and Filter Effect Descriptions” for a list of the effects and a description of each. Once selected, the effect can be modiﬁed by the other three parameters below.

FX Speed or FX Freq

This knob (#2) controls either FX Speed or FX Frequency, depending on the selected effect:

1) FX Speed controls the speed of modulation effects (effects that move up and down in frequency over time) and ranges from 0-99 (ﬁxed speeds of .1 cycle per second through 10 cycles per second), followed by 16 tempo-synced speeds:

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

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2) FX Freq (frequency) controls the brightness of the effect for ﬁlter tremolo, random ﬁlter or ﬁlter sequence effects. “0” is the lowest frequency setting and creates a deep tone. The highest setting is 99 and 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 far up and down the effect moves 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 only down instead of up when you play a note.

2) FX Key only appears when the arpeggiator effect is selected. It allows you to transpose the arpeggio sequence to a different musical key in semitone steps (i.e. half-steps) from 0 to 99. Settings of 0, 12, 24, 36, etc., are different octaves in the key of E. Most of the included sequences are set by default to 24, which is the key of E at an octave that is not too low and not too high. To transpose the sequence, change this value up or down by the number of semitones you which to transpose. For example, if the value is 24 (key of E) and you wish to transpose the arpeggiator sequence up to A, change the Key value from 24 to 29 (5 semitones). You can also transpose arpeggio sequences in real time by sending MIDI Note On messages from the computer.

FX Wet/Dry

This is a balance control between the effected and unaffected signal. 0 is no effect (effect is bypassed) and 99 is full effect.

User Guide ♦ 15

Modulation and Filter Effect Descriptions

Black Box includes a variety of unique beat-synced modulation and ﬁlter effects that you won’t ﬁnd in other products. These unique sounds range from beat-synced versions of classic effects like tremolo or ﬂanging to our innovative random ﬁltering, ﬁlter sequences, tremolo sequences and arpeggio sequences. To hear these synchronous effects in their best light, we recommend that you audition them while the drum machine is playing . An effect by itself may sound interesting, but that same effect heard beat-synced to the drums suddenly becomes inspiring. Simply play open chords at ﬁrst to get the full sound of the effect.

The MIDI effects permit various MIDI messages (note number, note velocity or controller) to alter the frequency of either the internal bandpass ﬁlter (wah-wah) or resonant ﬂanger (also useful for arpeggiator effects). For example, you could use a computer sequencer to record your own custom ﬁlter or arpeggiator sequences. The Black Box’s effects will then follow this sequence as you play along with your composition. These effects are for MIDI geeks only (you know who you are!) and some fantastic sounds can be created using these tools.

TREM1 Normal tremolo ATOWA3 Auto-wah 3 (louder notes produce lower ﬁlter freq)

TREM2 Hard-switched tremolo ATOWA4 Auto-wah 4 (same as 1 but soft ﬁlter tone)

TREM3 Sawtooth wave tremolo ATOWA5 Auto-wah 5 (same as 2 but soft ﬁlter tone)

PAN1 Normal stereo panning ATOWA6 Auto-wah 6 (sharp attack, ﬁxed decay)

PAN2 Hard-switched stereo panning ATOWA7 Auto-wah 7 (louder notes = higher ﬁxed ﬁlter)

PAN3 Left-to-right only stereo panning ATOWA8 Auto-wah 8 (louder notes = lower ﬁxed ﬁlter)

PAN4 Hard-switched random panning WAHPDL Wah pedal

FTREM1 Filter tremolo 1, up and down sweeping low-pass ﬁlter TKBOX1 Talk Box 1 (voice box simulator)

FTREM2 Filter tremolo 2, sawtooth down mod of low-pass ﬁlter TKBOX2 Talk Box 2 same as 1 but louder notes result in lower tone)

FTREM3 Filter tremolo 3, slow up and down band-pass ﬁlter TKBOX3 Talk Box 3 (slow attack and decay speeds)

FTREM4 Filter tremolo 4, sawtooth up mod of band-pass ﬁlter TKBOX4 Talk Box 4 (fast attack, slow delay speed)

FTREM5 Filter tremolo 5, switches between low-pass frequencies TKBOX5 Talk Box 5 (note-triggered chorus sound)

FLANG1 Slow ﬂanger, positive phase (full bass at top of cycle) TKBOX6 Talk Box 6 (louder notes result in higher ﬁxed freq)

FLANG2 1-bar ﬂanger, inverted phase (less bass at top of cycle) SWELL Volume swell

FLANG3 1⁄4-note ﬂanger, inverted phase FIXFLT Fixed band-pass ﬁlter (use FX FREQ to change frequency)

CHORS1 Chorus 1, triangle wave, low depth FIXFLA Fixed ﬂanger (use FX FREQ to change frequency)

CHORS2 Chorus 2, sine wave, higher depth TLKPDL Pedal-controlled talk box

ROTOR1 Rotary speaker at slow speed

ROTOR2 Rotary speaker at fast speed

VIBRA1 Vibrato at slow speed SCIFI3 Science ﬁction sound FX 3

VIBRA2 Vibrato at medium speed SCIFI4 Science ﬁction sound FX 4

RNFI 4 Random ﬁlter 1/4 notes, band-pass ﬁlter SCIFI5 Science ﬁction sound FX 5

RNFI 8 Random ﬁlter 1/8 notes, band-pass ﬁlter TRSQ 1 – TRSQ 20 20 preset tremolo sequences

RNFI8T Random ﬁlter 1/8 note triplets, band-pass ﬁlter FLSQ 1 – FLSQ 20 20 preset ﬁlter sequences

RNFI16 Random ﬁlter 1/16 notes, band-pass ﬁlter ARSQ1 - ARSQ20 20 preset arpeggio sequences

RNFI24 Random ﬁlter 1/16 note triplets, band-pass ﬁlter MVE2FI MIDI velocity modulates ﬁlter freq

RNFL 4 Random ﬂanger 1⁄4 notes MNT2FI MIDI note modulates ﬁlter freq

RNFL8 Random ﬂanger 1/8 notes MMD2FI MIDI controllers 1 (mod wheel), 11, 16, 70 or 74 modulate ﬁlter freq

RNFL8T Random ﬂanger 1/8 note triplets MVE2FL MIDI velocity modulates ﬂanger freq

RNFL16 Random ﬂanger 1/16 notes MNT2FL MIDI note modulates ﬂanger freq

RNFL24 Random ﬂanger 1/16 note triplets MMD2FL MIDI controllers 1 (mod wheel), 11, 16, 70 or 74 modulate ﬂanger freq

ATOWA1 Auto-wah 1 (ﬁlter frequency follows guitar level)

ATOWA2 Auto-wah 2 (ﬁxed attack-decay speed)

SCIFI1 Science ﬁction sound FX 1

SCIFI2 Science ﬁction sound FX 2

User Guide ♦ 16

Tremolo (TREM1 - TREM3)

This is a classic effect where the volume pulses up and down slightly at a selected speed. With a slow speed (8N) and low depth (30) you can achieve a nice mellow effect that can give a guitar track some character. With a high speed (16N) setting and a full depth setting (99) you can get an extreme machine-gun sound. There are three different tremolo effects to choose from—normal tremolo, “pulse” tremolo (in which the sound is switched fully on or off instead of a gradually pulsing) and “sawtooth” tremolo (in which the volume repeatedly diminishes then instantly switches to full volume.

Auto-Pan (PAN1 - PAN4)

This effect automatically pans the signal left and right at the selected speed, with four variations.

Tip: Try PAN2 at a speed of 8M, causing your guitar sound to switch between speakers exactly every four measures; it’s like “trading fours” with yourself.

Filter Tremolo (FTREM1 - FTREM5)

This is similar to a standard tremolo, but rather than the volume pulsing up and down, the ﬁlter frequency (brightness) goes up and down, similar to a wah-wah pedal automatically rocking back and forth. Try 1/4 note triplets (4T) with a depth of (40) for a cool sound. There are several variations to choose from. Another great effect is FTREM3 which sounds like a wah pedal automatically being rocked back and forth every 4 measures; try this with a high-gain amp for a stellar lead sound.

Flanger (FLANG1 - FLANG3)

Flanging imparts a whooshing, “jet airplane” sound that slowly cycles up and down over time. There are three variations. FLANG1 is a positive-phase ﬂanger, giving a fuller bass at the top of its cycle whereas FLANG2 and FLANG3 are inverted-phase ﬂangers, giving a more pronounced effect (like real tape ﬂanging) at the top of the cycle. Black Box makes its own ﬂanger much cooler than other products by making it move in sync to the beat.

For your information, the term “ﬂanging” comes from how this effect used to be achieved in the old days of analog tape recording: The sound engineer would set up two tape machines with copies of the same recording then while listening to a mix of both, try to manually play them in sync. When their playback would drift apart to within about 20 milliseconds of each other, you’d start to hear this “jet airplane” sound because of the slight out-of-phase interaction of the two copies of the same recording. The method the engineer would use to manually get the two tape machines closer in sync was to put his hand on the “ﬂange” (the circular top metal piece) of the tape reel and press down rhythmically to make one tape drag slightly slower than the other.

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Chorus (CHORS1 and CHORS2)

This effect adds a subtle doubling effect to your sound. With a speed of one measure (1M) and a depth of (4) you’ll get a nice, mellow chorus sound. Extreme settings like (8N) with a depth of (99) might make you seasick! There are two chorus effects to choose from.

Rotary Speaker (ROTOR1 and ROTOR2)

This is a simulation of the classic Leslie rotary speaker effect, primarily used with the Hammond organ but also appearing on countless guitar recordings, including Cream’s classic hit “Badge.” Use ROTOR1 for the slow rotary effect and ROTOR2 for the fast effect.

Vibrato (VIBRA1 and VIBRA2)

Vibrato, a periodic variation of pitch, is an effect that can add a moving feel to your sound that is more subtle than chorus or ﬂanging—kind of like continuously bending the whammy bar on a Strat. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell commonly plays with vibrato control on all the time and this adds a very nice quality to his tone, particularly when the vibrato interacts with the delay and reverb in his sound to produce chorus-like textures.

Random Filter (RNFI 4, RNFI 8, RNFI8T, RNFI16, RNFI24)

Sometimes called “Sample and Hold Filter,” this effect changes to a new, randomly chosen ﬁlter frequency at even time intervals of either 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes, 1/8 note triplets, 1/16 notes or 1/16 note triplets. You can think of this, for example, as a wah pedal that instantly changes to a new random position on every 1/8 note. The FX FREQ parameter allows you to set a base frequency value. The Depth parameter determines how far above and below the base frequency the random frequencies’ range will be. For tempo settings of 110BPM or less, try the RNFI16 effect. For tempo settings above 110BPM, try the RNFI 8 effect.

Random Flanger (RNFL 4, RNFL 8, RNFL8T, RNFL16, RNFL24)

This effect is similar to the classic ﬂanger effect except that instead of slowly sweeping up and down, it generates a new, randomlychosen ﬂanger tone at every 1/4 note, 1/8 note, 1/8 note triplet, 1/16 note or 1/16 note triplet. The Frequency parameter allows you to set a base frequency value. The Depth parameter determines how far above and below the base frequency the random ﬂanger frequencies’ range will be. For tempo settings of 110BPM or less, try the RNFL16 effect. For tempo settings above 110BPM, try the RNFL 8 effect.

User Guide ♦ 17

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