GEAR BOX

M-Audio Black Box

By Michael Ross
12 virtual amp models 43 beat-synced effects 99 drum patterns and built-in guitar tuner Effects and drum machine sync to taptempo or external MIDI clock Built-in USB audio interface with S/ PDIF out (24-bit/ 44.1kHz)

FEATURES

oading a DAW (digital audio workstation) onto your computer is only the rst step toward getting your music onto your hard drive. First, youll need an interface, to convert the sound of your guitar and voice into the 1s and 0s that the recorder will recognize. Then, if your environment is not conducive to cranking up a miked amp, youll also need an ampand speaker-modeling device, of either the hardware or the software variety. And, come to think of it, a drum machine would be nice for inspiring grooves. Before you know it, youre looking at making four or ve additional hardware and software purchases. Or you could just get the M-Audio Black Box. The product of a collaboration between Roger Linn and MAudio, the Black Box combines the technology of Linns modeler/drum machine/effects unit,
the Adrenalinn (see reviews in the MAY/02 and DEC/03 issues), with a high-resolution, 24-bit/44.1 kHz USB audio interface. As a stand-alone unit, the Black Box is a great songwriting tool; but its as a recording device that it truly excels. It works with both PC- and Mac-based recording applications, and, additionally, you can use the analog outputs or digital S/PDIF output to send your guitars processed signal to noncomputer-based recording devices remember tape?

$329.95

M-Audio 800-969-6434 m-audio.com

CONTACT

ON THE CD

Track 37

Front panel includes guitar input and headphone output.
ly charcoal housing of the Black Box is all business. A huge, backlit LCD screen reveals essential information. At the bottom of the display are four squares, each with a corresponding knob below it; the labeling of the squares and the information above them changes depending on the mode you have selected (Amp, FX, Delay, Utilities). The 10 buttons to the left of the screen allow you to select between these modes, as well as to tap in delay times, start and stop the drum machine/synchronization clock, engage the tuner, and scroll through presets and drummachine beats. To the right of the screen are four
LOOKS The lightweight, spark-
knobs, which control mic-input level, guitar-input level, and overall output, plus the balance between how much input signal you hear and how much playback from the DAW you hear. The front of the unit sports both the guitar input and a headphone output. The rear panel houses an XLR input for dynamic microphones (no phantom power); balanced outputs for powered speakers or for an analog mixer; the S/ PDIF digital output; a jack for the expression pedal, which controls wah sounds, among other effects; two jacks for momentary pedals, such as those that step through presets or control the start/stop function; a USB connection; and a power supply input (a wall wart is also included; there is no USB power). Getting started with the Black Box was simple. From the included CD I loaded the appropriate drivers into my Mac G5 and a Rain Recording PC laptop; Ableton Live instantly recognized the unit as a USB input device in both computers. I plugged in a guitar and opened the Black Box. Had I set the unit as my audio output, I would have been able to monitor my playing through its headphone output, or through powered speakers or a mixer hooked up to its audio outs. Monitoring directly through the M-Audio unit allows you to hear your playing with zero latency, or delay; youll
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appreciate this capability when the tracks and plug-ins start piling up on your DAW. However, since I was using few tracks, and no plug-ins, I was able to set my computer buffers low, thus minimizing latency. This being the case, I opted to monitor the sound through Live and my computer. If you use the Black Box as a stand-alone practice or songwriting tool, you can just plug in headphones and tap the tempo right on the unit. By setting Lives MIDI clock to control the Box, I was able to start, stop, and control the tempo of the Boxs drum machine and timebased effects simply by changing the tempo in Live. Scrolling through presets offers access to a wealth of amp sounds, in addition to time-synched effects paired with drumbeats. You can scroll through these beats separately and then match any beat to any amp or FX preset. When it comes to editing amp
Rear-panel outputs include an XLR input, outputs for powered speakers or an analog mixer, an S/PDIF digital output, an expression-pedal jack, two momentary-pedal jacks, a USB connection, and a power-supply input.

sounds and effects, the Black Box is idiot-proof: push the Amp button, and the name of the current model appears; the squares below become designated as Amp (for choosing the model), Amp Drive, Amp Bass, and Amp Treble. Push the FX button, and the (abbreviated) effect name appears, along with squares for choosing the effect type, the wet/ dry mix, and the appropriate parameters. The Delay mode has its own button and its own parameter squares. Pressing the Utilities button sends you to a section in which you can adjust preset volumes, guitar/drum balance, expression-pedal destination, and tempo (in finer increments than tapping might allow). The drums can be sent to only one output, and since the guitar is sent to the other you can
record the two instruments to separate tracks. Sending the drums through the Boxs delay and effects expands the range of beats and sounds.
SOUND Not one to rest on his
laurels, Roger Linn is always improving on his Adrenalinns already fine amp models. With help from M-Audio, he has made further renements in the Black Boxand the sounds and the feel are more realistic than ever. The British tones have the expected clang, whereas the American ones provide welcome warmth. The flanges, tremolos, arpeggiators, and other rhythm-based effects are representative of those on the Adrenalinn and Adrenalinn II. The Black Boxs effects are less tweakable than those on the Adrenalinn, most likely because M-Audio wanted
to appeal to a wider, less techsavvy audience, and at the same time keep the cost down. Still, there are enough sonic possibilities to keep you happy and inspired for quite some time. And though you might not be recording final vocal tracks for your major-label debut through the Black Box, the mic input comes in extremely handy for vocal ideas, as well as any acoustic instruments you might care to add. If your primary interest is in tweaking the effects and drum parts, then by all means pickup the Adrenalinn instead. But as an all-in-one solution to getting your genius onto your laptop or desktop with sounds that might light the creative spark in some of us non-geniusesthe M-Audio Black Box is a godsend.

IS IT FOR YOU?

Roger Linn on the Black Box
nventing the Linn Drum would alone have cemented Roger Linns place in the history of music. But the California guitarist didnt stop therehe combined his beatbox brilliance with amp models and time-synched effects in presenting the world with the revolutionary Adrenalinn. Apparently, enough was not enough, so we asked him, Why the Black Box? Says Linn, The Black Box is basically most of the best parts of my Adrenalinn IIfor a list of the differences between the two units, go to rogerlinndesign.comcombined with a USB audio connection and a simple, easy-to-use interface. I decided to make this product with MAudio in order to introduce the unique sounds
of the Adrenalinn II to a wider audience. Although Adrenalinn II is very successful with pro guitarists, who recognize its power, its hard to make much money selling a lowcost product only to pros. M-Audio has the power to reach that wider audience. While inventing amazing new technologies seems to come naturally to Linn, he admits that selling them is not his forte. Hence his team-

ing with M-Audio. Ive never much cared for or been very good at sales and marketing, and M-Audio is, says Linn. I dont know if youre aware of it, but their founder, Tim Ryan, created one of the rst digital synths, the Con Brio, in the 70s, after he graduated from Cal Tech. Having a guy like that makes M-Audio a far more creative, intelligent, and savvy company than one whose president is some out-of-touch MBA pencil-pusher.
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Reloaded: with updated rmware and additional features.

User Guide English

Table Of Contents
English. Hello From Roger Linn. Introduction. Whats in the Box. Minimum Computer System Requirements. New Version 2 Firmware Inside. Front Panel Connectors. Rear Panel Connectors. Top Panel. Presets and Drumbeats. Editing the Guitar Amp and Compression Settings. Amp Descriptions. Editing the Modulation and Filter Effects. Modulation and Filter Effect Descriptions. Editing the Delay and Reverb. Editing the Utilities. Assigning Momentary Foot Switch Pedal Settings. Accessing the Shift Parameters. 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. Windows XP (SP2). Mac OS X. Control Panels. Effects & MIDI Page. Latency Page (Windows Only). Presets & Firmware Page. About Page. Recording with a DAW (digital audio workstation). Troubleshooting. Warranty. Specications. MIDI Implementation Charts. Channel Mode, System Common and System Real Time Messages Universal System Exclusive Messages. System Exclusive Messages. Data Structures. 7-Bit Data Packing.. 3. 3. 3. 4. 4. 4. 5. 5. 6. 8. 9.10.15.40.55
2006 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specications, 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 rst 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 Im 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 Im very proud to combine many of the best parts of AdrenaLinn with M-Audios considerable expertise in computer-centric products. The result is the Black Box. What is the Black Box? Its a superb amp modeler combined with a unique effects processor that syncs to an internal drum machine. Plus, its a complete digital audio interface that connects to your computer via USB. The beat-synced effects are the part I enjoy most: tremolo, anging, delayeven looped sequences of ltered tones or arpeggiated notes and moreall playing in perfect sync to the beat or your recording software tempo. And now with the improved version 2 rmware, its far more powerful than before. I think youll ndas others havethat 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, Id 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 guitars processed signal to other recording devices. The main outputs can be used with powered monitors like the M-Audio BX5as and the headphone jack can be used with standard headphones. There are 40 amp models, 121 modulation and lter 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 Boxs features and operation. You may also want to refer to your audio softwares documentation, to better understand how the Black Boxs 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

English

Whats 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.

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).

Amp Mid control

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 xed 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 xed 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 xed 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 xed 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.
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. 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 youre 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 14-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.

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.
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, youll need to hear previously recorded tracks or a click track to play along with as well as your input signal. Adjust this control to t 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 xed 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, youll 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 xed 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.

Amp Treble

This knob (#4) lets you control the amount of treble. The knobs 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.

Amp Descriptions

Heres a list of the amp names and the original guitar amps they were modeled after:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. BASMAN DLXREV TWNREV DELUXE CHAMP MAR 45 PLEXI MAR800 MAR2K VOKS30 VOKS15 JAZZ HIWHAT STU70S BIG90S SOLDON UBER DIESEL ANGLE EDDIEV XTACY BUDDHA CHIEF INTENS BIGMID SIZZLE PLEXIS SCOOP CRISP HOLLOW BITE NECKPU SOLID ACO360 AMPSVT GK 800 SWR500 FUZZ OCTAVE MICPRE Fender Bassman Fender Deluxe Reverb Fender Twin Reverb Fender Deluxe Fender Champ Marshall JTM45 Marshall Super Lead Plexi Marshall JCM800 Marshall JCM2000 VoxAC30 VoxAC15 Roland Jazz Chorus Hiwatt DR103 (Studio 1970s) Mesa Boogie Mark IIc (Big 1990s) Mesa Boogie Dual Rectier Soldano SLO 100 Bogner Uberschall Diezel VH4 ENGL Powerball Peavey 5150 MkII Bogner Ecstasy Budda Twinmaster Matchless Chieftain Custom model with an intense high-gain solo tone Custom model with strong high-gain mid tone Custom model with a present high-end sizzle Custom model based on Marshall Super Lead Plexi with EQ Custom high gain model with scooped mid Custom model with a 60s twangy tone Custom model with a hollow tone Custom model with biting high notes Custom model, great with a Strat neck pickup Custom model with a solid tone Bass amp: Acoustic 360 Bass amp: Ampeg SVT Bass amp: Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass amp: SWR SM500 Fuzz tone Octave fuzz 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 afliated 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-Audios 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.

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. 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.
Modulation and Filter Effect Descriptions
Black Box includes a variety of unique beat-synced modulation and lter effects that you wont nd in other products. These unique sounds range from beat-synced versions of classic effects like tremolo or anging to our innovative random ltering, lter 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 rst 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 lter (wah-wah) or resonant anger (also useful for arpeggiator effects). For example, you could use a computer sequencer to record your own custom lter or arpeggiator sequences. The Black Boxs 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.

Delay Repeats This parameter sets the number of repeats in your delayed signal. Lower settings have fewer repeats, while higher settings have more repeats. Try a setting of (25) for starters. Delay Volume This parameter simply sets how loud the delayed signal is compared to your original signal. Try a setting of (20) for starters.
Drums to Delay/Input This is a special feature that allows you to send the drum machine signal into the delay effect or directly into the input path of the Black Box. The whole idea here is to create interesting drum sounds. Since you can record the output of the Black Box via USB, S/PDIF or the analog outputs, you can now also create a custom drum loop library based on drum sounds created with the Black Box. The parameter value can be set from DLY 00 to DLY 99 for delay. The higher the number, the more delayed drum signal you will hear along with your original drum sound. This parameter can also be used to send the drums signal to the input of the amp modeling, effects and delay signal chain, just like the guitar input. To do this, turn the rotary control past the 100 delay settings for another 100 settings: INP 00 to INP 99. Again, since the effects are beat-synced to the drum machine, all of the effects stay in perfect time. You can get some truly new and inspiring drum sounds. Increasing this parameter further permits sending the drum signal to the reverb; the options are REV 00 (no send to reverb) through REV 49 (maximum send to reverb). Delay On/Off To turn delay on or off, hold the Delay button for one half second. When off, the Dly Off icon will appear in the LCD screen. Reverb Time (Shift: Delay Time) This permits the selection of one of ve reverb times:
< < < < < RVTM 1 (tiny) RVTM 2 (small) RVTM 3 (medium) RVTM 4 (large) RVTM 5 (huge)
This is a Shift parameter. To view or adjust it: 1) 2) 3) Press the Delay button and select column 1. Double-tap the Delay button to enter Shift mode. The screen will show the current Reverb Time value. To change it, turn rotary control 1.
Reverb High Frequencies (Shift: Delay Repeats) This permits the level of high frequencies in the reverb signal to be controlled. The range is from 0 to 99:
< < RHF 0 (least high frequencies) RHF 99 (most high frequencies)
This is a Shift parameter. To view or adjust it: 1) 2) 3) Press the Delay button and select column 2. Double-tap the Delay button to enter Shift mode. The screen will show the current Reverb High Frequency value. To change it, turn rotary control 2.
Reverb Volume (Shift: Delay Volume) This permits the level volume of the reverb signal to be adjusted. The range is from 0 to 99:
< < RVL 0 (no reverb) RVL 99 (high reverb volume)
This is a Shift parameter. To view or adjust it: 1) 2) 3) Press the Delay button and select column 3. Double-tap the Delay button to enter Shift mode. The screen will show the current Reverb Volume value. To change it, turn rotary control 3.

< < LKDB N: When you select a new preset, the drumbeat wont change (as in version 1 software). LKDB Y: When you select a new preset, its assigned drumbeat is automatically selected.
This is a Shift parameter. To view or adjust it: 1) 2) 3) Press the Utility button and select column 2. Double-tap the Utility button to enter Shift mode. The screen will show the current Link Drumbeat value. To change it, turn rotary control 2.
Note: To assign a specic drumbeat to a user preset, simply select the drumbeat and save the preset. The assigned drumbeat of factory presets cannot be changed.
Noise Gate (Shift: Preset Volume) Black Box includes a noise gate that will silence or reduce any background noise when youre not playing. This is actually a dynamic expander, gradually decreasing the background noise as you gradually decrease your playing level. In order to accommodate different playing styles and levels of pickup/background noise, there are 9 gate thresholds:
Expression Pedal Assign This allows you to assign the function of the expression pedal. This assignment is saved with each preset. The options are:
VOLUME FXSPED RVBVOL FXDPTH FXKEY WETDRY DLYVOL DLYRPT DM2DLY DM2INP DM2RVB A volume pedal before amp models FX speed Reverb volume FX depth FX key FX wet/dry Delay volume Delay repeats Drums send to delay Drums send to input of entire signal chain, same as guitar Drums send to reverb
For an expression pedal, we recommend using either the M-Audio Black Box Pedal Board, which contains an expression pedal and two foot switches, or the M-Audio EX-P Expression Pedal. Many expression pedals, including the M-Audio EX-P, have a range control knob. This knob needs to be turned all the way up for the expression pedal to have maximum effect range. Turning the knob down limits the lowest value of the parameter you are controlling.
Tempo This allows you to view and manually set a specic tempo value rather then using the tap tempo feature. The range is from 30 to 250 Beats Per Minute.You can also view this parameter by pressing Tap Tempo once. Tempo Source (Shift: Tempo) This permits the choice of one of three sources for the playing tempo:
< TPO PR (Preset tempo): Whenever a new preset is selected, its assigned tempo automatically becomes active. Note:Whenever a preset is saved, the current tempo setting it had is saved with the preset as its assigned tempo. < TPO DB (Drumbeat tempo): Whenever a new drumbeat is selected, its assigned tempo becomes active. Note:The assigned tempo of the drumbeat is set at the factory and though it can be changed, the changed value cannot be resaved to the drumbeat. < TPO GL (Global tempo): The tempo never changes unless manually changed.

This is a Shift parameter. To view or adjust it: 1) 2) 3) Press the Utility button and select column 4. Double-tap the Utility button to enter Shift mode The screen will show the current Tempo Source value. To change it, turn rotary control 4.
This is a global parameter, meaning that it stays where you set it even after you change presets. Black Box also has two inputs for connecting momentary foot switches. When you connect one or two foot switches to these inputs, you can use your feet to remotely control any of the top panels button functions, such as incrementing or decrementing presets or drumbeats, turning effects on or off, turning the tuner on or off, etc.
Assigning Momentary Foot Switch Pedal Settings
The Black Box has three pedal connections on the back panel. One of these is for an expression pedal and the two others are for momentary foot switch pedals. To learn how to assign an external expression pedal, see Expression Pedal Assignment in the Editing the Utilities section. The two inputs labeled P1 and P2 are for momentary foot switch pedals.These pedals can perform the same functions as the keys on the left side of the Black Box. To assign these pedals, simply hold down the pedal you wish to assign, press the desired keys on the left side of the Black Box, then promptly release the pedal. The possible assignments are: < < < < < < < < < < < Drumbeat Decrement Preset Increment Preset Decrement Tap Tempo Start/Stop View Drumbeat (Hold foot switch while pressing both Drumbeat Increment and Drumbeat Decrement) Tuner (Hold foot switch while pressing both Delay and Utility keys) Amp On/Off (Hold foot switch while pressing Amp key) FX On/Off (Hold foot switch while pressing FX key) Delay On/Off (Hold foot switch while pressing Delay key) Reverb On/Off (Hold foot switch while pressing Utility key)
We recommend using the M-Audio SP-1 momentary pedal, or the Black Box Pedal Board which contains two foot switches and an expression pedal. You may use either normally closed or normally open foot switches; the Black Box automatically senses which type is connected when power is turned on. For this reason, it is better to connect or disconnect any foot switches while power is off. If not, the Black Box cant tell the difference between connecting/disconnecting a foot switch and holding the foot switch down. For example, if you assign a foot switch to Preset Increment and then disconnect it, Black Box may think youre holding down the foot switch, intending to rapidly scroll upward through the presets. Dont worrythis will not cause any serious problems and the Black Box will adapt to the situation after 30 seconds. To avoid confusion, simply remember to connect or disconnect the foot switches while power is off.

Transmit Preset (Message ID 2)
This message is sent to the Black Box to modify the currently selected preset or as a response to a Request Stored Preset message. If this message is sent from an external device to Black Box while a user preset is selected, the preset is stored to the selected preset location. If this message is sent from an external device to Black Box while a factory preset is selected, the message is ignored. Regardless of whether the current preset is user or factory, a Save Complete message (ID 17) is sent as a response.
Status 0ddd dddd Description System Exclusive (SysEx) ID M-Audio ID byte 1 = 00h M-Audio ID byte 2 = 01h M-Audio ID byte 3 = 05h Black Box family code LSB (always 01h) Black Box family code MSB (always 00h) Black Box family member ID LSB = 02h Black Box family member ID MSB = 00h Message ID for Transmit preset File Version for preset data structure Preset data: 64 bytes coded into 74 bytes of 7-bit MIDI data (see Data packing below.) End of Exclusive (EOX)
NOTE: Black Box requires nearly a full second to save the received user preset to its slow ash memory. Any messages received while Black Box is still saving the received user preset will be ignored. After the external device sends this message, it should either wait a full second or wait until a Save Complete message (ID 17) is returned before sending any further messages.
Request Stored Preset (Message ID 5)
When Black Box receives this request, it responds by sending the requested preset as a Transmit Preset message.
Status 0000 000b 0nnn nnnn Description System Exclusive (SysEx) ID M-Audio ID byte 1 = 00h M-Audio ID byte 2 = 01h M-Audio ID byte 3 = 05h Black Box family code LSB (always 01h) Black Box family code MSB (always 00h) Black Box family member ID LSB = 02h Black Box family member ID MSB = 00h Message ID for Request stored preset Bank select 0 for factory preset, 1 for user preset Requested preset number, 0 to 99 End of Exclusive (EOX)
Select Drumbeat (Message ID 8)
When Black Box receives this request, it responds by making the requested drumbeat number active.
Status 0nnn nnnn Description System Exclusive (SysEx) ID M-Audio ID byte 1 = 00h M-Audio ID byte 2 = 01h M-Audio ID byte 3 = 05h Black Box family code LSB (always 01h) Black Box family code MSB (always 00h) Black Box family member ID LSB = 02h Black Box family member ID MSB = 00h Message ID for Select drumbeat Requested drumbeat number, 0 to 99 End of Exclusive (EOX)
Select preset (message ID 9)
Status 0000 000b 0nnn nnnn 1111 0111

Transmit Main Parameters (Message ID 15)
Status 0ddd dddd 1111 0111
Description System Exclusive (SysEx) ID M-Audio ID byte 1 = 00h M-Audio ID byte 2 = 01h M-Audio ID byte 3 = 05h Black Box family code LSB (always 01h) Black Box family code MSB (always 00h) Black Box family member ID LSB = 02h Black Box family member ID MSB = 00h Message ID for Transmit Main parameters File Version main/MIDI data structure Main parameters: 16 bytes coded into 19 bytes of 7-bit MIDI data (see Data packing below.) End of Exclusive (EOX)
NOTE: After the external device sends this message, it should either wait a full second or wait until a Save Complete (ID 17) message is returned before sending any further messages.
Save Complete (message ID 17)
After a Transmit Preset message is received by Black Box, this message will be sent out as an acknowledgement. After the transferred data has been successfully saved to ash, Black Box sends this message. Until it is sent, Black Box will ignore any subsequently received messages.The external device should wait for this message before sending another message. If the external device can not detected messages from Black Box, the external device should wait one second before sending another message.
Status Description System Exclusive (SysEx) ID M-Audio ID byte 1 = 00h M-Audio ID byte 2 = 01h M-Audio ID byte 3 = 05h Black Box family code LSB (always 01h) Black Box family code MSB (always 00h) Black Box family member ID LSB = 02h Black Box family member ID MSB = 00h Message ID for Save complete End of Exclusive (EOX)
This message is sent by Black Box in response to a Request Main Parameters message. It is also received by Black Box, allowing an external editor to overwrite Black Boxs settings.
Copy Factory Presets to User (Message ID 19)
This message instructs Black Box to copy all factory presets to the corresponding user presets. Also, all main parameters are reinitialized to their default settings.
Status Description System Exclusive (SysEx) ID M-Audio ID byte 1 = 00h M-Audio ID byte 2 = 01h M-Audio ID byte 3 = 05h Black Box family code LSB (always 01h) Black Box family code MSB (always 00h) Black Box family member ID LSB = 02h Black Box family member ID MSB = 00h Message ID for Copy Factory Presets to User End of Exclusive (EOX)

FX Wet/Dry Delay Time Delay Repeats Delay Volume Drums send to FX
0-99 (0 = dry, 99 = full effect). This parameter is unused for the following effects: TREM1-3, PAN1-4,VIBRA1-2, SWELL and ARPG1-20. 0-118 consisting of 0-99 (xed rates shown in display) followed by 100-118 (19 tempo-synced rates: 2M, 2Mt, 1Md, 1M, 1Mt, 2d, 2n, 2t, 4d, 4n, 4t, 8d, 8n, 8t, 16d, 16n, 16t, 32n, 32t.) 0 (no feedback) to 99 (nearly innite feedback) 0-99 0-249 consisting of: 0-99 (100 send levels to delay), 100-199 (100 send levels to input), 200-249 (50 send levels to reverb)
Preset Volume Exp Pedal Assign
0-99 (output level of amp models. 50 = normal.) One of 11 expression pedal assignments: 0:VOLUME (volume pedal before amp models) 1: FXSPED (FX Speed) 2: RVBVOL (Reverb Volume) 3: FXDPTH (FX Depth) 4: FXKEY (FX Key) 5: WETDRY (FX Wet/Dry) 6: DLYVOL (Delay Volume) 7: DLYRPT (Delay Repeats) 8: DM2DLY (Drums send to Delay) 9: DM2INP (Drums send to input of entire signal chain, same as guitar) 10: DM2RVB (Drums send to reverb)

22 23-31 32-37 38-63

Tempo AmpFxDlyRevOn Mid Linked Drumbeat Unused Compressor Reverb Volume Reverb Time Reverb high freq Unused Name Unused
30-250 Feature on if bit = 1 or off if bit = 0 (bit 0 = amp, bit 1 = effect, bit 2 = delay, bit 3 = reverb) Midrange control for amp models, 0-99 0-99 drumbeat (used when main param Linked Drumbeat = 1)
Compression level - 0-99 (0 = OFF) 0-TINY, 1 SMALL, 2 MEDIUM, 3 LARGE, 4 - HUGE 0-99
Six character preset name byte 32 is the leftmost character. Character codes 0-50 are: Space, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, -, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U,V, W, X,Y, Z, *, +, (, ), \, /, , <, >, ?, _, [, ]
Main Data Structure (Global settings)
Byte Parameter Active Preset Active Drumbeat Guit/Drm Bal Footswitch 1 asn Range/Description 00-99 (factory presets), followed by 100-199 (user presets) 00-(G50) to 50 (EQU) to 100 (D50), plus 101 (SEP) Foot switch 1 assignment. Legal codes are: 33: Increment Drumbeat 34: Decrement Drumbeat 36: Increment Preset 40: Decrement Preset 48: Tap Tempo 80: Start/Stop 35:View Drumbeat 76: Tuner 193: Amp On/Off 194: FX On/Off 196: Delay On/Off 200: Reverb On/Off Footswitch 2 asn FX Sync source Foot switch 2 assignment. Same as for foot switch 1. 0 internal MIDI clock, external clock ignored 1 external MIDI clock (internal if no external clock present) (power-up default) 6 FX Input Source Controls the hardware audio signal routing (power-up default = 0)
Mode Normal Mode Processor In Guitar Mic N/A N/A N/A N/A Diag Mode Left/Right Out Guitar/Mic Guitar/Mic USB L/R Guitar/Mic 0/0 USB L/R Left/Right Analog Out Mic Guitar None None Note Mic+Guitar
Note 1: All modes pass the USB input to the L/R analog outputs. Note 2: The Input/Playback knob determines the mix of digital and analog output. Gate Send MIDI Clock enable 0 - do not send (power-up default) 1 - send out MIDI System Realtime messages, 9 Link Drumbeat 1 ON: when new preset is selected, set Active Drumbeat to presets Link Drumbeat 0 OFF: dont 10 Tempo Source 0 PRESET: when new preset is selected, copy presets tempo over global tempo 1 DRUMBEAT: when new drumbeat is selected, copy drumbeats tempo over global tempo 2 GLOBAL: no tempo change on preset or drumbeat load 11 Global Tempo This is the tempo setting that is always used to determine the current playing tempo. If Tempo Source is set to Preset, then when a new preset is selected, its Preset Tempo is copied over Global Tempo. If Tempo Source is set to Drumbeat, then when a new preset is selected, its Drumbeat Tempo is copied over Global Tempo. 12 13-15 MIDI channel Reserved 0 (receive on all channels) or 1-16 (receive on single channel). Note: always set to 0 to receive on all channels; Midi input channel lter exists on PC control panel application. (power-up default = 0) 0 (off) or On1 - On9 (9 gate thresholds)