I’m lost for words by your words. You’re so generous with your feedback. Thank you❤️
Yoo this is interesting for sure! Something about the blackbox. From idea to song is almost friction free. Keep jamming like this!
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Thanks, yes, the Blackbox really gets it right on so many levels. I’d love for automation or scenes, as well as more sample slots for longer session (don’t need more polyphony, just access to more samples).
But really, it’s just great as it is, right now.
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…not to mention a more reliable SD card slot. I’ve had to do more card inserts/removals lately, and the annoyance adds up.
wow i forgot about this thing! have there been any updates to the software since release? watching some videos and i feel like its so close to being useful but the pitch shifting isnt sounding so good to me.
I haven’t had or heard of that issue. That does sound annoying. Have you tried other cards?
@taxhaven it has had several updates, including major features and a minor UI overhaul. They added a high quality interpolation mode that might solve what you don’t like about the pitching?
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The granular synth, beat count manipulation on clips, and internal automation updates are huge wins. They also added some nice UI changes for PADS (Copy, paste, clear).
I guess I’ve been on 1.3.6 for long enough that the pitch algo seems fine to me, especially for drones.
Really happy with the changes!
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There’s some discussion starting from here:
I’ve been keeping an eye on this thread and feel like the BlackBox could possibly be the device i’m looking for in my situation, would be great if any BlackBox owners could help answer a few questions before I pull the trigger 
My songs are based around a more traditional songwriting style (verse, chorus, verse, chorus)
I’m looking for a device to help me in a live environment. Playing live I will be playing guitar and singing, possibly some keys, those would be the completely live elements and i was thinking the BlackBox could be playing the parts I cannot reproduce live as a backing track kind of idea.
So if I chop my track up in my daw and take the sampled areas of the verse, chorus etc and arrange them in song mode on the BlackBox would this work ok?
Would I be able to have song mode playing and use the BlackBox to play live sampled instruments such as piano over the top using a midi keyboard if I wanted to?
Say I have a 10 song setlist, would the BlackBox be able to handle samples for each track? My tracks tend to be around 4 minutes.
So, for instance each track would have - intro sample 30 seconds, verse 1 sample 1 minute, chorus sample 1 minute etc… would the BlackBox handle this ok?
Would it be one project per song?
I also own the Digitakt and could possibly use this for the above but it would seem the BlackBox might be the better tool for the job with long samples. I know this could be done easily with a laptop but i’d prefer to stay away from using laptops on stage. Or is there something better out there for my needs? OT, MPC Live?
I think the BlackBox can do everything you’re asking about, although that’s not to say that there might not be better solutions still. In terms of sample size, number of patterns, etc., you’re limited only by the size of your SD card and the cpu of the BlackBox (in terms of the number of simultaneous samples playing, how much they’re processed, whether they’re stereo, etc.).
In BlackBox lingo, what you’d do is set up a different set of pads for each song, so you could have up to 16 different samples loaded at a time. Again, having too many long or stereo/high bitrate samples playing at the same time could tax the cpu, but I think you’d be ok with drums, synth leads, bass, etc. going together. And you can easily sequence groove samples you import with drum or bass sequences you create on the BlackBox thanks to timestretching. You can have up to 16 different sequences cued up per kit, which can be sequenced in song mode, so you could do plenty of complex pre-programmed arrangements.
There’s also a pretty good mixing function so you can set the levels, amount of fx send (which is pretty basic vs Elektrons), etc. for each pad/sample.
Another thought would be to get a mixer with SD recording, and just record your track in advance as a single song. That way you could plug your guitar, mic, keyboard, etc. into the mix when playing live (which you’ll have to do anyway) and just play along through the mixer. I have the Tascam Model 24, which might be a little bulky for carting around, but they make a Model 16 also. The BlackBox would be an advantage if you want to have some control on the fly while playing live, but if you really just need a backing track(s) to play behind you, a mixer might be the way to go–more control of eq, fx, etc.
While this is possible in theory (and may work better in a future firmware), I’m having consistent issues with mapping multisamples to the correct keys (e.g. loading a folder), as well as glitches with multisample playback (clicks and pops). Also, there appears to be a 4-note polyphony max for playing a pad that is multisample. Also, when loading a folder there seems to be no way to get all the samples to be in loop mode (unless I missed something).
The multisample mapping is a bigger issue – for one, the BB is consistently reading the root note at one octave off; Opening every wav file, changing the root note and resaving is a lot of work and even then it doesn’t really work right.
I think the sixteen sample slot limit per project will get in your way, one way or another. The Blackbox can do what you want, but maybe not in the way you want.
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Here’s another one from my sessions of trying to find a new sound for myself. A lot shorter this time, close to just two minutes. All grain and filth come from a DFAM session I had over a year ago. Drums are from the Tanzmaus, and synths are from a Tempest session a few months back. All put together into the Blackbox, and then performed live. As much as I like the song mode, it’s a bit lacking when it comes to editing the structure, so while I’m no good at these live things, it does get me faster to where I want to go. I just need to concentrate more 
Anyway, I’d love your feedback on this, if this goes well, I’m putting together a small show and EP based on material of this kind, so input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Thanks for your detailed answer @hallucigenia plenty for me to think about and research. I would like to have some control on the fly, or at least have the option but your suggestion is definitely worth considering.
Thanks @neucavol, from reading this thread i wasn’t too sure if playing multi-sampled instruments on the BB would be reliable at this moment in time, thanks for confirming.
@circuitghost yes this is a good point and i’m glad i’ve asked the questions to you guys who are using the BlackBox. Appreciate the help.
Back to the drawing board for now I think! I have owned the OT in the past and arranger mode would probably do what i’m looking to do but possibly overkill for my needs. MPC Live looks overkill also.
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The Deluge will do what you ask and plenty more. It’s def overkill, tho. But still an option.
Then there’s Rolands SP 404 which is just great for what it does and can play those long ass backing track samples. Very limited in song structure, but synchronized clip launching might cut it for what you want to do.
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It’s lovely! I like your organic, lofi (but not really) sound, and the feel is nicely african flavoured. I’d dance to this, and I’m sure many others would too.
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Yeah, the repeating line sounds very mbira-like to me. Nice!
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Thanks, that’s so nice of you to say. And it’s a interesting observation which I haven’t given much thought myself, but there’s truth in it, nonetheless. I’ve been into cross genre for decades, my first encounter with African beats was with Paul Simon’s Graceland, and I’ve listened to and taken impression by those kind of rhythms ever since. It’s never been a conscious thing, though, it’s always just been there. You’ve given me something to think about, in a very good way, for sure. Thank you.
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Thanks I tend to stick to the pentatonic scale. It’s like a sweet spot for funky melodies. I became aware of it around my Daft Punk years, and noticed Aphex Twin tends to go for pentatonic as well, when he’s doing more melodic stuff. I guess it’s all over the place, once you start to recognise it.
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Thank you 
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