@circuitghost Have you tried (or do you have any interest in) using the BB with the Field?
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I’m exploring options. Not sure how I’ll use them together just yet, though.
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@circuitghost Do you use this approach with something like the DT or Model Cycles? Or how would you do it? I already had a BB, but I sent it back because I couldn’t quite make it work with the gear I’m having (M:C, 0-Coast, ZOIA), esp with the M:C.
Let’s say you have a half finished song with a couple of patterns on the M:C … would you sample the complete M:C performance as one take? Or one sample per pattern? Or even split every track to a distinct sample? Still trying to figure out what’s the smoothest and most flexible approach here.
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I use this approach with whatever source material I have, which could very well be from the DT or the Cycles. I’m not using either, but the process is the same -
Essentially, I tend to sample longer bars from whatever I’m using. Even if it’s just a drum loop, I go for nothing less than 16 or 32 most of the time, just slightly tweaking it to get that variation and movement in there. For harmonic stuff, I either go off the quantise grid and just play until I’m done, or go for 64 or 128 bars at least.
With this approach, if I’d use a Cycles to record most of the six tracks in a pattern separately. So six tracks, six samples. Sometimes, I batch tracks together, such as when I used the Circuit Rhythm, since the interplay between the elements make up for such a big part of its character that I’d lose out on it, if I recorded all parts separately. So say the Circuit Rhythm, which as eight tracks, I typically captured 5-6 separate recordings.
Then, from there, I build the song. I don’t try to repeat the pattern I recorded from, just using the samples to mute them on and off, but rather come up with something new with these samples as foundation only. The finished version tends to be something very different from the original recordings and sometimes, they end up in entirely different songs, spread out across multiple projects.
In general, having a great pattern and then record it into the blackbox to just keep the idea of this great pattern but add more flexibility to it, never worked for me. The blackbox can do so much more for the song writing process, I feel like I always want to go to completely different places once I have enough material recorded and in place.
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Thanks! I think that using the samples as a foundation is probably the main idea here … I’ve always tried to exactly capture the performance. With your approach in mind, I might give the BB anther try. Thanks again for explaining – makes much more sense for me know.
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Yeah, I mean, record each track as you intended them, from the pattern you’ve made. Then, give them new traits and keep them running, see where it takes you.
Pitch something up or down one octave but don’t time stretch - put something way up in the higher frequencies that’s originally a deep, low end thud - reverse something that wasn’t reversed to begin with - slice up a lead and play the slices like a melodic grid sequence (with polyphony and envelopes to make them blend) - that kind of stuff - and you got something completely different from the same source material, within minutes.
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I backed the Sonicware Smpltrek last spring, and although it’s surely not a Blackbox, I’m hoping to apply some of the concepts from this topic to my use of it.
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Happy to hear if you find any inspiration from it 
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@circuitghost and another question … do you always use just one device with the Blackbox? Or do you switch the inputs? For example, I like to use the 0-coast together with the Lyra. If I want to capture both with the Blackbox, I need to either change the line-I’m with the BB or use something like the Bluebox in between. What’s your approach?
Hope my question makes sense …
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Hey, always one, though sometimes, I record directly through an fx box instead of resampling through an fx box afterwards.
Sometimes, I’m just so sure what I want that I’m not interested in recording first and resampling later, and then I hook up whatever source I have through the fx box and record.
Sometimes, most of the times, I’m not, and record whatever I got going clean into the box, and take it from there.
Ironically, I’m currently using the OP-1 Field a lot now, which doesn’t come close to the blackbox in workflow when it comes to using multiple boxes for resampling and similar. I’m learning that just committing to a sound and go with it is sometimes liberating. I’m stuck with what I have and if I don’t like it, I delete it and it’s permanently gone.
I see, thanks! I’m just thinking of adding the Bluebox in order to more easily record different devices in one session (with the Blackbox). So synth A/B into the Bluebox and then to the Blackbox. But maybe that’s a bit complicated …
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Not necessarily complicated, but if you record it like that, you’re missing out on a opportunity to explore uncharted musical territories by simply recording one synth at a time, synchronised, but tinker with launching (and maybe) looping them independently of each other, yet still quantised to the bpm, and potentially also play with pitch, individual lfo’s and stuff.
Given that the blackbox has 16 stereo slots for samples, there’s no advantage of recording multiple sources into one slot. Even if you’d change nothing, still just having your two synths in a slot each, gives you added options for using the blackbox filter, pan, amp and onboard fx to create a stronger mix.
The blackbox is quite capable of producing results that sound close to master, so there’s benefits in splitting sources up like this for the purpose of going for a close to final mix within the box itself.
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Absolutely. I didn’t think of recording into one slot. I just want to avoid switching cables — and that’s where the Bluebox comes in (I guess).
That said, my primary idea with the Blackbox is (live) looping. I currently don’t plan to tinker too much with the recorded stuff — though that might change.
Anyway, lots is good input here (need to process that). So thanks again.
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Same cables either the latest round of chase bliss (stereo) pedals?
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Still the same with stereo
pairs to match, tho.
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