All right, my vanity caved. I’m gonna rely on my charm and wits to compensate for the phone only-recording😊
I’ll do something on how I use the Tempest, since I believe that setup in principle can be used with any cool instrument paired with the Black Box.
gah. might have ordered.
can’t really see how this could go way, way wrong – as my use for it is pretty specific; it’s going to be a clip-launcher.
Controversially, I’m selling my Octatrack for it and a Digitakt. I’ve been having a lot of, let’s say, cognitive resistance from my setup – seems like I get lost in the details. For me to fully utilize the Octa, it’d have to be part of a small setup (like OT+1). I’m hoping that letting go of the wonderland that is OT and going for the Bitbox and the straightforwardness of the DT will help this issue. Besides, I really missed the DT compressor 
AND Overbridge, because I like to ‘perform tracks in’ when recording.
The reason I dove into OT again was that there were no real options for quantized sampling – until the Bitbox came along. We’ll see, I’m optimistic about the workflow benefits switching up - again – will possibly bring.
Interesting. I’ve been eyeing my Octatrack for the same reason. Would feel hard to
part with it after all these years, but like you, it leads me astray sometimes which is as lovely as it can be frustrating.
Yeah i cant see myself going back to the Octocrack.Not enough brain cells and hours in the day…
Ok, so the Squid’s going back. Totally overkill for the purpose.
I wonder if the Pyramid sequencer can run on the same battery as the Black Box? That would be a neat little set up for sure.
The op-z seems like it’d potentially be the perfect companion.
So for the fat finger issue, do you think a smartphone touch pen would work?
I wonder when these will be back in stock. Days or weeks at perfect circuit…
I’ve tested this once so far, and it did run, but it occasionally skipped a note here and there. I’m not sure if this was a power issue or something else. I may need to try different cable(s).
Any capacitive stylus should work. If you’re asking whether it actually helps, I guess it would depend on how much smaller the tip is compared to your finger.
That stylus would have to have a sharp point to be useful. Has anyone ever seen a sharp-pointed capacitive stylus? The closest thing I’ve ever seen online are those ones with a disc at the end, but I can’t tell if they’re too big or not.
Ok, thanks. Again, I wonder if sequencing this one externally is overkill or even missing the point of it. Experimentation continues.
I get you. Before I received it, I expected to sequence it with my Pyramid. But the sequencing (and workflow) is just good enough for me to really enjoy using it standalone. When they add some automation and internal resampling, I’ll feel even less need to sequence it externally. I’m thinking about what you said about recording 32 bar loops to samples.
But during the times when I’m already using my Pyramid in a jam with other equipment, and I want to add a drum break or some one-shots, I’d probably let the Pyramid handle all the sequencing.
Makes total sense. I use it more as the tool that travels between gear. I don’t have much space, so I never have all my stuff out at the same time.
So it’s like, the Black Box is always on the desk. Sometimes, I record drums into it and then the Tempest is next to it. Or I want a keyboard part, and then it’s the Reface CS. Since they both run on batteries, I can even move to my kitchen table - which has a lovely view over the river - and keep working on the piece there. When I want to get difficult, I hook it up to my Digitone Keys. I’ve brought it to a few friends, recorded some stuff from their gear. I’m gonna hit the store today and try it out with a few pianos, see if I can get some Rhodes actiongoing.
And when I want to mix and match all this and play with ideas, I can bring the Box to wherever I want and keep working.
So for now, the Black Box is the one kit that blends it all together and the rest comes and goes on a need basis, right now.
Very interesting thread - thanks for all the info!
I am going to buy the BB today and am very interested in the duo BB & Tempest.
@circuitghost
How well do they work together? Can you sequence the BB using the 1 external sequence track of the Tempest? How well do they sync and does midi transport work alright? Thanks a lot!
I’d say they work well together in some aspects, in some not (or at all, given the singularity of the Tempest’s midi implementation).
The sync is tight and I’ve had no issues sampling directly from the Tempest into the Box by using quantized recording. Threshold recording doesn’t work quite as well if your source starts on a subtle timbre, the Box picks it up but there might be just the hint of a delay in there, which will make multi-tracking harder to get in sync. Go for the quantize feature and you’ll be fine, and can even do live looping while you’re at it.
The Black Box accepts midi velocity from the Tempest just fine, and I used the Tempest’s internal mapping from pads to notes to line up the A and B pads to launch samples (from the A pads) and entire sections (from the B pads). This works really well. Essentially, you get the finger drumming experience of the Tempest with clip launching to boost, into the Black Box.
The Black Box accepts midi in just fine for external sequencing as well, so if you want to use the Tempest’s single monophone Midi out track to get more funk into a Black Box bass sound for example, that works. I’ve done some external sequencing tests with both the Octatrack and the Squid as well, and the Black Box responds really well to anything external.
All in all, using the Black Box to record one shots and loops from the Tempest is a breeze and endless fun. Also, using the Tempest as a controller for triggering samples and clips from the Black Box, is also a great flow. So the two together make a fine pair.
However, what you’re missing in this small setup - or not, depending on your preference - is still a deeper sequencing solution for the Box itself. While its internal sequencer isn’t bad, it will not lend itself to longer pieces with more complex structures or just many variations on the same section. You will run out of space and options. It will take you far when it comes to ideas and sketches and just pure inspiration, and it can definitely be used for complete tracks, depending on your requirement for variations within variations and so on.
But you might find that you want to run the Black Box from a more complex external sequencer in time, depending on your preference. I wouldn’t worry about it now, you’ll get plenty far just getting to know the Box, though. And my pref isn’t yours, so this is be a non-issue for many.
Thanks a lot for the explanation. Now I gotta find the funds for a Tempest, in the mean time I am going to have fun with the BB.
I hope that is what 1010 bias themselves towards:
Leave the sequencing to a more complex external box with a more suitable GUI - just retain and moderately enhance the useability of the onboard BB sequencer, as it is no doubt good to have a solid set of elementary sequence recording, functional macros (quantisation/modulation automation) and basic clean editing for mistakes. Just don’t go too far with the micro details.
But focus on sampling, looping, slice management, granular, sample editing, control, modulation, effects/manipulation as the core USPs of the BB.
Yep. Totally share this sentiment.
I like the idea to pair the Black Box with a sequencer only-device. Makes it singular and focused.
Black Box for the stuff that makes up the song -
and Pyramid (for example) to build it.
The Black Box don’t sequence, but makes sounds.
The Pyramid can’t make sounds, but sequence.
I have no reason to suspect any SNAFU’s, but I’m just wishing so bad that 1010 won’t f**k it up in any odd way – it’s so so so close to being a superlative device, and of course, in many ways it is already.