What’s so limiting about 4 notes per sample? Seems like enough for most chords and you can use another pad if you need up to 8. Does the 404 even have polyphony per pad? Chromatic too? The Digitakt doesn’t and you only get 8 tracks. I’m confused how you can call it useless next to devices that it clearly beats in this area.
2 Likes
Not a fan of the 404’s FX? Personally this looks like something to add to a 404 setup, not replace it. This with the FX from the 404 would be duper nice.
2 Likes
I love the 404’s effects. But they’ve been around for awhile so I’m hoping the Black Box can measure up.
However, I’ve given this some thought over the days and won’t go for it, actually. I got a good flow going with my current setup and won’t be adding gear to it right now.
This thing looks like a menu diving nightmare 
1 Like
He wants to do Ellingtonian 5-part harmony 
Seems pretty intuitive/visual in its navigation though. I don’t mind a little diving if it’s easy enough to come up for air. Feels accessible I think.
I was almost smitten with this until I loaded up Beatmaker 3 and considered how iOS 13 will possibly allow an SD card sample library.
True, audio & midi io is an extra box to tether if I need them, but I’ll usually have my iPad with me anyway and Akai MPK mini is a decent tactile experience.
Got mine yesterday and put this together in 10 minutes, I’m in love.
10 Likes
How you liking it thus far?
1 Like
All I’ve really done is play with some presets (there’s quite a lot) and then make this little jam using some jungle samples I practically picked at random.
The screen is easier to use than I expected, though you can see I fat-finger a couple times in the video. To be fair, that was in the heat of a very fast performance and I plan on getting a pad controller eventually. For normal operation it’s fine. The best part is how responsive and lag-free it is (I’m scowling at my MODX as I say this).
Having the navigation buttons really saves the UX. If those didn’t exist and you had to rely only on the touch screen to return to the main screens, it’d feel a lot clunkier. Paging through the edit screens isn’t the greatest, but I feel once I get used to which page things are on it will be pretty fast.
I’m really excited to just continue exploring my massive sample library and build jams like this. I’m also looking forward to sampling my MODX and Microfreak, and sequencing it with my Pyramid.
5 Likes
What’s the fx and processing like? Is it SP404-great, or more of an afterthought, or something else entirely?
Not on the 404’s level. There’s a delay and reverb that each pad can be bussed to. They have some tweakability. The delay has tempo syncing options. Friday’s firmware update actually just added a dampening control on the reverb. But I think the roadblock is that these FX are using the same CPU as the rest of the machine, so there’s only so much they can do. It’d be neat if they treated these 2 effects sends as “slots” that you can choose what to put in.
Other than that, there’s a master compressor that you can either toggle on or off, with no other controls. To my ears it sounds pretty good and does the job (it is enabled in the video I posted).
In case you count it as an effect, each pad also has its own low/high pass filter. No resonance control.
1 Like
Ok, thanks.
For what’s there - is the quality good? You mentioned the compressor and I’ve heard others say it’s good, too. But the rest - filters, reverb, delay and such. Do they hold up as far as quality goes?
The filters sound good, I haven’t given the delay/reverb enough attention yet to pass judgement.
1 Like
Thanks 
A good playing feel is important to me, and I find it quite tactile. Supporting it with both your hands, the thumbs range over the screen and buttons and you bring your index fingers into play to turn the knobs. I got it for the portability, and I like it.
2 Likes
I bought this last week. The small form factor, time stretching, stereo sampling, and SD Cardis what was appealing to me. The USB power and the small form factor is nice when you want to sit on the couch and explore ideas. It doesn’t offer any new functionality in terms of mangling samples as I’m a Bitwig and a Digitakt user. I play drums on a Roland TD-50 and having a small, compact, and capable sampler to pair up with my SPD-SX and Octapad was the main purpose of the purchase. It does fit nicely on my Analog Keys and this compliments what you can do on a Digitakt really well IMO. This wasn’t a “must have”, but it is a “nice have” that offers convenience and it travels well.
Yeah, hardly a must-have. At the price, it’s a bit of an extravagance and can’t replace anything I already have. I also got it looking forward to firmware updates.
By the way, I also have a TD-50, which I play via a Zendrum controller.
Do you have a full TD-50 or just the module? I’m not too familiar with the Zendrum but it looks really cool. From the looks of it you could midi up to the Blackbox as well? Have you done that? If so, how did it work for you?