User Guide
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3
English
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 first 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 I’m 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 I’m
very proud to combine many of the best parts of AdrenaLinn with M-Audio’s considerable expertise in computer-centric products.
The result is the Black Box.
What is the Black Box? It’s a superb amp modeler combined with a unique effects processor that syncs to an internal drum machine.
Plus, it’s a complete digital audio interface that connects to your computer via USB. The beat-synced effects are the part I enjoy most:
tremolo, flanging, delay—even looped sequences of filtered tones or arpeggiated notes and more—all playing in perfect sync to the
beat or your recording software tempo. And now with the improved version 2 firmware, it’s far more powerful than before. I think
you’ll find—as others have—that 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, I’d 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 guitar’s processed
signal to other recording devices. The main outputs can be used with powered monitors like the M-Audio BX5a’s and the headphone
jack can be used with standard headphones. There are 40 amp models, 121 modulation and filter effect types, an independent beat-
synced 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 Box’s features and operation. You may also want to refer to your audio
software’s documentation, to better understand how the Black Box’s 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.
