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M-Audio Black Box Guitar Amp Modeling Processor and USB Audio Interface
Free Version 2 Firmware Update Includes More Amp Models, Effects and Pro Tools M-Powered Compatibility.
"Creative Professional must have tool."
Feature:
I use two sustain type pedals for program changes but wish they would design a nice pedal board for it similar to the line6 floorboard. But I get along just find by using the looper so that I always have my straight amp tone for clean sounds and it allows me to preset the blackbox to what I need for the song.
Quality:
Great very professional sounding unit. I depend on it night after night with no backup.
Value:
You simple cant find a more professional unit for this price.
Sound:
I also own Line6 an digitech muliteffect pedals and this does just as good if not better job for a compact all in one unit. I have a looper and used it to AB this unit with my other units and it sounds just as accurate as the line6, and the overdrive and distortion tones are far better than the digitech. I play thru a vibrolux reverb using a loop selector to go from clean unprocessed sound to the blackbox for distortion and other effects. The sound of the blackbox really outdoes the other units because when switching from clean to the blackbox it just sounds like the effect are in a FX loop. What i mean is the sound of amp is still just as sweet. With other units you really notice a change in the tone, you loose the low end or it gets thin. Buit the blackbox retains the tone of your amp and gives you a great selection of standard effects and some really nice unique tones that will set you apart from every other guitar player. Usually when i kick in one of the beat synced effect the next question is how can we us that sound in the song. When using this pedal THINK OUTSIDE of the box. This is one nice creative tool and it inspires me everytime I use it. There was a cliking noise when using the delay but found that turning on the gate to just one will stop it.
Ease of Use:
Very easy to use. I can make quick changes while rehersing with no problems.
Support:
Called and got advise about clicking noise with delay. Great support told me over the phone the gate needed to be turned on at least 1 to stop the clicking.
Overall:
This will be a keep as long as I am playing. It has endless inspiration built into it. Simply great unit.
I use two sustain type pedals for program changes but wish they would design a nice pedal board for it similar to the line6 floorboard. But I get along just find by using the looper so that I always have my straight amp tone for clean sounds and it allows me to preset the blackbox to what I need for the song.
Quality:
Great very professional sounding unit. I depend on it night after night with no backup.
Value:
You simple cant find a more professional unit for this price.
Sound:
I also own Line6 an digitech muliteffect pedals and this does just as good if not better job for a compact all in one unit. I have a looper and used it to AB this unit with my other units and it sounds just as accurate as the line6, and the overdrive and distortion tones are far better than the digitech. I play thru a vibrolux reverb using a loop selector to go from clean unprocessed sound to the blackbox for distortion and other effects. The sound of the blackbox really outdoes the other units because when switching from clean to the blackbox it just sounds like the effect are in a FX loop. What i mean is the sound of amp is still just as sweet. With other units you really notice a change in the tone, you loose the low end or it gets thin. Buit the blackbox retains the tone of your amp and gives you a great selection of standard effects and some really nice unique tones that will set you apart from every other guitar player. Usually when i kick in one of the beat synced effect the next question is how can we us that sound in the song. When using this pedal THINK OUTSIDE of the box. This is one nice creative tool and it inspires me everytime I use it. There was a cliking noise when using the delay but found that turning on the gate to just one will stop it.
Ease of Use:
Very easy to use. I can make quick changes while rehersing with no problems.
Support:
Called and got advise about clicking noise with delay. Great support told me over the phone the gate needed to be turned on at least 1 to stop the clicking.
Overall:
This will be a keep as long as I am playing. It has endless inspiration built into it. Simply great unit.
"The most accurate amp modeller out there I have ever heard."
Feature:
The Black Box is simply a stunning musical insstrument that is indeed very musical. With the new firmware update its pure joy to work with and the newly added amp models (40 amps and 121 effects to start with, who knows what it might end up with their next update!). The BB comes with Abelton Live Lite for Guitar and it is a superb software to try out your ideas and I was so amused that I ordered the full version from Germany. The unit is very well layed out and feels good. There is everything in there now including Reverb and the Mid control. And the Drum patters can be saved with your user preset.
Quality:
The product is very good to look at. The display is huge with a translucent blue colour and it definitely does not look cheap. The knobs feel nice to tweak.
Value:
I do not think there is a better product out there for $200 maybe for the Behringer V Amp 2. But then all these processors have their individual colours.
Desirability:
This product is very sexy in my opinion. You really do not want to take your eyes off from it. On stage it just feels so right in front of you on a tripod stand with your pedal board etc.
Sound:
With their firmware update this is the most accurate amp modelling I have ever heard! It will blow you away. Period. It sounds so real that you will have to really sit there and try really hard to distinguish it from real amps. The chunk, the crunch, the oomph its so engaging to play with this thing that it is nothing short of inspiring. The Marshalls, The Mesa Boogies, The Bogners, The Diezel, The Fenders, The Vox, The Peavey, their new clean preamp and their own custom factory preset called INTENSE is nothing but the best guitar amp sounds you can ever hope to get out of a box of this price and size. I use an Ibanez RG and the BX5a with this and it is such a joy to play with all the effects in front of these speakers. The flangers and the chorus are so sublime and evocative that you can just go on and on and on. The tremolos are brilliant. The delay is dedicated and is top notch. The recordings I have done with it are simply beautiful although I wonder what the clarity would be at 96khz. But I feel you would not have to think about the khz myth with this unit. It does well. I have only scratched the surface here. In time i have have no idea what I would be able to concoct with this unit. Well how better can amp simulation get anyway? I just wish that they raised the khz next time so that we can record everything at 96khz and then it would certainly be one of the de facto standards of recording gutar music (We do not want maths figures to get in our way of thinking when we make music right?). The Black Box was designed with Roger Linn and kudos to his designs and taste for good tones... He is a very inspiring man and M Audio is a fantastic company and their Black Box definitely is an inspiring tool and it sounds very musical and certainly stands out from the pack of Boss, Digitech, Korg and Zoom.
Ease of Use:
Its a joy to use. And its super simple. The manual is well documented and is well worth a read.
Support:
Yes they are very easy to reach and they do respond! And they are friendly too. But as such I have never had any problems with M- Audio as they are usually smart in letting us know of updates before we figure out what's wrong with our product! The drivers are top notch and getting better with each issue.
Overall:
I should be happy with it for as long as it works.
The Black Box is simply a stunning musical insstrument that is indeed very musical. With the new firmware update its pure joy to work with and the newly added amp models (40 amps and 121 effects to start with, who knows what it might end up with their next update!). The BB comes with Abelton Live Lite for Guitar and it is a superb software to try out your ideas and I was so amused that I ordered the full version from Germany. The unit is very well layed out and feels good. There is everything in there now including Reverb and the Mid control. And the Drum patters can be saved with your user preset.
Quality:
The product is very good to look at. The display is huge with a translucent blue colour and it definitely does not look cheap. The knobs feel nice to tweak.
Value:
I do not think there is a better product out there for $200 maybe for the Behringer V Amp 2. But then all these processors have their individual colours.
Desirability:
This product is very sexy in my opinion. You really do not want to take your eyes off from it. On stage it just feels so right in front of you on a tripod stand with your pedal board etc.
Sound:
With their firmware update this is the most accurate amp modelling I have ever heard! It will blow you away. Period. It sounds so real that you will have to really sit there and try really hard to distinguish it from real amps. The chunk, the crunch, the oomph its so engaging to play with this thing that it is nothing short of inspiring. The Marshalls, The Mesa Boogies, The Bogners, The Diezel, The Fenders, The Vox, The Peavey, their new clean preamp and their own custom factory preset called INTENSE is nothing but the best guitar amp sounds you can ever hope to get out of a box of this price and size. I use an Ibanez RG and the BX5a with this and it is such a joy to play with all the effects in front of these speakers. The flangers and the chorus are so sublime and evocative that you can just go on and on and on. The tremolos are brilliant. The delay is dedicated and is top notch. The recordings I have done with it are simply beautiful although I wonder what the clarity would be at 96khz. But I feel you would not have to think about the khz myth with this unit. It does well. I have only scratched the surface here. In time i have have no idea what I would be able to concoct with this unit. Well how better can amp simulation get anyway? I just wish that they raised the khz next time so that we can record everything at 96khz and then it would certainly be one of the de facto standards of recording gutar music (We do not want maths figures to get in our way of thinking when we make music right?). The Black Box was designed with Roger Linn and kudos to his designs and taste for good tones... He is a very inspiring man and M Audio is a fantastic company and their Black Box definitely is an inspiring tool and it sounds very musical and certainly stands out from the pack of Boss, Digitech, Korg and Zoom.
Ease of Use:
Its a joy to use. And its super simple. The manual is well documented and is well worth a read.
Support:
Yes they are very easy to reach and they do respond! And they are friendly too. But as such I have never had any problems with M- Audio as they are usually smart in letting us know of updates before we figure out what's wrong with our product! The drivers are top notch and getting better with each issue.
Overall:
I should be happy with it for as long as it works.
"Excellent piece of kit!"
Feature:
I have pedal board for it so can have more control. Drums are excellent as are the unusual beat matched arpegiators etc.
Quality:
Not ideal for gigging but a ok for home or rehursal.
Value:
Its criminally cheap now so whats not to like!!
Desirability:
The blue light is cool , but its not a Marshall stack or a 50's Fender Strat!
Sound:
Once upgraded it has all you want. It sounds best through PA though not guitar amp.
Ease of Use:
A bit fiddly at first but percivere!
Support:
No dealings but I managed to upgrade without too much hassle.
Overall:
All in all a very groovy sounding, idea inducing fx unit.
I have pedal board for it so can have more control. Drums are excellent as are the unusual beat matched arpegiators etc.
Quality:
Not ideal for gigging but a ok for home or rehursal.
Value:
Its criminally cheap now so whats not to like!!
Desirability:
The blue light is cool , but its not a Marshall stack or a 50's Fender Strat!
Sound:
Once upgraded it has all you want. It sounds best through PA though not guitar amp.
Ease of Use:
A bit fiddly at first but percivere!
Support:
No dealings but I managed to upgrade without too much hassle.
Overall:
All in all a very groovy sounding, idea inducing fx unit.
"Thin, Sterile, Weird Sounding. Look elsewhere for true guitar tone."
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:Lots of interesting effects, being able to sync them to midi beat is great. The drum machine is fun to jam with for a bit but most beats/sounds are very techno oriented.
Quality:
Seems well put together, but it is all plastic, very light weight. Not a lot of substance to it.
Value:
It certainly is cheap - and there is a drum box in there - but its kind of like a cell phone that takes grainy photos and drops calls - lots of features - none of them very good.
Desirability:
It looks nifty - pretty blue lighted display - compact form factor, and the control layout is logical - but it just doesn't get the sound.
Sound:
Dull, sterile, presets are awful and not at all musical. You can tweak it to get better sounds. There are some innovative effects but they come across as gimmicky and not really musical. I'm a tube amp fan and this thing in no way sounds anything like a tube amp. I returned it and bought a VOX ToneLabLE and am really happy with that. zzounds was really great about that and I appreciate their flexibility.
Ease of Use:
Takes a bit of work. Tone controls lack power - hard to shape the tone. Just bass and treble shelf filters.
Support:
In general, M-Audio support is only so-so.
Overall:
I returned it after one day of playing with it. It just doesn't sound good.
"Don't buy the M Audio hype"
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:lots of unusual beat sync'd stuff that has novelty value and that is about it.
Quality:
Product is made to a price point and was released on to the market by a sales department with poor 'non guitar player' R&D
Value:
Spend a little extra and go for a good brand name multi pedal board (e.g. Vox ToneLab) or a little less... the Korg PX4D wipes the floor with this and is less mulahhh
Desirability:
be kind to the planet and make sure that it goes to a recycling facility.
Sound:
Terrible digital noise on some programs.
Ease of Use:
Not very ergonomic.
Support:
Sent mine back.... didn't deal with M Audio.
Overall:
20 minutes
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