another thing I forgot to mention regarding the blackbox: the audio output voltage fits inside the eurorack norm (5V?) - that means two things: any audio output can be used inside your modular system as triggers, envelopes, fm, you name it. and then: its output is very loud! (and clear :))
Got a question for you that I've been wondering for a while: if you're only recording one synth, why not go Blackbox > Bluebox and save yourself the hassle of having a more complicated signal path? From your video, I only saw you use the EQ as a filter on the Bluebox, but not the recording options, so I am unsure what was the purpose of the feedback patching you set up, and I am very curious about your thinking. Fat chance, I know, but I'd love to get an answer.
I’ve got the Blackbox, it seems quite simple at first, but it’s really a very creative magic machine. Granular is insanely beautiful for ambient stuff, and poly playing samples is gorgeous. Love this machine. Sound fidelity it quite on point as well.
thank you mister director for clarifying this - indeed, our expensive recorder has quite a bit of noise on the headphone out, thats why I was confused. both those boxes are impressively quiet!
is microphone going to Sounddevice recorder or is it recorded independently. I am just trying to work out how you sync Martin voice with the rest of the audio in your setup, thanks! If that is MixPre 3 then there is place for stereo from Bluebox + vocal from lav...
You should pin this information to be displayed at the top of comments or in the video description. I wasn't sure about buying the Blackbox because of the noisy outputs until I read this after scrolling a bit.
I have a Bluebox and love it so far, but I wish there was a cue/pfl button to switch between the main mix and the selected tracks on the headphones. Also a one knob filter would be great, otherwise a super nice unit that replaces my bulky Mackie mixer.
Just picked up both of them, cool to see a video using them together. My wish for firmware update on the Bluebox is per-track dynamics on the inputs. Even a basic one-knob comp/lim would be an amazing addition.
Blackbox doesn't send program changes!!! What do you suggest for this? Or what do you usually do in a live performance? Do you change your patches manually if you are sequencing external synths with the blackbox? 😢
this is great!! thanks for walking us through all this so thoroughly. very, very helpful stuff. bravo!! that little jam right before your summary is a sweet, little organic groove. brilliant!!
It should have a dedicated volume knob too. Every device should. And it would be great if it scrolled the names of files as you highlight them in the preset screen. This is something every device that has samples should do. I have the Roland MC-101 and they don't do it either. Very annoying.
This was excellent! Your reviews are a dive into how the units are used. Oh, and I feel equally “awkward” saying “DAW”. It’s an acronym that doesn’t really invite pronunciation so I just spell it.
Hi …tnx for a great review of these two machines .. I’ve been thinking about the blue ox ..but could you tell me if it can now sync as a slave .. I’d Ike to use it as a slave when recording sessions . Tnx on advanced .
@Wilderness Music I keep reading replies like this to very valid issues, regarding this unit: “just use another peripheral!” My opinion, so far, is this: your reply isn’t an incorrect solution. It does reinforce my suspicion that the unit is not a great value at the price point. With all of these peripheral connections I’d be better suited to use my laptop.
As much as I love hardware , koala sampler on iOS is the most useful I’ve found. Bouncing that into an mc707 makes workflow super fast, and the chopping finds that zero cross over so quickly. The mixer seems much more exciting out of these boxes.
The Granular synthesis makes the BlackBox very special in my opinion and it's very intuitive. But yes, I prefer the mixer too. Some great features and there will be more updates for sure.
Nice review, thanks. So you use the EQ of the Bluebox a bit like a Filter (effect). And recording individual tracks would be inside Bluebox in 48khz/24bit, mix being recorded in Mixpre at 98khz/32bit. I agree that the Blackbox is not really a stand-alone device.
Martin, thanks for the interesting review. You mentionend a recorder in the beginning of the video. What kind of recorder do you use top record those reviews? Would the 1010 mixer bei suitable? Thanks for the inspiration!
On guitar, you can try to fix/avoid noise by using a separate powergroup/fuse (which you only use for your instuments. Even a simple ). Not sure if this applies to keyboards/samplers etc. (Glimmröhre and even L.E.D. lights can cause noise, if on the same group)
the machines are noisy only if you plug them in a usb hub or some usb port that is not grounded or something, i use a power bank or directly to the grid and is supersilent!
@@musictalk-tech yes, in this review it was the headphone Amp. However, the black box IS prone to USB caused ground noise. I know this because I own it and have experienced the ground noise. If you use a USB cable with a ground isolator on it, the noise stops.
Wow Martin! 1010 aught to pay you a commission. This is the best review/tutorial of the Blackbox/Bluebox that i have heard, and in your second language, you are a very talented guy and you have sold me on the blackbox bluebox combo. I was considering Rolands MC707 but no more, the 1010 workflow is exactly what I was looking for considering that i am not a musician, more a tech type who wants to make music.
I want to record a microphone with digital effects pedal would that work and guitar too . I haven’t bought blue box because I need vocals and my. Guitar please let me know . everything sounds real good and great channel .please let me know if you know a work around thanks I liked and subscribed
How do you use these live? Is there a way to dj full tracks or use backing tracks on the bluebox? I think it could be great to see a tutorial or video from you about this Stimming! Love you
Great review. My only complaint was I bought it as a polyphonic sampler, but it just freaks out when trying to use polyphony. Everything els www as great.
yeah, it reaches its limit quite early, even faster in granular mode. from a modern perspective this is annoying but for creativity its not necessarily a bad thing...
I was thinking of getting one of these but somewhat discouraged to hear it doesn't handle polyphonic well. Not that I was hoping to make pads or anything. Four voices on the specs is fine but not if it freaks out!
It seems pretty good but kind of uninspiring at the same time. I've been looking for a sampler for a while now, but still not sold on this device. Midi features, time stretching and granular engine, what else would you need, right? Edit: maybe midi cc sampling for automation, that would be neat! Bitbox with its CV sampling capabilities might be the one, but eurorack is pricy af... Nice video as always! ✌️
When the Blackbox came out I thought exactly the same! But they managed to make a difference to any other sampler out there (mostly in efficiency in pretty much every aspect) which is making it a joy to use...
I currently have my Blackbox running from a Squarp Pyramid and it's an amazing combo. Suddently you have step sequences and LFO's and so on running per-pad parameters.. super powerful! :D
damn just went from having no interest in either of these machines to being totally sold on the blackbox, excited to see what the bluebox becomes further down the firmware update line too
From a haptical point of view very nice, because there is still enough space for your fingers turning the encoders/knobs and you have a quite huge display.
I just got mine yesterday. So far... I'm hating this thing. Using the sequencer is beyond tedious. I know this little thing does a ton of shit. I'm just going to have to figure it out. I'm coming from using the Roland MC-101, which is easy as hell to use. I have not tried sampling or hooking up external gear to control it yet. I haven't had the opportunity. I better grow to like it because I bought it used off of Reverb so no returning it for me. I've learned a valuable lesson though - don't buy used gear until you've made damn sure you it's something you want. I will give it this though - it sounds amazing. Whatever DAC they are using kicks ass.
You are not then only one pal. I am interested in these two, I want to love them, but based on all the reviews on UA-cam, I am really not convinced that I should spend the cash. Also I hate USB powered devices. Every last one of them. It's such a cheap way to save on production costs.
What was missing in this review and I waited for it: what about the quality of the reverb and the capabilities of the delay? And can you - Meister Stimming - recommend the built-in equalizer? Can you recommend the reverb?
hey mosonic, you're right - I didnt talk about it. so, the blackbox reverb is of mediocre quality: in the digitakt league but less tweakable (three parameters) and it sounds not inspiring at all, its useful though. the bluebox reverb is different as it has 15 parameters including very interesting spread and feedback values, and it can do riser/drone sounds with the size-value. still - I haven't got an opinion about it. so far I have a mixed feeling about it - I would say it could beat a mediocre 100eur guitar pedal and I can imagine finding a value set that is inspiring and unheard but too often it sounded weird while using it. the eq is pretty good, I like the most that you dont hear if a band is switched on, I'm talking LoCut especially - where the (pretty bad) simple ableton eqs already colour the sound, the bluebox eq doesnt do any harm to the audio. havent checked deeply how a shelve in high-frequencies sounds. hope I could help.
Just got the novation sl mk3 - same problem - the company asked me to record a video while playing it - because "It's ONLY my SL mk3 with this problem" 🤥 !!!!!!!!
Presumably only the start and end would be significant. "It began with paper, divided, yet fused together. This went on for sometime, proceeded by the presence of a bare, rolled tube of cardboard".
You can add a ferrite clip on isolator to your USB cable and the ground noise disappears. The noise issue isn't with the black or blue box. It is an issue of cheap USB cables or USB cables with out the ground noise isolator built in.
Boa, für die Kohle dann doch lieber Elektron?! :) hahhaha 👋👋👋 I can't handle it. Aber mal ehrlich, der Mann kann schon sehr sehr gut mit gear umgehen aber wenn schon stimming struggelt und härter menüdived als bei elektron sind die Kisten leider bei mir raus.
another thing I forgot to mention regarding the blackbox: the audio output voltage fits inside the eurorack norm (5V?) - that means two things: any audio output can be used inside your modular system as triggers, envelopes, fm, you name it. and then: its output is very loud! (and clear :))
Instablaster.
Got a question for you that I've been wondering for a while: if you're only recording one synth, why not go Blackbox > Bluebox and save yourself the hassle of having a more complicated signal path? From your video, I only saw you use the EQ as a filter on the Bluebox, but not the recording options, so I am unsure what was the purpose of the feedback patching you set up, and I am very curious about your thinking.
Fat chance, I know, but I'd love to get an answer.
I could watch Stimming review gear forever
Glad to hear. More to come.
Support us and subscribe if you like.
Same.
Gives Netflix a run for the money.
I’ve got the Blackbox, it seems quite simple at first, but it’s really a very creative magic machine. Granular is insanely beautiful for ambient stuff, and poly playing samples is gorgeous. Love this machine. Sound fidelity it quite on point as well.
I could watch 6 hours of Stimming reviews in a raw. The best !
Feel free, we need some watchtime 😂
Important information: The noisyness doesn't come from the 1010 units, it was the headphone amplifier of his Sounddevice recorder.
thank you mister director for clarifying this - indeed, our expensive recorder has quite a bit of noise on the headphone out, thats why I was confused. both those boxes are impressively quiet!
is microphone going to Sounddevice recorder or is it recorded independently. I am just trying to work out how you sync Martin voice with the rest of the audio in your setup, thanks!
If that is MixPre 3 then there is place for stereo from Bluebox + vocal from lav...
You should pin this information to be displayed at the top of comments or in the video description. I wasn't sure about buying the Blackbox because of the noisy outputs until I read this after scrolling a bit.
I have a Bluebox and love it so far, but I wish there was a cue/pfl button to switch between the main mix and the selected tracks on the headphones. Also a one knob filter would be great, otherwise a super nice unit that replaces my bulky Mackie mixer.
Very good presentation, thank you
Just picked up both of them, cool to see a video using them together. My wish for firmware update on the Bluebox is per-track dynamics on the inputs. Even a basic one-knob comp/lim would be an amazing addition.
The part where he second-guesses twiddle, ahaha, loved it.
Love my Bluebox works great and also have a TX-6 on the way as I like small mixer recorders that don't require a lot of space.
Blackbox doesn't send program changes!!! What do you suggest for this? Or what do you usually do in a live performance? Do you change your patches manually if you are sequencing external synths with the blackbox? 😢
Great review, been eyeing the bluebox for multi tracking my eurorack jams.
this is great!! thanks for walking us through all this so thoroughly. very, very helpful stuff. bravo!! that little jam right before your summary is a sweet, little organic groove. brilliant!!
thank you sir!
Why doesn't Stimming have a million fans? He rules
Finally someone does a good review on the Blackbox! Love that machine. It's quirky but it is super cool!
just call it Goldbox. Because everything Stimming touches becomes gold.
There should be a shift+scroll to minimize twiddle times for long files. :3
Every electronic music device should have a shift function to move patterns from left to right.
It should have a dedicated volume knob too. Every device should. And it would be great if it scrolled the names of files as you highlight them in the preset screen. This is something every device that has samples should do. I have the Roland MC-101 and they don't do it either. Very annoying.
Dude, you're really funny! I'll buy you a beer next time I'm in Germany, this was an unexpectedly fantastic review!
there are many more here and at www.eb.tv
@@musictalk-tech that's a lot of beer
Such a great video! Exactly what is was looking for thanks. Time to subscribe so I can all the latest Blackbox tricks.
This was excellent! Your reviews are a dive into how the units are used. Oh, and I feel equally “awkward” saying “DAW”. It’s an acronym that doesn’t really invite pronunciation so I just spell it.
me everyday "why does it work now, that is strange..." enjoyable and informative as always, cheers :D
Very cool! Really like seeing these together.
need the bluebox now.. love how these are named too.. reminds of phreaking days
A great little powerful box. I ordered one too 😀
... that would make Stimming Captain Crunch!
thank you appreciate the review i guess i need to get it and a di and a preamp
Hi …tnx for a great review of these two machines .. I’ve been thinking about the blue ox ..but could you tell me if it can now sync as a slave .. I’d
Ike to use it as a slave when recording sessions . Tnx on advanced .
I'm confused why hasn't the bitbox micro firmware caught up to the blackbox (midi sequencing specifically)
Stimming Is The Truth!
@Marcellus_MB More to come soon. Novation Circuit Tracks Review next week.
Pls. subscribe to support if you like.
Are you still happy with the Blue Box? Do you often use the 'stems in DAAAW' via SD or is it primarily a live mixer for small setups?
Wonderfully eccentric review! Looking forward to cutting my teeth with the blackbox 👌🏽
Cool review- thx
Speaking of too loud... I wish the blackbox had a dedicated volume knob. Every piece of gear should have a volume knob. In my humble opinion
@Wilderness Music I keep reading replies like this to very valid issues, regarding this unit: “just use another peripheral!”
My opinion, so far, is this: your reply isn’t an incorrect solution. It does reinforce my suspicion that the unit is not a great value at the price point. With all of these peripheral connections I’d be better suited to use my laptop.
As much as I love hardware , koala sampler on iOS is the most useful I’ve found. Bouncing that into an mc707 makes workflow super fast, and the chopping finds that zero cross over so quickly. The mixer seems much more exciting out of these boxes.
The Granular synthesis makes the BlackBox very special in my opinion and it's very intuitive. But yes, I prefer the mixer too. Some great features and there will be more updates for sure.
Together with the Beebo/Digit this would be a portable ministudio.
Nice review, thanks. So you use the EQ of the Bluebox a bit like a Filter (effect). And recording individual tracks would be inside Bluebox in 48khz/24bit, mix being recorded in Mixpre at 98khz/32bit. I agree that the Blackbox is not really a stand-alone device.
Martin, thanks for the interesting review. You mentionend a recorder in the beginning of the video. What kind of recorder do you use top record those reviews? Would the 1010 mixer bei suitable? Thanks for the inspiration!
www.sounddevices.com/products/
@@musictalk-tech Cool! Danke!!
Martin is the best! :) Liked and subscribed. Cannot wait for more content :)
Next Review next week - Novation Circuit Tracks
What brand are these green USB-Cables?
Was der Typ anfasst, wird Gold
In your opinión whichone will be better for live performance if you had to choose ?
Oh balls I'm going to have to pull the trigger on the Bluebox now 😝
I ordered one too 😬
@@musictalk-tech just ordered!
I wonder what I'd like to compliment my TE OP-1 classic. I am looking at this one as oppose to the TX-6.
THX! Great vid!
So we are still waiting for an improvement on the bluebox
On guitar, you can try to fix/avoid noise by using a separate powergroup/fuse (which you only use for your instuments. Even a simple ).
Not sure if this applies to keyboards/samplers etc. (Glimmröhre and even L.E.D. lights can cause noise, if on the same group)
the machines are noisy only if you plug them in a usb hub or some usb port that is not grounded or something, i use a power bank or directly to the grid and is supersilent!
The noisyness came from the Sounddevice headphone ampflier, so false alarm.
@@musictalk-tech yes, in this review it was the headphone Amp. However, the black box IS prone to USB caused ground noise. I know this because I own it and have experienced the ground noise. If you use a USB cable with a ground isolator on it, the noise stops.
@@noahsiekmann4275 any specific cable recommendations for the USB and Audio?
Your own channel Stimming? Good stuff. Subbed
Not his own but he is an important part of this channel
@@musictalk-tech good move on you guys part. I love the way he thinks critically , it’s like a super power
yes, and he is just a nice and very skilled musician.
PS. We did the reviews on EB.TV with him as well. Just release them on our own channel now.
Interesting boxes, thank you for sharing. Also, "Twiddle?" is a word, just to confirm your mild confusion.
A new gear review Channel - including awesome Stimming - he ist the nelson müller of gear reviews ;-)
We wanna support - is there a donate option ?
At the end of the description 🙏
On the Bluebox : Lower the gain and volume of the channels you don't use = less noise :)
Pro-tip 😉
Will the EB Tech Talk series also be on this channel from now on?
Yes, most of the tech stuff like Studio Tech Talks, Ask The Producer etc. plus some new series over the time.
Superb review! I want both! What kind of cables are you using trs on both ends? Also mind sharing their brand?
Assume they’re trs both ends for stereo. Branding doesn’t matter!
Wow Martin! 1010 aught to pay you a commission. This is the best review/tutorial of the Blackbox/Bluebox that i have heard, and in your second language, you are a very talented guy and you have sold me on the blackbox bluebox combo. I was considering Rolands MC707 but no more, the 1010 workflow is exactly what I was looking for considering that i am not a musician, more a tech type who wants to make music.
I have both and I can say that the 707 is very intuitive and I have been able to sit down and just start getting ideas out pretty quickly and easily.
Please someone tell me what TRS cables does Stimming use here? The colored braided ones.
Have they implemented an "unquantized" option yet ?
You should sample/ remix/ re-edit this video! It is full of cool sounds. To be honest, i kind of did (in my head)
I want to record a microphone with digital effects pedal would that work and guitar too . I haven’t bought blue box because I need vocals and my. Guitar please let me know . everything sounds real good and great channel .please let me know if you know a work around thanks I liked and subscribed
Where are those nice pink and blue braided cables from?!
What's the computational capacity of these two? (RAM)
stimming in we trust 😊
is there any way to record vocals and guitar or only synths
You can record everything. Bluebox is a mixer with recording function
Stimming Reviews ❤️
Great video
How do you use these live? Is there a way to dj full tracks or use backing tracks on the bluebox? I think it could be great to see a tutorial or video from you about this Stimming! Love you
Need a stimming microfreak v3.00 review please!!
@Martin Stimming
@@musictalk-tech its totally worth another ‘mighty Microfreak video! V3 is like a new synth
@@NeoLudditevisons we know
@@musictalk-tech awesome!!!
I honestly would just use this to capture samples off of movies, old music CDs and vinyl records.
and then you could immediately build something useful with it.
id recommend an old sp for that job tbh
@@LaymensLament nah this is better
Great review. My only complaint was I bought it as a polyphonic sampler, but it just freaks out when trying to use polyphony. Everything els www as great.
yeah, it reaches its limit quite early, even faster in granular mode. from a modern perspective this is annoying but for creativity its not necessarily a bad thing...
I was thinking of getting one of these but somewhat discouraged to hear it doesn't handle polyphonic well. Not that I was hoping to make pads or anything. Four voices on the specs is fine but not if it freaks out!
It seems pretty good but kind of uninspiring at the same time. I've been looking for a sampler for a while now, but still not sold on this device. Midi features, time stretching and granular engine, what else would you need, right? Edit: maybe midi cc sampling for automation, that would be neat!
Bitbox with its CV sampling capabilities might be the one, but eurorack is pricy af...
Nice video as always! ✌️
When the Blackbox came out I thought exactly the same! But they managed to make a difference to any other sampler out there (mostly in efficiency in pretty much every aspect) which is making it a joy to use...
I currently have my Blackbox running from a Squarp Pyramid and it's an amazing combo. Suddently you have step sequences and LFO's and so on running per-pad parameters.. super powerful! :D
@@rewwhiskas4234, for some reason I did not think of trying this combo ... which I have. Going to try it out tonight. Thank you!
damn just went from having no interest in either of these machines to being totally sold on the blackbox, excited to see what the bluebox becomes further down the firmware update line too
From a haptical point of view very nice, because there is still enough space for your fingers turning the encoders/knobs and you have a quite huge display.
I hate sampling and daws because I just have a mental block with them and I am not good. This looks right though. I think I could have fun with this.
Awesome - what type of midi cable is that, that links the blue box and black box without needing the bulky 5 pin din? V cool.
Regular audio trs 3.5mm cable
They should make a darkblue box that can do both (sampler and mixer) when required
If the bluebox had a looper I'd buy one immediately
I can confirm twiddle is a word.
I just got mine yesterday. So far... I'm hating this thing. Using the sequencer is beyond tedious.
I know this little thing does a ton of shit. I'm just going to have to figure it out. I'm coming from using the Roland MC-101, which is easy as hell to use.
I have not tried sampling or hooking up external gear to control it yet. I haven't had the opportunity. I better grow to like it because I bought it used off of Reverb so no returning it for me. I've learned a valuable lesson though - don't buy used gear until you've made damn sure you it's something you want.
I will give it this though - it sounds amazing. Whatever DAC they are using kicks ass.
You are not then only one pal. I am interested in these two, I want to love them, but based on all the reviews on UA-cam, I am really not convinced that I should spend the cash. Also I hate USB powered devices. Every last one of them. It's such a cheap way to save on production costs.
What was missing in this review and I waited for it: what about the quality of the reverb and the capabilities of the delay? And can you - Meister Stimming - recommend the built-in equalizer? Can you recommend the reverb?
hey mosonic, you're right - I didnt talk about it.
so, the blackbox reverb is of mediocre quality: in the digitakt league but less tweakable (three parameters) and it sounds not inspiring at all, its useful though. the bluebox reverb is different as it has 15 parameters including very interesting spread and feedback values, and it can do riser/drone sounds with the size-value. still - I haven't got an opinion about it. so far I have a mixed feeling about it - I would say it could beat a mediocre 100eur guitar pedal and I can imagine finding a value set that is inspiring and unheard but too often it sounded weird while using it.
the eq is pretty good, I like the most that you dont hear if a band is switched on, I'm talking LoCut especially - where the (pretty bad) simple ableton eqs already colour the sound, the bluebox eq doesnt do any harm to the audio. havent checked deeply how a shelve in high-frequencies sounds.
hope I could help.
Super interessting
wait...did Stimming produced "Im a Slave for you" live rn? :D
Just got the novation sl mk3 - same problem - the company asked me to record a video while playing it - because "It's ONLY my SL mk3 with this problem" 🤥 !!!!!!!!
Can full bears be made on this?
I’d watch Stimming review a roll of toilet paper even from start to end
Exciting 😂
Presumably only the start and end would be significant. "It began with paper, divided, yet fused together. This went on for sometime, proceeded by the presence of a bare, rolled tube of cardboard".
Blackbox, a great and simple piece of equipment explained in a complicated way.
Let's say in a more creative Stimming way 😉
@@musictalk-tech it's what he doesn't say that makes it so compelling. A lot of feeling. Bit like the music.
One wavelength you mean to say. Not waveform. Presumably
🙌🏻
Funkworm! 2005
Dude you have some Collin Farell in you
So USB powered sound devices just need too stop being made if they are going to create unnecessary noise floor. That in itself just hurts my wallet.
These boxes here don’t have any noise. It was the headphone amplifier from his sounddevice recorder. False alarm!
Mine was noisy unless I used a separate power then it was fine.
I agree, but not for those devices. they are one of the rare ones that got it rght!
You can add a ferrite clip on isolator to your USB cable and the ground noise disappears. The noise issue isn't with the black or blue box. It is an issue of cheap USB cables or USB cables with out the ground noise isolator built in.
"And this is bullshit..."
:)))
Tesla! Sexy? Omg
Boa, für die Kohle dann doch lieber Elektron?! :) hahhaha 👋👋👋 I can't handle it. Aber mal ehrlich, der Mann kann schon sehr sehr gut mit gear umgehen aber wenn schon stimming struggelt und härter menüdived als bei elektron sind die Kisten leider bei mir raus.
Definitiv einfacher zu bedienen als ne Elektron Kiste beim ersten mal. Martin benutzt beides ;-)
@@musictalk-tech weiß ich. Ich fand den digitakt (mein erster Elektr) recht intuitiv. Hatte aber auch vorm Kauf 1000 Videos geschaut :)
Cat Music
Screen to small don’t care what you say good luck seeing that in the dark on stage
To each their own.
Lol. I managed with a tiny MPC screen for years