M-Audio Black Box - are they any good?

feenster99

feenster99

feenster99

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Hi all,
Anyone got any experience of the M-Audio Black Box? (Link)

I like the look of it, but can't find any in stock locally to try out. The reviews seem to say it isn't the best at anything it does, but is fairly solid. My local (large music chain) shop said that all their group stock were broken, and had heard bad things about that. However, they can now be had for £80 which seems a bit of a bargain.

Any thoughts?

Matt
 
Hmm, not come across this before, but it doesn't seem too bad. I'd recommend going for a PC based setup, I use a Line6 Guitarport and Riffworks recording software.

It'd cost a bit more then the Black Box, but works a treat for me and very easy to get recording with.
 
Yeah, i've seen the Line6 stuff, but don't really like it. It's too focused on jamming with the computer. I'm after something that can be an audio interface as well as a standalone FX unit, and so far, only the Black Box has hit the spot. Just can't find one locally to play with!

Matt
 
I wouldn't totally rule out the Line6 stuff, you can pick a Pod up pretty cheap nowadays, or even the new Pocket Pod.

The fact that you could walk into pretty much any music shop and find Line6 gear, but are struggling to find a Black Box to play with reflects their popularity I guess.
 
True, although the main reason is it is coming to the end of it's lifecycle. I'll keep scouting around, but i think ill just get a cheap USB interface for now.

Matt
 
I have a Black Box (and the pedal board - got them together on offer from GAK a while back) and I love it! The newer ones have a firmware upgrade which open up a lot more effects and amp models.

It's very easy to play with and it records well on the PC. My guitar sounds great through it and it's a Squier Strat. I've not used the drummer function so I don't know much about that, but if you've got any questions about it then go ahead and ask.

One thing is the USB bit didn't work on my PC for some odd reason. It doesn't matter for me as I have an M-Audio Delta 44 soundcard so I just plug in the two jack outputs into my soundcard to record. I reinstalled XP but I've not got around to trying the USB connection as the jack connections work fine.
 
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the reply - you seem to be one of the only people in the world to own one ;-)

Do you have anything else to compare it to? A lot of reviews say that the effects aren't necessarily very realistic, and are a bit too heavily compressed or EQ'd.

Matt
 
The only thing I can compare it to is my couple of pedals + Fender Frontman amp, which the Black Box sounds superior to.

The effects I use are chorus, delay, reverb and wah, and they all seem well modelled to me. There's a couple of weird ones too that I use that can't really be described.

The octave model is a bit iffy, but I have an Electro Harmonix octave pedal I use if I ever need it :)
 
Nice one, cheers. I've found a decent review of it from Music Tech magazine which gives it 9 out of 10. I think i might just go for it and sell it on if it's not up to the job. Thanks for the help.

Matt
 
By the way, is the pedal worth getting? Does it allow you to use the Wah-wah in the conventional sense, rocking your foot, or it just for starting/stopping the drums etc?

Matt
 
Yep, it's the conventional sense. You can apply it over the top of most effects too. Also, you can program the wah pedal to change other aspects, such as depth of chorus / amount of delay. It's pretty versatile :)
 
dmpoole said:
Get yourself a Line 6 Toneport - it doesn't get any easier.

Just seen CBS's reply - what are you doing wrong?
Click to expand...

It's not 'wrong' so much, the whole gearbox thing just grinds my gears and this looks easier. The toneport has a great sound, but I think the Black Box would likely even more idiot proof...

How are you getting on with the toneport?
 
Well, it arrived today, and my first impressions are that it is great. Haven't had time to explore yet, but will report back when i know more.

Matt
 
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