1010MUSIC BLACK BOX SERIES
Today, the Nanobox series gets offspring in the form of the razzmatazz drum machine/groovebox. The first was the Lemondrop granular synth and the Fireball wavetable synth.
1010MUSIC BLACK BOX PORTABLE
Portable electronic music instruments with lots of functionality. Last January, US-based company 1010music unveiled the new Nanobox lineup. More info: Paul replies to an SOS Forum query about this article.1010music expands its tiny nanobox lineup with the razzmatazz, a new groovebox with FM synthesis and sampling. Maybe I’ll explore some of them one day, but for now I’m having more fun than I have in years. OK, this has been a substantial gush about just one feature of a device that, apparently, has lots of others. From the perspective of someone who frequently added way, way too much of everything, this is a godsend. This forces you to become very picky about which elements are essential. Some of its limitations even seem to be useful, for example the ‘restriction’ that just 16 samples/recordings are immediately accessible. Deep down, I believe the best version of any idea happens when it’s freshly born, and the BlackBox puts the smallest distance I can imagine between that initial ‘wow’ moment and a complete mix. I have absolutely no desire to ever return to tweaking individual notes or stacking up decisions to be made later. In the dim and distant past, I always recorded in complete takes, usually with effects, and returning to this level of commitment seems incredibly healthy and refreshing. I’ve now got three! I believe the best version of any idea happens when it’s freshly born, and the BlackBox puts the smallest distance I can imagine between that initial ‘wow’ moment and a complete mix. Before I knew it, none of my setups - ambient or rhythmic - felt right without a BlackBox plumbed in ready to glue everything together. My lightbulb moment came when I realised the BlackBox is, at its heart, a non‑linear recorder ideal for grabbing, triggering and arranging audio, no matter how long and indulgent it might be, and without multitrack restrictions about lining it all up.Īt a stroke, my endless Synthi wails, shuffling granular clouds and reverby piano plinks had a home! And since recordings can be synchronised to an incoming MIDI Clock, I can layer drum‑machine or step‑sequencer performances just as easily. It was usually the length thing that caused the most difficulties - but not for the BlackBox.Īs I slip slowly into dotage, I tend to go on a bit, spending many happy hours gratuitously oozing ambient music. But I still hankered for at least some of the advantages of a DAW, not least the ability to capture any worthwhile noise or musical idea, no matter how long, then take it further. I tackled the latter issue by splitting the studio into three discrete hardware setups, each with a sequencer, mixer, some effects and a few synths. Winding back a little, I’ll admit I make life generally more difficult for myself because I don’t involve a computer in my music‑making - and also because I clog up when presented with too many choices. Thank goodness I listened, because it has completely transformed the way I work. Fortunately, a wise friend suggested I should take a closer look and, if possible, get my hands on one. In my head, I wrote it off as a simplified MPC for the iPhone generation. I initially dismissed the 1010music BlackBox because it was tiny and had minijacks and a touchscreen.
Not long ago, I learned a sobering lesson about pet hates and how they can trip you up.
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