Want to turn a folder of sounds into something you can play away from the computer? 1010music’s Blackbox 2 brings sampling, sequencing and performance into a compact touchscreen instrument. Recent Juno coverage puts the second-generation sampler back in focus, and its built-in battery is an obvious part of the appeal.
Start with a sample. Take it somewhere.
The 1010music Blackbox 2 at Juno has four flexible tracks, with instrument types for one-shots, loops, sliced material, multisamples, granular playback through Shredder, and external instruments.
Those are different starting points for the same idea. You might want to play a chopped phrase, build a rhythm from individual hits or stretch a texture into something more atmospheric. Decide which job you want a hardware sampler to take over before comparing it with the software already in your studio.
Sketch it, sequence it, perform it
A four-inch colour touchscreen sits alongside dedicated controls for the main pages. Step sequencing and piano-roll editing offer different ways to build a part, while Launch, Scene and Song views take those parts towards a performance or arrangement.
For a useful first session, bring a small selection of your own sounds rather than your entire library. Make one groove, save it and practise changing sections. That will tell you more about whether the workflow suits you than browsing presets for an afternoon.
A small box with connections to grow
1010music specifies a built-in battery rated for around three hours. USB-C host and device connections support MIDI controllers and multichannel USB audio, while microSD streaming accommodates longer WAV files and multisampled material.
That combination makes portability part of a wider setup choice. You can keep the sampler close to a computer or bring a controller into the session when physical playing matters. Check the connections against the equipment you plan to use with it.
Blackbox or a bigger production setup?
If you want a small sampling instrument, explore Blackbox 2 at Juno. If you are comparing a more substantial hardware workflow, Juno also carries the 1010music Bento. Focus on where you make music, how much you want to carry and which controls you prefer to play.
The Blackbox’s appeal is the focused session: capture a sound, make a pattern and keep moving. See the current Juno listing for the full specification, price and availability.
