Justin Joe Blackbox Mod is a new custom firmware for the original 1010music Blackbox sampler with new features, including an SP-1200 mode.
At this year’s Superbooth, 1010music announced the Blackbox 2, the successor to their sampling workstation. Shipments began in the summer, which also marked the discontinuation of the MK1 and the end of its active development. But not in the community!
Like with the Roland SP-404 or Elektron Model: Cycles, there’s already an alternative firmware available. Justin Joe has released the Blackbox Mod, a new custom firmware for the OG Blackbox.
Justin Joe Blackbox Mod
Blackbox Mod is an unofficial custom firmware for the 1010music Blackbox Mk1. As with other custom firmwares, caution is advised. Since it is unofficial and likely AI-created, there is a risk of bricking the hardware; use it at your own risk.
According to Justin Joe, the new features in the Blackbox Mod run on top of 1010music’s own 3.1.9 firmware. The stock firmware stays in place, and the mod adds to it, so the Blackbox you know is still all there.
This new custom firmware adds many features the manufacturer didn’t provide.
Sampler Engine Changes
On the sound engine side, it gets new fidelity (Lo-Fi) machine modes. The standard “Interp” becomes “Fidelity”, with SP-12, S950, and MPC60 modes. You can now work with 12-bit, giving you grittier sounds when pitching down samples. Plain low-rate crunch settings are also available.
Alongside this, the pad filter is now a resonating 24dB/oct filter with the same knob ranges. This custom OS also adds and replaces various effects.
You can now work with warmer, softer saturation instead of the stock overdrive. In the SP / MPC Fidelity modes, it acts like slamming the sampler’s inputs.
Then, FX1 and FX2 get a type setting. FX1 now features a new granular delay (Munchi) that creates either glitchy repeats and delays that bloom into reverb with freeze. It follows the Blackbox tempo.
FX2 comes with a new room reverb. This gives you a tighter room reverb next to the stock plate, with its own size, mod, early, and width controls.
Also onboard are new compressor models available in a new compressor list (Stock, Glue, Punch, Opto, Squash, Limit) with a threshold setting.
Creative & Workflow Features
In addition to these sound engine features, Justin Joe Blackbox Mod also comes with many other features.
There are four new modulation sources that fire whenever pad 1 plays (that’s where my kick lives). They come with four shapes (two exponential, a pump, and a straight line). With a negative amount on a pad’s level, you can achieve ducking with a compressor.
It also comes with new features for playability. Justin Joe added a chord functionality to the Blackbox. With the top-right knob on the Keys screen, you can pick a chord shape- 16 of them.
Extra notes come from the scale you set, so it stays in key, plus a few parallel m7 / m9 / Mj7 shapes for house stabs. Chords record into the sequencer.
Talking of sequencer. It now features Elektron-style conditions in the piano roll’s play list that goes from 1:2 through 8:8. There is also a change.
Other changes include:
- On stock, a note you add just ahead of the playhead waits a full loop before it plays. Now it plays on this pass. (Really close placements can still miss.)
- control the slice start and end with the bottom knobs
- Top-right knob zooms the waveform in the slicer
- solo in the mixer (in yellow): MIX now cycles mixer, mute, and solo.
First Impression
And the custom firmware wave continues. Now for the Blackbox Mk1. It is exciting to see the development goes on with the help of the users, carrying the product forward. However, you should be aware that the firmware isn’t perfect.
The Blackbox mod developer says he built the firmware for his own use, so it has some rough edges. Some issues are known, and some features still don’t work perfectly.
Justin Joe Blackbox Mod is available now as a free download. Keep in mind: this is a custom, unofficial firmware that can brick your hardware. So, use it at your own risk!
More information here: GitHub
maybe someone in the comnunity can fix bento firmware and get it up to where it should be…
at this point single developer cfw’s are outpacing mfg
1010 is very small anyways they are stretched too thin
bento is still full of wild bugs and missing or very poorly implimented features
sry im just disappointed with it; i hope it will improve bc its a great form factor
I’ve there was a custom firmware that changes everything GUI wise I would be far more interested. Such a big screen but nothing looks fun. Make it fun!