Getting Started With Your New Prompter
Learn how to use your BLACK BOX Prompter properly so you’ll be ready at your next gig.
Step 1: Connect to WiFi & Update Software
Your very first step is to connect to your WiFi so you can download the latest software update (very important). We recommend connecting a USB keyboard (included) temporarily (optional) so it’s easier to type in your network password.
How to Upload Lyrics & Charts (Text Files)
How to Manually Upoad Lyrics from USB Thumb Drive
1. Use a basic text editor like Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac). We recommend saving as plain text (.txt) files for the cleanest version*.
*Microsoft Word and Google Docs (.docx) files may also work but check for unwanted characters/symbols).
2. Copy lyrics you find online and paste them into your text editor and get it just the way you want to see it on your BLACK BOX Prompter.
a. add your line breaks
b. label your song sections in brackets (e.g. Chorus, Bridge, Solo, etc.). You can also add any notes inside brackets.
3. When saving:
a. Name the files the title of the song (Keep it clean: do NOT include things like artist name, extra notes, numbers, etc. in file name; avoid special characters).
b. Save them to your hard drive and then copy them over to the USB thumb drive in the “songs” folder.
c. Properly eject thumb drive from your computer/Mac (right click on thumb drive and choose “Eject”).
4. Insert into the side of your BLACK BOX Prompter and the software will recognize your USB thumb drive and start importing immediately. Done!
Remove your USB thumb drive from BOX when done and store in a safe place.
How to Create Your First Set List
1. Use Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac), list out the song names in the order you wish to play them (only the song name – not the artist’s name). Song names must match perfectly word-for-word as what’s on your set list (though not case-sensitive).
***Please do NOT add numbers, file extensions, or extra info to your list of song titles. Every. Letter. Counts.***
2. To break up your list of songs into multiple sets, simply skip a line (every time you skip a line, it tells BLACK BOX Prompter to start a new set so you can easily see “Set 1”, “Set 2”, “Set 3”, etc.).
3. When saving your set list, be sure to:
a. Give it a friendly/recognizable name (We recommend including date and venue of your gig), E.g. “2024-11-14-GeorgesBar” (file extension should be a text-based file (i.e. must end in .txt, .docx, or .odt)
b. Do NOT use spaces or weird characters (no quotes, parentheses, question marks. etc.). Only acceptable characters other than letters/numbers are:
– Commas ,
– Periods .
– Dashes –
– Underscores _
– Brackets (but not parentheses) { } [ ]
c. Save it to your local hard drive first, then copy your set list files over to the “setlists” folder on your USB thumb drive (be sure file has .txt, .docx, or .odt extension).
4. Loading new Set List to your BLACK BOX Prompter:
a. Properly eject your thumb drive (right-click on the thumb drive and choose “Eject”)
b. Insert thumb drive into your BLACK BOX Prompter and it will immediately recognize it and you’ll see your new set list in your “View Set Lists” menu.
BEFORE YOUR GIG: Double-check all your lyrics/chord files are named properly, spelled correctly, and already loaded on your BOX so it perfectly matches the songs on your set list.
*** If your lyrics/chord file is not present or misspelled, then you will see an error on your BOX saying it can’t find the song. ***
How to Edit Songs Directly on your BOX
You can edit songs (i.e. lyrics, chord charts in .txt, .docx, or .rtf format) directly on your BLACK BOX Prompter – no laptop or thumb drive needed!
1. From Main Menu select “Enable Song Editing” to enable it
2. Go to “View EverySong”
3. Scroll to the song you’d like to edit and DOUBLE SELECT it with foot pedal
4. Plug in a USB keyboard
5. Edit song to your liking.
6. To save, press Ctrl-O, and press Enter to overwrite current song.
7. Press Ctrl-X to Exit.
How to Change Startup Image
It’s easy to personalize the image that appears at startup:
1. Create your own image file with dimensions of 1080×1920 and save as either a .jpg, .jpeg, .png, or .pdf file.
2. Save it to your USB thumb drive, inside the ‘logos’ folder.
3. Properly eject your thumb drive and insert it into your prompter (will immediately start importing image file(s).
4. After rebooting, from Main Menu go to “Startup Image” and choose the image you’d like to display at startup/during breaks.
In all of your set lists, you’ll see your startup image as if it was a song. When you click on it, the image pops up immediately – this is intentional so you can easily retrieve this image which is helpful to show your band’s brand before a set or between sets).
We're Here For You If You Need Us...
Having trouble or something isn’t working just right? Visit the Support Page and tell us about it so we can fix it ASAP.