Jomox

Notes: The legendary Alpha Base drum machine gets a major update. Sheer analogue power meets hybrid sampling options, now with improved visual feedback, better control and tweaked sound engines. Immense.

Supplier's Notes:
The ALPHA BASE Mk II is the successor of the already legendary ALPHA BASE.

What's new?

-Graphic OLED display
-Real RGB LEDs in the sequencer
-More buttons: Last Step, Roll/Flam, Store Kit/Patt, Rec Para and Rec Sample
-Analogue panning circuitry for the hybrid sample channels
-Improved analogue engine
-Noise volume is controllable in the hybrid sample channels
-More samples
-Headphone volume is independent from mix volume

It's true analogue. Eleven instruments, sequencer, Midi/USB/SD-Card. Samples. Sampling inputs, balanced individual outputs.

Although it may appear similar to the classics XBASE 09, 999 and 888, the ALPHA BASE has an entirely new design under the hood. Jomox have put in the concentrated know-how of their drum machines and synths of the past 20 years. Some things have been simplified, but also added new components or have combined them new. The outcome is the best sounding and most versatile drum machine that Jomox has ever built.

Kick Drum

The centre instrument still is the analogue kick drum which has gotten a facelifting again. The legendary punch and assertiveness of all Jomox kicks is convincingly continued. LFO, pitch envelope, metallic noise and gate time are famous features that may not and do not miss out.

MBrane
As a second analogue instrument, Jomox have put in a complete MBrane voice. It covers a gigantic spectrum of analogue snare drums, percussions, cow bells, claves, glasses, toms, bass drums etc. etc. It uses the technology of the Mod.Brane11. Of course, this instrument has 2 own LFOS, pitch envelopes and metallic noise as well.

Samples+Filter

The succeeding six instruments are built hybridly and consist of samples that are run through real analogue filters and VCAs. Each analogue sample channel has an own metallic noise that alternatively can be used as a signal source or being mixed to the sample.

With metallic noise only, it becomes a pure analogue instrument again. Four channels make use of a multimode filter that is capable of resonance - again they can be used as true analogue instruments with the self-oscillating filter as the only sound source if you wish.

Hi Hat

Two of these six channels are reserved for hi hats and make use of a proven and improved HH filter that was used in the XBASE 999 already. It is specialized for analogue hi hats and may conjure wonderful noisy hi hats from a sample mixed with metallic noise.

Clap, Rim, Crash, Ride

The succeeding four channels have each a resonateable 2-pole multimode filter that can be switched between LP, HP and BP. The filter cutoff can be modulated by an ADSR envelope and an LFO per instrument. If the filter is self-oscillating, one can create wonderful analogue toms, claves, sticks etc. by means of the VCA envelope behind. Or even extremely bend samples sonically. By principle, each of the four MM filter sample channels is a little synth voice of its own. A sampled synth bass run through the analogue filter is nearly indistinguishable from a real analogue synth.

X Sample 1+2

Moreover, there are two sample instruments that work purely digital. It's even possible that the Alpha Base can sample external audio on these channels for about max. 5 seconds. Which is more than enough for drum samples. The recorded sample can be stored on SD card or being copied to the internal flash memory and then being played back by the other sample channels. Samples can also be copied from SD card into flash memory. The format is RAW/WAV mono 16 Bit / 48kHz. The internal organization divides samples into fixed memory slots that can be addressed by the parameter sample select in the instruments. All samples can be pitched and modulated in a wide range. The sample start and stop can be edited and they are loopable as well. Modulation targets are: pitch, filter cutoff and volume. Each channel has an own LFO for that.

FM Synth

As a little digital gadget, a mini FM synth has been added. With 4 operators and maximum 6 voices it can create weird and crazy percussion sounds up to simple chords. Played over an external midi keyboard, it can be used as a polyphonic synth.

Effects

Two digital effects are on board: delay and reverb that act as send/return effects. Each of the analogue instrument outputs has an own A/D converter. The delay effect can also be inserted into the six hybrid sample channels and becomes then part of the sound production chain. The reverb can easily be killed by an encoder click but is indeed a great advantage for life performances with minimal equipment. Reverb times may reach to almost infinity, and the damping filters act quite extremely so that the reverb meets the requirement of modern electronic music and can be an essential part of sound.

Editing

For the editing of parameters there are 16 encoders arranged in a 4x4 matrix. Each instrument only addresses two pages by 16 values to make the editing as easy as possible, without deep menu cursors.

11 Instruments: Kick Drum, MBrane, Cl HiHat, Op HiHat, Clap, Rim Shot, Crash, Ride, X Sample 1, X Sample 2, FM Synth.
Real analogue Jomox kick drum.
Real analogue Jomox MBrane voice with 2 coupleable F-OSC for complex analogue snare, percussion, bass and tom sounds ranging from 16Hz to 20kHz.
2 sample based instruments with analogue VCA ADSR envelope and/or HH filter, optionally with metallic noise mixed as extra sound source. The HH filter is 2-pole, HP/LP/Res each separated parameters, peakable but not oscillating.
4 sample based instruments with analogue VCA ADSR envelope and/or resonating multimode filter (LP, HP, BP) with ADSR envelope, optionally with metallic noise mixed as extra sound source. The multimode filter can be used as a signal generator in order to generate analogue toms or sticks etc.
2 sample based instruments with external sampling input and pure digital playback.
1 FM synth with 4 operators and max. 6 voices for percussive sounds.
Effects delay, reverb with send per instrument, also insertable into analogue signal path on CH, OH, Clp, Rim, Ride.
LFOs: per instrument one LFO (MBrane 2 LFOs) with 64 wave forms, each assignable on pitch, VCA, filter cutoff.
500 samples 16 Bit/48kHz in internal flash memory.
SD card slot for loading of samples.
USB (Midi Device).
Midi In, Midi Out, Midi Thru.
Inputs: stereo in for sampling, FX or sidechain. Both inputs are Hi-Z and suitable for guitar/bass or work up to line level +20dBu.
Outputs: 8 individual balanced outputs, stereo mix balanced, headphones.
Output Level: max. ca.+14dBu unbalanced, +20dBu balanced on all outputs.
18 encoders
Input Volume, Phones Volume and Mix Volume are analogue potentiometers.
OLED Display 256x64px.
12V 2A DC external power supply.
Stable metal case.
Wooden side cheeks, rubber feet.
Size: 41cm (16.1") x 24cm (9.5") x 8cm (3.2") (back side).
Weight: ca. 3.3kg (7.26 lbs).

Notes: The MBase11 can do only one thing, but it does it right, and it does this even better than in the past.

The MBase11 is the logical follower of the MBase01 and offers even better performance, more versatility and an even phatter sound. It generates analog bass drums, from extremely powerful to soft and covers the whole range from 909-style to 808-fashioned. And also, the LFO has 8 different waveforms including true sine that can be used to create very different envelopes. The resulting sounds are not simply kicks, this turns out to be a bass drum synthesizer.

The MBase11 has a compression parameter to vary the thickness of decaying sound. It offers a variable gate time to to create very different sounding attacks. It also has a metalise parameter to have hundreds of variations on the attack noise.

For more intuitive editing, JoMox have added an analog potentiometer that works alternatively to the parameter editing when scrolling the data wheel is too hard.

The MBase11 purposefully sounds a bit different to the XBASE 999/888, making it a great sounding expansion for our other drum products and other analog percussion.

The kick sets in very precisely and the attack sounds very snappy at all kinds of sound variations.

The MBase11 can also be used as a real bass with some limitations. If decay is cranked up it is long enough for tones and the pitch can be played on the keyboard in semitones over three octaves.

The kick drum can be triggered by an external analog trigger input. This is especially useful for live drummers who want to thicken up their live drum kit. The trigger input works with regular piezo pickups or audio signals.

Last but not least: one of the most convincing arguments for the MBase11 is the price: This is an inexpensive tool that helps you to create great kick sounds, without the time-consuming searching associated with mostly not satisfying samples. You save time and energy while reaching the sound quality you always imagined.

Tweak the sound you need. Everything is real.

Notes: This long-awaited FM voice module from Jomox is a self-contained synth in Eurorack format, patchable and compatible with other modules but capable of creating eight-voice polyphonic patches all on its own. Vastly powerful.

Supplier's Notes:
The Mod FM is a completely self-contained 8 voice FM synth in eurorack format, which can create powerful sounds out of the box without lacking the commonly provided CV modulation possibilities.

It provides 4 Operators and 2 LFOs/VCOs per voice. Additionally it has 2 analogue filters and analogue VCAs per voice which apply analogue warmth and depth to the Mod FM, although the FM engine is digital of course.

Each voice has own CV/Gate inputs and an individual output. There is a mix output which separates even and odd voices. Here you can mix internal effects like delay and reverb to the stereo output signal.

Next to the CV/Gate control, the Mod FM has Midi in and out in TRS type A format and a USB C connector which handles Midi too.

Even without diving too much into complicated modular setups you can create extremely good sounding and metallic FM sounds, snappy bases but also soft and deep sounding analogue style sounds.

Furthermore, the Mod FM offers a variety of external cv modulations in order to e.g. modulate each operator individually or control the FM envelopes.

The Mod FM is fully multitimbral, i.e. each voice can play an own sound in Multi Mode which gets stored as a complete multi set (not only vectorized). That is, you can copy a single sound to the desired multi, but editings made on that particular multi get stored along with the multi set.

Hence, we have the biggest advantage of the hybrid approach:

Modular is great but can be very complex, and you might be trapped in a system where you never reach again the desired sound of the latest session. Storability certainly helps.

The different sections in more detail:

Matrix FM:

4 operators are arranged in a matrix, in which every operator (= sine oscillator) can be modulated by each one of the other three.

The 16 endless potentiometers of the matrix adjust the modulation amount (FM amt) and the base frequency of the operators.

For each operator you can change the base frequency by the diagonal knobs.

There are several overtone modes that determine if one operator is controlled by the keynote (or CV) = base operator, or if it's locked in as overtone (= overtone operator) to the assigned base operator. For the base operator, the number resembles xxx semitones added to the keynote.

For the overtone operator, the adjusted number is the xxx = Nth overtone or harmonics to the base operator frequency.

The locked overtone operator tracks the base operator and is still able to modulate and being modulated.

Each operator has an ADSR envelope. This envelope can also be used to frequency-modulate the operator.

Algorithm:

The algorithms from the known FM synthesis are actually special cases to the whole matrix.

Because it gets pretty quickly uncontrollable if you turn all the knobs because of the feedbacks, Jomox have decided to implement the algorithms. There are 26 algorithms, that are derived from the DX9 with its 4 operators.

At this menu it's even possible to change the frequency mode of each operator to a fixed frequency that is edited in single Hz and which does not follow the keynote, but only modulation. That makes sense for e.g. percussive sounds.

LFO/VCO:

Each voice has 2 LFOs which can modulate either the frequency (FM) or the amplitude (AM) of an operator. Every LFO addresses 64 different wave forms that are displayed in the right OLED display.

There is another feature: each LFO can be switched into a VCO that covers the whole audio range. You can even mix it into the signal chain and it tracks to the keynote. The former LFO rate parameter turns into a detune parameter. That is, you can create classic sounding rectangle/sawtooth analogue basses or string pads - and much more of course.

Filter:

Each voice contains an analogue filter which is build up with the chip SSI2140 from Sound Semiconductor, which is an improved modern version of the old SSM2040, designed by Dave Rossum, and which had been used in Oberheim synths and the early SCI Prophet-5.

The filter has a classic 24dB output and a 12dB state-variable multimode-filter. The three basic characteristic outputs LP/BP/HP can be cross-faded continuously with one parameter called shape.

Both filter outputs 24dB/12dB can be mixed independently.

The ADSR for the filter is fast and cuts in very quick and directly, the resonance is well adjustable.

The filter section contains an own LFO for the cutoff which is independent from the digital sound engine and has also 64 waveforms.

The VCA is a fast transistor-VCA which is important for snappy sounds. The same transistor-VCA is used in all Jomox drum products. Therefore the ModFM can be used as a rich source for technoid drums and percussions of any kind.

Notes: A year ago, Jomox brought out the Mod FM as a eurorack module.

Now, Jomox present almost the same synth, but as a desktop unit, with its own PSU, Midi, standard 1/4" balanced outputs and analogue volume control.

The Mod FM D has an analogue side chain stereo input that gets routed into the Mod FM D effects, and can be mixed to the synth.

The ratio of synth + input/effects can be controlled via an analogue dry/wet potentiometer.

The Mod FM D is a completely self-contained 8 voice FM synth in desktop format, which can create powerful sounds out of the box without lacking the commonly provided CV modulation possibilities.

It provides 4 Operators and 2 LFOs/VCOs per voice. Additionally, it has 2 analogue filters and analogue VCAs per voice which apply analogue warmth and depth to the Mod FM D, although the FM engine is digital of course.

Each voice has its own CV/Gate inputs and an individual output. There is a mix output which separates even and odd voices. Here you can mix internal effects like delay and reverb to the stereo output signal.

Next to the CV/Gate control, the Mod FM D has Midi in and out and a USB C connector which handles Midi too.

Even without diving too much into complicated setups you can create extremely good sounding and metallic FM sounds, snappy bases but also soft and deep sounding analogue style sounds as tons of crazy weird stuff.

Furthermore, the Mod FM D offers a variety of external cv modulations in order to modulate each operator individually or control the FM envelopes.

The Mod FM D is fully multitimbral, i.e. each voice can play an own sound in Multi Mode which gets stored as a complete multi set (not only vectorized). That is, you can copy a single sound to the desired multi, but edits made on that particular multi get stored along with the multi set.

Hence, we have the biggest advantage of the hybrid approach:

Analogue and modular is great but can be very complex, and you might be trapped in a system where you never reach again the pretty sound of the latest session. Storability certainly helps.

The different sections in more detail:

Matrix FM:

4 operators are arranged in a matrix, in which every operator (= sine oscillator) can be modulated by each one of the other three.

The 16 endless potentiometers of the matrix adjust the modulation amount (FM amt) and the base frequency of the operators.

For each operator you can change the base frequency by the diagonal knobs.

There are several overtone modes that determine if one operator is controlled by the keynote (or CV) = base operator, or if it's locked in as overtone (= overtone operator) to the assigned base operator. For the base operator, the number resembles xxx semitones added to the keynote.

For the overtone operator, the adjusted number is the xxx = Nth overtone or harmonics to the base operator frequency.

The locked overtone operator tracks the base operator and is still able to modulate and being modulated.

Each operator has an ADSR envelope. This envelope can also be used to frequency-modulate the operator.

Algorithm:

The algorithms from the known FM synthesis are actually special cases to the whole matrix.

As it gets pretty quickly uncontrollable if you turn all the knobs due to the feedback, Jomox have decided to implement the algorithms. There are 26 algorithms, that are derived from the DX9 with its 4 operators.

At this menu it's even possible to change the frequency mode of each operator to a fixed frequency that is edited in single Hz and which does not follow the keynote, but only modulation. That makes sense for e.g. percussive sounds.

LFO/VCO:

Each voice has 2 LFOs which can modulate either the frequency (FM) or the amplitude (AM) of an operator. Every LFO addresses 64 different wave forms that are displayed in the right OLED display.

There is another feature: each LFO can be switched into a VCO that covers the whole audio range. You can even mix it into the signal chain and it tracks to the keynote. The former LFO rate parameter turns into a detune parameter. That is, you can create classic sounding rectangle/sawtooth analogue basses or string pads - and much more of course.

Filter:

Each voice contains an analogue filter which is build up with the chip SSI2140 from Sound Semiconductor, which is an improved modern version of the old SSM2040, designed by Dave Rossum, and which had been used in Oberheim synths and the early SCI Prophet-5.

The filter has a classic 24dB output and a 12dB state-variable multimode-filter. The three basic characteristic outputs LP/BP/HP can be cross-faded continuously with one parameter called shape.

Both filter outputs 24dB/12dB can be mixed independently.

The ADSR for the filter is fast and cuts in very quick and directly, the resonance is well adjustable.

The filter section contains an own LFO for the cutoff which is independent from the digital sound engine and has also 64 waveforms.

The ADSR for the filter is fast and cuts in very quick and directly, the resonance is well adjustable.

The filter section contains an own LFO for the cutoff which is independent from the digital sound engine and has also 64 waveforms.

The VCA is a fast transistor-vca which is important for snappy sounds. The same transistor-vca is used in all Jomox drum products. Therefore the ModFM can be used as a rich source for technoid drums and percussions of any kind.

On the analogue voice board there is another sound source: Metal Noise. It can be mixed into the filter independently from the digital engine (= FM synth) and offers again an inexhaustible pool of weird sounds.

FX:

The Mod FM D also has an FX section added: reverb and 2x delay. These only work on the stereo mix output. The delay can be beat-synchronized via midi clock and offers a very short delay time in millisecond range. That gives you flanging and oil-can-like effects.

Specifications

8 voices fully multi timbral FM synth
4 operators per voice
Full modulation matrix / 26 algorithms
2 LFO/VCOs per voice
Balanced stereo 1/4" jack outputs
Stereo Hi-Z 1/4" jack inputs
Analog effects mix
Outputs for each voice plus mix out
CV/Gate per voice
CV modulation inputs per operator
True audio FM modulation inputs
True analogue filters per voice
24db low pass
12dB multimode LP/BP/HP cont. shape
True analogue VCAs per voice
Midi in, out
USB C device
Digital reverb, 2x stereo delay
Full storability, also CV amounts
128 presets, 118 multi sets
2x 128x64px OLED displays

Power consumption: 12V=DC 2A max.

Dimensions:

Width: 318mm
Depth: 180mm
Height front: 44mm
Height back: 72mm

Weight: 1,9kg (4.4 lbs)

Notes: Jomox's legendary analogue kick drum prowess distilled into Eurorack form. Hugely versatile sound with plenty of CV control on the front panel, plus MIDI via DIN sockets hidden round the back.

Supplier's Notes:
The mightiest Bass Drum - MK II

Tune Varies the pitch envelope of the VCO

Pitch Basses as low as 10Hz reach up to 175Hz

Decay Up to 2 sec

Harmonics Enrichment of harmonics of the VCO - for the hardest kick drums on planet earth

Pulse Change of the pure pulse part of the attack - gate time affects this parameter also

Noise Change of the pure noise part of the attack - gate time affects this parameter also

Attack Level of the mixing of Pulse and Attack

EQ Filters the bass drum with a low pass filter - for soft and 808ish kick drums

Gate T Varies the gate time from 0.1ms to 16ms

Compr Compression of decaying envelope - for slim and clicky kicks and all the depth that is needed

MetNze Metalized noise. A complex digital multitone pattern of 499 different combinations feeds the attack noise

CV1-CV4 can route the external 0-5V CV signals to any of the above parameters including LFOs. Also negative amounts are processed.

LIN.FM This is a true analog dedicated CV FM modulation input for the bass drum VCO. It only works linear-wise and does not offer musical semitones across the CV scale.

ACC This is a CV input for the kick drum accent / velocity. This input may also trigger the kick drum dynamically if the ACC trigger mode is set and the sequencer is able to generate dynamic pulses.

LFO The ModBase 09 has 2 LFOs that work on the pitch of the bass drum. The LFO always starts syncronous to the gate trigger.

The wave forms are: saw up, saw down, sine+/-, triangle+/-, rectangle+/- and portions of it.

MIDI The midi controllers of this module are identical to the Alpha Base/XBASE999/MBase11. All parameters including LFOs can be remotely controlled by Midi CCs.

Bus Env Is the programmable level of the audio out signal from the bus on the back mixed to the Kick Drum VCA envelope. Works with experimental Jayemsonic modules.

140 mA +12V
80 mA -12V
0 mA 5V
53 mm deep

Notes: Long-awaited update of Jomox's unique take on filtering, step sequencing and effects. Touchpad programming, CV control and deep MIDI integration make the MoonWind a powerful all-rounder.

Supplier's Notes:
Almost 12 years ago, Jomox brought out the first Moonwind. Now it's about time for an improved successor with OLED display, touch pad and more buttons for instant access.

Moonwind MkII is a true analogue stereo filter with built-in step sequencer, a fantastic sounding digital FX chip, two LFOs, VCA, two ADSR envelopes and envelope follower modulation.
Fixed CV in- and outputs and 6 assignable CVs make the Moonwind Mk II a versatile choice even in eurorack environment.

Everything is storable and controllable via Midi.

You can play the Moonwind Mk II like a synth by Midi notes and play melodies on the filters if they whistle in self-resonant mode.

The sequencer is able to control cutoff, Q and resonance per step and filter and thus turns the stereo filter with analogue fed back effects into a creative instrument of its own.

The editing of sequences can also be made via touchpad:

This makes the Moonwind Mk II an easy-to-use and awesome analogue sounding engine that is playable like a synth and can be seamlessly integrated into a DAW recording system

Specifications

Two real analogue low noise multimode filters
OTA technology *
Per filter Q (narrowness) and Resonance are separately adjustable **
Per filter the shapes lowpass, highpass, bandpass and notch are assignable
The filters are connectable among each other***
Per filter there is one LFO with 64 waveforms which controls the cutoff
Per filter there is envelope amount, the envelope is created from the audio with an analogue envelope follower
2 ADSR envelopes for filter and VCA that are triggered via Midi
Inputs are Hi-Z and can amplify guitar or bass signals directly
Touchpad for intuitive editing

2 CV outputs
3 fixed CV inputs
6 programmable CV inputs with amounts
Digital effects chip with 15 algorithms
Analog FX Feedback in order to create tape delays and wave guides
Three parameters per FX algorithm
The effects programs include chorus, flanger, tremolo, reverb, delay and some more exiting programs
Eight effects programs can be reloaded by OS update later on
Built-in noise generator with metallic noise and volume control
Sequencer can record Cutoff, Q and Res separately per step and filter
Maximum 64 steps per pattern
Maximum 32 steps per bar (then max. 2 bars), bars can be dynamically set according to the number of steps per bar
Clock divider can resolve max. 32th per bar
Record/undo function to record filter trails by the rotary knobs or touchpad
Direct Touchmode can record sequences with your fingertip
Sequencer and LFOs are midi clock synchronizeable
Midi notes control the cutoff of the filters, CCs the rest of parameters
Cutoff, Q and Resonance are made as classical potentiometers
Stable metal axis potentiometers and encoders with axle bearings
256x64 px LCD display
OS is updateable via Midi

Dimensions:

Width: 318mm
Depth: 180mm
Height front: 44mm
Height back: 72mm

Weight: 1.8kg