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.