Trend price : 100-150€
A revamp from previous Mbase 01: an affordable monophonic analog module dedicated to Kick drum creation. The model Mbase 11 adds some updates and a brand new look.
Overview
DRUM MACHINE (weight: 0,5 kg / dimensions: 145 x 155 x3 5mm). Main panel features a basic 7 segments display, 1 knob, 16 leds, 1 rotary encoder and 4 buttons.
Rear panel terminal connectors:
-
main signal out (mono)
-
Midi interface (no THRU)
- Trigger input (signal threshold can be set).
Voice
single VCO which generates Kicks (also kind of toms and basses). Jomox claimed that the bass drum VCO and the sound production are 100% identical to the XBase09, XBASE999 and the AirBase99 but with different value ranges.
Once created,
the sound can be played in 3 ways:
1- Midi (channel can be set)
2- external analog trigger
3- pushing the "play" button.
Parameters
the generated sound can be modified choosing a parameter per time:
- TUNE controls its pitch EG amount on VCO for warping
- PITCH overall tuning: starting from rumbling 10 Hz
- DECAY controls the generated EG decay up to a long time of 2 seconds
- HARMONICS adds harmonics to the sinewave with some distortions
- PULSE (attack) add a square impulse to the attack for click
- NOISE (attack) adds some white noise
- METZNE (metallized noise) changes the noise of the noise generator to a metallic noise.
- ATTACK ratio of added pulse and noise attack to the sine
- EQ simple lowpass filter attenuates high frequency
- VOLUME : sets the main gain
- COMPRESSION: adds dynamic compression
- GATE TIME: sound can be gated from 0,1 to 16 ms.
Performance
using Midi triggering it is possible to choose different playmodes:
- Split mode 1: the sound is played only by C1 keys
- Split mode 2: the sound is played on all keyboard with pitch variations
-
Pitch mode: chromatic play on 3 octaves.
LFO
a single modulator with possibile polarity inversion (shapes: saw up, saw down, sine up/down, triangle up/down and rectangle up/down) assigned to VCO PITCH. The LFO frequency can be synched to Midi clock or manually set in a 41-290 BPM range.
Memory
-
100 flash ROM sounds
- 10 RAM user sounds.
Created sounds can be dumped to Midi exclusives system.
Audio demo:
Video Clip:
Review
OK: -affordable / kick generator / compact / trigger
NOT : edit / klunky buttons
/ cheap built / limited and quickly boring
"Well a nice thumping kick generator at very nice price. Nothing too incredible""
Text , review, special demos copyright polynominal.com / Eric Pochesci