Jomox Alpha Base MKII

I am a long term Jomox customer with an X-Base09, Airbase99 and now the Alpha Base mk2 so I feel qualified to make an informed judgement.

I won't explain the details of the architecture as it is well documented so will just keep this to my opinion.

I didn't buy the original Alpha Base as I hoped for a rack mount version so I could avoid the Jomox sequencer and use my Cirklon instead. I've been using Airbase99 with Cirklon for over 10 years so am embedded in that workflow.

When the mk2 was announced I decided I would try it and didn't expect to use the internal sequencer. That said, I gave it a go and am surprised to find it intuitive and enjoyable. So far I haven't connected my Cirklon but from looking at the midi spec, that will be an amazing combination.

Sound wise, Jomox always had special sauce but the increased flexibility of the Alpha Base sound engine is staggering. There are so many envelopes and filters, it's hard to know where to begin. This thing is ALL SWEET SPOT. Admittedly the Mbrane is still a challenge but I hear the possibilities. The FM synth is wonderful and the user manual explains it well.

If you are in the market for a product at this level, you really should give this a go. This and a looper would be enough for a live set.

It is well known among the community that the quality of the audio this machine delivers is excellent, and it is fair to say that all the analogue VCAs and Filters do their job properly.
When I decided to buy this beast, I was aware of the several downsides it brings with it (an old-school interface, a rather limited sequencer, some minor screen bugs and eventual freezes, to mention just a few). So, it is also fair to say that the way you interact with it can negative determine how the experience develops. Nonetheless, as I was saying at the outset, the machine provides an interesting sound palette, very professional, and with a massive organic feeling every single time. When I first plugged it in to the mixer it automatically gave me a top tier electro beat which, in addition to the novation peak, was instantly transformed into an interesting song idea. (I mention Peak because it normally surpasses other gear in terms of sound quality and strength, so being able to pair the Alpha Base 2 with it is a clear good sign). What I am trying to say is that you really can start sounding great in just a few minutes. I have other boxes, but this feeling happened only with this one. I can't wait to see what sound I get from it after a year of use.
If you don't mind to travel back to the past interface-wise, and you want to level up your sound immediately, just go for it, but don't expect it to do the job for you... you will have to learn how to use it properly... Good luck!

Beautiful sounding instrument — instant Detroit techno/house/dub machine!

No menu diving, everything under the fingers, super intuitive and very jammable.

Some people say the UI is confusing, but I didn’t have any issues at all. Actually way easier to catch the flow, than Digitakt or Analog Four, endless pages and menus kill the vibe for me. AB feels like an instrument, no need to map and prepare sets, just sit and start tripping!

Would be amazing if Jomox somehow will add trig probability to the sequencer — that would make live jams even more alive and unpredictable. But maybe that doesn’t fit Jomox’s philosophy, and honestly I’m fine without it.

For learning the box, check YouTube tutorials by dc11, mati mati and bauke top, they pretty much cover everything in the machine.

Big thanks to Jürgen and the Jomox crew for this beauty!

Die Apha Base habe ich gekauft, nachdem ich mir anhand von Internet-Quellen ein Bild vom Klang gemacht habe, und genau dieser ist die entscheidende Stärke dieser Maschine. Was features und Möglichkeiten betrifft, kann sie vielleicht einiges nicht, was andere können (Elektron), aber das wusste ich vorher. Das Tolle an der Alpha Base ist ihr eigenständiger klanglicher Charakter. Zum Gesamtbild gehört auch, dass sie eben gerade nicht die 1001 Features anderer Mitbewerber in diesem Preissegment bietet, die einen u.U. sogar vom eigentlichen Ziel ablenken, sondern sich auf das Wesentliche konzentriert: detailliertes Sounddesign und performance-orientierte Sequencer-Funktionen.

In die Bedienung muss man sich einarbeiten, aber übermäßig komplex ist sie nicht, nur anders strukturiert als andere Drumsynthesizer. Manche finden das Handling umständlicher als bei Elektron-Geräten, aber das sehe ich nicht so (ich kenne die Analog Rytm mk2 gut und mag sie auch, aber empfinde die Alpha Base als klanglich überlegen). Ich finde zum Beispiel die 4x4-Matrix am Gerät ziemlich schlüssig und gut zu bedienen.

Für die Klangformung sind genug Möglichkeiten an Bord (Effekte, analoge Filter und VCAs, LFOs, Hüllkurven etc.). Manche bemängeln den im Vergleich zu früheren Jomox-Drumcomputern weniger rohen Klangcharakter, aber ich sehe hier eher eine modernere, offenere Klangästhetik erreicht, und das ist genau, was ich wollte.

Ich empfehle, vor dem Kauf den Test bei Amazona.de und youtube-videos anzuschauen, besonders die ausführliche Demo von "Lucas Marchal (dc11)". Und für Beispiele für einen kreativen Gebrauch der Alpha Base (sowohl innerhalb als auch außerhalb des stilistischen Rahmens namens "Techno") checkt videos von matimati.