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.

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!