hey there, curious about your opinion about these drum synths. would like to get one second hand and sequence it via OT. do you have experiences with it or even own both to compare them? what about noisy output or other things to consider?
I would like to make some kick-only pattern and experiment with parameters while running the sequence. guess both are fine for that, right?
just put in here your thoughts if you are working with one of the units.
thanks!
The Mbase 11 has a real abrasive and edgy vibe to it. Thuddy and tight to big an boomy, it covers a lot of ground once you get used to the one knob menu selector. I love mine, I trigger it from the cv track on the A4 and route back to the input for processing or midi trig from the MD and out to the console. I could never get to grips with the Volca stuff tbh. To small and fiddley, I just give em to my girls who like to make some acid now and again 
The Mbase does one job pretty well and sounds great to me. What do you prefer the sound of, Mbase or Volca?
If your looking to edit fast with the kick track the volca seems best suited with plenty of knobs and sequencer to jump straight in there. The Mbase will be slower in that regard but again it’s the sound for me.
Only played around with a friends Mbase and i was really impressed. Am a huge fan of Jomox generally so maybe I’m biased (the forthcoming Acidlab looks pretty insane).
I could never justify owning hardware just for kick design but I have to say the sounds my buddy was getting from them were huge and it’s changed my mind - maybe one day I will do just that :). Get the Mbase!!
I do like the sound of Mbase more comparing to videos I can find online. just put the volca as an alternative as it is kind of new what could add improvements, but the workflow doesn’t convince me on the first look.
I would like to trigger the Mbase with the OT, guess to change parameter isn’t a problem? would love to experiment with the kick… found a good one second hand and think I’ll pull the trigger.
what are well known workflows to start with regarding mangle the kick from OT?
can’t wait to start – thanks for that
I’ve read from somewhere that the volca kick has a subpar output stage… Anyone have experiences wrt this?
My immediate response would be Jomox for the win
although Korg is pretty cool, the MBase achieves amazing resonant round sounds with a variety of settings …
that said, i haven’t watched any Korg videos recently.
to process reinforce and sonically sculpt the MBase bassdrum in the Octatrack, try adjusting dynamics via the envelope … Decay, how loud does the sample get to play the original volume of the sample to begin with … Sustain, how long does that main volume limit hold, and how quickly is the fade at the end of that Sustain parameter - via the Release.
explore the Octatrack Compressor effect as an individual track effect for the channel with the MBase sample on it
try inserting a 20 percent Flange effect before the Compressor
try subtract frequencies in the low mid range around 400hz
Keep individual Volume around midday
try adding some Dist and applying some lowpass filter
got a mbase for 90€ second hand, can’t wait to start and test what you posted.
keep coming if there is more to explore, thanks to all of you!
Nice deal there mate. If your not feeling it in the end there’s also the Vermona Kick Lancet to check out. The one knob per function made me consider it but was swayed by the Jomox vibe.
Enjoy!
Here’s a walkthrough of the Vermona: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZKnUI_Xbj7U
Is the kick on the Vermona based on the same circuits found on the DRM?
It is mate. Seems like a mix of prameters from multiple voices within the DRM.
The Vermona sounds amazing. Not much between the Jomox and Vermona quality-wise but I would say the Kick Lancet has a nice clarity…again but the differences are marginal.
I chose the Mbase 11 in the end because you can play it chromatically. Which is not possible on the Kick Lancet.
thinking about this, the setup would be like this?
ot midi out --> mbase midi in (to trigger and change parameter)
mbase audio out --> ot input a (using a thru track)
what about having a fx unit, would you suggest to connect it in chain with other units like mbase --> fx --> ot input or connect the fx to ot cue and send the mbase (and other tracks) if needed (thinking about stuff like a jomox t-res or analog heat and others).
Unfortunately I don’t have any experience with the Volca Kick, though I am pretty interested in it. I did at one point own a Jomox M.Base. If you are looking for an 808 clone this isn’t exactly it, think of it as like a second cousin of the 808.
Very easy to use and sounds really good. I found it somewhat difficult to tame in a mix, but my mixing skills have improved quite a bit since then. I mean this thing can be a serious speaker blower.
Unless you are committed to analog, I would also consider a Nord Drum MKI. You’ll get a lot more bang for your buck. You should be able to get one fairly cheap used these days.
Nord Drum could be fabulous. I’m keen to watch more videos of their bassdrum parameters.
//
to reply to Nui…
i would not grab a T-Res but certainly would invest in the Heat.
neither are necessary for now, nor is midi connection.
i would just trigger it by hand, adjust parameters naturally.
also trigger sampling by hand … set the manual sampling time to be about 3 beats in length, if the BPM on the OT is 104bpm
manually trigger the OT to start recording and tap the MBrane about half a second later
in the sample edit screen of the OT you may clean it up and trim it, or don’t worry about that and just use individual track parameters with the new sample.
if you would like to explore setting starting point past when the bassdrum starts sounding, most likely will need Atk setting of say 2 at least to avoid a click. Although the OT will try to indicate “zero crossing points” for convenient clickless in-sound starting points.
At that price, the mbase is a no-brainer. I paired mine with a launch control for fast parameter editing.
I like the Volca Kick, but its output is definitely noisier.
will do so with OT, can’t wait to start
