JoMoX Alpha Base Analog Drum Synthesizer

The Lounge Other Gear
#290

This machine is only for people for whom 1500 bucks (or whatever it costs) is pocket money and they want to have all the drum machines. Jomox gear may sound good but everything else (from construction to OS to workflow to support) is shoddy and not worth the money. The user guides are badly translated from German and badly written.

The XBase 999 was a buggy POS that was eventually abandoned by Jomox as they obviously could not fix the bugs. I sold mine and got an AR and never looked back. It’s insane that the AR cost around the same while being about 10 times better, in a smaller box. You’d be mad to buy the new Jomox instead of the new AR! The technology in the Elektron machines is in a whole different league, and makes the Jomox look pathetic (and a rip-off).

#291

Your post is super confusing; it’s a message for people for whom 1500 bucks is pocket money, but nobody else? Why?

1500 bucks is a lot of money to me, but I’ll pretend your post is directed to me. So you’re telling me I’m mad for buying a Jomox instead of an AR. That’s ironic because I think there’s something wrong with a person who cares so much about a drum machine they own that they feel the need to defend it against imaginary enemies.

6 Likes
#292

I meant the Alpha Base- not my message- is for people who can spend 1500 bucks without thinking about it too much, and who already have an AR. I have owned a Jomox and now own an AR and I know I would never spend a lot of money on another Jomox, because everything else apart from the sound is just not worth it, and they are too much of a pain in the *** to use. The snare on the XBase 999 wasn’t that great either (compared to the 808/909 and the AR).

1 Like
#293

Ok, I see. A lot of people have had horrible experience with Jomox bugs & crappy customer support; I agree with that.

I have a strong feeling this one is different though. I was willing to wager a large sum of $ too. I guess we’ll find out soon.

1 Like
#294

I think Jomox is pretty much a one-man company and he’s a bit of a mad inventor that’s not very in touch with what musicians actually want … for example, in the XBase manual he made a big deal of how awesome it was to have a stereo analog filter but in practice the filter was implemented in such a way as to make it annoying. The layout of the entire machine was just wrong from a use-ablity and workflow point of view…

Someone posted a screenshot from the Alpha Base manual up here and you can see that not much has changed… It just doesn’t inspire confidence that this a serious bit of kit worth the asking price. If it was in the Volca/Roland boutique price bracket you could forgive it but it isn’t.

#295

The Jomox 999 is over a decade old (like 12 years old or so). A lot changes in that amount of time. The Alpha Base is so much different from the 999; it has reverb, delay, and an FM synth. It seems a lot more refined, and all actual owners of the unit have been ecstatic about it. It seems weird that the few people who were lucky enough to get them earlier really like them if its usability and workflow are so wrong.

3 Likes
#296

Of course I am talking about the 999 being unusable and wrong, I don’t have an AB but as soon as I saw that screen and those buttons I knew I wouldn’t be going anywhere near this thing. Now, seeing the screenshot of the manual here confirms to me that this is yet another unfinished product that is way too overpriced for the technology involved. Elektron has raised the bar way too high …

Of course it sounds awesome but you can see in this thread that nobody is ecstatic about the sequencer… which is what a drum machine is all about- I wonder if it even has pattern control over MIDI :smiley:

#297

I rest my case!

#298

That’s the thing. I’m the most skeptical, but I’m always open minded. I’m convinced about the Alpha Base being different though. The encoders are definitely better; the customer service might still suck, but the OS seems better as well. Jürgen seems like a smart guy, and most smart guys have a tendency to learn from their mistakes.

1 Like
#299

I just don’t really see there being any rules to buying synths and drum machines. A person does what they want with their money for whatever reasons they want. I don’t think it’s necessary to tell them they are mad for doing whatever they want to do.

3 Likes
#300

Well I wish I had read around online before spending serious money on that 999. I posted my opinion here for people who are careful with their spending, so that they can have a better look. That’s what the point of gear forums is, so that people can be informed from the opinions of other users instead of marketing blah blah. I don’t think Jurgen has learned from his mistakes, that is my opinion. I doubt he even recognizes them.
It is completely absurd that the AB costs more than an AR MK2 and yes , IMO it would be mad to not buy the latter if one can only spend this kind of money on one drum machine. If money is no problem, buy both, and a Tempest!

#301

Yeah, I know why forums exist; that’s why I’m engaging in the conversation you started. If your purpose was strictly to inform people to help them make better purchasing decisions, I’d suggest using more direct/clear language next time. It just seemed like you wanted to insult things to me at first.

1 Like
#302

Here’s another video for anyone else who might be mad enough to choose an Alpha Base over a RYTM like me.

3 Likes
#303

I’ve not heard any demos from this machine that sound anything close to being what I’d call nice but each to his own I guess…

#304

That’s a little dramatic; but yeah, to each their own, even if it’s unnecessarily dramatic.

#305

I’m just surprised that’s all, it’s getting so much talk around the net and yet I find it sounds pretty bland :confused:

#306

The problem is Jomox has no idea about promoting their products.
Their demo’s are probably the worst on the net.
It’s a shame, I’m sure it sounds great.

2 Likes
#307

I get the criticisms about the buggy OS’s and questionable build quality, but not sound. So yeah, we basically don’t have much in common when it comes to taste.

#308

This is true. I’ll record a quick beat when I get mine to help the situation a bit.

2 Likes
#309

It obviously sounds good to me though. The quality of the tones that is.