Drum machines | Buy analogue and digital drum machines

Notes: The MBase11 can do only one thing, but it does it right, and it does this even better than in the past.

The MBase11 is the logical follower of the MBase01 and offers even better performance, more versatility and an even phatter sound. It generates analog bass drums, from extremely powerful to soft and covers the whole range from 909-style to 808-fashioned. And also, the LFO has 8 different waveforms including true sine that can be used to create very different envelopes. The resulting sounds are not simply kicks, this turns out to be a bass drum synthesizer.

The MBase11 has a compression parameter to vary the thickness of decaying sound. It offers a variable gate time to to create very different sounding attacks. It also has a metalise parameter to have hundreds of variations on the attack noise.

For more intuitive editing, JoMox have added an analog potentiometer that works alternatively to the parameter editing when scrolling the data wheel is too hard.

The MBase11 purposefully sounds a bit different to the XBASE 999/888, making it a great sounding expansion for our other drum products and other analog percussion.

The kick sets in very precisely and the attack sounds very snappy at all kinds of sound variations.

The MBase11 can also be used as a real bass with some limitations. If decay is cranked up it is long enough for tones and the pitch can be played on the keyboard in semitones over three octaves.

The kick drum can be triggered by an external analog trigger input. This is especially useful for live drummers who want to thicken up their live drum kit. The trigger input works with regular piezo pickups or audio signals.

Last but not least: one of the most convincing arguments for the MBase11 is the price: This is an inexpensive tool that helps you to create great kick sounds, without the time-consuming searching associated with mostly not satisfying samples. You save time and energy while reaching the sound quality you always imagined.

Tweak the sound you need. Everything is real.

Notes: Peerless beats generated by solid analog drum sounds and an Electribe-style sequencer.

A vintage-style analog drum machine from Korg's recently announced Volca series. The Volca Beats includes a 16-step sequencer and 6 x editable analog parts including kick, snare, Hi/Lo toms and open & closed Hi-Hats designed to provide sounds reminiscent of classic 80s drum machines. It also has an additional PCM engine which is said to produce 4 x Lo-Fi percussion sounds including clap, claves, agogo and crash sounds.

There is one-knob-per-function parameter control for crafting each of the six analog sounds including click, snappy, pitch, decay and grain. The PCM sounds have control over pitch and speed. There is also a Level knob allowing volume adjustment of each part.

The 16-step LED-lit sequencer has 8 x memory locations for saving patterns. It includes a recordable stutter function for generating repeated triggers (or drum rolls) and delay effects, an active step feature for quickly adding or removing individual steps, and a step jump function that will instantly play any step. Notes can be entered live as the sequencer is running.

You can also wirelessly synchronise playback of all of the units in the Volca series with any iOS music app that support Korg's Wireless Sync-Start Technology (WIST) using their SyncKontrol iPhone app. This also allows control of the swing settings and fine control of the tempo (including tap tempo).

The Volca Beats is battery powered (with optional AC power) and includes a built-in speaker. It weighs in at only 372g with dimensions of 193 × 115 × 45 mm (W x D x H).

The Volca Beats editable controls include:

Kick (click, pitch, decay, level)
Snare (snappy, pitch, decay, level)
Hi/Lo toms (hi pitch, low pitch, decay, level)
Open/closed Hi-Hat (closed decay, open decay, level)
PCM sounds (pitch, speed, level)

Notes: We can't get enough of Teenage Engineering's quirky little Pocket Operators. The PO-24 is an oddball classic, specialising in office-themed percussion. Weird and wonderful stuff as usual from the innovative Swedish brand.

Supplier's notes:
Noise percussion drum machine and sequencer, with parameter locks, solo functionality and punch-in effects.

All pocket operator models perfectly complement each other. From drum machine, bass and lead synthesisers to noise percussion, the six unique units allow you to start a pocket band. Use them separately or connect them together, the choice is yours.

Use the built-in speaker for instant sound, connect a pair of headphones for detailed personal listening, or hook up a speaker system and the club will go boom!

Pocket operators are designed on a single multiple-layer circuit board using high quality components. They all share a compact and durable form factor.

By placing all vital and sensitive components under the LCD display there's no need for an outer case. By saving this cost, high quality components could be used to guarantee the best possible sound and very low power consumption. The space under the display also doubles as a speaker box.

Optional extras:
Add the silicone pro case to protect your pocket operator and get anti-slip feet, neck strap, battery protection and pro feel buttons. Use the SP-10 display protection to protect the LCD screen, and start a jam sync session with your friends using the MC-3 mini cables.

Notes: One of the hardest in the game. Dedicated kick drum synth from analogue experts Vermona. Shape your own sounds from scratch. Killer.

Supplier's notes:
The Kick Lancet generator is a handy analogue percussion synthesizer with priority to kick-drum sounds.

The heart of the Kick Lancet's sound structure is an analogue oscillator that produces sine and square waves, which can blend seamlessly from one to the other. 2 independent envelope generators with a decay/release phase can modulate the oscillator's frequency and the VCA. Additionally the VCO pitch can be modulated by the fast LFO (3Hz to 3 kHz, triangle). Noise and a pulse signal can be added in the mixer section. Vermona have a balls-controller for making it really big.

The Kick Lancet can be triggered by MIDI but beside that there are 3 different trigger inputs. A gate trigger, which impulse can trigger the Kick Lancet in normal way with additional accent or completely dynamical depending on the incoming voltage, a simply short current trigger (i.e. momentary foot switch) and an audio input, which offers the possibility to trigger the Kick Lancet by an audio signal statically or dynamically. Drum pads can also be connected here.