Just when you thought the drum machine was a dying breed, along comes a funky, wood-paneled critter like the Jomox XBase 09. It's covered with knobs, as you can see in the photo, and it can do a mean TR-909 simulation. But don't think it's strictly a 909 clone. In some respects the XBase 09 is far superior to the 909: All knob movements can be recorded into a pattern, for example, and transmitted and received via MIDI. And let's not forget the expressive pair of LFO's onboard, or kick drum decay that's over twice the length of the original. Boooooooooom! But on the flipside, the XBase is only three-voice polyphonic, and has a smaller soundset than the 909. Jomox admits, "We don't view the XBase as the ultimate 'all-in-one' drum machine, but rather as a dedicated device that would serve as the very strong foundation for the basic groove elements of a track." The XBase 09 isn't much to look at, and it's anything but elegant in the user interface department, but just wait 'til you hear this machine in action. Truly, this is a "must hear to appreciate" instrument. During this review, I had a chance to use the XBase as the primary percussion source on a remix I was working on. Here's what I learned in the process.

SOUNDS There are two analog sound generators inside the XBase 09, one each for kick and snare, plus a sample-playback section stocked with samples of open and closed hi-hats, ride and crash cymbals, a rimshot, a handclap, and a noise burst, plus reversed versions of each. All three sound generators are monophonic, so obviously only one note from each section can be fired at a time, but the samples can be changed within a pattern. Which means you could program, say, a closed hi-hat on the first beat, followed by an open-hat, followed by a handclap, and so on. (See "909 State" sidebar, for more on the XBase's synth engine.) Three voices might sound like a pretty limited number compared to most modern machines, and it definitely is, but there's more to the XBase than meets the eye. Take my word for it: you can get some wild patterns with this box-patterns that seem to defy the machine's three-voice architecture. Each sound in the XBase 09 can be edited and saved as part of a kit. There are 100 kit locations in all. Drum sounds can be tweaked on the fly as patterns play, and recorded into patterns. A hi-hat, for example, could change pitch on every hit. Or a kick drum could fluctuate between a tight snap and a booming hum. Eight of the front panel knobs are devoted to the bass drum section (Tune, Pitch for "bottom tone," Decay, Harmonics, Pulse, Noise, Attack, and EQ), five to the snare (Tune, XSnapp "snappy," Decay, Detune, and Noise Tune), and four to what's called the "hi-hat" section (OH "open hat" Decay, CH "closed hat" Decay, Balance, and Tune). In addition to the hi-hats, the latter control section also serves the other samples in the XBase. Two LFO's are onboard the XBase 09 -- just the medicine for turning those booming bass drums and open hats into warbly, pulsing effect noises. LFO waveform choices are saw up, saw down, triangle, and rectangle. Destinations include bass drum pitch, snare tune, snare snappy, snare noise tune, and hi-hat tune. Additionally, LFO 1 can modulate LFO 2's frequency. LFO intensity is variable from 0 to 127, and LFO speed is determined by the internal sequencer. Finally, you can choose between free or sync mode; in sync mode the LFO is retriggered by every note-on of the destination instrument. Good news: Jomox tells us that a new chip upgrade allows the XBase's LFO section to sync to MIDI clock. The review unit they sent didn't have this feature installed, though, so I wasn't able to test it, but the company says they'll be upgrading existing machines in the field by swapping chips -- "no solder involved, simply a socket." Users will have to pay to send the machine back to the distributor to swap the chips out free of charge (the user pays both directions of shipping) or simply send the distributor $15.00 to cover the cost of sending the new chip to the user, who then installs it. It's quite easy to do.

PATTERNS & SONGS The XBase 09 provides 64 user-programmable pattern locations that can be chained together into ten songs (100 steps per song). There's no card slot or disk-drive on this machine for backup, but you can save your kit, pattern, and song data offsite via a MIDI SysEx data dump. Programming the XBase isn't exactly a walk in the park -- especially if you're unfamiliar with this old-school style of drum machining. Accessing some of the XBase's features is as easy as grabbing a knob and turning it, but there are an equal number of "hidden" items that can only be reached by holding two buttons simultaneously, and so on. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but the XBase's old-fashioned 3-digit data display can make the process a bit more cumbersome. As I learned during this review, you really need to devote a day or so to learning how and why this machine does what it does. There are two main modes for creating and manipulating patterns: Pattern and Perform. Pattern mode is for entering notes, 808-style (the "running row of LED's" method). Sixteen LED push-buttons across the front panel represent one bar of 16th-notes, and the notes of each instrument are entered by toggling the appropriate buttons on and off. Pattern lengths can be changed from one to 255 beats, determined by the setting of the Last Step parameter. A row of accents can be programmed for each instrument, but just like on the old machines, the accent level is global for all instruments. A knob determines the strength of the accent. If you want to record knob movements into a pattern, you'll need to activate Pattern-Write mode. Be warned: It's not the most straightforward process. First, select the instrument you want to affect by holding its key down, and then pressing the Write button. Then select which of the 16 steps will be able to receive the data, and press the start button. Twist the knobs as the pattern plays, but be sure to deactivate the Write button before you get to the end of the pattern or you'll overwrite the previous control data. There are some interesting creative aspects to this approach, though. By selectively telling the sequencer which notes are on and off limits to the knobs, you can surgically splice in additional data between the cracks, so to speak, without affecting the previous data. Perform mode allows patterns to be, pardon the expression, "knobbed" in real time. The front panel knobs are all active in this mode, so you can twist away while the pattern plays (the knob data is transmitted over MIDI in this mode as well). But another interesting feature of Perform mode is that you can scroll through any of the 100 drum kits while the sequencer runs and hear the various kits applied to the pattern's note data. Kind of like the X-Factor feature in E-mu's Orbit, Planet Phatt, and Carnaval modules, but with a greater degree of control. The XBase also provides a Shuffle mode where varying degrees of positive or negative time changes can be applied to each note in a pattern's track (as opposed to your typical global shuffle). You can also set up a shuffle "template" in advance and record into it. Very cool. Once your patterns are edited and stored, it's time to assemble them into a song. And that's where, you guessed it, Song mode comes into play. Nothing too fancy here ... just tell XBase the order of patterns and number of repetitions for each step (100 steps are allowed). Tempo changes can't be written into a song, but Jomox says that it's possible in a "future operating system release". Testing the MIDI aspects of the XBase, I hit an initial snag trying to get the machine to talk to Passport's Pro6 sequencer on a PowerMac, but all worked flawlessly when using Opcode's Studio Vision and MOTU's Digital Performer. One thing I discovered, however, is that Pattern mode only transmits note data, and not accompanying controller data. You'll need to use Perform mode for sending controllers. Happily, the XBase will receive velocity data from a MIDI source. It will also sync to MIDI clock, or drive an external sequencer.

COMPETITION Retromania continues to rage in the keyboard world, and that places the XBase 09 in a primo position. But it's not exactly alone. The most direct competition in the new gear market comes from the Novation DrumStation module, Roland MC-303, Steinberg's ReBirth software, and QuasiMIDI Rave-O-Lution (see Keyboard Reports Feb. '97, Jan.'97, Sept. '97, and May '97, respectively). The DrumStation is the only one of the three that lacks its own sequencer, so it's the apple among oranges. On the used gear market, there's always the original Roland TR-808 and -909 for potential competitors as well (good luck finding one). Over the course of reviewing this machine, I had quite a few staffers from Keyboard, Guitar Player, and Bass Player magazine stop by to give the XBase 09 a test listen. The reaction was almost always the same: "Man, that thing is fat!" And even when put side to side with the popular Rave-O-Lution, the XBase floored the listeners. It's nowhere near as elaborate as the Rave-O-Lution (no bass synth generator and no effect processor, for example), but when it comes to analog kick and snare, the XBase is king.

VERDICT The XBase 09 is equal parts weird and wonderful. It brings the TR- 909 into the present by adding MIDI functionality (knobs data can be sent and received, for example), and it adds a host of other new features, like a pair of programmable LFO's. But for a "modern" instrument, the XBase has a very old-fashioned user interface. (Nothing like a 3-digit LED, hieroglyphics, hidden double-button-push features, and so on.) A video manual would be a godsend for many XBase users, especially those who cut their teeth on big LCD's and computer screens. Some people might prefer to skip the XBase's internal sequencer altogether, using it as a MIDI module under the control of their friendly computer sequencer. Then again, those with a knack for weird stand-alone boxes might find this funky old-school system to their liking. The most important attribute of an instrument is its sound, though, and that's where the XBase 09 shines. Its all-analog kick and snare, in particular, are awesome. Anyone looking for that classic analog drum sound should seriously consider this German import. [end of body copy]

SIDEBARS: [photo caption, main product shot] It's a woody. Yep, that's real wood you see on the side of Jomox's XBase 09 drum machine.

[photo caption, rear panel shot] Mix fiends are sure to appreciate the XBase 09's four audio outputs on the rear panel, and a related mixer section up on top. Just don't look for a headphone output or anything of the stereo persuasion onboard this machine.

[Web link sidebar] Log on to www.keyboardmag.com and hear a few examples of the XBase 09 in action.

[Author's bio] Speaking of drum programming, hear associate editor Greg Rule's lo-fi beats in Kawasaki's new Big Bam Boom musical toy -- destined to annoy parents the world over.

[spec box] DESCRIPTION Drum machine. MAIN FEATURES Two analog synth generators for kick and snare, and one sample-playback generator (all three generators are monophonic). Two programmable LFO's. Bass drum controls for tune, pitch, decay, harmonics, pulse, noise, attack, and EQ; snare drum controls for tune, "snappy," decay, detune, and noise tune; hi-hat controls for open hat decay, closed hat decay, balance, and tune. Eight-bit samples of open and closed hats, ride and crash cymbals, rimshot, handclap, and noise, plus reversed versions of each. Up to 192 ppq resolution (depending on mode). Knob movements can be transmitted and received via MIDI. Syncs to MIDI clock. MEMORY 100 programmable kit presets. 64 programmable patterns. Ten programmable songs, 100 steps per song. INTERFACING Four 1/4" mono audio outputs (kick, snare, hi-hat, and mix). MIDI in, out, and thru. DIN sync output (for syncing to a Roland TB-303, TR- 808, etc.) O.S. VERSION REVIEWED 1.26. DIMENSIONS 13" W x 3" H x 9" D. 4.9 lbs. SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE $995. CONTACT Jomox: Please supply European contact info U.S. Distributor: SoundBox, 7510 W. Sunset Blvd., #1080, Los Angeles, CA 90046. 213-850- 1030; fax 818-822-0110.

[P&C box] PROS Awesome analog kick and snare sounds. Knobs galore. Two LFO's. Individual audio outputs, front-panel mixer. Transmits and receives knob data via MIDI. CONS Three-voice polyphony. Three-digit LED interface. Poorly written/ translated owner's manual. BOTTOM LINE The best analog kick and snare sounds on the block, but with an old-school user interface.

[sidebar] 909 STATE The main goal of the XBase 09's design team, according to Jomox, was to recreate that "original TR-909 analog sound, but with digital -- savable and MIDI-controllable -- controls of all parameters." XBase 09 designer Juergen Michaelis also imparted a few undocumented tidbits about the unit's analog synth engine: "There's one VCO for the bass drum section, and two VCO's for the snare, making the detune parameter possible. As for the Harmonics control, the VCO is a sine wave oscillator. With harmonics,it's driven into slight distortion, making the waveform rounder than sine wave (like a tube preamp) thus increasing the level of overtones (harmonics). Because it distorts only the VCO (not the whole bass drum), the bass drum is still clear and powerful. The Pulse knob controls the level of the pulse part of the attack. This is a short analog one-shot pulse wave. The Noise knob controls he level of the noise part of the attack. A short filtered noise signal is applied to the trigger of the bass drum. This makes the attack phase sound "wet" in combination to the pulse. Attack is the level of the sum of the both previous parameters. Turned to zero, one can have a bass drum without any attack. This is useful for bass lines in diatonic tunings. Finally, the EQ is an 8-stage 1-pole lowpass filter that's placed at the end of the bass drum generator's path"