MBase 11 Bass Drum Module

Back in 2009, this little box redefined what a single-purpose analog kick could do, evolving from its MBase 01 predecessor with tweaks that turned raw thump into a full-on bass drum synthesizer—capable of everything from 808 warmth to 909 punch and beyond.

At its heart sits a voltage-controlled oscillator sweeping from 10Hz to 175Hz, paired with a lowpass filter, analog envelope, and an LFO offering eight waveforms like saw, sine, triangle, and rectangle in positive/negative polarities. The LFO modulates pitch, syncs to MIDI clock or BPM up to 290, runs free or in one-shot mode for extra envelope shaping, while parameters like tune, decay up to 2 seconds, compression for thicker tails, gate time from 0.1ms to 16ms for attack bite, pulse/noise mix, attack level, EQ, and a metalize knob with 255 wild noise variations let you dial in endless character. Controls are dead simple: a 3-digit LED display, data wheel, analog pot for quick tweaks, five buttons, and 16 LEDs, all in a super compact 145 x 155 x 35mm metal chassis weighing just 0.5kg. It packs 110 presets (10 user RAM, 100 flash), MIDI in/out with velocity and CC control for 16 parameters including split mode for bassline play, plus an adjustable analog trigger input that works alongside MIDI, and a mono 1/4" out at 0dBu.

Even years later, players dig its phat, precise analog snap that sits perfectly in mixes, praising the metalize and compression for unique grit others can't match—though some note its mono, one-voice focus keeps it firmly in the specialist camp. If you're chasing that real-deal kick with bassline potential, it's a gem worth hunting down.