Erica Synths Bass Drum 2: 909-style kicks with a new gate mode
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Erica Synths has updated its Bass Drum module and announced the new Bass Drum 2. The Eurorack module follows closely in the footsteps of the predecessor and delivers analog, 909-style kicks with an integrated overdrive. But there’s a nifty new gate mode, which lets you create bass drum sounds with variable length.
Erica Synths Bass Drum 2
Bass Drum 2 was developed by Erica Synths in collaboration with e-licktronic, the creator of the discontinued DIY TR-909 clone Nava. So it comes as no surprise that the module is all about fat, analog 909-style kicks.
The controls, inputs and outputs are identical to the predecessor, which was introduced in 2018. In addition to the main pitch control, there’s an integrated pitch envelope with adjustable decay time (Tune) and depth (Tune Depth). The volume envelope features adjustable attack and decay times. The module also includes an overdrive, so there’s no need to reach for another module for those classic, distorted 909 bass drums.
The pitch, volume decay and overdrive are all CV-controllable. Bass Drum 2 also has trigger and accent inputs and a manual trigger button. In addition to the main audio output, the module offers a noise output as a bonus.
So what’s new? Next to the manual trigger, Bass Drum 2 has a new switch that allows you to choose from trigger or gate modes. In trigger mode, the module operates like any other drum module and delivers one-shot drum sounds using its own volume envelope. Gate mode adds a sustain phase to the envelope, which makes it possible to program patterns with bass drum hits of varying lengths. That’s a very cool feature for creating interesting, non-traditional patterns. Paired with the Pitch CV input, it even allows you to use the module as a kind of bass synth.
Erica Synths Bass Drum 2 is 14 HP wide and uses 40 mA at +12 V and 30 mA at -12 V.
Price and availability
Erica Synths Bass Drum 2 is now available from Thomann.de* for €269.
More information about Erica Synths Bass Drum 2
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