Soundmit – XODES Kickstarter for 808-style 1U modules is live. These are fun, bite-sized modules and I can also say – they sound great. There’s more good 1U stuff in store, too.
I got to meet up with French maker XODES, known to many as “that company that lets you get 1U modules into your 3U rack” at Torino’s Soundmit over the weekend. First off, those little 1U 808 modules – or what XODES calls “an 80s drum machine” to avoid litigation – are fantastic.
These are as minimal as you could imagine, covering just the basics but all the expected 808 sounds. The lineup, with relevant parameters:
ABD: Acid Bass Drum – tone, decay
ASD: Acid Snare Drum – tone, snappy (and that snappy sounds really nicely snappy as you need)
ASH: Acid Hi-Hat – decay, separate trigger ins for closed and open
ATC: Acid Tom / Conga: tuning, conga/tom switch
Pricing expected at €67.50 – €75.00 (excl. VAT).
Other than that, it’s just trigger in, audio out. But they are as tiny as possible; if you want more control, you’re spoiled for choice anyway.
These aren’t exact 808 clones – they’re close enough to work as suitable stand-ins, but distinct enough that I think you’ll enjoy them for their own character.
And since they do all do the trick, the size is a huge advantage. If you have a 1U rack on something like the Intellijel – or, soon enough, even a 1U case – you can quickly add a little 808 to it. If you already have a kick and a hat you like but need a snare and conga, just add those. You get the idea.
This pairs really well with a very cute x0x sequencer – as Michel was demoing at Soundmit:
Of course, there are also various nice Euclidean alternatives if that’s more your thing.
These are made in France and powered by local wind energy – nice.
Expected shipping is in spring – so just in time for a nice compact rig to take on summer tour.
AXX series – 1U 6HP Eurorack drum modules [Kickstarter]
More 1U goodness
If you are into the 1U format, there’s plenty more to find on the XODES site, including some very nice little utility modules. The adapters work really nicely, too, though it’s a bit of a chore to calculate different widths – hence the 1U cases start to get interesting.
I keep bugging Michel about this and apparently, you are, too – those adorable little 1U-optimized cases (two rows, so 2U) are apparently coming soon in one form or another. I love the idea of having a little modular you could toss in a backpack, or a home for all the intriguing new 1U designs out there.
What you see in the pics are prototypes, but having them out in Torino meant still more feedback, so hopefully we see something like them. (Of course, supporting that Kickstarter would help encouragement-wise, even at the 12-buck level when you get a blank.)
The depth seems to be the same as the X-model Pods from 4ms, which means they accommodate some deep 1U modules – for me, that’s the intellijel spring reverb with its deep tank. It also means it’s easier to deal with cables.
The other clever thing is, these cases include a row of utilities on the top.
These are pre-production prototypes so you may never see them – or they may look slightly different – but here’s a preview. If you’re interested, XODES has a survey up, too.
1U to me is spicing up some of the Eurorack options just when the area might otherwise slow down. And it’s great for anyone who loves small or inexpensive things. Plus like I said – stocking stuffers!