BASTL INSTRUMENTS / Aikido

BASTL INSTRUMENTS / AIKIDO is a performance-oriented 4-channel VCA mixer. It has soft sub-mix routing and envelope followers.

Aikido is a 4-channel VCA mixer that incorporates performance-oriented, flexible submix routing and envelope followers. Well-thought-out internal normalization and patching go beyond the basic capabilities of a VCA and mixer to allow experimentation with sidechain compressors, expanders, and various other routing options.

Clickless MUTE switches and level faders are ideal for live performance, and attenuators incorporated into each channel make Aikido a powerful and flexible quad VCA. The main mix outputs can be cascade mix routed, and the sidechain envelope follower can provide three different response curves. In addition, a spectral follower allows for focused response in the high, mid, and low frequencies!

Aikido is 11 HP in size and can be used as the center of a mixing hub in your modular system or as a powerful utility module.
Thanks to the envelope follower, the ability to interact with signals and mix them in a whole new way is a key feature of this unit, and since the VCAs are DC-coupled, they can be used for any modulation routing. Aikido is the martial art of harnessing the power of your opponent and making it work to your advantage, and with the help of the Aikido module, your modular system can become a place where anything is possible and where small signals can wrestle with large signals!

You can even daisy-chain multiple Aikido units or combine them with the Buddy module to create a larger cascading mixer.

Features
4 VCA channels
Clickless mute with light indication
Level fader with 6dB boost
CV input (with attenuator)
Input (DC coupled)
Output (DC coupled) Cascade mixing

Mix output (AC coupled)

Side chain envelope follower
Input (normalized to A input)
Output (normalized to CV input)
Follower that can focus on low/mid/high frequencies

Spectral envelope follower
Input from channel D output
Patchable outputs
Switch to focus follower on low, mid, or high frequency

Backside jumpers
Selectable pre/post MUTE on VCA direct outputs
Cascading mixing inputs and outputs (two Aikidos can be expanded into an 8-channel mixer)
Main mix in/out (normalized mix output for chaining with BUDDY module)

Technical Specifications
11HP
10-pin power connector protected by PTC fuse and diode
Depth 24 mm
Current consumption +12V <120 mA, -12V <120 mA