AIKIDO
Quad VCA mixer with submix routing & two styles of integrated envelope followers
Aikido is a performative quad VCA mixer with flexible submix routing and two styles of integrated envelope followers. Clever normalization allows ready-to-go sidechain compression, expansion, and rapid routing experimentation.
Clickless mute switches and level faders make for immediate performability, while dedicated attenuverters on each channel make Aikido a powerful and flexible quad VCA. The main mix output is accompanied by individual VCA outputs with patch-programmable cascading mix routing. The Side Chain envelope follower offers 3 different response curves, while the Spectral Follower can be set to focus on treble, mid or bass frequencies.
Test Your Might!
In a modular system, Aikido can become your central mixing hub or a powerful utility. Thanks to the envelope followers, it allows signals to interact and mix in new ways. Because the VCAs are DC coupled, Aikido can be used for flexible modulation routing as well. As a martial art, Aikido teaches you how to harness the power of your opponent and use it to your advantage. With the help of the Aikido module, your modular system can become an arena where anything is possible and small signals get to wrestle over big ones.
Side Chain & Spectral Follower
The Side Chain envelope follower input is normalized to input of Channel A, but can be overridden by plugging in any external signal. Its output is normalized to the CV paths, so you can start compressing instantly. Patch a kick drum to Channel A and use the attenuverters to compress (CCW) or expand (CW) other signals. The switch lets you select the envelope follower response time.
The Spectral Follower listens to the Channel D output (which can also be your mix output, thanks to the cascade mixing), and you can select with a switch whether it focuses on high, mid, or low frequencies. Patch it anywhere to make a spectral compression!
Several Aikido units can be daisy chained to create larger cascading mixers.
Features
- 4 VCA channels, each with:
— clickless mute with light indication
— level fader with 6dB boost
— CV input with attenuverter
— input (DC coupled)
— output (DC coupled) cascaded mixing - Mix output (AC coupled)
- Side chain envelope follower
— input (normalized to A input)
— output (normalized to CV inputs)
— switch to select response time - Spectral envelope follower
— input taken from Channel D output
— patchable output
— switch to focus the follower to low, mid, or high frequencies - Backside jumpers
— select whether direct VCA outputs are pre/post Mute
— cascaded mixing input and output (joins 2 Aikidos to 8 channel mixer)
— main mix input and output (for chaining the normalized MIX outputs), chainable with BUDDY
Technical details
- 11 hp
- PTC fuse and diode protected 10pin power connector
- 24 mm deep
- current consumption: +12V <120 mA, -12V <120 mA
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
AIKIDO
Quad VCA mixer with submix routing & two styles of integrated envelope followers
Aikido is a performative quad VCA mixer with flexible submix routing and two styles of integrated envelope followers. Clever normalization allows ready-to-go sidechain compression, expansion, and rapid routing experimentation.
Clickless mute switches and level faders make for immediate performability, while dedicated attenuverters on each channel make Aikido a powerful and flexible quad VCA. The main mix output is accompanied by individual VCA outputs with patch-programmable cascading mix routing. The Side Chain envelope follower offers 3 different response curves, while the Spectral Follower can be set to focus on treble, mid or bass frequencies.
Test Your Might!
In a modular system, Aikido can become your central mixing hub or a powerful utility. Thanks to the envelope followers, it allows signals to interact and mix in new ways. Because the VCAs are DC coupled, Aikido can be used for flexible modulation routing as well. As a martial art, Aikido teaches you how to harness the power of your opponent and use it to your advantage. With the help of the Aikido module, your modular system can become an arena where anything is possible and small signals get to wrestle over big ones.
Side Chain & Spectral Follower
The Side Chain envelope follower input is normalized to input of Channel A, but can be overridden by plugging in any external signal. Its output is normalized to the CV paths, so you can start compressing instantly. Patch a kick drum to Channel A and use the attenuverters to compress (CCW) or expand (CW) other signals. The switch lets you select the envelope follower response time.
The Spectral Follower listens to the Channel D output (which can also be your mix output, thanks to the cascade mixing), and you can select with a switch whether it focuses on high, mid, or low frequencies. Patch it anywhere to make a spectral compression!
Several Aikido units can be daisy chained to create larger cascading mixers.
Features
- 4 VCA channels, each with:
— clickless mute with light indication
— level fader with 6dB boost
— CV input with attenuverter
— input (DC coupled)
— output (DC coupled) cascaded mixing - Mix output (AC coupled)
- Side chain envelope follower
— input (normalized to A input)
— output (normalized to CV inputs)
— switch to select response time - Spectral envelope follower
— input taken from Channel D output
— patchable output
— switch to focus the follower to low, mid, or high frequencies - Backside jumpers
— select whether direct VCA outputs are pre/post Mute
— cascaded mixing input and output (joins 2 Aikidos to 8 channel mixer)
— main mix input and output (for chaining the normalized MIX outputs), chainable with BUDDY
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
