Part of what makes modular so amazing is the incredibly different angles designers can take toward the same functionality. Take the mixer for instance, you can choose from cascading VCAs to compact mono submixers to flagship do-it-all behemoths.
Jolin has an especially unique take on hardware design, and with four new modules announced just in time for Superbooth23, we now get to see their version of a stereo performance mixer.
Here’s the new lineup:
- TUTTO&SEMPRE: 4-channel stereo performance mixer w/ 2 headphone drivers
- SINGOLI: 7-channel DC-coupled mixer w/ attenuator-per-channel & normalization to T&S
- KNOBI: 4-channel signal multi-tool
- ASCOLTA: 2-channel preamp w/ envelope follower & peak detector
Let’s take a closer look at each module.
Jolin TUTTO&SEMPRE
As musicians ourselves, we understand the importance of having the setup that fits your needs when we talk about mixing and interacting with outboards.
Jolin has some fun documentation so we’re going to pull from the Why? section for each module:
- To enjoy your mix with another person during a live session.
- To route signals while keeping everything in place.
- To give pristine balanced line level signals to your audio engineer.
- To send simultaneously individual outputs to your audio interface and to your PA
Now we know why, let’s get a rundown:
- 20HP
- Signal path optimized for the integration between modular systems and outboards
- Versatile mixing frame with an active patchbay, stereo attenuators, paired VCAs and
clickless mutes - Two balanced mono and a stereo output with auxiliary input
- Two independent headphones drivers with stereo preview input
Now Jolin’s labeling and layout might not be immediately obvious, but if you look at the blocks everything is laid out in logical order and with the LED indicators gives you lots of visual feedback.
Just in case the UI on TUTTO&SEMPRE isn’t clear, we whipped up a quick and dirty diagram of its sections.
Time to check out the second half of Jolin’s mixer pair.
Jolin Singoli
Ok, let’s dive into the Why?
- To mix up to 7 audio sources and control voltages.
- To output a short gate that follows the peak amplitude of all the inputs combined.
- To trigger drums or open VCAs following the amplitude of any given signal.
- To expand Tutto&Sempre with 7 more mono channels.
As far as functionality:
- 6HP
- DC coupled mixer with 7 inputs and individual attenuators
- Intensity-sensitive LED meters on all the inputs
- Analog transient detector output
- Toggle switch to activate / deactivate its normalization to Tutto&Sempre
Pretty slick addition right? Being DC-coupled gives SINGOLI the versatility to sit in any system, not just as an extension of T&S.
Moving on to the non-mixer utilities.
Jolin Knobi
There is a lot going on with KNOBI and Jolin sums it up well here:
Knobi can serve a wide range of purposes – not only to pass butter – and this is true thanks to its internal signal path that makes use of some of the most useful building blocks of analog synthesis: a 4-channel mixer, a three-range offset, an attenuverter, a fixed manual gate and lastly a cascading multiple derived from the output stage of Agogô.
And now the Why?
- To combine distinct cv sources into one and attenuate / invert the resulting signal.
- To display the value of any voltage within your modular system.
- To output a fixed and thermally stable 5-volt reference.
- To combine all the functions above for the ultimate CV and audio mangler.
CV & audio mangler is right, check out the features:
- 6HP
- Thermal compensated 5v voltage source with dedicated output
- Four-channel mixer with four buffered output
- Built-in 3 digits voltage meter post mix / attenuation / inversion
- Offset with a dedicated three positions range toggle
- Manual gate button tied to the mix
- 4 cascading outputs in an open design configuration
- Unique signal path: mix – attenuate – invert – add – visualize – multiplicate
You can see how this fits nicely with SINGOLI when it comes to signal manipulation. Now on to the final module of the mixing & utilities suite.
Jolin Ascolta
What good is a modular mixing system if it can’t play well with others? The ASCOLTA is a dual high fidelity pre-amp with peak detection and envelope following on each channel, letting you get the signals you need into the rack. So Why?
- To amplify stereo line-level signals up to modular levels – 100x (40dB).
- To extract an envelope and a peak detector CV from any given signal.
- To integrate into your system two separate sources requiring dedicated gain compensation.
- To side-chain and compress using the two audio-follower CV out and an external VCA/LPG
There’s also a few additional tricks stuffed in its 4HP, like customizable internal normalization and 2x signal amplification.
Looking at the whole, ASCOLTA makes total sense with the performance mixer, combiner/attenuater, and audio/CV mangler as a truly modular solution to performance mixing.
All modules will be available May 11th for pre-order on the Jolin website. Make sure to support Italian ingenuity and design, and if you want to test these at Superbooth23 drop by Booth #0395!
