bastl-instruments/aikido

Aikido

Bastl Instruments

Performative quad VCA mixer with flexible submix routing and two styles of integrated envelope followers. Features clickless mute switches, level faders, attenuverters, cascading mix routing, a Side Chain envelope follower with 3 response curves, and a Spectral envelope follower with selectable frequency band focus.828

Capabilities 5

Cascading Mixercascading-mixer
Channels A->B->C->D form a cascading mix chain; patching a channel output breaks the cascade at that point. MIX OUT carries the AC-coupled sum.828
Envelope Followerenvelope-follower
Two envelope followers: Side Chain follower (3 response curves: FAST, MID, SLOW) normalized to channel CV paths for instant compression/expansion; Spectral follower with selectable BASS/MID/TREB frequency bands.828
Fader / Slider Bankfader-bank
Performative quad VCA mixer; the channel faders + submix routing are the hands-on surface. The module agent_feedback #174 named when asking "fader options?".
Mixermixer
Cascading mix routing with a main AC-coupled MIX output and individual DC-coupled channel outputs. Supports daisy-chaining multiple units.828
Voltage-Controlled Amplifiervca
Four DC-coupled VCA channels with linear CV response, attenuverters, level faders, and clickless mute switches. Supports audio and modulation signals.828

Jacks 16 (9 in / 7 out)

NameSignalVoltageDescription
Inputs (9)
CH A CVcv—Linear CV input controlling Channel A VCA gain. SIDE CHAIN ENV output is normalized here; normalled to Channel B CV input.828
CH A INmixed—DC coupled signal input for Channel A. Accepts audio or modulation. Normalized to SIDE CHAIN IN.828
CH B CVcv—Linear CV input controlling Channel B VCA gain. Normalized from Channel A CV input.828
CH B INmixed—828
CH C CVcv—Linear CV input controlling Channel C VCA gain. Normalized from Channel B CV input.828
CH C INmixed—828
CH D CVcv—Linear CV input controlling Channel D VCA gain. Normalized from Channel C CV input.828
CH D INmixed—828
SIDE CHAIN INmixed—Input for Side Chain envelope follower. Normalized from Channel A input; override by patching any signal here.828
Outputs (7)
CH A OUTmixed—DC coupled direct VCA output for Channel A. Participates in cascading mix chain; plugging a cable breaks the cascade from this point.828
CH B OUTmixed—828
CH C OUTmixed—828
CH D OUTmixed—DC coupled cascaded mix output. When no other channel outputs are plugged, carries the sum of all four channels. Also feeds the Spectral envelope follower.828
MIX OUTaudio—AC coupled sum of all four channels, reflecting MUTE switch states. Removes DC offset.828
SIDE CHAIN ENVcv—CV output from Side Chain envelope follower. Normalized to Channel A CV input (and thence to B, C, D).828
SPECTRAL ENVcv—CV output from Spectral envelope follower, patchable anywhere. Follower monitors Channel D output and responds to the frequency band selected by the SPECTRAL switch.828

Parameters 15

NameTypeRangeBehavior
CH A Attenuverterknob—Adjusts the amount and polarity of CV input applied to the VCA. Center notch = no effect. CW = increasing CV effect (expansion with envelope followers). CCW = increasing inverted CV effect (compression with envelope followers).828
Zones
Compression
No Effect
Expansion
  • Compression -100–0%Inverted CV applied to VCA. When used with an envelope follower, creates compression: louder input = lower gain.828
  • No Effect 0–0%Center notch position — CV has no effect on VCA gain.828
  • Expansion 0–100%Normal polarity CV applied to VCA. When used with an envelope follower, creates expansion: louder input = higher gain.828
CH A LEVELfader≤6dBOpens and closes the VCA. Unity gain (0 dB) at about midpoint; amplifies up to +6 dB at maximum. Combined with CV input to set channel volume.828
CH A MUTEbutton—Clickless mute. Light off = muted, light on = active. Slow press/release creates fade effects. Always affects MIX output; jumper selects whether direct output is pre or post mute.828
CH B Attenuverterknob—828
CH B LEVELfader≤6dB828
CH B MUTEbutton—828
CH C Attenuverterknob—828
CH C LEVELfader≤6dB828
CH C MUTEbutton—828
CH D Attenuverterknob—828
CH D LEVELfader≤6dB828
CH D MUTEbutton—828
Mute Pre/Post Jumperjumper—Selects whether each channel's direct VCA output is pre-mute (not affected by MUTE switch) or post-mute (affected by MUTE switch).828
SIDE CHAIN Switchswitch—Selects between three envelope follower response curves: FAST (fast attack, fast release — tight compression), MID (fast attack, slower release — all-round), SLOW (long attack, long release — exaggerated sidechain effects).828
SPECTRAL Switchswitch—Selects the frequency band the Spectral envelope follower responds to: BASS (below 100 Hz), MID (100–650 Hz), or TREB (above 650 Hz).828

Firmware history 0 versions

No firmware history recorded.

References 2

  1. [828]
    Bastl Aikido Manualmanual
    source 828 canonical ↗ archived ↗
    ● verified 2026-05-23
  2. [829]
    Bastl Aikido product pageproduct_page
    source 829 canonical ↗ archived ↗
    ⚠ verified 2026-05-23 · manufacturer changed since last verified