Battering Ram

Shakmat Battering Ram is a synthesizer specialized in kick drums that combines ultra-precise control with easy handling.

Battering Ram is based on a design by Belgian chiptune specialist Marc Nostromo and makes creating powerful bass drums an intuitive pleasure. Using four large knobs (Drive, Click, Decay and Pitch) and a small knob (Depth of the decay time of the pitch envelope), the core parameters of the bass drum can be influenced. At the very top is Drive, which offers the choice between a complex, two-stage wavefolder and clipping distortion with a button located below the control. Below this, the decay time and a mixable click transient can be adjusted, as well as the decay time of the pitch envelope, which turns a juicy click sound into a nasty 909 bass drum. At the bottom is the pitch control, which moves the pitch in the range from C1 to C3. The associated V/Oct input helps the Shakmat offspring to produce tom or bassline-like sounds. The pitch range can even be extended to 5 octaves (C0 to C5) using the four buttons in the Advanced Parameters section. A three-pole high-pass filter, pitch lock and switching between trigger and gate mode also help with sound design.
All sound design-relevant parameters have CV inputs and the settings can be recalled at any time using the store/recall functionality (16 presets). An envelope output is also available, which can be reversed in polarity if required and then used for ducking effects, for example. Despite its compact size, Battering Ram delivers a wide range of kicks, whether it’s wafting sub-monsters or precise, crunchy 909 bass drums.

Features:

• Kick drum module based on a design by Marc Nostromo
• Intuitive sound shaping with (large) knobs for drive, decay, click and pitch
• Intensity control of the decay time of the pitch envelope
• CV inputs for trig, drive, decay, velocity (dynamic phrasing), click and pitch
• Envelope output (e.g. for ducking effects)
• Two different distortion algorithms (gentle saturation/high gain with clipping)
• Two-octave pitch range switchable to 5 octaves (e.g. for toms and/or basslines)
• Three-pole high-pass filter
• Pitch lock for precise pitch switching
• Switchable between trigger and gate mode
• Store/recall functionality (16 presets)