AI Synthesis AI002 Mixer
Three inputs, one clean mix, and a first taste of active Eurorack circuitry in a 6 HP kit.
Overview
The AI Synthesis AI002 Mixer is a good place to start if you're facing an empty Eurorack case and don't want to spend much or get in over your head. You don't have to decode cryptic schematics or fight surface-mount parts. The kit gives you a PCB, a panel, three jacks and a set of Alpha pots. Everything is through-hole, so the parts slide in cleanly and solder up fast. There's no wiring and no jumpers. Many owners report building it in under an hour.
This is an active audio/CV mixer. It doesn't just passively sum signals the way a patch bay would. It amplifies them slightly, which gives you headroom and control. That helps when you're blending oscillators, layering LFOs, or summing control voltages into a filter cutoff. It's DC-coupled, so it handles CV as cleanly as audio. The three inputs each have their own level control, so you can balance sources before they hit the summing stage. At the output, a master knob is calibrated so unity gain lands at 12 o'clock. Push it further and you overdrive the opamp gently, which adds a touch of color if you want it.
It's not flashy. There's no modulation input, no inversion switch, no panning and no filtering. The AI002 is stripped back to the essentials: mix three things, control each one, send the result out cleanly. It's the kind of module you don't notice until it's missing, like a power supply or a blank panel.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | AI Synthesis |
| Number of inputs | 3 |
| Input controls | All three inputs have a level control |
| Summing mixer position | The summing mixer is at Unity when at 12’0 Clock |
| Dimensions | 6 HP |
| Depth | 20 mm |
| Current Draw | 4 mA +12V, 4 mA -12V, 0 mA 5V |
| Coupling | DC-coupled |
Key Features
Active Circuitry, Beginner-Friendly Build
The AI002 Mixer is an active module. It uses an opamp to sum and buffer the signal path, so it isn't a passive resistor network that saps level and headroom. For builders, that's a real step up. It introduces bi-polar power supplies (+12V and -12V), which are fundamental to Eurorack but can feel intimidating the first time you wire a power cable. Here it's handled cleanly. The kit includes a pre-made power cable, and the PCB has decoupling capacitors (2 x .1uF) placed right at the power entry points to stabilize the rails. That's good design hygiene, and it teaches you to care about power integrity from the start.
True Plug-and-Play Assembly
Every part in the kit is through-hole, so there's no need for tweezers or a magnifier. The jacks are high-quality 3.5 mm types, and the pots are genuine Alpha units. You don't need to cut wires or route connections, because everything mounts directly to the board. The kit includes a Eurorack panel, and once built it fits into any standard case. It's been called "a great first active build," and owners report learning real lessons from it, like how grounding works or why power decoupling matters. One builder on ModWiggler admitted they'd underestimated how tricky stripboard could be, which made the switch to a proper PCB feel like a revelation. The AI002 removes that barrier entirely.
Unity Gain and Gentle Overdrive
The output knob is a precision tool as much as a volume control. At 12 o'clock, the mix hits unity gain, so you're not boosting or cutting the summed signal. Turn it past that point and the opamp starts to saturate slightly, adding a soft overdrive. That isn't aggressive distortion. It's closer to the warmth you'd get from pushing an analog console. It's subtle but useful, especially when you want to glue together multiple oscillators or give a CV source a little extra punch. Because the module is DC-coupled, the same overdrive applies to control voltages.
Historical Context
The AI002 Mixer is an updated take on a classic utility audio or CV mixer, designed to be approachable without giving up functionality. It came out as part of a small wave of DIY-first Eurorack kits aimed at lowering the entry barrier for synth builders. Rather than reinvent the wheel, it refines a proven concept: clean summing with individual attenuation. It's positioned as "the perfect first build DIY Eurorack module for beginners," and it shares that role with two other kits from AI Synthesis, the AI001 Multiple and the AI010 Switching Attenuator. Together they form a suggested beginner trio, each teaching a different foundational concept: signal splitting, mixing, and voltage control. The AI002 sits in the middle of that progression, between passive and active circuitry.
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