ALM Busy Circuits Haswell's Taiko (Discontinued)
A digital drum voice in a black panel, limited to 100 units and loaded with hand-drawn waveforms that sound like shattered glass and short circuits.
Overview
The ALM Busy Circuits Haswell's Taiko is not a warm module. It won't ease anyone in with soft kicks and polite snares. It's a 12 HP limited-run Eurorack drum synthesizer, made by ALM/Busy Circuits with noise artist Russell Haswell, and it carries his name and his nature. The official name is "HASWELL’S TAIKO" and the designation is ALM013. It's a darker re-imagining of ALM's earlier Dinky's Taiko, aimed at industrial texture and digital violence instead of musicality.
Only 100 individually numbered units were made. It's discontinued, and it's rare. It was never meant to be a workhorse drum module. It's a limited edition version of Dinky's Taiko with expanded features and a sonic palette that leans abrasive. The custom ‘inverted’ matt black panel with white graphics looks like a piece of lab equipment built to generate chaos.
It's made in the UK and has reverse polarity protection. It's skiff-friendly and compact at 32 mm deep, so it won't take much case space. Owners report an extremely wide palette of sounds, including metallic thuds and glitchy explosions, all shaped by a 12-bit digital drum sound source that sounds deliberately raw, not polished. It doesn't try to emulate acoustic drums. It invents new ones, the kind that might live in a decommissioned server farm or a collapsing radio tower.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | ALM/Busy Circuits |
| Model | Circuits Haswell's Taiko (ALM013) |
| Production Status | Discontinued |
| Edition | Limited to 100 individually numbered units |
| Dimensions | 12 HP, 32 mm deep |
| Current Draw | 0 mA (-12V) |
| Sound Source | 12 Bit digital drum sound source |
| Wavetable Bank | Alternate wavetable sound bank of 30 unique and unusual waveforms hand-drawn by Russell Haswell |
| Inputs | Trigger input as well as accent and choke trigger inputs |
| Construction | Reverse polarity protection. Skiff friendly. Designed and Made in the UK. |
| Panel | Custom ‘inverted’ matt black panel & knobs with white graphics. |
| Original Price | $284 MSRP |
Key Features
Digital Noise Meets Hand-Drawn Chaos
At its core is a digital drum noise oscillator. It isn't analog hiss or sampled transients. It's synthesized digital noise with controllable frequency and release time. That noise source is paired with a variable wavetable oscillator, which has start and end frequency settings and a variable rate. The two sources feed a mix and tone control, making a complete drum voice in three distinct parts. It can produce subby booms and high-frequency stutters, and it sounds distinctly digital, brittle and unforgiving.
The alternate wavetable bank sets it apart from its sibling, Dinky’s Taiko. It holds 30 unique waveforms hand-drawn by Russell Haswell. They aren't algorithmically generated or mathematically derived. They're drawn, so they carry the irregularities, spikes, and asymmetries of human gesture. That's why the sounds feel so unpredictable. The signal path is a digital noise generator combined with a variable wavetable oscillator, routed through an EQ and mix output, and it's designed to exploit these imperfections.
Voltage Control Without Compromise
Nearly every parameter on the Haswell's Taiko, except the tone control, is both directly adjustable and voltage controllable. That means the noise frequency, release time, wavetable start/end points, and rate can all take external CV. It's more than a trigger-in, sound-out drum module, since it responds to modulation like a full synthesizer. The accent and choke trigger inputs let it interact with other drum modules in a performance setup.
Aesthetic and Build: Minimal, Brutal, Functional
The ‘inverted’ matt black panel with white graphics is part of the module's identity. It looks severe, almost hostile, which matches the sound. The knobs are the same inverted style, so the face is uniform and stands out even in a dark rack. Despite the aggressive look, the build is practical. Reverse polarity protection means it won't be fried by accident, and the 32 mm depth suits travel or skiff-based systems.
Historical Context
The Haswell's Taiko exists because ALM/Busy Circuits decided to collaborate with Russell Haswell, a UK-based noise and electronic artist known for his extreme sonic interventions and conceptual rigor. It wasn't a marketing partnership. It was a creative re-imagining of their existing Dinky's Taiko drum module, pushed into darker, harsher territory. The limited edition version has expanded features and a completely unique wavetable bank.
It sits within the “Circuits” series of ALM Busy modules, a line that includes other artist collaborations and experimental designs, and is listed in the VTA Brand Index alongside those peers. No production years are confirmed. The module was submitted to ModularGrid on January 29th, 2016, which suggests it was likely produced and distributed around that time, before being discontinued.
Collectibility & Value
With only 100 units made and the module now discontinued, the Haswell's Taiko is inherently collectible. It was never meant to be common, and its association with Russell Haswell adds weight in experimental music circles. The original MSRP was $284. Listings on Reverb have appeared at $646.46, and eBay auctions have reached $699. That's more than double the original price.
There are no documented common failures or maintenance issues, likely due to its simple digital design. The 0 mA draw on the -12V rail (as listed on ModularGrid) suggests efficient power use, though full power specifications remain unconfirmed. No weight, frequency response, or detailed technical specs are available, so buyers rely on reputation and rarity. Its Ø 5.00 user rating on ModularGrid (based on four votes) hints at strong owner satisfaction, though the small sample size means it should be taken as a signal, not a verdict.
Anyone hunting for one should expect to pay a premium and verify the unit number. Given the limited run, provenance matters.
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