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Please add Biti Workshop / FIG to the list of manufacturers. There are 7 modules of theirs already on ModularGrid, all still under "other/unknown".

Thanks in advance.

And good to see you on here too @farkas, where's the old heads at??

Thanks you all! Upon further listening I think this could benefit from some editing, but there's some lovely moments. I'm pretty happy with the last 7 or 8 minutes especially.

I quite liked the look and form factor of a double rackbrute 6U
Hadn't thougt that power would be an issue tho.
Guess anyone could have made that mistake starting out

it's a common issue - often found when a power supply starts failing...

For now i took out the chainsaw so i can still explore
I will be investigating a self build case tho.
My current studiodesk (also self built) needs replacing so .... i want cook up a new design with integrated rackspace.
Preferrably adjustable in hight as well.
@JimHowell
About those befaco excalibus power supplies?
What are their power rating and would any old weller soldering iron suffice to build it?
-- Chrissozz

I think they're 1.2A on both the +ve and -ve 12v rails - this should be sufficient for 2 rows, depending on the modules - I have a good distribution of digital (mostly mutable), analog and passive modules and can in most of my cases run 3 rows of up to 104hp from one easily - under 80% utilization - out of the 3 9u and 2 6u cases I run with them iirc only 1 needs a bit of help (a frequency central power supply for a few modules)

most of mine were built with a 25€ soldering iron - only the latest one was built with ny hakko - just be aware they're really time consuming (26 headers with 16 pins each)

Setup for various live shows and (with some slight changes) in April/May of 2024
Droid patch: https://github.com/vyger/droid-patches/blob/main/24Q2TECHNO/24Q2TECHNO.ini

EDITED May 19th, 23:59

Man, this is great. Good to see you again!

my cup of tea!

Oh, and the Doepfer A-180-9 Multicore works great for interconnecting boxes.
(latest build plan here)
-- lumpytapioca

I use a 2 -> 4 buffered mult to do something similar from a keystep pro. Fun build! Curious to know if that top left gets clastrophobic

I've settled on grouping by voice sets, not by having a row of oscillators, a bank of envelopes...
I did that at first, but now my clocks are grouped together up in the left corner, and audio/midi io in the lower left.
But I try to have modules in the middle near each other that I can link with
those little yellow doepfer wires as reasonable "defaults".
I also need less wires using Doepfer's CV and trigger bus lines in three of the groupings.

I sort of see it as: here's my bass and percussion sections, this group does keys, this row is guitar/lead,
and this is the mix to output. I can always cross patch to oblivion, but I don't have to every time I sit down to record.
Oh, and the Doepfer A-180-9 Multicore works great for interconnecting boxes.

My eyes are messed up with strabismus so I get lost in the weeds when wires are draped everywhere.
Not a kid now I guess, but I don't like wire balls anymore like I used to.
I believe neither did Alan R. Perlman's designs, compared to Moog and Buchla.
(latest build plan here)

EDITED May 19th, 17:47

I say they're welcome to boss you around on how to use and rack them as long as they buy them for you as well.

mfberlin website is no more - I found a users guide here:

https://github.com/5-lagu/mfb-seq-03-manual/tree/main

[]

I quite liked the look and form factor of a double rackbrute 6U
Hadn't thougt that power would be an issue tho.
Guess anyone could have made that mistake starting out
For now i took out the chainsaw so i can still explore
I will be investigating a self build case tho.
My current studiodesk (also self built) needs replacing so .... i want cook up a new design with integrated rackspace.
Preferrably adjustable in hight as well.
@JimHowell
About those befaco excalibus power supplies?
What are their power rating and would any old weller soldering iron suffice to build it?

Happy nooding brothers

I just completed a small skiff which I am super excited about. In this skiff contains a ZOIA Euroburo and a Mavis, and an extra mixer/output module. The Mavis was my very first gateway into the patching philosophy of modular and I still love it to this day (if I were to craft any large eurorack system, it would revolve around the Mavis). I've had the ZOIA pedal for awhile and have thoroughly enjoyed using its workflow, so adding the Euroburo was a cool way to integrate my love for ZOIA into my growing curiosity of analog modular systems. These two semi-modular units are ones I have good faith will be used together regularly, and it made sense for me to rack them together in their own case.

I posted a picture of my complete skiff in two different forum groups: one ZOIA users group and a general modular group. Most of the comments I got in the ZOIA group revolved around messages like "Looks like fun!" and "excited to hear it!" On the other hand, most of the initial comments I got in the modular group pretty much pointed out the fact that racking these semi-modular synths was a stupid idea, to just "Leave them in their own case." I admit I am over-exaggerating the contrast of the response of these groups, and I should add once I further explained some of my reasons for racking them most people started to understand. It occurred to me why my goal for this skiff was more easily understood from the ZOIA group: one of the more wide-spread tips modular users give to beginners is to leave semi-modulars in their own cases.

I am not saying that this tip is to be wiped from all the forums and never to be repeated again; I want to iterate that if you are trying to build a eurorack setup and you want to curate a specific set of modules, then this advice of keeping big chunky semi-modular synths out of your rack is a GREAT idea! What I am saying is that reasons exist in which racking these synths may be pretty handy. If you are trying to keep a setup mobile, having a single rack reduces setup time, and you save on outlet space too. If you use your semi-modular synth with other rack-able gear quite often, it would be real handy to have them live together in one easy space, easily within reach at all times. Both of these reasons come to mind when I think about the skiff I've made, as I planned it to be more of an expanded ZOIA than an "actual eurorack setup." These are the reasons that come to mind now, but I'm sure there are other reasons this could be a good idea for you and your setup.

Being an instrumentalist primarily, I like to think of it in terms of a pedalboard. If I have a few pedals and a big multi-FX, I could set them all up separately on a gig (that's quite a long setup), or I could get a pedalboard for my loose pedals and have the multi-FX to the side (getting better), or get a bigger pedalboard to fit everything on one footprint (how convenient!). Essentially what I've done with my skiff is made a "Euroburo pedalboard," and perhaps that is what many of the ZOIA users understood from my post. I think there are pros and cons to each setup ranging from convenience to price and other factors, and there may be no right or wrong answers.

I guess the tl;dr to this would be this: have a PLAN! Have as clear of a goal in your mind about what you want out of an interface to create music. This not only helps your end product, but it also helps you filter what advice you find to be either helpful or empty. Context online can be downright difficult to articulate, but understanding your plan will clear much of that challenge up!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. What did I miss? What should be elaborated upon?

🤘

I've never been a fan of the rackbrute - don't like the design - and the power solution is m'eh - rackwart & all -
-- JimHowell1970

My experience of the Rackbrute wasn't good, Power module got so hot that is always smelled like melting plastic, sent it back, manufacturer repaired, lost confidence in the case and sold on. It even made my modules run hotter than my 2x TipTop UZeus power. Now I'm on Konstantlab power for my bigger case and my 2x small cases are on the uZeus and no overheating.

-- wishbonebrewery

Your experience makes me even less of a fan...

I've never been a fan of the rackbrute - don't like the design - and the power solution is m'eh - rackwart & all -
-- JimHowell1970

My experience of the Rackbrute wasn't good, Power module got so hot that is always smelled like melting plastic, sent it back, manufacturer repaired, lost confidence in the case and sold on. It even made my modules run hotter than my 2x TipTop UZeus power. Now I'm on Konstantlab power for my bigger case and my 2x small cases are on the uZeus and no overheating.

I really wish there was a 'Bottom Row' tag, or something similar, for modules where the jacks are in the upper part of the module while the lower part has the knobs/faders/etc.

This should also include modules that are flippable by design (the display has to be flippable and/or rotary knobs turn infinitely in both directions + programmable...modules that still work well upside down). Either that or there should be a flippable tag with this criteria.

I feel like it would be great when putting together any sort of desktop sequencer, controller or mixer pod/skiff. Also for racks where the bottom row(s) slant forward (ie ES Megarack, PM Structure etc), or the bottom tier in stacked cases.

Thanks for reading

EDITED May 19th, 00:31

cases have power supplies that are designed to be sufficient when the case is filled with a reasonable distribution of module types - ie some digital, some analog, some passive... although some are just because they are cheap...

I've never been a fan of the rackbrute - don't like the design - and the power solution is m'eh - rackwart & all - the only reason I would suggest a rackbrute was if someone was expanding a minibrute2/2s & even then it's at a push and based on space requirements & even then I'd be railing against them!!! even the branding is too much... if I had one and wanted to play out with it, I'd have to gaffe tape the back to hide the branding - lest 1/2 the audience thought I was playing an arturia synth - not just using one of their. cases for a modular!

in my experience the tiptop mantis is one of the better powered cases - no rack wart!!! - sufficient for almost all audio applications - not quite up to it if tryiong to power a full compliment of gen2 LZX video synth modules - because the -12v is too low - but not far off! but that points towards getting creative with analog utilities etc (doepfer are great for this)

the b-company "clone" of the mantis - the go case - on the other hand - is underpowered imo - due to them making the case 40% bigger but failing to upgrade the power supply which is apparantly a direct clone of the mantis one - which is probablyu= fine if you fill it with their roland and moog clones - but start putting a load of high draw digital modules in it and you end up in the sasme boat as the OP

doepfer 6u racks are also very well powered - the 9u ones seem a bit underpowered to me... haven't looked at the rackspace to power supply ratio in their bigger ones though... but again I suspect the 6 u are fine and the 12 u are fine - but the 8u not so much!

if you follow the formula in my signature (it scales well from tiny to bigger than you can imagine) you are likely to not have problems with power in cases that have decent power supplies

if you are building your own case and adding power I recommend the befaco excalibus power supplies as very good - 1 per 6u works well and they are very quiet - no noticable ripple up into video rates (MHz, not just KHz for audio), no rackwart, equal -ve and +ve rails and available DIY - a simple if tedious build (due to the number of headers that need soldering) - & low form factor - all headers are on the edges, not upright

btw - there's a great primer on modular power in the stickies of the 3u & 1u subforum at modwiggler... including why you need to leave a load of headroom - see previous post for synopsis

I don't think this is everyone's cup of tea, but was back to some feedback patching earlier today and it turned out pretty nice. Some 1991 High Tech High Life vibes, plus plenty of reverbs turning into noise.

Made with:

hi,
Usually power supplies give their best performance with loads of a maximum of 80%. Taking them to 90 or 100% makes them last less. Not to mention the temperature. Additionally, many digital modules cause consumption peaks when starting up, and if the source is already at its limit, they may not start correctly.

Made a demo

I bought an 860 MK2 filter from @cfemery.

We're both in the UK. I paid yesterday, it arrived today.

Exceptionally well packaged and excellent condition. Made my weekend!

Highly recommended.

One thing to keep in mind : It is not good to run the power supply at max load. It's a good rule of thumb to keep the power consumption between 50 - 70 % of the max load. So a power supply of 2A would be a strict minimum I think (it would be running @ ~80%). to maximise the space I would replace the Arturia PS which is 6hp by either a TipTop uZeus and you have 2hp free or 2 Behringer CP1A.

That said, I don't know your need in the -12v. The TipTop uZeus has a good +12v supply in 4hp but the -12v is kind of poor.
if needed more -12v 2 Behringer CP1A would do the trick and you still keep 4hp free

Can you split your rack into 2 seperate rows and give the links so we can have a more detaled consumption per row ?
-- Folkien

Why would a power supply not be able to operate at say 90/95% instead of 50 to 70% tho?

Currently running this setup.

This is the data sheet for it

6 Modules (2 passive) Row 1 79 HP max 80 mm 725 mA +12V 130 mA -12V 0 mA +5V
8 Modules (1 passive) Row 2 67 HP max 45 mm 650 mA +12V 481 mA -12V 0 mA +5V
14 Modules (3 passive) Total 146 HP max 80 mm 1,375 mA +12V 611 mA -12V 0 mA +5V

My initial plan was to end up with 2 rackbrutes 6U. Filling the cases as i go.
But if both of the cases need an extra powersupply i dont know if thats the way i want to go forward
Adding a 2hp power from endorphin.es wouldn't be the end of the world
But if i get a second rackbrute its gonna need one as well i guess
Currently pondering to build a case myself.

Found about about this amazing feature recently:

Found about about this amazing feature recently:

Excellent. Subtle. And very good use of Déjà Vu functions. Btw, where is this coastline?
-- Sweelinck

Thanks! Southwest Sweden... :-)

Excellent. Subtle. And very good use of Déjà Vu functions. Btw, where is this coastline?

Ditto - amazing module for 10hp and would like another one!

As Mazz said, a envelope follower generates continuous CV from a signal you put into it by measuring its voltage. A common application is ducking or side chaining where one sound temporarily suppresses another to keep maximum presence. Like a kick supressing a bass line or a voice pushing back background music in a video.
Something like this:
ducking sound --> env follower --> inverter --> vca controlling ducked sound
-- wiggler55550

This is super usefult, thanks: "ducking sound --> env follower --> inverter --> vca controlling ducked sound"

Peace out!

A pretty sounding and low-hp module is the 2hp pluck.
It's 4 note polyphonic, has an interesting range of tones, and leaves you lots of rack room.
They are always a pain to tune because of the fiddly knobs and 2hp stuff is kinda cheap because they're cheap.
More than three 2hp modules in a rack is rarely worth suffering with their fit and control.

But... feeding it into mavis' external in can make for some astonishingly beautiful arpeggios.
Two plucks together is also nice. For tonal variety, add a 2hp bell.
The 3 together have provided me some "wow" moments where you have to just stop, listen, and smile.
cornishe_excerpt This is Pamela's Pro Workout -> A-156 QNT ->PluckPluckBell + Mavis into a Monsoon to stereo out.

Add a Doepfer A-138 narrow mixer to corral them, or you could add a Doepfer A-138s mini stereo mixer.
You'll also need a mult of some sort. The Doepfer A-182-1 stitchable mult
works great for this, adds 6hp more, and so now with pluck/pluck/bell/mixer/mult, we're still only
at 16 hp added and you've got lots of added fun.

I only wish that someone would make a unified PluckPluckBell with less twitchy tuning.

EDITED May 17th, 16:47

One thing to keep in mind : It is not good to run the power supply at max load. It's a good rule of thumb to keep the power consumption between 50 - 70 % of the max load. So a power supply of 2A would be a strict minimum I think (it would be running @ ~80%). to maximise the space I would replace the Arturia PS which is 6hp by either a TipTop uZeus and you have 2hp free or 2 Behringer CP1A.

That said, I don't know your need in the -12v. The TipTop uZeus has a good +12v supply in 4hp but the -12v is kind of poor.
if needed more -12v 2 Behringer CP1A would do the trick and you still keep 4hp free

Can you split your rack into 2 seperate rows and give the links so we can have a more detaled consumption per row ?

EDITED May 16th, 17:44

Plaits is a great choice. You might also look into ALM Cizzle for some dancy FM. That all said, why eurorack? Why not swap the nifty case for a keystep (pro) and keep it semi-modular?

EDITED May 15th, 23:24

Yo!

An additional note about my previous posts, regarding user @sugarfreedaddy

I want to state here that my problem with him is now solved.
He was unable to send me the module that I purchased, and he was unable to refund me.
I offered that he sends me other modules for a similar value. He did, which means that, I don't really understand how or why, he was in a problematic situation, but in the end he did not scam me.

Happy modular everyone :)

Hello! Every day at dusk the birds in my garden sing their beautiful sunset song. I wanted to record their song and add my modular synths to their singing, to create a dialogue between the birds and my synths. The goal was to make the birds sound like a synth and the synths sound like birds. To create a beautiful duet between nature and machine. Enjoy!

I already got an XOH on the way, last thing to secure is the Euroburo. I'll potentially have the full set by the end of the week if this trade-in I have in mind goes well. I'm excited, it'll be a very fun skiff to take with me on my summer vacations!

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_2453630.jpg

This is what I'm currently working towards! I've been using the ZOIA pedal for quite some time and absolutely love it, and am trying to finally acquire a Euroburo to pair with Mavis.
-- liamodellbass

Very cool! I like your style.

There is a used XOH up on the 'verb for sale, just FYI

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_2453630.jpg

This is what I'm currently working towards! I've been using the ZOIA pedal for quite some time and absolutely love it, and am trying to finally acquire a Euroburo to pair with Mavis.

matrix mixer, rectifier, clock divider, lots of logic modules...pams,maths, ochd.

Very happy with my purchase of Kinks and LxD from @Nikiji

Friendly communication, quick shipping, excellent packaging, and of course the modules themselves in perfect condition. Recommended!

Hi,

Thanks! I like both alternatives. Couple of extra VCA's always good..

/M

I'd throw in an Intellijel Amps (VCA + ring mod and mixer, doesn't matter that it's linear only since DUSG can do exponential curves), and either
1) a Mutable Kinks clone (logic + noise) and a Disting mk4 (tons of options and you can learn about different tools)
or
2) an Ochd + its expander (lots and lots of modulation possibilities)

@KitKadAndy Amazing seller, I received a brand new Monome Teletype silver. Fast and perfect communication :)

I'm slowly building a mini rack based on the random source serge modules. I have 14hp left that i'm not really sure of what to do with. The so called music i'm making spanning from just noises/drones to little arps etc, towards ambient i would say.

All modules in the rack i currently own. Was thinking about the random source adsr, but not sure. Feels unnecessary.

Suggestions? Mixer? Noise? bunch of logic to spice things up?

2024 Studio Volx 3 168hp + RackBrute + Skiffs

Got rid of my old small rack I never used. Newly inspired and jumping to a big setup. Currently own 99% of modules but waiting on Volx cabinet. Racking and reracking in RackBrute with Knurlies at the moment to learn and play with things. I've got tons of weird sound design tools but main focus is funky techno production. Heavily percussive, minimally melodic and lots of trippy effects. Work on 1-4 mono or stereo tracks in the rack at a time with the DAW as a multi track recorder and then use the rack as automation, insert and send effects during mixdown.

Not very advanced with creative patching and CV but understand the concepts. What would you change or what would you feel was missing? How would you organize a case like this?

Plaits! Plaits turned out to be the correct answer.

i just dont like the idea of another powerbrick on the desk.
I'm already starved for sockets as is. Anyone out there with a more elegant solution?

there are power strips... they can often be hidden behind other things, or under tables/desks

another option is a different case with better power supply - tiptop mantis for example!

Im chasing for 4ms pods

pls contact me if you sell (or swap) some - in (EU)

Just the classic Doepfer A-100 P9 atm. Just sold the other one