i will most likely never pick up any eurorack modules.
-- singular_sound
Shocking.
I'm going to add some 1U switches also so I can distribute modulation to different drums.
-- Traxam
+1000
Switches including sequential, switched multiples, gated switches are all super powerful. Boring but a fantastic thing to add. Doepfer sequential switch is a good place to start. Couple it witch a simple clock divider, or trigger from a sequencer.
Hey,
I'll throw my 2 x cents in also!
I have a case dedicated to drums i've been building and I love it. Glad I didn't hear the advice not to go down this route before spending so much on it.
In my scenario i've gone with the concept of building 2 x kits in the one case, using 1 x sequencer with enough trig outs to control many things (I use Erica which has x16), 2 x mixers, one for each kit, and a cross fader.
I'd agree with all of the above recomendations and add:
Consider getting a case with 1 or 2, 1U rows, very handy for additional functional modules.
I use a couple of 1U (Bear modules) connector modules for cable management as once I have the triggers from sequencer patched up I don;t really need to chage them so it avoids a big spagetti. So you're onto a good idea there, in my opinion!
I'm going to add some 1U switches also so I can distribute modulation to different drums.
As some "drum" modules can be used to make non drum sounds, a few times I've ended up just jamming my drum rack and having great fun.
nothing wrong with that rack configuration, but im trying to do my own thing. yeah, i wasnt sure if power needed to be its own module or if most cases took care of that from the back. ai is getting pretty advanced right now, and i still wish the admins would consider fine tuning claude 3.7 sonnet to be a total advice and feedback ai chat feature to provide the kinds of hints i was seeking. ...
yeah, but im leaving forever, tho. i will most likely never pick up any eurorack modules.
im used to more active forums. modwiggler doesnt seem like exactly my thing. last post.
We all face the simple fact that this forum is secondary to the main function of ModularGrid so activity is very slow on here.
Its no one's fault and you can't blame people for not being here 24/7 or for not knowing how to give advice if they don't have experience of people's module choices.
Have you tried Modwiggler? https://www.modwiggler.com/forum/ there's probably more forum post action over there.
Buy a cheap case, get a few modules and start learning, its that easy, though never cheap!
This was my starter suggestion from a forum post that no one responded to:
That is where I would start if i were to be a beginner, the rest is personal learning and experimantation.
Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.
Hello megoth, ive been doing this a couple of years now, thought i'd stick my head above the parapet :)
The main advice you'll get from other users is to not do drums in rack as its too much cost for little gain. I'd recommend looking into something like the Pulsar-23 for a good drum machine that can interface with eurorack. It only handles 0-10v instead of -5 to +5 so you'll need additional modules to offset/attenuate as necessary. But, it'll still be a lot cheaper than whats proposed here.
That being said drums in eurorack is fun! And even better when paired with modulation, so I think it would be good to know what other modulation your planning on getting in your other case. The key to good drum sounds is decent modulation and utilities otherwise your voices will sound static and boring. Things like sample and holds, clock dividers, shift registers can spice up velocities and gate sequencies. Random CV is also great for sound design- you can get this from a sample and hold and noise source. Noise in particular is very useful- it can also be used to create percussion!
And with modulation you'd need VCAs. Super useful for modulating modulation. And also accent creation. In conjunction with sample and hold and you can extract velocities from modulation! if you attenuate and rectify before hand you can get it to play nicely. And rectifiers open up a world of possibilities - when combined with slew you can get an envelope follower which is great for sidechain effects. I'd look into function generators like schlappi boundary or make noise maths. The ultra kick/perc has this built in but doing it in other modules has its benefits.
You'd surprised at how much mileage you'd get from an Oxi One. I had one for ages before I sold it for a Hermod+, which is an insanely powerful sequencer. I would question why you would need 3 sequencers, and just stick with the Oxi for now. See how you go with that and properly get to grips with its functions. It's a mini modulation centre in itself!
Havent even touched on ringmod, effects, mixers, clock dividers, more utilities etc. There will come a point when you wish to do something but can't because you dont have the right utilities. Also a good way to save money instead of having dedicated modules (already touched on building random generators and envelope followers, there is a ton more).
Finally you may wish to consider to get something not behringer. Eurorack is a boutique business, and a massive company stealing designs from much smaller companies, is not a good thing.
Enjoy the build!
TLDR/EDIT:
Essentially do drums outside of rack unless you suplement with all the things that makes modular, modular. If you do them in a rack where your only modulation sources is just a sequencer, youve just spent a ton of a money on essentially a very limited drum machine. Manually drawing accents and swings is fine, but in the modular world you can automate to get far more inspiring patterns with a turn of a knob. Drums only becomes killer when you pair it with modulation :)
EDIT 2:
I know youve got 2 ochds, but you may need something which syncs. And mixers, analog logic functions like min/max to make the wave forms more interesting than triangless.
I'm thinking of buying a Behringer Eurorack Go (2x140hp), and it's primary function is being a drum machine. Currently I only have two of the modules (Ultra-Kick, Pipe), so I'm very open for suggestions on other modules people might recommend. Also, this is probably waaaaaay overkill, but I think it could be a very fun and powerful system, which is the end goal ^_^
To give a bit more context: the rack will have two adjacent systems, which can provide some functions such as various effects (not sure which), LFOs, VCAs, and mults, but apart from that this system should be mostly self-sufficient.
Some thoughts on the modules:
I know I probably should have more attenuaters and voltage manipulation modules in general. And the Scrooge will probably go in later iterations, as it takes a lot of space. But I really like the sounds it make (from what I've heard on YouTube), and I've grown quite fond of its sibling, the Elmyra 2, so I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it.
This is my first post in this forum, so apologies if I've forgotten to cover anything vital. If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll try to answer ^_^
im leaving forever. i cant seem to get enough respect about wanting to share my case layout ideas on here. etcetera. ...
yall should check out 'muezig' on youtube, though. he posts new live content regularly, and it really embodies the 'concept' of a unique sound and all-in-one ness that i was looking for yalls feedback on. he could use the engagement. etcetera. ...
peace ✌️
Thanks for sharing, hope you're able to realize this setup in the future!
“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
@zacksname i just told you the modules i would get first. i cannot afford them. i just want to post ideas for rack configurations on here as creative stimulation. get a life.
peace ✌️
I thought you wanted people to engage with you. I'm the only one still willing to do so, and I've been as reasonable as anyone could be about all this. If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, but if you don't like what I've said then there might not be a point for you in coming here to engage, especially if you continue to be combative about any advice that conflicts with your idealized version of modular synths.
id want it all at once. if i could only get less at a time, then i would get this all at once:
i just want that perfect improv toy and im not there yet is all, why do you keep asking?
peace ✌️
yes. i would like to have this one, even though the design is not perfect and the clocky is not actually really doing anything:
also, just to include this, too, here is the $30 yoyo:
peace ✌️
yes. im all set up with "arrangements" on a daily, very limited budget, and i spent $30 of my own money on a yoyo from amazon. in fact, that $30 one is almost my fav right now.
why? what of it?
i "cant" save up on my daily spending for a $6,000 eurorack case, etc. so, why ask? etc.
peace ✌️
im just saying. you can get a full 100% workable yoyo for $30. no comparison.
basically.
etc.
peace ✌️
If you are careful and follow advice from those with experience, you should be able to get a good modular system for less than $36,000.
i spent $120 on a yoyo. (it was a gift actually.) a yoyo made of solid titanium can be $500. the $120 was a yoyofriends tachyon, but mostly i use another $80 yoyofriends, a $30 almost no brand amazon thing that plays above its price, and a few cheaper plastic ones so i dont forget how to play on the cheaper ones.
i could ask some person on here; "you spend $36,000 on eurorack modules?" etcetera. ... ...
yoyo is super rewarding. more people should get into it. etcetera. etcetera. ...
peace ✌️
Thank you for pointing on this incredible pedal
- Now I need this.
Does someone like to sell or swap one?
Check the experimental sampler-modules of "Error Instruments"
I guess you could archive somekind of similar territority with:
"MI Beads" or "Moonson (with the right firmware)" + a turing maschine module like - (Noise Engineering Gamut Repetitor / Marbles, Clank Chaos .....)
But I guess there is some final sauce missing.
Greetings
Chris
i do. notice how my designs kept making more and more sense after every time i came back over every couple of months, but i have very specific constraints im trying to work inside of, and so, due to issues with things like module availability, yes, my designs could use some improvement.
i still think if this site was a little different then the community here can grow more.
also a whole yoyo is only ever like $200 tops.
peace ✌️
I think if you apply the same attitude you applied to yoyos here and get engaged with the actual materials, you will do better.
yeah. i can do two combos i invented and am just now starting to work on advanced tricks.
i want to share a direct quote:
"ModularGrid uses so-called cookies to ensure it's so-called functionality. We also use dubious tracking scripts. Find out more in the Privacy Policy. We use cookies and wanna let you know.'
would you trust a website like that?
peace ✌️✌️✌️
i took up unresponsive yoyo, late, maybe, idk, like 5 years ago? and, im being plenty patient with it, not even giving it my full undivided attention, and still making good progress. i do not believe my disposition is as messed up as you think it is. etcetera.
peace ✌️
If you had said somewhere in your early 20s, I would be more optimistic about you outgrowing this disposition and learning to be more patient when taking on a new hobby.
i dont see why thats important and is almost a little bit too personally identifiable, but: ...
"almost 40".
why do you even want to know?
peace ✌️
cool. im not an admin. im not a dev. im not a writer on modular synthesis. but i have this whole vision for a modulargrid 2.0 with friendly reminders and ai chat assistance,
because, i care about the future of modular synthesis, because, in my fantasy world i have an enormous eurorack 'toy' that i like to play with, and i want more toys, etcetera.
i dont hate this site. i just wish i was seeing more valuable community interactions, etc. because that would grow this hobby, and im thinking maybe a lil ml could seed this. etc.
peace ✌️
i think people just need this site to provide them a gentle reminder about how to think about using this very site. etcetera.
-- singular_sound
I definitely agree that there are people who need (at the very least) a gentle reminder about how to approach using this site.
nu uh, @zacksname my cult disagrees with you. ... ... i think people just need this site to provide them a gentle reminder about how to think about using this very site. etcetera.
Has anyone come across the Fieldtone Weaver? Looks like a guitar pedal - it samples audio and spits it back out in random rhtuhms and pitches. Can anyone suggest a eurorack module that does something similar??? Thanks
You might need to read some books/posts, watch some tutorials, and also get more familiar with the materials themselves. This will help you understand the onboarding process better, and if you don't find this resource at the end of your research, then you'll have everything you need to create it. For now, I'm not sure you'd know which of these resources are the right one even if you found it, because you haven't done the thing for which you're trying to create and evaluate learning tools. Having a plan and overall goal is good, but you still have to start at the beginning and go through it all step by step.
it would be for someone who started looking into eurorack modules for some reason then finds this website and becomes interested in maybe putting together their own case but is overwhelmed with the possibilities that the plethora of options that the design page here provides and it would be designed to catch them just before they give up or accidently purchase something that ends up not suiting them or even just post something on here that is un-feedback-able and to "guide" them toward making choices with good outcomes.
i know the author claims that that book was not actually on the topic of zen, but to be honest i always find reading over it again to be a zen experience, in a personal way, etc.
etc.
peace ✌️
have you read zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance @Dub007 ? that is the book i was trying to reference. if you have not, you might not grok what i have in mind, etc. ...
peace ✌️
-- singular_sound
You mean a piece of pop philosophy from an author who themselves claimed the book was not really an accurate take on either "zen" or "motorcycles", the two things it was ostensibly about? I'm not even inherently against such a project for music gear and modular synths in particular, but who would such a resource be for? Why would it be Modulargrid that provides it?
read zen an the art of motorcycle maintenance.
it goes into why its important to figure out why you want to do things before you do them, which is more what i wanted my hypothetical guide for here to cover.
(claude didnt generate exactly what i wanted. my own version might be 5x longer and might include little anecdotes about what to avoid and things that really work.)
peace ✌️
i disagree that you must have a vca as its own module to be honest. that modwiggler thread does not go into why you might want to get into modular in the first place or the aesthetics of module selection or how to design something that actually meets your real creative expressive potential needs.
have you read zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance @Dub007 ? that is the book i was trying to reference. if you have not, you might not grok what i have in mind, etc. ...
peace ✌️
-- singular_sound
you're welcome to disagree.
the thread doesn't tackle personal preference or similar. that would be strange. yes, your right. it's general, functional and leaves these things to you... the creator (buyer).
and... im done... happy wiggling
thanks. maybe ill unbox my po-33 k.o., record some samples of things i have on the ready, throw something together in 2 seconds, upload it to youtube, and post it here, just to contribute. (havent decided.)
peace ✌️
im not a child and zacksname is not my teacher. i am not required to 100% love criticism, especially when its not moving me toward my goals. i know how synths work.
peace ✌️
-- singular_sound
understood... and happy wiggling
we're looking forward to listening to your sketches or full tracks when you sort things
zacksname, i have just one thing to say:
https://poorlydrawnlines.com/comic/taking-criticism/
-- singular_sound
I get the feeling you will have more than this to say.
i disagree that you must have a vca as its own module to be honest. that modwiggler thread does not go into why you might want to get into modular in the first place or the aesthetics of module selection or how to design something that actually meets your real creative expressive potential needs.
have you read zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance @Dub007 ? that is the book i was trying to reference. if you have not, you might not grok what i have in mind, etc. ...
peace ✌️
im not a child and zacksname is not my teacher. i am not required to 100% love criticism, especially when its not moving me toward my goals. i know how synths work.
peace ✌️
- This process cannot be done without you doing the majority of the work in testing module types, trying things one step at a time, maybe visiting music stores to see what you can try. VCV Rack and Hexen are around for free, and you can read module manuals to better understand what they can and can't do. Only you will know what works best for you, and figuring it out is part of the fun. If you just want an "all-in-one band in a box", they already have that, and it's called a computer.
If you want to flex your creativity, play some music. If you need help with something, ask. If you just want to chat, maybe see if there are any Discords you can join or go on Modwiggler. In my experience, conversation here seems to be limited to people posting music or asking specific questions. If you already have "very specific taste", you might not need to share your ideas before you start working on them anyway. Frankly, your behavior here is pretty alienating and will not turn this place into a great place to make friends. Being a good listener and taking the feedback you asked for well even if it doesn't necessarily fit your goals will work much better.
-- Zacksname
100%
3 for sure... it's your dime and your ride
@zacksname amazing fortitude and grace
This was super helpful. https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=230155
Patch & Tweak is also a great source.
I also went my own way (after a couple of months / years... doesn't everyone?), more or less... but did ask for and get some hard (good) advice... that I kind of listened to (Utilities, Star mults, VCAs, that damn big(ish) but really useful matrix mixer ;)).
Every use case and user is unique when it comes to creating things... modular makes it way more complicated with the vast options it offers to the creators (which is one reason why it's often recommended to start with a simi-modular)... but the foundation is the same...
"In order to get sound out of your modular and have a working instrument, you must have the following things purchased:
Case / Power Supply
Oscillator or Sound Source
Modulation Source
Sequencer
VCA"
Start here... maybe add an multi FX module... these 4-5 simple things (or complicated if you want) and then learn from there.
zacksname, i have just one thing to say:
If you want to flex your creativity, play some music. If you need help with something, ask. If you just want to chat, maybe see if there are any Discords you can join or go on Modwiggler. In my experience, conversation here seems to be limited to people posting music or asking specific questions. If you already have "very specific taste", you might not need to share your ideas before you start working on them anyway. Frankly, your behavior here is pretty alienating and will not turn this place into a great place to make friends. Being a good listener and taking the feedback you asked for well even if it doesn't necessarily fit your goals will work much better.
