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Thank Jim !
I need a solution to :
1. input my studio mixer bus out (to send external synths to my modular).
2. lower the modular output to get into my studio mixer but in fact especially for headphones : stéréo out 1/4 jack (to not need any adaptor) TRS if available and a 'volume' knob.
3. send/return - send modular signal into a Beebo or an Organelle and returning with eurorack level. The Organelle output level is so low that i think it might be guitar level, perhaps so a 'gain in' knob can be very useful.

Don't know if it helps but here's my rack :
https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1962355.jpg

I haven't decided on modules 'Befaco Out V2' and 'knob.farm Ferry' yet. In fact, I am a beginner so if you have any advice, maybe a type of module is missing?

Any suggestion ?

EDITED Jul 2nd 2022, 13:16

it really depends on the send/return module - most are intended for guitar effects pedals - which expect guitar volumes - which are much lower than line level...

why do you think you need a line level output? a lot of mixers/audio interfaces can easily handle modular levels - possibly with just a bit of attenuation...

as for line input - all you need is a amplifier - some vcas can do this, veils for example - but most can't

maybe you could post a link to the rack?

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:00

Hi,
Is there any reason not to use send/return module as line level input/output ?
As far as, in my case, is not needed the use of both of the two to three fonctions simultaneously, it can merge them in 4 or 6hp.

Why not ?

Hi,
Is there any reason not to use send/return module as line level input/output ?
As far as, in my case, is not needed the use of both of the two to three fonctions simultaneously, it can merge them in 4 or 6hp and that can solve space in the rack.

Why not ?

the main thing you will learn from this is that 2hp modules (with tall trimmers instead of proper pots) suck in terms of ergonomics - eurorack is small enough already - go for bigger modules - unless they are set and forget or don't need any controls - and don't put them next to each other unless you really hate yourself...

Case: buy a tiptop mantis - it is by far the best combination or size/price/manufacturer reputation/decent power supply

Biggest thing missing from a starter perspective is a way to play melodic content - you don't have a pitch sequencer or midi->cv module - decide which you want to use and how many voices you think you might ultimately want - then get something based up on that - this way you will not have to learn and relearn different modules every time you need to upgrade

iirc the 921B requires a 921A module to work - but I wouldn't buy this I'd buy a doepfer basic vco instead - also an inexpensive brand - but without the bad taste

the endorphin.es running order covers euclidean sequencing so the 2hp euclid is superfluous

I wouldn't recommend buying anything in modular with the intention of replacing it with something better in the future - it's a false economy... as is buying too small a case! (see above)

See my signature for a rough guide on how to build a versatile modular synthesizer for the least outlay

there's no rough guide here - other than the collective wisdom of the forum members - there are in other places (modwiggler 1u & 3u subforum stickies for example) - great for general principles

read as many other newbie threads as you can before spending money - probably a couple of dozen will be a good start...

Hi,

I recently joined the Unicorn ranks and I thought I had read somewhere that you can move rows around? I've just built up a large case and would like swap some of the rows around. Is this possible?

Cheers!

Hello World!
I have decided to begin my Eurorack journey and wanted to ask for your suggestions on my initial rack. I have played on a MicroKorg before so I think I get the general picture. This rack was meant to be mainly a learning platform for myself, that would still hold some potential of creating music more involving than the beep-boop-beep. My main questions to you are:

• Am I missing something important here? (maybe an extra filter/ sequencer??)
• What case would you recommend - power supply etc. (I want to have about 50% space for future expansion)
• Is there a best-practice general introductory thread on the forum?

is it possible to limit people from re-listing the same module multiple times? there are 2 people abusing the system and re-listing black panel erbe-verb multiple times, almost every day.
-- scanner_darkly

Then what you need to do is, when you find a freshly-posted duplicate module that's not had a lot of (or any) users including it in builds, is to go in and start replacing the main headers with "DUPLICATE" and "Please Delete". Mind you, this should only be done when the duplicate is new so that you don't cause holes to appear in others' builds; don't report/relabel dupes that have been around for some time.

-- Lugia

i meant people posting sale ads multiple times for the same module - not adding a module multiple times.

Anyone having issues with unstable pitch or pitch out of tune?
-- atom29

I do sometimes feel like mine gets slightly out of tune, though it's close enough that I often can't really tell. According to the manual you should be able to recalibrate it by holding down the shift button while powering it up, but I've not tried it yet. Probably will once I tear down the patch I've got up right now just to try it out. I also notice that sometimes the module likes to boot up with the slew rate much higher than it was when I saved it last. That can make it sound like it's pretty out of tune depending on the patch.

I own several of the Austin Ribbon pads, but this is very cool. Thanks for posting it.
-- Vow3ll

You're welcome! As I say in the vid, I'm certainly not trying to reduce Austin's business, he makes a great product. And I am certainly not going into the business of making these for a living
But he doesn't ship worldwide (I've been told) so good to have options.

Ever built one of his mic kits? I did his mic, a pretty strightforward build except for working with the super-thin ribbon material itself. And the sound (since it was my first one) is kinda grungy, but is cool for mic'ing a guitar amp to get an interesting distorted sound.
Two part video of the build here;

(Austin ribbon mic build)[]

I'd say the same as @farkas and probably wouldn't do it with modular... I'd just "scribble" all over it with modular though!

that have the usual spring-type shock absorption, but that would make the tubes less "showy".
-- Lugia

I understand, when I build a guitar amp the customer usually wants the tubes to glow out the back.
For that I use the "bare" spring retainers like this. Usually just on the output tubes (6V6s and such) since they're the showiest, but they make them in AX7 size also.

On first listen, this sounds to me like a heavily filtered polysynth (or string machine?) and sampled piano with a lot of reverb. You might be able to get close with running an inexpensive poly or ROMpler through something like QPAS and Mimeophon. Curious how others might approach it.

EDITED Jul 1st 2022, 16:03

for those who don't have a spotify account (like me):
Falling Autumn Leaves on youtube

I want to get an idea of how people think about patching and go about making something similar to this. How many synth voices would you use? What would you modulate? How would you control that modulation? What modules might you think essential to achieve the end result?

https://open.spotify.com/album/2l8OjMwlL7qklDoJLhAT4S?si=nAr0Zqs6QXK9IzTy7OS6Vw

1) position of pasted module

On the other hand, if MG drops modules into the "soonest" open and properly-sized slot, you know where they are.

In my case i pasted a 1 HP spacer module 6 times in a huge rack that has been 95% full with modules
it took me several minutes to locate where those have been pasted and move it to the desired position

also the moving of those tiny modules in a huge zoomed out window is very hard to achieve. And the moving wouldn't be necessary at all when it had been pasted in the right place.

So generally i agree but this does not apply to tiny modules in huge racks
Imagine you have a huge rack where you paste > 100 modules
100 times * no need to locate&move module after pasting = lot of time saved

3) links to deleted racks

Uh...do you realize how much storage space that would take up on the server?

yes - very little

rack-id | user-id | deleted
  123   |   456   |    1

so when clicking on a rack-link for example found in the signation of a post in the modwiggler forum
modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/123
you get invalid rack

it would be dead easy to add a link to this page
see all racks of user 456 in case user 456 currently has any public racks
sorry for beeing not clear enough...

EDITED Jul 1st 2022, 08:10

Have you checked to see if you've put the quantizer into the wrong scale mode? Microtonal scales can seem to be "out of tune", but they're not.
-- Lugia

That is not the reason, there is no microtonale scale.

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 06:58

Not bad, not bad...that's what I was thinking as well: some sort of "shock absorber" at the base, which is where you'll have the largest transfer of energy when the cab gets bonked around.

As for the removal of the "dummy tube", you might try a bit of lithium grease around the base of it before pouring in the rubber material. It would be easier if the tubes one encounters in Eurorack had "chimneys" that have the usual spring-type shock absorption, but that would make the tubes less "showy".

and even the hottest-running ones won't foobar that.... "shock-absorb" tubes, which is always an issue when doing high-volume gigs (raves and the like).

That could work. Some things to address;
Heat dissipation. As well as being resistant to high temp, it also insulates very well, so you would have an issue with the tubes being able to dissipate heat.
It's also very adherent, so changing tubes would be an issue.

Though as I write that, I can see making a tight-fitting collar around the base of the tube.

Shape a circular piece of plastic about 2cm tall about 4 mm in radius wider than the tube socket, affix it to the board. That will have the rubber go maybe 1/4 of the way up the tube sides, which should leave plenty of glass surface area for heat loss.
Put a dummy/old/dead tube in the socket. Pour the rubber mixture inside the plastic circle, it would adhere to the board and the base of the tube. Pull out the dummy tube (which would be a chore), then put the working tube into the tight collar of rubber.
Lots of shock cushioning and very unlikely to work loose.

Since I haven't gigged live in waaaayyyy more decades than I care to admit, not useful for me, but someone might want to give it a try.

Very often, the "hiss" comes from the source, at my place bc I often use saturation or overdriven signals, that is where I use enveloped VCA just before the mixer's inputs
-- -ADR-

Which is pretty much standard op procedure for performance mixer that have no VCAs over level, such as the MixBX, Cosmix, etc. This is one reason that I've been jazzed about Toppobrillo's MiniMix, because you can use some other VCA module as a "pre-level" going into the mixer ins, and then you also get the convenience of its two VCA panners. You just have to keep in mind that audio signals are best dealt with via exponential VCAs, as those are better at mimicking how acoustic devices decay. Of course, if you front-end this with linear VCAs, you can (if possible) use an exponential envelope generator to make those behave like they need to for audio.

I will buy Them assembled and want 1 mono and 1 stereo so that means i need 2 douts?

-- Broken-Form

yes 1 for the mono (with enough space for another mono channels) and 1 for the stereo

Have you checked to see if you've put the quantizer into the wrong scale mode? Microtonal scales can seem to be "out of tune", but they're not.

1) position of pasted module
currently the pasted module is pasted on the next free space on the very top left.
it would be very useful when you track a click event and place it exactly there after pasting.
this would be especially helpful when rearranging a large rack from scratch with 2 browser windows.

On the other hand, if MG drops modules into the "soonest" open and properly-sized slot, you know where they are.

3) links to deleted racks
its totally fine to get a 404 when trying to view a deleted rack.
but it would be nice to have all users public racks as a fallback

-- modular01

Uh...do you realize how much storage space that would take up on the server? I mean, hell, MG's right on the edge of having 10,000 module listings in Eurorack alone.

I keep a rule of thumb of 6 months since creation or last modification as a line between "keep" and "delete". That's long enough for anyone who needs to go over them or copy them. Besides, right around NAMM, Knobcon, and Superbooth you typically see surges in new modules, and some of the older builds can have "superseded modules" when those big product intro shows happen.

is it possible to limit people from re-listing the same module multiple times? there are 2 people abusing the system and re-listing black panel erbe-verb multiple times, almost every day.
-- scanner_darkly

Then what you need to do is, when you find a freshly-posted duplicate module that's not had a lot of (or any) users including it in builds, is to go in and start replacing the main headers with "DUPLICATE" and "Please Delete". Mind you, this should only be done when the duplicate is new so that you don't cause holes to appear in others' builds; don't report/relabel dupes that have been around for some time.

500+ degree rubber? Ok, that's intriguing...you could use something like that to stabilize components, and even the hottest-running ones won't foobar that. That could make it even more useful for using it to "shock-absorb" tubes, which is always an issue when doing high-volume gigs (raves and the like).

Oddly enough, the one PCB holder that I prefer is actually a cheap RatShack POS. For some odd reason, this crummy 3rd hand has never wound up in my "I need to replace this" list...because it works, it's simple, and it does what the box says. Tried the expensive ones, things like edge-clamped stands, etc...nothing worked as smoothly and fit my soldering workflow like that cheap little piece of crap.

Bought modules and had good conversations and experience with:
@SamuelGeai
@qseq
@archon
@qleonetti
@meiko
@-ADR-

Thanks...
Unfortunately my experience with another user wasn't good, instead it looks like I've being tricked. :-(

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 21:09

@Broken-Form - if you want the douts - you want one for each 4 x stereo channels and 1 for every 4 x mono channels module

and remember there are 2 versions:

3hp Douts - 8 3.5mm outputs
original Douts - 8 3.5mm outs and 6 1/4" outs - can also be used for 6 way format conversion
-- JimHowell1970

I will buy Them assembled and want 1 mono and 1 stereo so that means i need 2 douts?

@Broken-Form - if you want the douts - you want one for each 4 x stereo channels and 1 for every 4 x mono channels module

and remember there are 2 versions:

3hp Douts - 8 3.5mm outputs
original Douts - 8 3.5mm outs and 6 1/4" outs - can also be used for 6 way format conversion

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 18:25

Just sold my D.o.mixx module today.so think I will get the tex mix with 4 mono and 4 stereo.also sat they have a direct out expansion for this i believe.

I have a mantis case for sale if you live in the EU

it looked nicely build.

that it looks nicely built (unless you are using a magnifying glass) is not a great indicator of well built!

Tho' a few people on some modular communities has the same results with theirs.

yes I know - however, I don't necessarily take a lot of notice - what someone hears as noisy - almost all analog is noisy compared to the mixer in a DAW!! - or 'unacceptable bleed - see above responses from both me and @Lugia - again compared to bleed on a DAW mixer (non-existant) is user perceived at best

Very often, the "hiss" comes from the source, at my place bc I often use saturation or overdriven signals, that is where I use enveloped VCA just before the mixer's inputs, when needed, to get rid of the noise, when the muxer is quiet, that is a cool technique to get a clean-yet-overdriven signal. A bit off topic, sorry..
-- -ADR-

as I said my gain staging may be different than yours... have you tried using the built in vcas?

Thanks for the details, mine was a second hand, no informations bout who made it, and I am not into soldering but it looked nicely build. Tho' a few people on some modular communities has the same results with theirs.
Very often, the "hiss" comes from the source, at my place bc I often use saturation or overdriven signals, that is where I use enveloped VCA just before the mixer's inputs, when needed, to get rid of the noise, when the muxer is quiet, that is a cool technique to get a clean-yet-overdriven signal. A bit off topic, sorry..

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 13:55

I don't know... I built mine (smd pre-soldered), but I'm sure Mangu's soldering is at least as good as mine, if you bought 'factory built'...

maybe my gain staging is better... maybe my hearing is worse (I'm 52, so possible)... maybe I don't run the output at a very high volume...

as I've said I only really notice bleed on the send/return - if channel send is up ad then I mute the channel - I can still hear the channel in the send - but this is to be expected when send is pre-mute!

Not a perfect module for me. With CV inputs on top, cables are on the screen and the knobs below.
I prefer buying a second FX AID XL.
-- Jihel

you could always turn it upside down....

Not a perfect module for me. With CV inputs on top, cables are on the screen and the knobs below.
I prefer buying a second FX AID XL.

Anyone having issues with unstable pitch or pitch out of tune?

Hi
i have 3 feature requests / thoughts

1) position of pasted module
currently the pasted module is pasted on the next free space on the very top left.
it would be very useful when you track a click event and place it exactly there after pasting.
this would be especially helpful when rearranging a large rack from scratch with 2 browser windows.

2) "move row" feature
the existing "swap rows" feature is nice. but in some cases its tedious to reach the goal.
for example: adding an empty row at the very top of a 5 rows rack requires a lot of swap-row operations

3) links to deleted racks
its totally fine to get a 404 when trying to view a deleted rack.
but it would be nice to have all users public racks as a fallback

thanks

EDIT
thinking of mouse click event within free space:
it would be nice to see how much free HP the mouse clicked area contains without the need for moving a module next to it

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 17:11

@modulargrid
first of all - thank you for the great site!

What are your thoughts?

a few days ago i decided to give my rack (4 rows x 197 HP) a full re-arrangement from scratch.
i started from zero (empty rack) and it was very very tedious to add & arrange all modules
so much scrolling/searching/moving which took hours

it would have been less tedious when i already have known the exact ordering starting from the top left.
but in this creative process i wanted to place some modules and fill gaps afterwards.

today i had another idea:
i double the width of my existing rack
then i can move the modules from left half to the right half
there is no need to use the search form or to scroll down to the module list
i always see which modules has to be moved to the new arrangement until everything is done.
when i am finished i set the doubled HP back to the real HP

Unfortunately i was not able to try this approach because doubling my rack HP exceeds the limit of the allowed HP :/

My thought:
Consider to increase the standard limits of rows and HP but only for a short period of time
so a full rearrangement procedure would be less painful.
For example with a warning "CAUTION: Your Rack will be downsized automatically in 3 days"

Another thought:
Have you ever considered to make the Editor open source?
i would be happy to fix several javascript bugs or at least give it a try
pretty sure there are others who would be glad to help improving the editor

Best
engine

EDIT
just noticed it is already possible to copy/cut/paste modules between browser windows
awsome - thank you!!!

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 09:40

how is that even possible mine used to bleed and a lot other people's TM too, and not yours ? same components, no ?

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 07:23

I had the TEX MIX and the master section, it's a nice little slution, but TM is a very bleedy and noisy module.
-- -ADR-

mine isn't either...

60-hertz hum on his records.
-- Lugia

also known as "warmth"... hehehe

I had the TEX MIX and the master section, it's a nice little slution, but TM is a very bleedy and noisy module. The big difference with the Feedback one is the sound, the built quality and the overdrive possibilities.
And the aux are pre fader...

Messy...wouldn't a "third hand" make more sense for soldering work?
-- Lugia

It can, but I've tried a lot of things and like this best.
I prefer using pads like this for any board less than, say, 128x128 mm. Two reasons;
- It's easier than setting up the PCB holder/3rd hand
- I have never found a PCB holder I like. Always something irritating about them, so I use these.

Lager boards, like a guitar amp board, I'll use a PCB holder, but smaller stuff (like eurorack boards) it's so much easier to just hold it on one of these.

and won't catch on fire if the soldering iron gets dropped on it.
-- Lugia

Neither will these. This material is rated to 565 dF, and as you could see at the end of this vid pressing my 675 dF tip against the material leaves no mark or damage. Really high temp rubber.

EDITED Jun 30th 2022, 05:28

I've been looking at the Rangoon from Calsynth,
it's converted to sliders for most controls, same form factor as a Monsoon.
may help with tuning stability/ not nudging the tuning out of place
-- fretless19

Thanks for that - looks like an interesting option.

while I would agree that having the original ESPECIALLY if its going to be discontinued is a better choice may I point this module

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/st-modular-yaksha-s-fate

I have it and its nice for what it is. According to its blurb its setup in such a way that all “tweakable” parameters are on top
with bigger knobs etc have all others that will affect tune and harmonics more subdued.

I mainly use my uRings clone for either percussion or non-melodic cases where tuning etc doesnt matter much

Anyway just wanted to offer another module to have a look.. to be frank though I would prefer at this point a full sized one and will at some point try to procure one.
-- mamonu

Thanks for that. In the end, I went for the OG and couldn't be happier. That said, I'm still on the look out for a smaller rings clone for a portable skiff. Did you pick up the original? How's it working out for you? Cheers

Exact-a-mondo, Jim...you learned to use the leakage and other garbage and accept that as something critical to your overall "sound".

Sam Phillips of Sun Records fame always used to get ripped on by local Memphis DJs for having 60-hertz hum on his records. But if you're cutting tracks from the likes of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and of course Elvis, you don't change the overall sound because clearly, it works. Plus, the very first mixing work I did back in Nastyville was on a now-coveted Audiotronics 16/8/2 desk that cross-channel leaked like a mo'fo. People into the vintage thing, however, have made those original desks into something of a spendy "cult" item. With leakage.

Messy...wouldn't a "third hand" make more sense for soldering work? After all, they're cheap, don't involve chemicals, and won't catch on fire if the soldering iron gets dropped on it.

Working on it...but I have to admit, this case size is pretty inadequate for the task at hand. The width is one of those even-numbers that doesn't translate nicely into module spans due to the various conventions about how to deal with panel ergonomics. Plus, rebuilding this into something that hits that zone you're looking for looks like it'll be an ugly chore because the original build used a lot of small-width modules...and they're no fun to deal with when the patchcord snarl gets really huge. Also, that really blows the whole point of using lab gear, because we've (ie: those of us using that to "extend" the electronic palette) gone to that to get better control/ergonomics as well as arriving at wholly new sounds.

Moving to something like a Mantis would be better. Better still would be B.'s 2 x 140 hp cab, which is cheap and spacious. That would allow a better module complement, plus some interfacing for actual test gear if you opt to dive into that. Also, you really do want a "typical" voice in there so that, when that's needed, you'll have that to screw around with as well as other processors.