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Hi Metal_Serra,

Where shall I start? ;-) Perhaps with a big welcome into modular synths? :-)

Fun putting aside, please be careful when you plan a modular system. May I ask why you "must have" a modular synth? What is your real reason to have one? If it would be anything into the direction of: "Because everyone has nowadays one" or "Because it looks cool" or something like that, you might wonder if you really should get one. No matter how carefully you plan, how much time you read in the evenings and nights about it, preparing yourself, etcetera, a modular synth, there is no way of getting around it, is bloody expensive. And once you are hooked into it, there are things going to happen to you, you start thinking of selling your car, house, partner, kids, whatever you can find to sell to get more gear, more modules and more rack space. Naturally I am kidding here about partner and kids but the thought of selling your car or house shouldn't surprise you once you are into this! :-)

Okay having said that, just as a warning, so you can't claim, I haven't warn you ;-) Having said this all, a modular synth is fantastic but you need to be willing to let it cost a fortune. Think in several thousands of dollars/Euros as a very minimum, likely a factor "X" of that.

That's one thing, the other thing is, that you might want to take this a bit slower first and get a better conceptual thinking of a synthesizer in common. My way of doing this was by getting a Behringer Neutron, it's reasonably priced, so if you discover after that exercise that modular is nothing for you, at least it didn't cost you an arm and a leg! The Neutron is nice to start with because you got all the basic components in one device with quite a few patching possibilities. Components like: 2 VCOs, LFO, filter, two EGs (envelopes or ADSRs), VCA and it even got: a delay, overdrive, sample & hold (S&H), slew rate limiter and two attenuators.

Don't think because of all that "basic" stuff there is no fun with the Neutron, no the opposite I would say. With the Neutron you can test basic functionality, get surprisingly quite some nice sound out of it, and it gives you a "pre-tasting" of modular synthesizers. It's a kind of test for yourself to see if you are really into modular synths or not and it's a cheap way to discover it. If you go directly into modular, it's very costly and if you don't do your homework right, it's going to be a frustrating and expensive experience that might go wrong :-( So I would like to avoid that, if I would be you.

Don't get me wrong here, I don't want you to think modular synths sucks, no it isn't but you have to be very well prepared, very sure about this. Once you are (and my advice is to have that tested with for example a Neutron), you can go all the way with modular synths :-)

Okay, let's put that all behind us, let's say you are very sure about this, checking your E-mail further:

It's good to see you got already a guitar with lots of pedals. I recently got the Source Audio - Ventris Dual Reverb pedal, what a fantastic pedal that is! I don't have a guitar but I am using this effect pedal/module for my modular synth and wow, what a beautiful sound you can get with that Ventris! So having a few pedals wouldn't harm to lift up your sound a bit :-)

The Digitakt and the Circuit Mono Stations are nice too, so that helps you and since you got those already, you might need indeed not straight away a full blown modular synth to get started.

Still, my advice would be to look into a bit bigger rack. You might not want to believe this at this stage but you can't have a big enough rack. Go for at least 3 * 84 HP or 2 * 104 HP as a real absolute minimum. Even that's too small but for your case, it might be a good start indeed.

What I like of your "design" is that you left a lot of space empty, that's good. Don't straight away fully plan it because you need space "to grow" with your experience and your changing needs within modular synthesizer. So in your above example that's enough reserved space or better if you would go for a 3 * 84 HP rack, leave at least one row empty to start with.

Going into your planned modules. STO and Plaits are good modules that also can give a good benefit to those who just starts in modular synth. However modules like Stages might be good but to start with? I would advise against that. Start easy and simple, grow in experience and then look more into those "fancy" (or a better word is perhaps "complex") modules.

Back to the roots: My question stands... are you sure you are ready for modular synth? You seriously might want to get started with for example a Neutron first to create an appetite for modular and test your likings.

If you are now already very sure that you want to go into modular then welcome to modular and enjoy :-)

Good luck and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Harko93,

Difficult to advise on an already existing rack, since I don't know your (background) thinking of how you came to this rack, the ideas behind it, etcetera; but I will give it a try:

In my opinion you could do this two ways (or both, perhaps the best!). One way is, adding a nice basic LFO for some simple but good LFO modulation, nothing fancy, just a semi-plain LFO, that can provide you sometimes at least as much fun as a "fancy" LFO. For a good and basic LFO, I can recommend the Doepfer A-145-1 LFO, it's a basic but good LFO and it has parallel outputs for the different wave shapes: pulse, triangle, sine, saw and reverse-saw. It has a switch for speed ranges: low, medium and high that enables you to use this from being a slow LFO to a pretty fast one. This is a reliable LFO that I use in almost all of my patches and I am really happy with it. Naturally you can take any other "basic"/"plain" LFO you prefer, this is just an example.

The other way would be the opposite and get a wild or "fancy" LFO that might give you a lot of more modulation possibilities. If you really want something seriously crazy then I can recommend the Erica Synths - Black Octasource, I call this a psychopath of a module, which it really is :-) In a positive way that is. Because this module is so crazy, you need some time to understand it and tame this beast but once you get it under your control (can you ever have a psychopath under control...? ;-) ) you can really have joyful modules with your dullest modules and you get very interesting results.

Since a basic LFO doesn't need to be too expensive, I would actually advise to take two LFOs, a good basic one, and a "fancy" one, so you can do everything you want from basic stuff to crazy stuff.

Good luck with the choice(s) of LFOs and kind regards, Garfield.

As far as sequencing, I am a fan of the Malekko Voltage Block/Varigate 4+ combo in a smaller case. I recently picked up a WMD Arpitecht, and it's great for coming up with some melodic lines that can stay static or shift around. I'm having a lot of fun with it for straightforward leads/basslines, drifting ambient melodies (with random modulation), and chords using the Triad expander with an Acid Rain Chainsaw polyphonic oscillator.
VCOs are more a personal preference thing. I really like the sound of the Endorphin.es oscillators (Furthrrr Generator and Godspeed), but others would probably recommend something along the lines of the Intellijel Rubicon/Dixie combo, Verbos, or Make Noise DPO for a complex oscillator setup. The Synthesis Technology E352 is a super-killer versatile sound source for ambient stuff too (check out DivKid's video on YouTube). That might be worth a look for you.
For all of this stuff, I'm sure you would get a hundred different answers if you ask a hundred people, so your best bet is to check out a lot of demos to figure out your personal sound and workflow preferences.
Have fun and good luck!

Hello everyone! Hope you can give me some help...

As titled, I'd like to build my first modular rack. I've been thinking about it for around a year and by the end of 2020 my goal is having a small rack with a few modules to start make some noise, bleep and bloops.

I've watched many tutorial on youtube (andrew huang, noiretblancvie, bobeats etc.) and I've been trying to understand the basics with vcv rack software.

Cause it's really hard to choose modules, especially the must-have ones, I do really need a hand.

As far as I get it, most important thing is to know what you're gonna do with a modular system. I do like many things unfortunately and I'm trying to think constructively. So, how can I implement and mix my existing setup with a modular rack? I guess this is a good starting point. I'm a guitar player first then a composer. I've got my own project coming out very soon but I don't wanna think of a modular system only related to what I'm trying to do now with my music. However, first modules will be as close as possible as my current sound. In a few words, I'm thinking of a modular system (at least at first) as one new instrument to add to what I already have.

My current setup is:

Guitar and lots of pedals (which I use them even with other machines);

Elektron Digitakt

Novation Circuit Mono Station

Pocket Operator Arcade (barely used at the moment with the rest, still finding a way to add it permanently in the mix)

Arturia Keystep (don't have it actually, coming tomorrow)

Given that, I've tought: what can I get out of a modular rack which could be a step further in my music direction?

My answer, as of today, is melody and atmosphere. Recreating soundscapes and melodies It might be a logic starting point.

I like sequencing patterns (some tricky stuff like euclidean rhythms also), design my own pads, heavily using arpeggiators. I'm influenced by synthwave, mostly.

So to wrap everything up: buying a case with 100-120hp more or less would be more than good, considering I will expand the system slowly. As of what modules I'd get, still don't know. There's too many brands out there which I like (make noise, mutable instruments, just to name a couple) and, if I've got the meaning of modules right, some of them do much more stuff than you expect (maths is the first coming up in regards).

Sorry for the very long post, just trying to give an accurate idea so to get a better help off you.

Thanks guys!

P.S. this is the current state:
I've been helped on reddit. the bottom row is what I'll buy later on (expensive modules though xD), top row is the essentials.

EDITED May 10th 2020, 10:36

Hi GarfieldModular and thank you for the quick reply,
I'm already looking for another filter to replace Ripples on the future, as I don't think I could get away with the SMR4P alone :)
I'll try to look also into these other kinds of modules, I'm not feeling the "lack" of a proper VCO, but I do feel the few EGs and LFOs!
There is any "bread and butter" LFO you would recommend me for this rack?

Looks good and similar to what I am trying to build in a an Intellijel 104 HP case. May want to check out the Befaco Hexmix and Hexpander as an option for a mixer - it may save you some HP.

Just picked up a Metron myself to start my rack but not sure about the workflow of the Voltera - may at least get one. Per your vids definitely getting a Mimetic Digitalis and also a Arpitecht. As chrisusu asked why no Mimetic in your case?

Was also thinking about the WMD percussion modules but its just to much space and I really like The Division Department 01/IV and will just deal with it being outside the rack. BTW just picked up a Launchkey Mini and love the arp functions!

I am mostly looking to make ambient ish melodies / basslines / leads to compliment more downtempo percussive stuff from my elektron boxes. What I make in the modular will likely get sampled and mangled in the octatrack. Would also like to double down with that and remangle in a morphagene but not sure if I should build up a better foundation of modulation and utility first and then get morphagene when I upgrade cases or just go for it..

How many mixer channels do you need? I love the Toppobrillo Stereomix module (24 hp) for my case, but with four channels, you have to exhibit some prudence in wrangling the audio signals. Cheers, Luca

The case looks well designed and very groove-box capable.

As far as the bottom row is concerned, I don't have any experience with the Metron + Voltera. However, if I were in the market, I'd be tempted. It looks really powerful. And the Performance Mixer might be large, but the routing capabilities plus simultaneous CV on level and pan are hard to beat at that size. I've been looking at Happy Nerding's PanMix plus a matrix mixer for my own needs. I don't think it matches the purpose built design I'm seeing here, but it's a possible alternative approach.

For the top row, what do you have in mind for that empty space? I like the idea of adding a wavefolder. And with so many full voiced modules, I think I'd want a way to dial in either a level or a modulation into specific groups of voices. That still leaves space for another effect or dedicated CV mixing.

That was a fun mental exercise. I can't wait to see what you decide.

Just curious, why did you dismiss the VCMC? I’m planning to buy one to modulate a Digitone, or maybe I should wait for the new CV Thing :)

no mimetic in this case, why?

Awesome! Very helpful thanks a lot. I've been a musician for over 20 years and this is like starting all over again, so daunting and exciting at the same time. Thanks for the advice this is exactly what I was looking for

You might want to instead take an output from your master clock (I like Pamela's New Workout for a lot of function, triggers, gates, etc. in a small space, and ease of use) to your modulation sources so everything is in time. That way you save your pitch CVs from the Mimetic Digitalis for oscillator/pitch duties. I have Maths and it can do a lot, but it's not always the most intuitive thing in my rack. It's cool because of how many different things it can do, plus it has attenuverters which you will find useful very early. Maths may be valuable for helping you learn some synthesis/modulation techniques, but you will have to read the manual (maybe a few times) and try out their patch ideas. A lot of people really fall in love with Make Noise stuff, but I'm one of those who likes a more straightforward readable interface. That's another beauty of Eurorack though! We all have different ways of working and patching. Experimentation is rewarded.
Have fun and good luck!

Ok cool thanks for the feedback. So if I'm getting it right soemthing basically that would receive cv from say the mimetic and then in turn modulate the inputs on the Mani, am I getting that path right? I did see a Maths up for sale and hear I about them everywhere but it looks super confusing for me at this stage in the game (though I'm totally willing to put in the time to learn it). Would a module such as that work in this case?

The beauty of modular, and Noise Engineering oscillators specifically, is in the modulation possibilities. The Manis doesn't have an assignable envelope like the Loquelic Iteritas Percido from what I can remember, just attack/decay I believe. Take a look at each of the Manis' inputs. Each of those is an opportunity to modulate a different parameter in different amounts and times. This is why you would want/need envelopes, LFOs, and random sources from the very beginning. Watch some of Baseck's videos on YouTube to get an idea how cool the NE oscillators are with lots of modulation.

Hey all

I've recently become fascinated with the world of Euroracks and am eager to build my first. I'm not completely new to synth in general but have no experience in euroracks and could use some advice from seasoned veterans.

My ultimate goal is a cold digital beast that can generate harsh soundscapes on it's own, but primarily be used as a supplemental instrument for my bands in both live and studio situations

The first rack below is what I'm planning to get me started and the full rack is the goal I'm working towards (for now anyway). I assume once I learn more and get some hands on experience that things are likely to change from what I'm planning now

My questions are:

1) Is my small rack enough to get me started down the path of what I'm trying to achieve? I figure I don't need an envelope right away as the Manis is the only voice and has one built in. I like the Intellijel stuff for easily syncing to a DAW and using a midi keyboard, and also for going out into an amp or recording interface. I also like the m/div for live tap tempo of the master clock. Is there anything essential I'm missing or overlooking?

2) Is my plan for a full rack something viable? Is there anything crucial I'm not thinking about? I wonder if I'm low on envelopes or modulation? I plan on using the Trogotronic for mostly drones and audio processing and with the Manis having one built in and the sampler not really needing one my thoughts are the the single ADSR is kind of dedicated to the Ataraxic.

Any advice, comments or criticism much appreciated

Thanks!

EDITED May 9th 2020, 18:41

^^ Was just about to suggest Sloths. Also, you can get a very small 1u version of Sloth that would be a tremendous addition here.

I bought a module from @Stolzer and it was a pleasure. Nice contact and it quickly arrived in great condition as promised.

Looks like a killer setup to me. Would you find any value in the Quadrax gate expander for this rack? I use it all the time.
I'm thinking the Performance Mixer is going to be my next purchase. Seems like it would be pretty valuable for the way I work. I've also been eyeing the Ataraxic Iteritas, but I can't tell how flexible it is. Do you have much experience with it already?
-- farkas

The Ataraxic is fairly flexible but i keep going back to the Loquelic tbh.. The AI i found to be the most "tame" but the paramateres often required other parameters to be up as well, so i spent more time wondering why one pot would be doing nothing haha. I put it there since i already own it and it is a fun voice.
The Gate expander might be cool, i'm trying to think how i would use the end of the rise though... haha. I should probably watch a few vids on it. Thanks Farkas!

Looking pretty spot on to me, don't know all the modules in there, but it seems like a nice balance!

I would add another small mixer and some wave folding or some other tonal modification options!

I suggest something like Bastl / Casper Waver and / or Feedback Observatory :)
-- Kel_

Yea im starting to realize that a simple wavefolder can make any oscillator waaayyy more complex haha. I think i have a small CP3 Mixer around here where. that might come in handy! Thanks Kel

And another

Hi Farkas,

Thank you very much and you are welcome.

Have a good weekend, enjoy modular as much as you can :-) And kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Harko93,

Well, looking at your rack, I don't see too many VCOs, EGs and filters, since you are going to ditch the Ripples ;-) Depending on your own needs, you might want to look into those components. LFOs perhaps as well?

My main advice would be not too hurry with it, take your sweet time for it and rather extend it module by module then getting everything in one go.

Good luck with the planning of the rest of your rack, enjoy modular and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

This is going to be my hybrid e-drum rack
Along with a 1010 black box and 3 polyend perc’s

Just can’t keep going with the the big name drum brains. Still have them though but will probably sell
I have been a e-drummer for almost 35 years
And going back to my roots
But with a hell of a lot more power
If you have not looked and the auto multi velocity and round robin Sampling on the micro
It is a game changer

Limited on the rack brand because of power requirements but doable

Hi tegralogic. What kind of music/sound are you aiming for?

I agree with Kel. I find the E352 amazing in every way, but very clean and digital sounding. I added an Endorphin.es Furthrrr Generator as a sort of warmer analogue counterpoint. Something like that, or a Make Noise DPO, or even an Endorphin.es Godspeed might be worth looking into.

I've been using the Zlob Modular Diode Chaos a lot lately for this type of stuff, and it's making me really want to pick up a NLC Triple Sloths for more slow modulation. Zadar and Batumi also seem like they might be good candidates for you.

Looking pretty spot on to me, don't know all the modules in there, but it seems like a nice balance!

I would add another small mixer and some wave folding or some other tonal modification options!

I suggest something like Bastl / Casper Waver and / or Feedback Observatory :)

I do not know this module well, but I would imagine that there is an awful lot to explore and I recommend that you do this for at least a month or two first, definitely load your own waveforms, see what you want that it can't do and then start to look for your second VCO that fills the gap.

If you can't wait, then I would recommend something analogue and juicy, any of them will be great, and there are some fantastic second hand bargains in the Marketplace at the moment!

Looks like a killer setup to me. Would you find any value in the Quadrax gate expander for this rack? I use it all the time.
I'm thinking the Performance Mixer is going to be my next purchase. Seems like it would be pretty valuable for the way I work. I've also been eyeing the Ataraxic Iteritas, but I can't tell how flexible it is. Do you have much experience with it already?

Thanks for checking it out. I really appreciate your willingness and dedication to listening to all of us who post music here. It was fun to make something really quick to pay homage to the impact Kraftwerk has had on many of us. Take care of yourself, and have a great weekend.

Im Currently building a Eurorack system for my Dark Ambient Project.

i have a E352 on the way,I got this recommended from different people,and from what i have seen and heard on youtube,this will suit the style very well.

Was wondering if i might should get another VCO.

Are there any modules that would compliment the E352?preferrably around the same price mark?

Just bought Mutable Instruments Peaks from @AThousandDetails , great seller, friendly and the module is in excellent condition.
Highly recommended!

Hi Farkas,

Sorry to hear about the lost of Florian Schneider :-( Kraftwerk is indeed an inspiration for me too.

It's very nice of you to honour him by creating a very nice track by the way, amazing how fast you come up with this, so good!

Thank you for sharing and kind regards, Garfield.

You might check the Divkid Instruo Øchd. 8 LFO's in 4HP. From very very slow to any fast you'd like.

I did not know this thread existed, so I am playing catchup!

Same here, I'm fairly new to Modulargrid and so far I've had very good experiences with @wtkdwc, @NSOTB, @ShinySawtooth, @dork173 and @hadj.

Thank you all for making the beginning of my experience with Eurorack so enjoyable.

R.

Not shure about plaits thou. Was thinking of it for diverse timbre machine to feed the morphagene or to mix with the CO. but maybe you guys have suggestions for better use of the plaits hp

Hi,
building my second modular after leaving for some time. I´ve build a little case and try to build a simple setup for experimentation. Beats covered by Analog Rytm. Poly Stuff by a Prophet.
The Case is not fully loaded yet. Already build in are Renemk2, Maths, Zadar, Verbos CO, Belgrad and the Morphagene and till now I use it in conjunction with an 0 Coast, mostly as an output VCA with the 0 coast Envelope and the Clock out to Rene.

Most Modules have Attenuverters for modulation so I picked the 3x VCA for mixing and output. Batumi for Clocking and yeah LFOs...

But maybe I´m a little bit blinded by now, am I missing something. Anything you would add or strip away? It´s a tight space and for now I want to stay in that case.

Great transaction and communication with @Kanou. Highly recommended.

Hi Garfield,
Glad your enjoying our GERMZ>
We do not use Deluge on any of our tracks, Just modular.
Hit us up on Bandcamp for more cosmic electronica.
circuit bent for life
cyberneticOhm

Hello,
I'm trying to finish this rack, its main purpose is to mangle field recordings and effecting/mangle my other synths sound (0-Coast and Folktek Mescaline).
I currently own all the modules, out of the rack I have the following modules available: X1L3 Wreckage, 4ms RCD and 2 TTA One samplers.
I enjoy resampling with the PG simple sounds, like birds chirping, then mangling them in something different.

I'm having the feeling it is still missing something though, some extra modulation (like a straightforward LFO with different shapes and a dedicated analogue noise source for the SM), and more tools to process sound (a filter bank maybe?)

I'm planning to sell soon the MI Ripples, as after a year owning it, I'm still not liking it for my "needings".

What are your thoughts? How would you improve it?
Any kind of feedback would be greatly appreciated!

EDITED May 9th 2020, 08:24

I've knocked another 50 gbp off the price as this needs to go...

Someone must want a dual envelope/lfo/oscillator and dual filters and a great array of effects?

For almost no money :D

Hi all,

What would balance out this system in your opinion? What is the perfect way to interface it with the rest of the gear while replacing some of the functionality in the hole that is left from where the neutron was going to go (i'm considering leaving it out of the case).
I have some of the modules here already and more are on their way. Just brainstorming where to take it from here. I would like some more sequencing ability either through midi from my elektron boxes or a sequencer in eurorack format. Also would like it to function as a standalone unit without the neutron if needed, so I am looking at dual vcos that would be good to replace the neutron's and probably some more modulation. Also... any other glaring things I am missing? Other things I think i might need more of are cv offset / attenuverters / vcas / clock modulators. Thanks for any advice, very appreciated.

Just slowly putting this thing together.. trying to decide if the Performance mixer is overkill or not, i'm super interested in the Metron for sure especially with the Votlera... BUT that's a looooottt of space

+1 here too, great idea !

[May 6, 2020] MDLR 9U x 126HP Square Series. Generally from left to right: inputs, oscillators, modulators, filters, audio processors, output.

[May 6, 2020] I used an Erica Synths 6u x 104HP case for interactive controls. The Tete is on order, and I keep fiddling with the layout, but there's a good deal of expression potential with this case. I use some flat 6ft ethernet cables with the multicore to patch over to the main synth rack, and tend to use external unbuffered mults for triggers and gates. They're cheaper and they don't take up rack space. I could probably use more cross-patching capability between racks, but it is what it is.

EDITED May 7th 2020, 03:49

[May 6, 2020] Just assembled a Make Noise 3U skiff with clock, seq, touch, drums, and a multitool. I chose the Pam's over the Octocontroller for this rack since it has Euclidean capabilities. I wanted to put the Jornalogue Compare2 to up the controlled variation, but was just a little short on HP. I do not enjoy the 2.5mm sliding nuts in the skiff. At one point, I also wondered if I should have just dusted off the Digitakt and skipped the whole skiff. That quickly passed, and here we are.

Just had to record a quick lo-fi electro tribute to Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk, whose death was announced just a few hours ago. Kraftwerk's music is a major influence on me, as I'm sure it is for many of you as well, and I wanted to pay tribute quickly.

https://ciernyvlk.bandcamp.com/track/florians-blues

So last news, I got my Bitbox, its all good, took Steve a while, and he sent me the wrong tracking number first too. He's only online like once a week which probably should be said beforehand when selling stuff... Maybe that's just my opinion but I do sell stuff too

Thanks @Ronin! Due to Lugias Tipps I changed a bit in my System. Thinkin about to start a 2. Rack in the near future but till then, iam patching, noodling and learning with my stuff i have so far. take a look at my rack and tell me ur oppinion :-) I have a Beatstep Pro for sequenzing as well