New to Modular / Guidance appreciated

Hello everyone, a few months ago i started to get this mental obsession about eurorack and modular synthesizers in general.
What i already have is a digitakt/Monologue/DFAM. And i want to expand.
As a case i'm thinking of a Doepfer A-100LC6 Low Cost case 6HE incl. A-100PSU2 (2 rows / 84 HP)
My goal is to learn more about modular and i just want to start out with something fun where i can practice and then expand from there.
I'm not really into a perticular genre.
The hing i have at the moment is this : https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_880539.jpg
Is this a good start ?
Do i have to get another VCA cause the optimix can be used as a VCA right ?
I'm also intrigued by the mutable instruments Rings / Clouds but don't really know what to do with it.

Thank you very much sorry for this newbie question

Hi Janvf,
yes, this is a good start, I would say.
It's good to start with a small collection of modules and get to know them before you expand. And of course you will expand sooner or later ... so it is also a good idea to buy a sufficiently sized case now already. The Doepfer-case will be fine for that. With the included PSU you won't need the Uzeus, however.
So -- if you're interested in Rings or Clouds, why not watch one or two youtube-clips to find out what you could do with those? Maybe you'll then decide to swap the uzeus for one of them.
Or you might have a look at all those interesting filters out there... endless possibilities. But you're doing it just right, start with your planned combination and go slow. There's tons of cool stuff you can do with those modules already.
Have fun!

A couple of points here: first of all, yes, lose the uZeus immediately. Never add a power supply to a powered rack (unless it's something for a specific module, such as for some tube modules). And more VCAs is good. The Optomix is actually a pair of low-pass gates, which consist of a tandemmed low-pass VCF and a VCA, and this is fine for controlling audio levels, but having a couple of linear, DC-coupled VCAs for controlling CV and modulation levels is also strongly advisable.

Beyond that, I would suggest looking into a couple of dedicated envelope generators, ADSRs in particular, plus a couple of LFOs. While the Maths can do both of these things, it's much better when it's used for complex modulation curves, using its own internal subsections to create complicated CV/modulation patterns that go beyond what basic EGs and LFOs do.

As for Rings and Clouds, keep in mind that Mutable discontinued Clouds quite some time ago, but they still make the Rings module. However, both are available as third-party builds from several manufacturers...which is a bit of a plus, as those companies offer these in smaller form factors than their originals.

EDITED Mar 25th 2019, 22:25

There is no standard path for your journey into Eurorack... only an entry point.

Here's some of what I discovered:

Buy a case that's much larger than you think you'll need. Shelling out cash for a case isn't a lot of fun. It doesn't make any noise. But having a case that will grow with you will save you a lot of grief in the long term. There are some really nice, albeit larger modules that you might want along the way. Finding space for them can be challenging in a smaller case. Your larger case should hold on to most of its value if you decide Eurorack isn't for you.

Piecing together your first system as you are learning is very, VERY challenging. If you miss out on key pieces and your case is too small, you won't be able to do all that much with your system. On the flip-side, you may want to start out with a preconfigured system. The Roland System 500 is pretty tasty. Pittsburgh Modular, Doepfer, Make Noise, etc. all make starter systems that are complete (relatively). That's always an option and you can just add a second case for auxillary modules. Confused yet? :)

My personal strategy: I put together a system with two oscillators, a two channel multimode filter, four VCAs, a quad LFO, and some mixers/attenuverters. I also added a delay, reverb, and a line to synth level input/output. A MIDI to CV converter and I was ready to hook up to my DAW for some fun. From there, I added a few multifunctional modules like a Disting Mk4, Ornaments & Crime, Temps Utile, etc. The multifunction modules allowed me experiment a lot with my system. If I used a function over and over then I'd consider getting a dedicated module for that purpose.

Don't forget about CV controllable FX. Dry sounds aren't very inspiring for the most part. A simple "bloop" with some delay and reverb can go very far verses a complex sound that's bone dry.

Okay... I've kind of meandered... but I'm still on my journey. I've already expanded into my second 208HP case and it's almost full. Go slow with adding more modules and try stuff. Watching Youtubers use the modules you've bought is great inspiration for creative patches you may not have thought of.

One thing to be clear about is this: there is no way to build a Eurorack that’s cheap AND capable.

Often you hear that a semi modular is a good entry point, as it will come with the essentials included. Not a bad start, but it may come down to how you want to integrate your Eurorack.

If you plan on using the DFAM as a sequencer, that’s one thing. If you want to use the Digitakt, then you’ll need a MIDI to CV module. Audio is at a much higher level, so you probably would want to consider an audio output module (unless the DFAM can accept 10V audio).

Module math: a cheap module is more expensive in the end.
Case in point is your STO, which runs you $199. It’s a single OSC. Now compare it to the DPO, where for $599 you not only get two OSC, but also internal sync and FM, but a waveshaper/folder to boot, so you’ll have to compare that cost to a dual STO + uFold or Fold Processor, where you’re now at the same cost, but still not quite the same function.
It’s even more obvious if you look at a quad LFO vs “cheap” 2hp LFO solutions.
But it always comes down to subtle differences in function (STO has a sub, DPO doesn’t).
For analog VCOs, I would recommend to look for dual VCOs or those single VCOs that can easily be synced. Beyond that, you might find wavetable digital OSCs interesting. Plaits is nice, so are many of the Noise Engineering modules, such as the Ataraxic Iteritas or Loquelic Iteritas.

Maths was among the first two modules I ever bought. As a straight up envelope generator or LFO, it doesn’t really convince. I’ve honestly put it aside for now, as it requires time to dedicate to it to make proper use of it. At the outset, I would suggest to go with simpler, but high function density modules. I’m a big fan of the XAOC Batumi + Zadar combo, which gives you Four LFOs and Envelopes (the latter loopable on timescales up to almost a hour). In a small system that gives you a lot of modulation power.
Add a multi mode filter and some FX and voila:

I agree with all of the above replies and will add my 2 cents:

Start off small, experiment and learn. I think the initial setup you have there is a really good start and will be able to make some interesting sounds right away. Maths is an amazing module and the STO will sounds great and give you a sub octave out that can be used to get sort of second voicing. One thing you might to consider is instead of the Optomix, take a look at the Make Noise Dynamix. Works great as a mixer, VCA and can do side-chaining fx as well. Since you have a Digitakt, a midi to CV module like the Mutant Brain will allow you to get tight sequencing and melodies out this setup right away so spring for that if you can.