New to Eurorack here. Am I pushing it too far here with this setup as a beginner? These modules are definitely not as straightforward as Doepfer's, for example, and seem to be multi-functional in theme.
Am I missing anything here? Mutamix will act as VCA I'm presuming, though am ultimately unsure.
Guidance would be greatly appreciated for this modular nerd in training.
I'm not that familiar with the Mutamix, but I don't think it operates as a traditional VCA. It looks like there is only CV control over channel muting, not over channel levels. You almost certainly would want something that serves as a combo VCA and mixer like the Intellijel Quad VCA, Veils, or the Zlob Vnicursal. You have also included two delay modules which seems a little redundant, but I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish sound wise, so that's up to you.
A few more things to consider: Do you really need Data in your setup? It eats up a LOT of hp for what it does. I know Data looks cool, but is it going to be indispensable for you? I would recommend against it in a small first rack.
I know a lot of people love the Frap Tools stuff, but I find their interfaces confusing and unintuitive. As a beginner, might you be better served and more productive with something a little more straightforward like Batumi and Zadar for your modulation sources? Maths may be a better option here too.
Finally, there doesn't appear to me to be much rhyme or reason to the layout or signal flow in your rack. I would start by grouping oscillators/sound sources together, sequencing/clocks, modulation sources, effects, VCAs and I/O, etc. As it is, your rack looks really jumbled. Think in terms of an old school hardware synth's signal flow.
You didn't mention what type of music/sound you are interested in making, so it's hard to tell if the modules you have chosen will help you get there. Plaits is a decent choice for someone new to modular because you get a taste of many different sounds, and I know a lot of folks love the sort of aggressive digital sound of the Hertz Donut. Let us know what you are hoping to accomplish, and we can probably make some more specific recommendations.
Have fun and good luck!
Hmm...yeah, the Mutamix won't work here in the way you think. Plus, a system like this is VERY underserved by only a single VCA. You don't need the buffered mults, either, since you don't have enough CV destinations to cause voltage sag issues that would affect tuning and scaling. Also, farkas is VERY correct here about the layout/signal flow issues here; this will turn out to be a very unintuitive instrument to work with.
This is another example of "sexy module syndrome", really. You have nice things...but their purpose here isn't clear, nor do you have all of the "boring" utilities, such as attenuverters, mixers, etc that make this sort of thing function properly. You could probably rip half of this out and still get the basic, overall result you're aiming for, in the end. As for "beginner modular"...go look at perhaps the best example of that, the ARP 2600. These have been used for literally DECADES as teaching instruments, and probably the new ones still would be had Korg not lost its damn mind with their "limited reissue" BS. Now, I'm not saying to replicate the 2600...but pay attention to what it has, how it's laid out, and how you might update that to arrive at a good beginner result for yourself.
