Ramblings of a Noob

Hi all,
I've been on and off the edge of building a modular for ages and have finally taken the plunge with 12U x 84HP sat on my desk. I have been poring over Muff Wiggler posts for the past month or so and finally feel ready to start ordering some modules.

To share some of my thinking, I already have a Nord Lead so didn't want to create a copy of a subtractive synth. Instead I want to build a unique "instrument" that has enough sound sources to make "music" on a stand alone basis. I have however included a "standard" VCO, VCF, VCA as I can't quite get my head around leaving any of them out...

A massive part of the appeal of a modular is to create sounds and rhythms "hands on" without having to pore over a DAW for hours or dive through too many menus. It seems great to start off with a patch or short sequence and build / react to that with other sound sources in the modular.

Having said that, I have a DAW sat on my desk and an RME Fireface so the Expert Sleepers ES3 seems like a great way to be able to automate control from a DAW. Likewise having an Audio Interface in the modular seems like a good idea so that I can feed external sounds to e.g. the filter and take output into my Emulator 4 which has the RFX Effects expansion for further sculpting.
I really like the idea of the modular being able to play samples so maybe a Grandpa or Qubit Nebulae should be on my wishlist?

I haven't included any specific percussion or drum sounds as I have a Maschine somewhere that I thought I could use for this and to act as a Midi trigger in the early days (hence the Erica Midi - Trigger module).

I've opted for modules that pack quite a big bang for their size e.g. Octocontroller, Disting, Braids as further expansion is limited and I suspect that once I start this, I'm going to have difficulty stopping...

ModularGrid Rack

The modules on the bottom row are my wishlist that I'm having difficulty sourcing.

Any thoughts really gratefully received. I'm sure I'm probably missing something really obvious!
Thanks in anticipation - it's great to be part of such a helpful, friendly and inclusive community :-)

Rob

Hi Rob!

I really like the idea of the modular being able to play samples so maybe a Grandpa or Qubit Nebulae should be on my wishlist?<

While GrandPa is a sampler, it seems to have a grain synth slant. Nebulae looks more open to me. Also, it can run Csound and Pure Data programs. So quite the beast in a class of its own.

I haven't included any specific percussion or drum sounds as I have a Maschine somewhere that I thought I could use for this and to act as a Midi trigger in the early days (hence the Erica Midi - Trigger module). <

If you don't feel like firing up the DAW but need some quick and dirty sampled drums: D-333
Doesn't break the bank and throws in some lofi wavetable-ish sounds for good measure. Just 4HP too.

I suspect that once I start this, I'm going to have difficulty stopping...

That's conventional wisdom around here ;-)

The modules on the bottom row are my wishlist that I'm having difficulty sourcing.

Even disregarding the bottom row it looks pretty complete to me.
A little light on utilities but you will see what works for you .

Enjoy!

Brilliant! Thanks for the input wiggler55550 - just the kind of advice I was hoping for.
Any particular utilities you think I should add?
Thanks again,
Rob

I seem to run out of multiples, attenuverters and patch cables no matter how many I have. But all these considerations are pretty futile unless you put something together and start patching.- While I had a pretty good idea what I wanted from my rack when I started out, things looked different when I actually got my hands on them. The learning goes on but my decisions are getting more educated.

Hey Rob. Nice rig you've got picked out so far. Pretty solid setup for getting started. I was taking a look at that rack and realized that the shop I work at now has RF Nomads in stock right now if you're having trouble finding one. We have new ones available on the website at www.foxtonemusic.com and currently one used one. If you'd like to inquire about the used one you can email info@foxtonemusic.com and Joe can get you set up.