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I bought a pair of Roland System-500 sets to give my Oberheim DSX something to do with its CV/Gate outputs. Four Juno-like voices either as a poly stack or four separate parts. The remaining 4hp in each case are used by 2hp Buffs to split the pitch CV between oscillator and filter, 2hp Mix to get the four voices down to one output, and 2hp Trim to patch between the LFO and the Hosa Knucklebones for consistent vibrato and PWM.
You can hear it play a Juno pad here:
For the next phase, I plan on adding a sub-oscillator, extra envelope, and noise source:
What should I do with the 40+ hp left? I'm torn between adding a wavefolder per voice, alternative (multimode) filter per voice, or Black Sequencer for future live use.
I don't think that Plaits & bOSC is a limiting setup. bOSC alone has 4 outputs that you can route through different paths, e.g. filters, wave-folders, effects in combination with a envelope+VCA per path that is sequenced differently, etc... Plaits has endless possibilities for modulation (models, parameters...) that you can work with and also two different outputs that you could treat differently. There's a lot of variation that you can squeeze out of these two oscillators...
Yes, you're right and re-reading what I wrote, it doesn't entirely convey correctly how I feel about it. bOSC is a great analog module, which is precisely what I wanted. I'm very happy with it. Plaits, however, seems like a gateway module. It introduces several types of synthesis but it's a bit limited in all of them. For example, the granular mode is 8 sawtooths, period. I like it and I use it a lot, but granular based on samples is much more powerful. It's that sense of exploring and finding the limits that I meant.
One LFO only, but with multiple outputs. Also, I use Zadar as an LFO from time to time. It's unipolar, but hey, set the start point at the bottom instead of in the middle and it works just fine. Great to have complex LFOs when I want them! Ochd sounds nice, but it's not on my urgent list.
Ochd is overpriced in my view, but I haven't regretted buying it. It is in 95% of my patches. It is simple, easy to use and doesn't take up much space. The cost/benefit ratio is top...
Next up will be a Joranalogue Select 2 S/T&H and a Pamela to clock it. There's a random CV on the Static that I can use with this. Pamela will definitely be a great addition in the long run.
Pamela was also among the first 5 modules I bought. It's also one of the modules that gets a lot of usage. I started relatively simple, using it as a clock divider and euclidean pattern generator. As I learned about modular synths I've found many other ways to use it. Actually, if you use the stepped random, that's exactly what you get with noise + S&H, plus you'll have a lot of ways to control and manipulate it. Pam will grow with you. You can't go wrong with Pam's...
I've actually changed my plans. Instead of the Joranalogue Select 2, I am considering the Intellijel Shifty. 4 S&H that can be shifted, but if you tell it to use just 1, then it's a plain S&H. Flexible in a different way than the Joranalogue. And for modulation (and also as an extra sound source), I'm eyeing the Joranalogue Orbit 3. I'm pretty much into fractals and mathematical chaos, so I really appreciate the patterns that come out of that one. It should work as a very interesting LFO-type modulator. As for PAM - I may hold off and just use Zadar with a pulse for the clock for now. I'm still sequencing with my BeatStep Pro and doing more sequencing in the modular (PAM - Euclidean etc) is not on the plans now. I'm getting a Teensy to try out a headless Dirtywave M8 to explore more in that direction.
Apply the first sentence to your Plaits & bOSC combo...
Heh :-) I've been doing that for the last almost 4 weeks on my one-track-per-day project. I noticed I was tending towards all saws and synthwave, so I moved away from that again with Plaits' FM mode for my track of 6 April. Yeah, there's a lot of live&learn in the bOSC-Plaits combo, but I want more!
As you already have two Doepfer modules: I would recommend the Doepfer A-106-5 SEM filter. Sounds fantastic, from creamy to dirty to aggressive, has LP, HP, BP... incredible value for money!
Did you try to take the pole off and see if it was the source of imperfection as @Vow3II suggested? I purposely bought the Rackbrutes because I knew from seeing a couple that the quality of the build was very good. I didn't want to mess around with powering something or having a 'flying bus cable' to mess with. I think my only gripe about the Rackbrutes is that they didn't really incorporate 'airflow' through it and have seen a couple modifications that use the 'laws of physics' for some natural airflow.
I would verify if the pole is the cause...if it is, its an easy fix to get a different one. Also as @Vow3II suggested, contact Arturia...they actually have decent support and respond pretty quickly to help requests.
I'm a relative beginner myself (started in 10/2021), so this is not meant to be "expert advice", but I'd like to share my experiences...
I have only two possibly melodic sources: Plaits and the bOSC. I absolutely love both of them, but it's limiting. I'm eyeing a Klavis Twin Waves mkii next.
I also have Plaits which, I think, is very versatile. A friend has bOSC, and I think it's a great, albeit simple, oscillator. I have the Dixie 2+, which is very similar to bOSC, feature wise. I don't think that Plaits & bOSC is a limiting setup. bOSC alone has 4 outputs that you can route through different paths, e.g. filters, wave-folders, effects in combination with a envelope+VCA per path that is sequenced differently, etc... Plaits has endless possibilities for modulation (models, parameters...) that you can work with and also two different outputs that you could treat differently. There's a lot of variation that you can squeeze out of these two oscillators...
I spent a bit more money on envelopes and drums, getting Zadar and Rample. I regret neither. They are both incredible modules. And I haven't even put my own samples on Rample yet!
Zadar is great, my friend has it, and I'll probably also get it some time. Rample was among the first 5 modules I bought, and I had a lot of fun with it. I sold it because I also had Erica Sample Drums, and thought this would be the more powerful sampler. I really regret selling the Rample and will maybe buy one again... I hardly ever use the Sample Drums...
One LFO only, but with multiple outputs. Also, I use Zadar as an LFO from time to time. It's unipolar, but hey, set the start point at the bottom instead of in the middle and it works just fine. Great to have complex LFOs when I want them! Ochd sounds nice, but it's not on my urgent list.
Ochd is overpriced in my view, but I haven't regretted buying it. It is in 95% of my patches. It is simple, easy to use and doesn't take up much space. The cost/benefit ratio is top...
Next up will be a Joranalogue Select 2 S/T&H and a Pamela to clock it. There's a random CV on the Static that I can use with this. Pamela will definitely be a great addition in the long run.
Pamela was also among the first 5 modules I bought. It's also one of the modules that gets a lot of usage. I started relatively simple, using it as a clock divider and euclidean pattern generator. As I learned about modular synths I've found many other ways to use it. Actually, if you use the stepped random, that's exactly what you get with noise + S&H, plus you'll have a lot of ways to control and manipulate it. Pam will grow with you. You can't go wrong with Pam's...
[...] I like the limitations, as they force me to be creative. Some things turned out really well, some a bit less. You live and learn. [...]
That's the spirit! Apply the first sentence to your Plaits & bOSC combo...
As you already have two Doepfer modules: I would recommend the Doepfer A-106-5 SEM filter. Sounds fantastic, from creamy to dirty to aggressive, has LP, HP, BP... incredible value for money!
Banged on this A LOT. Instead of having a bunch of Mutable modules, I opted for the ultimate tweak-head ones: Buchla. Or rather, the Tiptop reissues of the original Buchla 200 modules. Then I built around that.
That is a massive reply, I won't go into all of it simply because of your answer's complexity and the amount of reconfiguring you've done. First, let me say your input made for some very interesting reading. I like that you took the few modules I already had and built a buchla tiptop rack from there, but ultimately the finished product is too big of a challenge for me -- Both musically and financially. A lot of these modules are also on backorder with no timeframe for when they'll be back in stock (I live quite far from everything) and I haven't seen a single Tiptop buchla module pop up on my local used exchange... This probably means they are keepers, which is a great thing, and you've certainly opened my eyes to incorporating some buchla elements into my system. The whole idea of combining East and West coast also appeals to me. I'm especially intrigued by the Dual Oscillator Model 258t, the Source of Uncertainty Model 266t and the Dannysound Timbre.
Well, the four Electrosmith VCAs aren't a bad idea...for modulation and CVs. These are linear, DC-coupled VCAs, which are better used for those purposes. For audio, you want exponential VCAs with AC-coupling, which is why you often see VCAs such as Veils, Intellijel's Dual VCA, etc used so often; since these have a control per VCA that can shift the VCA's response between full linear and full exponential.
That is a perfect explanation of something my system is clearly missing. Thank you!
Gonna mess with this, starting with a bigger and portable cab off the bat.
Portability is not an issue for me. I won't be playing any gigs nor bring the system travelling. I can see why you went with the bigger case, but what I like about the doepfer low cost base is that I can always add another doepfter lowcost ontop of it. I also quite enjoy that it's made of wood, which makes easier to either paint or varnish or even leave raw.
While it definitely costs more than the initial plan, you probably won't need to add anything to this for years to come. You WON'T exhaust this build's possibilities!
I'm overwhelmed by the thought you put into this rack on my behalf. I've read your module rundown multiple times now and am more impressed each time with how you've shaped it. I will definitely return to it again and again as I learn more about eurorack in general. Again, thank you very much!
Definitely not normal...I have two 6Us and a 3U....what Vow3II said for troubleshooting
-- jb61264
Thanks for confirming. It’s not ‘bad’ and I can use it sometimes without noticing it but when I do notice it it’s annoying..! Shame I can’t use another one for that direct comparison. Im somewhat tempted to just keep it in case another one is worse..!
I can not speak about your specific problem with the Rackbrute but i think it's a pretty common problem for hardware in general. I used to work with a Digital-Video-Tape-Machine (HDCamSR) from Sony wich is a realy expensive piece of technology (around 25k Euro). This thing was wobbling around when i we're pressing buttons or ejecting/loading tapes. A piece of beerfelt was the Bavarian solution to fix it. Some behringer stuff i own is wobbling and other Hardware too. I think the Problem are not the plastic feets underneath, Sometimes the housing ist not 100% straight/flat and quality controle is poor.
-- Max_Modular
It’s frustrating as this is quite ‘expensive’ to me and I expected a premium experience.. but it’s hard knowing the line of where to say ‘ah, I’ll deal with it..’
This may be the most involved project I have done in the last couple of years. It was born from a simple goal - create a full album length ambient piece in multiple parts, using a wide variety of synthesizers and synthesis techniques, but not using midi note programming or sequencers. It's four pieces with a common melodic theme and blended together. I used almost all of my synths including my modular rig and a guitar.
Part One is a brief intro that gives you the flavor of the whole piece.
Part Two has a complex foundational drone from my modular rack and uses six oscillators, each tuned to a different note within the E Dorian scale. They are all running through filters or being modulated in other ways. Each oscillator is faded in and out using slow asynchronous LFOs on the mixer's VCA creating a very unpredictable combination of sounds and textures. This is a "self-playing" or "generative" patch. Other sounds are layered on top and come from the ASM Hydrasynth, Korg Kronos, Novation Summit, and Moog Taurus Pedals.
Part Three uses a base drone from the Waldorf Iridium in a low register and features a few solo sections using that same sound played in a higher register. I made extensive use of the Waldorf's amazing Mod Matrix and set up about 25 different modulations of all different kinds of sound parameters. This is also a generative patch. Part Three also feature solo sections on electric guitar, Moog Subsequent 37, Korg Kronos and Novation Summit.
Part Four has a foundation pad from the Prophet Rev 2 which is played on its keyboard and expression pedal controlling Filter Cutoff. Additional bass, pad sounds and solos are layered on from the ASM Hydrasynth and Korg Kronos.
Again, no midi note programming or sequencers were used to record this, so each track, section, solo here is recorded "live".
All images are from the NASA website and are public domain. They're freakin amazing to look at, especially with the Ken Burns treatment. Enjoy!
I'm with Jim on this topic, effects pedals may be the best way to incorporate a broader range of effects. This may or may not save you money depending on the pedals you prefer, also the CV control options for pedals aren't ideal, so it's not a perfect solution. I would recommend picking up something like the Strymon AA.1 to convert euro signals to pedal and back. It's a good inexpensive utility.
I also don't necessarily think the analog vs digital debate applies much to effects, as I have a mixture of both types of effects, though I prefer analog for some other things. I recently picked up a Strymon Deco which is digital, and it has become my favorite overall effect for just about everything. It's a magic pixie dust pedal that makes everything sound better than it should. I have also enjoyed the results I've gotten from the simple and inexpensive Doepfer spring reverb (though I have to leave a 1hp blank space to run the reverb tank cable outside of my rack). I've gotten mixed results with the Erica BBD delay/flanger. Sometimes it's awesome, and other times I struggle to achieve what I'm hearing in my head.
Let us know what you choose. Have fun!
Well, part of the problem is in the fact that there's something in the cab that shouldn't be: the DFAM. It already has a cab and its own power, so use that. Otherwise...well, your case costs $649, and it's got 168 hp in its 3U rows, which is what we'll be dealing with here. This is going to hurt a little...
649 / 168 = 3.86. This is the cost per hp for the case (barring the tile row, as it's not really germane to this).
Then, find the cost of 60 hp. 3.86 x 60 = 231.60
Now, a DFAM these days streets for $699. So 699 + 231.60 = 930.60
So, the DFAM, in this configuration, winds up actually costing over $900 if you leave it in here. So not only do monster-sized devices like this rob powered housing from modules that REALLY need it, it's not a very fiscally-sound idea, either.
And it's an impediment to revising builds as well. If you're looking at a case where over 1/3rd of the space is taken over by just one single device, you need to be thinking VERY carefully about how to use the remaining 3U space. Or if you just put that 60 hp chonk back where it belongs, you'll have opened up loads of space for MORE stuff that can integrate your system in with everything else. Same routine works with the other Moog 60-ers, and there IS a way to mount four of those in a big, curved master stand; see here:
Can't do that if the DFAM stays where it is...and you've got to admit, that curved 4-tier setup looks totally badass, sort of like a piece of TONTO that got left in the dryer too long!
This is also another good reason for keeping a spirit level around the studio. Besides levelling keyboard stand tiers, etc., it comes in handy for figuring out annoyances like this.
Yeah, it's just a really uncommon use, but then you see people using things like the Volca Kick as subbass synths...similar idea. Sort of goes back to an example I should've realized then...the "magic moment" in Stockhausen's "Kontakte" when a note starts descending, goes into the subsonic rates, then becomes a rapid pulse...and finally, very slow single pulses with their pitch being determined by a resonant filter. Sort of like extratone stuff, but in reverse.
That's a beautiful piece of work. The music is nice and relaxing and then "suddenly" it stopped. I thought: "What happened?" Your track finished already. I thought it was only a few minutes but now I realise it's 21 minutes :-)
Lovely done and I hope you produce more of this peaceful music! Thank you very much for that and kind regards, Garfield.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
Nice that you already have the ADAT parts. We use it in the office for parts of our audio (broadcast company) but for music I'm so humble to stay with USB and jacks :-) Now you mention the shortage of ES-9 it made me double-check because I want to order one for myself. Fortunately, it's in stock in one of my favorite shops.
I'm also looking at integrating external equipment with modular (who isn't?). The core will be my iPad Pro. With AUM and the multitrack recorder, it's quite powerful. I just bought a Teensy to set up a headless Dirtywave M8. Teensy is via USB, but the M8 itself is MIDI and audio jacks. The ES-9 would then be key to get the audio in, but I'd still need to find a way to sync clocks and start/stop. No PC, because that turns everything into a complicated mess. I've got lots to explore, but I'm doing it step by step. I also just started recording video for my YouTube channel, so I'm already doing everything at once.
As for Disting and similar modules (looking at you O&C), I stay away from them. It's true - you can turn them into anything. But I find that confusing. A VCO is a VCO and not a clock, in my setup. But they exist for good reason, so spend your time to get to know it well because there's plenty in it!
I can not speak about your specific problem with the Rackbrute but i think it's a pretty common problem for hardware in general. I used to work with a Digital-Video-Tape-Machine (HDCamSR) from Sony wich is a realy expensive piece of technology (around 25k Euro). This thing was wobbling around when i we're pressing buttons or ejecting/loading tapes. A piece of beerfelt was the Bavarian solution to fix it. Some behringer stuff i own is wobbling and other Hardware too. I think the Problem are not the plastic feets underneath, Sometimes the housing ist not 100% straight/flat and quality controle is poor.
That's an odd one; I've not heard of triggering drum modules with an audio rate trigger.
That surprises me a bit, it is fun to sync them to oscillators. If it has V/O tracking they become playable oscillators.
I understand that isn't their primary goal use but in modular it means to me I can do a lot of neat tricks, pulling between drums and sounds so to speak.
Hi Arrandan thanks for getting back to me. Below is the link to my rack hope it works. I have acquired all the modules listed already so I have the ear no problem. I am using a miniDSP USBStreamer for ADAT in/out to PC. I got the ES-3/6 combo cheap. At the time the ES-9 wasn't going to be available for a loooong time. I am also using a yamaha A4000 sampler for fx through Rosie send/return. So at the moment Im using a bit of external gear to make do eg op-z to sequence and A4000 and PC for fx. Haven't got into the disting yet as its new but I thought it was a flexible module for someone still working stuff out. Thanks again.
It would make things easier if you can post a link to your rack here on ModularGrid. That way, we can click on it and review it easily.
Do you have ADAT on your PC? The ES-3/6 combo is very specific. Most people connect to a PC with an ES-9 as it provides USB. For MIDI, MutantBrain is a popular option as it provides more connectivity pretty cheaply. When you add the CVx to the uMIDI, you end up more expensive.
Ears is discontinued so hurry to find stock if you really need it!
If you don't know, Zadar can be a VCO
-- SamuelGeai
Hi Samuel,
Great tip! I remember reading about it. It's a bit fiddly though, trying to get the actual V/OCt working. That's why so far, I've refrained from using it as a sound source. But I might have a go at it tonight. I am already using Zadar as an LFO, where the speed is less crucial.
When patching at the top right, the left foot will lift slightly. I could put something under it but it’s annoying as it’s an expensive unit. It not just ‘movement’ because it’s suspended in the air, it’s actually rocking back slightly. I’ve turned the ‘pole’ around and it makes no difference.
Before k try and swap it for another, I just wondered if this is normal - does anyone else have a wobble?
Hi
This is my first modular setup. I have an 84hp Intellijel Pallete case with the modules as outlined below. I was considering using my op-z to sequence through the umidi 1U. Anyone have some advice/suggestions to complete the case ? Not sure how to proceed as option paralysis has set in. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
In a setup like this, I'd strongly recommend you look at various switching options like:
-- Befaco Muxlicer
-- Verbos Sequence Selector
-- Boss Bow 2
etc.
With some switching like that in your system, you can sequence your control signals of any kind, including sequencers, lfo, envelopes, etc. With not much HP and $ extra, you massively extend the depth of your control rig.
Also, with the goal "have a modular sequencer that can easily be adapted to use with a wide variety of other system" that begs the question -- what will it be linked to? Hence, any of a range of interface modules like Expert Sleepers or Boredbrain might get you fun extra linkages out (to PC, MIDI, etc.).
My net recommendations
-- think of how many pitched sequence lanes you need, how many perc sequence lanes you need, how many spare sequence lanes you need, and get a bit more than that, with maybe different sequencers handling pitched vs. perc
-- very much consider ergonimics and workflow in a sequencer, it matters a ton. I like Five12 Vector for pitched stuff and Tiptop ones for perc, because of all the knob per function, and how those really make more sense to my mind than others. IMO sequencers are a very personal thing so take some time to find ones that jive with you
-- totally include some switching in the rack and sequence control signals, it's the bees knees
-- with a good signal out box (Expert Sleepers) etc., you could use a rig like this to cover a majority of scoring needs
Now you'll put me in a rambling mood....
Yeah, I had to deal with eh Yamaha FM patent in the early '90s at the computer company I was working for, they had it locked up so tightly we had to go in a different direction, and fortunately that direction paid off, we did better than we could have had we licensed theirs.
And thinking about this made me miss Ensoniq again. Their chip in the Apple IIgs was a pretty awesome thing to work with in the mid-80's, the programming model fit my brain really well.
And... ah, I'm not going to ramble more tonight, I could have a problem stopping. Have a digital delay module out in the workshop I have to finish up tonight so I'll go do that.
Actually, Yamaha's exclusive license to John Chowning's FM tech which was developed at Stanford has been expired for a while now, so it's more or less "safe" now to do algorithmic FM if your company isn't Yamaha. But that was a bitch to deal with back then; most any company that attempted to head in that direction got dinged pretty hard by their lawyers. The only one I know of that dodged those courtroom bullets was NED, as the FM implementation on the Synclavier systems predated Yamaha's use, so they had to eat a bit of crow there. And the license being done means that we can have toys like, say, the Akemie's Castle...which gives you algorithmic FM with CVs. Wild!
Fact is, though...if Uli was better-behaved and housebroken, you wouldn't see nearly as much push-back as you do these days where Behringer's concerned. But he doesn't play nice, and has a long history of not doing so, either. Even so...the synths they've released are astonishingly GOOD; the Pro-1 is about as spot-on a copy of the Sequential Pro-One as you'll ever hear, the B.2600 (even the "Xmas tree" version) behaves exactly like a newer ARP 2600, one of which I did get to use from time to time in the early 1980s, and so on. And it's...
1) Available to purchase, and...
2) It's not "crippleware" like Korg's 2600M, and...
3) It doesn't have its origin in some very sus "make the celebs jump for joy...and f*ck everyone else" marketing BS, like the 2600FS. Or rather, it's the "antidote" to that. So yeah, I'm down with how these market disruptors are shaking up the idea that a "vintage synth" should cost you a kidney and then some. FYI, I find it very telling that Sweetwater is NOT stocking the Korg 2600M...the 2600FiaSco s**tshow was apparently something that Chuck and Co. took a VERY dim view of.
But yeah...I'm personally waiting for a $500 FPGA synth, or maybe we can prod Behringer into "copying" a synth that uses a synthesis engine that's Public Domain...namely, the "Bell Labs" synth (at Oberlin's TIMARA facility these days), which begat the Crumar GDS, which begat the DK Synergy and Synergy II, and then these begat the Mulogix Slave32 Expander. It's a cheap AF design these days, and could probably be done for $400-700 as it avoided the use of proprietal/esoteric parts, and the current state of microprocessors makes the original synth seem like it's made out of rocks and sticks. THAT would definitely be a welcome development, as none of those synths ever had huge release numbers and, in fact, were WAAAAAY ahead of their time.
Anyway, rambling...time to hit the sack/oil mod/Eliane Radigue CD thing...
True
Democratization of design via inexpensive components, fast and inexpensive PCB development , and a reasonably open platform in Eurorack.
I think it's very healthy for the business, and (except for Yamaha viciously defending their patents) most folks don't mind too much when there are derivative products.
Well, the four Electrosmith VCAs aren't a bad idea...for modulation and CVs. These are linear, DC-coupled VCAs, which are better used for those purposes. For audio, you want exponential VCAs with AC-coupling, which is why you often see VCAs such as Veils, Intellijel's Dual VCA, etc used so often; since these have a control per VCA that can shift the VCA's response between full linear and full exponential.
Why this is important is because we perceive "apparent loudness" on an exponential curve...with a unit called the decibel. Decibel readings are confusing at first, but as long as you keep in mind that adding 10 dB of amplification to a signal, you're only increasing the apparent loudness in doubles.
Gonna mess with this, starting with a bigger and portable cab off the bat. I'm designing this around a Case From Lake 3 x 126 device, which is here: https://www.casefromlake.com/product-page/9u-eurorack-case-powered-120-or-126-hp-patched-resealable-modular-synthesizer And it runs only EUR 495, compared to EUR 379 (@ Schneidersladen) for the Doepfer. But the CFL one has a lid, strap, MUCH more amperage capacity, and if you want any tweaks to the basic design, they can do that too. Anyway...
Banged on this A LOT. Instead of having a bunch of Mutable modules, I opted for the ultimate tweak-head ones: Buchla. Or rather, the Tiptop reissues of the original Buchla 200 modules. Then I built around that.
TOP: This is the "audio" row. Starts off with the very useful Konstant Labs PWRchekr to keep an eye on your DC rails' health. Then a 1 hp blank, followed by a more comprehensive input module, the Doepfer A-119...sort of the OG of Eurorack input modules. It gives you a comparator for creating gates out of audio levels, plus a CV from the amplitude of the input signal...AND it has a proper 1/4" jack, not a 3.5mm. Then, a pair of Buchla 258t for s paired with a Dannysound Timbre...a waveshaper derived from the circuit in the Buchla 259, so I suppose the result here are "258 1/2s"? Anyway, Veils, then another curveball: Uli's clone of the ARP 2500 VCF. There IS a 200 series VCF...but it's not been reissued (yet), so why not drop in another famous early modular VCF? But after that, you get the Buchla take on that, with their 292t quad LPG...so you can have either a straight audio feed from the VCF to the row's stereo mixer, or you can have four of those vaunted Buchla lowpass gates...or both, why not? Anyway, the end mixer is right after the LPGs, a manual stereo mixer with four pannable inputs to help stereoize the signal before it hits the Beads, or you could just run the LPGs down to the performance mixer individually, or or or...tons of potential, and I've not even got into the next row yet! I put the Disting last in this row, as it'll be easier to get at both patch-wise AND finger-wise for the various purposes it's got.
MIDDLE: Modulation-ish. The famous Buchla "Source of Uncertainty" kicks the row off, then your Maths is after that. I put together a little array of the Electrosmith dual VCAs and a Buchla 257t for mixing and/or mangling modulation signals. Then there's a pair of Buchla 281ts with a Doepfer diode OR combiner for triggers and gates. It's worth noting that the individual envelope gens in the 281ts can be clocked way on up into the audio range, at which point they become something like CVable variable waveform generators. And there's a lot more of that sort of "hidden trickery" in here, since it's a weird hybrid of West and East Coast principles all functioning in Eurorack; back in the day, most of this would be in systems that couldn't necessarily be cross-patched due to CV and/or trig/gate differences that we, for the most part, don't have now across the Eurorack module gamut.
BOTTOM: Pam's, then a Doepfer dual quantizer for pitch constraint and a Eurorack Essentials 2 x 2 sequential switch. More about that in a bit. Then a second switch, this time from Doepfer and with a 4 x 1 circuit. After that is the first of two Buchla 245t sequencers, and then the second is separated by another Doepfer 4 x 1 switch. And why are those switches important? OK...sequential switches shift between two or more incoming CV signals when they receive (in this case) a trigger pulse. So the switches form a timed network to step through all sequencer rows, then send these over to the quantizer for discrete pitch tunings. Or you could just as easily use one sequencer as your "line" and the other as "transpose". Need divided timing for any of that? The Pam's deals handily with this need. After the sequencer section, you've got a Qu-bit Mixology. That performance mixer gives you CV control over your amplitude level, panning, and FX send per channel, plus a manual per-channel solo and mute. This also has a parallel FX processing bus, so your sends go out via the mono send and come back in through the stereo return. With that, I opted for a more straightforward FX processor, namely Freq Central's Stasis Leak, which gives you mono-to-stereo tap delay, chorus, and reverb. Note, also, that you can also opt to use the Beads post-mixer, hence one reason why they're close vertically. And all the way at the end is your balanced outputs, a second stereo return (useful if you split off the send to the Beads, then you can send the Beads output to the second return), a headphone preamp, and main level controls.
Yeah, OK...it's bigger. But unlike the Doepfer LC, this is designed to be portable, as the CFL cab comes with a lid (and yes, you have room to keep things patched beneath it) and a carry-strap. It's about the size of a large briefcase, which is a good form factor, especially for fitting it into an overhead bin on a plane. And the current limits are...well, if you go with the Meanwells that CFL offers, you'll never have to worry about exceeding current limits in this build. Ever. And while it definitely costs more than the initial plan, you probably won't need to add anything to this for years to come. You WON'T exhaust this build's possibilities!
FYI folks I bought some for TOMMI001's vented blanks, they are great! The look nice, pass a lot of air, line up perfectly with a 4HP slot, and have small enough slots to reject cords and rack screws. He even did a custom (all black) design for me. Thanks Tom!
Maybe they won't...but again, maybe they will. That's an odd one; I've not heard of triggering drum modules with an audio rate trigger. You might be surprised, though, as there's a lot of modules that can deal with that already. Tech's pretty different from when I first got hold of synths c. 1978. The overall idea's the same as any old modular, but what goes on behind some of these panels is way more complex than old Moog, ARP, etc equipment.
There's a load of digital/analog hybrid modules out there, too, where you can't be 100% sure what's being done with the tweaks and inputted signals. But overall, I don't worry about the type of tech...just whether or not it sounds and behaves "normally".
Check the Dannysound listings, also...they've got a module that's just the Buchla 259's waveshaping section. Feedback themselves also have something similar.
Amazing, really...Buchla used to be prohibitively expensive, and now we've got loads of Buchla-type stuff, and even actual Buchla (via Tiptop, or via several other companies that do Buchla clones) stuff in Eurorack now.
A VCO from Feedback Modules, modeling West Coast style oscillators.
Not a simple build, but not too bad (no SMD), intermediate builders and up.
Fun sound, I plan to use this one a lot. Two59 build
I do not agree with Lugia here, (analog) drum modules are just specialized synth voices. I own a MFB Tanzbär and I love it but fixed drum machines tend to have a lot of limitations.
The Kickall is one to keep I would say, in essence it is a bass synth.
I have only two possibly melodic sources: Plaits and the bOSC. I absolutely love both of them, but it's limiting. I'm eyeing a Klavis Twin Waves mkii next.
-- Arrandan
If you don't know, Zadar can be a VCO
Agree with Lugia, my cheaper boutique re-issue Roland TR-08 Rhythm Composer cost me $400 sounds great, easy to use, has speaker and battery power option and less expensive than modular drums. I only went modular drums for the unique experimental oddball sounds that I can create differently. Even then, expect to spend 2k easily for case/power, few percussion modules, mixer, VCAs, sequencer and support modules for a very basic Eurorack modular drum setup. Yes, you can get an Intellijel 4u case, add the Endorphin.es Queen of Pentacles or VPME Quad drum, with a good drum sequencer, mixer, vcas and get by on a bit less.
Those are good suggestions, I hadn't considered a brains but that seems like an obvious choice now you mention it. Adding a quantizer/logic gate or some sort of "fun" sequencing module like one of the "Repetitors" from NE would spice up the options for sure. Thanks!
thanks for your views of Drum machines...!!!
i've dumped some of these modules ideas...
just so you understand i running some of this stuff from a Beatstep Pro...
when it comes to classic gear... i still have some from the early 90's when old gear was mega easy to find.!
Hm...not sure why the Make Noise Brains isn't in there, as it'd allow the Pressure Points to also function as a sequencer. Lose the Dual VCA, since you don't use those on clocking signals or scaled CVs, and you'll have room for that. The X-Pan also doesn't seem like it should be there either, since there's no audio path in here at all. Space you recover from that should go to some logic, which will allow you a bunch of conditional Boolean logic gates that can make the sequencing more complex and capable. The Pam's should be able to output the various signals to cause the "hi" state depending on which gate you're using.
Another idea would be a quantizer or two. And if those, then you might also want an analog shift register, which is a clocked "store-and-forward"-type circuit with usually several outputs. That would allow you to output CVs in various "arabesque"-type patterns to several destinations. Lots of possibilities besides these as well...
1) NO DFAM. Put it back in its case, which you paid for, and on its own power, which you also paid for. Otherwise...well, let's do the math.
A 6U Rackbrute is $359, which gives you 171 hp to work with. 359/171=2.10 (ish). This is the per-hp cost of housing something in this case.
So...DFAM is 60 hp. 60 x 2.10=126. This is how much to add to the DFAM's price when it's installed like it is now.
So, let's do that. A DFAM right now at Sweetwater streets for $699. 699 + 126 = 825...which I'm betting you wouldn't have paid for it. But even so, incurring your own cost increases for "convenience" isn't necessarily a good idea.
2) The Befaco OUTs. If you're trying to output individual tracks to a DAW, these aren't the right thing to use. If you want to do this, there are actually two ways to do so...
A level shifter. Have a look at the Ladik P-520. Dirt-simple: synth-level signal goes in, line-level comes out x 4. And once you have the line level, you can send that directly to a typical interface. There's other similar devices on here, but the Ladik is both cheap AF and it's very basic, with no need to pay attention to it. Or...
An Expert Sleepers "soundcard" module that can interface directly to the DAW via USB. And they have a few, so it would be worthwhile to look at what they've got and decide which one fits the bill. They also have software for this, but if you have Ableton 11, you have their "CV Tools" suite that can handle the same purpose. Or just don't use ANY modules, and run your synth-level signals directly to a DC-coupled audio interface; I use a MOTU 828mkii for this exact purpose.
3) Space. Or rather, the lack of it. If you're not using this with a Minibrute 2/2S, then go bigger. Just stepping up to a Mantis at 2 x 104 hp would give you another 40 hp to mess around with, for example. And if you add the utility modules that everyone's talking about here, you WILL need that extra space (and no DFAM, etc). Or, if the central point is portability, then you could do much better with a 3-row or 4-row from Case From Lake, who're doing some inexpensive yet killer portable Eurorack cabs with ample power, which is very important. See https://www.casefromlake.com/ ...and yes, if you want tile rows, extra length, etc etc etc, they can do that, and it'll STILL be reasonable. And although I still don't advise putting the DFAM in a cab like that, if you felt you HAD TO do this for portability, that sort of cab will give you the space to do that AND have a proper module complement in the same case.
Couple of things...first, lose the mults. This build is too small in scale to lose 6 hp to modules that should REALLY be replaced with inline mults and/or stackcables. Plus, you really don't need a buffered mult unless you're trying to split out a scaled CV to 4+ devices, as you'd need the buffering to mitigate voltage sag that can happen from this. But if you've only got two or three audio generators that (might) need this, the buffering is superfluous.
The other thing is the drum modules. I'm not sure if it's been said too much, but I'm going to say it again here: modular synths really aren't drum machines. You CAN build one, of course...but you'll only find a couple of advantages to it versus a proper drum machine, which is a mission-specific device that's designed for drum sounds and patterns. In fact, you could easily clock a drum machine off of a Pam's output; you don't have to keep the modular's signals only in the modular.
But looking at this as cost-vs-usability, the idea fails. Right now, your drum modules ALONE are going to run $1055. And you've only got Pam's as something of a sequencing source, instead of a proper trigger sequencer that allows you to write and SAVE patterns. And that module will probably run about $300 and up. Very up, in fact.
OTOH, the RD-8mkii sitting next to me cost $329. Yeah, I know...Uli's a trolling nutjob, and his behavior is sus at best. But it DOES have the 808 soundset (and it's very convincing) along with a few classic Boss DR-110 electro noises and a very familiar UI. I just cringe, get over it, and keep on going, actually, and the RD-8 (plus a pair of RD-6s...I'm recreating an OLD setup from before 1995 that I found incredibly effective at the time) ticks right along. I can lock it up on sync from a number of devices, ranging from Beatstep Pros to the DAW via my Antelope Orion 32, too. True, some people won't buy Behringer...for very well-grounded reasons, actually...but I don't have the $10k necessary for the vintage Rolands or a couple thou for the present models, and their "circuit modeling" in their new machines really saps the punch out of their sound across the board, not just with the drum machines.
@farkas
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom, it was massively helpful!
I do have another electro-smith VCA like the one already in the rack. I suppose I could just install them both giving me a total of 4 pure VCAs?
Maths has Rise/Fall and so does the Mother-32, so they will have to do in a pinch until I expand both my budget and my knowledge. A proper ADSR envelope is hereby added to my wish list for the future, as is øchd or something similar. I rather enjoyed øchd in VCV, but the Batumi seems more practical... I'm hoping playing with the LFO options on Maths, Pams and the Disting will help me hear what exactly I want in an LFO. There are so many that I'm finding it almost impossible to choose right now.
Great points about Pams. Would adding MI Marbles alleviate the menu diving for controlling tempo and triggers? I was hoping it would.
Yes, Disting is intended merely as a beginner stopover gap filler sorta thing. Like @Shakespeare wrote below you, it also contains a sorta tape delay, which I like the sound of, and it didn't break the bank as I picked it up 2nd hand.
Filters and/or wavefolders added to wishlist. Thank you, again, this was massively helpful!
There's a mixer on the rack in the form of the Behringer 305 EQ/Mixer/Output. It's not ideal, but I was hoping it would do for my modest starter rack? To be frank, I'm unsure exactly how it's 'parametric EQ' performs and chose it mainly for the mixer, pedal and headphone output.
A random source like the ones you mentioned is a very good suggestion and one I did not think of. I thought I could patch Pams to Marbles and get something similar to Wogglebugs bursts of triggers, but if I'm understanding it right, you're talking about something like a noise generator? I'm intrigued. If you have the time to do so, please tell me more.
You've also been massively helpful. Just getting some eyes on my rack has been very, very helpful!
