All Posts

+1.
I just got a 1amp power supply to replace a broken one, but I am almost at 1 amp just with a couple digital modules and preamps with phantom power. I have to be very careful about power consumption in my planning for now, and it is pretty hard to figure out what I can or can't do just with the tools on the site.

EDITED Dec 29th 2021, 01:55

Thanks for the feedback. I take a look into the shift register. Pico System III is the eurorack version, so no case, but it is a good idea. I think there are some small cases and affordable (4 Ms pod maybe) cases for it.

I have everything to the right of the 8HP blank space. The Pams, Logica XT, and Doepfer A-130-2 are reserved HP...leaving me 8 HP of unreserved space. It was recommended I consider an envelope follower to the build...any recommendations for something that would occupy 6 or 8HP? Really loving everything that I've added so far, really fun combining the Minibrute2 with external sounds modified by Warps, Ultrafold, and Beads

I edited and removed what I was writing as I don't want to hijack the OP's post

EDITED Dec 28th 2021, 05:31

Actually, if the designer there would've just staggered the knobs to the left and right, you WOULD have ample room for fingers. Too much attention paid to electronics and NOT ergonomics is how you get unplayable modules. For example, my AE system uses those little marked-shaft pots, but they were designed with ample space so that you can get into through the patchcord (actually pinwires in the AE) snarl and the other controls around.

A bunch of my stompboxes see duty as percussion manglers. One you should seriously look at is some sort of auto-wah...on snares, these work great with a very fast attack and release, adding a quick filter sweep to the drum sound. I've gotten deep into the Chinese stompbox thing, and one bunch of sellers I've had a great time with are what I refer to as the "Brantford Pedal Mafia", aka a number of sellers in Brantford, ONT in the same general family who all deal in pedals AND who have inventories in both the USA and Canada, which makes things easy for quick shipment. You'll find the "Kingpin", aka mec.2009 at https://www.ebay.com/sch/mec.2009/m.html

Knob proximity seems to be an issue, but I guess you can't have both compact and easy to noodle. I think I need to build one. Definitely need room either side of the knobs.

Indeed and even in my smaller setups, I strive for utilities and tools like VCAs, envelopes and attenuators. My smallest case has these and I use them a lot in complex patches. Now with 1u tools and small hp sized support modules, it makes life easier.

Bought a Make Noise modDemix from @abozzelli. Fast shipping and good communication! Module very well packaged, and with original box. All good :)

Bought a Make Noise Contour from @fred05. Fast shipping and good communication! Module very well packaged, and with original box. All good :)

Lugia is right. We can also want a piano without a pedal, a microwave without a cooking time setting, an airplane without an altimeter... Funny Club. Everything that is imaginable is not necessarily reasonable ;)

I really need to get my stuff together and record. But all current patches are just soooo messy.

True but for me, dedicated VCAs are better in my experience but I like control and simplicity if possible.

Agree Livestock Electronics Maze is great and can also let you create fade in/fade out transitions of CV control which is really nice for making smooth movements. Still learning mine but all good. My 2022 mantra is no gear purchases so I can focus on what I have no and I even put blank panels to avoid the temptation.

Getting some submissions, who else wants to join in?!

The QPAS has a dual VCA on its inputs, just saying ;p

I'm pretty sure it's standard when you pay the 3% or whatever that you have to pay for non-friends and family transactions
-- JimHowell1970

Thanks very much for your help!

I'm pretty sure it's standard when you pay the 3% or whatever that you have to pay for non-friends and family transactions

don't do friends and family if they are not friend or family - pay the fees, get the protection
-- JimHowell1970

Is the protection an additional service or part of the standard PayPal service?

Thanks

i like !

-ADR- Really nice video demonstrations, all the info very clearly presented and explicated. I also just watched another demo on your channel and the same can be said for that as well. Thank you for the effort and work putting these together.

All the best

Hey MG !
I got the Tarot from the hands of its designer, and after a few meetings, he told me about a few tricks on it. Like getting the Tarot to do a Ring job. That was an excellent tip, so when I got back, I got excited and needed to try that on some perc sounds. It worked like an angel, and far deeper than a traditionnal ring modulator.

more here :

don't do friends and family if they are not friend or family - pay the fees, get the protection

Cool thanks, I guess you still have to hope you get an honest person that doesn't try charge-backs via paypal but it is what it is.

If anyone has any tips to cover my back it would be appreciated

I just have made an indstrial sound design using the Tarot, here :

with an external drum machine you might want to go with pedals for the distortion/fuzz/overdrive and the compression (to free more space in the rack) and a continuously variable filter - so that you can go from low-pass to high pass and all places in between
-- JimHowell1970

Can you expand on this a little? I am using the TR-8S for drums...will eventually go down the stomp box 'path' as I purchased Bastl Hendrikson a few weeks ago for my Minibrute2/Rackbrute3U setup...but it sounds like using them in line with the TR-8S can also add some flavor to the drums?

-- jb61264

yeah - some pedals in line with the drums - specifically a gain pedal (which will add some compression) and a compessor can add to the drum machine without taking up valuable rack space - and pedals can often be had cheaper than modules (bigger market for them - both new and used) then feed that in to the rack (I'd use a veils - most vcas don't have gain - veils has 20dB there on tap - so can again add more grit at this stage if needed) and then go through a filter in rack - maybe a doepfer SEM or WASP - both of which can go from low pass to high pass on the turn of a knob - this would make an interesting processing chain for a drum machine to me - possibly with parallel processing at some point either before the chain - an ABY pedal is a great solution here - so you can switch between the processed drums and the unprocessed (or differently processed) drums - this is especially useful as distortion pedals have a tendency to loose low-end - so maybe take this into account when choosing a distortion pedal - maybe something specifically designed for bass processing

the hendrickson is a great idea for sending stuff from the rack into an effects pedal chain and then back in - especially things like delays and reverbs can be used so much earlier in the chain than usually and then brought back in - possibly for further processing - filtering for example

an envelope follower (or 4) is also really handy to have at this point - as are more vcas

I think you'll be wanting to expand the 3u to a 6u soon - try to keep the 3U - if you can - always good to have space to expand into!!!

I think the Disting has some shift-register capabilities under the Shift Register program... F6 I believe.

If the PICO system came with its own case, put it back in and you buy yourself some extra room.

with an external drum machine you might want to go with pedals for the distortion/fuzz/overdrive and the compression (to free more space in the rack) and a continuously variable filter - so that you can go from low-pass to high pass and all places in between
-- JimHowell1970

Can you expand on this a little? I am using the TR-8S for drums...will eventually go down the stomp box 'path' as I purchased Bastl Hendrikson a few weeks ago for my Minibrute2/Rackbrute3U setup...but it sounds like using them in line with the TR-8S can also add some flavor to the drums?

with an external drum machine you might want to go with pedals for the distortion/fuzz/overdrive and the compression (to free more space in the rack) and a continuously variable filter - so that you can go from low-pass to high pass and all places in between

Small demo using external carriers and as a filter bank.

Live streaming now

Set up so it has quite a large loop which subtly varies, I need more VCAs!

Top Stuff! Recommended!

Thank you for feedback ! And merry Xmas

You could run an external drum machine like a Roland TR-8 through a Eurorack distortion module like Schlappi Engineering 100 Grit to get industrial percussion sounds and save money plus free up space in your case for more support modules and utilities. Also besides distortion, I’m finding that feeding drums through a compressor and EQ helps a lot as well.

Yup need more VCAs and in my travel cases I have at least two to four VCAs per small case.

This whole interest started with me wanting a fun new thing to learn and could communicate with my other gear which is why the niftycase is so appealing, but realistically I know it’s going to be a new obsession. Thanks for the case recommendation Lugia and the sound advice! Before I get any further and make another silly purchase is there any utilities or must haves to be aware of?

You are watching the unity output light flash in accordance with the envelope you have dialed in. Plug it into an Error Instruments CV input and the light on Maths stops illuminating. There is no envelope. If you plug the unity into say an A*B+C to provide a voltage offset it will then work.

EDITED Dec 27th 2021, 01:50

I've been meaning to get a Quadrax, but I wonder how it reacts to the EI CV inputs. Maths gets shut down completely when you plug it into this module.
-- mntbighker

"Shut down" how, exactly? A module like Maths shouldn't simply shut down when you patch it up.

Thanks for the replies y’all, much appreciated. lol I’ve had a feeling that 84hp would not be nearly enough. Definitely switching to a case I can “grow into”.
-- Eros222

Generally, the rule of thumb on first cabs is that you should set up for a MUCH BIGGER build than you think you'll need...because when you're starting out, it's actually more likely to be too small. So if you thought that 1 x 84 was enough, the 2 x 104 of a Mantis is probably what you should be using. Then, if you think the resulting build is just too much, you can more easily pare the module complement BACK. And this tends to be an easier task than ripping it all down to do different subsequent 1 x 84 builds to get things right.

Thanks for the reply Jim
really appreciate thee advice

Another possibility: a Quadrax + Qx. By chaining the EOR points on the Qx to each next EG and proceeding to loop things back from EOR on the 4th EG to the start on EG 1, you get this constant "strum"...with voltage control by using CV over the "attack" (in this case, it's referred to as "rise") so that you can make the "strum" longer, shorter, or more/less erratic. Works nice with VCAs, too...like having a Veils on a complex VCO with numerous waveform outputs.
-- Lugia

I've been meaning to get a Quadrax, but I wonder how it reacts to the EI CV inputs. Maths gets shut down completely when you plug it into this module.

What do the 4x CV inputs do? is it one for each pot?

Is the the Drum Out just like it says then the Audio out is everything else without the kick?
-- wishbonebrewery

Yes on the CV's. I believe the drum out is the audio through a vactrol LPG.

I think the Mantis is probably the best "starter case" at present. It has loads of current reserve from a tried and true P/S design (taken from the uZeus), it's portable while having ample module space, and it's got a really snazzy method for adding a second Mantis. Tiptop even offers a gig bag sized for it.
-- Lugia

I think the mantis power supply is based on the tiptop zeus studio bus - not the uZeus - from what I heard the uZeus can be quite noisy - and the mantis is really quiet - no ripple up to video rates (MHz) as opposed to mere KHz for audio

EDITED Dec 26th 2021, 22:48

I did want to ask though as I'm very new to hardware modular, what are some things to keep in mind about balancing utilities with other modules? (filters, E.G's, Sound Sources etc)
-- pestilent

loosely:

sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities = most variety for money and works well as a 'rule of thumb'

loosely because a sound source might be 2-3 vcos, a sound modifier might also be a sound source, maths might be seen as both a modulation source and a utility etc etc

I tend to see maths as a complex modulation source - if you want the utilities it has I'd advise to buy them separately

I'd be pushed to have much more than 1 sound source per row and support it properly though

Here's a promo video for a new album release entitled "Surfaces". Recorded the album a while back but just got around to releasing it properly. A mix of modular synth with other stuff.

The full album is here:
https://solitaireousolidaire.net/new-release.html

All the best

Thanks for posting the hi-fi version. Easier to really appreciate the production quality. The Amen break is classic for a reason and this makes excellent use of it. Cheers!
-- TumeniKnobs

Thanks!

Thanks for posting the hi-fi version. Easier to really appreciate the production quality. The Amen break is classic for a reason and this makes excellent use of it. Cheers!

Wow! Those are all really great sounding. I certainly wouldn’t complain if they were all longer. I love to see the SubH make appearances in this kind of ambient. Cheers!

Another great ambient piece. Love it. Cheers!