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MISO = awesome and inexpensive CV wrangling module. Another possibility there is 4ms's SISM, which is a similar sort of thing with more CV over function. These sorts of modules are pretty indispensable if you're trying to generate complex modulation curves from a few different sources.
One thing I'd suggest about the 2 hp gap in the bottom (sequencing) cab: drop in one of 2hp's Logic modules. This way, you can use TWO Pam's outs that "conflict" with each other in how they're programmed to create even more complex and elaborate clock behavior.
This is what you're looking for: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/shakmat-modular-sumdif That, or something along the same lines. The Shakmat module here can do addition and subtraction of CV values, but any adder will also work because if you send an adder a negative voltage, it'll treat that as a subtractive operation.
Ahhh...didn't know the "normal" modules were already functioning at video voltage levels! Changes things a bit, although I still think my layout for those cabs works there. It puts the most obvious "hands-on" devices as the bottom "controller" row, all of the LZX stuff with similar control paradigms in the next, then all of the "normals" above that.
Also, those Seismic mults have a sneaky feature that allows you to break out the second mult set there; if you don't patch that, they can function as 1-in/7-out, which can be pretty useful for distributing control (non-scalar) signals to many destinations.
Gave me quite a bit to think about, also...one objective here within this decade is to implement a video synthesis studio as well, although that's going to have to go in a different room here.
Jim's spot-on, yet again...without the "boring" modules, the expensive stuff you have here can't operate to its fullest potential.
Synthesizers aren't just made up of things that make noises...you MUST have all of those utility and other sleepy-looking modules there, because without them, you have no way to directly influence modulation behavior over the other modules. If I were you, I wouldn't order or install ANY other modules at this point...instead, remove what you've NOT got on hand already, then try and rework the build to allow those. Otherwise, all you're building here is an expensive noisemaker...it won't have any of the nuance and controllability of a properly-implemented build.
Well, what the hell...
Not going to go into detail here, since you know the vast majority of the modules already. I did a LOT of reordering for signal flow clarification, though. As a result, a number of previous positions where modules were are now occupied by something a bit different, while still trying to maintain the functional separations that were in place before. Plus, I did make a few additions here and there where they seemed to be called for, such as adding a third rescaler for the video cabs and restructuring those so that you main "control" modules are now at the bottom, your main LZXes are next up, then almost all of the non-video modules in this (except the MIDI interface) were shifted to the bottom of the three-row video cab to help delineate the "don't plug these directly into the video" differentiation.
I also clarified the drum module's usage a bit more by adding the Ladik submixers, which now lets you pan drum sources (and the VCO-VCF-VCA/wavefolder path) with a stereo comp after those so that the drum sounds can bang harder. Then a submixer here, a few PWRchekrs for the DIY cabs, and a bit of the usual mojo hand gettin' waved over the whole design along with a sprinkle of black cat hair and graveyard dust, and there ya go!
As for removals, I don't think I made more than four in here, trying to keep the original module complement intact except where it felt like the Department of Redundancy Department had gotten a toe-hold...and those very few removals opened the space up for a LOT more once things got slung around the cabs. I'm especially pleased with how the right cabs came out, notably with that single row for the Bassline, Deckard's, and Magneto (and a new Roti Pola, plus your M/S matrix). This now slaps, I do believe!
Quadrax can be made even more potent by pairing it with a Maths AND the Qx expander. The Qx allows you to do things like "cascading" different LFO waveforms based on the four pairs of rise/fall settings on the Quadrax, and this plays really nicely with the Maths's ability to screw around with these sorts of signals on its own. And +1 on the Doepfer ADSRs...in fact, the A-140-2 is the exact thing you want: two ADSRs in 8 hp.
A note on the trig sequencer: a valid contender to replace the Gibbon ALAK (funny little device, it seems) would be the Robaux LL8, loads of power hidden in there, I recommend having a look
-- toodee
Very true...but then, this is why I dropped the Pam's in there. By coupling the user-defined trigger sequencing that Pam's is capable of to a four-channel CV/gate step sequencer, things get kicked on up into the bonkers range.
Garfield: Oh, you mean one of these?: O0YAAOSwQnpezCL2" target="_blank">https://www.ebay.com/itm/Soundcraft-Vi6-digital-mixing-console-mixer-upgraded-w-racks-church-owned/133599376656?hash=item1f1b24b510O0YAAOSwQnpezCL2 Well, this one's going for $13k, so the prices on the large-format DIGITAL stuff is coming down...ish. Give it another ten years and my bet is that these will drift down toward the $3-5k range. And how did I find that ML3000? Years of Nashville experience gets you in that super-scrounger groove, baybee. You haven't LIVED until you've dumpster-dived (in ACTUAL dumpsters!) the alley between 16th and 17th Ave. S. and pulled out "obsolete" gear (by early 1980s standards) like Altec "Birdcages" or CBS Volumaxes. Being able to parse German helps, too.
Nickgreenberg: Yeah, I learned on large-format. I'm used to it. Plus, I tend to create elaborate 'composite' sound sources that can necessitate having a pile of "hot" faders, plus I'm running a 32-channel Antelope Orion32 which allows me to use the FIVE in a huge split mode...24 ins feed to the Orion via directs, and the other 8 ins are from the groups. Then 24 outs from the Orion32 have their own strips, with the last eight being capable of direct out via the routing patchbay. But another nice thing about large-ish format desks in a more normal electronic studio is that users can normalize their setups...each instrument gets its own strip, and the user can keep that configuration more or less permanently, which cuts down on all of the connecting and disconnecting business.
Now, my studio isn't set up like that...mainly because my workflow needs TOTAL flexibility, as different works require rather different setups. Also, there's some "subsections" in here...modular/patchables are all in a "sandbox" environment with its own small mixer (original Mackie 1202), then there's a "classic studio" rig that uses test gear and this also has a stereo submixer (Alesis Studio12R), plus a set of shortwave receivers that ALSO get their own very basic stereo mixer. Everything is routed here via two MASSIVE patchbays, so if I need to change configurations, it's super-easy. And as if that's not enough, I have a pair of Rane SM26B mixer/distros (one in each patchbay cab) and a Studio Technologies 1-in/8-out stereo distro amp that lets me do parallel routing for FX send/returns. The total patchability paradigm is actually based on how a certain studio at Syracuse U. is set up...and given that that setup was designed in collaboration with Dr. Bob, the usefulness of it was VERY apparent just on a cursory examination. Originally, I had this with a Topaz-24 at the mixing position, but that desk was just not up to the task, given where my composition skills have gone over the past 20 years...it only allowed 4 AUX sends in post-fader, the EQ had some irritating limitations, and I never liked the sound of the FX return channels. The FIVE, otoh, gives me a massive amount of sonic control, and lets me entertain sound creation methods that would've been utterly horrific to try and suss out on the Topaz.
Still seems like there could be some improvement here, though...give me a bit...
Haw!
OK, so sue me...I "cheated" a bit by using an Intellijel Palette 104 cab for starters. This gives ALL your I/O jacks, mults, MIDI via USB and power right off the rack, though. And this'll be a common theme in this build; why put in single function devices when you can double up your functionality in the same space?
Tiles: MIDI interface, Noise Tools (noise, clock, sample and hold, slew limiter), dual linear VCA, QuadrATT, Multi-FX, Stereo out.
3U row: Pam's (eight channels of clocking and/or sequencing), Wogglebug (fun with randomness), Batumi + Poti (4 LFOs), Zadar + Nin (4 envelope gens), Gibbon ALAK (4-channel step sequencer), 2 x Klavis Dual Waves (dual VCOs with internal quantizing), Veils clone (VCA submixes to the VCFs), G-Storm Delta VCF (multimode w/ 2-ch input mixer), G-Storm SH-101 VCF clone (LPF, also with 2-ch input mixing), Antumbra 1/2 of a Veils clone VCAs, Happy Nerding FX Aid.
Now, take a closer look here...there are very few single-operation modules in this. Everything in the 3U row (except the Wogglebug and the FX Aid) either does multiple functions, or can output multiples of the same function. The tile row lets you move the attenuator/mixer OUT of the 3U space, along with letting you use a number of other things that you also wouldn't necessarily have room for in the 3U row. And likewise, this is capable of operating in a true 2-voice mode, or one massive single voice with FOUR oscillators. Four channels of CV sequencing, eight of trigger sequencing and/or clocks, plus a NINTH clock as an overall master in the Noise Tools. Two different FX paths (mono-to-stereo and true stereo), two different VCFs that can also sum down two VCOs each (via their VCAs, natch), and so on. Relying on additions such as tiles (when doable) and multifunction modules allows this...even in 104 hp! So, yeah...you CAN build a single row skiff that's VERY workable, it just requires a very different "eye" for the right devices, and a very different mindset about how to pick the right modules as opposed to a larger build.
troux makes a very good point here, as does Jim...the idea of building a "generative" system in 42 hp is VERY impractical. Having done work with those methods since...ah, crap, I dunno HOW long...I think I can safely say that you'll be lucky if you can get it to behave like a basic off-the-shelf monosynth. And while you apparently have other modular gear to interface this with, the idea that you can use only this live for generative ambient work in of itself is a pretty big stretch of the imagination.
20 more hp here would make more sense. 166 more hp would make a LOT of sense. You'll need it for the various modulation sources, control modules (comparators, anyone?), submixers, etc etc etc to arrive at a truly generative result. In fact, of all of the various modular paradigms, generative tends to require the size and diverse modular complements to be as MAXIMAL as possible, at least if you're trying to realize a schema that has multiple channels (as in an installation work), consists of a few different "lines" in front along with a "background" layer, and has a diverse palette of sounds that it can generate.
But here's how you can see how this'll work: build this 42 hp thing, and patch it up and let it run. If, after an hour, you've been driven insane by the limited sound palette and want to kick the skiff across the room at that point, DO SO. Then build a real generative setup.
Jim's spot-on. The other half of this build had better be stuffed with nothing but mixers, attenuverters, VCAs, timing modules, etc etc etc...otherwise, all you're making here is a VERY expensive noisemaker, certainly NOT a musical instrument.
Oh wow, that's a serious beauty that Soundcraft Five series. With 54 frames you mean 54 faders? That's a beast of a machine!
Misspoke...it's actually a 52 frame. This means, yep, 52 faders besides the center routing/master section...48 mono, 4 stereo.
Hold on... 400 lbs that's I guess getting close to 200 kilograms! That's a serious thing, did you hire a crane to first remove the roof of your house and then let the desk go down into your house or how did you manage to transport such a beast? I live in that kind of cheap build new houses where everything is built just at minimum specs to keep the house standing but that's it, I think if I would put somewhere a 200 kg mixer I think it goes through my ceilings ending up flatting my coffee table in the living room! ;-)
My house is fairly typical mid-century suburban construction, with the section the studio's in dating from 1971. This is about the end-point for codes standards that would let you put something like this in without eventual structural damage. Further on into the 1970s, structural codes started to get lax, so that by the 1980s you wouldn't DARE do something like this. Plus, the whole thing, plus the patchbays and the computer work surfaces are on a large, multi-part BenchPro Dewey setup that can hold 2 1/2 TONS per unit. It ain't goin' NOWHERE!
Oh, speaking of Takaab, they dropped something last week (I think) that ought to be on your watchlist, greenfly...and that's their new VLH module. You get a ring mod, noise gen, and most germaine here, a 1 and 2 octave suboscillator...in a whopping 2 hp. As someone who really enjoys the suboscillator capabilities of certain Roland synths (SH-101 and MC-202 most notably), the ability to drop that bass in parallel to another higher line just drives crowds NUTS.
I got a new desk last year...or rather, a new "vintage" desk: a 54-frame Soundcraft FIVE. Most people would tend to think this is a live desk, but the truth is that it ALSO makes for a fantastic studio console with a lot of flexible routing trickery...pair this with an ample patchbay setup, and you can go BONKERS on all of the AUX routing possibilities, the inserts on pretty much everything, the capabilities of the VCA groupings, and on and on...
But the kicker was the price: $1500. Why that cheap? Well...in live sound right now, there's a trend toward digital desks. They're lighter, easier to set up in a high-pressure live situation, and can store loads of settings. Great for live work, but kinda meh for studio. But the FIVE has epic amounts of analog knobs and such, not touchscreens and assignable controls that can get in the way in studio work. Yeah, sure...it weighs about 400 lbs (out of its road case...IN the road case, it's closer to 600), has a couple of big (albeit much quieter than I'd expected) power supplies (one is "hot", the other is normally in "standby" in case the other poops out, which is something you need for live work to keep from cancelling gigs), took TWO moving crews to get into my studio, and it requires a super-hefty stand to support its weight. Even with these hassles and what seem like shortcomings, though, this is probably the very best thing I've EVER mixed on...and that includes classic Sphere and Auditronics desks, Jeep Harned's Woodland Sound "arch-top" prototype, lots of more recent things (including a VERY hateful Yamaha automated desk as well as a very nice Neotek w/ "flying faders")...it even kicks the crap out of MTSU's venerable old Harrison quad desk, which I thought was killer UNTIL THIS.
As a result, I'd strongly suggest looking into some large-format live desks along the lines of the FIVE. Hell, you can find grand old pre-Uli Midas Heritage desks for under $5k if you really dig hard enough. F'rinstance, here's a 48-in Heritage 3000 for only $4k: https://reverb.com/item/38395868-midas-heritage-3000-2012-purple If you buy something like this, do make sure that it was properly taken care of; if it looks banged-up, knobs and fader caps missing, etc etc...give that a pass. But if you really dig hard on eBay, Reverb, and a few gear broker sites, and if you know the sort of configuration you need, you can make out like a bandit right now!
Well, on the waveshaper thing...I'm not quite so jazzed by the Doepfer stuff here. It's basic, inexpensive...but rather simplistic when compared to a lot of other possibilities. The Tiptop has the ability to throw two waveforms at each other via its dual inputs, plus you also get a suboscillator divider...this is similar to Antimatter's Crossfold, albeit considerably cheaper. Also, that new Intellijel Bifold is pretty attractive...it's similar to the Tiptop in some ways, but it offers a CVable crossfader to shift between timbres.
But don't neglect a few others if you can cram 'em in...most notably Random*Source's Eurorack clones of the Serge TWS and VCM, Dannysound's DIY clone of the Buchla 259's timbre section, Bastl's Waver which offers wavefolding AND VCO mixing, or Circuit Abbey's Gravity Well, which does what they refer to as "asymmetrical" wavefolding. Nice stuff...just depends on what space you've got plus which sort of "school of thought" you'd like to follow as far as the circuit's concerned.
Great sounds once again. I swear the Serge stuff just sounds so natural. Woody and watery. Awesome.
-- farkas
Not surprising if you know the history...Serge Tcherepnin cooked up a set of basic modules with a lot of the sound based on Buchla gear. He came up with it because there was too much squabbling going on over CalArts' Buchla gear, so what he did was to set up an ad hoc "assembly line" that had builders setting up soldering stations on courtyard balconies there, passing the modules from one balcony to the next...builders paid for the boards and components, plus a prepunched panel full of holes which you then covered with a paper control panel layout then jammed the pot shafts and jacks through this.
Quite an interesting cast of characters were in the assembly line, too...two that I know of offhand were Kevin Braheny (best known for his Hearts of Space releases back in the 1980s/90s) and Chaz Smith (instrument builder and steel guitarist extraordinaire). But that Serge sound owes a lot to the Buchla 100 and the beginnings of the 200 systems.
Yeah...I don't recommend putting diagnostic gear into a functional synth build...but if you DO have a large setup, having a little "test pod" like this is damned useful. For one thing, it's small enough that you can move it around to where it's needed. And the O'Tool's functions are also pretty useful for checking calibration, etc on most ANY musical instrument, so this is set up so that it'll take any typical synth patchcable and you can still set up the 3.5mms on the pod to do any sort of test you'd normally do with a NON-modular synth. Plus, if you want to "relic" some calibration settings on a synth so that you've got a bit more of an "aged component" sound, you WILL need several instruments such as a frequency counter, voltmeter, o-scope and so on...or, just this pod.
Built up a little something...this is a test bench build for Eurorack.
This uses a powered 4ms Pod 48X cab. From left to right:
A CG Products PCV3 and a Mazzatron Testy allows you to test ANY synth patchcable...1/4", banana, and 3.5mm.
The Animodule TrAniModule gives you a 1 watt output amplifier and speaker to check audio outs.
The Joranalogue TEST 3 lets you check individual module current draws and other important DC level checks.
A 2hp DC gives you three possible fixed voltages...very useful for checking CV scaling and tracking.
The big draw here, of course, is Jones's O'Tool's latest revision, offering frequency measurement, an o-scope, voltmeter, and a pile of other test functions.
And last, a Metro Modular Test Eagle Option 10 gives you four dual bananas for connecting external test gear, with appropriate impedance and level settings for typical devices of that sort.
This isn't a synthesizer, of course...but if you have a sizable Eurorack (or other) modular rig, a little skiff like this with these sorts of modules definitely gives you 95% of the key test functions you need to keep that synth operating to spec.
Not really...if you compare it to the Maths, for example, you realize that the Contour 1 is a bit more like a Serge USG, so you can define the attack and release of the envelope follower function with it. But at the same time, it won't be an exact envelope follower, as this will tend to slow down the response to changes in amplitude, and a real envelope follower should track those changes a bit more "precisely". So while this might work for a sustained signal source, it won't work so well for something expressive...say, for example, if you wanted to play lead guitar through the synth, you'd WANT the exacting envelope follower output values so that you can continue to capture the guitar's true dynamics.
Daaaamn...that's a serious blue cat there! Awesome eating!
Seriously, funbun, you need to get up to Nashville and try out the rockfish thing down below Percy Priest dam during generation. Won't need a boat...just find a good bank spot and when they sound the siren, get something in the water! Those rocks go BONKERS!
Along Jim's lines about filters...yeah, having two different filter characteristics on hand is VERY useful. My take on the "character" VCF would be to go with a Steiner-Parker Synthacon filter...having had a Synthacon and gotten to appreciate the level of "yowl and shriek" that that design can do, it has always struck me as one of the best choices for a "lead voice" out there. Check Tiptop's Forbidden Planet VCF...probably one of the best versions out now in terms of space (8 hp) and super-simplicity. Another great is Doepfer's MS-20 Sallen-Key version, the A-106-1. Not only is it capable of a lot of different timbral colorations, its resonance path has an INSERT point in it...which allows you to mess with the filter with some non-filter things, like delays, wavefolders, distorters, and the like.
MIDI, though...since you want to use a keyboard controller, you may as well have a MIDI interface that knows what a "class compliant" controller is instead of going thru some other MIDI interface from some other synth, etc. So for that sort of thing, plus expandability (up to 64 assignable CV/gate/trig outs), have a look at Expert Sleepers' FH-2.
Lastly, probably one of the best values in modulation signal screwery has to be Tiptop's MISO. $99 for a tool that can make your mod signals do backflips is 100% worth the price of admission! Either it, or 4ms's SISM...either are ultra-useful.
Yeah, it's a bit of a problem...but according to Perfect Circuit's specs, the 2 x 140 has 3A on the +12V rail and 1A on the -12 and +5V rails. But this only seems to be an issue on the -12V rail, since the build I specced was 887 mA on that. Everything else is within tolerances. Plus, the only ones on that -12V rail that do concern me (Braids clone, SWN, Zadar, Timizoara) don't appear to have significant -12V draws in of themselves, or they don't draw from that at all (BitBox). The big thing to watch, IMHO, would be dealing with B.'s "zone" configuration, as that master output gets split up sort of like how the Arturia Rackbrutes deal with the same issue.
makes sense... if I was in North America or Japan I would definitely invest in a good output module - thankfully I have balanced power though!
-- JimHowell1970
Ahhhh...THAT explains quite a bit! Since you're apparently in a part of the world where the way the grid works is more sensible, you've never battled with weird noise issues like those. Maddening stuff...
But yes, if you're spoiled by balanced power right out of the wall, the need for isolated outputs might not make sense, since that one factor alone gets rid of loads of the nonsense we have to deal with on this side of the pond when some awful sonic crud sneaks into the proceedings. OTOH, if someone's miswired the ground over there, your odds of noise don't increase...but the potential of using ungrounded gear is just plain scary! You could ask Keith Relf of the Yardbirds about that...maybe at the next seance...?
OK...I had a dive into this. One immediate thing that came up regarded the Doepfer 4 hp VCO...too deep. It's 65mm deep, and the back row in a B. 2 x 140hp rack is 62mm at its deepest. But I opted to go nuts here and show some possible other alterations...
While the basic sonic architecture stayed the same, a lot of things got altered, especially to support generative work.
Top row: Starts now with a CaviSynth Bufflide...3-out buffered mult with an additional slew limiter for portamento. You really only need this for the first "voice" here; the other two oscillators can be driven by single CV lines, although you could just as well use the buffered mult for all oscillators by splitting the CV needed for the two initial VCOs. Kept the Braids clone, added an Instruo Ts-L for maximum timbral manipulation, then fed these to a Bastl Waver, a waveshaping mixer. No VCF here; I opted for something more akin to a West Coast-ish approach to sound generation here for maximum "punch", especially on bass. VCA control is present on the Waver. The 4ms SWN now is followed by the Chopping Kinky, which lets you apply waveshaping to that poly-VCO, then this feeds the Moon Phase VCF. The Blackbox now feeds the Vult VCF. Then after that, there's your stereo mixer...a Bubblesound HexVCA's individual outs feed to a Happy Nerding PanMix, and this gives you VCA level over the signal as well as CV panning on all six channels. A 2 x 4 / 1 x 8 multiple closes the row out, as it seems like that might be handy here.
Bottom row: Mutant Brain, Disting, Pachinko, and the RCD modules. Then I swapped the Blue Lantern logic for Tesseract's VC Logics, which is a dual Boolean gate with CV over the gate function...this should be VERY useful for generative-based timing behavior changes. A Circuit Abbey TripFire then gives you a comparator to pick gates off of modulation signals, plus a pulse delay. Next is Stages, then the 4 hp switch, and at that point I went OFF on the modulation section. This got changed to a Maths, a Tiptop MISO for modulation manipulation, Happy Nerding's 3x VCA for your linear VCAs, a NANO Quart for two-stage envelopes and LFOs, then a Zadar + expander for the four-stage envelopes. The Clank Chaos is after this, more toward the end to make it convenient as a manual controller. Then the Erica DSP got swapped out for a Xaoc Timizoara for effects (much more powerful). Lastly, the very end has a 1 hp Konstant Labs PWRchekr...and given that this is in a Behringer cab, keeping tabs on your DC rails will probably be quite useful, indeed as the Behringer P/S in this is still something of an untested factor out in the field.
Changes: this now has EIGHT or thereabouts envelope gens, plus a Maths. Has a proper stereo mixer with VCAs for the inputs and CV panning. Module order has been clarified. 11-ish VCAs on board. Better logic capabilities. More potent FX processor. And there's a pile of incremental changes as well. The result is a definite power-up from the original, and even got rid of the Cre8 stuff as you'd noted in one post...which is fine, because tbh, I don't think much of their build quality. The only other major deletion was the Erica switch, but between functions on the Chaos and the retained 4-in switch, you shouldn't feel any real loss in control capabilities in generative work. The downside is that you apparently have many of the original modules already, and the overall cost did increase by $700 and change...but from my own experience with generative work, this should be a lot smoother to operate, has some sonic capability improvements, and has a cleaner signal flow, all of which you want for that sort of thing. It might not be as useful an exercise since quite a bit of this was determined in hardware already...but I think there's enough improvement here that you might want to consider some of the alterations.
The Tex-Mix system is definitely worthwhile, to be sure. I'll second that, plus add some points to this...
When you're choosing a final mixer for a modular system, it's definitely a plus to have a VCA per strip, as this can take some load off of other VCAs in the system to use in more "interesting" ways. While you can get away with manual panning, AUX send/return and the like, it's super-useful to have CV control over levels at the mixer itself. For one thing, you won't need to add VCAs before it, which should save a bit of space. Plus, if you find a suitable mixer that can do CV over the other functions, those then eliminate OTHER modules from the build, such as panners, AUX mixers/distros, and the like. However, keep in mind that when you add modulation destinations, you're ALSO adding a need for more modulation. But there's "workarounds" for that that won't have you adding loads of modulation modules...just depends on how creative you get with patching and module utilization.
But as for output modules...my fascination with them has to do with many years of gigging with dicey AC power systems plus external noise sources (RF especially). See, in North America (and a few other places, like Japan), we've got unbalanced power...one leg of a three-wire AC connection here is "hot", one's "ground", and the last is "neutral", intended as a return for the "hot" line which has the entire 120-ish volts on it. Plus, you often see older construction where clubs are with bogus grounds...looks like three wire, but the electrician violated the hell out of codes by tying the "neutral" and "ground" together...a BIG no-no! Or maybe the stage has its power coming off of two different breakers, so you plug the mixer into one and, inadvertantly, plug the synth into the other...resulting in the lovely hummmmmmmm of a ground loop. Now, much of the rest of the world uses BALANCED power...there's no "neutral", but you get two 120V "hots" referenced to ground for balanced 240V. This is the CORRECT way to deal with AC...but remember, 'Murrika invent 'lektricity, so we am rite!
BUT...if you put in an isolated output, what'll happen there is that the audio gets through the transformer, but the noise gets chucked out, especially if it's trying to crawl back up your audio out line (like in a ground loop or induced RF situations). It's not NECESSARY, mind you...but it does serve as a good "prophylaxis" against garbage getting into the signal, especially if a user plans to gig with their system (or, more likely, gets called to gig with it unexpectedly) and there's questions about the power at the venue. If one of these is in the build, one just proceeds as per normal; if not, you might spend quite a bit of time that you don't really have chasing noise, and being forced to use a kludge to get the gig done, such as using a ground lift (which isn't a good idea!) on some of the gear. The easier thing is to sacrifice 4 or 6 hp for an isolated output module...then you KNOW you're set before problems ever arise.
Same OTA filter topology as in the Korg Poly-61, two-input mixer, plus you get either LP or BP modes, all for a whopping $140. And yeah, this WILL have some character that normally you don't hear in smaller VCFs.
Another "multi-ute" that I like to see in builds has to be WMD/SSF's Tool Box, especially when there's sequencing involved. That thing gives you some VERY useful tools for that, including a comparator, diode-OR pulse summer, a two-in electronic switch and some waveshaping trickery. All in a mere 6 hp, with no controls to speak of...just a few POTENT utilities.
Also, a comparator or two could be useful for screwing around with timing. You can use them to extract gates from modulation signals...say you've got the comparator threshold at around +2V, and there's a slow LFO being fed to it. When the LFO's output exceeds that threshold, the comparator will fire off a gate, and the gate stays on as long as the incoming modulation signal stays above that. Combined with some Boolean logic, these are great (and simple!) ways to add some additional conditional logic behavior to the fray.
Effin' brilliant. In just 2 hp, you get a one and/or two octave suboscillator, four-quadrant modulator, a noise source, and thruput outs for your original oscillator signals. Magic 8-Ball says this could get popular for adding subbass with a minimum of space commitment!
I'm not saying this is a rack I'm going to build, I just thought it was interesting that the top five most popular modules happened to form a fairly coherent system.
-- Gaeel
I wouldn't call it that. Not for a minute. Why would you need eight clock/sequencer outs for a rig that has only one oscillator? How do you intend to do filtering without a filter? What basic function will you be putting the Disting to work on because it otherwise doesn't exist in this build? And do you really intend to manually control all of the audio dynamics with just the Stereo Out level control?
See, this thing might seem neat...but it's not a synthesizer. You're missing numerous capabilities that NEED to be there. And you're missing numerous utility modules and the like that would allow those five modules to REALLY do what they're capable of, to say nothing of missing things that should be in there in the first place, such as VCAs or at least one VCF. What this actually is is something which illustrates one of the bigger problems in modular at present, in my opinion: sexy module syndrome.
That's a term I cooked up to describe builds that contain lots of blinkenlichts und tvistenknobs...but which ONLY have those because the other things the builder in question omitted tend to be really sleepy-looking and don't do anything amazing. And this is something I consider to be a grave mistake, something along the lines of a carmaker leaving out all of the bolts and nuts because...hey, isn't this 500 horsepower V8 under the hood killer? Well...when the car falls apart with you in it and that V8 at full kick, that adjective will be very correct. Omitting necessary utilities and other "boring" modules is equally deadly...at least, to ones' creativity.
I see a lot of these "beauty case" (using Dieter's term there) builds. They invariably fall into two camps:
1) The builder manages to get an entire synth in there...but in the process, they've made it impossible to adjust one knob without bumping into two others, provided they can get their fingers into/out of the giant patchcord snarl now living on the control panel.
2) Builds like the thing above, where you get less than half a synthesizer for your half a case.
In short, this is no way to proceed, especially NOT for a starting synthesist. Please don't encourage this trend.
Hah...so it is. Although...you'd think that Expert Sleepers would toss a copy in with modules that use it. Would definitely be a plus for them, as having the total package on hand would likely get more users interested in this sort of control method.
Could this be also made from other material other than aluminium?
-- zuggamasta
I dunno...I like the metal enclosure. One nice thing about them is that they provide some shielding to keep other sorts of electronic crud from getting into the modular from the backside (where there's plenty of unshielded wires, interference-susceptible bits, etc). Just add a ground wire to the cab(s) and run that to your studio's main star-grounding point.
Hmmm...reminds me of the sort of thing Teenage Engineering did with their semi-modular cabs, although in THIS case you wind up with something useful. I do wish it had more depth, though...50 mm is good, something more like 60 mm would be better so that it'll fit a few depth "outliers".
If the objective is to get the audio back into the DAW with the least hassle, yes, go with the ES-9. It'll also open up some possibilities for controlling the modular via the DAW IF you can get Reaper to speak proper CV/gate/trig/clock outputs. I would presume that the ES-9 comes with a copy of Silent Way, though, so the big question isn't so much whether the ES-9 will work, but whether Reaper and Silent Way can play nice with each other.
My take on the dual ADSR issue would be to check into Doepfer's basic but space-economic Dual ADSR...fits into 8 hp, and you lose the looping switches, but you don't usually loop ADSRs anyway. I'm also not jazzed by using a Rosie as the final mixer...it's more akin to a DJ mixer's output stage, and while that might work in some cases, this probably isn't going to be one of them. Lastly, don't fall into the "drums in a small build" trap here...these sorts of cabs do NOT have the space for a complement of drum modules AND the rest of the stuff. Use a proper drum machine instead, and lock it up to the DAW's MIDI clock.
Definitely need a VCF, though...but that sort of depends on what you're trying to do musically. Some are fine for all purposes, but others are more specific to certain styles. Also, make sure to keep the layout in some sort of order that makes signal routing sense, such as keeping the audio modules together and in a flow that tends to go VCO-VCF-VCA for ease of use.
Well, if the build is supposed to be in a 3 x 84 A-100 cab, then...
Following on from some of Jim's suggestions (notably the voice division), here we've got THIS:
Top row: This is "voicing". An A-119 provides an external audio input with envelope following. Then a buffered mult (six VCOs, so...yeah, it's needed) followed by a Ladik Gated Slew Limiter for portamento. Voice 1 (or more) consists of a Doepfer Quad VCO feeding a Veils clone, with a Doepfer Mini Stereo Mixer after that to spatialize the VCOs before they hit the Ikarie, a stereo VCF from Bastl. Voice two(ish) is built from a pair of Noise Reap VCOs in the Paradox, then these feed to an Intellijel Bifold before hitting either a WMD Overseer stereo VCF or a pair of LPGs in the Make Noise LxD. Or you can use both, making the LxD function as just a dual opto VCA.
Middle row: Modulation sources. A Doepfer S&H/Noise module starts at left, then a dual Tides clone from Tesseract handles the slow modulation. Maths is next, then the MISO allows you to screw with mixing/inverting/scrambling the modulation signals over the whole row. A 3xVCA then provides amplitude control over the modulation when needed. Two EGs after this...one is Intellijel's Quadrax (with the Qx), and the other is a dual ADSR from Doepfer.
Bottom row: Timing/sequencing/output. A Konstant Labs PWRchekr lets you keep tabs on your DC rails. I then went with a Temps Utile for the master clock and subsequencing. After this are a number of modules for screwing with timing: Doepfer Clock Divider, Ladik Dual Probabilistic Skipper, Ladik Dual Pulse Delay, Doepfer Boolean Logic, and a WMD Tool Box. Following that is an Erica Pico SEQ2, a four-step CV sequencer that can be used in numerous ways along side the 8-step Qu-bit Octone, which also has internal quantizing. The Shakmat Sum/Dif then allows you to add/subtract CV levels...also quite useful with the SEQ2. Following that, we get into a couple of effects processors: a Tiptop ECHOZ stereo delay, and Happy Nerding's multiFX FX Aid XL. Four more VCAs in another Veils clone provides audio level control to the Listen Four Quarters's inputs. That mixer has two stereo ins, two pannable mono ins, and balanced 1/4" outs in addition to a headphone preamp.
This build is more about providing many potential routings than a simple "it does this", however. It's just as suitable for outright experimentation as it is for "mission-specific" patches; in fact, with the amount of modulation/clocking potential here, you could even steer this into generative territory with very little in the way of underimplementation issues. But considering that this has as many as THREE potential CV/gate sequencers (one's hiding in the Temps Utile), six VCOs, stereo OR mono routings...well, you'll have some real trouble trying to exhaust this sucker's capabilities. Note, also, that the VCFs both feature cutoff controls that have ample room for live tweaking even with the general density of the overall build. Should keep you busy for a hot minute...
Interesting...it's worth noting that Serge offered (and still sort of does) several sequencers of various lengths...including some odd-numbered lengths like 7 or 5. Most of the time, these come in handy for making sequenced transpositions, with the sequencer being clocked by a divided clock signal to slow the "odd" sequencer down for that purpose. However, they can also provide things such as envelope timing variations to change articulations, sequence-specific modulation, and so forth.
Not when pairing stuff with Maths. That module is a modulation Swiss Army Knife...does everything, works anywhere with anything. It's truly one of the most important and useful modules to have come along in ANY format.
Yeah, it's a glitch. Some browsers don't exactly "speak" what MG gives them to work with, so you get glitches like that. It seems like Firefox (Mozilla) based browsers have this the worst...but as Jim notes, just refresh the page, and everything should snap back to where it belongs.
Normal, actually. When you turn the "Inject" control up, you're adding a DC offset to whatever signal is there. And if there's no signal present, the wavefolder is trying to make something out of the DC offset...which is what you're hearing. The key to avoiding this is to keep the "Inject" down for most uses, unless you're trying to shift the waveform above or below the zero-crossing line. In those cases, that would be when you'll use the DC offset to "push" the waveform to where it needs to go.
Also, some fairly aggressive wavefolders can create waveform deformation to such a degree that it would SEEM as if there's noise present in the signal, but the issue really stems from some sort of very tight and very high-amplitude "scrunch" that's going on in part of the waveform. Ultimately, the "fix" is to simply note where the "don't" position is on the "Inject", then don't put the knob there...unless you WANT the noise, in which case...
I'm pretty sure that if you put the M32 back in the case it belongs in, you'll start to get a much better picture of how the cab is supposed to be set up. For one thing, you'll be able to jam a lot of the skiff modules into the Mantis, and you can easily cook up a gig bag that can accommodate both the M32 and Mantis. It'll also make what can be done with the Eloquencer a lot more obvious by having more modules for it to act on in close proximity.
Also, don't stick the Neutron in the Eurorack cab. This is a VERY common build error, with the end result being that you're using your expensive Eurorack hp and power for a device that already has a cab and power. Keep the Eurorack cab for Eurorack modules only.
Otherwise, yes...if it's Eurorack-format, it'll go in any Eurorack-format case. Like Jim said, though, be VERY careful about your current draws, and try and keep these to at least 3/4ths of the total amperage capacity of the case's P/S. DON'T run the current values up to the case's limit, as many modules have an inrush current for a fraction of a second on power-up that exceeds the rated current draw for that module. I'd suggest a value even lower, perhaps 2/3rds of the cab's capacity at max...also, this helps your P/S live longer, as a "loafing" P/S tends to generate less component heat, and that heat is the enemy of ALL electronic components over time.
At least it's just a problem in the Eurorack cab itself. This reminds me of a much more confusing "noise" issue I ran into in the studio back in the mid-80s...
I was setting up some mics on a piano. I'd put up a stereo pair of AKG 414s overhead for the overall sound, a couple of AKG 451s aimed inside the piano, and I put a Shure SM81 underneath to capture more of the cabinet resonance. Walked back into the control room, ran up the channels to check for room tone issues...and waaaaaay down low, I could hear a...piano?
OK, there wasn't anyone playing it at this point. Piano's still there, though...so I pushed the input pre and fader to the max to see what in the hell this could be. And I heard the same four chords being repeated...and a voice saying "Radio Canada International" in English and French. And I knew EXACTLY what that was. It was only on that Shure, though...
I went back out, swapped the SM81 for a different pencil condenser, went back into the control room...no piano noise.
So what WAS that, anyway? Well...somehow, the SM81 was picking up a shortwave broadcast transmitted from Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada on Radio Canada. Now, if I lived right down the road from this, it might make sense. But this was out in the Nashville burbs, over 1000 miles distant. Suffice to say, I tagged the mic for the studio tech to deal with, and since then I've got a rule that I DO NOT use Shure condenser mics, period.
Moral of the story: noise chasing isn't the easiest thing, and often the solution is far from intuitive. Had I NOT had a long background of working with amateur radio, shortwave listening, and such, I probably wouldn't have figured out what was happening, as you'd never expect an RFI issue like that.
Yep...you're on track. Now, it's just a matter of experimentation...
The process actually reminds me of how I first learned piano, over 55 years back. You'd start with "middle C", get used to where it is, how the piano action affects how your playing sounds...then you'd move on to adding a "D", a "B", etc. Eventually, the primary book would end, but you had the location of the notes on the keyboard relative to the dots-n-lines of the music DOWN by the time you got there. Learning modular is kinda the same...start basic, add stuff, take notes about what does what, what you like, what you don't, etc. Even in my undergrad, my electronic music (and composition) prof taught us that the only thing you don't do is to connect outputs to outputs and inputs to inputs...otherwise, it's solvitur ambulando turf.
