All Posts

Unless you plan on buying/constructing a powered case you definitely need a power supply module. Thats all I got.

I think a Beatstep Pro would be a good addition for sequencing everything and melodies, you probably already know the O-Coast has midi and cool midi functionalities.

Akemie's Castle is in my opinion is the king of FM. I like the whats going on but not sure how your using the DSP.

Rows 1 & 2 are my current system, and rows 3 & 4 are going to be a mix of Intellijel 1U (row 3) and Erthenvar/Pulp Logic (row 4)

-- DJMaytag

Hey just a heads up, not sure if you know this or not, but the Intellijel 1U modules only fit in Intellijel racks (they're slightly smaller then everyone else's 1U modules).

I totally agree on using the best tools for the job and that I am also limiting myself but I feel I should explain more in-depth of what this rack is. This rack was designed with three goals in mind: portability, playability and minimal computer interaction. The main idea behind this rack is using audio as the oscillator and everything else is used to modulate, transform, time stretch. sequence and organize that audio in real time. A live hip hop modular dj system so to speak. I could just use a computer, MPC, drum machine, turntable but what I really like about modular is the unpredictability and being able to modulate everything, even the clock.

I've added the Intellijel Uscale to controle the VCO and a multiplier for good measure. The delay isn't strictly necessary because of the mixer's onboard effects, so that would give me another 4HP for something I might have overlooked.

I don't need MIDI because I want to move away from laptops/software. The idea is to separate every audiostream from eachother as much as possible and patch those into an analogue 16-channel mixer and have a palet of sound available to me to mix into something coherent.

Mixing, attenuation and effects would all be done on the mixer, which means that I need to keep the signal flow as tight as possible: the smallest package that will give me the most flexibility.

It's but a concept though. Can you think of any reason this is a silly idea?

longtime lurker, now i want to get real ;)

since i have room for it i'll start with an 9U 126HP Synthrack Case to not have to think about space for a long time and dont get that "i want to fill that hole" itch, i just want to focus on exploring the modules and make music.

i'm researching since a few weeks where i should start, here is my draft of Stage 1:

my main workflow atm is around cubase and i like to sequence my standalone boxes (minitaur, dx200, xoxbox) with midi out of an NI maschine vst which runs in cubase, so i have a nice controller on my desk which i can play live ;)

with yarns, the modular should connect to my momentary workflow.

since i can do a lot of the standard substractive sounds good enough with serum on my computer, i want to focus on more experimental stuff and things i cant do with cubase+vst synths.

to the main questions:
- is this a good starter rig?
- have i thought of everything? (enough attenuators, vca's, something else?)

to forecast some direction:
if i have explored the rubicon/dixie combo well enough and have spent my time discovering what i can do with the rampage i think about exploring rene, rings and sisters in Stage 2 as well as adding a nice random source and a quantizer:

somewhere down the line i really want a morphagene but i dont want to have it sitting alone and doing nothing, it needs friends to play with first =)

PS: if you click on my name you can see a totally crazy "stage3" that i wont be able to afford in forever and will change for sure before i will get to it. just if you are curious in which direction my personal interests have taken the researching-trip so far. maybe you have nice ideas and inspirations for me to research? you know crazy modules that i maybe havent thought about? please tell me ;D

EDITED Aug 9th 2017, 16:49

what about your opinion on the mutant bd9 vs the modbase? i only know its sound from the xbase09, is it compareable? i am new to eurorack ;)

u sure you dont need a morphagene in there somewhere? xD

EDITED Aug 1st 2017, 04:51

who needs envelope generators anyways

noob here, can one buy those black/golden versions of the makenoise modules in the normal stores or do i have to be in some special vip lodge that wears funny hats to get one of those?

i am such in love with makenoise stuff my first ever rack will be mostly modules from them ;P

EDITED Aug 1st 2017, 04:38

where would that control voltage to drive the pitch of that vco come from?
u sure you have enough cv to drive modulations? (+ attenuators to be able to dial it in?)
you sure you never want to sequence your drums with midi?

if i would build a drumrack i would do it something like this:

EDITED Aug 1st 2017, 03:57

I intend to mix this through a mixer. Each 'voice' goes into its own channel. I'm still pondering whether to get a dedicated line-out but as it seems running a cable (3.5mm to 1/4 jack) from each module to the mixer should work fine.

What do you think?

What about mixing it all?

hi everyone,

can I please get your valued opinion on this configuration; it's basically a change and extension (3rd row) to my present B&G system, just wondering what opinions are and am happy to hear your suggestions.

Cheers!

The idea is to get as much punch and groove out of a small box. Obviously kick/snare/clap and hats, but also looking to get sub and bass out of it with Trigger Riot as its beating heart.

As suggested, added the Uscale and a multiplier

Suggestions and critique please.

Thanks!

EDITED Aug 1st 2017, 15:10

This has to be some kind of guitar players joke. I have unlisted them.

You can find this rack as 'Noisy Thing Inverted' under user name 'SunPulse'
After a great deal of watching YouTube videos and reading reviews I decided on the Pittsburgh Modular SV-1 as a really good starting point for a Eurorack Modular. It has really good reviews and is quite cost effective for what you are getting. But I wanted to expand a bit on the SV-1 to get it more in line with what I would like. But I also had to be very cost-conscious in selecting what I was going to buy. I live in Canada and the Canadian dollar is low, about 78 cents per dollar $US. Ouch!
Compounding my selection choices is I live in Alberta, and the only Canadian stores where you can really walk in and check stuff out are in Vancouver, Toronto & Montreal. So all my decisions had to be made by surfing on-line. Awkward, but do-able.
What I didn't want were modern modules that were stuck in 1972. (Ahem: Roland) I wanted to explore sounds with designers that were more creative than that, but I still had to watch the budget.
In the end, I decided to go with Intellijel and WMD/SSF as they are doing creative work, are affordable, and the quality appears to be there. As a bonus, Intellijel is Canadian and I could buy direct from them. (BTW: Danjel van Tijn is very awesome in responding to questions and inquiries, he really came through for me with a problem I had. I will definitely buy from Intellijel again.)
The case is the Intellijel 4u X 84HP powered case. Intellijel puts a 1u space in full-width, and they make 1u modules. Great place to put some utility modules that would otherwise take up the 3u rack space. Into the 1u space I put (2) buffered multiples, and (2) Quadratt modules. The Quadratt modules are very versatile, you can use them as a 4-channel mixer, attenuators, attenuverters, and as DC voltage sources. Very useful for mixing CV voltages and sounds for the Pittsburgh SV-1. Also very useful when for the sends and receives to guitar pedals you want to incorporate into the modular.
I wanted one extra VCO, and this was a tough choice. In the end I picked the WMD/SSF Spectrum VCO, the Intellijel Dixie II+ was a very-very close second to the Spectrum. I do have a small scaling difference as I go up the keyboard between the Spectrum & the Pittsburgh SV-1 though. I don't know which one is the issue. I'm going to set up a clean sine-wave patch on my Roland XP-80, and use that as a guide for adjusting the VCO scalings. It could be that they are both off, I don't know yet.
I also wanted a 4-Pole VCF to compliment the State-Variable Filter that is in the SV-1. My choice here was the WMD/SSF Pole Zero. As a bonus it has a built in VCA and a saturation control. Sweet! Sounds nice too.
So the Pittsburgh SV-1 only has one Envelope Generator. It is an ADSR with a nice snap to it, so that's good. But only one ADSR was the first thing I wanted to fix. The Intellijel Dual ADSR is what I picked. You get 2 ADSRs with versatility. They have inverted outputs, are cyclable, and the ADR times are selectable up to a 60-second range (selection switch gives you 3 ranges, very nice when you are dealing with short sliders).
To add versatility to the VCOs, I picked the Intellijel uFold II waveshaper. I am really impressed with this module. If you watch reviews they usually only demonstrate it modifying a sine-wave. But it does awesome variations on all the waveforms I fed into it except for noise. And it is very musical at the same time, I would not want to lose this module.
That just left a keyboard choice, which is the Arturia KeyStep. I hadn't even considered this until I went into Long & McQuade looking for a 37-note keyboard and they showed me the KeyStep. Very nice with a built in 64-step sequencer and arpeggiator. The size matches up nicely with the 84HP case as well.
Overall I am very pleased with how this turned out, especially as how I had to make all my choices by surfing. Now if I would only stop looking at more stuff.

So... What's with the altoid tins?

noob here myself with zero hands on experience but also currently planning my first rig, some thoughts:
what you can do with that pro output could very well be handled by the pc you connect that es-8 to, also some of the yarns features can be done with the es-8.
maybe add some sequencial switch like the A-151 for more evolving patches in the freed space? just an idea ;)

modules i found worth researching in general:
- batumi (also look at expert firmware features) because who does not like lfo's?
- disting mk4 (nice multipurpose for a small system)
- pitch quantizers like the ADDAC207 to get usable musical pitch-cv out of any modulation source (out of that maths for instance, or utilizing lfos as arps is also nice ;D)
- maybe some little gate-logic like the Pico Logic from ES for even more complex gates, looks like it could be best friends with to your tempi.

something deeply personal/individual:
- i just fell in love with the sound of the SSF Ultrafold and if i am not wrong i dont see any wavefolding capabilities in your rig? maybe listen to sound demos if you like dirrrrrty you may also fall in love haha ;o)

edit:
just some thought that i want to add: things like the disting mk4 and the batumi expert firmware are maybe a little less useful in real life than in theory if you are no super genious in remembering weird settings that are not written on the frontplate. they kinda go against the one-knob one-feature that modules usually tend to go.

EDITED Jul 28th 2017, 21:16

After years of learning and research I'm nearly ready to take the plunge.

I have a 2 row Erica Synths powered case ready to go and have landed on this layout.

I really like the Make Noise stuff and its influences drawn from Western styles but am also into combining them with Eastern classic styles for learning as well.

I have powerful Midi support for my NI Komplete Kontrol S25, CV & Audio routing over Optical to my Motu 828x and balanced stereo outs to my mixer and recording system.

Any thoughts on my combination of VCAs, Mults & Envelopes? While 168hp is not the most amount of space I feel that I have enough for basic patches as well has experimentation with more complex waveforms and modulation.

I'd love to hear some thoughts!

p.s. I'm very interested in the Mordax Data for educational purposes. The idea of visualizing modulation sources and seeing the relationship between signals and how they affect each other is paramount.

EDITED Jul 28th 2017, 18:44

Hello everyone,
I'm in the starting process of designing a Eurorack clap/noise module inspired by the Simmons Analog ClapTrap (Which I am the original owner of one of these gems)
The Analog ClapTrap is a high impact, very flexible hand clap synthesizer with two sound generators, one for the "Clap" or impact sound and a white noise generator. Independent pitch of each and decay.

I'm interested in hearing what people want in a Clap Module, keeping in mind features=Cost increases but My goal is create a very expressive and useful module.

Please send me your must have list and we will do our best to facilitate your requests and keep you up to date on development.

Reek Havok
Sounds Amazing
Havok Audio

Just received 3 tiles from @22tape. Quick and super reliable transaction!

Thank you racooniac, I appreciate your feedback. I'll have to look more into the functionality of MPC's.

addition: i dont make hiphop but i also have a similar setup where i have an NI maschine as an VST inside cubase and i sequence 3 external synths with it while also using it as a groovebox and export its audio as a 7-track multitrack. (group 8 is already in use as my sqeuencing group for all external gear)

for me: combining the worlds is where the magic emerges. limiting yourself can also very inspiring but i am a "i want the best tool for the job" guy so i very much love combining a lot of worlds and dimensions to a nice new monster ;)

EDITED Jul 26th 2017, 11:16

my thoughts on emulating things complicated on an modular that would be easy if not emulated: dont emulate and just use the tools that are the best for their respective task. (just my 2 cents)

so expanding the possibilities of an mpc based workflow around an mpc + turntable with modules that do things that an mpc + turntable cant is an better idea, just use the tools for what they are made. bashing with a ruler on a nail works not as good as using a hammer.

the big strong side of modular synths are CV modulation. if you cant think of a single case where having CV modulation available between all modules is a REAL benefit, you probably wont need cv modulation and thus, no modular ;D

if i were you i would go with an dedicated mpc style sampler box you can have on the table and jam around with it (=workflow!!!) AAAAND if you really really really want it make just an modulations/efx rack where you can mangle up the grooves you made with your mpc. i would use two tools for its each designed purpose. using the mpc just as an soundsource for the modular so it can focus on providing modulations where you have all your efx controlled with all those lfo's and other cv sources, you would have the best of both worlds.

things like expert sleepers make nice little modules so you can sync up your mpc with your modular so everything stays in the same bpm and even make it possible to control your modular with your mpc with midi out AND BACK. (sequencing that nice drum module out of your mpc? no problem. using an modular lfo inside your mpc? no problem.)

EDITED Jul 26th 2017, 11:10

Hey Modulargriders, I've been conceptulizing a hip hop (or trip hop) oriented beat making machine. It's designed to emulate an MPC, drum machine and scratchable turntable with added effects. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Questions?
Listed below are additional modules, mounted in an additional case, which I believe will complete the system:
PulpLogic 1U 2180
Syinsi CV Touch
Syinsi MIDI Clock
PulpLogic 1U B-Mult
MengQiMusic Please Exist Tile (Girl)
Tiptop Audio Circadian Rhythms
Make Noise Rosie

EDITED Jul 26th 2017, 07:16

Edit: this issue might find resolution after all. Removing my comment until then.

EDITED Jul 26th 2017, 17:00

Malekko Sync (I/O/Thru)

How do you use the Sans Amp?

i'm a bloody noob myself but maybe someting like an erica synth pico dsp or expert sleepers disting mk4?
those little ones that can do much are for sure nice in a small rack i can imagine.

Please wish can of module can you advice ?
Thank you

please wich kind of module can you advice ??

Thank you

WOW that is a wild creation of monotron glory! Would love to hear it and play with that thing!

Soulsby AT-ARP (In)

EDITED Jul 23rd 2017, 19:11

http://soundcloud.com/catkin2013/le-grand-voyage

http://www.facebook.com/nordlysmusic

http://vimeo.com/226632777

Made with BASTL Case, Benjolin, Twin Waves, PICO DSP, PICO Drum, Radio Music, 2HP Freez, FX6

EDITED Jul 26th 2017, 04:39

Made with: MADE WITH RAINMAKER - GMØ - PICO VOICE - OPTOMIX - FUNCTION - MATHS - WOGGLEBUG - R1GSLEW - LADIK REVERB - TIMO CEM VCO - PENTA - PRIZMA - DLFO - O_C - COMPARE2 - MIX3 - 2HP BRST

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nordlysmuisc

This looks like a HUGE amount of work! PROPS!

It looks ok here. Try to clear your browser cache.
The problem I see: that is no Eurorack device.
It has no CV and I doubt you can mount it in a case with the connections on top.

Edit: I see, there is an interface module for CV ...

EDITED Jul 22nd 2017, 11:06

I've been changing things around. Should make sense. Only thing is I have the Dalek Attack after the Holy Stain because I like to occasionally run reverb into fuzz for a crazy shoe-gazer sound.

the picture doesn't seem to wanna upload properly. I read your instructions and cropped the photo at least 7 or 8 times trying to get it to load right. It just doesn't seem to be working, is there something that I'm doing wrong? (instrument: Polyend SEQ Midi 104hp)

EDITED Jul 21st 2017, 22:07

Hi, sorry if it bother you guys.
I want to know how much you guys could be interested in this module.
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/other-unknown-waveshape-analyzer
Currently it's just for my personal fun but I'd like to share this if I can get more people who want this device!

PT2399 is not bucket-brigade, it has an ADC, 44Kbit of standard digital memory, and a DAC

I know i want to get into modular and just bought a few random things as below. I want to get some self generated but adjustable melody going a basic drum beat. I then want to be able to play around wit hAudio clips through the system. I've ordered a Radio Music from Music Thing Modular but what else is the current favourite / should i get for beats, melody and sound manipulation?

Just ignore if fed up with newbies as there seem to be a huge and growing number!

Here i what i've bought on a whim so far....

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_477894.jpg

Thanks

Phil

thank you

live.rec —|_
0+1 take \ 0+2 tracks \ 0+0 overdubs

I think this setup would not be that useles as it looked at first sight. The triggerman cannwork as a clock divider. Rene and pressure points would be perfect for playing the 0-coast. The Adar and random modules are also useful.

Hello everyone!

Do you think this modular system is balanced? My budget is up to 3.000€; so I tried to build a versatile system that enables me to explore the sound without constraints (at least for the next two years; I hope). Still I do not know if something important is missing ( a switch Power Supply?). I have a dual VCO, FM Playground, texture synthesis (very useful I think) and FX processor. I also think that I have enough CV controls, and along with ES-40 SPDIF Interface and ESX-8CV mk2 I can apply my own CV controls (Reaktor or Max/Msp). I think I can also use in conjunction with Clouds, external sound sources (samples, Noise,Microphone.....) from my audio driver outputs (or I need some kind of converter? Sounds a stupid question......). Anyway at least I know that I need Adapter Cable 6.3/3.5 mm.

So that's it! Thank you in advance.
Ps: I'm new in this modular world, so don't judge ;)

EDITED Jul 19th 2017, 19:31

My understanding is that triangle core, say from an Intellijel Rubicon, produces a more accurate text-book sine wave than a sawcore. And that fits right in with the whole 'west-coast'/Buchla aesthetic of starting pure & simple, and adding complexity with a wave-folder. East-coast/Moog style subtractive synthesis prefers a beefy saw wave, chock-full of harmonics, from which you creatively subtract with a filter, getting all kinds of opportunities to sample various filter flavors - so a saw-core oscillator, like a Tiptop z3000, serves that up nicely.

EDITED Jul 19th 2017, 02:25