This simple "couch case" is a 5-drum, 2 voice set up for generative song writing.
The drums provide enough variety to do classic X0X style drum machines to more staccato blips and clicks. Use the PPW to control them, with a few extra modulation sources between the EG's and LFO to add some motion to the drum lines.
The first voice is from the Erica Synths EDU line which I've been building over the last 12-14 months. This one is a nice hybrid additive/subtractive voice which can easily act as a 6th drum BUT I find the attack on the EDU EG's to just be a little too slow to really be percussive. Might try to modify the circuit on one. It seems to really be at home as accent notes but can work as a nice bass. Love the filter.
The second voice is the Moog Mavis. It's maybe not the best use of space, but it's a fully contained voice with some useful utilities that can be had at a really good price. The Mavis also is a hybrid voice and feels just slightly better at bass. What I like is having a "keyboard" so that I can play melodies or have some level of control while the rack is generating other lines from the PPW and Melodi. The MIDI-CV is very handy for doing more DAW-based writing and can allow me to connect between other CV devices like my P10 and Grandmother.
I wanted a unit that I could really play that fits on a lap when on the couch, but is equally at home in the studio.

A few other notes:
1. The output module on the EDU line has a really weak line output. Could have been my fault in building it, but I find it just can't be used to drive a preamp without a lot of noise. I just use the headphone out to send to preamps to record (or just jam on the couch with headphones). This is one I'd love to replace with a panning mixer. Currently looking for an 8hp solution
2. I originally had the EDU sequencer in here but I just needed more steps, plus is refused to actually accept any clock or reset, I think it wants something with a much higher output level that I couldn't provide with my devices.
3. The Erica MIDI-to-Trigger doesn't fit in the Mantis, so I had to remove it.
4. I tried to load up an East Beast, but it too does not fit in the Mantis.
5. The PPW is absolutely stellar. I get all the hype. It literally is the brain of this rig.


I find the EDU kick drum to be pretty solid, especially for the price of the kit. The build itself is fairly straightforward and learning about the circuit really reveals how clever these early synth designers were in exploiting the properties of certain components and circuits.

Pros: the sound delivers a full round bass, with the design focused on two distinct tones, a sub-bass pulse with a downward-modulated secondary overtone, each with their own decay to help give variety and a semblance of realism to the timbre. The tone knob can dial in or out the initial "click" of the kick along with a pretty good distortion that doesn't really get too gnarly. The accent and pitch tuning CV can really help to add motion if used smartly and judiciously.

Cons: I have noticed that if the duty cycle isn't complete before the next trigger event, you can "re-initialize" the tone, which can cause unwanted modulation of the kick tone. I'm guessing this is just inherent to the design, and the work-around is just dialing in a decay length that suits the timing of the kick.

Overall, I'd give it a solid 4.5/5 when you account for features and control, ease of assembly, and price of the kit.


Looking for suggestions about this rig. On the left, control source interfaces, as I use external controllers or a DAW to compose. 5-drum section for rhythm parts, a voice in the top of the rack and a second voice in the Mavis.

I am likely to remove the BBD and Sequencer modules, freeing up some space. I'd like to have possibly add one more drum voice and something that can add some random spice.