are you intending on using the peaks clone for modulation?
what are your intentions for o&c
I wanted the Peaks for envelopes and LFO mostly (and some other cool tricks with new firmware). The O&C mostly for some flexible CV modulation, something that can do loops and (semi-) random stuff. But maybe Marbles would be better for that (and no menu-diving there), so I haven't decided that yet. There's some Marbles clones like Pachinko that I like.
the pico trio:
You know, the more often you mention your dislike for small modules the more I get it :D I noticed that a lot of modern modules are very dense, many knobs and stuff in as few HP as possible. Tiptop and Mutable went a different route for example with some of their modules and they seem so much more accessible. And I have big hands too, so maybe I should stay away from Pico stuff.
I think the layout of my Neutron strikes a good balance, it has lots of knobs but they're usable and there's actual space around them.
if you go for the mantis & you should then you can get a bigger lpg... an optomix for example... which have more controls and better ergonomics (see below) and seem to be available again... and I'd also look to add a second vco (possibly another ona) and a better submixer(s) with controls for - possibly something modeled after the moog cp3 - adds a nice bit of grit when driven - AISynthesis Hamonic Mixer for example - I'm considering adding another 1 or 2 analog oscillators and will want to add 2 or 3 of these Harmonix mixers when I do...
The Mantis was a great recommendation, will probably go with that. The Harmonic Mixer also sounds interesting.
As for LPGs and stuff, what's your take on the Doepfner modules? They have a quad-VCA and a dual-LPG/VCA for example (A-101-2 and A-130-2, both have a nice layout too.)
-- JimHowell1970