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Thank you for all the tips! I could use a combination of a faster clock from Pams and a slower from EC in a switch and do the ratcheting that way. It also seems Maths can do clock divisions as well as the other hundreds of neat things. Replacing the 4ms modules from this rack with Maths then.
Speaking of switches, this seems like a nice a/b/c/d switch https://www.modulargrid.net/e/joranalogue-audio-design-switch-4
seems very playable

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 18:15

hands on is good justification for anything and I understand about pam's being kind of the opposite

you may be better off with a module full of a/b (or a/off/b) switches - I have a few with 6 (diy from pusherman but they do do built for these too) - for what you describe above

if you want to play with ratcheting send a multiplied trigger from pams to a vca and open and close it with a heavily divided gate from pams with a shortish high state - so it doesn't happen that often - obviously you can mess with this more inside pams - combine using the vca as a trigger combiner (it's dc-coupled and cascading, isn't it?) - you could also use the switched multiple for this... - for me that would probably be enough - apart from ducking hats for example: send the inverse of the gate signal to a vca using it to turn on/off the hats - either the triggers or the audio depending on what you want to send it (and maybe how many channels you use for your hats!)

google - "maths illustrated supplement" - 32 self-patching ideas - from bouncing ball to drone and back

extension cables are available

Thanks dude, yeah I know a lot of these are hard to find, as I said this is just a "dream" rack. I won't actually even have a case this big for several years. And just so onlookers don't think I'm superficial about this, I'll note that I do obviously understand the music comes first. In fact, I don't particularly like the Folktek color schemes at all, but they sound really amazing for what I'm trying to do.

The ERD module with the case of dirt is a mostly aesthetic, for example, but I'm really intrigued by the sound. After all, if visuals were purely unimportant, ZVex wouldn't have a handpainted customization option :P everything we're doing with modular is about aesthetics of sound, so why not take a few aspects of visual aesthetic into account while we do?

I had to get the Euclidian Circles so i can have a more "hands on" approach on the rhythms. I spent a month or two just with Pams and it provided me with rich and swung rhythms (also used the Rotate Row feature in combination with logic for each channel to get all sorts of crazy breaks), but i felt a lack of involvement after pressing Start. I really needed something to make me interact more and faster as the patch played.

The switches - That's where this came in too. I was hoping of live pattern switching, both sequentially by CV and manually. To develop more variations let's say.
QCD + Expander - instead of this maybe just a smaller ratchetting module + a gate delay for swing? Although, i'm planning on expanding to a bigger rack in the future so i thought i should probably get something that i can still incorporate as my system grows?

I haven't thought of how I could use Maths for rhythmic music, so I'll need to research that.

Shades should be a nice addition, will probably get it.

As for the power of course, the 3000mA boost, it's kind of quirky because the cable is too short but oh well.

redundancy is often a good thing in modular - but in a small case like this with big modules...

I think the qcd and expander is way too big for this size case - especially as pam's can do 80%, if not more of what they can do - same with the euclidean circles - Pams does euclidean too

and to some extent the same goes for compare2 - in this size case I would concentrate all my trigger/gate generation from Pam's, which has built in logic functions - not as exhaustive as compare2 - but for me that would be a next case module

I would focus more on modulation:
maybe something like maths - it's a fantastic learning tool - especially when combined with the maths illustrated supplement - available online

and utilities:
you can never have enough vcas - use them for everything - modulating modulation, note shaping and volume are only 3 basic uses - want a sidechain compressor - patch it up with a vca, want an auto-panner or a crossfader - vcas...

switches - are they going to do exactly what you want??? exactly as you want it - I have a feeling they won't - some AB switches probably would though - the switched multiple is a great module - especially when you abuse it as a gate/trigger combiner - not advised by many - see Steevio and MylarMelodies though as they both use this technique - as according to Mylar - Steevio once said to him - "I've been doing it for years and not broken anything yet!"

sub mixers - it's really useful to have a few modules scattered around that can create submixes - especially if one is featured like shades - where you also get attenuversion and a precision adder thrown in

if y0u can find kinks buy it - it is a great small and inexpensive utility module that has been discontinued recently

power - I hope you have the turbo boost wall wart and not the regular one - the modules in your rack draw too much power for the regular psu and you are at very nearly 1A on the +ve rail

you should leave at least 20-30% headroom to accommodate for inrush draw on top of what modulargrid says and I add 10mA per hp to each rail for every hp that is not filled to allow for expansion

yes it's 2hp smaller - and it keeps you mostly mutable.. for what that is worth

btw - if you can find one grab kinks - it's a really useful little module and it's recently been discontinued

Hah, I'm in the US, out in the Pacific Northwet. Too kind once again!

Thanks for the reply. Do you mean swapping Quad VCA for Veils?

Hi, I've posted previously in this subforum but once again I'm looking for opinions from experienced people. I currently have the bottom row of this rack set up and I've been having lots of fun feeding variable clock divisions into the EC and getting some funky broken beats out of it. Also feeding quantized random into the Squid channels that can handle pitch. Outside of the rack there are a Neutron and Keystep which I occasionally use. Pretty happy with the Mimeophon too.
What I'm looking for now is adding ratchet and swing on separate outputs from EC so the QCD +expander seems like a nice option, if it's an overkill I'd like to hear about other recommendations. MD looks fun and compact and I'm thinking of using it with the uO+C in part as a melodic sequencer (I'm not trying to dial in anything pre-planned, i enjoy unexpected results as i play) and in part as a CV modulation sequencer. The switches to switch between different sequences from MD, Keystep, PNW or whatever else generates a sequence of gates or pitch. Compare 2 because I've watched the tutorials and I liked the complex gate patterns it can spurt out. Finally there's Plaits as an additional voice and FX Aid XL to add some other effect besides the Mimeophon (I'd like to use shorter delay on some sounds and longer on others for example).
This is some plan in my head at least, I'd like to hear about any inconsistencies or redundancies and also what module to fit in the 8hp space left.

Hi

I just realized that the length was on. Apparently it does not light up when the length button is pressed.

Is that normal?

thanks

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 13:24

Should be light up. Maybe it's just the led? Verify the voltage range with an oscillator (or pitch input). You should be able to switch between 0-2v, 0-5v or -5v-5v for the X outputs. Write to support@mutable-instruments.net for repairs.

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 12:49

Hi,

I just received an MI Marbles but the voltage range button is not lighting up. I think it might be broken.

Is there any other possible other reason why it's not responding (and lighting up).

thanks,
regards

Hello here, first post here some beautiful discovering on this forum.

Finally I got a Morphagene and... I think I love it already !
On this patch, I wanted to give more life to an OP-Z track. I recorded a small snippet of the OP-Z into Morphagene then some ( not dead ) Clouds + modulation and it's magic ( for me at least )
First minute is just Mr Morphagene !

Hi Nokulture,

Oh this is a beautiful and playful jam. Must have been a lot of fun when you were busy with it :-) So many nice interesting sounds you are using here and I am impressed by the recording quality other than perhaps a bit too much on the left channel, it sounds really crystal clear, nice! How did you manage to get that crystal clearness in your recording?

I can't wait to hear more done from your hands and kind regards, Garfield.
-- GarfieldModular

Thanks!
Curious you notice the clear recording, because in this one I was so lazy to make my usual workflow, where I record each individual track, then mixing and mastering in ableton.
In this case I've just record the mixed stereo track from modular on ableton, and after that I've used Ozone. So nothing special.

On other hand, I try always to keep in mind the statement "Keep it simple", even when I don't achieve at all. And I try find the way to that thinking in real live music group too. In instance, for this jam, I was thinking in a jazz trio music group: drums, bass and piano. Just thinking to keep in mind the sound structure, not to make an approach of jazz composition music (only in my dreams :) ) .
Thinking in this way allows me to get a result where everyone know that works fine in a musical/sound context, because mostly "instruments" keep in their range spectrum of frequencies. So you are sure you don't get the wrong surprises after all, because you go to the nature of each instrument. I've used the filters to control a little bit this, on drums, and on bassline in this jam.

Well, maybe it's a wrong approach, or maybe not, I don't know, just walking on this way to see where I go.

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 11:47

more switches! they are so useful for automating transitions between different sections of a composition, or making live adjustments. Since you already have Boss Bow Two for sequential switching, Would consider some simpler bi-directional 1->2 (or 2 -> 1) switches. I just picked up the Instruo Tain and really love it. WMD S3lekt and Acid Rain Switchblade are also popular (although the switchblade isnt bi-directional).
-- stumblefoot

Thanks for this suggestion! I'm going to watch a few videos on the ones you mentioned and the Nonlinearcircuits Chopper.

My understanding is that the circuits are identical, only the aesthetics are different.

First, in reference to your other post, I think you will discover why so many people stick with the bigger/more popular names in the modular community... because they are available. Many of the modules you have chosen here are discontinued (Cjwemann, ZVex, Error Instruments, Folktek) and will be very hard to source. Even if you find them on the used market, you will likely pay a $$$ premium versus something that is readily available and will perform a similar task. Sure, the cheaper or more plentiful modules in production may not have the same niche or "cool" factor, but the point is the music, not the name on the faceplate.
I'll take a look at your arrangement and look for missing utilities etc. later today. Some of the other folks here will probably have some common beginner guidance on that.
Have fun and good luck!

I use a ravpower to power 2 4MS Pod 64X.

Picture

Nice. :)
Well, to save anyone from further confusion I unlisted it now, but it is still available for you of course.

Best,

KNYST

Ah, didn't realize I'd made it Public. Haha. This is a custom panel I made for two boards from frequency central. Their 100M and 700M filters under one panel.

A one off build.

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 08:42

This looks like a Malekko/Roland panel to me. What's the story?

Hi,

I was wondering if there are any differences in the tip top audio versions of their drum modules.

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/tiptop-audio-bd808-white
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/tiptop-audio-bd808

Any differences other then the aesthetics ones?

My question is valid for all the modules within the serie

thanks
Matteo

more switches! they are so useful for automating transitions between different sections of a composition, or making live adjustments. Since you already have Boss Bow Two for sequential switching, Would consider some simpler bi-directional 1->2 (or 2 -> 1) switches. I just picked up the Instruo Tain and really love it. WMD S3lekt and Acid Rain Switchblade are also popular (although the switchblade isnt bi-directional).

Thanks Garfield!

Ok so the actual setup for this patch is really simple yet powerful. I feed the output from Plaits into Rings. Then from Rings, I patch the output from odd to Mimeophon and the output to a channel on the Qu-bit Mixology. I create a second patch from the Rings even output to the Happy Nerding FX Aid XL input and then send out to another channel on the mixer. This step is to patch the 1v/oct on the Rings to the X1 input on the Marbles for random modulation. I play this and gradually change settings on the Marbles parameters, Rings and keep same model on Plaits as well as slowly changing values on the two effects modules. I was amazed at how cool just one oscillator module can sound when the signal is split into two channels and heavily modulated slowly over time! So fun.

@Lugia @Jim hope you liked it as well

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 04:20

I feel like my subconscious has been looking for a Throbbing Gristle module already... I'll check vids on these recommendations right now. Also I made a new post (sorry for so many I'm excited) with a dream rack that I'd love feedback on. Check it out!

and @sacguy71 I agree—I think there's a huge temptation among techy Eurorack builders to start their own brand, but with the element of reliability, it's definitely a 1%er game. You're right about more promotion being needed. It's such a niche community that promotion should be pretty straight forward; spend the money at the right podcasts, YouTube channels, sites like these. Seems like at that point the real game is having an amazing product. No one wants to buy some regular EG or VCA from an up-and-comer, we want to hit Happy Nerding or Pittsburgh for that. Aesthetics matter too—I personally find Tiptop's faceplates hideous and therefore won't be buying. I think to really make it work, you go the Folktek or Error route and just do something so unique it can't be ignored. Who knows if those guys are even making a livable income at it though.

Any other Halo references out here in the rack archive?

I decided to use the maximum HP offered non-premium accounts and fit in everything that excites me at once, with utilities of course. It was a great fun, and a great way to test my understanding of functions and utilities thus far.

Rows in a nutshell—
First: oscillators, envelopes, mixers
Second: drums, sequencer
Third: effects
Fourth: touch controller, filters, VCAs

I heard stupid questions are encouraged here, so tear it to shreds. I have no idea if this ordering makes any sense at all but that's why I'm here.

One specific question I have is whether I need more sequencing gear. I know the USTA has a quantizer and clock but maybe I need two separate sequencers for drums and oscillators?

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 02:44

The FSS MTX pin matrix looks cool

Yea Jim’s right you don’t need a clock or quantizer if you already have the Eloquencer. Great sequencer by the way. I’m actually looking to get another matrix mixer in the future and more support modules like a comparator and another vca mixer.

Thanks, I'm checking FSS out as we speak. What are your favorites from them? I love hearing recs of companies I haven't heard of yet because it seems like of the thousands of modules shown on this site, people are almost afraid to get anything that isn't one of the top say 20 brands.
-- JX5JX5

The Recombination Engine is probably my favorite FSS module. It's a unique take on an analog triple oscillator. All of their stuff has an interesting approach though. The Gristleizer filter and VCA are pretty fun too (especially if you are a fan of Throbbing Gristle). Schlappi Engineering makes really cool/noisy modules too. The 100 Grit filter is on my radar for later in the year.

Correct. The bottom row. Thanks again! I'll have a look at some VCAs and matrix mixers.

Hi Nokulture,

Oh this is a beautiful and playful jam. Must have been a lot of fun when you were busy with it :-) So many nice interesting sounds you are using here and I am impressed by the recording quality other than perhaps a bit too much on the left channel, it sounds really crystal clear, nice! How did you manage to get that crystal clearness in your recording?

I can't wait to hear more done from your hands and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Sacguy71,

Nice video and you got an interesting melody going on there, how did you manage to do that? Random created or did you use a kind of Midi file or... how? :-)

Almost sounds like some violin/cello kind of symphony strings!

It's great to see you here at work and have a good idea of the modules you are using. Thank you very much for sharing that with us! Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Gabor,

Interesting the way you approached it and it worked out very well indeed :-)

Well, I can't wait for your next video with hopefully some more nice and interesting sounds! Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Baltergeist,

Please send my regards to Neil and tell him he did an excellent job :-) So why you guys don't start a jazz band? Add a drummer and there you go! Becoming the best Jazz band of... Australia :-) You stay down under right?

Would be nice to hear more from you both, thanks again and kind regards, Garfield.

i take it you mean the bottom row?

to me the quantizer and clock seem overkill when eloquencer will do both these

replace with mixers and quad cascading vcas (veils for example)

i would definitely keep the quad vca - but i'd swap to veils

@JX5JX5 me too and small firms need to get more involved with the modular community to promote their products if we don't hear about them then we cannot buy their new boutique modules, right? All the big players started small at one time. Right now, I have a module from Abstract Data never heard of them before but wanted a super modulator and they came across in few videos.

Thanks, I'm checking FSS out as we speak. What are your favorites from them? I love hearing recs of companies I haven't heard of yet because it seems like of the thousands of modules shown on this site, people are almost afraid to get anything that isn't one of the top say 20 brands. ALM, IME, Make Noise, Bastl, Noise Engineering, Cwejman, Tiptop, Intellijel, Endorphines, Frap, 4ms, Bastl, Happy Nerding, Roland, Doepfer, Mutable, Erica, WMD, Instruo, Malekko, XAOC, Rossum. There's 500 more though lol

I've jammed around a couple of sequences from my hermod.
Love so much the simple and beauty fm synth sounds from Rings, I've used one from bassline and the other one to the lead melody.
I've found so useful tain + triplatt to changing sounds in live on plonk, so there, I could play a programmed sequence from hermod, but thanks to tain+triplatt changing manually the send voltage, so I could make fills and changes from the first melody, so fun.

What's differents uses do you find around switches?

Right on. Sounds cool. Be sure to share some of your tracks here.
Yeah, I wouldn't set any artificial boundaries. Just do your research and find what works best for the sound you need regardless of analog/digital. The Error Instruments stuff is pretty wild. For what you are doing, take a look at Future Sound Systems stuff too (I'm the forum's resident Future Sound Systems fanboy. Haha).
Have fun and good luck.

What kind of music are you making?
-- farkas

For my current project I've been creating two-to-four bar synth motifs in Ableton, adding live a drum part (I'm a drummer), looping it and doing spoken word verses on top. It's got a dark industrial feel, but I still try to be musical and keep some replay value—I love glitchy/chaotic sounds but similar artists seem to be just trying to make people's ears bleed.

I've done this using my beloved DSI Mopho x4 and various plugins (Arturia, u-he, etc.) for a while, and after thinking long and hard about what my next hardware synth should be, I decided that instead of dropping $2-3k on one new DSI or a fragile vintage piece that I already have a great emulation of, I can spend that money starting a Eurorack and really make sounds no one has ever heard. After watching hundreds of Eurorack vids, I really think this is the best investment for my intentions of creating those haunting, hypnotic loops. Planning to start with an Erica tube VCO, Error Liquid Glitcher, Folktek Matter, Maths, maybe a Squarp Rample, and mixer/EG/utilities.

Hi,

To be perfectly honest, it looks pretty solid! Maybe add a matrix cv mixer? I use a 4ms VCA Matrix mixer which gives me 16 VCA CV options plus mute controls and 4 CV inputs/outputs. Doepfer makes a great affordable matrix mixer and Livestock Electronics Maze mixer looks like a cool cv matrix mixer module as well.

Some great LFOs that I really like so far:

Batumi with Poti expander for quad channel modulation
Abstract Data ADE 32 Octocontroller can modulate up to 8 outputs!
IME Kermit MK2 has quad channel LFO, S&H, random modulation and more plus create and load custom wave forms too
Acid Rain Technologies Maestro- six channel modulation with program shapes and pattern of LFO and super fun to use

The Erica Black Octasource is on my shortlist for next purchase. Give it a look.

Hi,

You can never have too many LFO´s right? :-)

The thing is, i do have a lot of modulation already, but i do miss having dedicated LFO´s.
I like the idea of Just friends, Tides 2 and Ochd, to control several LFO´s together to create movement, like waves or undulations.
My thought was that SWN would solve that problem, and it kind of does, but not. And both Zadar and Pams can do it sort of.

Either i get Quadrax, Batumi, Just Friends, Ochd or Tides 2.

What would you get if you made this kind of ambient music to create movement? It is the 2014 Tides that is supposed to leave my rack after a long duty period.

Thank you for your help!

This is my rack:

This is the type of sounds i make

That’s true but also limiting. You’d miss out on great modules from IME/Harvestman and Mutable Instruments like Piston Honda and Plaits which are digital and sound amazing while providing countless sound crafting options. That said, I do like analog modules like Rossum Trident and Moog modular.

What kind of music are you making?

No, it really doesn't matter and tone is near impossible to to tell the difference now.

-- sacguy71

My point here is that—regardless of the long debated difference in signal character—making an all-analog rule would lead me to a completely different rack of modules than if I didn’t

No, it really doesn't matter and tone is near impossible to to tell the difference now.

My advice is to figure out what you need your rack to do, and then buy the best version of the module that does that thing.
Analog... digital... doesn't really matter as long as you can accomplish your musical goal. If you need a resonator like Rings or something, it's gonna be really hard to do that with analog.
Have fun and good luck.