All Posts

Thanks for the input :-) I should probably add that the rack contains stuff I already have. Some modules I've borrowed, others I've bought used and a few of the new. I love spring reverbs though. I guess I'll be looking into some more modulation sources.

I got the Quark (elements clone) for cheap and im really digging it. Haven't spent much time on the Edges. Borrowed it from a fiend. The phaser sounds nice so far and as far as the filters go, I got them used, really cheap except for the Roland that I've borrowed from a friend. All in all I'm in a good position to get to know the different modules without having spent too much money on buying the wrong modules.

The PSU might be cheap, but it haven't caused any problems yet.

I have external mixer, speakers and so on.

I really like the idea of Grids, but every time I see that panel I think it ought to be about 6hp...

(Yeah, I know there is an 8hp clone, and yeah it does look a bit cramped.)

Seconded on Veils -- also the response shape is variable, and it works as an offset too! Great module!
-- the-erc

that's why I like Marbles - it's slightly larger than Grids but adds so much more! especially with a branches sitting next to it!

veils can also double as an input module/overdrive as it has a decent amount of gain (+20db available)

unless you are buying used or diying edges and peaks are discontinued - and edges is quite big for a vco!

spend thousands on modules - spend pennies on power supply to power them - do you see what's wrong here???

I don't think you need a quad adsr in this rack and it's huge!

do you really need 3 vcfs?

I'd rather have a fx aid xl than the knock off effect unit and the spring reverb

I would want more modulation sources and utilities - Maths (see illustrated manual), stages, a matrix mixer, kinks, attenuation/attenuversion/offset (possibly shades or mia or miso) - imo these are the really interesting parts of modular - modulation and how to combine, modify and distribute it are way more important than which vco/vcf or how many

I'd also want a waveshaper/folder and an lpg

I'd rather have a quad cascading vca with some level of control rather than the octal vca - and with both linear and exponential response - nice try though - veils would be my choice for replacing this

start slowly - a sound source, a sound modifier, a modulation source, a way to play (external probably from what you've listed) and a way to listen - I expect you have an external mixer already (if not get one as it will make more sense with the other things you have already)

actual link to rack -

I'm a long time professional musician. Played keys and synths on a pro level for 25+ years. I've decided to try a bit of modular to complement my setup. I'm by no means new to synthesis, but modular is new :-) Im going into modular to experiment and get inspired. Small loops and sequences to jam to, new and exiting sounds and just to learn and explore. Maybe even connect and sync to funk box app or other apps on iPad.

My rack shown below is going to complemented by: Behringer Poly D, Beatstep Pro, Zoom MS70 CDR, Eventide BlackHole, Behringer Neutron and a Waldorf Streichfett that I already own. I also play Nord Electro And Yamaha Motif and some iPad apps...

let me know what you guys think. Any modules I should look into? thoughts and tips are appreciated :-)

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1436403.jpg

Already checked! Hehe...!

Thank you :) Check one more video with that case:

There will be soon a proper video teardown of it before I will redo it fully :)
Julia
-- juliabondar

Thank you :) Check one more video with that case:

There will be soon a proper video teardown of it before I will redo it fully :)
Julia

A quick patch played in on Telharmonic through Alright Zzzorb, XAOC Tallin, and clouds backed by two Mother 32’s and DFAM played through Mimeophon.

If you ever decide to get another sequencer, consider Eloquencer, it is such a great modular sequencer with 8 cv/8 gates and tons fo options for creating melodic and percussion songs and tracks.

Awesome...awesome piece of music coming out of this brain (the girl!) and this machine (the rack!).
Thank you for that...
Really!

Thank you, less is more, some might say. But I am currently looking into the noise reap dual oscillator or the tiny instruō ts-l to spice things up 🔥

Ah cool -- so the sine is your only oscillator! Very impressive.

finally we finished our project...

Patchcable with built in LED, illuminates red with positive polarity and green with negative polarity, designed for modular and semi-modular synthesizers.

5pcs. pack - with transparent jack and black or transparent cable, 50cm. special price for preorder, delivery starts around feb 9th

Perfect for LFO, CV,... Eurorack modules
red, green polarized bi-color LED on both sides
3.5 mm mono jack connector
minimal measurable interference (very low power consumption)
worldwide shipping
(estimated shippment due covid, march 2021)

https://producertools.net/collections/eurorack-tools/products/patchcables-with-polarized-voltage-controlled-green-red-led
greetings from vienna!

Why is it discontinued? :(

Hey @the-erc,

I'm not that good in describing things with words, but i know my way around diagrams. I also took this opportunity to setup the document for later patches. Muxlicer as sequencer, Rampage does the envelopes and the Disting is set to L2 (mono to stereo reverb).

What is really cool about this patch is that I finally got around facilitating the MIN and MAX outputs of the Rampage. Now I can blend between two different sounds with just one knob. In this case modulating the reverb wetness, and the CV to the filter.

Next cool thing, the Antumbra DVCA can also act as a mixer if the output 1 is not connected. I didn't notice that before, so in the video the two Outs of the DVCA first go to the mixer and then to the SVF.

A bad thing about this: I'm sending (attenuated) triggers to my headphone out, this could potentially harmful if the PO-33 is not connected or not set to a mode that receives a sync signal on the left channel. There is also the possibility to keep the stereo signal. Using the cue of the Output V3, but as I do not have a stereo mixer to connect the two devices to...

Voila: Eurorack and Pocket Operator synced, and no external mixer needed.

I really like the idea of Grids, but every time I see that panel I think it ought to be about 6hp...

(Yeah, I know there is an 8hp clone, and yeah it does look a bit cramped.)

Seconded on Veils -- also the response shape is variable, and it works as an offset too! Great module!

EDITED Jan 28th 2021, 19:22

looking better - at least to me!
yeah if you already have modules keep them - people seem to really like rene
I often use the marbles 'grids' mode it's great for getting a drum pattern quickly - 1 thing I do though is to take the middle output and send it to a mutable instruments branches - which I patch to get (skip/open/close) - this may add a lot to grids too, I'm not sure - so maybe that and kinks would be good next modules
it's not a bad thing to have to wait for modules due to financial constraints - you'll learn a lot about how your modular works
tbh if it's a toss up between pams and maths - I'd get maths first
I'd also consider veils instead of the 3xVCA - 4 hp bigger and a little bit more expensive (but only a little) but you get an extra vca, which is never a bad thing

So is the PO-33 doing the drum break, and the modular all the rest? Patch notes please :)

The DFAM is listed in the MG database so I think this is allowed. Also I plugged and unplugged a patch cable more than once during the jam!

Patch notes are pretty boring :
- DFAM is kick and noise snare; VCO2 gets pitch from the BSP, but you don't hear that often.
- Acid synth noises are the Werkstatt-01, gate, pitch, and VCF cutoff controlled by the BSP. Delay from Boss RSD-10.
- Hats, claps, other percussion, and weird digital noises are from a Pocket Operator PO-12, which never makes into fully into the frame, passing through the Korg Monotron filter.

... and much wiggling!

I recorded another Jam.

I re-ordered the modules in the skiff and added the Antumbra DVCA. Again DAW-less, the Screen is just for atmospheric lighting ;)
And yes, I'll need to build another drum break soon.

Big shout out to @Lugia !
The Antumbra DVCA is super nifty and only 2cm deep, which is great for the tiny skiff people like me. With the other modules I need to fiddle a bit more around, the proposed setup is great, but I think I'd still rather add some easy to play trigger sequencer and maybe do not add the FX Aid, or exchange it with the Disting.

I changed the Rack to my current setup and will build from there. The nearness modules will be a longer process as it looks like I will build the 2hp version. But I need to get into smd components and my soldering iron also needs an upgrade. In the meantime I'll wait for another Kick All kit to drop at exploding shed.

Noise Reap modules seem to be amazing, but I also came across this little fellow https://www.modulargrid.net/e/instruo-ts-l-v2 which of course is super crowded and not too "playable" if there is more than two cables connected. But the ability to go in LFO territory sounds pretty nifty to me.

Hi, (it's me, Florian from the fb group^^).
You wrote, that you are planning to get a second case, on muff I read that you can get some problems, if you mix different cases, cause they seem to have different zero V (or ground, idk). With 2 Inttelijel 7u cases you could solve the problem by linking them together. With an other 7u you should have also space for some buffered mults ^^. And if you go for the generative kombi you don't need the noise tools. When you are sure about a second 7u case, I wouldn't go for the duatt, instead I would wait and get a second quadratt for the second case and some mults and vcas. :)
Cheers Florian

Hi Jim,

Thank you for taking the time to have a look at the rack concept!

The common issue is a lack of utility, I tried to cover it, but I see I went a bit overboard with the mult, adsr and output, thanks for clearing that up! Saves me having to spend money on that and makes it possible to spend a little extra and upgrade to a legit version of Rings, after your comment about a proper sized version of Rings, I understood right away what I overlooked... more space and proper knobs to twiddle is going to be more fun ofc.. similar would be aid xl instead of pico dsp, aid xl looks great, nice tip, thanks for that.

About Rene, I managed to buy a secondhand version of it that is cheaper than a step sequencer and am generally fascinated by it and look forward to learning how to work with it. I will have to wait with Maths a bit till I have funds to purchase it.

Summary would be: Pamela is the brains running the outfit, Rene the mathematician plucking strings and Grids banging it out on the Noir.

See updated version:

Thanks @Lugia for chiming in!

Yeah, since I ever started planning my case, the mixer conundrum stays one of the main PIA... Many options there, but none that really checks all boxes. I'd like to have CV control over panning, stereo Send/Return (2x if possible), a nice interface, not too big... maybe I have build my own!! :D (if I only knew how.)

I know of the Frap Tools new instalment, but adding to the price tag they take quite some space and are still a bit cryptic for me. Knob.farm seems like a good option for the Sends (and would free some space on the 1U row), and with support from another module for some of the functions, could get me nearer the goal. I've checked Vortices and sort of even get it, but that interface is a bit all over the place for me.
Do you have any other combos you know about to help me on that front?

Regarding the 1U row, thanks for taking the time to put that together. I seem to remember reading that the original I/O was bigger and they wanted to give people the choice of having both interfaces or not. Plus you can separate them spacially, that might make sense in some setups!
I thought of adding a Duatt+Vca in there with possibly an LPG also, that would give me some more control over modulation, and to buff it even more, since I ditched the Black Sequencer (for now), I'm considering the Plum Audio 1u version of O&C. It takes quite some space, but I'm hoping I can then combine that with some interesting, crazy, modulation on the 3u space. Would you car to chime in?

The Buffered Mult is there mainly to divide Harmonaigs root (exclusively :D) to other oscillators once the Saïch is there, as that one would take all of them. I'm a classic double bass player in my working hours, so harmony still plays a big part on the sounds I go for. But if you don't think I'd need it and could do with stackables or even those starfish thingies, I would free also that space for something more interesting. Gladly!

Thanks again! I look forward for more input from you and the Jims, Farkas, Garfields, Kels, and some I'm sure forgetting right now! You make this community a lot less poor in their banks and richer in their noodling lives!

Cheers!
Jorge

On the topic of popular, sexy modules, I just want to toss this in: Big, sexy modules are fun. However, it doesn’t take long to start feeling really good about doing something massive and complex with a handful of very standard, boring modules.

Agree Lugia the WMD SSF Toolbox rocks so much it can do and paired with Kinks a real powerhouse duo of modular tools. I like Plog as well for the many logic combos.

+1 on the WMD Tool Box...that one 6 hp thing is action-packed! I wouldn't do a Links, though, as this is too small to necessitate mults (use inline ones)...but Kinks? Yep. This also needs better random-source behavior, too...I recommend Doepfer's A-118 + their Buchla 265 version, the A-149-1.

Actually, this isn't bad...the only real issues I see here are...

You need a PROPER stereo mixer, ie: one that actually has panning over your mono signals. Instead of the Intellijel that's there, have a look at some of Ladik's manual stereo mixers. Their M-172 gives you four pannable mono channels plus one stereo, and also features 1/4" isolated outs. And...

The tile row, as it stands now, isn't what it could be. I'd recommend this lineup:

(If this isn't showing up, check back later. MG's server seems to be throwing another tantrum over the Screenshot mode)
This keeps the I/O (why in the name of all that's holy did Intellijel discontinue the all-in-one module for this, though?) and the QuadrATT and FX I/O, but adds the very useful Noise Tools and a DuATT, plus a USB power module in case you need to power something like a controller, etc. Much more potent, and it eliminates the mults which really aren't all that necessary in a small build (just use inline mults instead, and save space for things like this).

EDITED Jan 28th 2021, 00:53

Well, it does and it DOESN'T have VCAs. Half of an LPG is a VCA, but since it and the filter are controlled via a vactrol, it has something approximating "hysteresis", resulting in a ring-off "tail" after the CV drops to zero. But if you're talking West Coast, they're 100% essential to that sound...it's where that woody "ploonk" sound comes from because of how the vactrol decay works.

I like Mutable Instruments Shades, Links and Kinks - lots of useful tools for modular with attenuverters/attenuators, logic, mults and more. Another good support module is WMD SSF Toolbox. For live performance, attenuators/verters with sliders are super ace like WMD 4TTEN and Noise Engineering Lapsos OS. I use these a lot more with percussion modules to fade in/fade out beats.

Hey all! I’m expecting a bash from the knowledgeable people here!! It’ll be most welcome! ;)
(Image sure not reflect current state, I don’t know why)
This is my system right now! It’s great fun and does a lot of what I was hoping, meaning it generates its own tunes to a certain extent, drones for a while and even creates some nice ambience in this dark times!
I want to expand my voices with the Saïch and athru also from Instruō. I’m quite set on those ad next very sexy modules!
I had the Erica Black Sequencer and while it was great fun and incredibly versatile with all that modulation, I decided to let it go and get it when I incorporate a second case and bigger system. I think I’d much prefer something smaller and more ‘performance’ oriented, although I do realize that might be that module... it’s me the one who had to learn it! ;)

Now, I’m searching for some advice on how to expand the pallet of this rack. Specifically, I think I need more modulation!! For effects, I’m using a Zoia and a bunch of other pedals outside the rack, but I’d like to bring them in, specially some creative reverb..
I’m curious what you make of this and very looking forward for the help and feedback I might get!

In the meantime, stay safe!
Cheers

Jorge

EDITED Jan 27th 2021, 23:02

Thanks Jim, now there's a co-incidence, watching Loopops vid 22 reasons re maths ! when your reply came through ! now that has to be a sign...especially going back to my previous post about accessing knowledge, being a newbie the maths stuff seems quite well documented as well as being an incredibly super useful module.
And yes although i have to think about rack space maybe i shouldn't feel too constrained, the Erica synth Pico vca x2 i think i would soon grow out of and Veils is the probably the best for me right now. I also like how you feel Select 2 and x3 Mia are good options to consider, that's reassuring..
Cheers

I'd go for a quad vca - you can use them for both audio and cv - so 4 is a better number than 1 or 2 even in a case this size - veils is only 10hp

I'd go for mia or select 2

Personally I reckon that Maths is a better 'my first proper modulation source' than anything else - due to the existence of the maths illustrated manual - which is a great modular primer - ie how to patch complex things from simple building blocks

I'd also recommend looking at kinks - really useful functionality in a small space

the only thing I can see is that it boasts that it is low power consumption and can be powered by an ipad (via the camera connection kit)

maybe take a look at the manuals for the connection kit as that may have an upper limit for you

things you don't need:

output module - mono straight from the vca is fine for starters

buffered mult - you do not have enough v/oct destinations to warrant this at this point - if you want a mult get a passive or some heeadphone splitters or stackcables

adsr - pams will give you an envelope generator (or 8) and rings doesn't need one

things I would swap:

nRings - for Rings - get the full size one it won't be that much more and it will be much more fun to play with

pico dsp for fx aid xl - yeah it's more expensive and takes up more space - but it has more algorithms (32 swappable), more modulatable and is stereo in and out (unlike the pico dsp) so if in the future you get to a point where you want to effect a stereo signal then you can

Maths - brilliant buy it - download the illustrated manual and work your way through it a few times

I'd also be tempted to go for a simpler (and cheaper) sequencer to start with maybe the pico seq (the one that has 16 steps and memory slots and quantization) - possibly or a beatstep pro - multiple sequencers can be really handy - so a simple sequencer to get you going and then dive into something more complex such as a rene in the future

the next modules I would buy would be kinks and shades

Hi,

I've been working on this for a while now, first build, absolute euro-rack newbie. The basic idea is to create a fun to play, relatively versatile setup that can create some playful minimal techno and ambient for starters..

Pamela will be the brain that runs the outfit, the master clock and rhythm creator, Rene will control Rings + Pico DSP using cord and patterns generate by Rene and Grids running the BLCK_Noir drums (has built in filter an sfx + aux).

Disting mk4 for learning, sfx channel, samples etc. The rest is utility an audio out, no intention to use MIDI. And yes I have considered Maths, one of the objectives is to keep the cost as low as possible, and the setup simple.

Any feeback would be much appreciated!
Thx.

Does any of this make sense!? )))

EDITED Jan 27th 2021, 21:09

Thinking about getting a USB adapter for my Intellijel 1U case and just want to make sure i could power my Keystep with it. Can't find anything on the website or in the manual about specs. Was wondering if anybody knew off hand.

Eurorack.

Does anyone know if the output is Eurorack level or line level?

Thank you Lugia. That is great advice. I have realised that I have enough 'sexy modules' and am now looking for a good cook and conversation maker module...(lol), but me joking aside you are definitely making sense. What I would say is that the reviews a beginner sees are not just a temptation to buy a product but actually show you what each module can do(hopefully)..and that in itself is educational and saves a lot of head scratching and manual diving,for a newbie, but like you point out, not so much of the nuts and bolts modules seemingly get any love.
So I have had a look around and am now considering these modules as part of the unitised subsets you mention.
I see Befaco do a stereo mixer the STMIX, only 6HP mixes audio and c.v.
V.C.A. wise I could go down the quad route with the classics. or I have just seen an article on Gearnews for an ERICA synths new release a PICO V.C.A. 2..although i have a new row to fill i am still aware of the limited space.
other modules which I am interested in are the Happy Nerding 3X MIA..
and the SELECT 2 by Joranologue (dual cv processor)..
I am also tempted by Joranologue morph 4 to beef up any modulation duties..and for it to certainly make conversation with the rest of the rack
Does this make sense are am I duplicating are missing more important examples.?
...once again thank you for your advice

Thanks @the-erc, and @GarfieldModular, I'm doing my part to hyper space us into a new reality, though it's proving quite hard lol. We'll keep at it though.

This is very nice indeed. :)

This patch generates a generative melody for two voices.

The first step sequencer plays an arpeggio in Cm7, the second one plays transpositions (none, minor third, fith). The two clock dividers are set to non-even divisions (prime numbers, integers) and the gates are skipped sometimes, defining a steady but non-repeating rhythm driving the melody.

While recording, I manually tweaked the release of the envelop, filter frequencies, octaves/waveforms of the oscillators and gate probabilities.

Reverb was a VST effect. A chorus effect was added to the single VCO voice in the DAW. Post-processing was about adding a bit of panning and stereo spread, plus smoothing out certain loudness jumps. No compression was applied, in order to retain the full dynamics of the patch.

EDITED Jan 27th 2021, 12:54

I just bought a module from @coxinhellstudio and everything worket out smoothly and quite quickly. Good bloke he is.

Did anyone else propose such a modification to the system? If so, im sorry!
Could it be possible that one might have , say all or some of his euro systems on a single ''My Modular" page and then draw modules from the catalogue beneath, placing them to wichever rack he desires, navigating from one another etc? Maybe a zoom feature to add leverage? It would be a level up for sure, regarding the user workflow!

EDITED Jan 27th 2021, 11:08

And so I immediately find this thread: https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=53338

which has this diagram, which seems to indicate the daisy chain configuration is less than ideal in any case lol:

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/userpix/1060_power_distro_1.gif

but man it would be swell to even see a picture of how someone has wired a similar case.

EDITED Jan 27th 2021, 05:36

Hi Lugia,

Sorry to take so long to reply--I was literally hospitalized. I'm doing better now :-)

I can't seem to find the info on that page you linked :-/ I searched in page for that description, and for every instance of "A-100" and couldn't find a pinout. And I'm not quite certain what you're telling me to check continuity on, so I probably need to see that lol.

But I'll tell you what...it's kinda maddening how there doesn't seem to be any documentation on how to do this stuff on the internet. I checked out a number of sites selling the power distribution boards, and they document everything but how it needs to connect to a power supply, for example. I'm sure the info is out there, but da*med if i can find it. If you've got any links to some general info about how this works I'd be grateful!

For example, I've got a total of 10 blade connectors hanging loose--I'm guessing the daisy chaining couldn't quite deliver power to all 4 boards directly, because one of them has the blade connectors coming from it. Could you double up on a few of them onto that power supply you linked to, for example?

Pretty nuts, actually...
-- Lugia

I think you nailed the spirit of the West coast. I find it quite funny that this system doesn't feature a full VCA. Very counter-intuitive to much of the advice on this forum.

Never think that Temps Utile gets enough credit. Really had a long of fun with it. The clock timing section seems like a blast to fool around with (especially with a circular logic cycle that affects temps)

Definitely...the reason that those caught my attention is that while we have a wealth of MONO submixers, the amount of STEREO submixers is pretty skimpy at present. Not only do these do that on a massive scale, they're inexpensive and super-simple. Now that's value! Plus, if you want to hard-pan signals to the left or right, you can do that for four stereo signals with the same module, and even have some panning "leeway" by careful adjustments of the input levels.

EDITED Jan 27th 2021, 01:21

Yeah, they make some cool stuff for what seems to be a very fair price. Was kind of curious about them, so I may take a chance on ordering something soon. That mixer would be a good candidate.