Hi there. Just in case anyone randomly finds this rack and decides to comment, I felt I'd expound a bit on my vision. This is partially for myself; explaining one's thoughts out loud into the void can often help focus and refine them.
This rack is intended to be the the peak of my modular journey (which I haven't physically started yet). My plan is to start by acquiring just the Lifeforms SV-1b and using that on its own for a long time, because A) it just sounds so damn good, and B), if I don't actually enjoy exploring the depth and possibilities of a small semi-modular synth, there's just no reason to continue buying modules. If I decide I enjoy it that much, then I'll begin getting the rest of the modules, seeing what they add to my inspiration and workflow, one by one. I have furthermore sworn to never surpass this 208 hp; I refuse to have a wall of modules I rarely use unless by some insane miracle, my music is pulling in so much money that it no longer matters.
Now, I've done a lot of thinking t0 myself about what I want out of modular. Well, it seems to me that modular is an environment that accentuates the coolest parts about working with hardware. Okay, what do I like about hardware? It's tactile. It imposes limitations that push me in creative directions I wouldn't have taken before. It gets me away from staring at a screen. And some of the concepts that hardware explores are just way fucking cooler in real life than they would be being simulated in a computer. Is the Plasma Drive the most versatile distortion out there? Of course not. But physically turning sound into plasma arcs flowing through a tube and then back into sound is such a badass concept that it makes my chest warm with joy. Life is short, and that joy has value. If I want access to every possible distorted guitar tone with fine control over every single aspect, that's what software's for.
So that's the crux of it. This rack is a balenced (I think, this is where I'd like feedback) collection of modules that accentuate the unique and cool things I like about modular and hardware in general, while leaving out many of the functions where I just end up thinking to myself, "okay, but that's a lot of HP for something I could do better and faster in a computer." Mixing and triggering 8 tracks with indivual patterns to compose a piece with verses and choruses? That's what a DAW is for. Wavetable synthesis? That's what Vital is for. Lush reverbs that make you sound like you're in a cathedral? Convolution. Playing back pre-made kick, snare, and hi-hat samples off a little SD card you have to take back and forth to your computer anyway? Like, come on.
Given all that, maybe you're now eyeing the Rene-2 sequencer taking up 34 HP right in the middle. Yeah, that's the module I'm by far the least sure about wanting. No matter how fancy your sequencer is, the piano roll in a DAW will always be more powerful. This one seems tactile and spontanious enough to be worth it for me, but I'd appreciate thoughts on that; I might just be falling for marketing. Maybe a better use for that space would be a bunch of other little utilities, like a burst generator, more touch points, a simpler and smaller sequencer, etc.
Regarding workflow, the plan is to always have this running into the DAW. I'll use the DAW Midi-out mostly for the master clock and then run the synth outs to the main Line-ins on my interface, OR I'll plug a guitar (or mic or whatever) into my interface and run that sound through the synth using an insert loop. I'll generate heaps of fresh material using this system, and do the detail work and structuring in the DAW.
Wow, that was a lot. But I wanted to do a lot of thinking before I started throwing money at stuff. Thanks for sticking with me.