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One simple idea: SQ-1 slowly into 352 pitch, have the Maths controlling two of CV X, Y, or Z, in cycle mode on both sides, but with each function out stacked into an attenuverter/offset that then feeds back into the other, so that they can slowly respond to and control each other.

EDITED Jul 24th 2020, 16:57

i am slowly building my rack .my goal is to use it for Ambient/Dark Ambient.

right now i slowly have started experimenting with the modules i have so far

the Synthesis Technology E352
Maths
and the Korg sq-1

was wondering if anyone could give me some starter tips with connecting these 3,to get me on the right track.

Distings are definitely feature-packed, but I find menu-diving on modules to be a pain in the ass. So much so that I'm considering selling my Plonk (well, and the fact that I really don't use it much anymore). Of course, having something like a Disting and setting it and forgetting it seems like a bit of a waste too.... The only module I really tolerate it for is my Ornament and Crime, which I absolutely love.

Personally, I would definitely keep Marbles, I miss it. Also... MATHS. I know, I know, but it, at least for me, truly is a useful module and it looks like you have room. One other suggestion - Folktek stuff is very cool, I've had a few pieces and still have a Nano Garden, but you might be better off with a Chronoblob 2 or something similar. I think they're less hp too. Just some random thoughts.

Quick update question!

What would you think of swapping the Tiptop Audio One sample player with the Disting Ex in this setup? Seems like there are some great functions in there as well as the sampler and prefer it to the MK4 as the menu looks easier to navigate (although of course more expensive).

Also thinking of exchanging one of the Doepfer A140 ADSR with a Joranlogue Contour 1 as again seems to have a lot more functionality?

Lastly was thinking of adding a Pico DSP effects module as it is only 3hp and would be handy whilst I wait for the Folktek (if I still go for it).

Cheers guys :)

@Garfield - Having got the ADDAC 105 (4 voice cluster) its the same form-factor as the 104, if I chose again i would maybe go with the 104 instead of the 103 as the knobs and switches are soooooooo close to each other. Though, that said once I've picked and set my percussion sounds on the 103 I can pretty much leave it alone.

The wave drone sound comes from the Ochd modulating the Cut-off on the 105 (then going through Clouds reverb) weird little beast, actually thought it was faulty, though I seem to be assured otherwise by ADDAC. Something to do wih how the settings of one knob effect the others and to the point where there will be no sound, but you can get some nice results though just a lot of variables.... whether hitting it with Gates, Triggers or LFOs all change the character of the sound that comes out with the varying settings of Decay.

I can imagine! I really want a Subharmonicon or a Mother32 but probably need a DFAM more than either since I don't have any drums atm.

It seems as though several of us recently found the Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium. Others are creating some really great stuff with it. Here's my first attempt to patch it in my new Structure EP-420 case build.

For this patch, I pushed Trident and DPO through QPAS. For an additional voice component, I brought in a Zoom H2n mic while my kids were talking nearby. All three voices are run through Clouds, Panharmonium, and Mimeophon for reverb and delay. The kids' voices add a semi-random texture to the other two oscillators. A simple two-step sequence from Rene plays Trident and DPO while all other pitched notes and modulation are created using DivKid øchd and Pamela's New Workout. I add additional texture and modulations by playing Intellijel Planar over the patch.

The @Pittsburgh Modular Structure EP-420 is a beautiful case. I cannot overstate the presence it has in my studio. It's a -big- case that you can really wander and swim around in when "fully stocked." I raised mine with 2 inches of foam and parked two Moog Mother 32's in front of it. They fit like a glove.

Panharmonium is deep and I have a lot to learn. It can be a massively complex drone engine, so I had to snag it. We'll see how it goes!

Hope you enjoy the track.

Thanks! It's a total trip to play. So much landscape to explore. I love having the two M32's in front.

Awesome! I, too, picked one up last week. It's going to be amazing from ambient drones. I'll drop my first try with it tonight.

This is great stuff. Really love how it evolves. I've got to try a variation of your patch using Nebulae v2, Mimeophon, and Eventide Space.

Let's all share what we're getting out of Panharmonium! That's a pain to type...

EDITED Jul 24th 2020, 05:03

Update - Fixed a major source of noise when migrating from 3x140HP skiffs powered by uZeus power supplies and flying bus cables to an EP-420 with a very clean power supply. I will be replacing those monitors, but the case migration alone helped quite a bit.

PNW definitely rules @rossduncan, I need to figure out all the different modes, it does so much!

@farkas that looks pretty sick, gonna have to check out some vids.

I just discovered the Future Sound Systems Makrow. You can adjust 6 separate parameters on any combination of your modules with the turn of a single knob. Unipolar or bipolar cv. Instant order for me.

Welcome @humanoid01, happy moding!

@GarfieldModular wow! Thankyou so much for all of the input and very helpful

I shall have a read up of the modules you have suggested

Thanks to @Baltergeist and @Troux for your feedback too

Hi Wishbonebrewery,

Oh that's some nice piece of musical art while showing off your new ADDAC 103 :-) Nice!

Thanks a lot for the details on how you did this, interesting to read, at least for me it is. What I loved about this track is that kind of wave-sound that went throughout the entire track, how did you make that one? Did you used the Ochd for that? And the voice?

Looks like I need that 103 too :-) You don't have regrets of not getting the 104? Going for a good user interface with the 103 is still the better choice, isn't it?

Thank you very much and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Humanoid01,

I like your case choice, bit pity you planned it already very full. I would like to advice you strongly to keep some blank space for future extension in your rack free, having that said... consider to ditch the Marbles and Alter modules either one of them or both. Once you gain more experience you still can consider them to add later.

Marbles = 18 HP = 7.1% of your total rack capacity
Alter = 16 HP = 6.3%
So these two modules together = 34 HP = 13.5% of your total rack capacity, that's about one-seventh... are you sure that's worth it?

I see that Baltergeist and Troux already answered two of your questions. What I did is I made a rack configuration, shown here below how it could look like with your own comments and that O'Tool Oscilloscope, that one saves some space.

You still could consider to exchange the 2nd Doepfer A-140 ADSR with another brand's ADSR. There didn't come one to mind to me for your case here but perhaps you could consider an EG from Erica Synths?

That matrix mixer I ditched it and replaced it by the Doepfer A-138p & A-138o combination, this is chainable with just a 2nd 138p and then you get 8 channels; but that's for the future ;-)

I ditch one of your Kinks modules, you had two of them in your rack. Start with one, if you really love that one then get a second unit.

That Bastle Instruments - Cinnamon filter, I don't know it, might be indeed a nice module but it's a nasty one with 5 HP so next to your two chosen Erica Synths - Pico modules, I planned another 3 HP (2+1) blank space for yet another Pico (or other 3 HP) module, so it's nicely filled in again in the future; up to you of course. Instead of the Cinnamon you could consider the Doepfer - A-124 (Wasp filter) or the A-106-5 (SEM filter). I can recommend both, the Wasp filter can provide perhaps a bit more of a sonic adventure, the SEM is a bit more subtle, both are nice filters.

I have a bit lack of time so my rack layout suggestion here might not be ideal but is perhaps an idea of how to get started, the rest is now up to you to plan it the way you like! :-)

Good luck with it, have fun with modular and kind regards, Garfield.

Well, you don't need to worry about either of these examples...because they won't work anyway. With no VCFs, VCAs (save for that lone Stereo VCA), only one modulation source and so on, these aren't anywhere close to being proper synthesizer builds. And if the idea was to route the audio back into the Subharmonicon, you're missing a rescaler (such as Erica's PICO MScale) to make sure this and the Moog will track together properly.

I'll explain something about why there's multiple rows in synth builds, also...a lot of people think this simply takes care of having lots of modules, and for some people, that's just fine. But that's not the point.

In order to make modular synthesizers more intuitive to use, many builders as well as many companies will put the "voicing" part on one row, and the "controlling" part on the other. And this makes perfect sense. If you want to tweak the VCF cutoff, you know where it is. And if you need to see what your sequencing is up to, you know where that is as well. Designs going all the way back to venerable synths such as the ARP 2600 use exactly this sort of flow pattern, and after a couple of minutes of working this way, the logic of it becomes VERY apparent. Signal is across the top, left-to-right, and the modulation, CVs, clocking, etc all come up to that row from below it, allowing you to put the modules that produce those signals in a logical pattern below the voicing modules that require them. So, it's not about making your build huge...but about making it more functional.

I'm not going to say DON'T get into modular synthesis...but I would strongly suggest that if you're going to, you need to study it a lot more carefully before proceeding. While it's true that there's quite a bit of pointless nonsense in there, there's far more things about modulars that are based in sensible electronic or musical design principles that need to be followed in order to arrive at something you'll want to use every day for perhaps decades...as opposed to wasting money on a closet-filler box that's eventually destined for eBay or Reverb. And it's VERY easy at the beginning to wind up with one of those closet-fillers unless you study and then proceed pragmatically.

Nice one @wishbonebrewery!

Signal chain order support would be tight.
-- eablair

Wouldn't work in a modular synth context. With effect pedals, things are a bit more obvious, but with a modular synth, technically anything can go anywhere. For example, you would normally not use a VCO to control a VCA...UNLESS, of course, you're using the VCA to produce FM on the other signal that's being fed through it. Similarly, a VCF isn't supposed to be a sound source...but if you crank one into self-resonance, then it can be.

The whole point of modular synthesis is that as long as you're not connecting outputs to outputs or inputs to inputs, you can potentially get some sort of result. Not all of these will be useful...but some will be downright mindblowing.

The bed sound comes from the #ADDAC105 4 Voice Cluster going through some Monsoon Clouds reverb.
The lead sound is the #Makenoise #STO through the #HappyNerding #HNVCF with drive, sequenced from the #PittsburghModular #MicroSequence.
Percussion is from the ADDAC103, Bass drum split off to a Mono channel and the other three blippy parts are panned around using the #Omsonic UPE (Universal Panning Expander), the T-Networks is controlled by the #DNiPro #DOT which in-turn is modulated by the #Instruo / #Divkid #Ochd.
There is a little hint of the #2hp Bell in there and some Hats coming from the #Roland TR-09.

I really want a data @baltergeist but they're sold out everywhere :,(

Just wanted to plug the Mordax DATA. When I was starting out I had a lot of difficulty getting envelopes to work correctly. The DATA helped me immensely in that respect. Being able to see what the waveforms were doing was a game changer for me. It does a lot more than just act as oscilloscope - it's tuner function is also tremendously useful when you want to overdub guitar/bass/tuned instruments or jam with others.

That said, there are other eurorack oscilloscopes, but the DATA is the most feature-packed and useful, imho. For a smaller one, there's this: https://www.perfectcircuit.com/dave-jones-designs-o-tool-plus-oscilloscope.html

EDITED Jul 23rd 2020, 15:38

Hey guys,

i own a Mutant Brain for a while now and i am very happy with it in general. Today i added a Pittsburgh Modular Micro Sequence to my system and i want to feed it a clock signal from my Mutant Brain. That simply doesn´t do anything. I can clock the Micro Sequence with a simple square lfo and it does work. I also just discovered that a square lfo, sent to the micro sequence via the mutant brain´s CV Outputs, works as well. It´s just the dedicated Gate Outputs, that can be configured as Clock Outs, don´t work
I tried to research how to configure the clock output of the Mutant Brain, but didn´t find anything usefull.
Can anybody give me an advise on that?

Thanks for your help in advance - cheers !

Bought a Zvex Instant Lo-Fi Junky from @kwantor - he was very friendly, shipped the module fast, packaged it super-well and the module was in a mint condition. Thanks!

Hi all, I was planning on getting a Subharmonicon to pair with my 0-Coast and Digitakt, but then started to wonder if I should get into modular...

I was looking at one of these two 62HP and 104HP systems, but I'm finding it hard to tell whether the price/functionality ratio is worth it. I'm interested in having a basic closed system to make harmonically interesting, evolving sequences, kinda Barbieri-ish, but don't really want to go too deep into multiple rows.

62HP:

104HP:

@humanoid01 take a look at page 19 of the manual for the Beatstep, it has pitch, velocity, and gate outputs for connecting to your synth and a USB port for your computer. One potential example for your rack would be Pitch to Plaits V/Oct, Gate to a Batumi oscillator Reset/Sync to retrigger it then onto a VCA modulating the Plaits output (using Batumi here since I don't see an envelope generator), and velocity to another VCA to control amplitude. I don't have a Beatstep though so I'm making this up from looking at it. Anyway, you can review the manual here: http://downloads.arturia.com/products/beatstep-pro/manual/BeatStepPro_Manual_1_0_0_EN.pdf

On a similar way-too-obvious note: an "about" section from the creator and a comments section for everyone would really, yknow, bring the whole room together.

Signal chain order support would be tight.

I am a gazillion percent sure I'm not the first to suggest this, so consider this me echoing the many people who have already said it.

Edits about difficult to find modules in the UK/internet:

1. Circuit Abbey Invy seems to have been discontinued/out of stock everywhere - is there a similar alternative Dual Attenuverter & Offset to recommend?

2. Folktek Alter 2 fx modules seems to be US only with a waiting list of about 16 weeks - is there something similar that could work? Although must admit I do like the design of this!

3. AI Synthesis AI008 also seems to be US only and with shipping works out $151 which is a bit expensive and I dont fancy the DIY kit as have no soldering gear - is there an alternative or could I live without it in this setup?

Also a question: how would I connect a Beatstep Pro as an external sequencer to this setup which would also sync tempo (either in/ or out depending on the situation) with other external gear and my computer?

EDITED Jul 23rd 2020, 02:55

Thanks for your detailed response - very helpful!

I agree it makes sense to go for a bigger case and so am now looking at the Doepfer A-100P9 Case PSU3 with 3x 84HP which also has a handle and cover I think which is great - I have updated the build with this in mind.

I took your suggestion for the Intelligel I/O (just what I was looking for - perfect!).

I wasn't quite sure about what to go for in a 2nd filter but the Bastl Cinnamon seemed pretty cool sounding and good value for the size.

I added in an additional Doepfer ADSR.

I know what you mean about the Plasma Drive but its so damn cool - I may in the future move it to its own individual case to use as a distortion for some of my external gear.

For the Oscilloscope - I am a visual person so would like to see what it is happening with the sound that is being created - is there something similar you would recommend that maybe takes up less HP or is a bit more basic? I guess I dont need to monitor 4 inputs at once but maybe 2 waves may be helpful.

One thing I am now not to sure about is I was thinking of using a Beatstep Pro to act as a sequencer and sometimes to sync between my computer and the system - not quite sure how this would connect in this build though?

Also with regards to layout, I am not quite sure what works well - I guess that is the point though of moving things about once you are using the system for optimum efficiency.

Hi Quantum Erase,

Oh yes! That sounds nice ambient :-) Nice reverb too!

Looking at the price, it's a difficult decision. I wonder... if the input you feed to this module is a rather "fast changing pattern" (for example a quick arpeggio) can this module then follow it suit and still everything as nice as you demo it here?

Ha, ha, the last half minute is fun, the music without the Panharmonium, that really demonstrates what this beast can do! :-)

Thank you very much for sharing this with us and demonstrating the Panharmonium. Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Marc,

Thank you :-) That arpeggio is done by the Sinfonion of ACL and the voice used for that is the Make Noise - STO (voice 5) and that through the Ventris Dual Reverb pedal from Audio Source. A bit more complicated then that but roughly like just described.

Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Defragmenteur and Troux,

Troux: okay, looking at Defragmenteur's comment, the better choice :-)

Defragmenteur: Thanks a lot for sharing this, makes me pretty scared about this Pro thing... pity, on paper it looked so good... Or is it a matter of waiting a few more months to wait till all these kind of "starting problems" have been solved?

By the way, are you "touching" all your synthesizer stuff with a ten feet pole? If yes... poor synthesizers, might not be much left of them ;-) Hence, why I use my ten fingers to touch my modules ;-) Or is this because of Covid-19 and that's why you rather take a ten feet pole instead of using your fingers? ;-)

Thank you and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Logical Phallusy,

On one hand it's interesting to read your explanations (a bit like myself) on the other hand it's difficult to judge on what/where you need advice, input and/or feedback. Perhaps the best is that you summarise it in two maximum three lines and then below that mention the questions you have? I haven't come across any real question or did I overlook the questions of yours?

Some general information: I would add one extra row to the rack and keep that empty for adding modules in the (near) future. You still can stay within your 4k budget (going to be tough though) but you have at least the space to extend in case you need, and you will need that :-)

You mention the Rubicon 2 from Intellijel is expensive and indeed that's the case. I got this one myself and though it's certainly a good module but is it worth that kind of money? I am not sure about that, for less money and at least as much fun I enjoy my Make Noise - STO. Perhaps to keep in mind that larger/bigger/more expensive VCO/DCO modules doesn't mean automatically more fun to play with. Of course it depends a bit on what you want to do but your observation is right that the Rubicon 2 is (bloody) expensive and you might want to ask yourself if that's worth it for what it gives you. Best advice is to have it tested at your local dealer. Testing the modules before buying is the best what you can do; not always possible though.

Also generally I would advice to start with a simple setup of: 2 VCOs, 2 LFOs, 2 EGs, 2 filters, ring mod perhaps, noise?, VCAs, mixer and audio input/output module, that as a contrast to your choice of "quite sexy modules" ;-)

Good luck with your planning, as you mentioned it yourself already, start slowly with a few modules and build it up bit by bit, while gaining experience, that's indeed the most enjoyable way into modular. Have fun and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Humanoid01,

By the way, last week I met Humanoid03, a brother or cousin of yours? ;-) Just pulling your leg ;-)

Personally I feel you got a bit too many "sexy looking modules" ;-) Some of them are very nice, I will believe that, but perhaps you should keep that for later when you have more experience with your rack; up to you of course. Think of ditching the Mordax - Data (yes it's nice but straight away buying this one? Is a bit too early I believe), the Plasma drive from Erica Synths? It's pretty large and to start with in a rack, mwah... not so sure, keep that on your wish list, is my advice; and perhaps a few more of that kind of modules.

I would consider one more EG and you might want to consider one more filter to start with. Add also one more empty row to this rack to have some space for the (near) future.

It's easier and better to have an Audio I/O module to "export" your audio out of your rack to your external mixer. From the external mixer take one of the outputs to your speakers. Eurorack modules, the audio signals are of a higher level then audio line levels; so keep that in mind in case you decide not to go for an audio module. I am using the Intellijel Audio I/O and I am pretty happy with it, the only thing it doesn't have is a headphones output. If you need that consider the Befaco - Out v3.

That should do it for the beginning, after that build up experience, at just your opinion on certain matters and then see if those items I asked you to leave it out first, if you still want to have them added. Good luck with it and have fun with modular! Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Eonblue77,

How about going to a hotel room and playing around with your modular rack and using headphones, shut yourself off from the rest of the world and enjoy modular synthesizers? ;-)

But I guess that's not really what you wanted to know, "where to go with your rack" :-)

Okay then, regarding your rack, the size is kind of okay I think, for starters. It's good to keep some space free, keep roughly one row free, if possible a bit more because you will see that you need that free space in the (near) future. But that's what you already did, so that's good!

You might consider one more VCO/DCO, perhaps an EG more too beside the Maths? What I completely miss (or did I overlooked that?) are LFOs. Didn't really see them, not as such at least.

How are you going to "output" your sound from the modular rack to the outside world? An audio I/O module would be helpful here, if you take one with headphones output you can use your rack with headphones too (to go to that suggested hotel room). But of course you can use headphones via your external mixer too (that's what I do and feel is most practical but that's up to everyone's personal taste of doing things).

Good luck with the planning and have fun with modular :-) Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

[Edit: Scrapped all the delay line considerations because none of them can do short enough delays for my purposes, which is stuff like instrument body modeling (violin = .02ms for a 500hz resonance), karplus strong, etc. I replaced it with something I can program my own algorithms with in PureData. Also I'll be able to do stuff like modal synthesis in 'hardware' without needing to buy a dedicated module (or trust anyone else's implementation). I'll also be able to upload my custom talking vowel filter that I already have ready to go (5 formants deep!) :D. I just hope the processor is strong enough to keep up. The Salt has a better processor but both audio in and out are only 44.1hz which is fine for final products but not for stuff that's still being processed.]

Hello all, I've been lurking this site for quite a while now and am considering pulling the trigger on (starting) a build in the near future. My budget is set at 4k, but I know the general advice is to purchase modules slowly. I've been playing with synths, virtual modular programs, and things like CSound and PureData for over 10 years so I do have an idea what I'm doing, how things work, and what my goals are. I will be extending off a Behringer Neutron which I've had for around a year now. I love the immediate and tactile nature of it, and find it way more inspiring than clicking around on a computer. It's also far more performable, and I don't have to spend hours trying to patch up a MIDI control interface to interact with what I create -- the knobs are just there.

This is the build to work toward, and I've outlined my goals and potential solutions to them below. I'm looking for feedback! If you see anything important I've overlooked, know of a more efficient way, or see separate modules that may be reduced to one single module I haven't thought of please let me know!

(note: the bitbox is not going to be in the rack. It's a placeholder for the blackbox which costs exactly the same)

Goal:
Primary: Physical modeling, TZFM, Utility holes in Neutron
Secondary: Generative

What the primary goal requires:
1 TZFM oscillator
a way to model an instrument's body
cover the most frequent things I wish I had while patching the Neutron:
1 full wave rectifier (to pair with neutron slew for an envelope follower)
1+ VCA
1+ EG
9000 attenuverters

Secondary goal requires:
Clock toys
LFOs
Sequencers
Quantizer
etc.

Choices (*frontrunner, current choice):
TZFM osc:
FM ogre
Only does sin waves but has a 's

EDITED Jul 24th 2020, 07:55

Very cool. Nice work.
I got my Panharmonium last week, and it's a game changer for me. It seems to be a polarizing module over on MW, but I feel like you can fit it into almost any patch with some work.

Bought a dervish fx from @AThousandDetails. Very nice contact, secure shipping, thanks m8 :)!

Got my Panharmonium yesterday. That Module is wonderful. You can transform a Loop into something completely different.

It's not an Instant Ambient Machine, you really have to carefully peel out the Sounds from the Source Marterial.

I decided to make a few Demo Tracks, showing that you can turn crappy Loops into Ambient.

Here is my first "Everything is Ambient" Session with the Panharmonium.The Panharmonium is the only Soundsource (with Reverb from ZDSP). I fed the Panharmonium with a short Loop from NebulaeV2.

I start with only 1 Oscillator and slowly stacking up to 11 Oscillators.

A few seconds after the Track ends you can hear the Loop from Nebulae without Panharmonium and ZDSP.

Never knew a boolean operation having a result of '404'. Live and learn.

dogs are the best. the only logical deduction.

EDITED Jul 22nd 2020, 15:57

Hi,

First time posting, new to eurorack.

I bought a DIY braids and it worked fine at first. As i pressed the encoder the module reboots (I think). Pressing it a few times more the module shuts down. It's not starting up again... I've tried two nifty cases without succes.

Any ideas on how to fix?

THX!

A fun book that's related to those ideas and discusses them, is The KLF: Chaos, Magic, and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds by John Higgs.

Voltage Block sends a random 1 volt through Intellijel Quad VCA (which receives a random gate at the CV input from Varigate 8+) to 333. 333 acts as Precision Adder as both quantized pitch CV from Varigate and VB’s 1volt meet there before they go to MiniMod oscillator 2. The result is a random 1 octave pitch change for the notes of Varigate’s sequence.

full patch here:
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/patches/view/65267

Garfield,

12 voices, wow! I like the arpeggio that starts around 4:00 min and just before 8:00 min too, lots of density in there. Also like how spacey the track sounds, nice selection of effects. Great! :)

Actually, there is purpose and meaning to those names, but it would be unreasonable to expect them to be apparent to everyone. In the case of these two pieces they relate to the invocation of a spirit and that spirit 'riding' an initiate. That is what the music suggested to me as I was creating it, and it relates to my interest in the realm of ideas and 'magic' as Alan Moore has discussed and David Lynch's concept of fishing for ideas.

EDITED Jul 22nd 2020, 15:16

EDITED May 2nd 2021, 13:41

One helpful feature would be to differentiate between owned modules and wanted modules. This way you could build a rack and then turn off owned modules to see remaining cost and power needs.