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Nice rig and really well structured, kudos.

Just finished the new studio desk, modular case, and wiring. Such a change from the haphazard stack of 104HP skiffs and uZeus flying bus cables. Everything is now right where I want it to be.

"And my tears in league
With the wires and energy
And my machine
This is my beautiful dream"

http://www.climbhigher.net/images/EP-420-Build.jpg

Made a new one:

https://stevehand.bandcamp.com/track/akemies-drone

Definitely my favorite so far with my new rigs, long again (as always), ochd => Akemie => Zadar + VCA => Polaris => Mimeophon => Rings => Clouds, fairly simple patch-wise but with some nice variation going on (imho!). Sadly the second take was the best but it didn't record. That said I'm happy with it anyway, hope you all enjoy!

Thank you, for the kind words. I really appreciate it.

I've just finished the new studio setup. The Pittsburgh Modular Structure EP-420 is larger than life and beautifully made. Fire away at the sliding nuts, but I don't mind. It's simply gorgeous.

Looking forward to getting right to work on some new tracks.

Thanks for the feedback and some helpful food for thought

I guess one of the other things I am aware of is that as I am still new to this I don't want to overwhelm myself with things - would you think it may be better to simplify this rack idea - and what would you take out/put in? I could lose the FR Transient Plus and although the Morphagene looks fun, it isn't necessary.

As I say I started with the Erica Synths System 2 as a starting point but wanted to add some additional bits to go with it. I thought the Make Noise B&G system looked good but for some reason the demos didn't really do much for me in terms of the sounds coming out.

For the utility modules, is there any you would recommend that aesthetically look nice but are also relatively simple for a beginner?

EDITED Jul 18th 2020, 17:15

I see enough sound sources, modulation sources and sound modifiers for this size rack

I would keep links - not only does it have a buffered mult - which you should use for v/oct - you can then send a single v/oct to the 3 potential sound sources (odessa, e352 and clouds) but it also contains 2 basic mixers - which you will almost definitely be glad of - I do not see a dedicated sequencer!

the deficits in this rack are the same as in most newbie racks - although, yours is reasonably balanced - links and kinks are a great utility starter set imho - the lack of utility modules to support the shiny expensive ones - clouds (if it is an og or a 'faithful' clone) benefits greatly from some attenuators (I have a 2hp trim module either side of mine) - yes I know you have attenutaors in Maths, but why waste them like that - check the maths illustrated manual for why you shouldn't just see maths as a collection of utilities - but as a self contained analog computer for self-patching interesting functions

you have too many big feature modules and not enough support modules

In my racks I have about 30% of the space dedicated to utilities - this feels about right to me - whereas you have under 10% (the only thing I would class as a utility module that you have is a mixer and a single vca) - I might not use every single module in every patch - but quite often I do

spend some time thinking about how you would patch this - try arranging something similar in vcvrack and see just how many mixers, mults, vcas etc you really need to get the most out of that number of modules - play with a number of different types of utility module to understand how you would use them in your workflow - for example how you really need a sub-mixer to mix the vcos before hitting the filter etc etc

if you are 'married' to the modules you have chosen go for a bigger case (6u / 104hp or 9u /84hpfor example) - add in a quad cascading vca, some logic modules, sample and hold, rectification, utility mixers, mults, switches, matrix mixers

some people describe these modules as boring and whine about not wanting to spend money on modules that don't produce or effect sound - but these are generally people who have not learnt to patch modular synthesizers, yet - these functions are easily ignored if moving from a fixed architecture synth (or soft synths) to modular as most of them are almost always hidden or obscured in some way

but utility modules are the (relatively inexpensive) dull polish that make the expensive, shiny modules, shine brighter and prevent tarnishing

This is my rack idea and hoping for feedback or advice as this will be my first delve into full modular after a Doepfer Dark Energy and Moog Grandmother. Is there anything obviois missing or seems out of place?

[Edit: Idea Updated]

Also I was looking at a Tiptop Audio Mantis Blue to house which has 2 x 104 HP and 6U. Would you think this would be OK for this rig?

A bit about my purpose - I love lots of different types of sound and music and already have my rig for music production (including a TR8s, OB6, Blofeld, Minitaur, Future Retro Revolution, Grandmother and Dark Energy) so this really would be about having fun and exploration with sound, but could be great to incorporate into my other work possibly - particularly as I would like to use this opportunity to focus more on creating dark ambient, deep vibes as well as on the flipside harder techno/hardcore (but don't necessarily need a system that can do all of that in one).

I have also been listening to a lot of eastern music recently and interested in exploring different rythms.

Although I know it should not be the driving force of decision making I am a very visual person so the look of the modules is almost as important to me as the function - I am immediately attracted to modules such as the Euclidean Circles as well as other interesting designs and colours. I'm not too fussed about getting things that everyone else has (although understand many modules are popular for a reason) but at the same time wouldnt want unecessary or poor value modules.

I was initially thinking of starting with an all in one unit such as the Make Noise B&G system plus which looks great and there are a lot of modules in there which seem strong but I don't think all of them would suit my style. I have however, been very impressed with the videos I have seen of Erica Synths and was particularly interested in their Fusion System 2.

Therefore my rack idea borrows a lot from this system but swapped their delay/flanger with the Folktek as it looks cool. I added the FR transient for drum/loops (althouh I have also been thinking of Plaits and maybe a 3hp Pico Erica Synths drum module instead along with the Euclidian Cicles to help with rhythm. I added a mixer as would like to connect to my external mixing desk to plug into speakers/Daw

It would be great to sync with my external gear but I do have a Beatstep Pro so assume can do via this to sync with extermal drum machine/synths etc. Its not essential but would be fun.

EDITED Jul 19th 2020, 04:53

(dont know how i get the rack picture updated:))
-- Broken-Form

Go back to the rack's page, refresh it, then check in View: Screenshot to see if the screenshot pic matches what you see in the layout. If not, refresh again and check again. If it works, it should be possible to refresh this thread and see the new version.

Yes you should be able to connet the Outputs from your module into the Ins on your mixer just like any other instrument. I have not used Reaper but assume you just set up the soundcard connections and select the audio channel with the module on it - at least that's how I would do it in Cubase.

Just do a couple of test records to make sure audio is coming though on the correct channel before getting too involved (I have done this before and wasted a whole session by not having the correct line selected).

EDITED Jul 20th 2020, 10:19

Thank you @yari! Great seller! Happy dealing with you!

Thanks for checking it out. I keep getting sucked into having fun with the lo-fi minimal thing. :)
I'm actually getting ready to start a different kind of project in a few minutes.
Take care!

Good one @farkas, everything's feeling super integrated, it's pretty impressive.

Hi! I'd like to share with you my new release, it's called Recel. I used my eurorack mainly as an effects processor for some sounds, but also Clouds for some textures.

I have some Brazilian roots and have been researching Brazilian music and culture for some years now. Lately I've been focusing on the Indians and I've discovered that they have a very happy musical style. I also had the opportunity to visit some communities. Unfortunately, our so-called progress is putting a lot of pressure on them and they are forced to abandon their lands or let go of their traditions. In my opinion this has to change.

I am part of a collective called Amatori. We are just a few friends who like to create and play music together in our free time. This is our second release and this time we decided to do a limited run of 50 cassettes.

Please feel free to share the music if you like it or show it to someone who might like it. You can also buy the cassette, download the digital version for free or name your price on our Bandcamp page;

amatori.bandcamp.com

I hope you like it!

have updated the rack abit,going home from holiday today so will update it more when i get home.

i actually have the newest version of maths arriving on monday

(dont know how i get the rack picture updated:))

EDITED Jul 17th 2020, 09:36

Felt like doing a cover, so here's my take on Suicide's 1977 minimal synth punk beast, "Ghost Rider." Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I can't stop experimenting with the post-punk sound through modular.
Eloquencer sequencing AJH Minimod, Rings (in Easter egg mode), Blck_Noir, and vocals through a harmonica mic into Milky Way. Glitch visuals from The Outsiders.

Thanks, as always, for your time!

Hi Mowse,

This is serious stuff! You are blowing my head clean off with this track ;-) The way you take your time and slowly build up the tension in the track and let the listener relax, sit back, and yet very exciting listening experience.

I can put a lot more prose here but this is just fantastic, so good, so enjoyable! No further words needed other than that I want your list of concert data! The only bugger at the moment is Covid but straight after that I hope you will consider a few concerts in Germany :-)

I look forward in seeing you performing live and kind regards, Garfield.

Not too shabby. Although, there's some areas that could be whupped on a bit more...

First up, you might find that a Wasp VCF is a bit too aggressive for ambient. It's also kinda simplistic, which (given ambient's reliance on shifting timbres) could be a drawback. Instead, look at some more complex filters such as Doepfer's A-106-1 (has an insert in the feedback path, allowing you to majorly screw with this via delays, reverbs, etc etc), Limaflo's Motomouth (morphing formant filter), a Rossum Linnaeus (stereo SVF with thru-zero capability), or Intellijel's Morgasmatron (complex dual state-variable, pretty much a "Swiss Army Knife" filter).

As for the VCO situation, I disagree with the above poster. You should look into a VCO setup that has a lot of capability for strange modulation methods, like Intellijel's Rubicon3 or Xaoc's Odessa, plus also consider a simple VCO or two (like Noise Reap's interestingly screwy Bermuda or uBermuda) for AF modulation of either the Cloud Terrarium or whatever second source oscillator you choose. But you DO need more than just the Cloud Terrarium for the sake of sonic complexity/density.

Modulation sources...first of all, that version of Maths is long-discontinued. The 2019 one should be in here unless you have one of these early ones on hand. Batumi + Poti = good. No envelopes (I don't consider the Maths to be just an EG) = bad. A good choice there would be Intellijel's Quadrax, which sort of condenses their Quadra and the Quadra Expander into a single quad function generator. And yes, a Sloths would fit very well here, as might a VERY long EG such as 4ms's PEG.

Things to lose: Links (don't use a mult module in a small build...use inline mults instead), Kinks, and the Ladik mixer. As for the latter two, you need a more comprehensive random source module, with the pinnacle being something like the Verbos Random Sampling (offers many Buchla 265 SoU functions, plus has a shift register for canonic polyphony)...and you need a better mixer that can offer CV over functions such as panning, level, AUX send; the Qu-bit Mixology would be a better fit, and also allow the Erbeverb to be used in a proper AUX send/return fashion.

Now, as for the sequencing...this is where the definition of "ambient" comes into play. Are you trying to do something more determinate and/or "Berlin School"-ish, or do you need something more random or generative and stochastic-based? Or does this need to be more akin to a controller/sequencer, such as a Make Noise Rene/Tempi combo? And whichever one is needed will ALSO determine what ancillary modules are needed to go with it, so it's a bit of a "hole" until/unless you can define how you want that to work compositionally.

Lastly...make the cab bigger. Not that you'll actually wind up with a huge cab, but it helps to be able to create a fully overblown version of what you have in mind first, then pare this back down to something more workable...unless, of course, big is OK.

Hi Gabor,

Oh this is nice and interesting! Again nice usage of the Planar and your OP-1 just complements the setup here.

I love the effects in this track, with some nice stereo effects in there too. I also appreciate the video, it's nice and interesting to see you at work here, well done!

The perhaps nicest thing to notice here is your "dark forest of cables", massive and impressive to look at it while enjoying to listen at your music :-)

Keep up the good stuff, I enjoyed every second of it and kind regards, Garfield.

Been really busy this past week and also preparing to move "all the things" into a Structure EP-420 and onto a new studio desk. Managed to sneak in a quick little jam last night. Started with Marbles and Rene into DPO and Trident and let things evolve. Should be settled in by the weekend for some sit down time with the new setup.

Thanks for listening!

That's cool, I can see how the analog oscillators help with that. :)

For me, I like to focus on only one voice module for now. I find that limiting my options makes things less distracting for me. Besides, I have a Nord keyboard and Ableton Live for my polyphony needs!

The modules I have are the ones in the image above.

For the Akemie's Castle setup, I decided to throw Rings out for now and get a QPAS as my “final” module. I think the extra filtering capabilities will come in handy, and it will be fun to try some stereo processing. I will also switch out FHX-8CV for Ears to get an envelope follower in the rack. I now feel that all modules in the rack are working together and are supporting Akemie's Castle in a way that is relevant for what I want to explore right now.

For modulation, I have decided to experiment using CV Tools in Ableton Live, and see how that goes.

For extra effects, I will use Ableton Live (perhaps adding on to it Valhalla VintageVerb and Valhalla Shimmer).

And when I want to explore the other modules, I can switch out Akemie's Castle for Morphagene, Rings and Quantum Rainbow 2, and have something very different to play around with.

Thanks for your thoughts! :)

I think you're actually in pretty good shape for VCAs (six VCAs for a system of this size seems fine). What you may find, though, is that you need more sound sources... unless you count filters self-oscillating, you only have one oscillator here. You don't need to add a second source immediately, but it should probably be high on your list for next steps.

You're in good shape for most other things, I think, but one thing I always like to suggest is Sloths. It would go very well here.

Finally, how are you controlling/sequencing this? MIDI? If not, then you might want some sort of sequencer module.
-- Shakespeare

sloths is on my list for modules to check.regarding sequencing i need to do some research would love to hear from others that make ambient/Dark Ambient regarding sequencing modules

20 out my 23 modules were used in this patch.

I think you're actually in pretty good shape for VCAs (six VCAs for a system of this size seems fine). What you may find, though, is that you need more sound sources... unless you count filters self-oscillating, you only have one oscillator here. You don't need to add a second source immediately, but it should probably be high on your list for next steps.

You're in good shape for most other things, I think, but one thing I always like to suggest is Sloths. It would go very well here.

Finally, how are you controlling/sequencing this? MIDI? If not, then you might want some sort of sequencer module.

Im new to modular,im slowly building my first rack for Dark Ambient

i need some more vcas,what im not so sure about is what utility modules i am in need of?

EDITED Jul 17th 2020, 09:30

I see that you have already changed out most of the modules pictured here. What are you wanting to accomplish music-wise? It looks like you are going for the generative ambient sound with the modules pictured here. In this rack, I would think you will want at least a quad VCA to CV volume/amplitude.
It's not going to be very fun to work with all of the 2hp modules you have in your other build, modulation-wise or workflow-wise. I'm a fan of larger modules with more modulation options. Modulation weirdness is the fun of modular, and many of the 2hp modules don't give you a lot of options.
Have fun and good luck!

any thoughts on this rack? open to any and all suggestions

Hi Sistle,

Oh that's kind of okay one day. Thanks for the hint, will check out Mvgen once I got the opportunity for it.

Take care and good luck with creating creative music :-D Kind regards, Garfield.

NOTE TO SELF:

I like this option for a portable palette case. I could do generative stuff as-is on the go, or pair it with an 0-CTRL at my desk to add more control. The biggest downside besides the lack of sequencer in the case is the omission of Ears. I would have to load my field recordings onto a SD card and import via Morphagene rather than just transferring straight from the recorder. However, this method would import stereo field recordings, which is an improvement over my current Mono setup. Morphagene and Arbhar have enough gain that I should still be able to sample audio from my phone.

Another downside is that I can only easily mix the two stereo voices. If I really want to mix in a third external voice (or Three Sisters), I could run a mono output of Morphagene through Arbhar (after filtering and/or FX) to mix with the Wet/Dry knob and mult the third voice to mix with the two regular voices via the VCAs. This allows me to use the built-in effects on Arbhar. I could also go the other way if I want to forgo the Arbhar reverb and add effects to everything together after Morphagene. This would allow Morphagene to output stereo.

Stereo mixing will typically be done with the two VCAs. Arbhar and Morphagene have their own level control, so the lack of knobs is not a problem. If I want to actually use the VCAs as VCAs, I will have to either mix with the wet/dry knob procedure described above to leave both free, mix mono Arbhar and Morphagene to leave one free, or use the Duatt to mix one side instead of one of the VCAs, which would leave me without offset control for Arbhar effects. I can’t think of many scenarios where I would use both the VCAs as more than simple mixers, except for fading between the two voices in stereo, which would actually be pretty cool. Regardless, they fit nicely in the case to allow for the stereo mixing I need.

PNW acts as a VCA for its own control voltage and Arbhar and Morphagene have built-in VCAs. As such, I would only use the VCAs with the Noise Tools and the external 0-CTRL.

PNW now has smooth random, so the Noise Controls module is less important, but still fun. I could still use the slew with the 0-CTRL.

EDITED Jul 17th 2020, 00:51

Think it's just called "EQ7" with no space, which I mention only because it doesn't pop up when you search for the actual correct phrase.

Nice video, indeed goes well with your music! Must have been a lot of work :-)
-- GarfieldModular

Well, a day. Mvgen does most of the work. Try it out! It's free and stupid.

Hey this is nice. Good work!
-- ParanormalPatroler

Thanks!

bought a mangrove from @notwaving
smooth and perfect transaction!

Since my last post I bought modules from @100000bps, @tonito, @Slocap and @LiquidYzer (sorry man but I can't tag you properly).
Everything went smooth, no problems at all.
I also bought a Monsoon from @PinPinKula, communications could be faster but the module safely arrived and it's a flawless build.

Thanks :)

Hi Radtron,

I had a look at your rack, quite some modules are okay however I am missing the filters, I didn't see any filters, right? So plan at least two filters if possible. One more EG would be useful too.

I am missing a mixer as well before you put the output to the Rosie module from Make Noise.

Just when I wanted to click the Submit button I realised... I don't think I see any LFOs here as well? So plan at least one or two LFOs. I noticed you got two VCA modules, one quad VCA, so perhaps for the moment you keep the quad VCA and ditch the other VCA to get some space for the LFOs?

Though Maths is a good module, it eats up quite a bit of your HP space, so you might want to consider to take another EG instead of the Maths to save some space. If you want to stick with the same brand then you might want to consider Contour but there are other brands around that come with (more space) efficient EG modules.

I noticed you plan quite a few logic modules, which is of course on one hand good to have but if you relate that to the size of your rack, it might be perhaps one logic module too much? Saving space again and use that for a filter instead?

Other than that, I wish you good luck, welcome to modular synthesizers and have fun :-) Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Wishbonebrewery,

Oh this is nice relaxing! You are right space enough but there is no reason to (over) complicate this, it's perfect as it is :-) I am pressing the play button again and going to relax on your music!

Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

Its taken me a while to start using the Freeze button on #Clouds, this is the #2hp #Pluck heading into #MonsoonClouds with plenty of modulation in Clouds coming from the #Divkid / #Instruo #ochd, i split a bit of the audio off and filtered it through the external in on the #ADDAC105 #4VoiceCluster's HP Filter and sent it through the pingpong Delay on the #Erica #PicoDSP, then the #NoiseEngineering #BinSeq is running long gates turning on and off the Freeze Button, there's also a little modulation coming from the Noise Engineering #ClepDiaz which mainly tweaks the texture slider on Monsoon. There is a lot of space in this piece, I didn't see a reason to complicate it.

Cheers for listening.

Please review my rack. I like to play generative, poly-rhythmic with layered elements of sequencing. I want to be able to interact with my pieces as much as allow them to shape themselves. I would like feedback on types of modules to explore using with some possible examples. Thank you for your time.

i have a old korg monotron delay laying around that i dont really use,is it possible to be able to use it as a delay effect with eurorack(without to much effort???)

Thanks to @restlessboy and @Oblique_Noir for the modules I bought. Great communication and quick dispatch.

Ha! Yeah, I'm not sure I'm up for the real thing.
I checked out the Subharmonicon more in depth yesterday. That is definitely on my watchlist now. It gives me some deep early Depeche Mode vibes on its own. Would be awesome integrated more deeply with modular.

Hey this is nice. Good work!

Hi Panos Volkov,

Oh my goodness! What a nice treat is this "Night Strolling" track of yours. Such a sonic experience with so many interesting sounds you are surprising the listener with! Normally 17 minutes is pretty much, but for your track that's considering short, you keep the listener stuck to the chair, keep surprising him/her with fantastic sounds, and not once, no not twice, not thrice, not even ten times but uncountable times, again, and again, you got one after another surprise up your sleeve in your music. I don't know what to say other than this is seriously good.

Somewhere half the track I think, I get the feeling of listening at a new generation of Vangelis! Beautiful!

I haven't been entertained for quite a while so good as a listener as by your Night Strolling track. Superb and I hope to hear more from you on this level! Kind regards, Garfield Modular.
-- GarfieldModular

Thank you so So much GarfieldModular !!

Right now, the only other piece of external gear I have besides the DFAM is the SOMA Labs Lyra-8. I figured that was the closest I could ever get to Fripp's guitar sound on No Pussyfooting. :)
-- farkas

Well, that, and maybe a couple of Revox B77s and a VERY sturdy table! :-)

Hi Sislte,

Nice video, indeed goes well with your music! Must have been a lot of work :-)

Well done and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Panos Volkov,

Oh my goodness! What a nice treat is this "Night Strolling" track of yours. Such a sonic experience with so many interesting sounds you are surprising the listener with! Normally 17 minutes is pretty much, but for your track that's considering short, you keep the listener stuck to the chair, keep surprising him/her with fantastic sounds, and not once, no not twice, not thrice, not even ten times but uncountable times, again, and again, you got one after another surprise up your sleeve in your music. I don't know what to say other than this is seriously good.

Somewhere half the track I think, I get the feeling of listening at a new generation of Vangelis! Beautiful!

I haven't been entertained for quite a while so good as a listener as by your Night Strolling track. Superb and I hope to hear more from you on this level! Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

On in five!

Excellent product, works really well with my Disting EX over the i2C connection on the rear of both modules. Allows me to modulate and adjust 16 parameters at the same time if I need to.

Jam in Cm.

Main sequence comes from Varigate 8+ and MiniMod oscillator 2. Then to Morgasmatron which is in parallel mode. OUT A (LP2 and then BP mode) goes to Left input and OUT B (BP mode) goes to the right input of Magneto for the dotted 8th delay effect.

Notice that 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.
See patch here:
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/patches/view/65270

Lead voice comes from the Make Noise DPO. Oscillator A is in LFO mode and its EXPO input is modulated from Batumi which is in expert mode (Matthias Puech firmware) for the trembling effect. Same for oscillator B (distorted voice).

Marbles sends random pitches in Cm to DPO (lead voice). Also sends random pitches to BIA which is responsible for some weird noises. Both BIA and DPO goes to Clouds (delay+reverb)

Bassline comes from Varigate 8+ and MiniMod oscillator 1 (triangle) which goes directly to 531 output mixer.

I should keep Blck_Noir’s Kick MORE in that reverse reverb mode!! After I heard the recording I noticed how good it was..

See patch on ModularGrid for more details:
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/patches/view/65267

Gear:
AJH Synth MiniMod Vintage Transistor Core VCO
Intellijel Morgasmatron
Mutable instruments Marbles
Expert Sleepers FH-2
Make Noise DPO
Intellijel Triatt
Xaoc Devices Poti
Xaoc Devices Batumi
Frap Tools 321
Xaoc Devices Belgrad
Strymon Magneto
Frap Tools 333
Intellijel Quadra
Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter
Intellijel Quad VCA
Mutable instruments Clouds
Endorphin.es BLCK_Noir
Malekko Heavy Industry Varigate 8+
Malekko Heavy Industry Voltage Block
Roland SYSTEM-500 531

on vacation right now so cant try out untill friday.

i want to record my modular into my Daw(Reaper) for my soundcard i use a presonus studio live 16.0.2,in my modular i have a Ladik M-171 Pannable Mixer,can i just connect cables from the M-171 into channels on the studiolive,choose those channels in Reaper and then record??