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This is the best post I've seen on this forum. I feel like I've learned so much here too, and it's cool to see someone achieve their dream. Thanks for sharing.

Could you be more specific?

Did you buy anything during this time and then resell it later? Is there anything that you bought that you found yourself not using or regretting the purchase (regret might be too strong of a term... but you get the idea).

MicroSequence runs the clock
Clock divided
2hp Euclid then opens and closes the envelope controlling the Freq and Res on a VCF
2hp Turing machine and Tune control all the Pitches
STO is split off to: 2hp Verb / Erica Pico DSP / Monsoon Clouds
There is also a little 2hp Bell in there which goes through the Stereo Tape Delay on the Disting MK4
Mostly mixed with the Befaco STMIX

Current Rack below (Ignore the DNI Pro DOT as its somewhere between Ukraine and UK on its way in the post)

Got the Disting Ex yesterday and I'm kinda blown away already. I thought the Matrix Mixer algo will be the last one I'd touch but after patching all the six Just Friends outputs into the Ex things have changed for good. Initially I planned to buy an Ex and sell both the Disting mk4's I have but I decided to keep the whole family together. Here's a track + video I made last night.

Cheers to you all.

Nice track again, especially the line and inflexions of the main voice (STO?). Which modules did you use to conduct this voice? Micro Sequence only? BTW, interesting to see your wish list (and right choice about Marbles), but would be more helpful to see the details of you current 3 rows.

So pity that I missed the live version!

Thanks for listening! This was fun so there will be more sets and second chances.

I like that deep bass sound, how did you do that?

All the deep bass in this set comes from SSF Entity Bass Drum. Great module!

Towards the end, you were doing something there, I saw you doing it ;-) But that sounded like a lot of fun and totally reminded me of the "Sound of Noise" (on purpose?) that I assume you know about, funny mini-movie and funny music too!

Yep, I know it! Swedish, like myself. We didn’t have it in mind though. We’re not that clever.

EDITED May 27th 2020, 07:28

Thanks again :)

The Sliders module is the Pittsburgh Modular MicroSequence, its mainly just used as my clock source, it has a cycle that has a probability of a 'rest' so I can start off with a slightly wonky clock. I've not really been using it as the Pitch/gate sequencer it is intended to be though i can see me using it differently as my system slowly lets me experiment with more styles. I do use the Pitch CV to modulate other modules.

Hi Kel,

I just found an update on my local dealer's website about the Endorphin.es Groud Control module, they delayed the availability from end of this month to early October :-( This is getting quite ridiculous long waiting...

Looks like I have no choice and look for something else, any thoughts about the Arturia Keystep Pro? Worth it?

Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Wishbonebrewery,

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yet another nice track from you :-) You made my day. Listening now for the third time at your track and yet subtle but nice to listen at and nice relaxing too!

Nice picture too! In the middle row of your rack, the 2nd module from the left with those 2 times 4 sliders with a few buttons I guess on the right, what kind of module is that? A dual EG or something like that? Nice to use module?

So this forgotten and found-back jewel... how many more of this kind of nice stuff you have laying around and forgot to post it? ;-)

I want: More! More! More! :-D

Kind regards, Garfield.

And thanks too guys :)

Don't think I posted this one

Fantastic post, Mowse! The results sound & look great.

I have been very interested in learning how folks are approaching the organization of their instrument. The color schema you've used to organize the rack, by functional region, is super helpful as a reference point. In particular, designating the purple playground area seems wise. (Have you tried Knurlies? I love them for encouraging rearranging)

Thinking back to your earlier days on this path, has there been any shift in musical vision, goals w/ the case as an instrument, or other philosophical discoveries?

Thanks for sharing, please continue to do so!

EDITED May 27th 2020, 21:41

Hmm...yeah, the Mutamix won't work here in the way you think. Plus, a system like this is VERY underserved by only a single VCA. You don't need the buffered mults, either, since you don't have enough CV destinations to cause voltage sag issues that would affect tuning and scaling. Also, farkas is VERY correct here about the layout/signal flow issues here; this will turn out to be a very unintuitive instrument to work with.

This is another example of "sexy module syndrome", really. You have nice things...but their purpose here isn't clear, nor do you have all of the "boring" utilities, such as attenuverters, mixers, etc that make this sort of thing function properly. You could probably rip half of this out and still get the basic, overall result you're aiming for, in the end. As for "beginner modular"...go look at perhaps the best example of that, the ARP 2600. These have been used for literally DECADES as teaching instruments, and probably the new ones still would be had Korg not lost its damn mind with their "limited reissue" BS. Now, I'm not saying to replicate the 2600...but pay attention to what it has, how it's laid out, and how you might update that to arrive at a good beginner result for yourself.

Nice, yeah, this is how I though you did it, very cool - thanks for sharing :))

It's not easy to get pitch perfect waveforms all together in a file like that, takes a lot of preparation and careful thought usually, which is why the WaveEdit app is so brilliant!

I open the longest file in Soundforge.
Then I've selected about 68 very small parts (from a zero crossing to another) from this file and copy past them one after the other in a new file.

It's not exactly what I wanted to do, because the lenght of the different parts are not the same.
But it works fine.

It can be done with whatever you want .wav file.

That's very nice of you - thank you!!

They sound good :)

It would be great to know what the actual process was if you don't mind sharing?

I'm not that familiar with the Mutamix, but I don't think it operates as a traditional VCA. It looks like there is only CV control over channel muting, not over channel levels. You almost certainly would want something that serves as a combo VCA and mixer like the Intellijel Quad VCA, Veils, or the Zlob Vnicursal. You have also included two delay modules which seems a little redundant, but I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish sound wise, so that's up to you.
A few more things to consider: Do you really need Data in your setup? It eats up a LOT of hp for what it does. I know Data looks cool, but is it going to be indispensable for you? I would recommend against it in a small first rack.
I know a lot of people love the Frap Tools stuff, but I find their interfaces confusing and unintuitive. As a beginner, might you be better served and more productive with something a little more straightforward like Batumi and Zadar for your modulation sources? Maths may be a better option here too.
Finally, there doesn't appear to me to be much rhyme or reason to the layout or signal flow in your rack. I would start by grouping oscillators/sound sources together, sequencing/clocks, modulation sources, effects, VCAs and I/O, etc. As it is, your rack looks really jumbled. Think in terms of an old school hardware synth's signal flow.
You didn't mention what type of music/sound you are interested in making, so it's hard to tell if the modules you have chosen will help you get there. Plaits is a decent choice for someone new to modular because you get a taste of many different sounds, and I know a lot of folks love the sort of aggressive digital sound of the Hertz Donut. Let us know what you are hoping to accomplish, and we can probably make some more specific recommendations.
Have fun and good luck!

Hi,

I've made some electromagnetic fields recordings and I've created a wavetable from those recordings.
Here you can download a file with the raw recordings and 2 wavetables ( with and without effects ).
https://1fichier.com/?36297341vhlksrpwltzt

Let me know what you think of this.
Electromagnetic fields from laptop, smartphone, internet box, electric meter, fridge, induction hob.

Feel free to use the sounds to make sample or wavetable or whatever you want.
I you want.

Cheers

New to Eurorack here. Am I pushing it too far here with this setup as a beginner? These modules are definitely not as straightforward as Doepfer's, for example, and seem to be multi-functional in theme.

Am I missing anything here? Mutamix will act as VCA I'm presuming, though am ultimately unsure.

Guidance would be greatly appreciated for this modular nerd in training.

Hi Sislte,

So pity that I missed the live version! Sounds, like you guys had a lot of fun. I like that deep bass sound, how did you do that?

Towards the end, you were doing something there, I saw you doing it ;-) But that sounded like a lot of fun and totally reminded me of the "Sound of Noise" (on purpose?) that I assume you know about, funny mini-movie and funny music too!

Hopefully next time you let us now a bit earlier upfront so we wouldn't miss it? :-)

Thanks a lot for sharing it and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Mowse,

Wow, that's really NICE with big capitals ;-) Amazing what you have achieved in two years time, I would most probably need 10 years for that, if at all!

I like the way you use those colour frames to explain your rack, it's a good and clear way of explaining it and the viewer directly understands your setup, well done.

The only thing we can hope for is that you don't ditch us again for 2 more years ;-) I would rather like you to stay here without leaving us and providing us once and a while one of your videos in the "You" section of this Forum.

I look forward in hearing more nice stuff from you and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

I've been fortunate with the uZeus power supplies but definitely looking forward to a single case with clean power and rails. I try also to keep noisy things off of the same circuit as the modular setup. Thanks for your advice early on, Lugia. Much appreciated. Looking forward to learning and sharing more as I go.

Yep, turned out pretty well, I have to say. About the only thing I'd change here would be the placement on those uZeuses, in order to get them away from the audio path/devices. But if you're not encountering any noise leakage from them, then yeah...this is solid.

Very nice, thank you for coming back and sharing - looks and sounds like a great result to me :D

Hi,

Sorry, there is no point in adding this to an effect pedal planning tool.

The best,

KNYST,
moderator @ MG

Your voice sounds fine to me and I understand every word, yes, you have an accent, but everyone does - so what?

The truth:

Some people will love your voice, some people won't care and just be interested in what you have to say, some people won't like your voice.

I doubt it will happen, but if anyone gives you a hard time about it, the problem is theirs and you should just ignore them - simple!

Be free - spread your wings and fly :)

Thank for making the video, it's something I have done a long time ago, but nice to see this idea again!

Back in 2018, I wandered into this forum and did that thing, "I like modular synthesizers! They're really neato and also I like turtles!!!@! What should I buy?!" Several of you gave solid advice. It was pretty great. I went off for a year or so to learn everything I could in any way possible, including building oscillators from scratch. Thanks for a push in the right direction.

During that time, I worked on my modular rack. It went through several iterations and 'growth spurts.' I formed a solid game plan and stuck to it, mostly.

Here's where I'm at.

Breaking it down with a color-coded version at http://www.climbhigher.net/image/mowse-modular.jpg and starting from the bottom row:

Red, oscillators and other sound sources.
Orange, filters and effects.
Yellow, utilities and modulation sources, animation.
Green, pre-output effects/utilities and output.
Purple, portable playground and 4th row supplement. Things rotate in and out (e.g. Rene for Mimetic Digitalis and lots of modulation sources)

On the side are two Moog Mother 32’s, an Arturia Keystep, and a handful of modules that move in and out of that top row. Everything is routed into a Scarlett audio interface and Logic Pro X for EQ and recording.

What's next? A proper case with unified power and cabling, but these individual 104hp skiffs were a great way to build slowly.

The layout feels right. Everything I need is where I want it. I sit down, flip a few switches and get right to patching.

A little while back, I created a Discord server where friends get together and jam. Everybody takes a turn and shares a new patch. We’re hanging out, having fun, and learning from each other. It’s pretty great.

For those just diving into this, here are things I learned:

1. Slow your roll! Take your time. Learn first, buy second. Learn, learn, learn!
2. Have a plan. Stick with it, but it’s cool to wander a bit.
3. You’re probably not using that module to the fullest extent. See #1.
4. Find friends, get together, make noise. You’ll have fun and learn tons.
5. Win the lottery, because you’re probably going to ignore #1 - #3.

Here’s one from last night, just a little fun with Rossum Electro-Music Trident and a Mother 32 with Plaits setting a bass tone in the background. Simple sequences with lots of modulation is where I feel most at home. Hope you dig it.

Again, thanks for all of the solid advice given in 2018.

EDITED Jun 2nd 2020, 23:41

Me and my partner will be broadcasting a live performance 9PM CEST (2PM CDT). Just eurorack, a mixer and two plonkers.

Superb! Thank you very much!

-- yalivec

Here is link for tutorial video.

I realize my english speaking voice is really funny. lol

I can’t decide whether open this video to public or not.

If you like ALM that much, why not just go for the Coupe:

https://busycircuits.com/coupe/

Seems pretty well thought out to me and a perfect beginner groove box with a nice voice - one could easily make whole tracks with that setup and a midi controller!

Stick an 0-coast next to it and you have a really nice best of many worlds system in a really small form factor.

Other than that I agree 100% with farkas, let us know what you would like to achieve and we can take it from there... there are unlimited options!

No worries, happy to help. I have MSc Computer Science and 25+ years web dev experience, there's not much I can't do (so long as it isn't Microsoft - don't touch that stuff), so if you would like to talk about this then please contact me privately.

For what it is worth, I trust the MailChimp group, have used them over the last, um, maybe two decades? They are consummate professionals and take security very seriously. In fact I would argue that by not using a service like this you are taking greater risks with user data and possibly missing the mark when it comes to complying with GDPR - maybe?!

There may be a problem in that your terms and conditions may not cover using this kind of third party service too - needs to be checked.

All sortable, but requires careful thought and consideration.

Also, never used them but I hear good things about MailJet and their pricing is pretty reasonable.

https://www.mailjet.com/pricing/

I would definitely move the marketplace to Unicorn Land - that gets my unreserved approval - if you can afford modules you can afford to support Modular Grid - end of story!

I would however make this so only Magical Unicorns can sell, but anyone can browse and buy, that's fair I think!

It also has the side effect that there is a much higher chance that a seller is a genuine person with a traceable email address, PayPal account and bank account. It helps with accountability, not that it is needed much around here, I have had great experiences with everyone so far.

I wish you all the very best and as I say, if you would like to chat more about this please do get in touch.

Kind regards :)

The general rule of thumb is to buy a much larger case than you think you need (this is good advice). I would recommend something that is at least 6u 104hp (like the TipTop Mantis). The Pittsburgh Modular cases are really nice too. Plenty of built-in power and connections. I'm a fan of threaded rails too. Sliding nuts are kind of a pain.
Though I don't know what kind of music you are interested in making, or if you already have any external gear to integrate with your proposed rack, you are missing quite a few things that would make this a fun setup. You are definitely going to need VCAs and some sort of sequencing option. You will probably want more modulation options than you currently have. And how will you listen to your results? Do you need a mixer and an I/O module with a headphone output and/or something to convert eurorack levels to line level?
I would recommend taking a long hard look through this forum to see previous recommendations on beginner setups. You will find a lot of questions, answers, and recommendations to make your journey into modular much more productive.
Have fun and good luck!

I would recommend a transactional email service like Mandrill, but I understand this is additional expense!!
-- Kel_

Did not know Mandrill, thanks for the hint. Indeed that could become pricey soon.
I am also feeling not comfortable to hand out user email addresses to a third service provider.
Most emails are generated through the "notify me on a new marketplace offer" function. Maybe I limit or just shift this function to Unicorn land, that would cut the email traffic by half.

Good choice, all I know is their oscillators are among the very best around, I watched a very well performed test between 4 different oscillators, and the the AJH were pretty much outstanding of the 4. There is also a company in Berlin (ACL) which are making incredible oscillators and filters in the same tradition.

LilP, Well you seem have your head in a good place. I am using two Arturia Beatsteps Pro which gives me 4 64 step sequences, there is a polyphonic tool from a different perspective. I'm happy to hear that you have similar thoughts on polyphony in Eurorack as I do. One incredible instrument you might like is a new module from Humble Audio

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/humble-audio-quad-operator

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/humble-audio-algo-expander-for-quad-operator

This one is impressive. Its actually 4 oscillators that can be used as separate voices which sound amazing. But this is actually a Linear Through Zero FM Complex Oscillator. There are reviews on it already

You might be interested in this one.

hey i was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out with my modular set up!
really new here in this fascinating world and still know close to nothing in terms of cases, power supplies etc (so all the important bits) - im quite happy with my module choices as i really like the busy circuits stuff and have researched these ones quite a bit,

im mainly unsure on what type of case and power supply stuff i should be considering?
and if i've missed any other important bits?

let me know if you can help! thank you :)

Hi GunnarWaage,

I have spent a fair amount of time studying peoples opinions on polyphony in eurorack and definitely understand where you are coming from. It seems as though many people possibly even the majority believe that eurorack shines as a monophonic format. That being said what I am think is significantly more complex than just chords and is much closer to fully contrapuntal lines with a drone or ostinato in the background. To me eurorack appears especially well suited for this because having separate voices that have significantly different textures can be achieved by running each voice through different filters, envelopes, effects, etc. Think like an orchestra with a string section, a brass section, and a woodwind section. This simply cannot be easily achieved simultaneously on most polyphonic synthesizers (or at least not with the level of control I wish to have).

All of that being said, I realize that having a variety of different oscillators, more filters, and many other modules would be needed to fully realized this goal, but the layout I posted is my rough idea for a starting point that I can expand on as I learn the format better and have time to save up money for additional modules.

Beyond all of that, many of the artists that I have been listening to who primarily or prominently use eurorack seem to have polyphonic setups (or at least that is what I hear but can’t see if they are 100% in the rack or not from Spotify). Artists that come to mind are AnnAnnie, Lightbath, and Ben Jordan. I am thinking more classically than these artists at the moment but may try to grow into their styles more later on. More importantly however, I think it is noteworthy that these artists have reached a relative amount of success and acclaim with eurorack, so I’m not sure if any form of polyphony should be disregarded or even discouraged, although it is fair to warn of a significant increase in monetary investment in what is already a very expensive format.

I do understand where you are coming from and agree that eurorack can be an awesome format for monophony, but also believe that it’s polyphonic capabilities have yet to be fully explored. Thanks again for your opinions and input, it has definitely been good for thought, and I’ll be checking out some of the modules and equipment you suggested for sure!

Hey Ian,

Sorry, I meant to say floppy drive, not floppy disk.

Enjoy the planning phase of modular and look forward to hearing from you once you got your first modules and your first impression :-) Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Illlumen,

Yes, take it easy, while saving money, you can play around with your rack and those modules and after a while you will see you get a more clear view on what you like and prefer, from there you can then see how you can "fill up" the HP-gap :-)

Have fun with your modular system and kind regards, Garfield.

Okay... bye then!

Enjoy MW and good luck...

Please do tell us how you get on - I for one like to get to the end of the story :)
-- Kel_

Like a whodunit with the last page torn out :-)

Well, to be 100% honest, when I wrote that my Neutron had arrived and I was going to give up.

I'm now considering options. Why? See:

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=232344

Why not here? Because I use a Chrome extension called Read & Write which, for some reason doesn't work on this site:-(

Hey Garfield

Thanks for taking al ook.

However, I've done without the into for donkeys so I guess it would be no big deal if it went to the grave with me :-)

The SY77 is the only hardware synth I have left so no others to back up.

Very useful to know, though, if anyone needs to use floppies.

Hey Garfield Modular,

thanks for your advice. At the moment I already have installed every module in the rack (Mantis) you can see in the picture. So I really know how limited my space is right now. I have tested the Harmonic Oscillator and the Complex Oscillator and I decided to keep the HO. So I still want one more oscillator for drones and textures. I strongly lean towards the E352, soundwise.
But it will take some more time until I got the money together, so I should have enough time to think it through.

Hi Ian,

For a few bucks you can buy a cheap USB floppy drive ;-) Then you are at least able to transfer your old stuff to your computer.

Hmm, they are not as cheap as I hoped for but one looks quite reasonable (amazon.co.uk).

Kind regards, Garfield.

Edit: Removed typo

EDITED May 24th 2020, 22:32

Please do tell us how you get on - I for one like to get to the end of the story :)

I know what I'm going to do now.

Thank you :-)

Yes I let you know If I can do something listenable.
I've contacted Paul Schraber.

EDITED May 24th 2020, 14:59

I ended up deciding on the ladder filter. Less sound sculpting options, but it sounds so freakin' good. Thanks for the input.

Yes, they are pretty much unobtanium at the moment, no idea if any more will be made, Scott is currently releasing a lot of MKIII modules so it could be that this will never be made again, but I don't know that!

Scott can be very slow to reply, but he usually does eventually.

I would not place an order expecting anything to arrive any time soon.

There are lots of alternatives, although none that I know of that will match this particular expression!

Frap Tools Falistri, Endorphin.es Grand Terminal, Make Noise Maths, etc.

If you are looking for the Harvestman flavour, you could perhaps try the original Double Andore, there are a few of those around, but again, they are not the same, although some folk would argue the original is the better of the two if you like super snappy envelopes.

What was it about the Double Andore MK][ you were specifically interested in? I might be able to help!