All Posts

I don't find Falistri overcomplicated and cluttered.
-- plragde

good - my impression is just from looking at pictures of it - I'm sure it's a great module, just not for me!

Hi Seanmonaghan,
Oh wow, sounds great your music! Kind of film music with a bit of a touch of a mixture between modern Isao Tomita and Philip Glass. He, he, and you got yourself a cute small mini-Eurorack ;-)
Thank you very much for sharing this with us and kind regards, Garfield.
-- GarfieldModular

Wow, thanks. Very flattered. I feel like such a newbie, but film music is something I do like, especially those albums where people have scored imaginary films. Cheers!

I can see the temptation of another filter here but I'd probably add more modulation or utilities, maybe a Turing Machine, Links or Kinks (even though those two are out of print I guess? what do we recommend now???) or barring that a different end of chain effect, maybe a Beads.

I have a Falistri and a Maths and like them both. Falistri does a ton for 18HP and it does have some really unique features. One thing I will point out that I don't like about it though is that the green and yellow sections are not actually function generators, they're envelope generators which means that some of the cooler things Maths can do Falistri can't. So from my PoV if you're interested in learning some of the basics of analog synthesis, if you value tactile interaction (IMHO Maths is the more ergonomic of the two) and you have other support utilities Maths would be the pick, if you don't have much room for other utilities and you just need a module to get 5/6 different things done pretty well, then Falistri is a solid choice with the bonus that it can also function pretty well as an oscillator.

Good stuff, nicely done both sound & visuals. A pleasure to watch and listen.

I don't find Falistri overcomplicated and cluttered. I chose it over Maths because it seemed more straightforward to me (plus I liked the aesthetics better, a small bonus). The Frap modules have a lot of modulation options with attenuverters, which really helps. Falistri has both bipolar and unipolar outputs. Shape does not affect cycle time, which is important when using it as an oscillator. It tracks V/oct really well. Maths can do some things that Falistri cannot, and vice-versa. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:19

Joesh, a few comments:

-- I agree with Lugia, if you have space and $s for a larger case, why not leave yourself some expansion room? That said, Cangore recently put up a very nice small build (https://www.modulargrid.net/e/forum/posts/index/10432); yes it can be done.

-- PNW, Stages, Quad VCA, I have those, those are great. PNW is so good I'd recommend it almost without restriction. Stages is great also BUT since it is so flexible it takes some time and work to understand; I have DATA which helps a lot, I can run Stages into DATA to really see what the envelope is doing as I tweak stages. The Divkid video on Stages is also a big help. I would take Stages over Maths in a smaller build, but that's just me, I use Stages more than Maths. BTW the Loopop video on Maths is excellent, dispels a lot of the "wtf is this" questions. Aside from Maths, you could consider Joranalogue Contour 1.

-- you mentioned you have some external gear (sequencer) etc you would use with the new Modular setup. I would encourage you (if you haven't already) to fully think through how you link and synchronize those. It's very doable; it'll just save you some headaches

-- so much stuff is stocked out lately, I tend to go with options I like that are also in stock vs. waiting forever for a particular module to be available, who knows when it will?

Hope this helps!

Nicholas

This isn't the right approach. For one thing, modular samplers tend to be rather limited (by space, storage, and current draw) when compared to a 15-20 year old Akai. Those work differently; you have multisample capability because the RAM isn't as limited, plus some (the late E-Mu ones) offer some interesting resampling capabilities. Contrast that with something like the 1010 Bitbox, where you basically have sixteen monophonic samplers under a global control set and the sample triggers.

What I would suggest would actually be one of the late E-Mu units (E5000, ESI4K) or later Akai (5000 or, if you can find one with the panel, 6000), then stacking this with as much RAM as it'll handle. Then just leave the sampler's OS on its internal drive, and for all of the sample data, get a Gotek or Nalbantov FD replacer so that you can use large SD cards or thumb drives for your sample files as well as any patch save data. Once you've got, say, 256 GB or more for those with rapid media access speeding up the sample load/save process, you've got a seriously hot-rodded hardware sampler.

Now, here's how you factor the modular back into this...

Instead of creating a build that does ALL of the sampling work, create one that ONLY works as a controller system for the sampler. This would have a sequencer, the usual array of modulation sources and cohort modules...but NO sound generation capabilities. Instead, this build needs to use Silent Way (if on PC), Volta (Mac only) or Ableton Live's CV Tools (either) to translate and/or process the outgoing CV/gate/trig signals from the modular, converts this to the appropriate sysex calls, and sends them back out to the sampler WITH the potential for also adding further complexities via the computer's capabilities. Beefier, more robust, and more open-ended.

Thanks for the suggestions! Haha sorry, I totally missed where you said hardware.

Of your non-modular samplers, is there one that would be able to successfully use orchestral samples? Have you tried something similar/had any success with it?

I’ll check out the module suggestions as well, actually haven’t heard of Rample! Looks like it could helpful in terms of sample grouping…

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:18

Hi Seanmonaghan,

Oh wow, sounds great your music! Kind of film music with a bit of a touch of a mixture between modern Isao Tomita and Philip Glass. He, he, and you got yourself a cute small mini-Eurorack ;-)

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

Here's a twisted idea for #2: instead of going with a VCO, you might find this more useful both as a sine VCO (up to a certain range) AND as a special LFO: Doepfer's A-143-9. Quadrature LFO modulation might sound quite interesting...for example, you could send the four phase-shifted outputs to the Veils' CV ins and get a perfect overlapping "strum" from the VCAs. Other possibilities are there, too...

Hi Gabor,

Nice video! Has this been filmed from an AVE train? The train goes even that fast that you go up-side-down ;-)

Video and music goes well together, nice work here :-) Thanks a lot for sharing this with us and kind regards, Garfield.

Almost...you don't need to connect the mixer out to the Rings' CV in...that part of the path is purely audio. You can get the Clouds and Rings to respond to CV by multing one of the CVs coming from the Chips, preferably one controlling a VCO so that it AND the other two modules are responding in heterophony.

I definitely agree that using samples within a daw is the easiest way - I am a film composer and that is how I work daily.

I am wondering what possibilities there are for running a sample based modular rack that incorporates some element of orchestral samples.

Surely there would be greater opportunity for sound design that incorporates the samples, as well as having a new way of approaching writing.

some modules are selling out before the restock emails are sent out - possibly due to pre-orders - the email from Blicken stated that they had received Optomixes, but they had sold out before they sent the mail!!! so if you particularly want something just order it and have patience

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:18

For Soundcloud, the file must be in 44.1 Khz (std in audio).
For YouTube, the file must be in 48 Khz or 96 Khz (std in video).
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en&topic=1728573&hlrm=en-GB&ctx=topic#zippy&zippy=
And, of course, nice modular Buddha Machine :)
-- Jihel

Thanks for that pointer - I'll double check my settings. Pretty sure my audio is right on Soundcloud, but unsure about the video.
Cheers

Thanks a lot farkas and troux! Unfortunately I came too late for the one on Reverb, i will check Wiggle Hunt. Didn't know that page. - It's great!!

Drums and percussion by Disting Ex, lows by Instruo Ts-L, highs by Mangrove.

Hey everyone,

Just for fun, I started thinking about what would be possible (and functional) in a sample based rack - for composing orchestral based film music.

This would allow for custom “sample libraries” loaded straight into the rack, and could be recorded from professional DAW based libraries e.g. spitfire, east west, etc. You would then need to be able to sequence all the instruments individually.

What would a theoretical rack look like? What would be the pros/cons to working in eurorack format, versus the normal daw approach? What sequencers are complex enough to create a non-loop based orchestral score? What sample modules have large sampling capabilities - and on a “one sample per note” basis?

Again this is completely theoretical, and I thought would be a fun discussion about the uses of modular - would love to hear your thoughts!

Could well do, I seem to recall taking your advice on the Matrix Mixer and MI Kinks.
:)

Hi,

Let us know when your midi interface will be for sale.
If you have some for sale.

Thanks for your work.

Cheers
-- klodifokan

Thanks for the interest but it's long way to go.
I don't know what would be the best business model for this product. Sell the HW and provide a free app (App Store) or make an Opensource/DIY HW and release a paid app?

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 16:46

To date, I have everything in my rack except the Sirius' Veil (filter that I had considered pairing with the same buidlers VCO to the left) and QX Expander for Quadrax (keeping space reserved for whenever Intellijel decides to release more...ugh, impossible to find one right now)

Would love feedback on the questions below:

1. I have 14HP set aside for Sirius' Veil but recently considered Patching Panda Moonphase (same HP...better features?) or Supercritical Synthesizers Neutron Flux (2HP smaller...that price though). Aside from the module names being a great match (gravitational waves and moonphase...seriously how could they not be a perfect match) any thoughts on one or the other? Also looking at the Neutron Flux now...I would gain 2HP but that price is certainly giving me a little heartburn. For a smaller setup like mine though, the flexibility it offers it appears to offer may be a smarter choice for me...thoughts?

2. Considering the 18HP (or 20 if I go with Neutron Flux), I am looking at for sure adding Disting EX (again, for a smaller setup, this seems like a good choice to provide added flexibility) which leaves me with 10HP (or 12) for which I am considering another 10HP VCO (Richter Wogglebug, MANGROVE, Loquelic Iteritas, Manis Iteritas, Cursus Iteritas). Any thoughts on a good VCO fill for the 10HP?

3. Anything glaring that I am missing and should consider before any of the above?

Hi,

Let us know when your midi interface will be for sale.
If you have some for sale.

Thanks for your work.

Cheers

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 16:05

Yes, buying modules has become an exercise in patience. I am now registering months ahead of planned module expansion at many sites and buying modules as soon as I get a re-stock notification because if you don't get something you are interested in as soon as it becomes available (even pre-order) you could completely miss a re-stock and be waiting another six months if not longer.

I recently picked up a steppy this way and glad I did because it was out-of-stock in about 24 hours.

it's not just make noise - everyone has been affected to some extent - and it's not over yet!!
not only is manufacturing capacity down for ICs etc, but shipping of components has been problematic and manufacture of actual modules and then shipping them and then retailers etc etc - it all adds up

Thanks Jim, I'll check that out, sounds an interesting idea - also glad to here/read that Make Noise is re shipping again. There seemed to be a real slow down from them over the past year due to the pandemic (I guess).

these are all the pedals i bought during the global pandemic. i'm on the fence about adding my bf-2 and ch-1 to this, since i got them both mod'ed during the pandemic...

the last new pedal i bought was around 2018-19 (and about 2016 before that...) so this is a lot crazy for me

they are laid out in order i got them:
top left colour theory 1st---->

the sovtek clone was commissioned for and gifted to me and it sounds amazing

edit/update: ive since traded the x-space and the back talk, but wanted to keep a record of them here, so i turned them upside down

EDITED Nov 14th 2023, 10:10

i tried to sort these as best i could by brand AND effect type. There are a few i'd like closer together like the tararira and the ps-5, but i think this lays out pretty well - my first was the RV-3 in like '98 and the latest are the sub n up, te-2 and parallel mixer (all bought at the same time june/july 2021 ). as of this typing (sept 2021) i have three more pedals on the way, another reverb (nebulosa from Velouria in Brazil), another delay (count to 5 - so excited for this one...) and a violet rams head clone (also from Velouria) - and i need to add the Sovtek muff clone someone made for me a bunch of months ago

added the rest of the velouria pedals, but they arent together... i want to try and re-arrange everything to get brand AND type closer - now its just by type and mostly brand, hehe

edit Nov 26, 2021 - got everything as close to brand and effect type as im gonna! and ive added the two drone-type devices too

EDITED Nov 26th 2021, 16:44

as you already have the dannysound timbre - maybe patching you own complex vco is the way to go?
maybe double up on the vcos you do have - using one pair for a slightly detuned bassline and the other for a waveshaped complex oscillator with the timbre

just bought a twisted electrons octopus cv sequencer(not something i had planned)and dont know if it will be any good for Dark Ambient????
-- Broken-Form

why do you think it may not be any good for dark ambient? sequencers don't care what type of music they are making - they just do what they are told!

falistri always looks over complicated and cluttered - people complain about maths being difficult to understand, which to me is utter rubbish

there's also a really good reason for buying maths over anyother similar module - the maths illustrated supplement, which is a marvelous learning resource - even if you don't buy the module read the supplement a few times - you may then end up buying the module...

as for availability of Maths - I saw Blicken Synth in UK has received 2 shipments from Make Noise in the last few days including Maths - so they should be starting to filter into other shops soon

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 21:59

disting is a great module - don't forget to buy an sd card though - creating a favourites list is one of the best ways of using the disting

the menu structure is actually quite shallow

most people's complaints about it are due to expectations, wanting to try everything in one go rather than using a few algorithms and getting to understand them well - other modules often do not need manuals, or not after a few sessions with them - however, as disting has 100ish algorithms, it's more like 100 modules - I would have to have all the manuals in front of me if I bought 100 modules at a time and I would be as overwhelmed as someone trying to use all 100 disting algorithms in a week - I've had one for years and 90+% of it's time has been spent as a tape delay - even now I have a magneto, it still gets used as a tape delay 50% of the time

+1 for NLC Triple Sloth V2

+1 for Ladik J-110 Derivator

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 12:43

good advice from @joesh there

but also add - read a lot of newbie posts - especially ones where they want to make similar music to you

in addition to the go to modulargrid - the best advice is to not worry about the size of the case to start with think about
- what modules do you want
- what modules do you need to support the modules you want

this almost definitely involves asking advice on forums

once you have this add 30% extra for expansion and you will have the size of the case that you need

at the bottom of the rack you will see the power requirements of the modules - for any modules that don't have power draw listed - and for expansion hp, I use 10mA/rail/hp as a rough guide for power requirements

add up all the power requirements and then add another 25-30% for overhead - this is needed otherwise you may have issues, especially when turning the modular on as some modules use significantly more when starting up than when in a normal running state (mostly digital ones)

small cases are often a false economy as they are usually very expensive per hp and fill up incredibly quickly - they are great for taking a few modules from a large rack in order to focus on them (learning a single new module for example) but are really not so great for starter racks

For Soundcloud, the file must be in 44.1 Khz (std in audio).
For YouTube, the file must be in 48 Khz or 96 Khz (std in video).

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en&topic=1728573&hlrm=en-GB&ctx=topic#zippy&zippy=

And, of course, nice modular Buddha Machine :)

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 11:58

I tried it in VCV Rack but unfortunately the chipz and cellz module is not included

If your computer is powerful enough (likely it is) then you can try out module and patch ideas on VCV Rack: https://vcvrack.com/

Thanks for your help. I gradually read myself into the mdular synthesis. I tried it according to your information. Could this patch work?

Nicely done! And in fact, keep that Tides + Quad VCA together...that gives you the ability to mix between and vary the outputs from the Tides for even more modulation fun.

I wouldn't swap the MIDI out. That Befaco appears to be the right choice for the space vs. functionality. Nor the FX Aid XL...it's a great little module, does what you expect, and sounds really nice. The only thing that might give you some grief is the depth on that Doepfer A-171-2...it's 60mm, which is a bit much for smaller cases. But if it fits, again, keep it. This actually came out pretty well, given the size.

Hi folks,

As I continue my modular journey, I find myself wondering "what would be really great?..." for various sections of the modular setup. I've had some earlier threads on sequencing, DAW I/O, etc. Next I'm wondering about VOICING, specifically pitched (non-percussion) voicing.

SO, I thought I'd ask, what would be your "dream" voicing setup for non-percussion sound design in Eurorack?

To give some constraints to this, let's assume:
-- up to 20 modules total, including up to 8 oscillators/sound sources, up to 6 filters, and up to 6 anything else voicing-related (e.g. waveshapers etc.)
-- we won't bother to include any CV, sequencing, utilities, I/O for now
-- with the up to 20 modules selected, let's try to "get the best of modular" e.g. represent a high % of what modular is good at on the voicing side of sound design (e.g. avoiding loading up on modules with similar functions)
-- we will assume the rig is used for ONE or FEW voices at a time (e.g. not trying to optimize for high polyphony, just one or few really great voices)

Here's my v.1

Comments:
-- DPO and Mindphaser would be my pics from among complex oscillators. Yes there are other good options (like C-sl) but IMO these are very solid and a good complement to one another. I could be talked into better alternatives for complex OSCs if there are some
-- Trident and FSSOSC2 are my pics for additional analog oscillators that are super interesting, powerful, and unique to Eurorack as far as I know. I know of basically zero good direct alternatives to these
-- Shapeshifter is there for powerful Wavetable OSC capabilities; Odessa for additive; Erica VCO2 for grimy overdriven analogue
-- in filters, we've got Optomix for dual LPG, then 3 Rossum filters -- Evolution giving a great and flexible ladder filter, Linneaus giving a very interesting modern FM-ing filter, Morpheus a very flexible digital filter, then Morgasmatron as my favorite among dual filters (SFF Dipole being another great option)
-- my "other" pics are waveshaping/resynthesis; with Tain I can switch audio at audio rates; Bifold is a great waveshaper; and Panharmonium for resynthesis
-- that uses up 15 of 20 possible modules for this "exercise." What I don't have included yet is any granular stuff (as I don't know the good pics there well) or sampling (as Eurorack sample-based stuff has not been a priority for me, rightly or wrongly I see it as less convenient than VST options)

SOOOO... if you are interest in kicking around some ideas for a "dream voicing rig" I'd be interested to hear! Of course there aren't right or wrong answers here. But I am curious if we can drive to a "super solid, deep and interesting" voicing rig within the constraints mentioned above.

Thanks all!

Nicholas

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 04:57

Mixer's in the wrong spot...move it to between the Chips and Rings, then use it to mix the two voice oscillators before sending it to the Rings, where you also "stereoize" the mono signal coming from the VCOs. Then run the ODD and EVEN outs (or one or the other...depends on the sound your aiming for) to the Clouds inputs...provided, of course, you already HAVE a Clouds, because they were discontinued a couple of years or so back. If not, Mutable's Beads is their "mk ii" of the Clouds. That's pretty much the "base configuration" that exists with these.

If we're talking NLC modules, you definitely have to throw the Sloth versions in there if you have a derivator or comparator. Since those values change so slowly, you can use them to make random shifts in the patch's architecture by tracking either their motion or levels. Definitely a must-do!

Beautiful rack, FX Aid gets a +1 from me, it's a great module to round out a build like this.

TLDR: I made a kind of Buddha Machine in a 3D printed case. Links to print files in main text.

I have long been a fan of FM3's Buddha Machine - https://www.fm3buddhamachine.com/ - gorgeous little things. I wondered how I could build something similar. But I put that into the never-never, nice idea, but not going to happen. Too much complexirickery electronicalist smarts, clever soldering and so on, to learn.

Then, a couple of years ago I discoved modular (yes, I'm a newbie all right. Generative patches and so on.

I found this nice little 3D printable case on Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4863118 - 46hp in two rows. I got one printed. The 1u row is designed for Intellijel, but I bought Pulp Logic. About a half a millimeter too big. So I designed an adaptor to take them - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4954825 - and I actually think I like the look of that more than if it was flat.

These are the modules I chose - the only difference is that the blank is 3D printed too.

The main case is pretty shallow, so I was only just able to get some of those 2hp modules in (the Pluck has an extra washer at each screw between the module and the case to lift it that extra millimeter). I bunched the deeper modules at the left, leaving space under Monsoon, and the passive modules for the power connections. It's pretty tight in there. In my naivety I thought I would fit the spring reverb tank in there too - it ended up mounted on the back, and I had to drill a hole in the case for those cables.

But, I'm pretty happy with the result. With the Zlob LFO and Diode Chaos, I can vary those parameters on the Monsoon, smearing out the sounds from the pluck and the play.

The audio and video is an eighty second loop coming from the Play, with a little bit of sound from the Pluck (I might swap that out for another Play) (the YouTube sound is a little different from the SoundCloud - something about my video editor meant I had to run the file through some filters before exporting. I named the SoundCloud file Polar Sequence Fragments Pt II because that seemed more interesting than 801-1254.mp3.

I think a Buddha Machine retails for about $35, but this looks like about $1400 of modules. Still, my Buddha Machine has nine tracks. With this, I can just keep making more and more.

EDITED Sep 7th 2021, 04:57

Always worth checking out Wiggle Hunt as stock for a lot of manufacturers seems to pop up randomly

https://wigglehunt.com/?query=pressure+points+-chain&condition=&stock_status=in_&price_min=0&price_max=5000¤cy_code=150&sort=price

Looks like it sold quickly.