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I love how this evolves and has great dynamics. That's something I am still struggling with. Great sounds and sound quality too. Nicely done!

I removed the Roland 531 and a MN Pan Mix to get the PM in the rack. I was going to sell them, but I think I am going to keep them for the utility that sub-mixers provide and the inevitable expansion. ;-) Yeah, I deliberated for a long time before I bought the PM and looked at a load of the alternatives. Ultimately I choose the PM as offering the most bang for the buck with a reputable manufacturer. It is not the ultimate mixer for all racks, but that module doesn't exist.

Alright, I've made some changes to the 1U tile!

First, I replaced the stereo VCA by a Ritual Electronics Pointeuse.

you can use an out from the Stasis Leak AND from the SCLPL and then use that dual VCA to let one fade in/out against the other.

Although I won't be able to fade in/out anymore, I really dig the idea of being able to switch both manually and from a gate signal. Also thanks to its internal flip-flop, it can act as a clock divider and a square sub-oscillator (perfect for the Mangrove). I'd take 2 if I could :)

This forces me to ditch the Noise tools. Fortunately Ritual Electronics will be releasing a 4HP noise source which, combined with the Pointeuse will still allow me to generate random pulses. I’m loosing the S&H ans slew limiter but get more hands-on fun and immediacy (I think). Also, my skiff is already in desperation of any sort of VCA so this feels like the right choice to replace it with a single trigger.

Lastly, this gives room for the guillotine. I really dig your idea of inserting a stereo effect at some point in the signal flow. This will work really well in pair with the Statis and is perfect with the Pointeuse already. Also, this will help beefing up the Sclpl when I get rid of the Resonant Equaliser!

I’l pull the trigger this afternoon :D
What do you think?

hi Nick

I use an es8 as an audio interface and I use an audio track with an impulse that was on the make noise site to send clock (impulse on every 16th note) and send that out to Pams (Pams is set up so that run is start/stopped by the incoming clock) - works for me

Its something I want to try more of, and remove the beats altogether.

Cheers for listening :)

This started as an experiment with some new modules – Qu-bit Bloom, WMD Performance Mixer and Mutable Instruments Beads. It turned into something I liked so I figured I’d try another video (but I didn’t actually use Beads in this recording). I spent a ton of time balancing the voices, so I'm curious if the mix sounds decent.

I'm really liking the PM and the extra channels and bells/whistles vs the Roland 531. The aux outs and ins are awesome, so I no longer have to wash the whole mix in reverb just to get reverb on tracks that I think want it – no more swimmy bass lines. ;-)

Bloom sits nicely between Rene 2 and Marbles. I haven’t had time to deep dive with it yet, but it was easy to immediately get cool sequences going. It kinda feels more like an arpeggiator than a sequencer, but that’s great for this rack.

Full routing description is in the video comments.

EDITED Aug 17th 2021, 13:41

I'll see your 50 and raise you 5. Oop...lookit that...two pair, Stockhausens and Martiranos, with a Rosenboom high card.

So, yeah, been in this tiny laundromat for a long while, too.

Hi Wishbonebrewery,

This is an interesting and a bit different track from your usual "line". I like it, a bit magical too and some new sounds haven't heard before. Yeah, I like this style! :-) I wouldn't mind to listen to more of this. Keep it coming!

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

Detroit Modular ships USPS to me in NYC. Despite recent attempts to destroy and privatize it, it remains fast and reliable, much more so than the "free" shipping done by the private carriers. I wish more suppliers offered this option.

Thanks again for all the ideas and recommendations above guys!

Update: after a lot of looking I found ES-3 & ES-6 available (from 2 different vendors). I think that will be a strong solution for me because:
-- lightpipe (ADAT) I/O to my interface will spare me the "2 interfaces" issue noted above, and I have spare ADAT lanes on my interface to use for that. It should be a tight integration
-- I don't need a ton of I/O between the modular and DAW, I'm hoping ES-3&6 will be enough, but I could add some more "to modular" I/O with ES-5 and expanders if needed. The "to Daw" signal maxes out at 8 channels with ES-6 and its expander. I imagine I could get a 2nd pair of ES-3&6 if I really really needed more I/O, assuming I had the ADAT lanes to spare.
-- I like that ES is a premier brand in this space. I'm hoping by going with a trusted provider that I will have no stability / synch problems.
-- Motu828 (mentioned above) seemed like another plausible solution. But ES-3&6 costs less and has fewer hard to access (rear panel) connections for my particular setup. So I would consider that going forward if really needing more I/O, but for now ES-3&6 seems like a better pick for me.

I may be back with more questions / comments. One thing I've not figured out yet (and haven't tried because my modules haven't all arrived yet) is how to synchronize DAW & modular transport / clocking? Let's say I'm sending transport "play/stop" signals from my DAW, and clock from my DAW. That goes to modular, gets my clock/sequencer chain going. Then modular is sending audio, CV and gate back into DAW for recording. I'm hoping to synch/slave that all so that it's not a total chaos and mess; and so I don't have a ton of cleanup to do on the recordings in the DAW (e.g. if a lot of recorded tracks ended up off the metrical grid due to lack of clock&transport synch). Of course, suggestions on these points would be welcomed.

Shipping to Minneapolis (from Sweetwater or anyone else) was generally fine for me pre-pandemic. 2020+ it's all out the window. ETA means "sometime". "Signature required" means "whatever we feel like." My Erica Techno system was left at my neighbor's place yet "signed" by me -- really!? That is not a cheap mistake. Luckily, I saw the package, just grabbed it -- it did have my name on it.

My expectations of the delivery services are now close to zero; SO I make sure to work with vendors that are either well insured, or I know will make things up to me if there's a problem. My Sweetwater guy will fix any issue; as a result he's gotten a lot of business from me.

Perfect Circuit ships FedEx to me from CA. My packages run into black holes around LA and around Chicago. Some strange unknown cosmological process then decides when the package emerges again. I've got a room full of monkeys and Fermilab in a race to figure that out. I'm not holding my breath. FedEx does suck.

Maybe in 2022+ the shipping will again be "reliable"? Who knows. But for now, it's anything goes.

BTW anything I order from Patchworks (Seattle) shows up super fast and on schedule or ahead of it. Maybe I'm getting lucky where I am? Anyway they seem like a good bunch; I'd be happy to send 'em a bit more business.

great experience with @Tommodtom and @jdd12 buying samplers and filters. Thank you! Marek

The 3xVCA should actually be easier to get in the EU than elsewhere, given that they're in Germany.

Happy Nerding is actually from Ukraine, when info is correct. As Ukraine is not part of the EU, reorders can be complicated and take some time. Thus, every now and then it can happen, that the devices might not be available inside the EU.

I do have the space guides on, this works okay but it would be nice to not have to select a module just use mouse over event in empty space to show the guides.

Have you got the space guides feature turned off, maybe? It doesn't seem to work on iPads. But it works rather well on my desktop.

If would be really helpful to highlight the hp count for empty blocks. It can be hard to see how much hp you have available between modules or at the end of a row. Much like having the info when you mouse over a module displaying the hp it would be nice to display the hp available in empty spaces. My eyes aren't what they seem and I find myself trying to count the hp and that gets tedious after about 6 hp.

Yeah I'm blind. Sorry for that!

But the expander has some nifty addons! ;)

Thanks @Zuggamasta for your reply.

I'm pretty sure Praga has a mix out in the middle bottom of the Module, no Expander needed for that.

Many thanks to you both for your replies. I am very grateful to be able to ask these questions here!

Thanks again for your comments, Jim! Point taken re LFO and functions.

I agree with you regarding the Neutron space hog issue, jb. Actually, it's a 'gas stop' until I can start filling the bottom rack;)

Many thanks again!

this is a very good point racking semi-modulars that cpme with cases drastically increases the cost of the semi-, but as a starting point with fewer modules actually in the case I think they can be useful in suppressing gas!
-- JimHowell1970

Suppression of GAS is a good point…I certainly am guilty of GAS, but did do a lot of research and asking questions here beforehand…GAS certainly affects your ability to get proficient at any one or two modules..:my first purchase was Maths and that is a whole lot of learning right there…lol

this is a very good point racking semi-modulars that cpme with cases drastically increases the cost of the semi-, but as a starting point with fewer modules actually in the case I think they can be useful in suppressing gas!

Personally I wouldn’t waste all they good HP space on the Neutron..I have a similar setup with Minibrute 2 and Rackbrute 6U, but I have an ASM Hydrasynth and bought a cool little separate stand for it and have it setting next to the Minibrute 2/Rackbrute 6U…not that I could mount the Hydrasynth in the 6U if I wanted to but even if I could, there’s no way I would when I can easily have a separate case for it…then you have your portability with the 6U/Minibrute 2 and a case carrying your Neutron

This is my idea for my updated Dark Ambient Rack

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1182461.jpg?1629113780

There are some nice things in your build but I'm not sure how far you'd come with it. And you still need the HRAD "main section" to go with the PRAGA. As it doesn't have any way to out put it's mix without the HRAD.

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/xaoc-devices-hrad-

Just recieved a 2hp Pluck,thinking about getting the 2hp TM too

wow, thanks for the input..... that's a bit to chew on, but will def. research your suggestions ~ happy wiggling!

lfos are not utilities - they are modulation sources

utilities are things like (but not limited to) vcas, mixers, mults, switches, attenuators, offsets...

whilst maths does have some of these functions integrated into it, I find that it is best to see maths as it's own thing (the sum of the whole is more than the total of the parts - see the maths illustrated supplement for details) and duplicate the utility parts (attenuversion/basic mixing) as you will need them sooner or later - they are inexpensive, especially if you buy doepfer for example

Just a quick feature request. When swapping things around in my rack, it might be nice at a glance to know what other modules are the same HP as the module I want to swap. In other words, either have a little text box that takes an HP width or maybe just use the HP of a selected module, then highlight all of the other modules in the rack that are the same HP.

Thoughts?

EDITED Aug 17th 2021, 06:37

G'day Lugia,

thanks for your concern over the rig I was throwing together on here just to see how much space I would eventually need, and how much dough I would be set back with a full blown Make Noise system. Which goes to show, you should never take too seriously everything you see on the internet. I need a third row with all the rest, but then I have to fit it into an already overflowing home studio. I've been in this game for over over 50 years, so a bit of fun has to be included. Cheers.

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1659134.jpg?1629091619

Dear all,

I am looking to enter the modular rabbit hole with the Minibrute 2s and Rackbrute 6u system.

I am looking for a versatile semi-mobile set up with the potential for live jamming with friends. Following feedback on previous racks, I have whittled it down to this set up.

Notes
• I already have a Neutron
• The sequencer on the Minibrute 2 s will be used for sequencing duties
• Feedback on previous rack posts mentioned the importance of utility modules. Would the 2 LFOs on the (Minibrute), patch bay on the Neutron and the Maths provide enough in this regard?

Here’s an improvisation to give an idea of the musical territory.

Any feedback would be welcome and much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

EDITED Aug 16th 2021, 05:28

So far, I've populated a Happy ending skiff with a pre-amp, a sample player and the main workhorses which are an Instruo Lubadh and an Arbhar and wondering what the community would subtract/add? I know some of this is purely subjective, but I'm just trying to get the most bang for the buck

Love the direction you're going based on what you describe! I'm no expert, only a half-year into modular myself, but a couple things that popped into my head right off the top:

1. If you want the most bang for your buck, Instruo probably isn't the way to go. Granted, those modules seem really cool, I'd love a Lubadh myself, but I'm all but certain you can replicate what you want to do with those modules with much less expensive options, and probably save a little HP in the process.

2. Same kinda goes for WMD, though I can understand why SCLPL would have particular appeal for your purposes.

3. You're going to want some VCAs (at least something like a Doepfer A-135-2, or an A-130-8) and some mixers. And some multiples, preferably buffered multiples. I imagine the ES can do some of these things, but you'll want dedicated jacks/units too. It also wouldn't surprise me if you end up wanting more ADSRs.

I might try my hand at building a skiff I'd go with for what you describe just for fun!

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 06:54

One of the biggest issues I have with small skiff builds is that they require lots of compromises. So, I instead opted to show what you'd get if you started in a 7U Intellijel cab, with both granular and sample modules being WAY more beefy as well as easy to operate...especially live. There are compromises here, too...but far less, plus some interesting opportunities popped up.

Now, check THIS out! Same idea, but with a much better powered cab with more space for modulation schemes that the 84 hp skiff simply cannot accommodate.

Tiles: First up is a stereo input control. This gets signals from a pair of the four 1/4" jacks built into the cab. Then I added a Noise Tools tile to give you a clock source, sample and hold, slewing and noise. Next up is a mono-to-stereo effects processor that offers reverb, delay, and chorus. And then, a VCO...but we'll get to that in a bit. Then two stereo VCAs for level control over the input pairs to the stereo mix out...which is also connected to a 1/4" jack pair but ALSO, the on-panel L-R out remains hot. Something else we'll get to in a bit...

Top row: Disting. Then a stereo compressor, which you'll find useful for mildly squishing the audio TO the sampler so that your samples can maintain a degree of dynamic similarity. And as for the sampler, I swapped the Instruo one for a much easier to use (thanks to its touchscreen) Blackbox. Similarly, I swapped out the other Instruo granualizer for a Mordax GXN...for pretty much the same reasons. Whenever you're screwing around with samples, etc, it's SUPER useful to have modules with screens so that you can get a better editing and/or audio control going on than with ones that don't have that. After those, a Veils allows you to either mix the two sources together in stereo, or you can use them as a pair of stereo VCAs per each source.

Now...remember that VCO? The next thing here is a Make Noise modDemix, which is a dual balanced modulator, and that VCO is for splitting across the carrier (via a mult widget...there's no mults onboard, which is about right for something this small, plus you don't "rob space" for a mult or two) inputs so that you can ring modulate in stereo. Next, Intellijel's awesome and super-versatile stereo VCF, the Morgasmotron, and this is followed by the SCLPL for further timbral strangeness. Then, last up you've got an FX Aid XL for more "global" processing. Also, this could be implemented by sending its wet output to one dual VCA and then to one stereo pair on the Stereo Mixer, giving you a parallel processing possibility.

Bottom row: Yeah, this is the seriously new...and VERY needed...modulation row. On the left, the little white sliver is a Konstant Labs PWRchekr to keep an eye on your DC rail health. Then the Tubbutech gives you both a MIDI interface AND a microtonal-capable quantizer. And yeah, even with no sequencer, you can STILL do all sorts of pitch trickery by clocking the quantizer and then feeding it an LFO. Plus, the Tubbutech gives you MIDI over USB and the ability to store configurations via micro SD. Next is the Time Warp, made even more useful now thanks to that stereo input tile. After that is SSF's brilliant utility "one-stop", the Tool-box, giving you a bunch of needed functions that were missing before.

The Ochd got flipped for a QPLFO from 4ms. This has four independent LFOs that are tap-timeable but which ALSO have utterly insane frequency ranges...like, say, as slow as 70+ MINUTES per cycle! And they can go up into the lower audio range, too. Then for CVable rise/falls and also cascadeable looped envelope gens, I dropped in a Quadrax and its Qx expander, which allows the cascading thanks to its EOR/EOF trigger outs. But you can also tie them into the Maths, too, and make things REALLY over the top. And hey, lookit...there's a Maths! A 3xVCA gives you dedicated linear VCAs for modulation level control, and a Frap 321 next to it is there for even MORE modulation scrambling via offset generators and several other odd things.

Then for more complex envelopes, the Zadar and Nin give you four plus a little extra control via the Nin. But if you need to tweak envelopes on the fly, I put in a Paratek CVable Dual ADSR for a total of six (and actually ten if you count the Quadrax) full-on EGs. And...a headphone preamp; remember that "hot output" on the Stereo Mixer tile above? You can connect the tile's on-panel outs to the headphone preamp, and you'll STILL get your output pair on the cab's 1/4" jacks.

Now THIS is a hellacious sound manipulation machine! The control level over the upper audio row is pumped up to INSANE levels via the new modulation row, plus you get a few neat extras via the tile row. Lots of trickery going on in this now...

My favorite because its the one I have :) I got it to pair with my Void Modular Gravitational Waves dual VCO but I'm finding I like what it dose with my Arturia Minibrute 2 and Hydrasynth as well...very nice...but I don't have nearly the experience with the variety of those who have posted previously

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/void-modular-sirius-veil

Yeah, I'd REALLY love to get my hands on the Marble Physics module in particular. Their big Clock Source module also makes me salivate. I went through their website the other day and bookmarked about a dozen units that I'd really, really like to at least try, and maybe own long-term. But... yeah... they are also expensive, and I am poor. Or poor relative to the expense of this hobby at least.

Lol -- Noise Engineering modules seem very popular and as far as I've seen pretty reputable, but yeah, their designs put me off too. I hate the busy panels and I could do without the Latin names too, which just make them very confusing to keep straight or intuit what kind of general category each module fits in. So I haven't taken the dive on any NE yet. There are a few that interest me though.

Same goes for the vaunted Make Noise. The black ones have a sort of appeal I guess, but seem to always be absurdly more expensive just for that (?), and the silver ones are ugly AF imo. That being said, I got a good deal on an Echophon, and like it quite well all in all, slightly wonky UI aside... certainly enough to explore other MN modules going forward.

As for BL, I feel like I should hate their designs, but most of them I actually kinda like (though a few of them are a real eyesore). Couldn't say why exactly, ADDAC or Doepfer vintage or more conservative looking modules are usually more my speed, aesthetically speaking.

Weirdly, I don't really like Mutable Instruments aesthetic all that much. I can understand the appeal, but something about their particular brand of cleanly/pristine/Helvetica-level-perfectness somehow translates to "big gay knobs / digital toy" for me at a gut level. And like NE's latin names, their gimmick with the module names all being sort of the same and giving you only the faintest clue about what kind of module it is, isn't a huge turn on to me, being fairly new to modular. (Which one is Blinds again? Veils? Shades? I have to look them up every time). Not to mention that beyond that, so far, I've been only mildly impressed by the two I've tried -- an Elements clone and a Rings non-clone. Elements was ... okay ... interesting to experiment with for a weekend or so ... but not really my thing at the end of the day. Rings is cool enough, I suppose.

Ok, I'm wayyy off topic now, but anyway lol....

Just make sure you've got sufficient clearance for your ribbons. That's the important part.

Well, Kinks is discontinued, for one thing...that could have something to do with it.

My suggestion would be to sub this for the Kinks: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/steady-state-fate-tool-box It's got everything save for the Kinks' S&H/noise...and the stuff it's got that the Kinks doesn't have compared to the Tool Box is pretty sizable. 6 hp only, too.

Sounds like a win to me! Erica's "zoned" approach to power is something others have latched onto as well, with Arturia's Rackbrutes being good example of that. But the Erica cab build quality is also a plus...the only thing about the 3 x 126 that you'll need to watch is module depth, as it's kinda shallow over the P/S itself.
-- Lugia

Yeah I was doing some googling about that, I've got 4 modules at 50mm deep (plasma drive, es-3, es-6, es-7), but I think the 7mm of clearance will be enough since I'm putting them in the corners

Sounds like a win to me! Erica's "zoned" approach to power is something others have latched onto as well, with Arturia's Rackbrutes being good example of that. But the Erica cab build quality is also a plus...the only thing about the 3 x 126 that you'll need to watch is module depth, as it's kinda shallow over the P/S itself.

Anyone else have this problem? All the time I'll be looking at a rack and think, "That's supposed to be a Links, how'd a Kinks get in there!" I used to think it was me, that I was picking the wrong one, but it keeps happening no matter how intentional I am about clicking on Links...so... I'm wondering... are there gremlins in the site swapping Links with Kinks... it's the only possibility that makes sense...

I really, really appreciate the advice, and if Trogtronics weren't backordered I'd get one today. However I found someone local to me selling a 9U 126HP Erica Synths case with 1.25Ma per row on the + and - 12. Seems like it'll do the trick, and it'll even have more room for extra modules! I won't need to sell a few that I don't have room for!

EDITED Aug 15th 2021, 22:44

I'm centering my studio around sampling/field recordings. My main controller/composition tool is an Akai Force for ease of sampling, etc. along with a Microfreak for what it can do, a Zoia for effects and a Blackbox as a swiss army/portable device.

I decided to go modular instead of something like the Octatrack for mangling found sounds/field recordings and my questions center around that.

So far, I've populated a Happy ending skiff with a pre-amp, a sample player and the main workhorses which are an Instruo Lubadh and an Arbhar and wondering what the community would subtract/add? I know some of this is purely subjective, but I'm just trying to get the most bang for the buck

Thanks!

And it's crazy-land power because Trogotronics is very accustomed to building tube gear. Those require overspecced power like you wouldn't believe, and the inrush on tubes can be really extreme. My bet is that that's a "stingy" 10A, and the REAL capacity is above that...10A is just what Trogotronics would like you to run it at.

I don't like BL's stuff. Controversies aside, my sticky point with them is about their UIs. Some of the panel designs look like they were designed by accident, for example. Others have the "chopstick fingers required" problem, as they're too dense for the panel size used. There's several makers that I ding routinely due to their horrible panel designs and/or graphics (looking at YOU, Noise Engineering!), but BL goes so far that I can't even consider them seriously, especially not for starting modular users.

ADDAC's got some really wild modules, though...and not just these. They've got a T-network filter pair just for pinging, for old-school beatbox sounds. And the Marble Physics "LFO" is utterly bonkers. Plus, if you need a case that a small family could live in, they were pretty much first with the 197 hp (1 meter) widths.

There's a few things in this that I find confusing. For example, three Moddemixes? And where are the actual VCAs? The other envelope gens besides the one Function module? Why only one audio source, albeit a rather good one? Why no Brains with the Pressure Points, so that you can have something of a second sequencer? Attenuverters? Submixers? Other utilities?

You're only broke if you threw money at this build. And I do mean BROKE...as this build has some pretty serious issues that compromise its capabilities. It would probably be a good idea to explain what you're trying to build this FOR so that some of us can give you a hand with it, as it drastically needs some reworking.

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 06:53

The 3xVCA should actually be easier to get in the EU than elsewhere, given that they're in Germany. Bug Schneider's Laden in Berlin (here's the listing there: https://schneidersladen.de/en/happy-nerding-3x-vca) and see if/when they'll have them in again.

This is probably the fault of a few of us on here who've been giving advice. That triple VCA gives you so much modulation control capabilities in a skinny 6 hp that it's RIDICULOUS...for many of my builds, it's THE modulation row VCA.

Interesting, thx for sharing. I understand giving a company a berth if they're kinda generally shitty -- e.g. Behringer -- but yeah, he seems likable enough in the interview, and if the past controversy was resolved to all parties satisfaction...(shrug). And while some people don't like his designs, I kinda dig them, and some of his filters sound mean AF from the few demos I've found. I had a Mini Shimmery and it did feel on the cheaply made side -- mostly basic plastic parts, kinda loose pots, some questionable and haphazard decisions in terms of the UI arguably -- but that said, it worked perfectly fine, was interesting, did what it was supposed to do. Just wasn't really the sound I expected or was after at the time (again, scarcity of demos). I might give one of his filters a go in the near future.

EDITED Aug 16th 2021, 02:21