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if you want more control you might to look at things like metropolis/metropolix or the ryk m-185 or the tesseract step fader - the latter will use your pre-existing quantizer and is cheaper, but also lacks memory

hahaha typo - I meant beads!

Hi and welcome

if you have a BSP for sequencing I would not start with the nifty or any other case that has any built in midi-cv conversion - you do not need it

I would get either the mantis (if you can find one) or the doepfer lc9 instead - these are better value for money

I think the module choice (especially with the BSP) is a good start I would swap out the disting for the newer version and the pico dsp for a fx aid xl (similar but more varied and with better ergonomics and more modulation inputs)

you could consider dropping batumi and possibly Pams even, at least, to start with - you have enough with the Maths I think to start

I'd go for veils over the intellijel quad vca, but that's mostly taste

I'd add mutable instruments links and kinks and something like shades (there are a lot of similar modules) as they are incredibly helpful in patching and to grab a few stackcables or headphone splitters to use as passive mults

if you are not going to fill the case in 1 go I would recommend using blind panels (cereal box card is fine) to stop unwanted metal objects (loose dangling cables for instance) shorting out the power etc

Hello! I’m a small town Canadian newbie with a love for sound who is looking to make the leap to modular. I have a few hardware synths (Microfreak, AFX Station) and a few Volcas (FM, Modular, Keys and Drum) but am just about ready to step away from that (and Ableton and iPad apps) and make the modular leap.

Am looking to fill an 84hp NiftyCase (that has MIDI to CV and audio out built in apparently) to make my first rack with about a $2,250 budget. (Already have a Beatstep pro to sequence)

If anyone could take a look at this and give some pointers or make any changes/suggestions that would be extremely appreciated.

Am aiming to make a solid, all-in-one starter system using Plaits as the primary OSC.

Thanks in advance and have a great day!

EDITED May 1st 2021, 13:37

With more than one sequencer you will have new needs:
Means to combine 1VO CV like a precision adder/offset/octave switch as well as means to combine trigger streams like a logical OR. Also you will want a logic module and possibly a switch to derive new trigger patterns.

if you are convinced you need beaks, morphagene and clouds - I would get another row for modulation and utilities
-- JimHowell1970

I take it that the beaks are extras needed for the Crow...?

Having lots of fun with this setup. I just thought i would share.

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/command_center/193629

Modules that are a lot of fun:
Polygogo ER-M
Nerdseq
Five12 Vector
Percussa SSP
ER-301

EDITED May 1st 2021, 16:56

It sound nice sometimes.

Yeah the MegaSlope combined with the Rampage and its EoC an EoS is really fun. I'm looking at an A-155 or A-157 to get some more control over things. I've got a turing machine and expander enroute.

I've been trying to go through all the recent posts in this forum and I'm sorry I didn't get to this one sooner. There are so many things I love about this video. I had to go watch a whole bunch more on YouTube. Love the music, love the commentary, love the scenery, and I really miss going fishing. Thanks for posting.

Buy one, speculatively.
After completing that long and thorough decision process
still turn it around with minimal loss, if need be.

Alternatively, get a FranKinksTides and a 4ch mixing attenuverter and possibly save a bit.
(2cts)

-- wiggler55550

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not too keen on the MI stuff. I'm never too sure what I'm looking at with those...
At the moment what I keep running out of is LFOs and I'm in the market for a quad with as much CV control as possible. Currently torn between the Batumi and the Malekko Quad LFO. Same thing, yet so different.
Definitely need an attenuverter. I have a whooping zero.

... aaand it's gone.

hehehe

Since my last post here I had great interactions with @0110110, @filipl and I also got another module from @dork173.
Thanks guys.

EDITED Apr 30th 2021, 13:37

Just to notify that the Maths is now available for purchase new at Thomann, at €319.
I'm considering one myself, but given my decision-making speed, it'll probably be out of stock again by the time I do decide.
-- Mazz

Buy one, speculatively.
After completing that long and thorough decision process
still turn it around with minimal loss, if need be.

Alternatively, get a FranKinksTides and a 4ch mixing attenuverter and possibly save a bit.
(2cts)

EDITED Apr 30th 2021, 11:52

You already got a sequencer right there. Send some conveniently spaced trigger and gates to MegaSlope, have those slopes quantized in your ADDAC207 and send its output to your sound source's 1V/O.

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I thought I'd post my current rack and see if I could receive some wisdom from vast pool of experience here.
I've been noodling with eurorack for about a year and after jumping in with the awesome ALM system coupe I've taught myself to solder, and built my own case. At present I've got a solid frame to build on but no sequencer to pull it together.

Can anyone out there off some direction?

Just to notify that the Maths is now available for purchase new at Thomann, at €319.
I'm considering one myself, but given my decision-making speed, it'll probably be out of stock again by the time I do decide.

Ukugene ;-)
-- wishbonebrewery

Isn't that J-M Jarre's new techno-Hawaiian project...?

Hi TumeniKnobs,

Lots of fun indeed in this track! :-) It's nice to read the details how you came to this, very interesting.

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

triplatt or shades or similar - but definitely links and kinks

adding veils too is a great idea

Data I've always kind of wanted one since they came out but they have never been in stock anywhere - I saw one in stock last night at a online store and I decided not to buy it - I'd rather spend the money (and rack space) on other things - I have a DC coupled interface so I can use vcvrack if I want to as an oscilloscope - and if I bought an oscilloscpe I would want to be able to see video rate wave forms and I'm not sure that Data can do that

sequencers - do you want a v/oct sequencer, a gate/trigger sequencer or both (separately or in a single module)? euclidean usually refers to trigger/gate sequencing
PNW is not so menu divey it's annoying if you can see the screen and does both euclidean and random quantized loops for v/oct
if you want more control over the tune you might want to look at Rene - but it is significantly more complex - other possibilities to look at might be klee (a very long shot - as I've never seen one for sale only DIY and not often then) and the frap tools usta (but note it is very expensive)

Please delete duplicate module's pages

The goal with this recording was to start dabbling in and begin to understand how I might use samples. I see a ton of videos using the Morphagene and you can definitely get some cool sounds out of that thing. A shout-out to aphew_goodman and his "meint ihr nicht / wir könnten / aber" track - that was also an inspiration here.

A few days ago I made a simple patch with the Piston Honda and Bionic Lester that quickly went to a dark ambient sounding thing. Loved it. Then I happened across a great bit of dialog in a Star Trek Voyager episode, "The Thaw", and I thought it might be perfect to try as an experiment.

I don't have a Morphagene, but I do have Pigments, and since the new v3 just dropped I had it running and gave it a go. I immediately loved what you can do in Pigments with samples. Spent a few hours tweaking, then I set up an arpeggio and let it run the samples. I dialed up the modular for the low end and some weirdness (thanks to the Bionic Lester's comb filter), added a self generating patch from the Hydrasynth for low-mids, a simple arp on the Pro3 for some hi-mids, and finally a snappy little wood-blocky kinda arpeggio thing on the Sub37.

This is essentially a live, mostly-improvised performance recording. It took about a two hours to get all the synths making acceptable noises, then I turned down all the volumes, hit record and brought in different bits in stages. There was some tweaking knobs on the synths and a lot of manipulating settings in Pigments as it played out. I did add a handful of additional sample triggers to fill in what I thought were gaps with the dialog parts.

The dialog is:
"Fear is the most primitive, the most primordial of biological responses"
"All we have to do now is decide how to negotiate with... an emotion... with a manifestation"
"When fear holds you hostage... how do you make it let go?"

Modules used:
Piston Honda, Bionic Lester, Mimeophon, Ochd, Pamela's NW, Quadrax, Quad VCA

Cheers!

Fiddling with the Resonance and VCF EG AMT on the subharmonicon (i.e. turning them up high) will create bird noises

Pass through a reverb pedal with shimmer on
Subharmonicon acts as backing pads.
M32 has a harmonic minor sequence.
DFAM just adds a soft swooshing rhythm

EDITED Apr 29th 2021, 03:21

is this a 'dream' rack - I'm not sure I'd want to play with it too much though
not enough modulation or utilities and 3 modules that are similar and large - probably better too get oone and see if you desperately need the others
if you are convinced you need beaks, morphagene and clouds - I would get another row for modulation and utilities

Hi Troux,

Thank you :-) I can recommend the STO without any hesitation, it's really worth it in my opinion. So go for it :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

From what I see a good place to start as I said above would be adding kinks, links and triplatt (these modules are somewhat easier for me to source right now) and just go from there. I think once I will receive my case and start putting it all together I will realise if I will be needing anything else.

About mordax data... I have seen it in pretty much every youtube video that talks about modular are there any other oscilloscopes worth checking out? I guess its more of a learning tool rather than a necesity but I can see the benefit in connecting what you can hear and actually seeing it on a screen

Can you guys recommend me a sequencer (euqlidean perhaps) that is not overly complex or menu divey but is different from classic hardware sequencers?

PS i will look into veils since from what I gather 4 vcas isnt enough for a rack this size

yeah I find I loose things like that though - would much rather have modules

True, true. I did see a cool video which showed how to make various passive things you can just stick in cables, attenuators being the most useful one.

but a lot more expensive and power draining

@JimHowell1970 - you're not wrong, but attenuverters are a better use of the hp!

Thank you, friend! Haha, yes we recorded two pieces with the Ensemble Modern (in one of them appears also Sarah Maria Sun, the singer from the video)! Very nice that you also like "that" side. I really appreciate your listening, thank you!

Wow! That's hardcore. The first thing I had to listen to after this was Zappa's The Yellow Shark - particularly The Girl In The Magnesium Dress. Now I'm listening to some John Zorn. You are keeping good company. :-) I have a huge appreciation for the effort involved in realizing this kind of composition. You all did a super amazing job capturing this piece live. Can't be easy.

Edit: Double wow! I was just checking out some of your other pieces on YouTube and I see my instincts were right on with The Yellow Shark. Very cool Ensemble Modern connection. And while I was there I had to watch Plétora again. That performance is epic!

EDITED Apr 28th 2021, 13:22

passive attenuators are extremely useful and inexpensive

I have both 2hp trim modules and some DIY ones from Pusherman

Anybody use the monome crow before? Interested in hearing what it does and how to program it.

EDITED Apr 28th 2021, 11:02

Desmodus and Nebulae don't have input attenuation, Batumi has no output attenuation. That might get frustrating.

VCAs - if you can find a new veils - then get that it's smaller and does the same job as the intellijel - and for less money - slightly different spec - but you seem to already have a tangle quartet - so I would just stick with that for now

Wavefolders - there are lots of them from low cost to high cost - I use a lot of the Doepfer ones for video - they work great

Quantizers - if you are using a sequencer, the chances are it is already quantized - so you probably don't need an separate quantizer, as Nick explained they are useful if you are generating the v/oct using lfos etc - when you have a lot of voices (I have 11 + percussion) you might find you need/want to make sure everything is in tune with each other (multiple sequencers and vcos) in which case a 'biq' quantizer can be useful - I have a sinfonion, which I find useful - not that you need anything as powerful as this now!

quantizers won't so much tame you vcos, as send them v/oct that is in scale - the vcos still need to be tuned so they are actually in tune with each other - you can either do this by ear - or just use a tuner - pedal or app for instance - the more vcos/voices you have the better

taming your vcos is probably better done with filters

Nice writeup on the STO @GarfieldModular, I've been wanting one for awhile and you've got me thinking about it again :) I'm going to give the Hikari doc a read too, so keep em coming!

Hi Farkas, All,

An update on the available review reports from my website:

• Doepfer: A-110-1 VCO, A-124 Wasp Filter, A-140-1 ADSR, A-145-1 LFO and just recently A-180-3 Dual Buffered Multiple
• Erica Synths: Pico Switch
• Hikari Instruments: Quad Switch
• Make Noise: Multiple and recently STO (just uploaded version 1.01)
• Waldorf: DVCA1

More to come in the next few months, if all goes well.

Farkas: did you bought your new (Doepfer) rack already? Hope all is good with your racks and you have enough space for your upcoming modules :-)

Thank you very much for checking out my website and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi FredFoxtrott,

Nice show, looks like you are having a good time!

For me this is quite special too since this is the first time I manage to be at a live session here on Modulargrid.net :-)

Thanks a lot for sharing your great work, enjoying this and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi everyone: Saturday Night synthesis is a synth performance/discussion show I co-host. This week, we have three awesome live performances and are joined by Fetz A/V [Sonic Alliance]. We have a great discussion about community support and how to create with a praxis of togetherness.

The show premieres at 9pm (EST), Tuesday April 27th. Hope you can join in the live chat:

Timmy,

Glad my post & rack help. Suggest you ALSO look at some other racks (esp Lugia's) to get some other ideas of what coherent builds look like. I mention Lugia's because he's very experienced, has a ton of draft racks, and has posted a lot of "here's the thinking behind this rack" type comments.

Regarding some of your specific comments:
-- Triplatt? Yes it is good and useful BUT I find if I'm using it at all, I'm using the whole thing to do a task that could be done in 1 of 4 lanes in the 4ms Shifting Inverting Signal Mingler (SISM). Hence I'd suggest you take a close look at SISM and Triplatt, and pick which might be a better first step for your intended use cases. FYI Tiptop MISO is very similar to SISM and another good alternative. IMO a SISM or MISO adds a lot of power / depth to a rack with a small cost of HP and $s.

-- Links and Kinks are solid choices. I NEED something like Links right away; I don't need Kinks right away. So you might inspect the sub-functions of each of those and see what you think you need right away. If Mutable Instruments stuff is not easy to get, Links is basically a convenient combo of other easy to find things. Tons of manufacturers offer active mults; I definitely need active mults. If I wanted Links but couldn't get it, I would probably get Joranalogue Link2 and Add2 as a substitute. I do own those Joranalogue utilities and like them; Add2 can be an adder or averager and is a great small unit for some of my needs.

-- re: VCAs and QuadVCA vs TangleQuartet? I have no real opinion here other than I really like my QuadVCAs. You can check around online more for what people's favorites and recommendations are regarding VCAs. DO check out the Erogenous Tones modules--if you need a ton of VCAs or Attenuverters or Envelopes, there are some really good options there. On the tinier side would be the 2HP VCA. It really depends how many VCAs you think you'll actually use, do you need linear vs exponential, etc. For me QuadVCA is currently great fit. I own more than one of those.

-- wavefolders: I love these. The Joranalogue one is good, the Intellijel one is great, the Instruo one is interesting. Just depends what you like and how much $s and HP you want to put to it.

-- quantizers: to think about these, think about your sequencer too, and how you'll be managing pitch values in your system. In most smaller setups, it probably only makes sense to have a sequencer OR a quantizer. For example, run a few LFOs at different rates through SISM, run that output into Scales, and that gives you pitch and gate outs. On the other hand, if a sequencer is driving most of the pitch and gate info, what good would a quantizer be? For me, I wanted both, partly just from a perspective of having fun, having options, and learning both as control systems. That said, there are some interesting patch options that would use both sequencer and quantizing. That topic "goes off the deep end" into another thread me and Lugia have running... IMO the simplest approach here is having a sequencer you really like to use, learning that in depth, then getting a sense of what if anything else you need for managing pitch and gates.

-- additionally, MORDAX DATA is something I'd recommend to almost anyone. Hard to get one, but worth the wait. It helps me a ton when trying to understand "what does this module / control actually do?" DATA shows me things I would have never understood from manuals or my ears alone.

I think you're heading in a good direction. I'd suggest you keep up with more web research, and consider a larger case (as mentioned by others above) to leave you some growth / wiggle room. When you come up with a next rack revision, you can post it and we'll help you troubleshoot.

Cheers,

NG

EDITED Apr 27th 2021, 23:12

Thank you Nick, this really did help a fair bit. I am going to look into your rack in more detail tomorrow but from what I can see I can REALLY benefit from getting an attenuverter/inverter module like triplatt + links and kinks to get me going. The intellijel quad vca also looks somewhat interesting, I might be able to exchange my tangle quartet since I have not even unpacked it yet. Do you think its something I should try to do or my current vca module will do just fine?

Also that wavefolder by joranalogue should help me create much more interesting textures so Im gonna try looking around for something similar to that.

I see that you have scales too. I wonder if I should get it in order to tame some of the oscillators since I would like to have an ability stay in 'western musical scales'. Qubit Bloom can technically do that too but a dedicated quantizer especially with such a simple layout should only help imo.

"Mainly I think I need more utilities but there are so many that I honestly do not know where to start."

@timmy373, I empathize with your situation! I got into modular a few months ago and felt similarly.

After a few months and several design iterations, I've ended up with this:

As that design reflects several iterations and a lot of input from various MG forum people, I suggest you spend a bit of time reviewing that rack and the KINDS & PROPORTIONS of modules in it. The main point is one of proportions:

-- it is about 30% (of HP) on voicing, e.g. things that make sound, plus sound modifiers like filters and wavefolders
-- it is about 30% of HP on CV sources, in this case a large sequencer (Vector) plus envelope and lfo sources
-- it is about 30% of HP on utilities including VCAs, mults, links/kinks, mixers, attenuverters, sum/diff, etc. What of that I'd really suggest for you is 4+ channels of VCA, 4MS SISM or similar (to combine / control CV), and enough mults / Links for your setup
-- the last ~10-15% of HP is effects and line out (for my headphones in particular)

IMO any small to mid-size setup needs careful balance of proportions of modules, otherwise it will be too "unbalanced" to perform well. My first rack was exciting, but too focused on sound sources; patching it I thought "all voicing, no score;" I had to up the proportion of CV and utilities to balance out and ultimately make a "deeper" rack.

For other ideas, you could look up Lugia's draft racks and postings, plus some other MG folks who you think have good rack designs. Reviewing good rack designs, thinking "why are they using that" and "what would suit me" will help you answer your questions.

I also agree with points from Troux and Jim above. All considered, I would suggest you add a couple "no regrets" utilities modules, spend a bunch of time with your rig, and let that process answer what else you feel you need.

I'm still newer to modular than a lot of other folks on the forum, so don't take the above as "final" or better than other people's points. But IMO I've recently been through a lot of the questions you're asking. Thought I'd share some ideas, hope this helps!

EDITED Apr 27th 2021, 19:57

Mainly I think i need more utilities but there are so many that I honestly do not know where to start. Like I thought I needed a clock for all this stuff but realistically i can use a passive mult and just use external clock sources eg drum machine to sync it all together. I think I need an euclidean sequencer of some sort since i like the possibilities they bring. Links and Kinks would be great but its hard to source anything from mutable here

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1527781.jpg?1619549109

This is basically what i have, easier to look at rather than names of modules on a page. The main issue is Im still waiting for my case which should be coming in the next week or two. So i personally am not sure what I need hence the reason I asked for help. Ive played extensively with my small semimodular setup and i fell in love with all the possibilities they bring but going full modular is a whole different ball game since "i do not know what i need". Its just I still have some money and want to make sure I get things that will help me understand everything a this set up brings to the table.

It's quite difficult to get some modules anywhere at the moment - there must be a used market in Russia though!

What do you think is the thing you are missing most and try to find something that will do that - and repeat etc

The thing is I already have the nebulae, echophon, surface, pip slope, desmodus versio, batumi, qpas and tangle quartet. The others modules I have fitted were the ones I think would be useful and/or cool. I do think i need a seqencer like varigate 4+ or maybe something else. I am not sure if I need to get maths or not too. The thing is I live in Russia so its quite hard to get some modules over here. I gotta work with what i can get my hands on

Thank you very much by the way. I really appreciate all this help.

EDITED Apr 27th 2021, 18:26

@troux is right - basically you need a lot more utility modules to get the most out of what you have got - the options are: throw out, minimise where possible, or go bigger (add an extra row) - I'd pick the third option personally

plan a 3rd row for now - and once case 1 is full by a 2nd case the same size - then you will have space for all this, the modules you need to support it and a decent amount of space to support further expansion - or some space to spread out the modules you do have so they are less cramped together