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Sent link via Twitter. Thanks a bunch for putting something cool together.

I do have an email setup: CMEdemos@gmail.com. Most people seem to like shooting me a DM with a link and that works just fine too. Harsh Noise is welcome. This is a wide open no holds barred culture jam. What ever moved you enough to capture on a recording is awesome!

Hi Farkas, All,

I finally got this picture and I hope it works here below:

Ah, it works :-) So, please keep in mind this is just an example, it doesn't have to be exactly like this but that you just get the idea of my above post.

The idea here is that for each "functionality" block you see here, you could take, if you have a lot of space, one rack, or if you have less space consider each block as a row in your racks. With two large racks or with 3 small racks this is getting quite realistic. If you have less space then use for each functionality block a certain HP space reserved; at the end, it's up to you. It's just to give you an idea on how a (medium till large) rack could be rearranged.

For beginners it might be interesting to see what kind of functionalities one might need to think about, it might give ideas and also perhaps a perception on how much HP/rack space you might required.

Farkas: Good luck with the rearrangement and please keep us updated :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

Some dude on the Facebook eurorack forum said I need to shave my arms lol in the video that was too much hair.
Guess people are super weird these days!

Thanks Garfield! Yeah the Richter modules are wicked crazy and especially when fed into FX processing like Mimeophon create some wild soundscapes. I am saving for a Doepfer 14u monster case to stack on the base case after I move to larger studio later this year then can get more sequencers, effects, support modules, mixers and some more percussion and few more sound sources and some granular sampler modules like the Instruo Arbhar or Qu-bit Nebulae for chopping up and processing audio in modular.

Hi Steve,

Oh that's a nice "playful" track. Nice to listen at, gives a positive feeling, I like that!

One little thingy... where are the other 14 minutes? 17+ minutes...? ;-)

Nice little jam, I hope this leads to more? Thank you very much and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Sacguy71,

Ah, now I know what I missed from your videos, some rough sounds from the Borg (Richter) module ;-) Nice to have a video with this module back into play!

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

Hi DesertS,

Welcome to modular :-)

The best way is, to get an audio interface that has at least (stereo) output. If you like to have input possibilities as well then you need both input & output. A nice example is Intellijel - Audio I/O.

Eurorack signals are (much) higher than line audio signals hence the need of an audio interface module. Some members here save money on such interface and by turning down the gain completely on the external mixer and then slowly pulling it up to see if it goes well.

If you are going to do a lot with DC signals, it's recommended to use an audio interface so you wouldn't have DC signals towards your speakers (since DC would destroy your speakers).

Up to you. Have fun with your modular system and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Greenleo. Thanks for letting us know.
I have a harsh noise wall style track if you are interested in including it on your comp.
Have a great week.

I run a netlabel of all free releases called Community Modular & Electronic. I'm putting out a compilation of modular noise that is set to be finalized in one week no matter what.

All are welcome. These are just for fun jams to be used on a free comp.

Let me know if you want to be a part of it!

https://communitymodularelectronic.bandcamp.com/

I run mine through a sound board with phantom power. You can get a phantom preamp by itself for like 20 bucks. Not sure if its a necessity though. Might work without it. Just bear in mind you are going to get mono out.

Hello,

I am new to modular synth and have been reading up over the last month in preparation for my first rack purchase. I am fairly confused on one area that I have had trouble finding info on. How do you send audio "out?" I am looking at the Make Noise Rosie to send the sound to headphones. However, if I have speakers I want to send the audio to do I need an inline amp? On the mentioned module, I only see headphone jacks. My speakers use BPA-38G banana jacks which requires 4 out (2.LxR). Any way to dumb this down for me?

Some thoughts:
1) I think I'd swap the Nin and VCF3 for an analog oscillator, maybe an Instruo Ts-L. IMHO Nin loses it's oomph in a generative rack, and you don't need three filters, so an analog oscillator (always a nice thing to have around) is a nice replacement that can help create some contrast with Plaits and Rings.
2) I like Cold Mac, but for your purposes here I'd probably just get a Links and Kinks, they do a lot and it's all grok-able.
3) Rosie seems too big for what you're aiming for here, I'd replace it with an ALM HPO which gives you 6 more HP.
4) Since the quad VCA cascades I'm not sure you need the mixer. I'd pick something interesting like a wavefolder or distortion module (Instruo Tanh or something from Noise Engineering maybe), or pull some more effects into the rack like an FX aid (a common recommendation).

Hope this helps!

Took another crack at this patch, I think it needs a third voice, or a little different development, but sound wise it's pretty nice... Serge rules.

https://stevehand.bandcamp.com/track/staging-acid-2

Props to @Ideo, @DirkB, @mopoco, @WarpHead and @mech808.
It's been a pleasure to deal with you guys.

To chime in with Lugia, here is a minimal FX setup: I have 4HP of multi fx processor (Disting MK4) which is fun, too.
For a minimal setup of pedal board FX I send things out via a headphone Cue and returing it via Mutable Ears. In my case it worked great with the BOSS DM-2W Delay, because I could also mix it back in the FX loop for well controllable feedback :)

PS.: Next up will be an FX Aid as dedicated processing module ;)

Good communication and nice transaction with @exzs
Danke Simon !

Thanks for your response,
At the moment i'm routing my audio flow throught ableton for effects. I'm thinking about getting an effects module. z-dsp, Black gole, fx aid of specialized module like a spring reverb or rainmaker. still processing everything I read.

Good day to you !

EDITED Feb 15th 2021, 12:31

wow, thank you all so much for this valuable feedback!
Fx Aid XL is added, I was also considering it! thanks.
@JimHowell1970
I replaced the Quad VCA for the veils, added links and kinks, will drop the adsr for simpler vca.. check!
sequencing: yeah, not sure about pitch sequencing to be honest. I havent found anything small and convincing for in rack sequencing, so im considering a beatstep pro.. if u have any leads, let me know! for drum sequencing i will use euclidean circles for kick hats and dfam.
drums: @troux I only need a kick and hihats in my rack as I have the dfam but ill definitely check out the mutant series! thanks.

@Lugia wow thats so much input, thanks a lot! it ll take me a while to go through every module but im very happy, i can definitely take up some ideas!!

Ah, I'm not sure what's going on with the second image, but it is messed up for me. UBurst is supposed to be in the empty space, and below it is Mutable Branches!

Hey all, I'm looking to fill out my 6u 88hp synth, made mostly for generative ambient style music. I have a focus on adding more utility and control over my sounds, and hope that what I've come up with is relatively self-sufficient/not lacking in some notable aspect. The first link is my current set of modules, and the second is what I envision for my endgame. Please let me know what you think!

I'm getting this error "Could not duplicate: numeric" when trying to duplicate a pedalboard. Seems to happen on all boards, even empty ones.

Had fun making some acid trance tonite

I dont know for Arbhar but Morphagen can handle signals from modular and from your sound card output.

Page 38 : The Auto-level procedure has been replaced with an improved input gain staging, accessed with a 4-step gain selection (blue-green-orange-purple). To use, Hold Record, and Press Shift to step through the gain settings: Blue, low -3db, Green, modular level, Orange medium +6db, Purple high +12db.

I'm struggling a lot with the mixing and mastering part of the process and I think hiring a professional mixing / mastering engineer will help me get a better sound for my tracks and learn something on the way.

Can you guys recommend someone? and how much should I expect to pay for the mixing and mastering?

To Sample from a Laptop Out or a Phone or iPod i use the Erica Synth Pico Input. You can go directly from your Laptop or Phone Headphone Out with a 3.5mm Stereo Cable to the Pico. From the Pico you can go with two Standard Patchcables into the Morphagene or Arbhar (but its just Mono In)

With the Pico Input you can also Boost the incoming Signal.

Hello, after careful consideration I’ve decided to take a dip into the fascinating modular world. I’ve been watching the State Azure channel on Youtube since I’m into ambient myself as Sonmi451. So I've purchased a Pico Case with an Instruo Arbhar, a Make Noise Morphagene and a Happy Nerding FX Aid. But now I'm stuck... Can someone please explain what cable to use in order to get a sample out of the stereo out laptop or AC out of my Focusrite One into the Arbhar input? Same question for the Morphagene input. I have some mono patch cables but I’m in a bit of a conundrum on the switch/difference between AC and VC. I have a little Behringer USB mixer: how do I output the modules out’s to the inputs of the mixer? I’ve seen 3,5 to 6,3 patch cables: can I use these to lead the signal to the Behringer? For the moment, the Behringer is the only mixer I’ve got, the Focusrite One only has a guitar input which I use for my Mother32. I've searched and searched but I can't find a clear answer on the internet. Any advice highly appreciated !

Thanks @farkas, it's new in my rack but definitely impressing so far. I think I might get a Jumble Henge for one of my smaller racks too.

Yeah, I kinda forgot about Marbles being in control, its nice that it has so much variety but keeps 3 lots of gates and 3 lots of pitches all muddling along nicely.
Though I did start off with Marbles just throwing Gates at the 2hp Turing machine or ARP which was doing a good job anyway before re-patching over to totally Marbles.
Its really feeling like Marbles is the module I've been looking for to help tie everything together. I need another VCO now so I can use the full 3 channels as all analogue goodness :)

Oh, wow. In addition to your excellent composition as always, the EQ, separation, and use of the stereo field are outstanding.
I have been eyeing both the Worng Soundstage for a while, and the new ALM variant. May have to make room in the rack.
Thanks for sharing!

EDITED Feb 14th 2021, 17:00

@Mazz
That's too healthy an attitude to get into modular. Sorry, mate! ;)

(Oh damn, this is a sticky thread! Should have contributed something more profound. Next time.)

EDITED Feb 14th 2021, 16:42

Both excellent tunes, I especially like the human-ness of Upside Down Cat which I can have trouble finding in my generative stuff. Is this the power of Marbles? 🤔🤔

I realised the entire Youtube page was all Modular Vids, but i thought it maybe inappropriate to put the shop link on here each time so the link is on the Youtube page. :)

So @wishbone now you are using MG to advertise your beers, the least you could do is post a link where we can buy them, hmmm?

It certainly feels spacey and airy.

read the pams manual - pams can generate envelopes - as well as triggers and random quantised sequences

how are you planning on sequencing?

Make Noise STO sine wave into DannySound Timbre, Befaco Even VCO into Happy Nerding HNVCF, quite a bit of modulation from Divkid Instruo Ochd and using the ALM Pip Slope envelope combined in the AI Synthesis Matrix Mixer, beats from the Roboux LL8 and DNi Pro DOT triggering the ADDAC103, using the filter on the ADDAC105 for a bit of extra blippy percussion from the T-Networks, 2HP Verb and Erica Pico DSP bringing things all together. There are also some Hats from the Roland TR-09.

While I'd agree with most points, aren't people overthinking their music-making a little too much?
It makes the assumption that every musician's goal should be becoming successful or having some kind of mystical experience out of it...
I don't know, some of us just make music because it's our favourite thing to do in our spare time. I learned decades ago that my music is nothing special and is going nowhere, yet precisely because that wasn't my goal, I'm still at it 35 years later, and enjoying every minute of it. For the sake of it.
For the present I'm just getting some Eurorack modules to expand my DFAM explorations, but knowing myself I know I'll get deeper down the rabbit hole, but always within reason.
I'd say, yes be aware of your budget and measure how important things are to you, but don't overthink it. It's just a hobby like any other. If you lose interest after a while. Sell on and move on.

Cheers :)

Thought I'd reverse my usual and post a quick outtake. This is a really nice mixer, it lets you play with space intuitively/easily and makes good room for different voices. Check it out:

https://stevehand.bandcamp.com/track/staging-acid

Made with:

EDITED Feb 14th 2021, 06:26

Sorry about that A single envelope generator will be enough its Een without one he will mange Greatings Raimon

(try #2...hate how this thing loves to eat posts)

Jim answered the thing about "incomplete power consumption specs"...my suggestion would be to go to the website for the module(s) in question and check to see if they have the current specs, or whether they have an online or DLable manual that has those. And if you DO find 'em, come back here and fix the listing...because one of MG's best strengths is its crowdsourcing of information to keep the place comprehensive.

As for the drums...I can't endorse this. For one thing, having drum modules and sequencing and all of that in this small a build will crowd out modules that can make the drone synth aspect stronger. My recommendation would be to go with an external drum machine or two, locked up with some sync method. Also...your two Tiptop drum modules here run $380, while at the same time you can get Roland's redux of the TR-808 for a mere $19 more. Or you could just as well wait for Uli to drop B.'s version of the 909. Either way, this is really the right way to go...function AND ergonomics all considered. There's also a bunch of things in there that won't quite work for this, or won't work in the way you expect.

So...I banged on this for a bit, changed a bunch of stuff, and this resulted:

Now that's a lot better, as far as drone instruments go. I got rid of the Red Square VCO in deference to a pair of VOID's Gravitational Waves dual VCOs with ring modulators + a bunch of crossmod tricks. And interestingly, they cost exactly $1 more together than the one Red Square. Following those is a Bubblesound Hex VCA for level control of SIX inputs...which means you could take a single waveform from each VCO + each ringmod, or double up different waveforms...bunches of timbral possibilities there...and then "strum" through them with modulation signals. After the Hex VCA is a fixed-level panning mixer from Omsonic (the VCAs handle levels here) to set up your stereo field. This gets fed to the Morgasmotron after that. Then the Morg's A and B outs can go to the FX Aid XL while at the same time the mono MIX out can go to the Purrtronics spring emulator. The end of the audio path is just below this, where a VC stereo crossfader can accept CVs for fading between the FX Aid and spring outs, feeding this to the Isolator for output. As for the wet/dry balances, those get controlled on the FX modules.

Now, the modulation section here starts with the A-118-2, then Tesseract's FranKinksTides dual Tides clone with some additional Kinks circuitry handles long-period modulation. The SISM after this allows you to use CV to control all sorts of modulation tampering and combination. Then Maths, followed by a triple linear VCA for CV over modulation levels. Then a Quadrax/Qx combo allows you to do very complex envelope/LFO/function gen activity.

This is intended as a drone-specific instrument, really. Loads of ambient drone potential, plus there's ample modulation to allow plenty of internal changes to those drones. And with the dual FX/crossfade end stage, this has the potential for a lot of weird stereo field depth trickery, too, such as moving from the Morg's A and B via a swirly foreground chorus to its MIX out into a deep, blurry reverb...sort of like the mixing equivalent of falling down a well, if you like.

CV processing and perhaps logic like an Intellijel Plog.
-- exper

Yes, been thinking about Plog as well.. What kind of CV processing module were u thinking about?

-- flowwwer

There are many good 6hp mixer/attenuverter/offset modules, such as Intellijel's Triplatt, Mutable Shades, or Happy Nerding's 3X MIA. And with that last 2hp, I suggest a passing OR module. Yes there is OR logic on the Plog, but it's better to use that for more interesting logic scenarios. OR can be done passively and is versatile in that it can also be used as a voltage rectifier and mixer. I love throwing some LFOS or random voltages into one and get different versions out of it.

Nifty! And yeah, it's probably more sensible to stay holed up, working on lures right now...winter in IL is bad enough, but when you get back down South, you get that WET cold. No fun being out on the water in that, nope!

My situation is sort of atypical...I have 124U of various rack processors, plus some non-racked ones, a "library" of stompers that I can drop in when/wherever needed, and pretty much everything in my studio involves a patch, so it's easy to reroute things so that I can easily make changes to the signal path. And this is all hardware...doesn't cover the various VSTs.

Hi Funbun,

It has been awhile, but you are back! :-)

Properly back, with one of your nice videos that I missed so much! Naturally, nicely accompanied with your AE modular system :-)

Great work and thank you very much for sharing this with us. Kind regards, Garfield.

Hell yeah! The BIA is one of the greatest modules ever made for eurorack. Especially when you modulate and sequence the gates and CV it really comes to life. Here is a quick jam that I made with mine recently that shows what it can do.

By the way, did you know that Kris Kaiser of Noise Engineering uses the same Winter Modular Eloquencer sequencer with her BIA stuff?

Hi Wishbonebrewery,

Oh yes, another nice beer can combination with drone track. For me this is a drone all right ;-)

It's a pity that I am not a beer drinker, otherwise I would be very tempted to try out your different beer styles, seems and sounds quite interesting to me!

Nice work and thanks a lot for sharing with us, kind regards, Garfield.

Hi guys,
The pedals thread made me think;
How do you handle effects in your rack(s) and what are your favourites modules.
DSP, analogic, guitar pedals ? The best of all world ?

Good day/night !