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Ha, too much love Well, thanks for the clarification !

This is great, ModLifeCrisis. Thanks for sharing.
My relationship with modular is like a pendulum. For long periods of time it is all I think about, and other times I focus on other hardware and guitars. Hope to find a happy medium someday. :)
Take care.

EDIT: just testing the edit function - and I remember I may have written a heart to troux, so < and 3 stuck together, could that be it ?
-- toodee

Yes, that is the problem. MG uses the PHP strip_tag function to filter iframes and the like which sadly is so heartless to also filter the less than expression because it looks suspicious like a broken html tag. Don't stick < together with anything :)

I've just experienced a weird bug: my last post in the forum saw only 2 lines posted despite the fact that what I wrote was 6 or 7 lines. Trying to edit the message to add the lines back seems to get ignored and my message is trimmed at the exact same spot after the edit.
-- toodee

Any special chars in this text? What was it?
-- modulargrid

I don't think it did, it was just a question on a couple of modules, the only thing that comes to mind was a semi-colon I used for a winking smiley, like this ;-)

Maybe it was just a glitch from my machine, although I have disabled most extensions on my browser for this website including ad blockers.

EDIT: just testing the edit function - and I remember I may have written a heart to troux, so < and 3 stuck together, could that be it ?

EDITED Jul 19th 2021, 15:09

One of the aspects of modular I have noticed is how all-consuming it can be. I think about modular a lot, and I have been neglecting my other synths. Another thing about modular I've noticed is that it has changed the kind of music I listen to and also the way I approach more traditional synths when I play them. I'm 'thinking' more modular and 'playing' more modular. This isn't something I've chosen, it's just happened. I filmed this little performance on my Roland SH09 which highlights the change in my style of playing.

I recommend a platform [spam.me], their writers wrote a great essay for me. If you hesitate, check out these [spam.me] reviews , they will only confirm my words.
-- MichaelCrowley

Mr MichaelCrowley is not with us anymore.

I saw you were posting again too and have your songs in the queue, looking forward to listening to them.
-- troux

Don't get your hopes up for anything groundbreaking. Haha. Just some looping experiments that I decided to record.
Again, good to see you back in action.

I've just experienced a weird bug: my last post in the forum saw only 2 lines posted despite the fact that what I wrote was 6 or 7 lines. Trying to edit the message to add the lines back seems to get ignored and my message is trimmed at the exact same spot after the edit.
-- toodee

Any special chars in this text? What was it?

Thanks @farkas! I saw you were posting again too and have your songs in the queue, looking forward to listening to them. Re: the Salmple I bought it a bit before my hiatus so I haven't used it a ton ton, but so far I've been pretty impressed and I still have a lot to learn, for example I'd love to spend some time working to use it for live sampling. Overall though if you're aiming to make a live dance rack I'd say it's a pretty nice addition because its does a ton and the cohesiveness of the different drum banks and the ease of switching between them helps in experimenting quickly to find the right sound.

@toodee, thanks for the welcome back, and agreed, sometimes a break can really get the creative juices churning. Hopefully I can keep it up 🕺

EDITED Jul 19th 2021, 13:47

I've just experienced a weird bug: my last post in the forum saw only 2 lines posted despite the fact that what I wrote was 6 or 7 lines. Trying to edit the message to add the lines back seems to get ignored and my message is trimmed at the exact same spot after the edit.

Hi troux,

Glad to have you back on track ! I suppose we all have those times when we need to take a step back. And thanks for sharing this, lovely dreamy acid

EDITED Jul 19th 2021, 12:06

Hey troux! Welcome back. I had a similar experience for a few months. Just lost a bit of my creative drive and disappeared for a while. I'm glad to see you getting in the spirit again.
This sounds outstanding. Love the mix too. Did you recently add the Squid Salmple to your rack? I don't remember seeing that before. How do you like it?
Take care.

That looks very promising especially with the link and tether rows. The only problem with this is I will be using this outside and when traveling in a camper van. Thats why I have an UCX and can record on the go even when I have no laptop nearby. Is it a possibility to just go straight to the ucx and skip the dc coupled i/o? It has no dc outs but I dont need cv,trigg from daw to my eurorack. Only audio rec from euro to daw. or hard disk. Would that be possible with that 1u row straight to the ucx? :)

appreciate the feedback so far. just a note any order i make takes 2 months to arrive, returns 6 months if its even possible and I cant demo any module prior to purchase. so i have to rely on reviews and youtube videos. So i deeply appreciate the feedback.

here is an updated. The wmd mixer helps with lots of functions. I checked everything suggested and I put in then rack the modules i liked AND could actually acquire. Lots of the modules are "out of stock" or "pre-order" which makes it difficult for me to ever get.
a real bummer as i liked the xoac and EG stuff a lot.

I am definitely looking for the "boring" modules at this stage, so appreciate the ideas. (the roland 531 is not in the rack because i think i could sell that with the wmd , just repetitive.

EDITED Jul 19th 2021, 18:49

Thanks, I hope that you enjoy the other tracks also. Always interested to know which ones stand out.

@tenebre6 whilst you are upgrading modulation I would seriously consider upgrading utilities too - adding a matrix mixer for combining modulation sources and a mutable kinks if you can find one, or the functions it has in other modules - sample and hold (there's the divkid one), logic (I like joranalogue compare2) and rectification

Depends partly on what music you're doing and whether you need to work fast (as in live gigging) or not (studio work). If the former, you might benefit from some single-module voices. But if the rig is only going to see studio work, I'd suggest going with the individual module plan. Also, if doing music with complex sonic elements, individual modules give you the flexibility needed for that...such as for immersive ambient. But if you're aiming for a techno/EDM-type direction, it wouldn't be a bad thing to make your "bleep" and "bass" voices be single module voices.

-- Lugia

Thank you for your advice!
I still have a lot to learn so it is better to go for some basic modules for the learning path. I will do more research and if I like any synth voice module I will add it on the second row later.
Please check my set up again! Do you think it is a good starting point? Does the addition of attenuverter, filter, VCA, and Maths make it usable?
I need some honest advices to help build up my first row from those Doepfer modules.
Thank you so much!

Some module suggestions:

-- Erogenous Tones units would be my top suggestions as you could add a LOT of envelopes, simple LFOs, VCAs, attenuverters etc with a few modules, e.g., get a lot of "power up" to your rig with little HP by using these very "dense" modules. I consider something like 4ms SISM or ET Levit8 critical in a medium to large system; I need at least 1 SISM if not more in a big build. ET VC8 would be a very HP efficient way to add VCAs if you're needing more.
-- Instruo Ochd, I see you already have, but honestly you could stand even more LFOs in a rig this size? Ochd is a great choice, I have multiples. I love Mutable Instruments Tides, but that is rather different from Ochd. If you're going to get ET Radar, those 8 lanes can be used as simple LFOs or as envelopes
-- WMD performance mixer, as others have said, just makes a ton of sense with a system this big
-- the Random and Chaos type units from NonLinear Circuits are IMO very interesting and on my list of "next" modules
-- if you wanted to add further sources and filters, the Rossum stuff is great. Their filters have really changed my mind what a filter is.

Other comments:
-- looking at your build and comments, I'm seeing a ton from Erica (Techno, Fusion, Black systems), MN Black and Gold, and a major portion of the Instruo lineup. Can you share with us a little i) how you got to your existing system ii) some of your goals / vision for your system as it evolves? That would help us give a bit more tailored input

-- if I had the units you do, I would probably focus next on adding a significant number of "boring" modules, utilities and such, to "superpower" the modules already possessed. IMO the "boring" modules are hardest to understand initially, but go a very long way to add depth and playability to a modular system. My early systems were overly skewed towards sound sources; as a result, the system seemed "flat" (e.g. lacking real depth, power, complexity). It was adding a big complement of "supporting lineup" modules that really balanced my rig and gave it a lot of depth and interest. I think this rig could get a great lift from an added complement of utilities. To that end, practically, I'd suggest you scan through the more "humble" looking offerings from Doepfer and Ladik; for not a lot of $s or HP you could really add a ton of function and depth to your rig. The options from Deopfer and Ladik are too numerous to list, and particular selections really depend on what direction you'd like to take your rig.

-- what are the semimodular items you mentioned using for a lot of modulation etc? It's kind of hard to get a real sense of your setup without knowing the significant external items you link to the modular to fulfill some needed modular functions. Maybe you don't need some of the items I'm suggesting because they're already represented in your semi-modular?

Hope this helps some! Cheers, Nicholas
-- nickgreenberg

Thanks! i am really liking the idea of the WMD plus the ET modules.
re: other stuff - m32, dfam, subharmonicon, matriarch, odyssey, ms20 are what i use primarily with the modular stuff. I mostly sequence from the DAW and keystep pro.

why these modules: I started with the ES black system so i had an attachment to their stuff, the others just came as i heard them and thought I wanted to make something with them. I use the system for non-atmospheric music. So in actually structured songs. At this stage (since i finally got everything in one large case) I want to make it more functional, like you said with "boring" modules. I appreciate the feedback.

also thinking if i get the WMD i can get rid of the roland 531 and free up 20 hp. Only other modules i am considering removing is the ES Toms (another 16hp). I think i can do without the "mutes" for wmd because this is a studio only rig. I will research today and post a new build with these ideas.

EDITED Jul 19th 2021, 07:02

OK you should fill the rest of the rack with NLC chaos modulation modules and a metric tonne of VCAs
-- etckla

hmm never heard of this.. but thats a cool module for sure! will check it out.

I like farkas's suggestion, actually. A build of this size could 100% benefit from a comprehensive mixer like that WMD, especially if you pick up the extra fader and mutes modules. It works very well as a final level VCA per channel, plus also, something like that can handle your autopanning, put CV control over your FX send/returns, and give you mutes on every input. Even better, if you add Happy Nerding's OUT, you then get one more parallel stereo input that can be mixed with the mixer's output, and this is a perfect way to slot in one more stereo FX return on your main stereo outs.

Also, take a very critical mindset regarding the modules you currently have, and start considering whether or not they effectively fill their spaces. For example, I see a Make Noise Function in the next-to-lowest row, and that occupies 8 hp and only gives you a single two-stage envelope. If you swapped that for a Doepfer A-140-2, you could fit TWO ADSR generators into the same space...or you could go with their A-142-4, which gives you four independent Schmitt triggers (instant attack, manual control over decay). The Erica stuff isn't particularly "function-dense", so you might consider whether something that provides more functionality would be a good substitute for what's there presently.
-- Lugia

i had not seen the WMD with the 2 extra modules. Honestly i really like this idea. The HN out not sure what that would add as i have and out on my black system and black and gold already. but perhaps I am missing something?

I get you on the hp vs function. I get attached to my modules, very hard to part with them. I would almost prefer to justr get another rack ;) but great advice.

Looking at your rack again, I'm feeling like I would want something like the WMD Performance Mixer if you don't have an external mixing solution that you already prefer. I would probably want some attenuverters too, something like the Happy Nerding 3xMIA if you can find those. I know that were out of stock for a while.
-- farkas
i do use an external mixer.. but i really want that WMD just cant justify the hp since i already have an external one.

will check out the 3xmia :)

Quadrax and Zadar for envelopes and more since you already have Maths. Triple Sloths or the Zlob Diode Chaos for random/chaos. VCAs are kind of a personal thing. I like the FSS Gristleizer VCA for a distorted character and the AJH MiniMod, but you might want to add some quantity with something like Veils or the Intellijel Quad VCA. For 8 channels of stepped modulation I definitely recommend the Voltage Block. I love that thing for giving me that last little bit of movement that I need.
Have fun and good luck!
-- farkas

thank you! i have really been eying quadrax and zadar. Others I will give them a look. appreciate it.

Some module suggestions:

-- Erogenous Tones units would be my top suggestions as you could add a LOT of envelopes, simple LFOs, VCAs, attenuverters etc with a few modules, e.g., get a lot of "power up" to your rig with little HP by using these very "dense" modules. I consider something like 4ms SISM or ET Levit8 critical in a medium to large system; I need at least 1 SISM if not more in a big build. ET VC8 would be a very HP efficient way to add VCAs if you're needing more.
-- Instruo Ochd, I see you already have, but honestly you could stand even more LFOs in a rig this size? Ochd is a great choice, I have multiples. I love Mutable Instruments Tides, but that is rather different from Ochd. If you're going to get ET Radar, those 8 lanes can be used as simple LFOs or as envelopes
-- WMD performance mixer, as others have said, just makes a ton of sense with a system this big
-- the Random and Chaos type units from NonLinear Circuits are IMO very interesting and on my list of "next" modules
-- if you wanted to add further sources and filters, the Rossum stuff is great. Their filters have really changed my mind what a filter is.

Other comments:
-- looking at your build and comments, I'm seeing a ton from Erica (Techno, Fusion, Black systems), MN Black and Gold, and a major portion of the Instruo lineup. Can you share with us a little i) how you got to your existing system ii) some of your goals / vision for your system as it evolves? That would help us give a bit more tailored input

-- if I had the units you do, I would probably focus next on adding a significant number of "boring" modules, utilities and such, to "superpower" the modules already possessed. IMO the "boring" modules are hardest to understand initially, but go a very long way to add depth and playability to a modular system. My early systems were overly skewed towards sound sources; as a result, the system seemed "flat" (e.g. lacking real depth, power, complexity). It was adding a big complement of "supporting lineup" modules that really balanced my rig and gave it a lot of depth and interest. I think this rig could get a great lift from an added complement of utilities. To that end, practically, I'd suggest you scan through the more "humble" looking offerings from Doepfer and Ladik; for not a lot of $s or HP you could really add a ton of function and depth to your rig. The options from Deopfer and Ladik are too numerous to list, and particular selections really depend on what direction you'd like to take your rig.

-- what are the semimodular items you mentioned using for a lot of modulation etc? It's kind of hard to get a real sense of your setup without knowing the significant external items you link to the modular to fulfill some needed modular functions. Maybe you don't need some of the items I'm suggesting because they're already represented in your semi-modular?

Hope this helps some! Cheers, Nicholas

Life, as it does, has its way of intervening and getting in the way of things, and so I spent the last two months with the synths set aside and not making music. But! I did a lot of thinking in that time, and had a boatload of new ideas, and got to try a few this weekend. Here's the one I'm happiest with, hope you enjoy and you're all well!

https://stevehand.bandcamp.com/album/after-beach-acid

Made with:

hey @dubheadz !
btw what kind of reverb do you use in this one?

-- mamonu

Hi, there! FX chain comprises Milky Way from Endorphin.es and Boss RV-6.

I like farkas's suggestion, actually. A build of this size could 100% benefit from a comprehensive mixer like that WMD, especially if you pick up the extra fader and mutes modules. It works very well as a final level VCA per channel, plus also, something like that can handle your autopanning, put CV control over your FX send/returns, and give you mutes on every input. Even better, if you add Happy Nerding's OUT, you then get one more parallel stereo input that can be mixed with the mixer's output, and this is a perfect way to slot in one more stereo FX return on your main stereo outs.

Also, take a very critical mindset regarding the modules you currently have, and start considering whether or not they effectively fill their spaces. For example, I see a Make Noise Function in the next-to-lowest row, and that occupies 8 hp and only gives you a single two-stage envelope. If you swapped that for a Doepfer A-140-2, you could fit TWO ADSR generators into the same space...or you could go with their A-142-4, which gives you four independent Schmitt triggers (instant attack, manual control over decay). The Erica stuff isn't particularly "function-dense", so you might consider whether something that provides more functionality would be a good substitute for what's there presently.

Yep, envelopes are a problem here...my suggestion on those, given the build size, would be that you might want to look at Xaoc's awesome Zadar/Nin combo...four envelopes, plenty of control, only 13 hp.

Save your $$$...the only patching thing that will wreck a modular is patching outputs to outputs, as the output stages of a lot of modules aren't diode-protected against reverse voltages. Otherwise, the whole point is to patch everything to everything else while avoiding that one critical misstep, which one typically sees when people confuse multiples with mixers (which they aren't!). The far more important things to remember have to do with POWER...connecting the busboards properly, making sure where modules want the "red stripe" on ribbons, etc. Just proceed VERY carefully if you have to mess with any of that, and you'll be fine.

As for utilities and the like, just slap up a build of the current system and link it to a forum thread. You'll have plenty of experienced people poking at it for $zilch, and while you might get several answers...look at 'em as several IDEAS, implement the one(s) you like, but make sure to keep the other suggestions in the back of your mind in case you need 'em later. The MG Forum is also a super-useful place to get patching tips, etc. So, save the money for...well, more modules, but you'll see how THAT happens once you start using what you've got!

Yep, you go directly to/from the interface. However, there ARE ways to make this work better, and since you've mentioned tile rows, have a look at PulpLogic's Link and Tether tiles. If you use an DC-coupled interface that can handle D-sub I/O, all you'd then do would be to connect the interface to the Tether and there you are. The other nice thing about this sort of setup is that you're purely limited by the amount of D-sub I/O on the interface.

For example, this: https://reverb.com/item/40573842-motu-2408-mk3-pci-audio-interface?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiIxMDIzNWMzMy0yMWFiLTRkMzQtODJlMS1iNzJjNGNkOWI2OGUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjY2NjMwMTcsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIyOTQ1MjI0Iiwic2Vzc2lvbl9pZCI6IjdkNzVkNjc0LTYwMzQtNDhiNS05ZDY1LTEyZGJjZTE1ZjM4OSIsImNvb2tpZV9pZCI6IjRmNzU1OTYyLTM3OTItNDQ0My05OWFjLWI2YWQ5NTI5YThjZiIsInByb2R1Y3RfaWQiOiI0MDU3Mzg0MiIsInNvdXJjZSI6Ik5PTkUifQ.bYfOV-bjfEPC1dlMxZQhf12lY9yiAqV-cpZ5EZibnzM Wow...what a hideous URL...anyway, this has three pairs of 8-channel D-subs plus eight more analog I/O channels. So if you wanted the MADNESS of having 32 channels of CV/gate/trig/clock I/O, you could do that with six Tethers and six Links for the first 24, then another 8 would patch directly (preferably through an outboard patchbay...those things make life much easier in a studio). Just BE SURE to get any necessary PCIe cards and such, as these denser interfaces often rely on things like that.

Thank you all for the very kind comments. That one wasn't easy, so I really appreciate it.

OK you should fill the rest of the rack with NLC chaos modulation modules and a metric tonne of VCAs

Oh, wow. Awesome. I'm getting serious fusion vibes from this. Very well done!

Get a cv mixer like 3xMia or befaco A*B+C (encourage you to look carefully at the latter, it's like a smaller version of MI Blinds)

Get a uOrnament and Crime, install hemisphere suite firmware. It's incredible and will give you so many permutations of your modular.

Edit:
Although you could use some envelopes too and Stages is great.

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 21:10

Looking at your rack again, I'm feeling like I would want something like the WMD Performance Mixer if you don't have an external mixing solution that you already prefer. I would probably want some attenuverters too, something like the Happy Nerding 3xMIA if you can find those. I know that were out of stock for a while.

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 21:21

Quadrax and Zadar for envelopes and more since you already have Maths. Triple Sloths or the Zlob Diode Chaos for random/chaos. VCAs are kind of a personal thing. I like the FSS Gristleizer VCA for a distorted character and the AJH MiniMod, but you might want to add some quantity with something like Veils or the Intellijel Quad VCA. For 8 channels of stepped modulation I definitely recommend the Voltage Block. I love that thing for giving me that last little bit of movement that I need.
Have fun and good luck!

Yeah, I'm thinking envelopes, random, and probably VCAs. Maybe a Voltage Block too?
-- farkas

i agree with these... suggestions on some interesting ones to check out? (actual modules)

Is this a real rack that you have? Don't you find yourself running out of modulation?
-- etckla
yes. its just grown overtime. I have semi modular stuff that i use for lots of that. was hoping to find some new modules I just have not heard to add to it.

Wow, really accomplished stuff :)

Yeah, I'm thinking envelopes, random, and probably VCAs. Maybe a Voltage Block too?

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 19:58

Is this a real rack that you have? Don't you find yourself running out of modulation?

So when you use an outboart DC-Coupled I/O you go straight from vcas/attenuators to your inputs on the I/O if I understand it correctly? If so isn't that a bit messy on a big system?

I have ~174 hp I am want to fill. I am looking for suggestion for something that will be new and interesting with this rack.

This is also accompanied by a Make Noise Black and Gold plus and an Erica Synths Black System.

just looking for some cool modules I have not though of that don't duplicate what I already have.

Nice stuff TumeniKnobs!

Sure. We all have to help each other. The Patch and Tweak book is excellent for module types and has an actual “language” for patching. It can save you a lot of money in the long run. I still had to patch on paper to see points where I wanted to break out a signal, combine signals, etc. that I had missed.

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 17:26

Crappy weather has made me productive in the last couple of weeks... sorry for flooding the forum.

This one started as an experiment in the four dimensions of the Make Noise Rene 2 sequencer. The C axis is driving Rings which is what you first hear. The Y axis is driving a funky bass kinda thing through the Piston Honda. C axis is driving Plaits. The Z axis runs through variations of the sequences for all three oscillators. A big part of the performance includes enabling and disabling the sequencer gates in Rene as well as enabling/disabling glide on sequencer steps, so you get variation as it goes through the sequences. Mimeophon provides delay on the Rings sequence and is manually dialed in and out. The modular portion was recorded as a "live" performance and the rest of the parts were added after the fact.

I decided to pull a guitar off the wall for the little melody line, but the melody is later played on the Subsequent 37 and the Prophet Rev 2. I recorded many solos for this song on both guitar and synth, none of which were kept... I thought the modular track was already busy enough, so I took out the e-bow and did a guitar solo with that then ran it through a delay. Moog Taurus pedals provide the low bass line. Drums were pieced together with EZ drummer and are the only thing that was done with midi.

Just realised I've been going over an hour now!

I have really liked watching folks show their rigs for their recording so I thought I'd give it a try. There's a lot going on in this patch, but there's no clocking so it's totally freeform from a timing perspective, and it's improvised after playing with the basic patch for a couple of weeks. Lesson learned on this was putting into practice Mylar's tips on practicing/rehearsing with your live rig so you can build muscle memory and not fumble around too much (although I still do quite a bit of fumbling here).

1. First bass sounds are sine and triangle outs from the Erica Synths Black VCO 2 through the Vult Freak and Chronoblob

2. The main lead is the sine of Osc A and the Final of Osc B of DPO through QPAS and Chronoblob (also running through Mordax Data for gratuitous Lissajous figures). I'm using aftertouch on the Keystep Pro to control FM on DPO for the vibrato effect.

3. A third voice is Rings which is fed notes from Marbles which I trained to E pentatonic minor. Marbles is triggered by the gate of the main lead as played on the keyboard, and biased for unpredictable trigger outs to Rings Strum input. Rings outs are going into Typhoon.

4. After I kill the initial low drone from the Black VCO I fade in a random sequence of drones. There are four voices that are faded in and out by four LFOs on Batumi running to the Quad VCA. The voices come from Disting EX, Piston Honda A and B and Plaits. Disting is running through Ripples, PH is running through dual filters on Bionic Lester and Plaits is running through Polaris. Those are all running through Mimeophon.

Everything runs through Big Sky Chorale effect direct to DAW.

Cheers.

on the home page...it would be cool to have a 'top rated modules by type' where you could filter some of the more basic function...top 5 vca, vco, vcf, etc...

Feature request:

Some modules have 2 versions, e.g. black or white faceplate. They are technically the same module only in a different color faceplate. It would be awesome if there is an option on the "Edit Module" page that allows for linking two or more modules together. They would still be two different products of course with each their own module information page like normal but implementing this opens up two very handy features:

• A list on the Module information page showing the variations of that module. For example:
  On the page of "Module X - White" you'll see a list saying "Product Variations:" which contains a link to "Module X - Black"

• Add a checkbox for each variation. If you check this box and press "Notify me if someone offers this Module for sale", it will also send a notification if someone submits an offer for that checked module.

My profession is Software tester so let me know if the feature is implemented so I can test it out lol

Lovely track :) at least so far on Track 1 :)

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 12:19