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+1 on attenuverters. Another Happy Nerding module to recommend here is 3xMIA. I use that thing in almost every patch.

May sound boring, but I find myself using dedicated attenuverters a lot with DFAM...

utility modules only sound boring to people who don't have them - once you have them you realise they are at least as important as the expensive modules you use them to connect in different ways - see signature!

there are a load of these modules - not just the bastl and alm - doepfer, ime, etc etc

some pedals don't need them - moogerfoogers are generally ok with modular levels and my strymon mobius works fine with them - if you need a bit of a boost to get back in to the modular, some vcas (veils, for example) work perfectly well

one thing to note with guitar pedals is they often don't work that well with bass frequencies

May sound boring, but I find myself using dedicated attenuverters a lot with DFAM... And mixers are always in full use for mixing modulation sources and mixing the Subharmonicon's VCO outs for chords or pads. Consider a matrix mixer (like AI Synthesis AI008) as you can route FX sends with it. Farkas is right: an FX module might come in handy as well. Or you can use effects pedals via ADDAC Pedal Integrator or similar devices.
And a precision voltage adder might be very useful (like VPME T43 or Doepfer A-185-2).
Cheers and all the very best for 2022 erveryone :-D

I feel like a dedicated effects module would compliment this set-up very well. Something like the Happy Nerding FX Aid XL would be a safe and useful addition to the Moog semi-modulars. Also, unless you already have the older Pamela's Workout, you will likely find Pamela's New Workout both easier to find and more fully featured.
Have fun and good luck.

I make some cool hi hats from Erbeverb modulated by Maths as well as with Black Code Source for creative way to do so without dedicated percussion modules.

No worries all, we're running a bit behind. For those who haven't DM'ed me say hello and we'll sort getting your files.

Yea I heard that the new Matrix movie was a wokefest of bad fan fiction. Same with the Amazon Wheel of Time show that was a hot mess of woke race swapping and far left man hating LGBTQ agenda that disgraced the awesome Robert Jordan novels. Oh hell, guess it’s old movies, books and modular synths for me til this bad agenda ends.

Just did a quick sampling of the new release and wow! There’s lots of great soundscapes on offer. Will definitely be checking it out fully. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

I’m loving this. I should have some time to let this run all the way later today. :-)

I have yet to try setting up a deep, “self-generating” patch like this, but I really want to try.

Cheers!

Damn! I forgot to PM you sooner. Hopefully I’m not too late… Cheers!

@troux - check PMs...

EDITED Dec 31st 2021, 12:34

I sent something! (late as usual)

I've literally no saved files, might have to try a Youtube downloader thing.
-- wishbonebrewery

before you fry your machine with some malicious program, you can also try to pull the MP4 from youtube (in the videos settings when logged in) and then render only the audio with a program like Premiere Pro or even Blender (free, but a little weird for this task)

I've literally no saved files, might have to try a Youtube downloader thing.

If you have guitar effects pedals/stompboxes, there are modules that allow you to use those in your modular setup as well. I don't play guitar but since one of my builds is a Rackbrute 3U (small footprint), I got the Bastl Hendrikson which will allow me to use external stompbox (plural when I get a Electro-Harmonix Tri Parallel Mixer, which will let me connect up to 3 external pedals).

Hendrikson is discontinued but ALM also makes one called ALM006 - S.B.G...just something to consider since you play guitar and may have some effect pedals...or this would give you another reason to buy one :)

I absolutely do want filters, but just don't know enough about them to make a decision. Are there any you'd recommend as good overall filter modules? Would Morgasmatron be a good choice?

-- canyllyr

ive played a few. i wasnt a big fan of the intellijel uvcf i had, but all the others have sounded good.
i wasnt fond of the control scheme of the lxd or the z2040, but they were both easy on the ears.
the doepfer lpg has a mean preamp and sick resonance and a little pricetag.
filters are fun modules to play manually so id look for one with a nice layout and cool features.
i remember really wanting voltage control of resonance, and feeling like i miss it when i play a filter without kt, but i cant remember ever using it a whole lot ;_;
a modulars a very personal thing so do some window shopping on youtube , figure out if you want low pass or state variable, 12 dB or 24 dB, &c

This was a one off project for my father. The idea being to replace a few pedals with some modules so he has less to carry when he goes out to play. It’s also in a custom case made of 4a flamed maple with F- holes. Guitar style :)
This is certainly nothing like having a full on synth nor was it designed to be. It’s purpose other than being small is only as a small standard fix unit for guitar, hence why it’s called “dads pedalboard”.
I almost went the multifx route(and I would have if this was for me) but it’s easier to have dedicated “pedals” or modules for understanding use/signal flow for someone who isn’t into synths and eurorack, and just comes from a guitar background.

It’s controlled by the EF in the dynamo which can pick up the velocity of your playing and modulate the verb, delay, drive, and filter(read wah). The videos are so my dad could learn about the modules in his new rack as he is brand new to synths/modular.
Certainly no one is buying this, as it was built only for only one purpose and one person in mind :)
You could make this with a rack of distings, but you cannot make a rack of distings with this.
Final result is a blast to play with
Cheers!

Decided to try and slim down a little by removing MX1 mixer and substituted a 2HP Mix. Considering removing the 2HP drums kit and tossing in an envelope follower with mic pre like the MI Ears. This is so I can hook in a mic and process harmonica/melodica. I'm pretty sure I can do this with the disting, but not positively sure. Might need to throw in a mic pre in between.

Current modules that have been purchased...
Maths, Disting, Buff Mult, CV Trinity, and Malekko Quad VCA.

Thoughts thus far? Fire away.

EDITED Dec 31st 2021, 18:59

Hey Canyllyr

I would get a basic multimode filter until you know more of what you really want.
as you seem to like intellijel that Polaris or uvcf filter might be a good choice
-- pestilent
Thank you for the suggestions! I am not tied to Intellijel specifically.

This is really an alternative: start with a noise, shape it with an envelope, use a filter, a vca, some random, a delay, etc. Everyone has his own modules, his own recipes, and you end up with something that is personal and that suits the track perfectly.

It is for this pleasure that we buy modules that have a cost... and that we have even sometimes turned away from ready made sound banks and computers.

The price of a module (let's say from 100 to 1000 euros) is also the price of the pleasure of freedom and of working as a sound craftsman.

-- Sweelinck

I couldn't have said it more beautifully ...

Hey Canyllyr

I would get a basic multimode filter until you know more of what you really want.
as you seem to like intellijel that Polaris or uvcf filter might be a good choice

EDITED Dec 31st 2021, 00:06

Well, nice stuff already in this thread, so I would like to contribute something...

I started a recording project about plants playing my modular, called it Plant Music and started to post the results here:

See you again in 2022 anyone!
M.

What about RRR or Anna Logue @wishbonebrewery? Both bangers

Since live streaming I've not saved a single file! I'll have to try plugging the little Tascam recorder in!

Sweet!

Juniper would be good. Kind of in the vein of some other stuff I was messing around with. Good call. Let me know if you need a wav file. I think you already have that one though.
Thanks!

What about Hauntitled or Juniper @farkas? Both are pretty fantastic!

Patch info in the video description.

I haven't been satisfied with any ideas I've come up with over the past couple of months, but I'm working on a guitar/synth collab with a friend tonight. Not sure if we'll stumble upon with anything worthwhile though. I'll message you if anything comes of it. Creative lulls are frustrating. I'm sure it will pass eventually.

@farkas, @JimHowell1970 you two got anything cookin up?

Cool @M10C, downloaded. @wishboonebrewery, you have some non-streams you recorded this year too right? There was one techno jam you made with Marbles in particular that was really standout. I'll see if I can find it.

Great quote @Vow3ll. Words to live by.
I totally ripped off the name for my rack from a Bob Mould album. It fit what I was trying to accomplish though. :)
Take care!

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:13

you didnt want a filter or anything dedicated to audio processing ? i hope youve got stackcables or something; otherwise youlll need mults sooner or later. its not a bad rack but it just kinda feels like all that modulations got nowhere to go
-- moremagic

I absolutely do want filters, but just don't know enough about them to make a decision. Are there any you'd recommend as good overall filter modules? Would Morgasmatron be a good choice?

EDITED Dec 30th 2021, 18:08

Yeah, 12u 104hp was the original goal. We see how that worked out. Haha. I started with a Make Noise skiff and took a modular approach to that as well. I have four of those now along with two Mantis cases. That’s why I don’t get bent out of shape about the tiny beginner racks. It’s all modular. If people want to expand, they will.
Happy 2022 to you, my friend. Keep having fun and sharing your music!

What a lovely post to end the year on, I should have gone for 104hp to start with, I can see me being ahem 'finished' when I have about 18U of 104hp ;-)

I should add... All the best for 2022 & Happy New Year

EDITED Dec 30th 2021, 17:04

Time flies. I feel like I just joined this forum and dipped my toe in the modular ocean. I've been sharing rack updates a few times a year since I posted my initial noob "Help Me" plan. I was sort of an old-school synth guy who got disillusioned with making music and sold all my gear years ago. I happened upon some interviews with Genesis P-Orridge and the Cabaret Voltaire guys back in 2019 and got the itch to incorporate synths into an art project that I had been thinking about. The rest is a whirlwind of noise, fun, and an empty wallet.
My initial rack plan was about half the size of my current setup below (still need to buy the Vortices and LRMSMSLR in the picture). The plan was to build something for repetitive noise and abrasive glitchy techno-ish sounds. Somewhere along the way I remembered that I actually enjoy making music in a bunch of different genres. Some days I'm fascinated with Merzbow, other days I'm fascinated with Depeche Mode, or Fad Gadget, or Drexciya, or Boards of Canada, or Japan, or Oren Ambarchi, or Kraftwerk, or Can, or Surgeon, or Prefuse 73, or... you get the picture. So, my rack grew until space and money ran out. And I'm happy.
What I've discovered that I can share with the other noobs is there are a lot of well-intentioned but rigid folks who will tell you how you should do things, but rarely are they right beyond some very simple guidance (buy a bigger rack, don't overlook utilities, etc.). Everyone will do this differently, and what works for someone else will not work for you. Don't run out and buy a dual comparator, Maths, or an analog frequency shifter because someone else says you need those modules. I bought Clouds and hated it. I bought a Disting and hate it (though it still sits mostly unpatched in my rack, just in case).
You will know what you need when you need it. When you reach for something that is not there, that's the next module you should buy, whatever it is. If someone tells you that you are doing it wrong, whether it's because of a tiny case, or not enough VCAs, or too many filters, or whatever, don't worry about it. You'll figure out the direction you are heading along the way. I'm sure there is someone out there having a blast with nothing more than a Basimilus Iteritas Alter and a Pamela's New Workout. And that's all that matters in the grand scheme of things: FUN. No need to suffer for your art like some frustrated Nietzschean hermit. Just have fun with it all.
Buy a few modules that look like fun and see if you can figure out how to make them work. Do the research yourself. Read manuals, watch DivKid/MylarMelodies/etc. videos until your brain starts to think in a British accent. Plug something into something else and see if it sounds cool. Then sell what isn't working to get the next module that will help you achieve the sound you are looking for. It's really that simple. I wasted some money doing this, but I learned a lot along the way and I actually have what I need now. The GAS is gone. Now I'm just tweaking my layout here and there so everything makes sense to ME. It's all a personal journey, not what some random dude on the internet (like myself) tells you is the "right" way. Don't get me wrong, forums are super helpful, but mostly as a way to make sense of what you are experimenting with and experiencing along the way.
Anyway, happy holidays to you all. Thanks for following along with my updates over the past few years. I hope you all are happy, healthy, and having fun!

The sweetest analog hi-hat sound imo comes from a DFAM, but since I use my DFAM more and more for lead and bass sounds, there is a Patching Panda Hatz2 module in my rack. Can achieve very nice open and closed hat timbres, choking and accents. Available as a ready built module or DIY kit. Just recently I ordered a kit by Skull & Circuits named Metall-o-tron II to pass the time in any upcoming lockdown. Haven't built it yet, but am looking forward to it :)
In terms of HP economics the 2hp Hat can't be beat obviously, but I like to keep it all analog.

you didnt want a filter or anything dedicated to audio processing ? i hope youve got stackcables or something; otherwise youlll need mults sooner or later. its not a bad rack but it just kinda feels like all that modulations got nowhere to go

I like to use every kind of noise (white, pink etc.) a good filter and a snapy envelope and a VCA or better a Combination of Envelope and VCA like the Befaco Percal or Schlappi Enginering - Boundary .

-- Next_G

Yes, and thank you for this comment!
This is really an alternative: start with a noise, shape it with an envelope, use a filter, a vca, some random, a delay, etc. Everyone has his own modules, his own recipes, and you end up with something that is personal and that suits the track perfectly.

It is for this pleasure that we buy modules that have a cost... and that we have even sometimes turned away from ready made sound banks and computers.

The price of a module (let's say from 100 to 1000 euros) is also the price of the pleasure of freedom and of working as a sound craftsman.

The Doepfer A-119 is sort of the "industry standard", actually. Typical 1/4" input jack and amplification of external signals to synth level. But the A-119 has a few other tricks...

First up, it's got a comparator which keys off of the incoming signal dynamics. As long as your input signal is over the level you've set on the threshold pot, the module will output a gate. Then there's the envelope follower itself, which translates dynamic levels into a modulation curve so that you can impose the incoming dynamics envelopes onto some other device in the build. Now, where this can come in handy is when you've run out of comparators, or if you just want dynamics without the signal, you can use it for that as well.

I wonder how this compares to Doepfer A180-9 (that I already use for this).

I use Hats D for 909 ish hats. Mosaic 1U hi hat is really nice and sits somewhere between 808, cr78. PP hatz v3 are indeed nice for white noise style hats with control over “metallic” sound.

For samples Pico Drums has 2 sample triggers and 1 can choke the other if you have the switch set to do so. You can also CV the built in envelope and get even more mileage. I would take Pico Drums over 2hp hats. I use 2 of them in fact.

I like to use every kind of noise (white, pink etc.) a good filter and a snapy envelope and a VCA or better a Combination of Envelope and VCA like the Befaco Percal or Schlappi Enginering - Boundary .

EDITED Dec 30th 2021, 01:15

Assuming you do not own any of these modules already :) why not have a disting EX rather than two disting Mk4's ?
-- Jobbey

I own most of what's here! I just need the State Variable Filter and the 2nd Disting. (The Guillotine, Sloth, Krach, and STMIX are on the way, I have a Shades right now. I love shades, but it's not cutting it for this rack's needs.)

I would love to have the Disting EX - however, I believe that it is too deep for the pallet case sadly, so the two Distings will suffice. If I'm wrong - let me know, because I would love to have the Disting EX screen and added utility.

EDITED Dec 30th 2021, 00:52

• The not at all unique utilities are Sloth (apathy), Krach, and Guillotine.
• The ubiquitous utilities are Duatt, Tri Filter, and Stereo Mixer

corrected

it's how you use them that could make them less unique... but unlikely given beauty case

-- JimHowell1970

You are 100% correct haha. Maybe I should say "The 3 utilities I find slightly more interesting" and "The 3 utilises that make everything else work"

My goals are: 1. modular synthesis education (experimentation and learning), 2. ambient lead and pad sounds / textures, 3. rhythmic melodies, 4. guitar signal processing. Besides self-contained sounds/patterns, I intend to also connect a MIDI keyboard to play modular patches.

The rack above includes only modules I own (or are already in-transit to me). I don't intend to purchase anything else until I have a basic understanding of how these can work together. I expect modules to be swapped out for others as I learn. My futures purchase list (which is entirely hypothetical right now) includes:

EDIT: Adjusted priorities based on input.
0. 2x 2U buff mults
1. Intellijel Morgasmatron
2. MI Ears
3. MI Plaits
4. Intellijel Dual ADSR

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

EDITED Dec 30th 2021, 18:09

Assuming you do not own any of these modules already :) why not have a disting EX rather than two disting Mk4's ?

I get pretty bad ground loop noise when I use this to power a Beatstep Pro that is triggering 3+ channels of the ALM Squid Salmple in the same case. I've tried using a USB cable with a ferrite choke (magnet) on it but the noise is still very apparent. Any thoughts on how to eliminate the loop?

Edit: Using a MDLR Case with a Konstant Lab PSU.

EDITED Dec 29th 2021, 22:38

Hopefully is this OK for the "Best of".

Tomorrow I will do a final one. The mix needs a bit more attention.