Thank you for feedback and advice.
This case is not a virtual project on a modular grid. This is the current state of my setup.
I forgot to add that I still have two semi-modular synthesizers: Behringer Neutron and 0coast. I updated the project with missing semi-modules and added the necessary utility modules
I planned to add another filter, LFO and MI warps.
Thank you for the advice and comments regarding the necessary utility module.
Do I miss other important modules in the system?


Thread: Patch cables

What does everyone think of Hosa patch cables? In my experience, they seem to be great quality for the price but I'd like to hear opinions. I'm experimenting with selling a box of accessories and have gone with Hosa for the first rev. Where do you rank Hosa patch cables in the market? https://www.synthtalk.net/shop/modular-box

www.synthtalk.net


Bought a Pittsburgh Modular - Lifeforms Primary Oscillator from @dombles, fast dispatch, module is in perfect condition. Many thanks


Bought a Phonogene from @goutemouassa, fast dispatch, module is in good condition. Many thanks


Bought a BLCK_NOIR from @fumarole, dispatch within one week, module is in perfect condition. Many thanks


https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1246542.jpg?1592649531

Hi everybody ! (I am sorry I don't know how to insert the image of the rack you have the link above)

I am currently using the 0-coast as a bass sound in a setup with the octatrack and my guitar. The octatrack is controlling the 0-coast via midi and I run then the output of the 0-coast to my zoia pedal for effects.

So far I really like the sound I get but I have to sample them in order to play live and it is a shame because I really like the feeling of playing it live.

Therefore I was thinking expanding it with a 4u - 64 hp intellijel case with Polyend as a preset to be able to use it live and to get a "controlled" modular system. I also like to add a second voice for a bit more texture and plaits sounds great IMO. I also added a stages module. For the 1U, I thought a clock generator, the duatt and the FSR could be usefull utilities.

I am left with 18 hp in 1U and 16hp in 3U.

Would you have any recommendations for the remaining modules? Should I replace some of the modules ? I don't need any effects as it is taken care of with the zoia pedal.

Thank you very much in advance !


Thread: Patch cables

I do use a lot of BlackMarket cables: inexpensive, wide range of colors, easy to plug, never had a problem.
On the other hand Tiptop stackables: great quality, some helpful long length (up to 350cm), but regularly a bit hard to plug/unplug.

'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
https://soundcloud.com/petrus-major/tracks


Sure...you're missing a lot of modules that you can easily work with in amongst a thicket of patchcords.

Yeah, you can build a system out of narrow modules, but the minute you try to use this live (unless you have fingers the diameter of toothpicks), you're going to find yourself getting VERY frustrated. Which gets to the principle of "start with a case that's too large" when building on MG; don't try and begin with a tiny case and then expect that to be capable of being filled with every necessary module. This is what results.

Trash this. Start over with a MUCH larger generic cab...then work backwards. Populate that with larger versions (when possible) of what you see here, then start scaling things down to a point where it's becoming obvious that the ergonomics of the build are starting to suffer. Also, be VERY careful to make sure and include necessary utility modules such as attenuverters, etc because those are what make the snazzier modules capable of doing things to their max potential. Thus far, you've done that here, but you need to be asking "are these going to see a lot of action?"...and if the answer is "yes", then don't have those controls on a 3 hp panel.


Thanks for sharing @baltergeist, looking forward to giving it a listen.


Handmade replica of classic Moog's filter, enjoy:


Hi,
I'm trying to slowly build a modular system to help with my Sound Design venture. I'm looking to generate sound and modify foley type sounds from my computer with the modular.

I already have the Model D, hence it is there.

Any tips and suggestions welcome!

Thank you!

ModularGrid Rack


Hi all, my album Tides is now available. Thanks for checking it out!

http://baltergeist.bandcamp.com/album/tides

Inscrumental music for prickly pears.


Thread: fun stuff :)

Hi, it's been a while :) I finished my new setup, but am still waiting for new patch cables, so a little VCV wouldn't hurt ;) ... sometimes I also prefer the lesser harsh digital sounds.


I am new in the world of eurorack and I wanted to ask if I still miss some modules?
I am open for advice and suggestions.


@baltergeist
You're right. We have to be both. And I must admit that the concluding question was a bit provocative.
As if I'd stopped playing in the middle of the field, asking 'Hey! What the mess, where is the goal?' And beyond: 'What's our craft? What are we living for? Music, sounds or instruments and techniques?'

Modulargrid and the module I will order next month (an ADDAC 207) are surely amazing tools. But this thread was done to evoke the reasons for our common passion: our common interest for the chairs, not the planers.

Music lovers: we all know it's tough to talk about love sometimes :)
So, thanks for your remark, baltergeist.

@Lugia
George Szell, the Cleveland Orchestra and Rudolf Serkin in the Brahm's 1st Piano Concerto... Oh bliss!
Sincerely pleased to discuss with a connoisseur of classical music and a true modular expert at the same time.

'...such a musically-rich period...'
Same opinion, but with a little shade: I tend to compare the current period with the Middle-Ages followed by the Renaissance: development of polyphony, beginning of modern music notation, plethora of instruments, and a QUEST FOR A NEW WORLD...

'...most music we hear now technically IS "electronic" by default...'
I totally agree with you. And it's a too neglected observation. Many musical genres are indebted to the invention of 'Recording'. Jazz music is partly a children of this decisive technical turning point. And Sergent Pepper himself said that he still confirms this point of view :)

Modularists benefit from the same intake.
We are the Modularists Lonely Hearts Club Band, looking for Lucy...

'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
https://soundcloud.com/petrus-major/tracks


Its a Slippery slope!

Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.

https://youtube.com/@wishbonebrewery


@troux My thinking is now.... 'Everything is too small or My fingers are too fat' I am trying to keep things compact. Though seeing as I'm on my 3rd Row of 84hp and my Wishlist of modules is about another 3 rows... I'm not sure how compact it will eventually be! Ha!

Optimizing rack space will save us money... At first we all thought it make sense...


Nice one wishbone, digging the melodies a few minutes in a lot


Greetings. This is my first post.

First, my Eurorack vision is to make a complete instrument. I'm looking to create a Eurorack version somewhere between a Buchla easel and Reason's Complex-1. Here's what I was thinking:

ModularGrid Rack

The only thing I'm 100% committed to is the Endorphin.es Shuttle System (I already [just] bought it - and love it). Right now, using shuttle control, I can add 16 LFOs/envelopes/sequences using Bitwig, but again, my vision is a complete instrument.

I was thinking an Arturia Minibrute might be a good control center as it has that button keyboard, a good sequencer (from what I hear), and an extra oscillator and envelope and lfo. Also, it seems to be reasonably priced. Alternatives would be a Eurorack sequencer like Rene or Ground Control or whatever...

My questions are:
1. Do you recommend an Arturia Minibrute 2s (with 6U case) as a control center for this Eurorack? Pros and cons?
2. What modules do you think would compliment the shuttle system/minbrute 2s combination. I would like an oscilloscope and a speaker (if possible, but those do seem hard to find)... edit: This second row likely won't come for a while...

Thank you so much. I'm excited for this journey...

Jeff B

Thanks for any advice.


@troux My thinking is now.... 'Everything is too small or My fingers are too fat' I am trying to keep things compact. Though seeing as I'm on my 3rd Row of 84hp and my Wishlist of modules is about another 3 rows... I'm not sure how compact it will eventually be! Ha!

Here's the latest ambient track/loop/thing now with added ADDAC103, this is how I want to use it for little clicky blippy stuff, though you do get a nice Kick drum out of it too to annoy the wife with ;-) I need to restrain Ochd, so some bits are going through the AT-AT-AT to tame them down a bit, I probably need to look at getting a Passive Half/Full wave rectifier too.

Cheers

Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.

https://youtube.com/@wishbonebrewery


Really nice :)

Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.

https://youtube.com/@wishbonebrewery


Very good stuff @baltergeist, I especially like fly and grace, a wide range there.


Received DivKid's øchd earlier this week. Spent the evening patching, learning and wandering into this little drone with a simple sequence dropped in. Trident, Telharmonic, DPO, tiny bit of reverb by Clouds, additional space created with Mimeophon. All modulation performed by øchd.


What I'd like to see most is a button above (info) when you hover over a module which is 'manual'. It links to all manuals. This would be a massive time saver as I could just go to my setup and instantly find the manual rather than having to search.


Is modularist community overwhelmingly a nation of music lovers or technicians?
-- Sweelinck

Yes, absolutely.

These days, music and technology are so intertwined that you can't exactly separate them. See that drum circle over there? OK...now, what they're doing might SEEM like getting back in touch with primitive whatever blahblah, but if you look at what they're playing, you start seeing synthetic drumheads, devices that (these days) are carefully researched to create the optimal thudding noises everyone likes (OR NOT!!!) in commercials for SUVs to get numnutz consumers to pay attention and fork out for something they don't need, etc. And if you RECORD that drum circle...well, then you're up to your chin in tech all of a sudden!

Conversely, if we didn't have that tech, we wouldn't be in such a musically-rich period right now. Not only does the presence of cheap and easily-available technology propel the creation of new music, it ALSO allows for everyone to be able to access musical styles, cultures, and periods that...prior to the emergence of proper electronic recording technology in the mid-1920s...would've been lost to time. Consider: there's long been arguments of how early music is supposed to be performed. But there are ZERO arguments of how, say, Stravinsky's music is supposed to be performed, because you had the tech to record how Stravinsky actually wanted it across several decades of his life.

Also, most music we hear now technically IS "electronic" by default. One of the original criteria for electronic music was that it could only be heard with loudspeakers. But then, what do you make of a recording of the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell? For one thing, Szell's death in 1970 pretty much assures that ONLY recordings of his performances now exist; I don't see any concert announcements that read "MAESTRO SZELL RETURNS FROM THE GRAVE!!! ONE NIGHT ONLY!!!" Secondly, the confluence of players in the orchestra, the hall used for the sessions, etc etc also implies a non-reproduceable live performance situation. So...you're stuck with what's coming out of the speakers, and arguably, that makes it fit that criteria. Plus, should you so desire, you can take those Szell recordings (with a dubious degree of legality) and repurpose them in the same DAW that takes in those raw synth waveforms and does...well, much the same thing there, too.


Nice, I'll give em a listen!


I sold my Marbles a little while ago and, as is often the case, am feeling some remorse. Looking to save both money and space, I'm considering a clone. Does anyone have thoughts on Pachinko vs Cara micro vs the other cloes out there? I'm assuming functionality is identical and the differences have more to do with ergonomics/layout/aesthetics. Thanks!

Inscrumental music for prickly pears.


A simply factual observation: this thread, 'What do you love (or prefer) about modular', totals at that moment 252 views and 9 participants (and thanks to them, 16 posts).
252 views, 9 participants.
3 or 4 percent...

Is modularist community overwhelmingly a nation of music lovers or technicians?
-- Sweelinck

What do you mean by music lovers or technicians? One could be both?

Inscrumental music for prickly pears.


I have a few things I've used a Cocoquantus 2 on, as well as a Tetrax:


And a long one:

These are just doodles/improvs.

Inscrumental music for prickly pears.


Feature Request: Filter by depth. Certain cases are rather shallow (like skiffs) and it would be nice I could filter out any modules that just can't fit.
-- WesleyM77

As a workaround: you can order by depth.

Beep, Bopp, Bleep: info@modulargrid.net


A simply factual observation: this thread, 'What do you love (or prefer) about modular', totals at that moment 252 views and 9 participants (and thanks to them, 16 posts).
252 views, 9 participants.
3 or 4 percent...

Is modularist community overwhelmingly a nation of music lovers or technicians?

'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
https://soundcloud.com/petrus-major/tracks


After diving in for several weeks of tweaking knobs, I surfaced to make changes that yield big returns.

First, I swapped STO for DPO and migrated Plaits to the "travel skiff" top row. I'm now very psyched about my bottom row VCO layout with this beautiful landscape of deep, complex oscillation. One potato... two potato... 17 outputs across four complex VCO's? I think I counted that right.

Second, I decided to not purchase Make Noise X-Pan. Instead, I went with Intellijel Planar2 because it's just SO interactive and fun to play. I love the flavor of Make Noise, so it was a harder decision than most. So far, I feel like it was a good one.

Third, I bought a second Maths. It lives in a 60hp skiff, called The Modulation Harness, geared towards modulation of my semi-modular gear. If HP isn't an issue then one probably can't go wrong with a second Maths.

Fourth, Rene v2 is now my primary sequencer. Rene feels good to play. Mimetic Digitalis is tons of fun, but I sometimes I feel like it lacks a certain intimacy. It cranks out fast variations and 'shreds' but can feel a bit one-knob centric and "searchy" when I want to slow down and be purposeful about what I'm doing. I moved it into The Modulation Harness.

So, what I've achieved is simplification of my overall landscape that came with big improvements to what I like to do and how I do it. Sitting down at this instrument is now such a mesmerizing and enjoyable experience.

Oh, one last thing... ochd arrived in the mail. Totally worth the wait. Super sweet module. Thanks, DivKid!

Now I've got three weeks to dive back in to measure my decisions.


Hi Wishbonebrewery,

Yeah! I wish you lots of fun with the 103 :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Hi Apache-Raver,

Thanks for the info on those Dreadbox modules, I might consider the Ataxia actually.

Thinks are going well here, just that I am not sure which platform I should use for sharing music, any suggestions of a website that doesn't cause trouble if you want to quit it or not using it for a while?

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Nice @wishbonebrewery, I need to find a disting but they're MIA everywhere right now! One takeaway from your rack that I'll give you kudos on is how much you've prioritized smaller modules. I took a look at mine after seeing yours and was like "Everything's too big!!" I need to reevaluate my next steps


Hi Garfield, the 103 Arrived today, I can see this being lots of fun :) Just playing with the pure drum vibe its fun.

@Troux, its the combo of Erica Pico DSP, Monsoon Clouds and 2HP Verb and I think I was using the Stereo Tape delay from the Disting MK4 too.... lots of effects haha.

Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.

https://youtube.com/@wishbonebrewery


Nice pieces, I'm especially enjoying STO in the wash. Are the pads generally from the Clouds clone? They sound really great.


Best Demo so far from the EO. Thanks!


Feature Request: Filter by depth. Certain cases are rather shallow (like skiffs) and it would be nice I could filter out any modules that just can't fit.


Thread: RNDSynth

I think I've found a good solution for me in the Toraiz Squid now. It creates fully random patterns/velocities/pitches and is plug&play with all my other hardware.


Hey Buddy, Yeah Atraxia is good mate, well worth the money, the envelopes are quite snappy, not as snappy as the frequency central system X envelope, but quite close, and the lfo's can be triggered to your clock. Well worth the money. I also got the Nostalgia delay which is a lot of fun. How are you doing?


Niiiiice!
-- wishbonebrewery

Spanks!


Hi Garfield,
Thanks for your opinion too! Endorphin products are really amazing. I will take a look about Ground Control! I liked that it is a module. Because Im looking for a little controller to mount an little system for performances. Maybe Polyend PRESET module. To sequence rithms I though in Circadiam of tiptop. But it doesn’t sequences notes or different scales and them my system become more bigger. I tink that T-1 could be a new option, I mean that T-1 can mix rithm and melodies. Well, every opinion can help me!
Thanks for your time again, and Apreciate your answer.
King regards,
Pablo


I remember their stuff from way back in the day and stumbled on them again recently, it's very cool that they're still making synths. Have any sounds you've made that you'd want to share? I'd be curious to give it a listen.


I've been looking at this one for a bit and pretty sure I'm going to get it. Thanks for the demo!


If you're curious about the sound of the 4MS Ensemble Oscillator this may help


Hi Apache-Raver,

Nice setup you got yourself there, nice to look at your setup and looking at your modular "activities" while listening at your sequenced music!

That red module in the right bottom corner, what is that, by any chance the Dreadbox - Ataxia EG? If yes, what's your impression about this module and Dreadbox' new modules series in common, good? I might consider here or there one of them too...

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

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Hi Wishbonebrewery,

There are some fantastic nice sounds in it and that together with the beautiful percussion sounds, well done again :-) !

So when is this ADDAC 103 module arriving at your doorstep? Can't wait for your demo patch on that one :-D

Thanks a lot for sharing and kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Hi Pablo,

In context with modular synthesizers I agree here with Lugia, not having at least CVs & gates out and in or at least a clock in, is a big miss from a design phase point of view.

The Arturia - Keystep Pro or the Endorphin.es - Ground Control (a Eurorack module by the way) have this already... granted, I am waiting already a year or so for the Ground Control that still hasn't been released and recently has been postponed till October...

Some basic ideas and concepts sounds indeed interesting but so pity of this missed chance :-(

But please let me know once you have found the ideal sequencer for modular, I would love to know since I still haven't found the ideal one; though the above two mentioned ones come quite close (but haven't tested them yet).

Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Hi Iammurals,

You are writing that you are not really looking to ever have to use it as a stand alone system but you then forgot to tell us what you already have and how this is going to fit in your current situation, so because of that, it's pretty difficult to advice on anything useful.

I have two main advices:

  • Look into a rack that's at least 3 times the size of what you got planned now, you have no space to grow here, meaning you have to straight away buy a second rack if you want to add just one module (and if you are going to like modular, you will for sure going to add more than one module...)
  • If you need this "only" for sound processing and design then why not use the computer with Ableton or something like that and do there everything? Much easier, most likely much cheaper too

Please carefully think how you want to go to use it and how this then all should fit within your current situation? If you have the possibility then you should try at least a part of that setup at your local dealer to see if it delivers what you expect from it, such testing might give you a total unexpected result, believe me. Before I bought any module and casing, I came once till thrice a week to my local dealer and the only thing I did was testing, testing and testing. I tested (as far as the modules where available for testing) all the modules I was interested in and then I continued with testing, testing and testing. I have done that for about 3 till 4 months in a row before I started to buy my first modular stuff and yet now I got a modular synth, I keep testing, testing, testing and reading, reading, and checking, checking and checking everything I can find about modular synthesizers.

To summarise: modular synthesizers are fantastic, really! But they require you to do a huge pre-work and pre-investigation on it, to get a rough idea on how it's going to work (or not as it will show in test results).

Good luck with it and oh... did I mention already that you should test it first at your local dealer? ;-)

Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads