Rack advice welcme

Hi,
After getting into modular around a year ago I'm getting more and more confident that this is my "target" rack to be completed in the next 2-3 years. As you can see it's split into smaller building blocks designed (hopefully) to work good in various combinations. The ideas behind the individual components are:

Pod 64X (s) - fx rack (to pair e.g. with my MC-101) / standalone synth (Rings)
Pod 26 (u) - Maths (analog envelopes and all the goodness) + VCAs / crossfading / ducking
Palette 104 (s) - main synth (multi-voice: drums, basslines, pads, Mimeophon), guitar pedals (e.g. Boss RC-5 looper) send/return
Pod 60 (u) - analog "preset sequencer" + Beads as sampler / sequenced mod bus / audio mixer + Beads as reverb
Pod 32 (u) - 2 different sequencers
Pod 40X (u) - weird VCO + weird envelopes
Palette 62 (s) - drone/generative synth, modulation bank, VCV interface
Pod 26 (u) - complex oscillator + spare/mod bus mixer

(s) = standalone
(u) = utility

That said, I'll be grateful for any suggestions from more experienced artists/wigglers :)

Cheers

seems a very expensive way of housing modules to me... and probably much more likely to get noise issues than with fewer cases... you'll probably also need longer cables... and lots of sockets or power strips

most of that would fit in 2 tiptop mantis cases which would cost you substantially less and be more portable as a whole - plus only need 2 power sockets... probably need fewer long cables and only use 2 bags when needing to be taken out of the house

I have 8 cases (about 1800hp in total), 6 of which are stationary - ie always stay in the studio - if I want to go anywhere else with them - including the living room, I have 2 smaller cases: a mantis and a 6u/72hp, which I swap modules in and out of - I use befaco knurlies for screws and only ever screw 2 holes per module - it's simple to swap them (mostly takes minutes) - saying that my mantis is my main video case and I rarely swap more than a couple of modules in/out of it - I really can't see the need of anything smaller - not only on a cost/hp basis but also on a portability/use basis

I always need modulation and utility modules for even the simplest patch - I would undoubtedly always need 4 or 5 of those tiny cases - and moving that many units would be too much of a pain in the ass

for example I am currently set up in the living room - mantis has 3 audio modules in it - a small mixer, peaks and a doepfer lpg - as well as a most of my video synth - the 6u has erica black sequencer, rings, veils, tides, kinks, maths, a small clock divider (used as a sub) a couple of filters and an es8 - these and a video mixer sit on the coffee table and I can wiggle comfortably from the sofa - I have multiple voices - rings is going through both filters patched as a 'mutronics mutator' ish filter - in mono: channel 1 into channel 2 - tides is going into the lpg and the clock divider and I am using peaks for kick and snare

it's great fun and would be much better with a few extra modules - more utilities and modulation and maybe another voice and some hats - all of which are in the studio - another mantis would be perfect - and leave the 6u/72hp upstairs in the studio - but that will have to wait...

EDITED Jan 31st 2022, 03:08

+1 on Jim's suggestion...and actually, the idea of using piles of small skiffs as a single device has a lot of potential for trouble. For one thing, that rig immediately screams "ground loops!!!". Yeah, even with DC, as the system would really need some extra ground wiring to put everything (wallwarts included) on the same groundplane and even if your power is clean, all it takes is one little grounding issue and noise WILL creep in. Or worse, let's say you have a catastrophic power supply issue in one skiff. This could easily, depending on what's misconnected or what failed, cause problems to other skiffs and their modules if something happened that allowed high-current DC onto a patch cable.

I would suggest dropping some money on a unified setup instead of this method. Fact is, a Tiptop Mantis comes in at $335, it's had LOTS of users over time with a lot of pleased synthesists, and you can join them to make a bigger 4 x 104 hp cab. And it's WAY more portable than the piecemeal one you've got currently; Tiptop even sells a custom gigbag for the Mantis. And with that, you can put together a rig with just one that you could even put on a traytable on a plane and work while you fly. That's neither advisable or viable with the current multicase build.

Hi and thank you - your advice is most welcome :).

I've been using the multi-case setup for some time already (at first it was supposed to be a 40hp FX rack!) and never encountered any issues (including noise). What I like about it is the "workflow" that naturally emerges - keeping you "focused" on the modules at hand (I typically use 2-4 cases running on 1-2 power sockets). By combining cases in different ways you discover some interesting possibilities.

Having said that, I thought quite a few times of moving to a Mantis case and may eventually end up doing it sooner or later. And I also use knurlies :).

I'm curious to hear your comments about the choice of modules (some of which I haven't yet bought, others that I may decide to sell). Just imagine it's all in one box :)

Cheers

EDITED Jan 31st 2022, 13:04

for some reason I didn't see the modules earlier...

too many tiny modules for me - especially things that I would most want more of - utilities

nice matrix mixer though - big - I hear it can get cramped though if you use the vca ins and then try to wiggle the knobs

I don't get the workflow thing at all - seems more like constraint - I think I'd find myself reaching for things that weren't - end up having all the small cases strewn all over the place and plugged in and just get annoyed by it

I think you'd be substantially better off with 2 mantis and maybe the 0-ctrl