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Wow. Beautiful.

Hi all!
My new video is the generative polyphonic composition, inspired by memories of the organ at the St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest. Also, I tried to do something interesting with a Neutron that I borrowed from my friend.
This simple patch is built on sequences of Behringer Neutron and Make Noise Telharmonic with light modulations of Mutable Instruments Plaits. All fx from Happy Nerding Fx Aid XL.
Better to listen with headphones. More explanations on YouTube.

...for trying to find a bridge between the current Intellijel vs Pulplogic tile mess! EVERYONE making tile modules needs to have a look at what they're doing here!

And I'll also point out: if XODES can come up with a full series of drum tiles, this could go some distance to fixing the "drums don't work with modular" issue. You could easily devote a tile row to this, along with the requisite mixers, etc, and this keeps these types of modules OUT of the 3U rows, meaning that you'd have the space for the intensive sequencing needed AND space for the rest of the build as well.
-- Lugia

Thanks! (I never really thought about checking the forum...)

This idea actually came from... laziness, as I didn't want to deal with 2 front panels for the same product. It looks to me like most people adopting 1U in IJ format are not that into black panels (despite the black cases...), while some true PL fanatics seem to kind of dislike anything that is not expressively made for them. I guess it will never be possible to make everybody happy.

Prototypes for the full 808 set have already been (hand) assembled a couple of years ago actually (all archived now, there might still be some references about these on the internet I guess), yet planning production for 10 different modules at once is another story, and will involve big $ and may need quite some time.

@GarfieldModular thx so much for watching and for your words

Changing it up a bit with a two part jam tonight. Patching live and playing with Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium to Make Noise Mimeophon.

Normally, I'd not give this a second thought...but, oh, lookit what we have here: an eBay banner that's modular-centric! This is effing brilliant and, depending on ones' credit line, potentially irresponsible...but what the hey! Makes $$ for MG, AND entices us with shiny toys. Sounds like a WIN!

Noted - thank you.

I like giving myself obstructions and believed I could achieve what I want in 3u/104hp as I'm using a set up that involves additional components, eventually I'd like to only use my laptop to record into the DAW. But you're probably right on one or both accounts, replace Maths, fill that space with a proper envelope generator and get a bigger rack.
-- Excommunicate

I definitely understand the concept behind "deliberate limitation", but I think you'll find that the obstructions that will result in this circumstance are NOT helpful. For example, you mention wanting to record directly...and this IS possible with some of Expert Sleepers' modules, but the space limitation eliminates them from potential choices here.

Also, when I was talking about "replacing" Maths, I was referring to replacing it as a source for envelopes. Maths is STILL one of the cornerstone modulation sources in Eurorack, even with its 20 hp size. But what makes it amazing for modulation involves using it for quite a bit more than JUST envelope generation. Plus, you can tandem Maths with a lot of things, including other EGs; one neat combo that comes to mind is using it with an Intellijel Quadrax + the Qx expander. Loads of abuse potential there...

Actually, I'll peg the problem here as being a too-small cab. One rule of thumb to always follow when working out builds on MG is that you always want to start with a cab that seems too large for your purposes. Most of the time, once you start dropping modules in, you'll discover that it WASN'T too large in the first place! Plus, if this is intended as a live performance device, you DON'T want teensy little modules as those will only result in trouble when gigging. Lots of potential to grab the wrong knobs, etc. The Intellijel idea seems right...but consider a 7U 104 from them instead.

Pittsburgh Modular also made a stomp-centric cab quite some time back, incorporating footswitches that could be added into your patch, etc. However, it's been quite some time since they were available new...but some poking around in the usual used device places could turn one up with a bit of diligence.

As for why it was discontinued...well, lots of itsy-bitsy knobs and jacks and wires + FEET. The problems for the avg. guitarist would be huge, especially onstage. Very much something for studio use only!

If you have a Unicorn account (WORTH IT!), you can do something along the lines of creating a large-scale "composite" build that encompasses all of your cabs. The Unicorn account breaks you out of the 4 row lock that the free account has, and by setting up various tile rows filled with blanks, and blanks to demarcate the different rack sizes, you can set up a pretty good approximation of what you're describing. And you can also save the modules you have to your "favorites" list so that they'll be on hand when needed.

I also looked at the summit, I just want a desktop poly don’t have space for the full keyboard, I am looking for modular modules to create that deep house fm bass you know it when you hear it. I can create a solid fm bass in software synths but want to create that in modular. Anyone into sound design that can point me at the best modules to recreate this sound I would appreciate the guidance.

EDITED Feb 3rd 2021, 01:49

Hi Steve,

Thank you very much for your kind words :-)

You are welcome and if everybody in his/her way contributes to (modular) synthesizers one way or another then we all benefit of that somehow.

Regarding the Waldorf Eurorack modules in general, I just read an article about it that Waldorf seem to have stopped producing these modules, so if you consider one, you should hurry before it's getting sold out.

I wish you lots of modular fun and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Mebitek,

To be honest with you... the video is pretty scary :-( Your music makes the tension heavier and from a "dark" point of view it certainly fits well to the video :-)

Music as well as the video are impressive from an art point of view, though I am glad those times are over...

Thank you very much for sharing this (it might set people to think, again...) and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Mog00,

Thanks for the detailed information. With this track you convinced me about the Dixie 2+ :-) It was already on my wish list and now I will increase the priority of getting this module, thanks to you!

I don't have that much experience with FM yet, though I love my Synthesis Technology - E330 Multimode VCO module. Lovely as well as a bit weird module but that's why I love it :-) One of the three modes available on this module is the 2-operator FM synthesis mode.

Similar here, I had for real quite some time my eye on the Novation - Peak synthesizer but I didn't had space left here to put it anywhere so that's one of the reasons why I didn't bought it yet. The other reason is that Novation came "recently" with their Summit synthesizer, also interesting but... I think it's too huge for me regarding the "no space" I have...

And then... there came the Waldorf - Kyra and Iridium. Peak & Summit are wave table based synthesizers so is the Iridium, though that's "a bit more" than that... I am myself now looking into the pair of Kyra and Iridium synthesizers but space is definitely an issue even with these desktop models and the financing of this is yet another issue...

Anyway, I better start to stop dreaming about nice synthesizers ;-) Kind regards, Garfield.

Thanks troux!

Yes, Clouds is another module that I have found to be less useful than its reputation suggests. I still have one but it's on my chopping block.
-- farkas

When I first got the Monsoon Clouds I didn't really get it, almost thought it was broken, its taken time but I now enjoy it for at least its lush reverb, but with reverb turned off is where it comes into its own, modulating it on at least 2 parameters at the same time with use of the Freeze Button and reverse grains there is much enjoyment to be hand. Brilliant Fun is the Transient Modules 7J Joystick to tweak Size and density, I could literally just wiggle the joystick for hours on the right patch.

Thanks for the feedback!

That's really dark. Great Work!!

And the Video kind of scares me :-)
-- Quantum_Eraser

thx so much for your feedback

That's really dark. Great Work!!

And the Video kind of scares me :-)

@farkas thanks so much for listening. ostalgie is an interesting concept that need to be discussed in deep

This creates a great mood. Excellent work.
I visited my friends in Leipzig a few years ago, and I could sense the "Ostalgie". In fact, I brought home a poster celebrating the beauty of industrial design in the DDR.

Just listened through some of your excellent soundscapes. Nice work.
Yes, Clouds is another module that I have found to be less useful than its reputation suggests. I still have one but it's on my chopping block. I'm anxious to see if the new version fits my needs.

Another rack? ;-)
-- GarfieldModular

Yeah! Now I'm close to finish this one, that's possible! :D

Hi all,

I just wanna present my latest dark ambient release: Ostalgie

In German culture, "Ostalgie" is nostalgia for aspects of life in DDR. It is a portmanteau of the German words Ost (east) and Nostalgie (nostalgia).

hypnotic depersonalizing experimental modular dark ambient

1. 00:00 Berlin Radio International
2. 05:20 Der Ostalgieschritt
3. 17:03 Modulpropaganda

BANDCAMP: https://mebitek.bandcamp.com/album/ostalgie

experimental video art all videos and voices are from original soviet and DDR footage and radio except extracts from the Soviet propaganda animation film "Interplanetary Revolution" (1924)

all music has been produced with Modular Synthesizers modulargrid rack:

artwork by mebitek

feedabck and comments welcome

best regards from Sardinia

@GarfieldModular, that is a sample from a Goldbaby collection put through the NE Desmodus. I love the sound of the Dixie in this track, I have been playing a ton with this one. I will likely be expanding my rack in a few months and adding a couple more analog osc. I do want to add a really good FM module to get some nice DX-7 tones if anyone has some recommendations.

I have a few more tracks I am working on, as I continue to get a good workflow going between performing (not quite there yet to pull a track like this off live quite yet, I have just started more song based programming with the squarp), sound design and arranging.

I also have my eye on a Novation Peak, and the Jomox Alpha Base if anyone has any experience or opinions on either of these, all comments welcome.

EDITED Feb 2nd 2021, 05:15

Thank you all so much. This is all really useful info!

the-erc: I have an 88 key M-audio controller going into my rack, I've also used an old MPC 2000 but didn't really get the same results I was going for. I've actually used these modules on two recordings so far, but I feel I've hit some limitations.

Lugia: I like giving myself obstructions and believed I could achieve what I want in 3u/104hp as I'm using a set up that involves additional components, eventually I'd like to only use my laptop to record into the DAW. But you're probably right on one or both accounts, replace Maths, fill that space with a proper envelope generator and get a bigger rack.

farkas: I had initially looked at the Zadar but went with Maths as it seems to be the go-to for most racks, but rewatching some videos I think your suggestions would definitely serve my needs better. In the end I'll likely purchase a larger case, it's inevitable. And I'll swap out Maths. Off topic/on topic re: popularity of modules that just didn't work for me, I had Clouds for a while but wasn't 100% happy with its sound. Either the used module I got was faulty or I couldn't figure out how to diminish its muddiness, for lack of a better word.

Lastly, if y'all are interested in checking out what i've done so far, the recordings are semi modular; I'd say 60/40 with the latter being guitar feedback, tape loops, synths and pedals, the link is here: https://andresanabria.bandcamp.com/

Again, thanks all.

EDITED Feb 2nd 2021, 04:36

Looking forward to giving these a read @GarfieldModular, and I've had my eye on a Waldorf Dual VCA, colorful VCAs being very exciting. One thing that stands out to me in Eurorack is the love and good energy so many people have for the field and for the people working in it. There are exceptions of course, but the community is something special and this will be a nice addition to it. Thanks for sharing.

Another rack? ;-)

Hello Farkas and Lugia,

Farkas: Thank you very much :-)

So far following review reports are ready for download from my website:

Doepfer - A-110-1 VCO
Doepfer - A-124 SE Wasp filter
Erica Synths - Pico Switch
Make Noise - Mult(-iple)
Waldorf - DVCA1 (dual VCA) but you found that one already ;-)

For this coming month February I hope to be able to produce the review reports of Doepfer - A-140-1 ADSR and A-145-1 LFO modules. Perhaps once a month I will mention it, I don't want to become known as a "spammer" ;-)

Lugia: Thank you very much for your kind post as well as your thoughts and views. I only can agree with you on how crazy Eurorack became and still becomes, the variety of modules is so immense that one can't keep a real overview of all of "what's out there"...

You mention you don't know how to compare it to or with, and I know you meant this in another context, just stealing here the subject ;-) In future review reports if I have reviewed more modules of the same function, let's say a few VCAs, then in paragraph 5.5 - Comparing this VCA module with other VCA modules I will start to compare in this example the VCAs I have already reviewed so one can (finally) start to compare... but for the moment that's the (hopefully near) future. I first need to get more reviews done of several functions and then more reviews of the same function so the comparing can get started... For the moment a long way to go.

Both: Thank you very much for your kind support and kind regards, Garfield.

Nice one @Exposure, great feel and I love the break in the middle. Looking forward to more.

Great sound design and arrangement, nice 90s feel too. I love it @mog00

Hi Mog00,

Wow, this is brilliantly done! Beautiful sounds, nicely different, what a piece of art this is! Would stand out grand in a piece of Jazz or Ambient.

How did you create that cymbal sound between 0:16 and 0:17? That's beautifully done! Is that a sample?

So much to discover here, I keep pressing the play button :-) Thank you very much for sharing this and I hope, one day you will make a longer version of this brilliant track! Kind regards, Garfield.

P.S.: Pressing now for the 8th time this track! I just can't stop!!!

you might also look into the AI Synthesis eurorack Stompbox Adaptor module. its 2hp (smol) but has been a real great addition to my lil eurorack and its cheap ($70 for a prebuilt module or $10 in diy kit form)

My tuppence : I think you are a bit over-endowed with randomness. Also quite a few modules take up too much space. I would :
- ditch the Chance;
- switch the Scales for a 2hp quantiser;
- switch Quad VCA for Veils (to save space).
- Swap the 2hp MMF for a filter with more controllable params (and bigger knobs!)
- Consider switching Maths for a smaller function generator.
- Add some voltage controlled envelope generators to eat all the triggers from steppy/noise tools/pulses
- Add a step sequencer

Nice! Found myself wishing it wasn't over. :)
Guess I'll play it again.

The facts:
New to Eurorack, and I've done homework, but don't know what I don't know.
Generative/random/rhythmic/live sampling is the vibe. I was floored by the MN Tape and Microsound Music Machine demos, and I'd like to build a rig like that, plus maybe sequencing in the rack and some oscillators? The 4MS sampler workflow seems to match my workflow more than the Morphagene or Squid (maybe?), but I could be persuaded otherwise.
I have a deep investment in guitar pedals (including some with CV control), so tweaking sounds outside the rack is really important to me, and I've looked at in-rack and pedalboard (Boredbrain) solutions for that.
I have a small studio full of analog/digital sound sources (guitar/bass/circuit bent/drums/keyboards/Volcas/etc.). Not especially interested in DAW integration, but definitely need to sync to Volcas, Rhythm Wolves, etc.
I have experience performing live noise sets with guitar, pedals, and a Boss RC-300 looper, and looking to extend that (though maybe in the studio more than in a performance context).
Ideas and suggestions welcomed.
Thanks.
The idea for the rig (though the modules aren't necessarily in order):

Beautiful and strange, well done!

Hey GarfieldModular,

Yeah, for me mixing the drums is one of the most difficult parts of making a track like this one too, sometimes it doesn't quite cut through the mix or lacks energy. With the drumbrute impact it seems like the kick goes deep into the lower frequencies, so I had to eq it a bit and add a some side-chaining, that seems to help.

Thanks for your kind words.

A filter?
-- the-erc

Interesting, I didn't miss it for the moment, but it could give me some different colors of sounds.

A filter?
-- the-erc

Good suggestion, maybe a Steve's MS-22 or a WMD MMF or C4RBN
-- troux

I'll check all of this, thx :)

Edit: Oh! That C4RBN from WMD is awesome and so flexible. That's ok, I'll get it! :D

EDITED Feb 2nd 2021, 10:08

Pam : save 2 ; 110 BPM
Bloom : save 2 sur les 2 channel

A filter?
-- the-erc

Good suggestion, maybe a Steve's MS-22 or a WMD MMF or C4RBN

A filter?

Hi,

I have 4 hp free in my rack, I think I have so many utilities now, and several sources of sounds. What do you miss there, and wich module do you get to fill the free 4 hp?
Thanks!

EDITED Feb 1st 2021, 17:15

I've been looking for a thread JUST LIKE THIS ONE. I'm new to modular - currently dreaming about my first system - but a long time and unrepentant pedal collector and knob twiddler. My pedal collection is on the noise/circuit bending/live sampling/experimental side of things, and the more knobs the better, e.g., Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper (pre-Malekko big box), WMD Geiger Counter, Meris Enzo, EarthQuaker Data Corrupter, CoPilot Android 2, Subdecay Noise Box, OHNOHO Utter Stutter, Red Panda Particle, and some of the EHX stuff that goes out there like the Flanger Hoax, Tube Zipper, and Ring Thing, and sometimes synced with a pair of 8-Step Programs and live looped with a Boss RC-300.

Currently looking at options for bridging modular and pedals - Intellijel, ALM006 S.B.G., Retro Mechanical Labs GPI., etc. I've got the Patchulator 8000 on my board, but I just found out Boredbrain makes the 3 channel INTRFX which would put the modular interface on the pedal board rather than in the rack, so I'm also considering that.

All that would (hopefully) work in concert with something like this, though as I said I'm new to this side of the sound tweaking world.

EDITED Feb 1st 2021, 15:29

Thanks so much for the details on logic modules. Super helpful. I decided that to really get comfortable with them, it'd probably be best to just build a couple passive logic modules based on some schematics laying around here and there. It'll give me the chance to work on fashioning a finished, rackable module from scratch AND give me more insights into the practical usage of some of these module-types.

Thanks again. You are a saint.

Really spectacular and inspiring!

Multiple systems on one page will not come for several reasons.
But maybe as a workaround you can open two systems in different browser windows and use c und p shortcuts to copy/paste modules from one browser window to the other.

Not sure if I have much more to add beyond the-erc and Lugia, but my experience was that I mostly had to dedicate myself to the modular format. Aside from a few specific external hardware pieces (one polysynth and a drum machine), I got rid of just about every other piece of hardware that didn't interface well with my rack. And I didn't feel like I could quite accomplish what I was trying to do until I had about 9u/104hp full, but that's just me. I especially second the-erc's suggestion to avoid your computer for a while. I also agree with Lugia that Maths probably isn't the best option here. Maths can do a lot, and it has many disciples, but it's not the best option for every circumstance regardless of the hushed tones and legendary status it encourages. For your style of music, I would probably be more likely to recommend Zadar or Octasource and a bunch of utilities (aka "boring modules," switches, sample and hold, 3xMIA, Disting, etc.) to get the most out of what you do have.
Dedicate time to learning what your modular can and can't do, and invest wisely in expanding its capabilities. Sometimes the format just isn't a good fit so don't throw more money at it if it's not working for your workflow. Above all, have fun with it.