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Wow, you got some really amazing and good stuff here in your above tracks. From all, the first one is seriously blowing me away, so good! Partly it reminds me of you becoming the new Jean-Michel Jarre, in a bit modern way :-)
The experimental track with those "metal instruments", is a lot of fun, I love those... what are they? Mattress spirals? :-)
By the way, you got yourself a nice rack here, very interesting to look at. The two Intellijel - Planer 2s look like that is your "control centre"
Nicely done and I look forward in hearing more from you! Kind regards and have a good weekend, Garfield Modular.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
Nice! Heck with the massive size of the cool modules in Eurorack these days and given how fast that I fill up a 6U rack easily, my next setup will be a massive 12u-14u portable rig. That way I can get the fun large modules and support tools as well as a proper sequencer and mixer on one setup.
Here's one where I am incorporating some of my metal instruments - they are hooked into the modular via two Barcus-Berry contact mics into the Joranalogue Receive 2.
I love these small rack problems a lot, and @lugia put together a great answer. I took a crack at how I'd do the same, building off his, which you can see below:
I swapped the Doepfer A-119 for a Mutable Instruments Ears, adding a playability factor (contact mic + delay + EQs = fun), and an Instruo Ochd which adds a ton of extra modulation. The main question here is if the preamps stack up and the value of the extra features in the A-119's envelope follower compared to those in the Time Warp.
I swapped the TipTop One for a Disting Mk4 which'll cover a zillion bases in a small rack like this and which can also function as a sample player.
Anyway, I'm curious what other people think too, interesting problem.
I was playing around with my Doepfer - A-110-1 standard VCO module. I made this (A-110-1) module the slave of yet another Doepfer VCO, the A-111-2 VCO. Both modules are using square waves. The beginning till about two/third of the track I use a quite high pitch, so please be careful to put the volume not too high, your ears might not like this track then...
In this demo track using Doepfer modules only, okay and the Intellijel - Audio I/O to export the sound from the Eurorack to an external mixer :-)
3 voices used here:
Main voice - Doepfer - A-110-1 Standard VCO (PWM by Doepfer A-145-1 LFO)
Voice #2 - Doepfer - A-111-2 VCO (on the back ground as well as "feeding" it's square wave to the A-113)
Voice #3 - Doepfer - A-113 Subharmonic Generator (about halfway the track it "kicks in", controlled by the A-111-2)
These 3 voices were then mixed in the Doepfer mixer set - A-138p & A-138o via an external reverb to the external mixer.
Why I am using a "simple" module like the A-110-1? Well exactly because of that, trying to show that even with Doepfer "standard" stuff, one can have some fun with it.
I hope this makes you "hungry" for the more simple and affordable Doepfer modules ;-) Thank you very much for listening and kind regards, Garfield.
Edit: Forgot to mention the LFO, just added
Edit2: Link to the patch overview of this demo track: https://www.modulargrid.net/forum/posts/index/9064
Edit3: Typo in the Doepfer mixer set, should be A-113p & o but A-138p & A-138o
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
Better idea:
I expanded this into a 4ms Pod48X, which eliminates the power on the front panel. I kept the Lubadh and its expander, but went a lot further with everything else. The extra 6 hp was far more useful than you might think...
The Doepfer A-119 not only gives you an input preamp, it also has an envelope follower with loudness contour and gate outputs for using those factors for more internal modulation. After it, I added a Tiptop ONE, which now gives you the ability to store and reuse sources, either placed on its MicroSD from outside or sampled internally.
After the ONE, there's a VOID MicroWulf for adding distortion, waveshaping to your mono audio source. Then I tossed the Noise Engineering Dezi Arnez for a WMD Time Warp, which offers dual AR envelopes/LFOs under voltage control. More versatile, even minus the random capabilities of the other.
After the Lubadh, I also changed things up considerably. Since the Lubadh can have a stereo output, I added a WMD SCLPL, which is an excellent dual multimode VCF that should pair much better with the Lubadh's outs. And since the system would now be outputting a stereo signal, I went with a Happy Nerding Isolator, which also offers groundlifts and transformer isolation for better audio performance under variable conditions, such as live gigging. Seems a lot more powerful to me now...
The Holden patch is wonderful if you sequence from Ableton Live! I unfortunately don’t, so I’ve picked oscillators with sturdy knobs (Even VCO!) and ditched the ones with big, eager knobs (so long, STO!). You can also pull the knobs off your modules. It looks slightly less charming, but it helps.
I’ve got a guitar tuner on the pre-fader send of my mixer so I can just pull a fader down and silently tune my VCO whenever things are getting fishy. That’s truly a live safer! (Pun intended)
James Holden has a way around it but he uses Max for live with an Expert Sleepers module between his modular and the computer.
So I think the Max For Live patch overides the tuning of the oscillator and basically keeps in tune all the time. Have to use a laptop though!
Full documentation and download here: https://llllllll.co/t/realtime-self-tuning-midi-to-cv-max-gen/25407
James Holden has a way around it but he uses Max for live with an Expert Sleepers module between his modular and the computer.
So I think the Max For Live patch overides the tuning of the oscillator and basically keeps in tune all the time. Have to use a laptop though!
Full documentation and download here: https://llllllll.co/t/realtime-self-tuning-midi-to-cv-max-gen/25407
Hi Garfield! Thanks a lot! Glad you like it.
I also like the sound of this track. Therefore, I am planning to do some more compositions in this style.
But I think my next track will be completely different from what I did before. I'm finishing it now and I think it will be ready for Halloween :)
I recommend saving up for a Doepfer A100 Basic system 1. That is what I did and was under 2k and included a great case/power, basic modules from Doepfer plus 84HP free to add whatever special modules desired. It came with the essentials like a dual VCA, MIDI to CV which is super useful to connect to an Octatrack that I have in my studio as well plus a decent filter, VCO, LFO, envelope and mixer module.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience with the Sherman Filterbank with me. It actually sounds like an interesting distortion box pity though for the difficulties to incorporate it into a Eurorack...
Thank you and kind regards, Garfield.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
If the budget in question is around EUR 800, it seems to me that you might get loads more out of one of two possibilities...
1) A patchable. These can be pretty potent devices...and the pairing of the Make Noise 0-Coast and 0-Ctrl are being referred to by some as the "0-Easel", after the Buchla Sound Easel. There's some others that kill, too...Platypus's ANTS!, if you can find one, or Kilpatrick's gateway-drug-for-Serge, the Phenol.
2) Not Eurorack. Instead: https://www.tangiblewaves.com/ The nice thing about the AE system is that it mainly consists of "primitives", or the devices behind the "nicer" modules that make them do what they do. Ergo, it's easier to build with, it's WAAAAAAAAY cheaper, and in the end you don't really give up much by going with AE than Eurorack. For example, the Maths...you could do much of what it does with two AE SLOPE/EDGE modules and some logic and CV mixing. Plus, the AE Starter2 goes for a mindwrenchingly-cheap EUR 435...WITH VAT...and has ample room for more modules. AE also has Dove Audio working with them on a killer wavetable VCO, and others developing other 3rd-party modules...because the system, like Eurorack, is a 100% open standard. And they're DIY-friendly...they even have a prototyping module, the BR[AE]DBOARD.
Thanks for listening Garfield. With enough modulation anything is possible :)
I like the Filterbank a lot but it is less flexible than you might hope. If you want smooth creamy sounds better look elsewhere. If you want disgusting filth, the Sherman has you covered. Probably better to treat it as a distortion box that contains a filter rather than a filter per se. (I have one of the original model Filterbanks; I have heard the mk.2 version has a wider usable range of sounds.) I bought it along time before I got into Eurorack, so I'm sure there is a module that can do similar things, but I don't know what module that it is. It has some decent possibilities for external modulation, but at line level, so it's a bit of a pain to incorporate into a Eurorack setup.
Even as cheap as the B. 2 x 140 hp is, you're still paying extra to house and power the M32 in this setup. Not cost-efficient. Leave the Eurorack cab for the things that NEED it, and keep the Mother-32 where it normally belongs.
Also, take Jim's advice here and try and find a better power solution. Just remember that you'll want power that exceeds the draw of the collected modules by about 1/4th-1/3rd of the total to avoid inrush issues at power up and to keep the P/S running cooler. It's the biggest source of heat in ANY modular build, and since heat can also equal instability for various circuits, cooler is what you want.
Being unfamiliar with modular synthesis and building a rig at the same time is generally not going to work out well. Instead of going further with this, I strongly suggest downloading a copy of VCV Rack. This is billed as a "Virtual Eurorack", which isn't wholly accurate inasmuch as some VCV modules really are quite computer-dependent. But the operating, programming, and build principles are 100% the same as Eurorack as long as you don't overtax your computer's resources. By working with this for a while, THEN coming back to a build attempt, you'll find that making sense of the plethora of modules on MG becomes WAY easier.
Wow, that's quite amazing to create such a sound track with a rather small rack, well done! :-)
What's your experience with the Sherman Filterbank, is it worth the investment? Does it has something you can't get done with a Eurorack filter module?
Thanks a lot for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield Modular.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
I’ve got the chromatic modules and what I’ll say is that they’re pretty decent except that I don’t much care for the Eudemonia filter. It doesn’t have much character in my opinion. In my setup now I’m much more enjoying the sounds of 2 hysterias through a ring mod and low pass gate. To my ears that setup sounds much better and more interesting than the same two VCOs into the Eudemonia with the Ataxia modulating the filter cutoff and vca. For the same price you could get a Typhon which sounds fabulous and does a lot more. In short, I would look into alternatives for the filter/vca.
For your second setup, plaits is a very robust module and it is going to give you a very different experience than a pretty basic analog vco. You can approximate that setup in vcv rack so I would try it there.
I recommend the Intellijel Quad VCA as it has lots of useful features like attenuators, CV control, boost control in small modular and works great. I also recommend logic modules and sequential switch and good clock source with clock divider/multiplier as these help with generative patches. You have Maths which is a great modulation source for functions and envelopes but a mixer/quad VCA would really help out your setup quite a bit.
@farkas
It is an excellent initiative to have described the concept that guides your music and video production.
Thank you already for that.
Moreover, I think this line is particularly coherent and brilliant.
Happy man. So many creations lack that support of reason that opens the doors to creative expression.
And the result here is (still) very, very good.
Hey ! I'm fairly new to Eurorack. I just have a question I can't seem to find answers...
-- NicoJabbles
Hi, I've had eurorack for years & I have both questions and answers - and I use a few boards - muffs, here and reddit as do a lot of people!!! - I've seen you ask the same question in all 3 of these places - and you have got pretty much the same answers on each - please don't cross post like this, it's bad etiquette - just have a bit of patience - pick one and if after a few days there's no reply, then ask somewhere else - not 5 mins later
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
well that ain't gonna get you to generative music - it may be a small step along the way, though - is this what you have now or what you are - I'd suggest that you want a mixer, or better yet a quad cascading vca
I'd probably look at something more 'generative': turing machines, marbles, bloom etc
can't say I'm a fan of the b company or their products, really - I'd go Mantis if possible (for one thing the power supply is more 'right sized' for the case)
If you are confused about the sheer number of modules then I would ignore actual modules for now and think about functionality more - spend some time reading up/watching videos about basic synthesis techniques - both from an east coast and a west coast perspective and then work out what modules you need to achieve that goal
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
I'd think seriously about dumping the cellz and chipz modules - I've seen a lot of bad reviews from people who have bought them
is the budget a this is it no more ever, or is it a this is how much I've got and I can spare another x per month?
if it's the former I would go for the nifty + the dreadbox modules (get a second vco if you can) and an SQ-1
if it's the latter I would probably go for a cardboard case for now, something like an SQ-1 for sequencing and a simple vco, a simple low pass filter, a simple lfo and a quad cascading vca - use the vca as output to where ever
My birthday is october and saved up some cash.
Wanted to get into modular for quite some time now !
So I eventually want to start out with the NiftyCase from Cre8audio with the 2 modules Cellz and Chips.
Already tested it and some other modular racks.
Now I have to make some decisions. Basically I got a budget at max 800 euros. I got also a pretty well equipped studio where my octatrack mkII is my main brain. I am mainly making Techno and ambient style music.
Of course for my budget I could fill up the rack with the dreadbox modules (would fit the budget).
But I am always looking around for maybe "nicer" modules ^^'
New composition for eurorack modular synthesizer inspired by modulation possibilities of Xaoc Zadar and Happy Nerding FX Aid XL.
You can hear the full audio picture from about the middle of the track, when three melodic patterns come together.
No post production. Better to listen with headphones.
Detailed explanation under the video on my YT channel.
Hello, I am a complete beginner when it comes to modular synthesis. I am looking to hopefully build an ambient drone rack.
I want to be able to patch self-generating sounds on my rack. I'll be honest to say that I am very overwhelmed with the selection of modules available to choose.
I currently own a Mother32 from Moog and looking for modules to complement and help me create ambient awesomeness with it.
I had my mind for the Behringer Eurorack Go due to the built-in power supply.
I link to my rack on here it isn't much and I need help to make the right choices.
If you only want to play a VCO chromatically and in tune to some other sequence, the way you're doing it now is the way to go. And indeed, in this usage scenario big tuning knobs can be quite dangerous and frustrating. A way to "lock" the tuning is a rare/nonexistent feature, unfortunately.
Now, there are many applications where a big tuning knob is useful/necessary – for example when using the VCO as a modulator. In that case, the frequency knob might become be a performance tool. Also, not all music conforms to fixed scales, and to be able to simply dial in whatever one feels is appropriate is an important feature.
Hi,
Like most of VCO you must turn the frequency knob at noon. Big frequency knob on VCO are used to change the range of octave (and tunning) (well on plaits you can change the range in other way (see manual) (so the big frequency knob is kind of a fine tuner).
Hey ! I'm fairly new to Eurorack. I just have a question I can't seem to find answers...
I have a Plaits (my only VCO) and I use my Digitakt to sequence it, using a MIDI-CV Module (Mutant Brains)
Now, I love the ephemeral side of eurorack, but what if I want to perform live? How can I always have the same tuning on Plaits? Since I also use samples on my music played by the Digitakt, Plaits is only providing the melody.
How can I have the same tuning when I power up my system? Do I have to tune Plaits?
The way I'm using it is to have the Frequency knob all the way down, so it's always the same pitch when I play a sequence, I just go an octave or two higher on the keyboard, if I want higher notes.
I don't quite understand the Frequency knob on Plaits and other VCO's... I'm just scared to touch it a little bit and the song will be ruined. I'm mainly producing Techno and House. Why is there always a big frequency knob? Can't you change the frequency of a VCO with a sequencer and maintain the pitch stable on the module? So the frequency stays the same everytime, as long as it's the same sequence?
I'm sorry if I'm not getting something here, I need your help :)
The main objective here was to get the Hats909 to be something more interesting than the 909 high hat, which was mostly achieved with the help of the Doepfer LPG. Disting is playing the drum loop into Font, while BIA is everything else. All sequencing and triggering from Pam's with various switches. (There is also a mixer and a Sherman Filterbank out of shot, supplying extra filth to the drum loop.)
(apologies for all the time my arm is blocking the camera....)
Don't settle on that BSP just yet...have you checked out the Keystep Pro? Imagine two BSPs jammed into the same case with a velocity-sensitive keyboard, user-programmable arpeggiator, dual expression controllers, loads of I/O. And just $140 more.
Even with two BSPs and a Keystep on hand here, that KSP is something else! And I can lock all of that crap up to most anything, since it all plays nice with +5V clocking. It's a decent size-fit for a 104 hp cab, too.
I am a noob to eurorack. My first intro to eurorack was at NAMM 2020 where I walked through the modular section and was amazed at the possibilities that modular can bring. Since then I've mostly done research on live performances using modular racks and this is what my focus is.
After some research, I'm pretty confident about buying a BeatStep Pro to sequence my modular and to control a Volca Sample 2 for drums and samples. This leaves me with 2 sequencers on the BeatStep Pro to sequence my modular. I'm not so interested in buying a mother 32 or 0-coast as a starting point. I'd much rather start buying modules.
As far as a case I'm either getting a Mantis or some sort of DIY rackmount hybrid case, but I'm leaning towards just getting a Mantis.
I'm looking for advice on performance-oriented modules for a basic but expandable rack. I have tons of experience soldering so I'd rather buy DIY kits even if it only saves a little cash.
Just posted to their forum, so yeah hopefully they'll get back there. Seems odd to me, though I definitely tried both auto and manual calibration. I don't believe the ABCD channels can be calibrated the same way as the XY, nothing I'd seen in the manual at least. I'd assumed they were all related but the XY calibration seems okay, -5V to 5V or 0V to 10V both directions
I picked up an Intellijel Planar2 and I noticed that in ABCD mode, there's a discrepancy in the voltage levels. For the ABC outputs, they all output unipolar 0V to ~10.2V, though the D output only goes from 0V to 9.3V. I exchanged it for another but noticed the same problem. Can anyone else confirm this for their units?
Yo I am no official speaker, but the feature of having multiple frontpanels consolidated into 1 module is already included on modulargrid funnily enough.
check it out by adding https://www.modulargrid.net/e/neutron-sound-uo-c to your rack and pressing the blue arrow buttons on the bottom of the module once it's in your rack.
The different panels are nowhere to be seen on the actual module page though so I do agree that something like that should be more prevalent on the main module page so people can actually realize it's a feature and stop creating multiple entries for the same module.
