Need opinions/comments/suggestions!

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Hey yall.

I decided recently I wanted to dip my toe into this rabbit hole after having spent years exclussively making music through DAWs. The main function that I was looking for in this rack would be to have something that's capable of producing a wide range of rhythmic drones and textures that could evolve into completely new sounds with a few nudges. All while being as compact as possible.

I feel like I made some relatively informed choices with my rack but I also can't help but wonder if I'm completely discounting some essential modules that would be needed for these to work. Like maybe I don't have enough VCAs/VCOs for the ones I picked out here. Maybe I have too many redundant modules (not that redundancy is always bad but if it hurts the function then it's gotta go).

Let me know what you guys think, because I'll be DIYing my case for this to save on money. I would like to feel a little more confident in my choices before I go out to get materials for the case.

Thanks

I feel like I made some relatively informed choices with my rack but I also can't help but wonder if I'm completely discounting some essential modules that would be needed for these to work. Like maybe I don't have enough VCAs/VCOs for the ones I picked out here. Maybe I have too many redundant modules (not that redundancy is always bad but if it hurts the function then it's gotta go).
-- Cat

I think you have fully anticipated the problem. Unless I’m mistaken, Manis is the only vco here capable of providing you with a real drone source (excluding the Swiss Army Knife Disting mk4). At least one complementary vco, with a wide sound palette (like Plaits or Twin Waves, for example) would be needed. And I will add a quad vca to replace or complement the small After Later Audio DVCA. I do not see either lfo and at minimum a small sequencer (although on this point the Doepfer midi to cv indicates perhaps an intention not expressed here). Other comments or questions are possible... and I sincerely hope that others formulate them.

Maybe a 4ms ensemble oscillator, for drones and chords?

some concerns...

you have an expander module for a module you don't have... the alyseum hold

you have an expensive, discontinued (and almost uniobtanium) joystick which is way over specced for audio (it's avideo module - much higher specs than audio)

I'd want more vcas and mixers (probably combined into a quad cascading vca) - and more modulation...

I'd drop one of the 1u rows for an extra 3u row.... and add a simple matrix mixer...