Haven't used that effect but the Pro manual says you need to set the Dry/Wet mix to 100% wet or else you will hear the clock, it should be the same for the XL.

EDITED Jun 22nd 2023, 19:04

Hello there,

I am attempting to use one of the clock divided delays on the fx aid xl.

specifically the (delay mono_clk)

the manual says to plug the clock into the right input and the audio into the left, with the outputs in stereo.

I am getting complete pass thru of the clock signal into the right output, making this side essentially unusable.

Are any other fx aid users having this issue?
is my clock signal too hot?
it is coming from the erica black sequencer, unsure of voltage.

Thank you.

EDITED Jun 22nd 2023, 18:19

Thank you for the feedback!
I'll have to think about the concept more.
Some clarifications below:

voice leading requires at least one sequencer channel per voice - unless you only want to be able to play in unison or in fixed intervals

you have a quad quantizer, but no melodic sequencer to feed it - so how are you intending to sequence the voices in your rack? if the answer is I don't know, but I'd like to control the notes - then get a sequencer that's big enough to control those voices - something like a erica black sequencer, or the new hermod+, both of which include quantisers, as do almost all sequencers in the "battleship sequencer" category

My idea was to use the Harlequin as a sequencer and modulate, offset, invert etc. multiples of it before quantization.
Then trigger rhythms for the melodies and drums via "trigger action" (pam's, binary akkumulator & burst).
I was hoping to use triggers to modulate the Harlequin sequences somewhat with sample & hold, slew limiter stuff.

you have 4 vcos and a sampler... but only a single vcf... so immediately you are out of polyphonic territory and into paraphonic... for polyphony, as mentioned above, you need a vcf per voice - on top of this there is not enough mixing to reduce the 4 channels of vcos to a stereo signal before sending to the vcf... you may be envisioning the 2 shakmat vcos and the waveshaper as a single complex oscillator?

Ok. I see it; lacking filter and mixing capacity. The complex oscillator was indeed envisioned as an patching option.
I was hoping to use the sampler and disting to stretch to kinda-sorta 4 voices for ... an patching option.

work out how many voices you really want...

Not less than 2.

-- JimHowell1970

Cheers

you are trying to do too much in too small a case...

polyphony is extremely expensive in modular, as each voice requires at least one vco and each vco requires at least one vca, a vcf and an envelope generator and thats before we start on modulation - and quite possibly each of the vcos requires a simple mixer to mix waveforms - and that is just for the simplest, most boring subtractive synth voice... and then you need a mixer to mix the voices together... and whilst jumbe henge is great for placing voices in a stereo field and overall volume, you still need a way of balancing the volume of individual voices... I see you have quadratt, but you'll need attenuators/attenuverters for modulation too!!!

voice leading requires at least one sequencer channel per voice - unless you only want to be able to play in unison or in fixed intervals

you have a quad quantizer, but no melodic sequencer to feed it - so how are you intending to sequence the voices in your rack? if the answer is I don't know, but I'd like to control the notes - then get a sequencer that's big enough to control those voices - something like a erica black sequencer, or the new hermod+, both of which include quantisers, as do almost all sequencers in the "battleship sequencer" category

this is why 90% of the time as soon as polyphony is mentioned by a newbie the 1st reply is "just get a polysynth" it will save you money... seriously it may be worth your while saving a bit more and getting a moog one - it's already patched for you and comes with both a sequencer and a keyboard... and at under £10k for 16 voices, it's a bargin!!!

you have 4 vcos and a sampler... but only a single vcf... so immediately you are out of polyphonic territory and into paraphonic... for polyphony, as mentioned above, you need a vcf per voice - on top of this there is not enough mixing to reduce the 4 channels of vcos to a stereo signal before sending to the vcf... you may be envisioning the 2 shakmat vcos and the waveshaper as a single complex oscillator?

even so the filter is stereo, but the vcos are mono, so you really need a way of placing the voices in the stereo field before sending to the filter, unless you are envisioning using the filter in dual mode - in which case I would strongly suggest 2 separte filters as they will be easier to use in the long run

normally it is suggested to limit to 1 - 1.5 voices per row based upon the need for support modules to get the voices to do anything interesting

advice:

take a look at my signature and seriouly contemplate it for a while... then apply what you have learnt to the following steps...

work out how many voices you really want...
work out what you need for sequencing and mixing those voices...
work out what you need for modulation - probably quite a lot - but you can use copies to each voice - and add in a matrix mixer, which is really useful for combining simple modulation sources to derive related more complex modulation
work out what you need for each voice - vcas, vcos (1 or 2 or 3 per voice), vcfs, envelopes etc - if you want 4 voice polyphony with 2 oscillators per voice then it might be worth looking at quad or octal polyphonic vcos (doepfer or wavefonix)

expect to take up at least double the case space for 4 voices and their related support modules - especially if you want a ergonomic synth... a lot of newbies are unaware how small eurorack actually is and are surprised once they get their 1st modules: 1hp = 1/5", 1u = 1.75" - think how big your fingers are in relation to that and how patch cables impede the use of your fingers when reaching for knobs, be aware that trimmers (the small black knobs) are much less precise than bigger knobs...

then buy the absolute minimum thfrom this list of modules that you need to make a single voice, play it, modulate it and listen to it before continuing, learn these inside and out and refine (you may hate the vcf for example) before buying another voice as and when...

and do all this before considering the "lots of trigger action", whatever that means... or go for that first...

just don't do it all at once!! you will be overwhelmed and spend a lot of time and money replacing things...

hope this helps and good luck! any questions etc feel free to ask...

I've been wanting to get into eurorack for a very long time. I own four semimodular synthesizers, a beatstep pro and sq1, and even bought a Behringer CP1 A months a go because i found it very cheap on eBay which I havent touched at all.

cheap is not often associated with good... the b-company power supply is almost definitely not powerful enough to power the 6u 104hp case you envisage - just checked and you've got 2 - might work... remember the semis will want power and you need to leave at least 25-30% headroom on each rail

My goal:
I want this rack to be focused only one thing, and thats glitchy percusive/drum sounds. I'm not interested in creating a basic 'kick snare hat' sort of drum machine since I already have a Digitakt and RD9 for more conventional drum sounds. What I really want is to be able to explore sound design but in a rythmic way, both in terms of sequencing and sound modulation.

so in my mind that would be oscillators, vcas, envelopes, lfos, filters and maybe an effect module or 2

Influences:
I will list some of the artists that inspire me in order to give a clearer understanding of the sound I'm trying to achieve: Aphex Twin, Floating Points, Jean Jelinek, uZiq, Squarepusher, Venetian Snares, etc...

Context:
I already have a Neutron and DFAM, also I will be using my Beatstep pro as the main sequencer (which has a probability function and can kind of work as a basic 'generative' sequencer). I want to start with a 6U 104hp case in which I want to put both Neutron and DFAM and I'll just remoove them as I get more modules.

The rack I've planned:
https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_2155174.jpg

I would have helped here and posted a link to the url of your actual rack... but I couldn't be bothered to sift through 8 racks to find the right one... jpgs are shite...

Questions:
- I want to bring effects in and out at random times. Would Pamelas New Workout combined with Twiigs allow me to send random clocked gates to the mix inputs of the effects I've put in the rack?

I'd tend towards Pams Pro Workout as this will probably allow you to do this in a single module - and use envelopes not gates

• One of the most important effects I wan to have is a beatrepeat which would allow me to modulate the lenght of the repeats triggered randomly at clocked intervals. Would Databender be able to do that? Are there any better alternatives?

worth looking at: clouds clone with the kammerl beat repeat firmware... you'll probably want attenuators for modulation

• I have not included any VCAs, envelopes or utility modules, this is becuase the three voices I have in the rack already have built in VCAs and envelopes, plus the Neutron has two attenuators, slew limiter and a basic sample and hold. Am I missing something important here? This is the first time I build a eurorack synthesizer and I'm worried that I might not even know what I dont know.

are the vcas, envelopes and other fundamentally important utilities patchable and still usable in the semis? I doubt it... think again these are all fundamental sound design building blocks... you probably want a lot more of them, not less

• Is it absolutely necessary to have an output module? I've seen a lot of people on youtube mixing eurorack signals with outboard mixers and not getting a lot of noise. My idea is to mix all the voices with the STMX module, then send the output into Databender as a final effect and then from Databender straight into my Mackie CR-1604 mixer. Would I be ok doing that?

it is not necessary to have an output module... but it really depends on whether or not whatever you are sending it to can cope with modular levels without clipping

s0, it will probably work.. but as @ferranadsr said I wouldn't want to go straight into an outboard mixer with the output of an effects module - a more fully featured mixer with a send/returmn facility would be a better idea...

I have watched all of Grant Boss's videos on youtube a million times, and pretty much I want to be able to do what he does but in a waaaaaaaay smaller case.

this is probably unrealistic... you may be able to achieve a small subset of what he does, but generally people have large cases for a reason... one of which is being able to run multiple voices and effects chains at once - which you won't really be able to do in a small case

agreed. AE are great sounding, low cost modular option that helps democratise it in a more ethical way than others who produce low cost modules without co-opting designs and monopolising production via large factories. would be great to have them on modulargrid!

I'd be glad if you shared your thoughts on this.
My head us fuming and i'm in dire need of some critique.
The aim is some polyphonic voice leading with lots of trigger action.
€_€

Have been down this road before. If you don't have Mito you should check out this module by Robotdogmusic the Improbable Sequence Generator

Beautiful, brilliant, go for it! Modules you have here that I use all the time and highly recommend: Pamela's Pro Workout, Disting EX, 3x MIA, Plaits clone, Rings clone, Maths, Clouds clone, O&C--excellent choices, all! I am not familiar with your other modules, but that is not a down-vote for them. I started out with a system smaller than this, and after 2-3 years had a system bigger than this. Any size modular synth is a blast. Enjoy it! I make mostly ambient music and organic noise.

Trim down this rack? I wouldn't. I would like to hear it!

sounds good

I've bought two modules from @otterpops over the last month, and both have been well-packed and exactly as-described. A solid and respectable human.

If either of you are interested in jamming this summer, PM me / i'll send you a message. Currently staying with my folks in Palo Cedro with my 9U, pod FX rack & drum machines.

Looks like a nice concept, it has my attention... needs a good demo. We'll likely see more circular screens. Skippy is another that just came out.
One question is... can we flip the screen and interface so we have jacks on top? This would seem to almost be a requirement these days...

Edit... Firmware update includes the flip. Nice.

EDITED Jun 27th 2023, 17:48

+1
AE modules can fit in Eurorack with the AE modular Eurorack adapter frame.
Really nice modules from Tangible Waves, but you need good (young ;)) eyesight to use them.
The new black frontpanels are more readable.

EDITED Jun 20th 2023, 15:40

Got rid of Pam, as the outboard gear I have can seq absolute trigs/CV and the Pachenko/Marbles will add a lot of happy "accidents". Because of that I also removed the 0ch LFOs and the Instru logic, I kind of wanted the logic but it was quite expensive and the Disting has one, albeit not as good.
-- pechnatunk

It is worth considering keeping a Pam's Pro Workout in the system. It's incredibly useful for so many things, and often saves me having to buy new modules for certain jobs as I realize that Pam's has it covered. As I write this, it's being used to keep the whole system in time, as well as modulating various things. And I've just been reading up on using it for some euclidean experimentation. I in fact have two in my rack, and both are always doing something. For the price and the size, it's crazy how useful it is.

One other thing, which is probably fairly obvious: you will in all likelihood change your system on an ongoing basis. It's the joy of modular. The way you make music will develop, and your knowledge will make fun new things possible. If it really gets hold of you, controlling your spending may be a challenge. Dealing with GAS is a part of the journey for most people. But as long as you are reading manuals and getting the most out of what you have, GAS may be ameliorated to some degree. In six years I've gone through over 100 modules, and bought several of them twice.

I hope this is useful to some degree, and I wish you well with it.
-- gumbo23

Ha - I know! it is a very tough decision to remove Pamela (it's my girlfriend's name too! )
And now I'm having second thoughts, no thanks to you :)
Just read the manual and learnt about the logic and crossmod modes built in - which are very interesting indeed - and also the triggered rotating output.

As for GAS - yes, this purchase will also coincide with me selling some lesser used items - unfortunately they aren't worth as much... :)

Bump.

I'd love to be able to design an AE modular system.

There are ~100 first-party modules and a couple dozen third-party modules.

Willing to volunteer for some data entry if that would make it easier.

Is it currently possible to assign a 3U 4hp module to a 26hp 1U space, such as when using a 3U-to-1U adapter? I'd love to see that added if not.

thanks for your detailed answers jim. lots of new thoughts on how to optimize. i watched also a video on how to use a matrix mixer actually very flexible tool which totally makes sense to have. i will use the moogs in their cases and only get one for the eurorack stuff. i will get rid of plaits and rings and focus on stuff which modulates and supports.

hey jim, thanks for your comment.

i was thinking a lot if i should keep the moogs in there cases, cause than i could just build a small rack which saves money at the end. but on the other hand if everything is placed in one bigger case it would be easier to patch i guess.

you just need some longer cables...

I've got 8 cases and I have no issues patching between them

i thought i have enough utility modules.

yeah... it's similar to the 'you can never have too many vcas' meme... now replace 'vcas' with 'utilities' and it becomes more accurate!

sound source: would be the moog oscillators than

the moogs are more voices - basically they are mono-synths - as are to a large extent plaits and rings (although rings can also be a sound modifier), you don't really have any traditional stand alone oscillators in here

sound modifieres: what would be apart from a filter?

yeah filters (which the semis also have built in don't they?), but also lpg, wavefolders, and other effects in general - good idea with the sbg (handy one that if your pedals have expression inputs) - that way you can experiment with where you place things like delay and reverb in the chain... reverb into filter for example

modulation sources: whats missing, i have lfo, envelope follower and generartor

it's not necessarily what's missing... more do you have enough?

utility - what is missing? i have vca, attenuators, slew, offset

again, not necessarily anything missing - I'd at least add some logic and some simple mixers (both ac and dc-coupled)

the samara will get used up very quickly and maths is best when patch-programmed which often takes up the bulit in utilities - see the 'maths illustrated supplement' available to download online

attenuators and attenuverters get used up quickly too - lots of modules don't include them - and 10v peak to peak is often too much modulation - less is often more...

a stand alone clock divider is also a great idea - send it audio - the /2 will output a square wave 1 octave lower than the original, the /4 will output a square wave 2 octaves lower

sequential (and non-sequential) switches - switch between inputs or ouputs based upon a clock or manually...

what would be an example on how to use a matrix mixer. i don't understand what would be the benefit of using one.

OK - a couple of examples

patch in copies of 4 modulation sources - mix them together and now you have 4 different, but related modulation signals...

patch in an audio source - and out to an effect - and the effect back in - mix the dry signal and the effect back into the output to the effect... suddenly you have controlled feedback... plus a dry and wet output or a single output with control over the wet and dry mix - you could also patch it so that there's a filter in the feedback loop - useful for delays if they don't have feedback loops themselves

hey jim, thanks for your comment.

i was thinking a lot if i should keep the moogs in there cases, cause than i could just build a small rack which saves money at the end. but on the other hand if everything is placed in one bigger case it would be easier to patch i guess. i thought i have enough utility modules.

sound source: would be the moog oscillators than
sound modifieres: what would be apart from a filter?
modulation sources: whats missing, i have lfo, envelope follower and generartor
utility - what is missing? i have vca, attenuators, slew, offset
what would be an example on how to use a matrix mixer. i don't understand what would be the benefit of using one.

thanks

too many voices... not enough utility modules...

take a look at my signature and spend some time thinking about the contents in relation to this rack...

personally I'd keep the moogs in their own cases rather than pay twice to house and power them...

scales seems a bit unnecessary - pams can be used as a quantizer if needed

the mults could be replaced with either stackcables or headphone splitters

plaits has a built in lpg

I'd want a matrix mixer - doepfer for example - useful for making complex modulation etc

hey guys,

I am very new to eurorack and bought few years back the moog sound studio dfam/mother32 and last year I got the subharmonicon. I really like the hands on approach and now the more I patch these instruments with each other’s, the more fun I have. So I decided to fall in the rabbit hole now. I would like to ask if my thoughts are right and my setup makes sense. There is no particular genre I want to make. I want to jam, have fun, record something and make a track out of it.

Here is the gear I have and want to use with my upgraded eurorack moog sound studio.
4x moogs, but maybe I will sell the subharomicon
1x mixer with balanced inputs
1x delay pedal, 1x reverb pedal via send/return on the mixer
And possible 2 pedals as inserts.
1x Digitakt for sequencing

When I was testing the dfam (vca out) with my mixer I need to lower the volume about noonish and also the gain on the mixer is the lowest. So should i still use just cables or an module like the xport?

So here comes my modular selection and why.
Mutant brain - for integration of digitakt – must have
Pamela - for clock, random and support for dfam sequencing – must have
Xport – for each synth voice to feed my mixer. Does it make sense?
Maths – you know why – must have
Samara – utility goes very nice with Batumi
Batumi – lfo musically
Ochd – lfo organic
LPG – low pass gate always wanted to have one for the plucky stuff maybe in combination with plaits.
Quad vca – must have
Some mults
Plaits – must have
Rings – would add additional flavor to the sounds I have.
Disrting ex – it does it all and good option to see what I would need in a eurorack
Tallin – I really need a distortion and this has a very small footrprint and 2x.
Scales – to get musical stuff from random voltage
Wasp + Forbidden Planet – filter to have something different than the ladder.

So now the question is: what is missing and does my selection make sense. What should I change? Many thanks for your inputs and thoughts

So, a mega Pam's?

Got rid of Pam, as the outboard gear I have can seq absolute trigs/CV and the Pachenko/Marbles will add a lot of happy "accidents". Because of that I also removed the 0ch LFOs and the Instru logic, I kind of wanted the logic but it was quite expensive and the Disting has one, albeit not as good.
-- pechnatunk

It is worth considering keeping a Pam's Pro Workout in the system. It's incredibly useful for so many things, and often saves me having to buy new modules for certain jobs as I realize that Pam's has it covered. As I write this, it's being used to keep the whole system in time, as well as modulating various things. And I've just been reading up on using it for some euclidean experimentation. I in fact have two in my rack, and both are always doing something. For the price and the size, it's crazy how useful it is.

One other thing, which is probably fairly obvious: you will in all likelihood change your system on an ongoing basis. It's the joy of modular. The way you make music will develop, and your knowledge will make fun new things possible. If it really gets hold of you, controlling your spending may be a challenge. Dealing with GAS is a part of the journey for most people. But as long as you are reading manuals and getting the most out of what you have, GAS may be ameliorated to some degree. In six years I've gone through over 100 modules, and bought several of them twice.

I hope this is useful to some degree, and I wish you well with it.

EDITED Jun 17th 2023, 12:36

Good communication and easy deals twice now selling to @elektronen. Would recommend!

Thanks! I missed your mention of Veils, but this is great. I decided to ditch the ES digital ins/outs for now.

NP

I've got a single input module for line or Guitar w bonus env and gate and veils as back up for extra line inputs and VCA duties.

"extra vca duties" are almost always needed... & not just for audio!!!

Got rid of Pam, as the outboard gear I have can seq absolute trigs/CV and the Pachenko/Marbles will add a lot of happy "accidents". Because of that I also removed the 0ch LFOs and the Instru logic, I kind of wanted the logic but it was quite expensive and the Disting has one, albeit not as good.

you'd be surprised - often the algos on disting are really quite good... especially when you take into account the actual cost of the disting algo compared to an instruo module

An extra cascading attenuverter/mult/mixer, and having another cascading VCA on hand to also hopefully attenuate signals to line level if I want some more indvidual outs other than the two stereo line outs.

Now just trying to decide if I should swap the HN 3xMIA for a Doepher A138sv in case I want some panning, though it's not VC...

neither is the 3MIA... but I'd keep the 3MIA and work out how to patch auto-panning with an LFO, an inverted and offset copy of the LFO and veils...

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EDITED Jun 16th 2023, 16:06

Thanks! I missed your mention of Veils, but this is great. I decided to ditch the ES digital ins/outs for now.
I've got a single input module for line or Guitar w bonus env and gate and veils as back up for extra line inputs and VCA duties.
Got rid of Pam, as the outboard gear I have can seq absolute trigs/CV and the Pachenko/Marbles will add a lot of happy "accidents". Because of that I also removed the 0ch LFOs and the Instru logic, I kind of wanted the logic but it was quite expensive and the Disting has one, albeit not as good.
An extra cascading attenuverter/mult/mixer, and having another cascading VCA on hand to also hopefully attenuate signals to line level if I want some more indvidual outs other than the two stereo line outs.

Now just trying to decide if I should swap the HN 3xMIA for a Doepher A138sv in case I want some panning, though it's not VC...

got it! I feel good! if you think I messed up you can eat turds! I'm having a blast!

Needed a small Eurorack power supply for an upcoming project, so I picked up this one from Frequency Central.
Very simple build, and good stable power when you’re done. Good unit, and a great first or second build.
Build

What I'm working on is basically a "randomized" sampler to play live. One of my favorite things about the Microfreak is that you can modulate the arpeggiator/sequencer rate and get really off the grid in a tactile way. I want to do this in a sampler and sort of create like an instrumental hip hop version of free jazz.
-- Zacksname

It's not really modular but since you mentioned the MicroFreak. It recently received a firmware update that turns it into a sampler & granular engine. With some additional tweaking, I think you can pull off what you intended, like I show in my video:

https://

Great work on the design of this patch! Your House Jam took me back to the end of the 80s :)
The ‘second summer of love’ and the years that followed were a truly creative and sincere period.
The good old days.
-- Sweelinck
Cheers Sweelinck, glad to hear it brought back some memories! For me, it was more about Chicago in the mid-90s...

Nice work and breakdown! That bassline especially sounds great 🕺🏼
-- troux

Thanks for watching, Troux!

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intellijel...
-- JimHowell1970

perfect - thanks a lot for your advice and explanation!

intellijel...

pulp logic were 1st, but not a lot of other companies produced tiles for the format, whereas once intellijel introduced their format, lots of other manufacturers started designing modules for this format... i suspect it's down to intellijel marketing their cases, by giving them to youtube/instagram influencers, as much as anything else

CIRCUIT:
envíaría:
-para plonk: cv note y trig
-bombo: trig
-para SH: midi notes
-caja/platos/semicorcheas/contrabombo --> volca drum
(contrabombo sería una especie de tom grave, que iría un poco sincopado con el bombo, tipo Surgeon... o podría tener un rumble, en el 1,5 2,5 3,5 4,5 ...)
-además podría tener unas cajas, platos, semicorcheas, contrabombo, como samples para ir cambiando a veces y que no suene siempre la volca drum

MIDI:
circuit envia 2 cables midis:
1) --> SH --> black midi
2) --> volca drum

VOLCA DRUM:
tendríamos caja/platos/semicorcheas/contrabombo (todo esto podría tener unas automatizaciones grabadas, para darle modulación)
además 2 pistas que servirían de transición, o de "rescue me"... con algo percusivo arreglado
lo ideal es que la volca drum, funciones a la mitad de tempo, aunque no se a quién hará caso si al midi o al cv clock...?

FX AID:
para el doepfer mixer
pondría un delay sinced

PICO DSP:
detrás del filtro que sale de pico mix, con reverb

LADIK SEQ:
para dfam

BEFACO FILTER:
a) para plonk, y luego entra en un mixer
b) para volca drum y sh (suavizarlo un poco)

BD9:
sale por un atenuador --> circuit, para delay

RADIO:
es trigada y cv, desde maleko

MALEKO:
-trig radio (una redonda en el 2 del compas)
-cv radio
-lfo dfam
-lfo plonk

PLONK
es trig y cv notes desde circuit

PICO MIX:
-Sh
-Volca
de aquí va a filtro, para suavizarlo un poco-->pico dsp para reverb

PICO INPUT (OPCIONAL)
bajo la case
Si el pico mix, y su filtro, no funcionan bien con line level de volumen: ponemos pico input bajo la case.
amplifica a volca drum y a sh

DOEPFER MIX:
-Plonk
-dfam
-radio

ROLAND SH:
está bajo la case
recibe midi notes desde circuit
sale su midi thru--> black midi

Hi,
Currently i am building a "modular" modular case. It consists of several cases that can be stacked to an unlimited height.
the very top (case-) module will have a 1 meter LED bar that emits to the ceiling.
This Led bar has a height of ~ 70mm so i will have space for a 1U row at the front.
I have no idea if i ever will use this 1U row for modules. for now i will create a huge blank panel for this
but i wonder in which distance i should drill the holes for the rails.

Researching the different 1U front panel heights brought me:
Intellijel: 39,65 mm
Pulp Logic: 1,7 inch which should be 43,18 mm

Is one of the formats more future proof than the other?
thanks for any advice or opinion!

EDITED Jun 14th 2023, 08:31

THREE LETTERS ..... SIMPLE REALLY,

D. A. C.

no dac

nothing special.

Can’t see th Mantis cases available anywhere in Australia yet)

they tend to go in and out of stock quite a bit - like everything in eurorack they're made in batches and when they sell out it can be a while before another batch gets built and shipped

I may be a bit confused with the difference between VCAs and attenuverters, if both have CV inputs, aren’t they the same - only attenutervers are bipolar?

VCAs are generally known as voltage controlled amplifiers, although a majority have a maximum amplification of 1 and are more correctly voltage controlled attenuators (which isn't necessarily a bad thing - as often that's all that is needed)

unless a specific attenuverter is described as voltage controlled, it won't be.. it'll be manual - the MIAs and the SAM are both manual

the (now discontinued) mutable blinds is an example of a VC Attenuverter... doepfer also make 1 - they are better used for modulation than for audio as they have a tendency not to close fully

Yes, you’re right the motu does have DC-Coupled outs, perhaps I could get away with ditching the ES-3. However, I’m also thinking about send audio through these outputs, would I need dedicated modules to boost the motu outputs to modular level? If so, it may end up costing the same as the ES-3.

which is why I was suggesting a mutable veils clone... as they have 20dB+ gain on each channel

To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about CV at all but moreso processing audio from Ableton through the case. And processing outboard gear via Motu to the case…
Maybe I should instead add another 2xSAM - these can apparently be configured to be a line-modular boost via jumpers on the back.

if that's the case then not a bad idea

So, this is my updated case, not sure if you can see the modules to the side, but my most recent omissions are the 100 Grit, swapped for the Steady State Gate, removed Worng Acronym (I really wanted this but can’t justify the price for an OSC), and took out the FX Aid, in the hope that Monsoon (Clouds) can cover reverb duties, and any time based FX not covered by Clouds, Prism or Crush Delay I could hopefully get out of Disting EX.

However - I think something/s else needs to go.

I would just buy less to start with - a sound source, a modulation source (I'd go for Maths - but don't expect to find a Black & Gold one - they're only available as part of the shared system - and if they do turn up for sale used they often cost double a normal maths), a sound modifier, you've already got a way to play in the keystep pro etc, a quad cascading vca - which can be used as a mono output for now and a few utilities - a simple dc-coupled mixer, a mult, a 3*MIA or similar and then add modules when you've learnt those modules inside out and as you find you need things...

Wondering people’s opinions of what is more valuable out of Pachinko (Marbles) and Pam’s Pro workout, and also if you think I need the 0chd?

both are useful... I have both a PNW and Marbles - never used PNW for looping random quantised pitch though - as I have Marbles for that...

Seems like I have a lot of LFO modulation?

not really - just count up the number of modulation inputs on the other modules...

Considering that - I have outside gear that can seq trigs/CV, albeit limited with minimal Euclid/random functions - such as: Keystep Pro, MicroFreak, DFAM, Neutron via midi input and a soon to be modded Roland MC202 with new Tubbutec seq, even the Roland TR8S can switch it’s individual outs to trigs.

all more or less useful - depending on your workflow...

Also, what specific utilities you would add to this?

I guess I need a mult, mutes/a-b switch? Anything else? Maybe a S&H?

mult probably - a passive (or stackcables or headphone splitters) to start - a buffered one if you need it - I find Maths benefits from a buffer when connecting it's outs to some modules

mutes - not necessarily, unless you feel you need them...

a-b switch - I've always liked sequential switches myself - doepfer does a decent inexpensive bi-directional one

Also - I’ve got the 3xMIA there to double as extra VCAs/mixer - can these also be used to reduce voltage down to line level? - for example plugging into an external sampler/looper
EDIT - OK, as I was typing that I realised the answer is likely no.

kind of but probably not very precise - 3*MIA isn't a VCA though - no VC!

Thanks very much for all the advice! and sorry for the slow reply.

So, I have gone through many changes of approaches and iterations just in the last week.
I’ve made the case smaller - mainly just help me reduce the amount of modules, I think this size is better - looking at my “local” store, I’m leaning towards the Erica Synths 2x104HP Aluminium Travel Case With Lid
Not that I need it for gigging but seems to be good for price, power and availability (Can’t see th Mantis cases available anywhere in Australia yet)

I got rid of the idea of sample/beat slicing in the case, along with drums - like you said - also most of the osc/filters I have can be pingable for synth perc.

I may be a bit confused with the difference between VCAs and attenuverters, if both have CV inputs, aren’t they the same - only attenutervers are bipolar?
Yes, you’re right the motu does have DC-Coupled outs, perhaps I could get away with ditching the ES-3. However, I’m also thinking about send audio through these outputs, would I need dedicated modules to boost the motu outputs to modular level? If so, it may end up costing the same as the ES-3.

To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about CV at all but moreso processing audio from Ableton through the case. And processing outboard gear via Motu to the case…
Maybe I should instead add another 2xSAM - these can apparently be configured to be a line-modular boost via jumpers on the back.

I looked at clouds and kammerl beat repeat, however it is still not really what I want, but anyway - I decided to do this in Ableton.

So, this is my updated case, not sure if you can see the modules to the side, but my most recent omissions are the 100 Grit, swapped for the Steady State Gate, removed Worng Acronym (I really wanted this but can’t justify the price for an OSC), and took out the FX Aid, in the hope that Monsoon (Clouds) can cover reverb duties, and any time based FX not covered by Clouds, Prism or Crush Delay I could hopefully get out of Disting EX.

However - I think something/s else needs to go.

Wondering people’s opinions of what is more valuable out of Pachinko (Marbles) and Pam’s Pro workout, and also if you think I need the 0chd?
Seems like I have a lot of LFO modulation?
I’m leaning towards keeping Pam - but only because marbles was a late addition. But they’re hard to compare since Pam seems like an arranger and Marbles is more performable.
Or should I get rid of all three?! :)
Considering that - I have outside gear that can seq trigs/CV, albeit limited with minimal Euclid/random functions - such as: Keystep Pro, MicroFreak, DFAM, Neutron via midi input and a soon to be modded Roland MC202 with new Tubbutec seq, even the Roland TR8S can switch it’s individual outs to trigs.

Also, what specific utilities you would add to this?

I guess I need a mult, mutes/a-b switch? Anything else? Maybe a S&H?

Also - I’ve got the 3xMIA there to double as extra VCAs/mixer - can these also be used to reduce voltage down to line level? - for example plugging into an external sampler/looper
EDIT - OK, as I was typing that I realised the answer is likely no.
So - yes, like the 2xSAM for line input - I think I want at least one stereo line out in addition to the ES-6 interface to the motu/computer.

I've had two of these show up defective. The second time it initiated a modification of the firmware.
I would say you are gambling with the build quality when you purchase anything from Mosaic.

EDITED Jul 6th 2023, 13:47

no tengo muy claro como iría todo seteado...

CIRCUIT:
llevaría quizás platos? (hasta que me compre hats) semicorcheas (con platos, no con percs)
cajas
trig y cv (note) para plonk y BIA
quizás me quede en un mismo pattern mucho tiempo, simplemente cambiando sonidos, y cambiando lentamente algunas notas, o algo de cada pista
midi--> black midi (que estaría bajo la case)
en un futuro, comprar YARNS, y controlar el bombo y platos desde circuit también
el bombo manda su audio (--> atenuador) a la circuit, para recibir delay (y quizás reverb) además podríamos darle el efecto deejay, cambiando el filtro de la circuit (a agudos), para hacer un drop, p.ej...

PICO TRIG:
creo que trigaría bombo y plato
(tendría una zona para platos rápidos, para bombos sincopados ...)
pico trig --> muta jovis --> bombo / plato hat
también trigaría radio

PLONK:
-canción A: sería semicorcheas
-canción B: sería un poco más lead (las semicorcheas entonces vendrían desde la circuit, como platos)

MALEKKO:
-radio?
-BIA (ya recive cv desde circuit)
-hat (bia)
-plonk (bia)
con diferentes memorias (mucho 7x4, 5x4.. variaciones...)

BD 9:
enviaría su audio para la circuit para recibir delay

FILTRO BEFACO:
-plonk (filtrado suave)
-bia
despues de uno de los filtros ,se podría poner pico dsp (para darle reverb, wet/dry)

MIXER NEGRO: (envia fx, a fx aid)
-radio
-bia (que ya viene de filtro befaco)
-dfam

PICO MIX: (envia fx a filtro, filtrado suave)
-plonk
-hat
envia --> filtro --> pico dsp (wet/dry con un poco de reverb)

LADIK SEQ:
para dfam

ATENUADORES:
bombo, mix L, mix R, pico mix

EDITED Jun 12th 2023, 02:45

KORG ESX:
aquí tendríamos bombo, caja, platos, y otras percs
tendríamos el bajo (sampleado) y un posible lead (sampleado)
Los bajos podrían estar grabados en algunos temas, o no, (indicarlo en el título del pattern)
Se podría grabar en el "teclado" de la propia esx, para ahorrar tener que llevar un teclado.
la entrada de audio externa para la voz, y quizás la volca drum...

VOLCA DRUM:
en la case
tendríamos un bombo, plato, caja, y otras percs...
serviría para hacer una transición entre canciones.
canción A - con las percs de la esx
cancion B - con las percs de la volca drum
p.ej.
Su salida necesita de filtro, quizás lo pasamos por korg esx, y le damos filtro

CLOCK:
esx --> midi a volca drum --> sync a ladik (o malekko)

PICO INPUT:
para la voz--> zoom ms70 (noise gate) y fx--> korg esx?

LADIK SEQ:
para dfam
creo que me cabría también el maleko (y así tendría un lfo para dfm)

FX AID:
para la dfam
fx aid--> atenuador --> mix out

EDITED Jun 12th 2023, 01:59

I've replace the original rack with a new setup. I tried to make it less cramped.

I replaced several modules starting with the oscillator and replaced it with an Instruo Cs-L. In my main rack I stayed away from complex oscillators since I wanted the functions as discrete modules so that I had more control, but in this case it's nice to have a lot of tools in a somewhat more compact space.

I still have 6hp to fill, but can't decide what to put there. If I go with this setup, I may just leave that blank until I have a better idea of what I need after I've played with it for a while.

I'd say too many voices and not enough utilities, but I almost always say that...

I'm looking to expand on the Taiga and have a rack to take with me when I'm traveling for work. I would bring my computer with me and have Ableton to do some squencing/CV duties through the ES-8 if needed.

A fan of Joranalogue, I see. I have their Generate 3, which I'm still learning how to use, in my main rack and have considered getting the Filter 8.

Nice! Yes, something like this would be great.
👍👍