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A lot of the reason to get into modular is the ability to turn anything into a percussive sound source. It's only limited by your imagination. An oscillator, wavefolder, low pass gate, etc... Even a self-oscillating filter, VCA, and envelopes... That's what makes modular fun.
There are plenty of drum oriented modules like Basimilus Iteritas Alter, Plonk, and the now discontinued WMD stuff, but drum machines are far cheaper. Just depends on what you are trying to do, and how deep you want to get into creating your own sounds.
Good luck and have fun.
It's discontinued now, but Warps from Mutable Instruments is a useful wave folder/ring mod/crossfader/TZFM thing (further expanded with the Parasites firmware.) I'm not always crazy about digital modules or remembering modes and that kind of thing, but I've found Warps to be pretty darn useful. You might find something like that valuable in 10hp.
Also, shout out to Sam Prekop! I'm a huge fan of all of his and John McEntire's projects.
Good luck and have fun.
What kind of music are you making? What functions do you feel are missing? Is there something you wish you could do, but can't?
We will probably need some more details so that we can help. Otherwise, people might just start listing random modules.
I process external drum machines through eurorack using two of these to boost the individual outs: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/blue-lantern-modules-booster-array They are cheap and work wonderfully for that purpose.
I also use a lot of other stuff to process the sounds, but the Worng Soundstage is a cool option for stereo mixing.
Have fun and good luck.
I think 104hp is going to be too small for the amount of variation you are hoping to achieve (twinkly and abrasive). To maximize space and gain a lot of different functions in 10hp with no menu diving, I HIGHLY recommend one of the Noise Engineering Versio modules. You can flash them with different firmware (super easy process) for the task at hand. I love the Desmodus (reverb/delay), Melotus (granular), and Ruina (distortion) firmwares. Melotus could cover your Clouds needs in a smaller footprint and give you access to even more functions if you choose to pursue them. This is one of the better investments I have made in euro.
Have fun and good luck!
Maybe a sequential switch of some sort? Doepfer makes a decent and inexpensive, but limited, one in 4hp, though there are many different ones that could offer some fun alternatives.
With a blank panel until you figure out what you need! :)
Seriously though, what functions do you feel you are missing, or what would you like to be able to do that you can't right now?
Just a word of advice, that section of your second row with a bunch of 2hp modules will not be fun to use. If you have to have modules that small, it will be best to spread them out around your rack if you actually hope to make use of them. Better yet, invest in a larger case so that you can utilize modules that have some actual room to tweak knobs and plug cables in, and only use tiny modules to fill gaps. You will thank yourself later.
Have fun and good luck!
Yes, I definitely checked out all of the multipads. I'm not working much with loops for drums, but plan to use some of those features for vocal samples (all processed through the rack). The Nord Drum looks cool, but I wasn't looking for synthesized drums as I can do a lot of that sound design in my rack or with the DFAM. The 32GB of memory in the Alesis was one of the selling points for me over the older Roland, though I see that Roland have just announced an updated SPD that looks strikingly like the Alesis with almost the exact same features (for more $, of course).
I'm not a drummer either, and believe it or not I'm not a huge fan of samplers, but it's great to have the ability to have that physical/human approach to rhythm in a largely robotic/sequenced system. As I mentioned, I was getting frustrated with the lack of nuance and dynamics in the modular drums that I had collected. With the velocity layers/multisamples in a decent sampler, that frustration is now gone.
I'm building a hybrid approach with the Alesis. I have MIDI out from one of my drum machines triggering samples from the multipad, so I can still program it in an X0X style without having to play everything via drumsticks, and I'm adding a Mutant Brain MIDI interface to my rack so that I can also trigger events and sequences from the multipad in the traditional way with sticks. It's exactly the approach I was hoping for all along, I just didn't realize that it could be done.
Yes, this approach is expensive too (as all eurorack is). But, the possibilities seem limitless, and I always felt incredibly limited with modular drums. I was able to sell off some of my drum modules to pay for the sampler, and the scope of sounds I have access to is now so much greater for the same amount of expense.
Again, this is just my experience. Your needs are probably much different than mine. I thought a dissenting opinion might be of interest to the conversation. :) The important part is to have fun, and that LXR looks like 100% fun. Just consider what it is you are really hoping to accomplish before you spend your hard earned cash.
Good luck!
I hate to play devil's advocate, but I'm actually going in the opposite direction with drum modules right now. I do a lot of rhythm-focused stuff so I invested a fair amount into modular drums and samplers, but found I just kept investing more and more because I couldn't quite get the nuance and sound I was looking for. I tried adding an MPC, but that didn't do the trick either. Finally, I added an Alesis Strike Multipad and that was the missing piece for me. Now, I am selling off most of my drum modules (still keeping a couple modules and drum machines).
That LXR looks great, and I actually considered picking up the desktop version. I'm sure you will get great (and fun!) results from it. In my experience though, drum modules can be an expensive slippery slope considering the additional sequencing and modulation needs to keep them interesting. Just wanted to throw that out there as something to consider. Your needs and experience may differ, of course.
Good luck and have fun!
It sounds great. Much cleaner than I expected. The knobs are too close together though. I need to figure out a better spot for it in my rack because it can be a little tricky to wiggle if it is next to other modules with lots of knobs.
I’m very happy with it. Love the sound. Glad I got this instead of a Small Stone. Ergonomics are not perfect.
The Kamieniec might have better features, but I don’t know that it would be worth the extra money for me.
I am an AJH fanboy so I tend to praise almost everything they make. Is there anything specific you would like to know?
I'm not familiar with the Thorn.Audio brand, but AJH has a good track record of building extremely high quality modules and excellent customer service. I'm happy with all of their products.
Warm Star Electronics has a module called The Bends in 10hp. That might be an option to look for. You can find them used occasionally and they are fairly inexpensive.
I'm finally finishing up after 2 and a half years, myself. Yours looks great to me. Well organized and versatile. I'm sure you will hear the usual advice of moving the semi-modulars and mults outside the case to save space, but I'm of the opinion of "do what's best for you". Your rack looks very playable and designed to last a long time. Well done.
the way in rack drums are tossed out as unreasonable is silly to me as the entire point of modular is to build the instrument you want to build.
-- xnax
I totally agree @xnax. It's YOUR instrument. Build what you want and re-sell the parts that aren't working for you.
Personally, I've taken a hybrid approach with drums, incorporating a desktop 808 clone with modular drums. In fact, I've dedicated 104hp just to modular drums (not including various trigger sequencers and switches) and I couldn't be happier. I may even pick up a DFAM again just so I can (*gasp) take it out of its own dedicated case and put it in my rack, because THAT'S WHERE IT WILL GET USED THE MOST. All of these "rules of thumb" for building a rack need to be taken with a grain of salt. If you want a drum rack, build a drum rack. If you want to rack up a bunch of semi-modulars together, do that. It might cost a little more than alternative methods, but that's on each of us to weigh the costs and benefits. If I listened to every piece of advice given on this forum, I'd have ended up with a bunch of stuff that's great for generative ambient or West Coast-ish Buchla bongo sounds but useless for what I actually find myself doing most of the time.
Only you know how you will make the best use of your gear. Experiment and have fun.
On first listen, this sounds to me like a heavily filtered polysynth (or string machine?) and sampled piano with a lot of reverb. You might be able to get close with running an inexpensive poly or ROMpler through something like QPAS and Mimeophon. Curious how others might approach it.
QPAS might help tame some of the harshness of Manis while offering stereo options. Audio rate modulation of QPAS is fun too. If you want to accentuate the aggression of Manis and Mysteron, maybe check out Future Sound Systems Fil3 Spectral Devastator. It’s a dual filter and distortion that fits your hp requirements.
I don’t use QPAS in every patch, but it will never leave my rack. I don’t have anything else quite like it and what it does is really really cool.
With that being said, what kind of sounds are you hoping to make? If you are looking for more aggressive tones, a Dual Borg or Polivoks style filter might be better suited.
Sorry to hear about your ALM trouble. That’s a bummer.
I have the Milky Way and FX Aid XL. I like the reverbs and ping pong delay on the Milky Way but don’t use it often for any of the other effects. The FX Aid algorithms are really good and I think I flashed it two or three different times to find a combination of effects that I’m sticking with. I’ve found it to be much better for effects that can transform a patch into something completely different, while the Milky Way is ok for more “bread and butter” end of chain reverbs and delays.
If I had to recommend one, I would say go for the FX Aid XL.
Have fun and good luck!
*edit: I sold my Disting. Just really didn’t enjoy using it. Tweaking it to get the sound I wanted was less than ideal.
This was an insta-buy for me first thing this morning. I've been mulling over Kamieniec, K-Phaser, or a Small Stone pedal for the last few weeks. G Man knew exactly what I needed. Should be here on Thursday, so I'll report back with my thoughts.
I typically stay out of the online Behringer discussion, but I agree 100% with everything you've written here. I have an RD8 and VC340, and adore both of them. They absolutely nailed these and several of the other, um, "tributes" that they released over the past few years. But...
The constant vaporware teasing and "R&D" over the last year is annoying. Who runs a company like this? I sympathize with the supply chain issues and all of the obstacles that synth builders are facing at present, but for god's sake just release something or shut up. People still can't get the RD9 that was released a year ago. Even though Uli seems to thrive on the wrong side of the ethical gray area between right and wrong, I was begrudgingly excited about picking up a few more of the clones for a while. I've given up though. Every time I see some new tease, I just scroll right past it. I mean, does anyone really think their teased Polykobol clone is ever going to see the light of day?
I am a synth lover and a synth buyer, but I'm starting to suspect that I'm not the target market for any of this anymore. So, who is the target market for all of Uli's shenanigans? It just doesn't make sense to run a company this way.
I'll be the voice of dissent.
If you are going to use the Moogs more often or more effectively by incorporating them into your eurorack, then leave them there, regardless of the $$$-per-hp algebra.
I had Vortices on my short list for a long time. I ultimately chose a different route for similar types of sounds. I was planning on pairing it with the Worng Soundstage. I thought that might give me the best of both worlds. Only issue with the Soundstage is the lack of integrated individual VCAs, but that's easily handled upstream in a larger rack.
I know what you mean about the Vortices cable spaghetti. I suppose it's a good design if you are looking to save space, but if space isn't an issue it becomes an ergonomic concern. I have mixers at the bottom right of my rack, and had planned to put Vortices there even with the funky I/O setup.
Good luck finding a spot for it.
I debated this pretty hard for a few months and ultimately decided on BIA. I felt that I could get similar sounds from BIA plus a bit more variety in less hp. That's not to say Akemie's is not awesome. I would still like to have the Taiko (and Akemie's Castle), but I have FM sounds covered outside of the rack. And with the new updated Volca FM I just saw, I feel like you could cover your FM needs with much less $$$.
I'm curious to hear what others have chosen in this particular shootout.
I'm with Jim on this topic, effects pedals may be the best way to incorporate a broader range of effects. This may or may not save you money depending on the pedals you prefer, also the CV control options for pedals aren't ideal, so it's not a perfect solution. I would recommend picking up something like the Strymon AA.1 to convert euro signals to pedal and back. It's a good inexpensive utility.
I also don't necessarily think the analog vs digital debate applies much to effects, as I have a mixture of both types of effects, though I prefer analog for some other things. I recently picked up a Strymon Deco which is digital, and it has become my favorite overall effect for just about everything. It's a magic pixie dust pedal that makes everything sound better than it should. I have also enjoyed the results I've gotten from the simple and inexpensive Doepfer spring reverb (though I have to leave a 1hp blank space to run the reverb tank cable outside of my rack). I've gotten mixed results with the Erica BBD delay/flanger. Sometimes it's awesome, and other times I struggle to achieve what I'm hearing in my head.
Let us know what you choose. Have fun!
I would recommend taking a look at the Winter Modular Eloquencer instead of the Varigate. I weighed the pros and cons of each when I was deciding on a sequencer, and found that the Eloquencer's eight channels of CV/gate and probabilities for gate, ratchet, and note value made it the best option for me. I also use the Voltage Block, PNW, and a few interesting clock dividers. Either way, this looks like a fun sequencing skiff.
Good luck and have fun!
Hi and welcome @pr1n.
You will most certainly want more VCAs at some point and likely a dedicated envelope module. Mutable Instruments makes Veils as a good VCA choice, and while Pam's and Maths can both do envelopes/LFOs/etc., you will likely want something that's more easily tweakable than Pam's, and you may want to use Maths for other things. Batumi, Zadar, Quadrax, and Ochs are popular choices for envelopes and LFOs.
You mentioned that you would like a playable system. Pam's is an amazing module, but I would not exactly call it hands-on or playable. Same goes for Disting, and while Disting is a decent option for someone learning what they need in a system, you will likely get frustrated with it if you are hoping for quick changes and intuitive use. In fact, I sold mine after I got dedicated "tweakable" replacement modules for the algorithms I used most often. Just something to consider.
And, yeah, a filter and or wavefolder would be a good choice for sound shaping. Plaits has a dedicated low pass gate mode, but filters come in many flavors and you will probably have a lot of fun choosing one and experimenting with different types.
Hope this helps.
Good luck and have fun!
My biggest concern with the clones is ergonomics. The smaller “micro” footprint is not very fun to use in practice, though it might seem like a good trade off.
What about something like Noise Engineering's Numeric Repetitor? A combination of the Numeric and Zularic Repetitors would be a powerful and fun combo at 16hp, and you could probably get both for under $500 used.
