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*** Current Build 2021 ***
Case: AMALGAMOD Light Weight Foldable 2020 + 4ms Powered Pod 48 HP
Peripherals: Hydra synth Desktop

@timmy373, glad my comments are helping.

In response to your latest post:

-- if you stick the modules above in a case with considerable extra room for a few more adds (like you mentioned) then I think the modules you've picked so far are reasonable. That said, I have the same reservations about QPAS as mentioned previously, I'm not sure it's the strongest choice for a primary filter.

-- regarding utilities, I learned a lot about these by scanning the full module lists for Doepfer, Ladik, Intellijel, Joranalogue and ADDAC. I looked for anything that wasn't a sound source, sound shaper (filter, waveshaper) or CV source, figuring those "other" modules would be mostly utilities. That gave me a good idea of other module types, and helped me think concretely about what utilities might play well in my setup.

-- when you're ready, why don't you update your draft rack IN the intended (larger) case size, make any module adds / deletes you're considering, and ask the forum for feedback what might be beneficially added / changed? Trying to leave ~25% or more empty space in your next draft rack would be advisable, if possible.

Cheers,

NG

EDITED May 19th 2021, 21:16

Hello Nick,
Thanks a lot for a very detailed reply. Im actually already eyeing up another case. To be honest i think i wanna get something like a 9u 208hp (which will be HUGE in comparison to what i have now). I have decides to post the first rig as a 2nd review to see if I have made any progress. I agree that it is still very light on utilities, i wanna get a slew limiter, lpg, a ladder filter, more vcas (obv) and more attenuating/verting options even though triplatt being really good is an extremely tiny module that can only do so much.

I picked the addac mixer because it fit my rig hp wise so im not fixed on it. I do have a massive issue with using my vca/attenuverter in a way thats auxillary to its main purpose which just handicaps me atm. Since also having a few stereo modules/outs I have been eyeing up a138s as well.

Sequencer wise I played around with black seq and I liked it. It felt like an elektron style seq that was more intuitive with a very simple layout. Anyways its much better than what i have now which is bloom (a nightmare to tune)

And regarding the layout.. whilst i was putting it together i pressed maximise hp button (or smth among those lines) and all my module just swapped around non sensically. I do generally follow the signal flow of ready/packaged synths.

I received today knobs from Thonk (via Postmail).
If your order is ≤20€, no tax from UK. But (not sure) the limit will be ≤50€ in July.

In Belgium the threshold for customs charges will be €0 unfortunately. But I can also ship to friends in the Netherlands, thanks for the inspiration!

Banzai looks cool. Not so many options for different shafts, but there might be something useful in there!

EDITED May 19th 2021, 19:51

I received today knobs from Thonk (via Postmail).
If your order is ≤20€, no tax from UK. But (not sure) the limit will be ≤50€ in July.

In Germany, Banzai Music (http://www.banzaimusic.com/Knobs/), but their Davis clones are without brass inserts.

@ Banzai, I order Turnado knobs (http://www.banzaimusic.com/Tournado/) and Synthie 2 knobs (http://www.banzaimusic.com/Synthie-2/).
@ Thonk, I order Davis clones and trimmers toppers (https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/tall-trimmer-toppers/).

good you went with the 6u! personally I don't like the rackbrute cases - rackwart, why?

but they do make sense with the minibrute 2

I'm not madly keen on the angle of the connection, but get the bag and you can cart the whole thing round as one thing

Thanks @toodee, I have been reviewing Lugia's reply and opened up browser tabs to each module to dig deeper into what each does...at least as much as you can by just reading about it :) and looking closer now at the "Quadrax + Maths + Veils" that you recommended as starting points in my build. One question on your starting recommendations...beings that one of the goals of my build is to extend the capabilities of my Hydrasynth and MiniBrute 2, would you still recommend those three as the starting point knowing i want to be able to patch into/integrate/etc with those two synths?

-- jb61264

Yes

Quadrax - quad modulation source - good - you have voices - with limited modulation sources... - but there's also Maths... which I would pick over Quadrax as starter moodule

Maths is a brilliant starter module - google the "Maths illlustrated manual" - which has illustrations of 32 self patching programs for maths - which is a great primer not only for Maths, but also for patching modular synths in general - it would be top of my list for adding more functionality to semi-modular synths

A quad cascading vca, such as Veils, would be second on that list

I'd probably replace quadrax with one of the effects though - either fx aid xl or warps

I'd also recommend grabbing a few stackcables - being able to use the same signal a couple of times is really handy especially in a small system - and they don't take up rack space

the next modules on my list would be Kinks and Shades or similar - they both add extremely useful functionality

small orders from Tayda usually get through ok - always take the low shipping - they do pots and knobs - some of them are cheap looking/feel compared to the Thonk ones though - the Davies clones don't have brass inserts - but everything works ok so far

there are a few stores in Germany - Banzai for example - that stock some things - Banzai at least do some pots and knobs

Totally makes sense, in fact that is what I would recommend you do, no need to rush into spending cash, you already have fun machines so adding to it little by little should be enough and allow for proper learning. Try and pick modules that will immediately bring something to the table, you'd have to seriously look at the patchbay on your existing synths but I'd probably go for Quadrax + Maths + Veils, those 3 alone have the power to rock !
Take your time to study Lugia's answer as well, not only here but other builds he did if you have time, loads of learning to do there as well. Ah, and don't forget to copy the proposed build, Lugia did comment some time ago that he won't be able to keep everyone's builds on his account forever so if you want to keep the work done for you, do copy the rack into your racks ;-)

-- toodee

Thanks @toodee, I have been reviewing Lugia's reply and opened up browser tabs to each module to dig deeper into what each does...at least as much as you can by just reading about it :) and looking closer now at the "Quadrax + Maths + Veils" that you recommended as starting points in my build. One question on your starting recommendations...beings that one of the goals of my build is to extend the capabilities of my Hydrasynth and MiniBrute 2, would you still recommend those three as the starting point knowing i want to be able to patch into/integrate/etc with those two synths?

Hey Europeans, now Thonk is getting cut off from the mainland: do you have any good resources for knobs, caps and these kind of small supplies within the EU? I don’t mind paying VAT, but the customs fee in Belgium is a little steep for small orders.

Hi Guys!,

Great news! The Centre has been fully backed on Kickstarter in under 16 minutes! Thanks to everyone who supports the idea!

There are still great deals waiting for you guys (way below MSRP for this module) on the Kickstarter page. We still have many days to go.

The module will be shipping in September!

Thanks and kind regards!

Duddie

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1voct/the-centre-eurorack-modular-wavetable-synthesiser

Yep! Sometimes I'll have two different signal paths, but I usually chain them together. The one thing I haven't explored is the expression outputs, though I will at some point. My Fairfield Circuitry Randy's Revenge and Long Life pedals are good candidates for that.

Very cool. I have two S.B.G.s in my minimal system.
-- baltergeist

Do you! For FX boxes I'm guessing?

Yeah, the uses for the send/return modules go deeper than just an insert point for stompboxes. For one thing, it's basically an "unfixed" effects processor, as the actual processing done depends on what you choose to drop into the insert, and this can be as simple as a fuzzbox or as complex as an entire pedalboard. And then there's their uses as extra mono-outs or external signal inputs.

One thing I need to try is using something like this to admit a no-input system's signal into a modular for final manipulation. My AE system has a couple of their 4I/O modules (like these, but with four "soft" I/Os instead of the dedicated input and output), so it should be a good candidate for this.
-- Lugia

Cool. As I forgot to say, it's also a great way to bring in an external synth or even a guitar, say, where the level is too low otherwise for modular. All in all, a useful little gizmo!

Hey Funbun,

Your videos are always a treat, I've said so before but I find so much poetry in the way you film and layer your music over those peaceful images, I'm transported right there with you. Definitely sign me up for that B&B.
Thanks for taking us along for the ride once more ;-)

All the best,
D.

My thought was to build out the top row first by adding the first four modules and then playing/experimenting with those for a few months until I add the other four and then again playing around with everything for a few months before doing the same on the bottom row. Is that a realistic approach considering the recommended build?

-- jb61264

Totally makes sense, in fact that is what I would recommend you do, no need to rush into spending cash, you already have fun machines so adding to it little by little should be enough and allow for proper learning. Try and pick modules that will immediately bring something to the table, you'd have to seriously look at the patchbay on your existing synths but I'd probably go for Quadrax + Maths + Veils, those 3 alone have the power to rock !
Take your time to study Lugia's answer as well, not only here but other builds he did if you have time, loads of learning to do there as well. Ah, and don't forget to copy the proposed build, Lugia did comment some time ago that he won't be able to keep everyone's builds on his account forever so if you want to keep the work done for you, do copy the rack into your racks ;-)

Only small modules, cab size is an iPhone case, and Robin f*ing Vincent videos to top it off ? No way this is serious, it's like a rack full of Distings, it's funny to look at but no one is buying it... I hope :-)

Volca Beats is a stand in for a rack mounted Volca Drum. I’m not a monster I promise.

Thanks! Yes, this is still on my little AE Modular. However, I do plan to move to a Kosmo/5U synth this year. Plan to build it from scratch. The AE has served as a good learning tool, but given the long shipping times and the world wide shortage on electronics components, it'll actually be faster and cheaper to build a large format synth from scratch.

Thank you sacguy and Garfield, that is high praise! My plan going forward is to try and include some kind of informative aspect to my videos.

Had fun with WMD percussion

Hi! I am getting ready to pull out the credit card and fill in this rack. I have 104HP to fill up - it's half of an Intellijel 7U case. Here's what I currently have:

Here's a short list I've been considering:

Make Noise DPO - I'm pretty sold on this and love my other MN gear
Joranalogue Filter 8 - Looks powerful with a lot of character but I'm open to options - stereo options to the top of the list
Batumi - This just looks like a super useful module and I love the quadrature option
Marbles - This looks very interesting but with a learning curve, open to other random gate/CV generator suggestions
Clouds - Doesn't look like Beads is going to be available anytime soon, but something to do granular in the rack would be fun
Erica Black Joystick 2 - these look fun but I'm open to something else to manually add dynamics while recording live studio performances
PNW - I always seem to max out my existing PNW so was thinking another one would be very useful.

I know there are tons of other modules to consider, but this list is made of stuff I think I can actually buy, as opposed to hunt down over months. I've been having a ton of fun building light/dark ambient patches and multilayer sequence patches, but I always feel like I run out of modulation sources.

I "think" I am OK for envelopes/VCAs/attenuators/mixers to be able to use most if not all the sound sources simultaneously in this setup, but please let me know if you think otherwise.

Sequencing is covered by the Rene and a KeyStep Pro for sequencing and other external gear for more sequencing if needed.

Cheers!

@visakhv16, glad you are getting some useful input!

A couple additional comments:

-- "I was kinda overwhelmed with all the possibilities and fear of picking the wrong modules or missing out on the "better" ones." ... Yes, there's a huge expanse of possibilities in modular. The way I dealt with this when starting was i) set a basic design architecture (e.g. type of modules and # of modules) that would execute the type of instrument I'm interested in ii) get forum help to troubleshoot the design iii) pick some modules I thought were "no regrets" (e.g. well reviewed, well known, well loved) plus a couple "innovative" modules that interest me, from what is in stock at my preferred vendors iv) iterate with forum folks a bit more to help polish the subsequent rack design, and all along the way v) lots and lots of looking at modules' webpages, manuals and videos. BTW don't expect a rack to necessarily ever be finished, there will always be things you could change or add if you wanted to.

-- re: "I have a tendency of being overambitious without giving it a thought whether I would be able to truly understand and use them as I wanted." I was in that kind of head space about 2 months ago. I got a BUNCH of modular stuff all at once. On the positive side, I got a lot of good input from the forum, did some research, and was thoughtful, SO I do have a setup that strikes me as a full instrument and is very inspiring to me, which is great. On the negative side, several of the modules I have are crazy deep on their own, let alone in combination, and I'm now like "f(*&, am I ever really going to understand the timbral possibilities of my complex oscillators, etc. etc.?"

-- I bought a lot of stuff from Patchwerks in Seattle. One of the people there helping me choose modules said "everybody I know who's really good at modular, they really pound hours into their setup until they know every module inside and out." That has stuck with me as a good (and somewhat haunting) piece of reflection. SO I'm expecting somewhat the same of my rig: I'll start to really get good juice out of it reliably only after I have a pretty solid command on all the major module. From there, it's simple math: more modules--> more study / practice time to get command of. I've stopped buying additional modules because the "homework" I have left to do to learn my current modules remains very considerable, and I'm satisfied that what I have is a great platform for sound design and exploration.

-- FYI Lugia posted somewhere else that he's at his rack limit and will be deleting stuff. That being the case, I'd recommend you make a copy/duplicate of Lugia's draft rig above, and also copy the comments from this thread and email to yourself (or otherwise archive them). It is super helpful input from JimH, Lugia etc. above, and if you're still chewing on these topics weeks / months from now, its worth taking a moment to preserve what's been said so far.

Good luck!

Nicholas

Hi Funbun,

Nice video with some humour :-) Do you have a B&B? Perhaps I should come one day and get served nice grilled fish caught from the next door river? ;-) I liked that kind of almost funny tone of background music you used, is that all still done by your AE modular system?

Pity you couldn't find any fish that day :-(

Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Zuggamasta,

Two great videos, the first one is nice to have a look from "the top" :-) At the end you put kilos of reverb, yeah! ;-)

The second video and track is indeed more classic approach, more something for me ;-) Nice touch with the guitar by the way! You have a nice sequence going on there.

Regarding cases, yeah, I not a mantis case fan either. If it must be a 6 U then check out the Doepfer - A-100LC6 that's 2 x 84 HP at about Euro 379.

Though if you add 60 bucks then at Euro 439 you'll get a 9 U A-100LC9, I do think this 9U is more worth it (however keep in mind that the mA per HP is less though; same one PSU 3 with 2000 mA at +12 V).

A-100 LC6, 2 x 84 = 168 HP total, price Euro 379, price per HP is Euro 2.26 and 11.9 mA/HP
A-100 LC9, 3 x 84 = 252 HP total, price Euro 439, price per HP is Euro 1.74 and 7.9 mA/HP

Or if you want the more fancy one then go for the A-100 P6 or A-100 P9, same space, same specs, it just looks better.

The nice thing is that you always can extend it with an A-100 LCB or an A-100 PB and then you got a nice set together. I have the A-100 LC9 on top of the A-100 LCB, nice little set together (they stand next to the big brother set A-100 LMB and LMS9). I am happy with both of those sets.

If you want a bigger one but insist to stay with 6 U then you might want to consider the Doepfer - A-100 PMS6 that's 2 x 168 HP and comes with two PSU3 power supply units.

Up to you ;-) Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Molerat99,

Oh this is nice, nice long drone kind of thing :-) I love your video too, it's nice how you view into details over your modules, that's great. Nice & interesting to watch it.

Ha, ha, the end is cool: "Ending transmission" ;-)

Thanks a lot or sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

Way cool! Nice to see you doing cool ambient stuff with a small setup. Never thought of Akemie Taiko in that way before.

Do you have an output stage? Where's your signal headed?

Thanks Jim. I got it to work. So any thoughts on the last 4 HP?

Expanding the case to 6U won't happen until Christmas. What pairs well with what I have? I'm thinking a VCA will be important right about now.

The patch I read about routed a potentiometer to one of the cv controls to handle the looping function iirc. Cheers!

Yes, that Turing machine thing in Pam's is nice indeed, I never use it though because I'm more used to Ornaments&Crime or Marbles for that kind of purpose, I wonder if Pam's UI is enough to make it really playable in that regard... I'll be looking forward to your video about it to find out ;-)

Thanks for the suggestions Toodee! I read about a patch to do random loopable voltages (kind of like a turing machine) that I want to try soon. It does so many things!

Pretty cool sounds and a very nice use of Pam's !
That module loves self patching I found, maybe for a next patch you can try to use one (or 2) of its output to feed one (or both) of the inputs and go to town with CV assignments ;-)
Thanks for sharing, mate !

Thanks Zugga!

mutant brain is a midi->cv converter - what you want is a cv->midi converter - there are not so many to choose from - befaco do a couple and addac - the doepfer one that I have has been discontinued and the current one is a single note and gate iirc

max/msp - are you using ableton? if so use I would have thought that using the cv tools in that and output to the es3 would be the simplest solution

go to modulefinder - there should be a submit module button top right

I'd rather have a multi-effects unit - roland or something than this - is this for guitar? if so how are you going to control it???

modules are all very very small and difficult to use next to each other - get your tweazers ready!

having a modular effects box is exactly the same as a full on modular synth - still need modulation and utilities etc - the only difference is that the sound source is external (and that still needs a module)

Two of my recent experiments in one Rack and one Post.

First tinkering and practicing with a more performance based piece:

Then me trying to do the opposite and building more classical song structures and putting my fender to use.

And if anyone has some good tips for nice 6u cases. (sorry, still no fan of the mantis )

Fun stuff with such a small system! And you're not even facilitating all your modules ;)
Keep it up

Still learning/ building out my first system. I spend a lot of time head scratching, but it's really neat when something comes together

Very cool. I have two S.B.G.s in my minimal system.

Since this build is more intended as a "sidecar" as far as its own voicing goes, I opted to add more in the way of modulation sources so that these can go out to the Hydrasynth and/or Minibrute as needed.

This is fantastic, thanks so much for your input on this!

Like I said, this is sort of an "example"...but it's actually not a bad example as it is. But it does hit all the bases...you've got a very capable voice section, modulation is nicely overspecced for the modular and other synths to use, and you get onboard FX and stereo mixing that can also take external signals. This is pretty much the sort of thing that would be ideal as a Rackbrute complement for both the Hydrasynth and the Minibrute, though.
-- Lugia

I just received my RackBrute 6U today and want to start building this out. I can't afford to do this all at once so I'm wondering what makes sense in terms of starting points? My thought was to build out the top row first by adding the first four modules and then playing/experimenting with those for a few months until I add the other four and then again playing around with everything for a few months before doing the same on the bottom row. Is that a realistic approach considering the recommended build?

EDITED May 19th 2021, 12:38

Sure thing @nickgreenberg,

Glad to contribute and help. Everyone here is great and helped me when I had questions as well. I am using Vector and Stillson Hammer for leads/pads and Eloquencer/Metron/Euclidian Circles v2 for drums/beats. I clock them all together using Pamela New Workout or Data module.

@Lugia Wow I will need some time to go through the suggestions and understand them. Thanks a ton for putting so much time and effort into doing this, I truly appreciate it!

I just had a quick look and was wondering if you had any suggestions to include the possibility of converting trigs/gates from this system to midi to be able to sequence some midi hardware. I'm not sure if the Mutant Brain can do this. Also, I am starting to learn Max Msp and would like to be able to use it someday with the system. How would you go about changing this system to include these features as well?

2hp verb-

Oh wow I didn't expect such great involvement in this forum. I was kinda overwhelmed with all the possibilities and fear of picking the wrong modules or missing out on the "better" ones. I appreciate all the inputs!

@nickgreenberg - Great links, I will check them out. Haha yes, I found all these weird / strange modules and I have a tendency of being overambitious without giving it a thought whether I would be able to truly understand and use them as I wanted. But I guess I am willing to put in some serious hard work and see how things go :)

I'd go as minimal as possible to start with - probably just some ways to sequence and combine triggers - unity mixers, switched multiples* and gate/trigger combiners etc - and a trig31

get that working how you want and then consider adding a sound source

how are you mixing/listening?

*this is contentious - you shouldn't use multiples as mixers - bad, bad practice - it will work until it fries your expensive module - but if you only ever use your switched multiple for this purpose then it works
-- JimHowell1970

Thanks for the inputs Jim I will take it into consideration! I was planning to use the expert sleepers connected to my audio interface via adat for listening and mixing in the box.

I have noticed when adding modules to your racks on this site there are some well known DIY pcb kits in the list, BUT is there a way to add your own custom modules or faceplates to the rack if you are a mostly DIY build your own guy? I want to setup my rack on here but not able to figure out how to add my custom modules and faceplates.

thanks.

Hi, I also dabble in inharmonic sounds and got two modules for it:

1) Harmonic Shift Oscillator
As you mentioned, it allows you to change the harmonic stride in the range from 0.0 to 4.0. A natural, harmonic sound would have a stride of 1.0. This parameter can even be CV controlled and is a really funky and unique feature of the module. Be aware that you need at least two of those modules to make the kind of experimental intervals as shown in the video you posted.
With the HSO It's pretty easy to generate bass sounds that have a gnarly bass guitar feel to it, by using a slightly inharmonic stride (e.g., 1.05) . As with low piano strings, bass guitar strings have a noticeable inharmonicity due to the stiffness of the strings.

2) Dreadbox Antiphon
This comes with 8 sinus oscillators which you can use to build up complex sounds by mixing them together and adjusting the frequency of each harmonic to your liking. However, you need to tune the range and offset for all 8 oscillators which is really difficult and time consuming and you need some external tuner or spectrum viewer to do that properly.

iirc - go back to the page and refresh it and then repost the link