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Thanks Garfield,

Yeah, the Eloquencer is a really powerful and easy to use sequencer! My 0-coast was first modular synth and good to use it with my modular gear now as extra voice or drone or background layer. Before I used my Doepfer basic VCO with the Eloquencer it sounded flat and dead. But the ability to shift scales in real time with ratcheting and probability and random modes really makes that simple Doepfer VCO quite melodic and beautiful. The Loquelic Iteritas Perdido and Anti-oscillator demand more finesse however.

Hi Troux,

He, he, nice music, I like to call this "happy music", makes me happy while listening at it. Kind of strong positive attitude to be heard here, I like that!

I will continue to listen at your album, great work and thank you very much for sharing this! Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Farkas,

A very special sound this one. I like this, didn't expect with lo-fi to get such nice results! Beautiful :-)

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

Hi Sacguy71,

He, he, yes sounds like a lot of fun :-) Oh! You got the Mimeophon too, nice! How do you like it?

Thanks a lot for sharing and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Glennbech,

Great rack! :-) Now it becomes clear what you mean, except those screws (still ok) it actually looks quite nice, pity the height of Kallax isn't perfectly 9U ;-) So... you cleared your living room wall and put the entire wall full with Kallax and you are now busy with mounting all those rails in it :-) ?

By the way, how many HP is one row in your Kallax?

Have fun with your rack and kind regards, Garfield.

Sweet @farkas

Did a little screwing around with the last version, came up with this:

The big thing you'll notice is that everything's been reordered. I immediately moved to get audio sources away from the P/S module. So the MScale is next to that on the top row, followed by the MIDI interface. The top row was then swapped out so that all control voltage and modulation sources and manipulators are up there now.

After the MIDI interface, I swapped the divider for a more capable CVable divider/multiplier. The 2hp TM was switched out for a real Turing-style sequencer (Permutations) which also now has its own quantizer. Then Maths, and after that I swapped the expensive U-He CV manipulator with its memory and menu diving for a much cheaper and more playable MISO. A Doepfer Dual ADSR now provides proper envelope generation for VCAs and VCFs, then I switched the Zlob VCA module for a Codex Modulex clone of Veils, which loses two VCAs but gains the variable response curves on all VCAs.

Then the effects modules were switched out for various reasons (we'll get to an important one in a bit), giving you a stereo chorus/tap delay/reverb and a stereo delay in a tighter space...but not so tight that there'd be ergonomics issues.

Lower row: I put the o&C below the P/S for the same reasons as above. Then the Percussion Interface, which keeps it away from the P/S as well. Kinks is next, then we get into the actual audio path, starting with the Disting. Next is the Ensemble Oscillator, followed by a much better VCF pick, the G-Storm ARP 4012 module which replicates the Rev.1 ARP 2600 VCF, plus it provides a 2-in mixer to sum the Ensemble Oscillator's outputs down to mono. Then the Chimera and Font were paired up next.

Now, the mixer section. Another Veils clone for individual VCA level control to your mono mixer inputs. The mixer is now a Cosmotronic Cosmix, which gives you four PANNABLE mono ins, plus a mono AUX send and two stereo inputs with no AUX. Now, remember the bit with the effects? Both the Frequency Central AND Tiptop modules take a mono input and output stereo...which is perfect for feeding them BOTH with a split AUX cable, then you can parallel-mix them back in via the dual stereo ins. This is a MUCH better and more controllable method for treating effects, plus you now have a proper stereo output with the effects where they belong in the signal chain. And the HPO's at the end, and you can Y-split its inputs off of the Cosmix's stereo out.

Chucked out: the Bernoulli gate (didn't see the need for it), the Links (this build is too small for a dedicated mult; use inline passives instead when needed), and one or two other minor things, all of which got pulled to increase available panel space for superior functionality. Also, I made sure to keep suitable room throughout the build so that there weren't any space issues of consequence around the major "performance" controls. And for the cherry on the cake, I got it in for $400 less!

Awesome. Will check this out tomorrow morning.

Simplicity's easy to forget in Eurorack (witness my weird prog/kraut acid lol), so well done.

Thanks @troux. If I were to do it again, I would have spiced up the drums, but I was grooving on the simplicity at the time.

Some friends of friends run an internet radio station in Scotland (http://jnktn.tv) and asked me to do an Acid Hour. Check it out here:

https://stevehand.bandcamp.com/album/live-jams-for-scotland

No Highpass Acid makes a return but everything else was for this gig, some good variety I think, hope you all enjoy.

Sick bass line @farkas, really digging this one.

Here's a little live lo-fi trip-hop jam I put together this morning featuring some glitch vocals from my friend Elizabeth in Leipzig, Germany. I'm in the U.S., so this is as close as we could get to a trans-Atlantic partnership in the time of COVID.
AJH MiniMod - bass
Plaits - Chord stuff
Blck_Noir and Buck Modular DrumF*ck - drums
Sample Drum - glitchy vocals
As always, thank you for offering a few minutes of your time. Hope someone might enjoy.
https://ciernyvlk.bandcamp.com/track/presentation-3-invert

Lmao Lugia, thanks for the visuals. I see what you mean and I took those words to heart because you are totally right. All those tiny knobs too close together would chap my ass. Wound up ditching them entirely for the ensemble. In this layout I tried to focus on utility and modulation. I included the ensemble because the brute already has two VCO’s and like Jim said, I really don’t need that many for this setup so I thought that adding a digital monster would offer a nice way to get some complicated sounds from one place. I added some multi function modules and some random sources, I think between some of the multi function tools and the Chimera, Ensemble, and minibrute as the primary sound sources I cover a lot of bases utility wise. I imagine the randomness along with the quantizers and modulation functions here offer a lot roads to travel on. I’ve only dived into a few of the modules so far so I’m sure this layout will probably change again along the way. In any case I think I want to start with the initial list Jim mentioned and work from there. I looked up YouTubes of those and thought that yeah if I can learn those inside and out then I will venture further. That zverb though, might jump the gun on that one.

Thanks again for the wise words and guidance!!! Also, please let me know what looks stupid about this build if you feel like it. I think I have something miles ahead of what I started with though and a much better idea or mindset about what I want to do here.

Had fun experimenting with sequencer random patterns using Make Noise 0-coast and Mimeophon to my eloquencer

I ended up making a box with outer dimensions to fit the Kallax width, and order custom rails for the inner diameter of the box. But, as you might see from the picture, I failed to take into account that the screws would add width. I think this will barely work with "sink in screws".

I don't think I will bother to rack my Mother & Subharmonicon. But start from here for now. The main goal for this rack was to able to play around, tactically / hands-on / no computer. The Grandmother sits on top. Now all I have to do is actually make som music with it.

In this patch I run the Mother through the Spring reverb of the Grandmother and mixes it in. I feel that this is a bit lacking, and will probably add an fx module next. Possibly something simple like the Disting or PicoDSP. My guess is that this case is slightly "underpowered" I have to keep that in mind as well (6U/2000ma).

EDITED Jan 23rd 2021, 21:42

Send/return is too rare in modular, but this goes way beyond. I’ve moved most of my effects out of the rack, but this makes me start to rethink that.
-- subframe

The one really cool thing about adding an input attenuator to The Cursible... Makes it easy to use with pedals! I’ve got a batch of 1/4”-1/8” cables that I use for exactly that. Might not have to rethink too much!

Send/return is too rare in modular, but this goes way beyond. I’ve moved most of my effects out of the rack, but this makes me start to rethink that.

Hey guys! Thanks for the comments! If you want to subscribe over on YouTube I will be trying to upload regularly :)

The patch notes are also really interesting. I need to document my setups better, and your descriptions style should work quite well. I started actually documenting ins and outs of the modules but that's way to tedious.
-- zuggamasta

Yes, I was planning on documenting all the connections but my laziness won over me.. hehe I just thought that doing a quick rundown of what each module was doing would be enough.

Hi Brunomolteni,

Great track and nice video you got there! I loved that sudden change at 1:17, nice surprise :-)

Oh wow, that sound between 5:55 and 5:58, so fantastic sound, I love that! He, he, and the ending of your track is massive!!!
-- GarfieldModular

Thanks Garfield! Yes those sudden changes are hard to pull ( and a bit of a nerve wrack when recording) but when they work they really work hehe.

That moment at 5:55 is basically quickly muting the drums while at the same time triggering a fill on both the gates that trigger rings strum and the note changes on the XIIO arp, which is set to a c minor blues scale with up&down direction, basically results in quick melodic lines that contrast to the rest of the song where is mainly repeating the same note with slower triggers...

Hi Brunomolteni,

Great track and nice video you got there! I loved that sudden change at 1:17, nice surprise :-)

I know why your track sounds so fantastic... you got help from TinTin and Snowy! ;-)

Oh wow, that sound between 5:55 and 5:58, so fantastic sound, I love that! He, he, and the ending of your track is massive!!!

Enjoy your (sonic) adventures with TinTin and Snowy and kind regards, Garfield.

Thanks Lugia, I will keep this in mind since an Erica Synths case would fit my planned Erica mobile build goal. I do like the amalgamod and nono cases a lot of these have 300+HP of space in a small form format and are light. It would be great to put the two Erica Synths sequencers plus their modules and some more drum, utility and logic modules in it for crazy techno trance or ambient fun on the road. Probably won't buy until later this year. I've been having way too much fun dialing in my Angle Grinder and Hertz Donut with my Stillson Hammer/Metron as well as learning to create melodic songs on my Doepfer monster case with my Eloquencer sequencer.

I also had a look at this, and right off the bat, several problems were apparent. One that really typifies the issues here is the placement of those Erica PICO VCOs. OK...so, two 3 hp modules, itsy-bitsy knobs, very closely spaced and on the same "plane". So...let's say you're playing live, and the first VCO gets a bit out of tune. So you quickly grab that and try and adjust the tuning on the first one...but you snag the SECOND one with the topside of one of your fingers and knock THAT out of tune as well. Now BOTH VCOs are knocked out of whack, and things start to get...not good. But because of the tightness of the control surface here, frenetic attempts to correct matters results in even more ugliness, then someone in the crowd gets riled up and chucks a bottle at your head. You wake up in the ER a couple of hours later with a concussion, then a nurse brings in the remnants of your modular in a trashbag after the incensed crowd has exacted its revenge on the hapless machine.

OK, so that's a BIT of an extreme example...but it does point out that you not only need to be considering WHAT goes into a modular, but HOW it goes in as well. If you have controls that require careful adjustment, it's ALSO important that you include the right amount of hand clearance between everything. And this has a number of points where a slip of a finger can lead to pointless difficulties...all avoidable by just being careful about layout and ergonomics. This doesn't merely apply to synthesizers, but ALL musical instruments...and mistakes about the "playability factors" invariably leads to abandoned instruments.

Case in point - this is a picture of a trumpet: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2527/5506/products/1_0e2f3975-7e1c-4873-a1bd-fc164a08760d_1024x1024.jpg?v=1513160452

And this is ALSO a picture of a trumpet: https://benneill.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_6691-1024x669.jpg However, unless you happen to be Ben Neill, you're going to have a lot of trouble with the second trumpet if you're used to the FIRST one. The vast majority of trumpet players would find Neill's Mutantrumpet massively confusing...which is why you don't see very many trumpet players sporting horns with three bells, Rubik's-cube-style switches and knobs, and two-plus sets of valves.

Effects send MATRIX? You people are sick, sick, sick...and of course, I approve!
-- Lugia

Haha yep, and thanks!

Sequence/morph/switch your signal through your effects!!!

Sacramentmodular.com

Well, if the original choice was one of Intellijel's portables, the Erica seems like the closest match...you still get that "you-can-beat-the-hell-out-of-it" metal case, which if the objective is to safeguard the electronics inside, is definitely the right move.

Effects send MATRIX? You people are sick, sick, sick...and of course, I approve!

I really enjoyed this track and the view :)

The patch notes are also really interesting. I need to document my setups better, and your descriptions style should work quite well. I started actually documenting ins and outs of the modules but that's way to tedious.

Sorry, I wasn’t aware. I won’t do that again.

A bit of techno done with Rings ( Rangoon ) as the bassline, Ts-L as kick and Pico drums as Hats... Played around a bunch with LL8 performance view ( rolls and mutes ) and also used Dreadbox Splash frequently, making the bassline fully wet to create tension and release it by switching it to fully dry. Stages as a step sequencer moves Rings damping around to create the variation between long and short notes.

hope you guys enjoy!

Patch notes:
Instruo Ts-l as kickdrum
Calsynth Rangoon as main bassline
Erica Pico Drums as high hats
Dreadbox Splash as reverb
Mutable Instruments Stages as envelope generator and step sequencer
Doboz XIIO as arpeggiator and note controller.
Robaux LL8 as gate sequencer
Super Vcas as vca.
Synthrotek MIXIV as mixer
Music Thing Startup as mixer and clock generator.

EDITED Jan 22nd 2021, 13:14

re mixer (and vcas) always get more channels than you think you want right now - you will almost definitely need more in the future!

just looked at the revised rack - too many 'feature' modules not enough support modules (common noob mistake)

for a 6u rack maybe 2 or 3 voices at most - as you have other external voices - I would reduce this further (only 1 or 2) the interesting stuff most of the time is not the sound sources themselves, but but what you do with them

go and read a load of other noob needs help with 1st rack posts - you will see the same thing time and time again...

EDITED Jan 22nd 2021, 13:14

It's best to make things like this private...

Thank you everyone these are good choices for a travel flight modular case.

@Garfield- the problem is a supply shortage from Intellijel as they never have any cases in stock. Hopefully this ends after covid.

My goal is to put a fly rig together for after covid ends so when I visit Europe and Latin America, I can bring a portable modular rig and travel guitar setup to jam with musicians. It would be fun to visit the Befaco, Doepfer, and Erica Synths labs as well.

Thanks Garfield,

Well I cannot be presumptous to think I will reach that high level perhaps with years of practice and recording and also adding new partners to a band one day. I love sequencers they really are the secret spice for song composition. I mean modular is great with variety but the mix of sequencers creates the song. I am good for long time on sequencers until I get more cases and modules hehe. Vector and Black Sequencer look fun. You have a great setup with your complex sequencers as well. I like the Metron for drum as it feels like a mini drum pad in how the soft touch buttons respond. That said, I do want some more Erica Synths modules in the future and the black sequencer when they update firmware a few times.

If you need the voltage offset, this module requires the channel above the channel to be offset to provide the voltage. So in effect it's 8 channels, but only 4 can provide offset. I got it to provide offset to OCHD, so this was a disappointment. This could be better documented.

Hi Sacguy71,

Wow, lots of sequencers. Soon you become the new Tangerine Dream ;-)

Well yes, the Ground Control has still not been released and the Black Sequencer just has been released but then I bought the Five12 already, so both have bad luck. I am going to use for a while the Five12 - Vectron with the Drum Sequencer (Erica Synths).

Glad to hear that the WMD Metron has found a nice spot in your MDLR case!

Have fun with them all and kind regards, Garfield.

Thank you all for your responses. i greatly appreciate the nudge in the right direction here. i revised the rack and essentially did what Jim said. i do not know a lot about what these modules do yet. i understand the idea behind a few but others i do not. i do know i want to have a good stereo field so i think the stereo mixer and headphone outs are good for me. I may be wrong but idk. This is still a draft and for the most part i only have modules that other people said were good and/or that i thought looked interesting. i plan on fully researching any module i purchase until i know enough to be dangerous.

i really appreciate you all taking the time to give me some really good advice and a place to start!

EDITED Jan 22nd 2021, 01:51

Thanks Garfield,

No, I have the WMD Metron with Voltera and Axxent expanders along with Stillson Hammer sequencers in my 14u MDLR case. The Eloquencer lives in my Doepfer monster base case with Varigate 4+ sequencer. My travel 6u case has Pamela New Workout, Euclidian circles v2 and Mimetic Digitalis. So I have sequencers covered for my three modular cases. Thus far, the Eloquencer is my favorite of the sequencers as it is super easy to use and program on the fly for more intricate melodic compositions. For percussion, the Metron is super awesome. I am waiting to see what happens with Endorphin.es Ground Control and for future firmware updates with Erica Synths Black Sequencer. If I get more sequencers for new cases, the Vector with expander would be fun plus Erica Synths Drum Sequencer.

Looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.
-- farkas

Thank you!

Hi Sacguy71,

Fantastic melody you got there! Sounds indeed like a very nice handy module that Eloquencer. So you are going to throw the Metron in the bin? ;-)

Today your sound in your video isn't very clear, it sounds a bit "distanced". Is/are the microphone(s) too far away, not taking an output signal for recording your music? Your video is great though, can see you nicely working with the Eloquencer!

Thanks a lot for sharing this jam, have fun with the Eloquencer and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Sacguy71,

What's against the Intellijel 7U 2*104 HP? Seems to be a pretty light case.

And indeed as already mentioned by Lugia, that Erica Synths case is certainly a good option too:

https://www.ericasynths.lv/shop/enclosures/travel/travel-case/

Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Zuggamasta,

He, he, nice one. Some nice sounds you got there! Just a bit before 07:00 that sounds like one of my synth-frogs out of my pond ;-) Lot's of fun that sound!

Thanks a lot for sharing and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Glennbech,

Ah okay, understood now :-) Well yes, a fun idea however I agree here with JimHowell1970 that get yourself some wooden panels/plates and build yourself the case might be an easier option.

Anyway, in case you go ahead with the Kallax, then I can't wait for a picture once you have it ready and the modules are mounted :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

Looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Hello everyone

I hope this is ok to share here.

I’m super excited to share some news and let you know that The Cursible is now available for preorder. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, The Cursible is a 14HP wide, 6 channel, morphing effects-send matrix with an incredible feature set and a vast amount of applications from morphing / sequencing through and blending effects through to cadavre exquis style mixing of sound sources or controlled voltages.

The Cursible is developed and manufactured by Erica Synths and with a successful crowdfunding campaign (150 pre-orders) will be available early May. The Cursible has been made available for preorder now through an in-house crowdfunding campaign.

More info can be found at sacramentmodular.com

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/other-unknown-the-cursible-

Curiously enough, this might be another "Uli to the rescue" situation, since B.'s 2 x 140 cab seems like the RIGHT fit here. I didn't recommend it, though, because I've not heard any feedback about the power supply setup...durability, stability, noise issues, etc.

yeah agree with everything Lugia said

the 6u/104 case was really just for a starter system to get the feet wet!

Check this Erica...208 hp capacity, MONSTER power capacity, all-metal construction. I dig how Erica goes all out on their power, also...very beefy 2.5A on each 12V rail, split as 1.25A for upper and lower since they use these integrated P/S + busboards, which is another plus as you don't have to worry about DC wiring inside the cab coming loose in transit.
https://www.ericasynths.lv/shop/enclosures/travel/travel-case/

EDITED Jan 21st 2021, 21:13

Interesting build...in a very real sense, you've managed to come up with the modular synth equivalent of a Roach Motel: patches go in, and sounds can't get out.

Jim is spot-on with the point that you need to go with a bigger case. For one thing, if you're playing the guitar and realize that you need a tweak, the LAST thing you want is a super-tight interface, with little modules, knobs, and tight real estate. Remember, that thing is going to be festooned with patch cables when you're using it, so you want BIG modules, with BIG primary knobs (like your VCF cutoff) so that you can make tweaks while still maintaining optimal control of your axe. Case in point: http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/ems/synthi/hifli That is the very coveted EMS Synthi Hi-Fli, made by the same people who gave us the VCS3 and Synthi A, and most famously used on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Now, while this is something used as a guitar effect, you'll notice that the EMS designers made sure that there was ample room to grab the right control by a guitarist that would be far busier on the strings. Your build needs to be closer to THESE ergonomics, and not like the initial build above.

And as for "generative"...I'm still boggled by users who feel that they can do a tiny 3U build and still think it's capable of doing the amount of self-regulation that, well...https://modularsynthesis.com/moog/cems/cems.htm Now that there is a REAL generative system in MU format, assembled by Joel Chadabe and Dr. Bob back in the 1970s at SUNY Albany. It's a bit...um...LARGER. And even if you shrink this down to Eurorack size and make ample use of multifunctional modules, it's STILL going to be larger. You're missing loads of things needed for this: comparators, logic, CVable function gens, discriminators, etc etc...in short, all of the self-regulatory functions that make generative generative. I'm even inclined to think that Jim's suggestion of 2 x 104 is too small to really get this right, especially if you get the ergonomics nailed.

I'd suggest spending some time studying MG builds done by experienced synthesists/builders that use generative/stochastic principles, for starters. Second, if you don't have a copy of VCV Rack, get one, as it'll give you a lot of insight into what's necessary to get that sort of build to work. Toss this build, then come back to attempting one AFTER you've sorted out what this will actually entail.

EDITED Jan 21st 2021, 21:49

Look at Case From Lake in Italy :
https://www.facebook.com/casefromlake/

EDITED Jan 21st 2021, 22:09

[quote]
I’m wondering if this is a decent starting set up?
[/quote]
No

too many shiny big feature modules (chord, uO_C, disting ex, plonk, monsoon, merge) and not enough support modules

for these modules to really shine double the size of the case and fill the rest mostly with utilities - if you think of the modules as silverware that needs polishing - utilities are the polish

there are no vcas - you almost definitely want these - a quad cascading one, such as veils, is a good start - modulation and modifying modulation in different ways - matrix mixer (to combine different waveforms, vcas (to reduce/increase the amount of modulation)

how are you intending to sequence? are you intending to use a pitch follower? disting?

are you intending to use external effects only? no cv controlled reverb, delay, etc etc again disting?

I'd be really surprised if you need either 6 sample and holds or 8 lfos in this size case - or even a 6u

it's difficult to turn knobs whilst playing the guitar - an expression pedal interface (or 2) would be a good idea

I would not recommend any clouds clones at the moment - clouds 2 is around the corner - also almost all versions of clouds (including the original) need external modules to use them to their best - specifically attenuators/attenuverters for cv inputs

as an engineer I would suggest maths as a great starter modulation source - more control than ochd - and it's a great learning tool for modular in general - see the maths illustrated manual for 32 patching examples

I would also strongly suggest bigger case (6u/104hp minimum - unless you want case buying/building to be a hobby), fewer modules (don't worry gaps are fine - they will fill soon enough), more research - much, much more research... try reading a few dozen - "I'm a guitarist wanting to get into modular" threads - there are countless - here, muffwiggler, reddit... and think about what the general advice is! then start again