Hi all,

As a newcomer to modular, I've seen many folks offer the same advice: start small, build up slowly as you discover what you need.

So I ask: if I have an empty case and can buy only one module to start with, and if my goal is (ultimately) to be able to have lots of modulation and play around with making ambient/drone/evolving sounds with lots of texture, what do you recommend as a starting sound source module? (Assume I have audio I/O for the case as well as a MIDI/CV interface.)

Ideally it'd be something I could start playing with by itself to start learning it and get some fun out of it before having to build up the rest of the signal path.


Taken a pretty good beating (virtual) today for taking the knee!

... people don't understand!! They think it is weak!!

But it's about showing respect and accepting others as equal human beings - simple!

... in return you get millions of people showing you respect in return - it is not weak - it is powerful!

Take the knee!!


Thought I'd update everyone with the current state of things:

ModularGrid Rack

Some early thoughts/questions:

Overall I have to say I'm thrilled and this is a pretty incredible format, so thanks to to you @farkas for your help. It's fascinating making sound in such a different way (which is its own question I guess: how the heck do you actually get a working process with these?!! => instead of just noodling, but I'll save that for another day) and this site and all the great content here made the leap a lot easier.
Challenge-wise, I'm not sure the Pressure Points is working out as I'd hoped, though that's probably partially because I'm missing a quantizer. That said, I'm thinking I'd rather have an Arturia KeyStep. I'm curious how other people use the PP and if it's a lasting feature of a lot of people's racks as I could definitely be missing something?
What's next? I definitely want another oscillator and I'm thinking about getting a Serge NTO. Do these live up to the hype? They're expensive and use up a lot of HP, but a lot of artists I respect seem to be Serge fanatics (not necessarily because of the NTO, but still), so I'm thinking it'd be fun to try. Would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this one.

Thanks as always for any help, and hope folks are staying safe (and protesting too!).


NerdSeq is likely the deepest and most versatile sequencer available for the money and HP (excluding using a DAW with stuff like the FH-2). You have a highly manipulable sequencing environment, a very capable little sampler, and (especially with the LaunchPad integration) an extremely powerful performance tool with its Ableton-style pattern launching. The UI is extremely well thought out, and even though you can go extremely deep with it, I never feel like I'm diving deep into menus or forced to remember too many esoteric input combinations. Just about anything I can think of, I can find a way to accomplish with the NerdSeq, often without involving any other modules.

That said: I occasionally find myself considering selling it. It's not due to any fault of the sequencer itself, but rather that because it's so deep, concessions have to be made in regards to workflow. I'm an avid tracker user, with Renoise as my DAW of choice, but it can be extremely frustrating having to set up menu options and perform a bunch of inputs to accomplish something I could have done in a couple button presses or knob turns on another sequencer. The LaunchPad integration does help immensely with this, but it is still a persistent source of frustration.

My issues with the NerdSeq largely stem from my philosophy around modular. I prefer to treat my patches less as realization of a cohesive musical idea, but rather a meditative exploration that may or may not grow into something more. I hold on to the NerdSeq in hopes firmware updates, expanders, and creative patching solutions will offer new promise, but I do seriously wonder if I'd be happier with a Metron and a couple Volteras. If you're the kind of person with a really thoughtful and prescriptive approach to composition, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better tool than the NerdSeq.


If you like "tracker style sequencing" then go for it. Thing has nearly endless options, midi capabilities if needed, low price for fully fledged small footprint with man cv outputs by default. You can read the manual in advance to see what you get.


Thread: DivKid Ochd

Got my UK one yesterday, tis very good :)

Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.

https://youtube.com/@wishbonebrewery


Color is at least a part of the modular landscape, though
-- Lugia

My visual æsthetics are monochromatic; my musical æsthetics polychromatic
But very interesting to hear that those designs are neither random nor the work of a young Design Intern.


Color is at least a part of the modular landscape, though...that dates back to Don Buchla, and really takes off when Serge Tcherepnin comes up with his system at CalArts a few years later. You also see color-coded connections in devices such as analog computers to denote the various functions of patchpoints.


Thread: DivKid Ochd

The elusive Ochd just became available at Control for anyone in the US who has been waiting. Not sure how fast they will sell out.


Thread: Thump kick

ES-9:
Output 1: gate (kick)
Output 2: fast envelope (for kick FM) - synced to gate
Output 3: slower envelope (for kick AM) - synced to gate

Note:
The gate/pulse on Godeater's input (in addition to the normal kick sound), pushes it to some weird state in which it picks up really low noise from I don't know where, probably everywhere, and amplifies it for a short time not unlike a noisy "swoosh" effect. The length of the gate will alter the length of this swoosh. For 133bpm, 11.9ms sounded nice for a techno feel. Now the (more) interesting part: due to some leakage either from ES-9 or an unavoidable electromagnetic one (leakage from ES-9 is worrying but it might just be that Godeater really amplifies every little thing it can around it - anyway, I don't notice any leaks if I unplug the gate), inputs on the ES-9 will leak to the noisy "swoooshing" giving it some harmonics, if these exist on that said input!


You're appreciation makes me even happier :)))

We are all one!!!

Wish I could be in Korea right now!!

UK is a disaster zone :(


Your voice sounds fine to me and I understand every word, yes, you have an accent, but everyone does - so what?

The truth:

Some people will love your voice, some people won't care and just be interested in what you have to say, some people won't like your voice.

I doubt it will happen, but if anyone gives you a hard time about it, the problem is theirs and you should just ignore them - simple!

Be free - spread your wings and fly :)

Thank for making the video, it's something I have done a long time ago, but nice to see this idea again!
-- Kel_

I really appreciate what you say on your comment:)

I don't know how to say my heart in English haha, because I am really good at Korean and I have thousands of thanks in my mind in Korean.
I really appreciate your comment, you make me I can believe the world is still warm and full of love.
Thanks



Does anyone have experience with them?

I'm looking at that Mini Shimmery for a long time. But it seems no European store can offer them.

Why are they so underrated? They seem really affordable as well...

Why does none of the major EU-stores sell em??

https://www.bluelanternstore.com/


Thread: fun stuff :)

Oh hey, the lead voice with that sliding tone is from a Pittsburgh Modular Oscillator where I manually change the pitch with the fine adjustment knob, slowly turning up and down for that glissando effect. It's one of my most beloved modules... but they stopped to build them that way. I think it was the first module I bought after getting the Doepfer A100-standart setup in 2015...

And Plaits yes, very very versatile...

Have a good time :)


Gotta say: I'm with farkas.
The design of some MN modules confuses the crap out of me. Also, somehow I find Eurorack is 'serious business' (don't know how to put it) and some Mutable Instruments and TipTop modules are just too colorful.
:)


Hi there wigglers and gridders,

if you've had any experience with this module please let me know what you think! pros and cons!

I've been looking for a sequencer with plenty of cv and gates and this seems like its capable of lot more in a small HP too, not to mention all the expandable options. There are great videos like cuckoo's, look mum no computer, and the extensive tutorials series from SonicVoltage but i would love to know your opinions or if there's anything else to recommend.

The thought of a tracker sequencer intrigues me but also intimidates me a little since I compose mainly on a keyboard but from what I've watched and read it seems like you can get the hang of it in about 20 minutes or so. what was your learning curve like? with the midi expander could i still compose on the keyboard or DAW either mono or ploy and have it on the nerdseq?

I've been going back and forth from the Nerdseq to the Hermod and even the Eloquencer and i know they're all very different workflows but are able to sequence up to 8 sources (even though 2 tracks of the Nerdseq are for samples). The Eloquencer seems to be very fast and intuitive to use but takes up too much HP and i may get stuck and tired of the XoX style. Hermod is great with its I/O, no need for midi expander, small HP, and all those videos of people playing classical pieces via DAW is priceless but the screen size and no cv/tigger expansion is a bummer.

All that being said i always end up back at the Nerdseq, It has almost all the bells and whistles you'd want, and i could probably sequence an entire album but with all this depth and option, would i be too overwhelmed?

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for reading!


Ciao Mebitek,

He, he, the good old 70's :-) Nice video demo with your music. Didn't know that people where doing modular synths on a boat and that under quite stormy weather ;-) (Just teasing you)

Thanks a lot for the sound details how you build your voices, interesting to read!

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

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Thread: fun stuff :)

Hi Sunchylde,

Ha, ha, yes, another nice demo from you, thank you! I love that sound trick you do a bit before 4:00 and then a bit after 4:00 as well with that large knob and module in the middle of the lower row, what module is that? That was a fantastic sound you got there! Further down in your track again, lovely sound, please tell me what module that is? :-D

By the way, do I see there two Plaits next to each other? I just got one and that's already lovely. Having two, that must be heaven :-)

I look forward in hearing your JM Jarre influenced upcoming new album! Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Definitely. And naturally, there's no reason to not try it. You might also try feeding an audio-frequency signal to the expression input and see what that does. You might find some twisted new AM method!



Just a thought I had. Even if it didn't work in a synth voice, it could make for an interesting tremolo I guess.

Rookie. Learning Guitar. Will one day build a rack.


Thank you so much @Lugia and @toodee - I didn't know about the 1U formats and I will definitely look into the 3xVCA!


Check out the Ieaskul F. Mobenthey modules for some wild chaotic stuff. I have a Zlob Diode Chaos that I like. It’s pretty similar to a Sloth.


That's so funny. The Noise Engineering panels don't bother me in the slightest. The Make Noise panels on the other hand...


In the build above, I'm pretty sure the Atten-B are not compatible with a Palette case, and I have my doubts about the Unity Mixer as well.
-- toodee

That would be correct, actually. Intellijel tile rows CANNOT fit "original" format tiles, only Intellijel's version. Both Pulplogic tiles as well as the Unity Mixer won't work here.

Frankly, if you're doing a Palette case build, you should look into Plum Audio's Intellijel-format tile versions of devices like the Ornament & Crime, which fits very well into the scheme of things that Mutable's modules are part of. And while I'm shocked to be saying it, there may well be too many VCAs in here for the build's scale. A better choice would be Happy Nerding's 3xVCA, which gives you enough VCAs in a splittable configuration that also allows for some simple VCA-controlled mixing.


Sort...of. It would depend on how the Supro's circuit responds to a CV. The idea is sound, but the question would really be what sort of response curve the pedal is likely to have to linear and/or exponential CVs. Also, will 0V actually result in a full level shutdown, or does the audio level being controlled that way only go down to a certain threshold?


Noise Engineering stuff, although I should note that I'm not a fan of their obtuse/eye-wrecking panel marking scheme

:-) Agree. The NE Modules are one of the worst out there when it comes to Design. I really don't understand what People think when they make these "Designs"
-- Quantum_Eraser

Yep. Their panels look to me like a bottle of India ink threw up on a sheet of aluminum. And the ultra-tiny script that they use to fit into that mess is just horrible...if you're in any sort of low-light situation (such as a live gig), you're going to have a lot of trouble reading those. And while I'm sure the defense of "well...eventually you just know what those are" might be legit-ish, I still don't think there's any excuse for this. Sure, I get that there's a "design sensibility" there, as there is with a number of other makers who also like to do visually-obtuse panels...but it's worth noting that Greyscale does a decent business in making sensible panels for modules that look like crap.


Howdy, looking for chaos CV generators. Have a triple sloths from NLC, thinking about their Hyper Chaos and Hypster, but wondering what else is out there.

Thanks!

Inscrumental music for prickly pears.


alt text
Rack envisioned only for 4ms ensemble vco, sequencing melodic lines. Someone mentioned the Usta sequencer is not recommended for sequencing polyphonic notes ( I assume, as long as the vco is not spitting polyphonic signals...)

What do you think about this rack and what would you use for that 2hp left?

Thank you!


Hi !

Just jumping in to attract your attention to the 1U formats that exist: there are 2 competing formats, Pulp Logic tiles and Intellijel. The Palette case is made for the Intellijel format, it is not compatible with Pulp Logic sized module.
In the build above, I'm pretty sure the Atten-B are not compatible with a Palette case, and I have my doubts about the Unity Mixer as well. An Intellijel Quadratt (or Duatt) provides mixing and attenuation in the Intellijel format, and I also know of Transient Modules who are also making Intellijel compatible 1U modules, including a mixer.

Hope this help :)

--- Voltage control all the things ---


I tried to make a little jam based on a dance electronic music classic from the 1977 with my eurorack modular synthetizer, Supernature by Cerrone, after I recenlty watched Climax, a great 2018 movie directed by Gaspar Noé.
The video has been recorded in one take with a GoPro cam and edited with some parts of the Climax movie as a little tribute to both movie and music.
never stop modular experimentation
Patch notes:
- Drums: Telharmonic N out (snare), Pico Drum (kick & hit-hats)
- Sequencer: beatstep (lead), rené (bass)
- Main Voice: Loquelic Iteritas through QPAS
- Second Voice: DPO final out
- FX: morphagene custom reel through Antumbra SMOG
- reverb: Erb-verb
- additional modulations: Maths, Zone BF, Function, Wooglebug, micro o_C
feedbacks and comments welcome

Electronic music/video producer and composer.
Dark Ambient Cinematic atmospheres from Sardinia.


Correct me if I'm wrong, could you take an ALM S.B.G. with it's expression output, and then connect that to a boost pedal with expression in, say, the Supro boost, and create a VCA by sending an envelope through the S.B.G. into the pedal?

Rookie. Learning Guitar. Will one day build a rack.


If you're still considering mixers, I recommend you check the ADDAC802. It is a VCA mixer with great utility in a compact space. Sounds great. 6 VCAs. Independent outs on each channel, two independent/assignable mix outputs. I'll be honest, I don't love the red color, but you can order any color you like for extra $.


Noise Engineering stuff, although I should note that I'm not a fan of their obtuse/eye-wrecking panel marking scheme

:-) Agree. The NE Modules are one of the worst out there when it comes to Design. I really don't understand what People think when they make these "Designs"


Thread: fun stuff :)

One more before I'll take a little break also because I'm changing cases ;) ...


Thread: fun stuff :)

Regarding family and job, yes that's the point why I have all that time I guess ...

If you like Krautrock there's much to discover in my albums and EPs, tho not all strictly modular synthesizer.

My next album will be exclusively synthwave/Jean-michel-Jarre influenced... to be released next month and I always record stuff anyways ;)

Will post a bit more here in the future too...

Have a nice time!


I ordered a HEXa(s)r from Perfect Circuit and can confirm that it is 10 HP, not 9 HP.


Thread: fun stuff :)

Hi Sunchylde,

Oh my Lord! That above link of your video a few weeks ago, yes! That's really cool.

I love your "live Krautrock jam session style", though me as a "Grobschnitt" fan, it can't be Krautrock enough for me ;-)

So how about your next challenge? Make an instrumental-hard-core-Krautrock album? ;-) Just teasing (but.... would be nice if you still did, he, he)

Regarding your bandcamp link, I will check that another time: you do realise I have a family to attend to (at least once and a while) and I got a job I have to take care off, right? ;-)

Thanks a lot for sharing and kind regards, Garfield.

Edit: Removed typo.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


I did not have this problem (sold it anyway). It was powered by my Pittsburgh EP-360. So i guess I was lucky with a functional unit or the Power supply is exceptionally good (got no noise floor at all and my case is nearly full)...


Have a look into 4ms ensemble osc and xaoc odessa, they are the osc i bought in a while und they are very versatile, for ambient anyway!


Hi Mowse,

I like the way you steal a few minutes in the studio before your dinner ;-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Looks like a fun rack to me!
Just to weigh in on the drum discussion. It's definitely cheaper to do percussion externally. I tried that and found I liked the modular approach better for my workflow. It cost a small fortune, and it's a lot more limited than an external or software approach, but I just didn't enjoy working that way. I kind of appreciate the limitations to keep me creative.
The Moffenzeef Mito (sadly discontinued) is an amazing hands-on sequencing tool that I am using with the Buck Modular DrumF*ck (criminally overlooked glitchy drum module, but sadly no individual outputs per drum), Basimilus Iteritas Alter, and Endorphin.es Blck_Noir (for CR78 style post-punk and synthpop sounds). I may pick up a Bastl Noise Square and Skis to dedicate to even more percussion sounds. There are cons to this approach for sure, like Lugia mentioned, but we all find what works for us as individuals. I'm finding that drums are probably my favorite parts of my rack.
Let us know how your new investment works out.


Note to self:

This may be the best option. Kinks allows for multiple useful functions simultaneously, while the Disting offers more, but only one at a time. I don't think the Disting provides much in the way of things I don't have that I need.

The remaining potential issue is the insufficient gain for my audio recordings (and possibly radio input). Maybe this can be solved by routing through both Arbhar and Morphagene input gain, if this doesn't cause too much noise. Otherwise, I may need to switch Kinks out for Ears.


Lugia, I cannot express enough how much I value your input. I learn so much from your responses. Both your time and effort you put in crafting your replies are not in vain. Thank you!

I tried to incorporate many of your and farkas' advice and make my future setup better without losing too much of my 'ideas'. While you'd suggest 'externalizing' the drums - and even talked about the :cycles - I tend towards using my :samples as external gear and Akemie's Taiko as a Jack-of-all-trades-FM-drum-voice. This way I can manipulate the incoming external audio in my rack. So I could even get rid of the BIA as well as the Lo-Fi-Junky. I added the expander for both Batumi and Zadar as well as a designated mixer, another triple VCA and the Fold Processor. What an amazing module!! I didn't know it, it seems to be so versatile and it produces the sound I want! So thanks for bringing it to my attention! I'm leaning towards the Varigate-Voltage Block-combo for major sequencing duties.
Am I getting 'there'?

alt text


My instinct would be to remove the drum parts, actually, and not the BitBox. You can use the BitBox to store textural loops very easily, which fits nicely with the soundscape aspect. But with the way drum machines are going at present, it might be a better move to go with a NON-modular solution.

This'll probably cause a big shock for some users, but I'm going to actually suggest getting some...yep...Behringer stuff. Namely, an RD-8. Yep, Uli actually managed to get this fairly right. Each track has an individual output for discrete processing of drum sounds, there are three trig-out tracks, and the sequencer works pretty much as one would expect for an 808, with some added conveniences. Now, in addition to this, I would ALSO suggest adding a Doepfer A-119 to the modular, as this is an external input preamp that also has an envelope follower and level comparator, meaning that you can feed individual outputs or even the entire machine through the modular to screw with them there. It also has a decent onboard filter on its own.

Then to that, I'd suggest adding Elektron's new Model: Cycles, which is an FM-based "groovebox". Ignore that stupid term, though...what it would be here is a source for metallics, percussive weirdness, etc. And yes, BOTH of these are easily locked to the modular's clock; the Elektron will want to see a MIDI clock which will require the PEXP-2 expander for the Pam's, but the RD-8 can take an analog sync directly, meaning you can mess with the RD-8's clocking via a direct connection to a Pam's channel. And by putting all of this under a DAW clock, everything locks up nicely, even if you're (ab)using the Pam's to mangle the timing.

Then, to put the cherry on the cake here, get some cheap (Rowin, Donner, Caline, Cuvave, Azor, Mugig, et al) effects pedals. Sprinkle liberally amongst the individual RD-8 outputs...fuzzes, overdrives, bitcrushers, delays, etc.

This is actually a better solution for drums, from my experience. What I use is definitely not identical to this, but there's very much aspects of this in my own studio that allow me to get really busy with percussives. But the fact is that electronic percussion is actually STILL something of a "weak link" in modular synths. Either you don't get enough functionality out of rather spendy modules, or they just don't sound all that hot in the first place. However, one manufacturer there stands out for creating a bunch of totally wrongheaded modules that are EXCELLENT for bangers 'n' clangers, and that would be Moffenzeef. And yep, you can fire those off of the RD-8's trigger channels. But again, I'd suggest putting these in something like a Palette skiff...keep your functions separate. This not only frees space in the main cab for synth-centric modules, but it gives you space for a bit of logic to mess with timings, as well as a small mixer and something "evil" for drum-specific processing, such as a Schlappi Interstellar Radio which is designed to make everything sound utterly, totally trashed, very early Aphex-ish.

And while it might sound like having all of these separate devices would get confusing, the opposite is usually the case...since you know that "X" noises are coming from this box, "Y" out of this other one, and so on. No need to chase down your mingled patchcord signal paths in a single cab. Having done live techno sets this way back in the 1990s, with NO laptop, NO software, and NO MIDI save for a TR-909 sequencer signal to a CZ-101 (yep...all CV/gate and onboard sequencers!), I can assure you that this methodology DOES WORK...and it's a lot more streamlined than you'd suspect!


I made changes my rack, but anyone with the old image cached will need to force-reload. When people update their racks to discuss here, is it typical for people to update the existing rack? Or make a new one? Since I updated my rack, some of the comments above will now be confusing since the image will show the changes for new viewers.


Thank you @wishbonebrewery and @dinorrific!

@wishbonebrewery: thanks for the reminder about a goal. I am finding it hard to choose a goal partly because I don't know what's possible, and I think my mindset is stuck in "subtractive synth" mode and the more I learn about modular the more I realize that's a really limited view. I think what drew me to modular is seeing people's sequencing setups, but also the more dreamy ambient/atmospheric sounds that I've seen some people create. I don't know whether this build would be especially good for that, but I think that's what drew me to the Plaits.

@dinorrific: are you referring to this? https://www.modulargrid.net/e/synthrotek-1u-unity-gain-mixer


Every time I think about what could be missing from the case, I catch myself and realize that it's already there. I think you're going to find that you'll want either more modulation sources, a filter, or another mixer. I'd recommend looking into the latter as a replacement for the uStep or Branches - you won't always want to use Tides as a chord generator, but when you do, it'll allow you to squeeze all three voices out of your system instead of just one.

You may also want to look into a unity mix in 1u if it fits - in small systems, it'll let you change the base note and have a couple of sequences moving in the same key (if your sequencer doesn't already allow for that). It could also serve as a down and dirty mixer for multiple voices.

I hope this helps - I think, even if you bought this today as is, you'd have a wonderfully capable machine.


Like when I joined here and started my Eurorack Journey, everyone is going to tell you to have a Goal in mind before you start.
It will stop you spending a load of money on something you find you don't use or didn't need
Figure out what you want your Rack to do.... for me the initial goal was to fill in the gaps around the other gear I had so that the combo of other gear + Eurorack didn't have any crossover.
My goals have slewed a bit and I now want to bring in some of the capability of the external gear into the rack but not fully.

I don't think I followed the advice given here, but that's not to say that it wasn't helpful ;-)

Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.

https://youtube.com/@wishbonebrewery