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This is a bit rough, but I was excited to get this online and wanted to hear others' thoughts. Thanks to a combination of terrible writer's block, a focus on my job, and life in general, I haven't written any music since 2011. Learning how to use a modular set-up changed that, and I wanted to share something I've been working on for the past few months. Hope you enjoy.

https://kevindugan.bandcamp.com/album/beacon

Thanks @jayndoodle for a Frames! Built well, packaged safely, shipped internationally.

The Mimetic will give you CV voltages and even a gate out. But, it's not the easiest device to program in a live situation. If you save and store your patterns, then you'll be okay as you can load them on-the-fly.

If you plan on setting up your patterns live, you might want something that has traditional analog faders or pots.

-- Ronin1973

I was planning to stick it to pre programmed patterns to start of. Maybe sometimes some random sequence to add some movement. We'll see were it brings me ;)

I would also suggest at least one dedicated quantizer. The Disting can do it. But I would definitely NOT recommend the Disting in a live set-up unless you can set it up before your set begins.

-- Ronin1973

Damn a quantizer, totally forgot about this! hmm the Disting offers me that but I will have a look around what other options I have. The other problem is space in my case... Thanks to mention the sequencer problem!

Also, Lugia once recommended to a Eurorack mixer with cue mix abilities. Perhaps he'd be kind enough to tell you about it as I don't remember the name... But you might be better off mixing on a traditional mixer that has pre-fader cues as you'll be mixing Eurorack with your line-level hardware synths... and finally, MUTES. DivKid just released a vactrol controlled set of four mutes built to avoid audible pops when switching them in or out. You can use the mutes on a traditional mixer for audio. But if you're trying to mute CV, then I'd definitely look into the DivKid mute module.

-- Ronin1973

For sure the plan is to use a external mixer as you mention. For now a have a pioneer Dj-mixer laying around but I'm planning to buy something more travel-friendly in the future. Anyone has thoughts on a mixer that will suit this setup? My dream has always been to use a rotary mixer but I think this does not work well in this kind of setup... or am I wrong.

Anyway, thanks for your input keeps me evaluating my system and growth as synth/music lover!

The Mimetic will give you CV voltages and even a gate out. But, it's not the easiest device to program in a live situation. If you save and store your patterns, then you'll be okay as you can load them on-the-fly.

If you plan on setting up your patterns live, you might want something that has traditional analog faders or pots.

I would also suggest at least one dedicated quantizer. The Disting can do it. But I would definitely NOT recommend the Disting in a live set-up unless you can set it up before your set begins.

Also, Lugia once recommended to a Eurorack mixer with cue mix abilities. Perhaps he'd be kind enough to tell you about it as I don't remember the name... But you might be better off mixing on a traditional mixer that has pre-fader cues as you'll be mixing Eurorack with your line-level hardware synths... and finally, MUTES. DivKid just released a vactrol controlled set of four mutes built to avoid audible pops when switching them in or out. You can use the mutes on a traditional mixer for audio. But if you're trying to mute CV, then I'd definitely look into the DivKid mute module.

Thanks @uebl for the geiger counter!
Great module, mint condition fast shipment, reliable seller.

Taught you well I did, young Jedi...

-- Lugia

Hi man, thanks!
Really nice to hear a compliment like this coming from you but it is because of your help I could start of anyway!

The search for modules is going well in own about 50% now and when I'm back from the sea (job). I go and get
my hands on the rest.

Yeah the relation with the Pam and other devices over Midi is sick! I need to have it immediately!
Like you said I love the fact I can quantize the Sirin through the Octone.
I added the power checker to my want list! I looked it up and it seems like a small interesting module
which should be added to any case if there is space!

I hope to show you guys some movies in the future!

Thank you very much to @StateAzure for a cool deal on Malekko Quad VCO. Quick delivery, well packed and mint condition!

Thanks, guys! I can definitely work with all this great info. You're the best!

...or a KOMA Komplex, which is my fave choice. Mind you, it certainly LOOKS intimidating with the bazillion sliders and such, but I got used to being handy with an EML 400/401 many years ago, so having a wall of slider controls staring me down isn't a thing.

Taught you well I did, young Jedi...

Locking the Digitakt to the Pam's with the PEXP is a stroke of genius. The ability to not only control your global tempo with one knob, but to even have CV control over that global tempo...you're really going to find a lot of uses for that. As for the Octone, it's a good choice to use with the Sirin...even with Moog's oddball use of negative CVs, the fact is that the positive CVs will be fine. And since the Octone internally quantizes, everything will stay nicely in tune without juggling a bunch of tuning settings at random and inconvenient times. Hopefully. ;)

The setup with the 2hp MIXes is brilliant, too...definitely helps the ergonomics to add those 1 hp blanks, but consider swapping one of those for a Konstant Lab PWR Checker to give you immediate feedback on your power rail loading and voltages. Doesn't get in the way, and it's always useful to have a power indicator for your rails in some place where you can see it in the event something should go bonkers with the power setup.

If Rack Lock is on, you can still add modules by clicking them in the search result. If the rack is full, the cat will freak out on you. To remove those unwanted modules or to clean up the mess (pleasing the cat) you need to turn off Rack Lock.

This is a very minor annoyment and by no means a dealbreaker. Just wanted to report in case time will allow for a fix at some point in time.

As far as sequencers go, definitely look at a Sequentix Circlone and Social Entropy Engine. A neat middle ground is also a Synthstrom Deluge paired with a Hexinverter Mutant Brain.

Hi Guys,

I want to show you my rack which I am building now in able to (start and) enhance my live setup.

After Dj-ing in the techno scene I want to experiment with my own live productions. I began as many of
you guys with asking questions around here on the forum and I got A LOT of help from Luiga which pointed
me in the direction I want to go.

My setup exists of 3 main components. An elektron Digitakt, Moog Sirin (when I get my hands on one) and my modular synth.
My plan at first was to use my elektron Digitakt + Doepfer dark time as the main drive for the setup. But after al lot of reading here, watching even more video's on YouTube my perspective for my live setup changed. To drive all the modules and gear from my modular gives me more flexibility (read fun!). So my modular will be the main drive and to be even more specific the Pamela's Workout. This module will act as master clock, drive the Digitakt trough the midi out port (which I use for drum grooves and sample playback) and the other sequencers in the system. Off course I will experiment with the Pamela's outputs with my modular and external gear later. The Mimetic will mostly act as the drive for my modular to create some wicked synth patterns and the Octone will drive the Sirin for some cool baseline melodies although I'm still doubting about using the octone (any tips welcome!).
At this point I'm not 100% sure what to expect from my modular. But I'm convinced this will be a nice addition to this setup. That I will discover by just using it.

By posting my rack a hope we can discuss a bit about the experiences you guys have with this kind of workflow. What would you change, is there too much redundancy (I'm thinking about LFO's and sequencers). Also if you guys have questions for me shoot! I'll try to answer. To give you an idea what I like Patrick O Brian who gives the demo's from the noise engineering modules plays the sound I really dig.

So I hope you enjoyed this thread. I start making my case from scratch every single part is made by hand by myself. The aluminium enclosure, wooden side panels as well the PCB bus boards. Is it customary here that cases are shown to eachother?

Have a nice day!

Jazzy

EDITED Feb 21st 2019, 04:33

Sensible...the only major reason for going with the RackBrute, as far as I'm concerned, is if you plan to use it solely in tandem with a MiniBrute2 or 2s. Otherwise, you only get a paltry 3 hp of extra space in a 6U over a 6U x 84 hp, which is one of the "standard" sizes. It's far more sensible to go with a 2 x 104 hp cab these days, particularly if you get a cab that gives you a tile row such as the Intellijel and, to a certain extent, the Make Noise cases do.

Another thing you might consider would be an external sequencer. There's some magnificent ones out there right now, such as the Squarp Pyramid and the Kilpatrick Carbon, that offer massive feature sets plus internal storage galore. And that fits one of my rules of thumb, that anything that requires being in a Eurorack is what should be in a Eurorack, and anything you can keep out of it leaves more room for the things that have to be in there.

The answer to your question is "yes". Given that the vast majority of synth modules these days conform to the 1V/8va scaling standard and positive-going gate/triggers with a nominal +5V, anything that understands those can be driven by anything that creates those. While there are still flukes out there (the Korg MS-20 mini still insists on negative gate/triggers and a Hz/V scaling scheme, and Moog makes use of bipolar CVs), you won't find them lurking in either of those two formats.

Frankly, given that the MU format has a pretty extensive following in of itself, I'm a bit surprised that Expert Sleepers hasn't opted to come out with a repackaging of some of their interfaces in MU format, especially an MU version of the ES-8. Nothing like that exists (aside of using a DC-coupled audio interface) at present, and it feels like a glaring omission.

EDITED Feb 25th 2019, 17:39

These are great suggestions, liquid! I think I've now been convinced that the Intellijel 7U is the way to go. That 1U rack frees up more space too. This is the first I've looked into the Black Hole too and oh man, that thing is a beauty. The Erbeverb is real impressive too, but that Black Hole seems to fit with what I'm doing a bit more. Down the road, that Voltage Block looks like the way to go as well.

Thanks so much! I updated my rack a bit based on these suggestions.

EDITED Feb 20th 2019, 17:43

I'm attempting to submit the upcoming MXR Dookie Drive to the pedalgrid database, but when I upload the image of the pedal, the white part of the artwork on the front is removed. How can I stop this from happening?

https://www.modulargrid.net/p/mxr-dd25-dookie-drive

The depth of the module is more like 40 mm with the plug on.

Don't ask. I don't even have money left for a proper avatar.

newb here, but a simple question. I already own a eurorack rig, and use expert sleepers as my midi to cv, the ES FH1... im also thinking of build on a 5U rig, either synthtech or moon modular, and wondered if my ES FH1 could be used as my midi to cv for the 5u midi controller, instead of buying a new midi to cv controller in 5u. do the different types of format work on the same principles, or is there a different issue with combining the two. cheers.

Blofeld Parameters

A modified version of the "Ode to Joy" B047 Keys preset includes an LFO, which is sent to the cutoff of the first filter
- pitch of OSC1 is up P5 from the other two OSC's but all in the 4' octave (or "length")
- LFO with Triangle shape has the most noticeable and interesting effect, sync'd to the SEQ/DAW clock and resetting every 1/2 note

Polyend SEQ Parameters

16 total inputted patterns, 12-13 of which that were used
- begins with a simple kick and hat, then adding a snare in 3/4 time (polymetre as the rest of the tracks have 16 steps therefore 4/4)
- Track 4 is a velocity sequence that is sent to the cutoff frequency of the cinnamon in amounts that vary depending on the MATHS Channel 1 attenuverter knob position
- Blofeld provides simple, brief accents beginning with Pattern 5

Disting Parameters

G6: MIDI-to-CV w/ MIDI Breakout
- Output A Divisor = 6 (Default, quarter notes)

Colour Scheme

M32
- Red

Peaks
- Orange

Plaits
- Blue

Quad VCA to Cinnamon
- Grey

Disting
- Purple

Poly
- Purple Stackcables

Maths
- Black

Overview

• simple CV routing with complex MIDI routing (the most complex for me so far anyway) and use of H9's TimeFactor in a custom preset
• Mother32 is simply providing a "drone" frequency via resonant filter and cinnamon signal running through it

MIDI ROUTING
Clock from DAW
- DAW MIDI Out to Polyend SEQ MIDI In
- SEQ MIDI Thru to Disting MIDI Din In
- SEQ MIDI Out1 to Polyend Poly MIDI Din In
- SEQ MIDI Out2 to Blofeld MIDI Din In

In spite of various attempts from different sources and trying different settings, could not get H9's MIDI In to receive clock properly, so I used tempo's similar to DAW Clock (approx. 120bpm)

EDITED Feb 20th 2019, 02:55

this woud be handy to estimate the „damage“ done to our bank accounts

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Zadar is a neat quad Envelope Generator that is loopable, giving you more flexibility than stages (and a greater number of envelopes)
2. For mild distortion consider a Tallin Dual VCA and add a Geiger counter for more heavy duty
3. For ambient, consider the Erbeverb. Pico DSP might not cut it. You could also consider an Erica Black Hole DSP/DSP2
4. Consider smaller versions of the MI modules: quad VCA and Beehive are equivalent to Veils and Plaits
5. You may want to add another filter, ideally an SVF, but the Polivoks has LPF and BP. Belgrad is a neat one, but larger
6. You said sequencing isn’t a priority. Perhaps then ditch the Varigate 4 and the paltry 8 steps and consider a Voltage Block to control various parameters. You could also do that using Pam’s and a Lapsus Os.
7. Consider an Intellijel 7U case

I appreciate your feedback. I might jump into this..as a long term project :)

Thanks to @Groove_Addict for the Pamela's New Workout! Good communication and the module arrived well packaged and in great condition :)

Hello, this is my small(ish) 7u case comprised of many modules from Industrial Music Electronics and supported by a few others. While the configuration may change a bit over time, I will always try to keep it at 6/7u because I think of this as a stand alone instrument. This is currently what it looks like

And this is a bit of what it sounds like, though, in this track I only use the Hertz Donut MKIII as a sound source. The Piston Honda was not used.

Come to think of it, if you switched to the Even VCOs, that would give you enough space to use a AJH Synth MiniMod Transitor Ladder Filter, which I'm sure would be closer to the sound than you'd get with the Dynamic Impulse Filter.

Oops! Didn't realize I'd made this rack public. LOL Honestly, you could use any other oscillator you'd like that would fit within the space. I don't remember what the HP is on the Primary Oscillator. A Befaco Even VCO would be a good fit and free up an additional 8HP. I was trying to find a way to recreate the Subharmonicon since it doesn't look like we'll ever see a production version.

EDITED Feb 19th 2019, 15:23

I contemplated the Mantis for a while. Something about the aesthetic of it I'm just not a fan of. Which is a bummer because it seems like a real good deal. At this point I think I'll probably end up sticking to the RackBrute, at least for a first build. I pulled the trigger on the Morphagene because Reverb had a really nice sale going that dropped the price of a new one about $80 bucks. Any opinions on the rest of my first purchases above? I've also been moving more towards Stages and away from Batumi a bit just because it seems like it has more usefulness in a smaller starting rack.

Always educational to see Lugia’s Suggestions.

Two additional thoughts:
Going for an Intellijel 7U case with the MIDI module, Audio I/O and two Quadratt attenuverters will give you more space that isn’t going into I/O and power modules.
The Quad VCA comes in a neat micro version, saving you another couple of HP, as does Plaits (and marbles & Clouds).
That way you could fit in some performance modules, such as a Voltage Block or bring back Pam’s. Or, for extra ambient duty, add Plancks, which is a micro-Forms module.
Don’t forget about Poti to go with Batumi, which gives access to the jumpers on the back in a more user friendly manner.

Here is what that could look like:

EDITED Feb 19th 2019, 12:50

I also was thinking 19" racks would be cool.

Nothing specific, really...the Erbe-verb works really nicely with all sorts of modulation sources. Although, you might consider an envelope follower to drive a pair of VCAs at the output; by putting this before the input and using the envelope follower's gate output and some careful settings, you could then obtain a gated reverb by operating the output VCAs with the input's envelope follower. Might not be fittable now, but it's worth keeping in mind.

A suggestion: check out Temple Audio's line of modular pedalboards, which allow for some extra user-definable submodules in spaces along the sides. One of these is a 1-3 mult, which would easily allow you to parallel some of this instead of straight-lining the entire rig. They also have an active buffer submodule that would make for an excellent buffering option for that.

Maybe a Tiptop Mantis, then? Pretty cost-effective for a powered 2 x 104 cab. Also, check Erica's stuff; they make some great cabs that're more studio-oriented that have serious PSes and even some major depth (like 90mm in their deep 126 hp stuff).

I have been using multi-effects for about a year now, but I wanted something more. I just assembled my first pedalboard. What do you guys think?

                                                                                                                                 |Polytune Mini

Signal Path: Guitar--->Dyna Comp--->Timmy--->Palisades--->VPJR---<
|Memory Lane Jr---> DD-5 w/Tap Tempo switch--->RV-5

Funny enough I almost considered one of those PM desktop cases for a while, but just couldn't justify it with the transporting I will most likely be doing. That whole line is really nice looking though. I would probably go with the Intellijel 7U hands down if it wasn't for the significant price difference from the RackBrute. It's the only reason why I'm still undecided.

I started with a Minibrute 2s, so this made the Rackbrute more appealing to me, and bought a 3U to link to the Minibrute. When I out grew the 83HP in the 3U, I seriously considered the Intellijel 7U 104HP, but went with a Rackbrute 6U (the link feature is nice, particularly linking 2x6U). With the Rackbrute 6U, power distribution can become a balancing issue across both power buses (not an issue with the 3U). Also, the Rackbrute was 24 months no interest at Sweetwater, so that allowed me to buy a couple of them ;-) You can't go wrong with the Intellijel as a first case, and that would probably be my recommendation. If you're not concerned about portability, look at the Pittsburgh Modular 420 (great power, great price per hp ratio, and sliding nuts aren't that bad, just use a toothpick to position the nuts). A 2x6U Rackbrute is fairly portable (would take it on a car vacation, would not send it via air transport), and so is the Intellijel (I like to doodle on the porch). The PM 420 wants to sit in one place and be worshipped ;-)

Thanks @Anrilov for the CYMBL909! All perfect, whit original box and mint condition. Reliable seller!

That's not a bad idea, either...you could make use of those new 4ms powered Pods that came out recently. Very cost-effective...the only drawback being module depths, as they only have a 34 mm depth, meaning that anything above 30 mm is going to start getting really tight when you add the ribbons and so on into the mix.
-- Lugia

how about to change tempi anda rene for other modules and use an octatrack ( i have) for sequencer¿ I have too an analog 4
in that case ,what other module do you add with erbverb?

EDITED Feb 18th 2019, 18:04

That's great info, Ed. Thanks! I'm still been waving a little between the RackBrute and spending the extra money upfront and getting an Intellijel 7U. In the long run the portability, expansion possibility and extra 1U rack for those Intellijel utilities looks tempting. At the same time you can expand on the RackBrute too. Decisions, decisions.

Rackbrute is 89 hp. A rackbrute 6U has (2x89)-5 (for power) = 173 useable hp. I own several. Keep in mind that the power on the Rackbrute 3U is the same as the power on the Rackbrute 6U. Arturia recommends no more than 640 mAmps on each bus of the Rackbrute 6U (and 1280mAmps on the single rail of the 3U). I've stuck to that 640mAmps recommendation and so far haven't had any power glitches.

Thanks for the catch, Lugia. I had it at 88 per row but had extended it at some point just to fit a few modules so I wouldn't forget about them. Looks like I forgot to change it back after I posted. It should be updated in the link now.

Well, first up, if this is supposed to be in a Rackbrute 6U, isn't it a good bit too wide? That's an 88 hp x 2 cab. You might want to try this again in the correct cab size.

Help me build a Subharmonicon inside a Kb37.

Hi all,

I have been on verge of diving into eurorack for a while and have finally decided to jump in. After playing around in VCV Rack for a while, spending some time on YouTube and reading through the forums here, I feel like I'm finally becoming a little more comfortable actually making a few purchases. Before I do however, I was wondering if any of you fine people would be willing to take a look at the rack I put together and provide any suggestions as to where I should start with my first purchases. Because I'm new to the whole thing, I'm sure there are some obvious holes or redundancies in this build so any critique would be super helpful.

Ultimately, I have about $2k to spend so I'm looking for the best places to start and then build out from there later. A little bit of info into what I'm looking to do:

I already have an 0-Coast that I've been digging into and am looking to include it with my build. I will also probably be doing most of my clocking and sequencing in my DAW to start until my build is fleshed out a bit more so those are not urgent.

The only required purchases for me to start would be a rack (looking at the RackBrute 6u) and a Morphagene (I thought a long while about using just this as a standalone as well). This leaves about $1100 to play with. My thoughts to start were the Veils (for the Quad VCA), Batumi (for the Quad LFO), ES Disting MK4 (for the flexibility), Erica Synths Black Wavetable VCO (to be a complimentary voice to the 0-Coast) and probably a simple mult as well.

I know the 0-Coast itself provides me with a bit of flexibility as it has a lot of the basics already built in, but I would like to make sure my first few purchases will be as musically compatible as possible. I would also like to make sure the build compliments the Morphagene as much as possible too. This probably sounds a little broad, but in general I am looking for a build that can do some interesting textural ambience as well as have some grit if it needs to go into a more industrial sounding direction.

In addition, if there are any modules you think would be a cheaper replacement but do the job better or just as well, I am open to that. And vice versa, if there is a more expensive one.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated and super helpful! You all seem like a welcoming group and everything that I've seen in this forum makes me feel confident I'll end up going down a road I'll be happy with.

Thanks in advance!