Hello people,
Ive started building my eurorack synth two weeks ago. And to be clear: I dont know a lot about modular.
All it contains at the moment is:
- Mutable Instruments Plaits (oscillator)
-Doepfer A-143-1 (complex LFO/Envelope generator)
I have plenty of space (3x84)
I want to:
- be able to have a kick, snare and a hi hat to be triggered to a certain bpm
- be able to choose from multiple kicks, snares etc (does it have to be digital then?)
Hey,
I'm still pretty new to modular too. I've been looking into this myself , and I guess the two routes I see are a more modular approach vs a more clean and digital approach.
To me it feels like one of the most alluring parts of modular is the experimental aspect of it. That, and the power of analog sound. It depends what you're trying to do. If you want accurate BPM with multiple sample options, you could get something like a Pamela's Workout plus a few Pico Drums and have that be enough. I've heard people say that even the idea of a drum module is anti-modular. Learning how to synthesize the sounds from scratch has been so far the most interesting, as well as the most valuable addition to extending my knowledge in VSTs.
Since you have the space, it might be worth it to slowly build and invest in individual oscillators and noise sources and clock generators so you can make interesting, original drum sounds and patterns. But if precision and efficiency are your goals then you'll probably want more digital modules.
Hope this helps.
In terms of sequencing, I'm of the opinion that there's no sequencer more powerful than a DAW. This does create the problem of getting accurate timing to the modular system, but this is resolved with an audio interface that has ADAT out and a handful of Expert Sleepers modules (an ES-3, and ES-5 and an ESX-8GT gets you 8 CV and 16 trigger/gate outs.) However, if you're looking to break away from the computer there's a wide variety of sequencers you can use as well (I'll leave that to the experts).
As for drum modules, I was screwing around with designs and I cooked this dream system up:
The first row is what a system built around "standard-oriented" modules would look like. It's all Tiptop 808/909 drum style modules. It is not at all adventurous when it comes to design, but it does get you plenty of drum horsepower.
The second row is more of a "designer-oriented" drum rig (with the exception of the mixers on the right, which are meant for mixing it all together). It's a quad AD envelope generator, two oscillators, a multi-type noise source, a filter, a waveshaper and a quad-VCA. You could create a single quite complex drum sound, or 3 or 4 simple drum sounds out of this setup.
This could be condensed down by using smaller, simpler oscillators. Also, the waveshaper and filter aren't really completely necessary but they help and give you more options. Once condensed, the module arrangement could be repeated a few times (sans the noise source...you really only need one noise source but you may want a few multiples).
So those are the opinions of somebody who is relatively new to modular on drum synths.
One of the reasons I tend toward putting drum modules in a different build is because, in the end, you probably don't want to treat the drum sounds in the same way in a mix than you would the rest of a typical modular's sound sources. True, you could set up a separate sub-chain for the drum signals within a large build, with separate sources, processing, mixing, and outputs...but it's always seemed more logical to treat drums as 'another instrument' and put its devices separate (but always patchable to the main modular in some way, of course).
As for the 'drum modules are anti-modular' idea...I say that's bunk. Optimally, ALL electronic instruments should interconnect in some way, and that approach in of itself is basically a modular-type approach to the 'studio-as-instrument' concept. Drum modules, machines, controllers are just as valid as anything else as something that should interconnect, and since that interconnectivity includes with a modular...well, there you are!
Now, that being said, I would suggest to the original poster that you might be in better shape at this point in time just concentrating on the synth basics, instead of trying to figure out how two ideas at the same time can be jammed into one 9U x 84 (I presume that's what's meant by '3x84') cab that's actually a starting point for working with modular. Technically, you could jam a percussion synth into a single 84 hp row (see this thread for an example I did recently: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/forum/posts/index/2828 ), but then that might shortchange space for sequencing and clocking. A better idea, though, would be to follow the other poster's lead in that thread, and use a dedicated drum sequencer (such as an Arturia BeatStep Pro) to control the drums while still either taking clocking from or sending clocking to the main modular. Saves space, avoids certain hassles of adapting non-drum things to drum usage, and so on. It's also hard to beat what it can do for just $249 street, and it's ready to go for both drum triggers (8 channels of those) plus synth sequencing (two full CV/gate outs).
Anyway, just a few ideas...
For large case, I suggest getting rid of the pre-built drum modules and go for less but more versatile modules to build your own drums. This way you can: modulate drum pitch, decay, release, volume etc.
I am fairly new in modular also, so my advice is with heavy grain of salt, but I have done tons of drum programming and therefore not a fan of generic drum modules UNLESS space is an issue (as for my own rack).
Get some noise/sine/filters with bunch of gates/adsrs and design your own drums. Otherwise get a ready-made drummachine. Only thing I see problem with patching manually is cymbal, which can be complicated, especially if you are completely new to actual sound design.
