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No issues here on Firefox/macos!
-- Arrandan

same here

No issues here on Firefox/macos!

a cool video :

An interesting module from Bastl today, a probabilistic pattern generator. You can read what that means from the product link in the description.
Straightforward build, interesting output. Useful for changing up your rhythms in interesting ways,

Bastl's Kompass pattern generator build and demo video up

Could you give a walkthrough on the ways you would patch this rack?

EDITED Apr 10th 2022, 11:54

Anyone else getting issues with this? Replying to a post freezes up on me almost every time, on Safari and Chrome.

You are totally right, I did a few acid records with just overdriven my (gone) Midas mixer at the input, and it sounded creme :)

For all those who own a case like Mantis, Rackbrute, Go! etc... How do you keep track of the power zones?

Currently, I create 1 rack for physical layout and, depending on the number of power zones, 2 or 3 more racks for the power zones:
mantis physical
mantis zone a
mantis zone b
mantis zone c

This of course is less than ideal, because taking a module out of mantis means maintaining that change in two locations. Also, the relation between physical and electrical racks must be done in the naming of these racks.

Which brings me to a feature request/discussion:

"Sub Racks for Electric Layout"

Can we have an additional attribute of a rack named "parent rack" that allows for a hierarchical relation between racks? And then have that displayed as links on the parent? And maybe have the option to filter out all "child racks" in the rack main page?

RACK: mantis
+ mantis zone a (parent: mantis)
+ mantis zone b ...
+ mantis tone c ...

RACK: Rackbrute
+ rackbrute zone a
+ rackbrute zone b

About syncing between physical and electric layout: Ideally, one would have a dropdown option on modules:
- If module is in a top level (=parent, physical): Display all child racks as selectable targets
- If module is in a lower level (=child, electric): Display all child racks of the parent rack as targets
- If module is removed from top level, also remove child level instance

Not a full feature request yet, more like brainstorming.

Please discuss :)

I think my only gripe about the Rackbrutes is that they didn't really incorporate 'airflow' through it and have seen a couple modifications that use the 'laws of physics' for some natural airflow.

-- jb61264

Which comes back around to why I keep insisting that the width is, as Arturia notes, 88 hp. Simply because it's possible to jam 89 hp worth of panel space into these is NOT a good reason for doing so. With 88 hp and its slider nuts, you can add a little bit of space across the panel by slipping each module a TINY bit, and then this should help with the internal heat issues.

I think I made this argument a couple of times, that Arturia states the width is 88 hp and there's a definite reason for it...this problem being exactly that.

-- Lugia

Is 1 HP distributed along 88HP really doing much at all in terms of cooling tho? Did Arturia really 'engineer' that 1HP as a solution for cooling purposes?

A whole nother universe of overdriven, wrecked, FSUed racket can be found courtesy of the psychos at Schlappi Engineering. I think they come factory-drenched in ACIIIIEED! Because sometimes just overdrive is not necessarily the right way to get at that crazed sound...or at least, the way I remember it from the early-mid 1990s, which wasn't quite like Larry Heard's methods on "Washing Machine".

I've gone nuts over the cheap Chinese pedals in recent years. Yes, it's true that they don't always sound "right" (although many DO), but the "not-rightness" can actually be an asset in a purely electronic setting. Plus, I can jack 'em in via the studio's patchbays.

Ones that really ring my bell:

Aural Dream - Breath Delay. Analog delay, up to about 600 ms...but it has this little switch labelled "NO/GH". NO is "normal operation", where this behaves like any basic analog delay. But GH brings in the "ghost trails", where the delay returns tend to not decay, so you can build up masses of delayed sounds' echo trails. VERY useful.

Joyo - Classic Flanger (the white one with the jump jet). To my ears, this hits the spot on the OLD MXR flanger...the one with the AC cord from the late 1970s. It can go from normal to rubberband-twang sweeps with one or two tweaks. VERY easy to get excellent results here.

Nux - Tape Core. Nux's take on the Boss RE-2. I actually think the Tape Core is easier to use than the RE-2, while still delivering that old-skool Space Echo sound and feel.

Mosky - Spring Reverb. On first glance, it looks like just some knockoff of Malekko's pedal of the same name. But looks deceive, as this thing hides a secret under the "Dwell" control. Turn this up "too far", and the reverb starts behaving like FEEDBACK, ringing on the main harmonic inputted. Since you can't exactly do this with synthesizers, these cheapo things are a godsend if you want to do keyboards with rock...why let the guitarists have all the fun, right?

Biyang - Ripple Space. Really good reverb coupled with their also-excellent Time Machine delay. The Time Machine gives you either 600 or 1100 ms of delay, and coupling this with their reverb in the same box: brilliance.

But those are just the high points. Fact is, there's a LOT of pedals coming out of China that are either utterly excellent (Mooer's "Liquid Phase", f'rinstance) or downright strange. That last bit might bug guitarists...but around here, we eat "downright strange" as a main course!

And two Electro-Harmonix pedals...the first being the Flanger Hoax, which is actually a redux of the incredible Mu-Tron Biphase, and that pedal's creator collaborated with E-H to whip this out some years back.

But the other is fairly new...and totally KILLER: the TriParallel Mixer. Makes NO sound...but instead, provides a set of three FX loops that, instead of normal pedalboard routers, work in parallel against the dry signal, and you have a broad array of controls per "loop" to affect levels and phasing. THIS PEDAL IS A REVELATION...I kid you not!!! ANYONE who works with stompboxes should own one...the versatility is off the scale!!!

Hi TumeniKnobs,

Wow, almost one hour of great music from you! The pictures of NASA are amazing indeed, your music fits very well together with those images. You are hyper spacing me away from earth, I am wondering were I will end up ;-)

Let's hope so far in space I can keep the earthy Internet connection, while getting hyper spaced further away by your music, I will continue listening to your amazing music and watching those indeed beautiful and amazing NASA pictures.

Just wanted to click the submit button when I realise and read that you have a Novation Summit. I am seriously thinking of that synth too, not sure if I can make it this year or if it will be on my shopping list for next year but I am very interested in the Summit! How is your experience so far with it? Is it worth it, or would be one Peak enough? :-)

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

Hello Igor,

It's good to hear from you again. So sorry about the terrible situation in your home country :-(

Your music, as always, is very enjoyable and it's nice to see you playing live!

Let's hope for a soon peaceful ending of the war in your country and thanks a lot for this contribution. Kind regards, Garfield.

I think my only gripe about the Rackbrutes is that they didn't really incorporate 'airflow' through it and have seen a couple modifications that use the 'laws of physics' for some natural airflow.

-- jb61264

Which comes back around to why I keep insisting that the width is, as Arturia notes, 88 hp. Simply because it's possible to jam 89 hp worth of panel space into these is NOT a good reason for doing so. With 88 hp and its slider nuts, you can add a little bit of space across the panel by slipping each module a TINY bit, and then this should help with the internal heat issues.

I think I made this argument a couple of times, that Arturia states the width is 88 hp and there's a definite reason for it...this problem being exactly that.

Actually, the thing that REALLY dropped everyones' jaws to the floor when Tiptop released the first two "t" modules...was that the price on the 258t was only $200. That's the non-Buchla part...that price tag. Everyone's so used to seeing prices up around the $1000 (or higher...a LOT higher) mark for Buchla modules that I myself just about did a spit-take when I saw that. Anyway, they'll have all of those out by the end of summer (barring supply chain issues) and they're all supposed to be in that general and affordable range. And, without dropping any specific hints, a support person at Tiptop that I had some communication with noted that these will NOT be the only ones and that they're going to try and reproduce as many different ones as they can, also noting that there's not much documentation on some of the 200 series. They also want to do some 100 series, but they're working out supply issues with...oddly...the knobs. Weird story there, too long for here.

OK...as for the build, all requisites duly noted...(heads up)....

Back to the Doepfer LCs, then...you mentioned you liked the stackability of those, so what I did here was to use both an LC6 and an LCB. So the top two rows are vertical, then the third is at an angle, and the fourth...where I put the "controllers"...is flat, like you'd expect if there was a keyboard in there.

But there's NOT...I'll explain that in a minute...

TOP: First thing is a PWRchekr for the top cab, then the 258t/Dannysound combos are still there, as is the A-119 input module. Anyway, the top row also still has the Veils and Behringer 2500 VCF, and the rest of the audio now moves downward from the VCF.

2ND: Modulation core is pretty much the same, minus one 281t. The Disting is next to the remaining 281t, and then the Beads is next to that.

3RD: The SOU, and then a more compact 2-row (and then some) sequencer, the Tesseract Step Fader. The sequential switch is after that, and then a dual-channel quantizer from Intellijel. After that are effects: one of these is Make Noise's Mimeophon, which can do delays, loops, and several other interesting things. Then the Stasis Leak returns to make use of the mixer's mono send and stereo return.

BOTTOM: The lower cab's PWRchekr, then the Pam's...and then this Nonlinearcircuits CVable matrix mixer. Instead of a keyboard or something similar, I put this thing in. What it can do is to send a signal to one of eight inputs, then it mixes those across four output busses. But since each control responds to incoming CV and modulation signals, you can either tweak it, or you can have modulation sources operate it. Or both, what the hell? Then the Mixology and Ciao! as before.

This slims things down, as desired. And by avoiding a typical controller, this also plays into the generative aspects since the MISO/VCAs core can output several CVs at once, and then you can also send those into the matrix's CV ins to control the crossmodulation aspects that the matrix will generate. And size-wise, this only stands slightly taller than Doepfer's LC9 case, but has far better ergonomics. Better? Or more changes?

EDITED Apr 10th 2022, 00:46

Hello community,

I always am keen for driving, acid sounds and in that task, I like to try/test different OD. That is the reason why I did this o ne, hoping it could help some to make a choice.

Hi all!
It's been a while since i posted something here.
I'm from Ukraine and maybe some of you know there is a war here now.
Yesterday I played live performance from a shelter and made a worldwide broadcasting devoted to a fundraising for Ukrainian army, who are bravely fighting for my motherland in this crazy military aggression of Russia against Ukraine.
Maybe you will be interested to watch and listen to it.
Wishing you all the best!
Igor

Hi,
Look fun. It's your first rack ? When is the delivery day ?

Plus, you really don't need a buffered mult unless you're trying to split out a scaled CV to 4+ devices, as you'd need the buffering to mitigate voltage sag that can happen from this. But if you've only got two or three audio generators that (might) need this, the buffering is superfluous.
-- Lugia

I'll second that. I bridge up to four VCOs with stackables, all using the one CV line, and can keep the tuning perfectly.

Can't wait for delivery day.

I really like time based effects like delay and flanger. Mimeophon and Erica Synths Black Hole DSP are great.

To work with a Moog Matriarch

I bought a pair of Roland System-500 sets to give my Oberheim DSX something to do with its CV/Gate outputs. Four Juno-like voices either as a poly stack or four separate parts. The remaining 4hp in each case are used by 2hp Buffs to split the pitch CV between oscillator and filter, 2hp Mix to get the four voices down to one output, and 2hp Trim to patch between the LFO and the Hosa Knucklebones for consistent vibrato and PWM.

You can hear it play a Juno pad here:

For the next phase, I plan on adding a sub-oscillator, extra envelope, and noise source:

What should I do with the 40+ hp left? I'm torn between adding a wavefolder per voice, alternative (multimode) filter per voice, or Black Sequencer for future live use.

Hi Peter,

I'm Peter too :-)

I don't think that Plaits & bOSC is a limiting setup. bOSC alone has 4 outputs that you can route through different paths, e.g. filters, wave-folders, effects in combination with a envelope+VCA per path that is sequenced differently, etc... Plaits has endless possibilities for modulation (models, parameters...) that you can work with and also two different outputs that you could treat differently. There's a lot of variation that you can squeeze out of these two oscillators...

Yes, you're right and re-reading what I wrote, it doesn't entirely convey correctly how I feel about it. bOSC is a great analog module, which is precisely what I wanted. I'm very happy with it. Plaits, however, seems like a gateway module. It introduces several types of synthesis but it's a bit limited in all of them. For example, the granular mode is 8 sawtooths, period. I like it and I use it a lot, but granular based on samples is much more powerful. It's that sense of exploring and finding the limits that I meant.

• One LFO only, but with multiple outputs. Also, I use Zadar as an LFO from time to time. It's unipolar, but hey, set the start point at the bottom instead of in the middle and it works just fine. Great to have complex LFOs when I want them! Ochd sounds nice, but it's not on my urgent list.

Ochd is overpriced in my view, but I haven't regretted buying it. It is in 95% of my patches. It is simple, easy to use and doesn't take up much space. The cost/benefit ratio is top...

• Next up will be a Joranalogue Select 2 S/T&H and a Pamela to clock it. There's a random CV on the Static that I can use with this. Pamela will definitely be a great addition in the long run.

Pamela was also among the first 5 modules I bought. It's also one of the modules that gets a lot of usage. I started relatively simple, using it as a clock divider and euclidean pattern generator. As I learned about modular synths I've found many other ways to use it. Actually, if you use the stepped random, that's exactly what you get with noise + S&H, plus you'll have a lot of ways to control and manipulate it. Pam will grow with you. You can't go wrong with Pam's...

I've actually changed my plans. Instead of the Joranalogue Select 2, I am considering the Intellijel Shifty. 4 S&H that can be shifted, but if you tell it to use just 1, then it's a plain S&H. Flexible in a different way than the Joranalogue. And for modulation (and also as an extra sound source), I'm eyeing the Joranalogue Orbit 3. I'm pretty much into fractals and mathematical chaos, so I really appreciate the patterns that come out of that one. It should work as a very interesting LFO-type modulator. As for PAM - I may hold off and just use Zadar with a pulse for the clock for now. I'm still sequencing with my BeatStep Pro and doing more sequencing in the modular (PAM - Euclidean etc) is not on the plans now. I'm getting a Teensy to try out a headless Dirtywave M8 to explore more in that direction.

Apply the first sentence to your Plaits & bOSC combo...

Heh :-) I've been doing that for the last almost 4 weeks on my one-track-per-day project. I noticed I was tending towards all saws and synthwave, so I moved away from that again with Plaits' FM mode for my track of 6 April. Yeah, there's a lot of live&learn in the bOSC-Plaits combo, but I want more!

As you already have two Doepfer modules: I would recommend the Doepfer A-106-5 SEM filter. Sounds fantastic, from creamy to dirty to aggressive, has LP, HP, BP... incredible value for money!

I'll check it out! Thanks for the tip!

Did you try to take the pole off and see if it was the source of imperfection as @Vow3II suggested? I purposely bought the Rackbrutes because I knew from seeing a couple that the quality of the build was very good. I didn't want to mess around with powering something or having a 'flying bus cable' to mess with. I think my only gripe about the Rackbrutes is that they didn't really incorporate 'airflow' through it and have seen a couple modifications that use the 'laws of physics' for some natural airflow.

I would verify if the pole is the cause...if it is, its an easy fix to get a different one. Also as @Vow3II suggested, contact Arturia...they actually have decent support and respond pretty quickly to help requests.

Hi,

I'm a relative beginner myself (started in 10/2021), so this is not meant to be "expert advice", but I'd like to share my experiences...

• I have only two possibly melodic sources: Plaits and the bOSC. I absolutely love both of them, but it's limiting. I'm eyeing a Klavis Twin Waves mkii next.

I also have Plaits which, I think, is very versatile. A friend has bOSC, and I think it's a great, albeit simple, oscillator. I have the Dixie 2+, which is very similar to bOSC, feature wise. I don't think that Plaits & bOSC is a limiting setup. bOSC alone has 4 outputs that you can route through different paths, e.g. filters, wave-folders, effects in combination with a envelope+VCA per path that is sequenced differently, etc... Plaits has endless possibilities for modulation (models, parameters...) that you can work with and also two different outputs that you could treat differently. There's a lot of variation that you can squeeze out of these two oscillators...

• I spent a bit more money on envelopes and drums, getting Zadar and Rample. I regret neither. They are both incredible modules. And I haven't even put my own samples on Rample yet!

Zadar is great, my friend has it, and I'll probably also get it some time. Rample was among the first 5 modules I bought, and I had a lot of fun with it. I sold it because I also had Erica Sample Drums, and thought this would be the more powerful sampler. I really regret selling the Rample and will maybe buy one again... I hardly ever use the Sample Drums...

• One LFO only, but with multiple outputs. Also, I use Zadar as an LFO from time to time. It's unipolar, but hey, set the start point at the bottom instead of in the middle and it works just fine. Great to have complex LFOs when I want them! Ochd sounds nice, but it's not on my urgent list.

Ochd is overpriced in my view, but I haven't regretted buying it. It is in 95% of my patches. It is simple, easy to use and doesn't take up much space. The cost/benefit ratio is top...

• Next up will be a Joranalogue Select 2 S/T&H and a Pamela to clock it. There's a random CV on the Static that I can use with this. Pamela will definitely be a great addition in the long run.

Pamela was also among the first 5 modules I bought. It's also one of the modules that gets a lot of usage. I started relatively simple, using it as a clock divider and euclidean pattern generator. As I learned about modular synths I've found many other ways to use it. Actually, if you use the stepped random, that's exactly what you get with noise + S&H, plus you'll have a lot of ways to control and manipulate it. Pam will grow with you. You can't go wrong with Pam's...

[...] I like the limitations, as they force me to be creative. Some things turned out really well, some a bit less. You live and learn. [...]

That's the spirit! Apply the first sentence to your Plaits & bOSC combo...

As you already have two Doepfer modules: I would recommend the Doepfer A-106-5 SEM filter. Sounds fantastic, from creamy to dirty to aggressive, has LP, HP, BP... incredible value for money!

Happy Wiggling!

Peter

EDITED Apr 8th 2022, 06:40

@Lugia

Banged on this A LOT. Instead of having a bunch of Mutable modules, I opted for the ultimate tweak-head ones: Buchla. Or rather, the Tiptop reissues of the original Buchla 200 modules. Then I built around that.

That is a massive reply, I won't go into all of it simply because of your answer's complexity and the amount of reconfiguring you've done. First, let me say your input made for some very interesting reading. I like that you took the few modules I already had and built a buchla tiptop rack from there, but ultimately the finished product is too big of a challenge for me -- Both musically and financially. A lot of these modules are also on backorder with no timeframe for when they'll be back in stock (I live quite far from everything) and I haven't seen a single Tiptop buchla module pop up on my local used exchange... This probably means they are keepers, which is a great thing, and you've certainly opened my eyes to incorporating some buchla elements into my system. The whole idea of combining East and West coast also appeals to me. I'm especially intrigued by the Dual Oscillator Model 258t, the Source of Uncertainty Model 266t and the Dannysound Timbre.

Well, the four Electrosmith VCAs aren't a bad idea...for modulation and CVs. These are linear, DC-coupled VCAs, which are better used for those purposes. For audio, you want exponential VCAs with AC-coupling, which is why you often see VCAs such as Veils, Intellijel's Dual VCA, etc used so often; since these have a control per VCA that can shift the VCA's response between full linear and full exponential.

That is a perfect explanation of something my system is clearly missing. Thank you!

Gonna mess with this, starting with a bigger and portable cab off the bat.

Portability is not an issue for me. I won't be playing any gigs nor bring the system travelling. I can see why you went with the bigger case, but what I like about the doepfer low cost base is that I can always add another doepfter lowcost ontop of it. I also quite enjoy that it's made of wood, which makes easier to either paint or varnish or even leave raw.

While it definitely costs more than the initial plan, you probably won't need to add anything to this for years to come. You WON'T exhaust this build's possibilities!

I'm overwhelmed by the thought you put into this rack on my behalf. I've read your module rundown multiple times now and am more impressed each time with how you've shaped it. I will definitely return to it again and again as I learn more about eurorack in general. Again, thank you very much!

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:05

Definitely not normal...I have two 6Us and a 3U....what Vow3II said for troubleshooting
-- jb61264

Thanks for confirming. It’s not ‘bad’ and I can use it sometimes without noticing it but when I do notice it it’s annoying..! Shame I can’t use another one for that direct comparison. Im somewhat tempted to just keep it in case another one is worse..!

I can not speak about your specific problem with the Rackbrute but i think it's a pretty common problem for hardware in general. I used to work with a Digital-Video-Tape-Machine (HDCamSR) from Sony wich is a realy expensive piece of technology (around 25k Euro). This thing was wobbling around when i we're pressing buttons or ejecting/loading tapes. A piece of beerfelt was the Bavarian solution to fix it. Some behringer stuff i own is wobbling and other Hardware too. I think the Problem are not the plastic feets underneath, Sometimes the housing ist not 100% straight/flat and quality controle is poor.
-- Max_Modular

It’s frustrating as this is quite ‘expensive’ to me and I expected a premium experience.. but it’s hard knowing the line of where to say ‘ah, I’ll deal with it..’

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:05

This may be the most involved project I have done in the last couple of years. It was born from a simple goal - create a full album length ambient piece in multiple parts, using a wide variety of synthesizers and synthesis techniques, but not using midi note programming or sequencers. It's four pieces with a common melodic theme and blended together. I used almost all of my synths including my modular rig and a guitar.

Part One is a brief intro that gives you the flavor of the whole piece.

Part Two has a complex foundational drone from my modular rack and uses six oscillators, each tuned to a different note within the E Dorian scale. They are all running through filters or being modulated in other ways. Each oscillator is faded in and out using slow asynchronous LFOs on the mixer's VCA creating a very unpredictable combination of sounds and textures. This is a "self-playing" or "generative" patch. Other sounds are layered on top and come from the ASM Hydrasynth, Korg Kronos, Novation Summit, and Moog Taurus Pedals.

Part Three uses a base drone from the Waldorf Iridium in a low register and features a few solo sections using that same sound played in a higher register. I made extensive use of the Waldorf's amazing Mod Matrix and set up about 25 different modulations of all different kinds of sound parameters. This is also a generative patch. Part Three also feature solo sections on electric guitar, Moog Subsequent 37, Korg Kronos and Novation Summit.

Part Four has a foundation pad from the Prophet Rev 2 which is played on its keyboard and expression pedal controlling Filter Cutoff. Additional bass, pad sounds and solos are layered on from the ASM Hydrasynth and Korg Kronos.

Again, no midi note programming or sequencers were used to record this, so each track, section, solo here is recorded "live".

All images are from the NASA website and are public domain. They're freakin amazing to look at, especially with the Ken Burns treatment. Enjoy!

Thank you Garfield. I appreciate the kind comments.

I'm with Jim on this topic, effects pedals may be the best way to incorporate a broader range of effects. This may or may not save you money depending on the pedals you prefer, also the CV control options for pedals aren't ideal, so it's not a perfect solution. I would recommend picking up something like the Strymon AA.1 to convert euro signals to pedal and back. It's a good inexpensive utility.
I also don't necessarily think the analog vs digital debate applies much to effects, as I have a mixture of both types of effects, though I prefer analog for some other things. I recently picked up a Strymon Deco which is digital, and it has become my favorite overall effect for just about everything. It's a magic pixie dust pedal that makes everything sound better than it should. I have also enjoyed the results I've gotten from the simple and inexpensive Doepfer spring reverb (though I have to leave a 1hp blank space to run the reverb tank cable outside of my rack). I've gotten mixed results with the Erica BBD delay/flanger. Sometimes it's awesome, and other times I struggle to achieve what I'm hearing in my head.
Let us know what you choose. Have fun!

EDITED Apr 7th 2022, 14:52

I am particularly interested in:
1. Delay

in eurorack my favourite delay is the Strymon Magneto, for analog it's not eurorack, it's an effect pedal - moogerfooger mf104z

2. Reverb

only really use digital reverb (Strymon Magneto or FX Aid XL) - other than the ones in my guitar amps, which are springs (Fender Blues Jr, Vox AC15)

3. Flanger / Phaser

again not eurorack, effects pedals - lovetone flanger with no name and doppleganger

Hi,

I am slowly moving away from digital effects with the look to replace them with analog ones.

I was wondering, what are your favorite eurorack analog effects?

I am particularly interested in:
1. Delay
2. Reverb
3. Flanger / Phaser

Thanks,
Regards,
Matteo

Ornament and Crime might be a good add for this setup...lots of functionality/HP.

Definitely not normal...I have two 6Us and a 3U....what Vow3II said for troubleshooting

Well, part of the problem is in the fact that there's something in the cab that shouldn't be: the DFAM. It already has a cab and its own power, so use that. Otherwise...well, your case costs $649, and it's got 168 hp in its 3U rows, which is what we'll be dealing with here. This is going to hurt a little...

649 / 168 = 3.86. This is the cost per hp for the case (barring the tile row, as it's not really germane to this).

Then, find the cost of 60 hp. 3.86 x 60 = 231.60

Now, a DFAM these days streets for $699. So 699 + 231.60 = 930.60

So, the DFAM, in this configuration, winds up actually costing over $900 if you leave it in here. So not only do monster-sized devices like this rob powered housing from modules that REALLY need it, it's not a very fiscally-sound idea, either.

And it's an impediment to revising builds as well. If you're looking at a case where over 1/3rd of the space is taken over by just one single device, you need to be thinking VERY carefully about how to use the remaining 3U space. Or if you just put that 60 hp chonk back where it belongs, you'll have opened up loads of space for MORE stuff that can integrate your system in with everything else. Same routine works with the other Moog 60-ers, and there IS a way to mount four of those in a big, curved master stand; see here:

Can't do that if the DFAM stays where it is...and you've got to admit, that curved 4-tier setup looks totally badass, sort of like a piece of TONTO that got left in the dryer too long!

This is also another good reason for keeping a spirit level around the studio. Besides levelling keyboard stand tiers, etc., it comes in handy for figuring out annoyances like this.

Yeah, it's just a really uncommon use, but then you see people using things like the Volca Kick as subbass synths...similar idea. Sort of goes back to an example I should've realized then...the "magic moment" in Stockhausen's "Kontakte" when a note starts descending, goes into the subsonic rates, then becomes a rapid pulse...and finally, very slow single pulses with their pitch being determined by a resonant filter. Sort of like extratone stuff, but in reverse.

Hi TumeniKnobs,

That's a beautiful piece of work. The music is nice and relaxing and then "suddenly" it stopped. I thought: "What happened?" Your track finished already. I thought it was only a few minutes but now I realise it's 21 minutes :-)

Lovely done and I hope you produce more of this peaceful music! Thank you very much for that and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Geoff,

Nice that you already have the ADAT parts. We use it in the office for parts of our audio (broadcast company) but for music I'm so humble to stay with USB and jacks :-) Now you mention the shortage of ES-9 it made me double-check because I want to order one for myself. Fortunately, it's in stock in one of my favorite shops.

I'm also looking at integrating external equipment with modular (who isn't?). The core will be my iPad Pro. With AUM and the multitrack recorder, it's quite powerful. I just bought a Teensy to set up a headless Dirtywave M8. Teensy is via USB, but the M8 itself is MIDI and audio jacks. The ES-9 would then be key to get the audio in, but I'd still need to find a way to sync clocks and start/stop. No PC, because that turns everything into a complicated mess. I've got lots to explore, but I'm doing it step by step. I also just started recording video for my YouTube channel, so I'm already doing everything at once.

As for Disting and similar modules (looking at you O&C), I stay away from them. It's true - you can turn them into anything. But I find that confusing. A VCO is a VCO and not a clock, in my setup. But they exist for good reason, so spend your time to get to know it well because there's plenty in it!

EDITED Feb 27th 2023, 07:04

I can not speak about your specific problem with the Rackbrute but i think it's a pretty common problem for hardware in general. I used to work with a Digital-Video-Tape-Machine (HDCamSR) from Sony wich is a realy expensive piece of technology (around 25k Euro). This thing was wobbling around when i we're pressing buttons or ejecting/loading tapes. A piece of beerfelt was the Bavarian solution to fix it. Some behringer stuff i own is wobbling and other Hardware too. I think the Problem are not the plastic feets underneath, Sometimes the housing ist not 100% straight/flat and quality controle is poor.

EDITED Apr 6th 2022, 17:54

That's an odd one; I've not heard of triggering drum modules with an audio rate trigger.

That surprises me a bit, it is fun to sync them to oscillators. If it has V/O tracking they become playable oscillators.
I understand that isn't their primary goal use but in modular it means to me I can do a lot of neat tricks, pulling between drums and sounds so to speak.

Hi Arrandan thanks for getting back to me. Below is the link to my rack hope it works. I have acquired all the modules listed already so I have the ear no problem. I am using a miniDSP USBStreamer for ADAT in/out to PC. I got the ES-3/6 combo cheap. At the time the ES-9 wasn't going to be available for a loooong time. I am also using a yamaha A4000 sampler for fx through Rosie send/return. So at the moment Im using a bit of external gear to make do eg op-z to sequence and A4000 and PC for fx. Haven't got into the disting yet as its new but I thought it was a flexible module for someone still working stuff out. Thanks again.

().

EDITED Apr 6th 2022, 13:25

Hi Geoff,

It would make things easier if you can post a link to your rack here on ModularGrid. That way, we can click on it and review it easily.

Do you have ADAT on your PC? The ES-3/6 combo is very specific. Most people connect to a PC with an ES-9 as it provides USB. For MIDI, MutantBrain is a popular option as it provides more connectivity pretty cheaply. When you add the CVx to the uMIDI, you end up more expensive.

Ears is discontinued so hurry to find stock if you really need it!

If you don't know, Zadar can be a VCO
-- SamuelGeai

Hi Samuel,

Great tip! I remember reading about it. It's a bit fiddly though, trying to get the actual V/OCt working. That's why so far, I've refrained from using it as a sound source. But I might have a go at it tonight. I am already using Zadar as an LFO, where the speed is less crucial.

Hi all.

Got a new Rackbrute 6U.

When patching at the top right, the left foot will lift slightly. I could put something under it but it’s annoying as it’s an expensive unit. It not just ‘movement’ because it’s suspended in the air, it’s actually rocking back slightly. I’ve turned the ‘pole’ around and it makes no difference.

Before k try and swap it for another, I just wondered if this is normal - does anyone else have a wobble?

EDITED Apr 6th 2022, 11:16