I successfully bought a 1010 FxBox from @fluffymuff. Deal went very smooth. Excellent communication.
received a mungo D0 from @benjibenji, very friendly and available to all of my request, nice packing and communication!
hope to deal again with you!!!
cheers,
r-
Oh ok, I'm glad to hear you weren't telling me to quit making music, that took me back a bit!
But ya woah, I didn't know about all that craziness business.. I have wondered why 303s and 808s went for so much money, especially since there was passable clones on the market by the time I came around. I mean a Minimoog I could sort of understand, but ya that explains it a bit.
I understand where you're coming from though, if gear made the musician than the best musicians would also be the richest who could afford the most and coolest gear, which obviously isn't how things typically work out.
That said the OP was looking for Ambient module recommendations, and so telling him to grab a Pringles can and a pencil might not be the most appropriate advice! :P
Now, not to further derail this thread with our pish posh:
I didn't really consider OP's current setup when giving my last recommendations, since you already have Mother 32/Tides/Disting/Maths, maybe a nice effect module would be a nice place to look next, some ideas: Strymon Magneto, Intellijel Rainmaker, MI Clouds, Make Noise Erb-Verb, Tiptop Z-DSP... The list of cool effect module's could be near endless.
Yeah, channel 10...makes perfect sense. Back when polytimbral devices were starting to pop up, and even before when people were starting to create sizable piles of MIDI gear, there was this sort-of-a-rule that ch.10 was intended for drums and percussion. Interesting to see Arturia still holding true to that. But yeah...my TR-909, when I had that, it would both respond to and send on 10 out of the box as well.
As for Expert Sleepers...what they have with their Silent Way software is a way to use a DC-coupled audio interface to send and receive CVs, gates, and triggers (and sync, natch) to/from analog hardware. MOTU's Volta is similar to this, albeit Mac-only. Those interfaces that you see on here with the ADAT lightpipes, etc, are actually A-D/D-A converters, just like the ones on the conversion end of your DAW except that they're designed to be 100% DC-coupled and Silent Way compliant. In fact, you can even use the Expert Sleepers interface modules that have 'returns' to the DAW as a means of recording the synth's audio, instead of sending it to the dedicated A-D linked to the computer itself.
BTW, one of the worst drawbacks of using LINUX within music, IMHO, is the fact that the vast majority of development done for the instrument marketplace is going to either be for MacOS or Windows. That's simple economics at work...the installed base is simply larger, and if a music equipment company has limited resources dedicated to developing software, they're going to stick to the two OSs that the vast majority use. For example, right here in this thread, you're missing out on unlocking the Drumbrute's deeper control layers because you can't run the Arturia Control Center, and you can't explore computer control over analog with Silent Way or Volta. And that's among a lot of other things. While I certainly think LINUX has its uses, some in which it excels, using it in music is likely to handicap you in the long run by keeping a large array of tools out of reach.
Well, "quit immediately" as in stopping believing that X music MUST be done with Y devices. I recall the psychotic behavior that went on during the early phases of acid in the early 1990s, where people believed that "real techno" required every synth used to be analog, you had to have a TB-303 and other "church of Roland" accoutrements, and if your track had the ultimate bass patch, you won 1,000,000 Internets. This was incredibly stupid, and I know for a fact that as the prices of 303s, etc started to skyrocket to nosebleed levels, that false notion DID stop people from trying with whatever they could get their hands on. The 303 went from a "we pay you to get it out of here" device to something that was eventually pulling down wads of cash in the $3k range. And unless your dad was an investment banker, you weren't getting one.
And even crazier than this was the fact that, when you go back and review classic tracks out of Detroit or Chicago from the late 1980s and early 1990s, while you do find some artists using these (esp. Larry Heard, who kicked that 303 acid sound off with "Washing Machine" c. 1987), you would also find a lot of digital synths and off-brand things in peoples' arsenals. Hell, one of the Belleville Three, Derrick May, did tons of his basslines on a cheap Yamaha DX-100, such as on "Nude Photo" and kickstarted the "house piano" riff thing using a Korg M1 on "Strings of Life". No analog in those, nope.
So, yeah...I'm a definite believer in the idea that if you possess the ability to make music, you can make something just as good with a Pringles can, a pencil, a mic and a loop pedal as you could with a moving van full of TB-303s and TR-808s (another device that went into economic extinction during that same nonsense). The GEAR is only a tool and the MUSICIAN creates, not the other way around.
Hi Everyone,
I'm interested in some 2HP gear and had a question about the functionality of their TM module. I'm interested in using the TM alongside a quantizer and sending the signal into the 2HP Pluck (on top of a drone and drenched in reverb and delay). The appeal, of course, is that I could get a certain degree of randomness, but I could control it using the parameters on the TM and the quantizer.
My question, though, is can you lower the tempo of the TM (does it send a gate signal, basically?), or is the output fixed in that sense? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks for the advice. I was looking for powered cases today and had some sticker shock, so I think you're right about keeping the Neutron in it's stock case.
Erica Synths has a drum mixer with compression that caught my eye.
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/erica-synths-drum-stereo-mixer
I might not want to mix entirely in the DAW after all.
Expert Sleepers has me scratching my head. It looks like they are using ADAT lightpipe as a way to multiplex several signals onto one cable, but I haven't figured that out yet. They have some non-Linux software, Silent Way, but I think it isn't necessary for most use cases?
What I would do is download VCV rack. The basic set-up is free. I believe that it comes with a knock-off of Clouds. Try your hand at producing ambient sounds in VCV rack FIRST. Once you're able to make something you like, you can emulate your set-up in a real Eurorack case. I'd get the skills first so that you know what you're looking for before spending a small fortune on what you think that you need.
As Lugia stated, you don't necessarily need to use what's currently popular for the genre. It really depends on where you want to go and what appeals to your own tastes.
Get the micro-versions of the Mutable stuff and buy a Eurorack module capable of mixing your signals. Unless you like the kick sounds in the Plaits, you may want to go in a different direction. The Intellijel Morgasmatron dual filter is great for making some tasty electronic kicks. But you'll want an envelope generator and a VCA to go with it. As an alternative, the Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter makes for a good stand alone kick module with no other external gear. You can also use it as an VCO when not needing it for a kick.
Oh, and the Expert Sleepers Disting just got a few compressor algorithms, great for compressing drum drum mixes... but again, you're going to want some way to sum them and feed them into the compressor.
You may find it better to keep the Neutron in its own case and use your expensive rack HP for more modules.
I checked the website, there's no documentation that I can find.
http://www.bubblesound-instruments.com/MIX6.html
You may want to contact the manufacturer. There are mixers that are intentionally made with low headroom so that distortion can be used as an effect. I don't think this one does. I'd ask the manufacturer how many volts it can take at unity gain before distortion. In most mixers, you can intentionally overdrive the sound by starting with an already loud signal and making it louder.
I don't think you'd have an issue unless your drums are already slamming the inputs.
I'm not trying to pretend I know what is necessary to make ambient music, or anything at all for that matter. I did say 'practically necessities', I guess what I meant is that these are the popular tools used today. Though I see that this isn't how it was interpeted.
I made the assumption here that the poster(like many others, including myself) came to modular after being inspired by current popular ambient modular artists - R Beny, Lightbath, Emily Sprague, etc. In which case these module's would be good places to look. I realize I shouldn't have made that assumption though
That being said I see no problem with following trends that speak to you. Personally my only goal is to make sounds that I enjoy listening to, and I doubt that I'm alone there.
I'm not doubting your credentials here, but I don't think anyone has the authority to tell anyone else to 'quit immediately' when it comes to creating sounds, apart from maybe my upstairs landlord.
Hmmm...perhaps I should quit making ambient, then. My Digisound 80 has none of those...so none of my 15+ albums of ambient work are valid anymore.
(NB: the equipment doesn't make the music. The artist does. Believing that certain pieces of equipment are "necessities" is an utter fallacy, and a great way to kill ones' creativity by becoming reliant on specific musical "crutches". If you can make incredible ambient music with a couple of steel drums, a touch of reverb and multitracking with no other electronics at all (see Stephan Micus' work for this example), then do so. But if you have to labor under the misapprehension that you MUST have X piece of gear to do Y sort of music, then quit immediately, as you're not really making something that truly speaks of who you are musically.)
I wanted to ask something about this interesting 6-channel mixer in 5hp and good price.
Could it be fine for drum modules without distorting the sound? or the sound is mixed with each other?
Rings, Clouds, Morphagene! These 3 are practically necessities in the 'Ambient Modular' genre, if that's a genre.
I think small cases are good for specific jobs... I have all my drums in a Dopfer mini case .
Convenient if I just want to take the synth case and say use a sampler instead of the modular drums.
OH MY GAWD. Arturia DRUMBRUTE came listening to MIDI channel 10 for note messages.
I read in one part of the documentation that it only listens to start/stop messages, but in other parts it says it sends note MIDI info if you set it up in the (Windows and Mac only) MIDI control center software. That implies it listens to note messages. More burrowing in sparse documentation on MIDI suggested that's true. Playing a pattern that sweeps all the notes in Renoise while changing the channel found joy on the tenth try. Your mileage may vary.
This message posted for posterity.
I'd still like to hear comments about the original question, even though no way am I getting rid of this DRUMBRUTE now that it's exactly what I want. :)
Hi! I have a nice Arturia DRUMBRUTE that I love for the sounds, but I thought it would be playable from Renoise (my Linux DAW) via MIDI Note and velocity messages. It's not---It just responds to the clock sync and transport messages.
I have a new Behringer Neutron semi-modular that I could use to transition into eurorack gear. I could sell the DRUMBRUTE and base off an endorphin.es BLCK_NOIR to replace it in the eurorack system.
I have "My Useful 2x104 Rack" shown above. It's got two goals:
I plan to mix inside Renoise (the DAW) after upgrading my soundcard.
That means I'm missing a MIDI-to-CV module that can send note and velocity information via CV, right? The modules I see are either experts-only DIY or really expensive modules for just a few voices. To control the drums I have in mind, even before extras like clav and tambourine, I need 9 voices. I could sample some drum sounds and sequence them in Renoise to reduce drum voices in the eurorack system, at the cost of dynamism and flexibility.
It's entirely possible that I'm totally missing something! Advice or comments would be most helpful.
Yeah, and it's never exactly worked out well. It's worth remembering that Bob Moog did make a drum controller for a hot minute, but that item didn't stay in the catalog very long. The nuance of all of the various drum strike techniques, incremental dynamics, etc just don't come across well in the analog domain. You really do need MIDI to break down those increments so that they come across in the electronics. Also, let's say you want to do a rim shot. Now, if you have a percussion controller that can recognize that as a different sort of stroke than a simple head-strike, then you can keep that very basic stroke in your repertoire. But without that additional sensor, doing any sort of rimshot, or for that matter anything other than a basic 'thud-on-head' hit, becomes totally pointless. And a basic contact mic setup will reduce things down to that level of basics.
A more sensible...albeit more elaborate...option might be to investigate some dedicated percussion controllers, instead of trying to make actual drums behave like not-drums. You're more apt to get into a tasty e-percussion area with something like an Octapad than something that requires loads of constant adjustment. Much lower maintenance, to be sure. Then to get from it to Eurorack is just a simple matter of MIDI conversion of whatever flavor suits your playing style best.
looking for ideas/help choosing modules for creating ambient drone music. so far I have the moog mother 32, which i plan on keeping it outside of the rack, disting mk4 and tide. I plan on adding maths, and shades mixer/attenuverter. any help would be appreciated
I would first look into comparator modules and research them. Ultimately, you're looking to create triggers. Once the volume of your contact mics reach a certain threshold, you want to go from a state of "off" to "on." Volume might be trickier. An envelope follower driving a VCA sounds like a good place to start. You may also want to consider a low-pass gate with the contact mic opening and closing it.
Though, it'd probably be cheaper to use MIDI drum triggers and then convert the MIDI data to gates and the velocity to a CV output. Reinventing this wheel in pure Eurorack is an expensive way to go.
Hey!
I want to combine my acoustic drum with eurorack.
The plan:
My drum will be the triggers.
The task of the eurorack will be to shape another sound on the acoustic drum sound.
The sound which the eurorack have to shape can be different things:
Samples ----> for this I thought I would buy the Make Noise Morphagene
External soundsources (taperecorder, other bandmembers with synths or guitars,mics)----> for this I need something like an preamp, to bring these in?
I will also need an input for the triggers. I probably will use contact mics (not drum triggers).
(Drum triggers are easier to mount, but contact can as a secound use also deliver a sound, so I tend to contact mics)
The soundsources which come into the rack (or are already in there) should be processable.
I definitly want a delay and an distortion/overdrive maybe also an reverb.
This soundsources should be silent.
Just when the contact mic gives a signal, the amplitute should rise.
Which module do you suggest for this task?
VCA?
Envelope Follower?
I want to have bouth possibilities...to be able to let the amplitute from the input-signal (drum set) really shape the amplitute of the eurorack. Then I think an envelope follower would be best, right?
But I want also the possibility to have a really short sound over the drum.
For example: that the cymbal rings longer, but just at the start there is a short moment when the eurorack opens up.
This would be possible with an VCA, right?
(I want to be able to use two different triggers for 2 diffenent sources at once, so I need things twice)
So the questions again:
Which modules I need to bring concactmics in (use as triggers but also as normal mics)?
Which modules to shape the amplitute (of soundsources)? VCA? EF? Difference?
Which modules to bring in external sources?
Which output modules to send the final audio to an keyboard-amp or PA?
(Also I want some LFO to let the rack change itself ;-))
Thank you so much for helping,
It will be my first step into ,,
Juanic
Bought a VCA-4MX from @Groove_Addict. Friday. 700 Euros. Haven't heard back.
Hope it just a Holiday thing in Portugal.
I have hope he will come through. He listed a couple more items since the sale, but I haven't heard back.
if anyone has any info ...
Edit: Heard Back! Shipped! Life sometimes! Thanks for helping, @mister_wavey
Thanks to @Bots - does what he says
Thanks to @lucoli - glad i made contact. Solid. And, Wow.
Thanks to @mackplakt... quick n easy.
Thanks to @Vladiz.. trying to ship [Shipped] in a battlezone.
It's a work of pure madness! Basically, it deals with voltage as functions to define a point in Cartesian space...x, y, and z. But instead of a singular point being defined, it moves around as something of a 'blob' of CV so that it fades in and out of the various geometric points it has defined. And on top of that, it alters/processes the incoming CVs to make up the 'blob', so the identity state of that hunk of CV has the ability to be in constant flux, if desired. About the only other thing that purely deals with CV as mathematical operators like that that comes to mind offhand is Ladik's Joystick Math...but it deals solely with x and y functions, whereas the Vector Space not only treats the incoming voltages through that extra z dimension, but also with crossmodding. Very powerful...for generative work, I'd rank it as a prime choice for keeping modulation sources/paths in continuous flux.
Pitches
Octavian
Disting Settings
B1: Sample & Hold
- Z Knob @ approx. 10:30
- S Knob Parameters all default
Octavian
Hey!
I want to combine my acoustic drum with eurorack.
The plan:
My drum will be the triggers.
The task of the eurorack will be to shape another sound on the acoustic drum sound.
The sound which the eurorack have to shape can be different things:
Samples ----> for this I thought I would buy the Make Noise Morphagene
External soundsources (taperecorder, other bandmembers with synths or guitars,mics)----> for this I need something like an preamp, to bring these in?
I will also need an input for the triggers. I probably will use contact mics (not drum triggers).
(Drum triggers are easier to mount, but contact can as a secound use also deliver a sound, so I tend to contact mics)
The soundsources which come into the rack (or are already in there) should be processable.
I definitly want a delay and an distortion/overdrive maybe also an reverb.
This soundsources should be silent.
Just when the contact mic gives a signal, the amplitute should rise.
Which module do you suggest for this task?
VCA?
Envelope Follower?
I want to have bouth possibilities...to be able to let the amplitute from the input-signal (drum set) really shape the amplitute of the eurorack. Then I think an envelope follower would be best, right?
But I want also the possibility to have a really short sound over the drum.
For example: that the cymbal rings longer, but just at the start there is a short moment when the eurorack opens up.
This would be possible with an VCA, right?
(I want to be able to use two different triggers for 2 diffenent sources at once, so I need things twice)
So the questions again:
Which modules I need to bring concactmics in (use as triggers but also as normal mics)?
Which modules to shape the amplitute (of soundsources)? VCA? EF? Difference?
Which modules to bring in external sources?
Which output modules to send the final audio to an keyboard-amp or PA?
(Also I want some LFO to let the rack change itself ;-))
Thank you so much for helping,
It will be my first step into ,,
Juanic
Speaking of modulation cube, Worng Electronics Vector Space. Any experience with it Lugia? How would you compare it?
Well, a Piston Honda's definitely a whole 'nother sort of wavetable oscillator, to be sure. That 'modulation cube'-sort of paradigm allows a lot of very strange behavior to happen; kinda reminds me of the Z-plane filters E-Mu used on their later Proteus iterations, but wackier. But the MCO definitely whomps it on price. Might make for a nice AF modulator for a Piston Honda, though...just let ALL the wavetable sources morph until your brain melts! ;)
Hi guys, It's me again
Thanks guys. I think i will give a try to pams workout. The MU clones and O_C from Michigan synth works look lovely, but they don´t seem to be for sale in the common EU retailers i know.. I´ll keep and eye on those... i also thought of chronoblob , but as i have a few external delays, i will stay with clouds for now as my only in-box fx unit
I'm looking at this in particular, there are two dangling / loose cables:
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/patches/view/36827
Thanks
Thanks Luigia! That MCO sounds real nice.. Though considering I already have a Piston Honda it must just be my GAS flaring up.
Good to know! That would definitely make it a cheap alternative to buying the full module for those who have the Toolbox. Granted, I see them both being useful, but that ability to flip firmware is nice in of itself, also.
hi modular freaks,
To all the Rainmaker owners: Is your module also quite noisy when turned to wet, even without something plugged into the inputs?
Greets to every1!
Arne
Major key in Rene. Don't feel like putting in knobs right now or explaining the variations, tempi etc. I have connected with it. Have a video and some pictures, might upload at least the former and link it to make it clearer what's going on.
Liam "The Lemony Bard" Zaffora-Reeder
The Disting is a multi-function module. It can do LFOs, but I wouldn't depend on it as a primary source for LFOs.
There are many dedicated LFOs out there. Which one to select is entirely up to your own tastes. A simple LFO is direct and easy to use. You can go more complex like Xaoc's Batumi with a Poti expander for example. More complex LFOs allow you to restart the LFO's cycle and/or sync them to a clock source. You may also find others with additional or different features.
Your Maths has input channels that will allow you to attenuate or even invert the LFO (attenuverter)... channels 2 and 3 can do that for you without running through the slew aspects of channels 1 and 4. But you may want to have at least one dedicated attenuverter if you want to use the Maths for a different set of functions.
I have the Xaoc Batumi and like it... but you may want to explore other options as its a bit on the expensive side.
Hello,
Thanks a lot for your answer !
Yes I forgot to put a LFO ! Actually I had to do again the rack because I clicked on "optimize rack space" and it removed a lot of modules ...
Thanks for the name of your LFO, I thought about putting an Octasource from Erica Synths, what do you think about this one ? Or should I get a simple LFO like a Quad LFO from Doepfer ?
Thanks a lot for your advice ! I can't wait ... !
You may want to consider the micro our "u" versions of all of the Mutable Instruments stuff in order to save space. Michigan Synths Works stuff is available through retailers if you're not comfortable going to a freelance builder.
I'm not sure if the Ornaments & Crimes will give you a 1:1 replacement of the Pamela's New Workout. You may want to look into the Temps Utile module instead. Do the research between all three modules. Both O_C and TU are available as micro modules as well. 8HP each I believe.
Seems to be lacking LFOs and modulation sources. Get one or two LFOs and throw in an Expert Sleepers Disting for experimentation. You have basic sequencing covered in your MIDI to CV converter if you have a DAW or hardware MIDI sequencer. Granted there are other uses for Eurorack sequencers other than triggering notes.
It's not a bad set-up as is. You seem to have plenty of room for expansion. I'd try using it with the Moog 55 for a couple of months and then analyze your own set-up for what seems to be lacking or what other areas you'd like to explore.
Have a plan for expansion, but don't be afraid to alter it as you learn more and realize your own style and themes.
The 1010 Music Laserbox is the same format at the 1010 Music Toolbox. If you buy a Toolbox sequencer, you can just flash the firmware to make it a Laserbox and back again to a Toolbox. So if you're in the market for a sequencer and some added functionality when not using it as a sequencer, the modulation source might be worth it.
Hello,
Finally ! I’m making my first eurorack.
My current setup is : roland TR 8, system 1, tb 3, mx1, and a yamaha CS 5 :D
And as my dad is fond of synthesizers (but dont have the time to use it), he recently bought a moog 55 (from 2015). it will be delivered within a month.
The case I like is the Arturia 6U.
So here is the setup i imagined :
Im not sure about including a sequencer. I think getting a Beatstep pro is a better idea so I can use it for other synth, and still have free space in the rack ?
Would this setup fit in my current collection ?
I never used a moog 55 yet, and I dont know if it makes sense to have this small eurorack setup, or if it will be a duplicate.
Maybe I should orient the eurorack setup towards more pads/space / noise sounds , with Mutable instruments modules ?
Thanks for your help !
If you're thinking of getting rid of Frames due to it's large size you could replace it with the 8hp version (https://www.modulargrid.net/e/michigan-synth-works-planks-2), the sliders keep it very tweakable and you could open up 10hp for something else - maybe a delay such as the Chronoblob?
Technically yes.. But you´d need some big decent big drill to pass your flying power bus through that hole. Also you´ll still need some stand to stack the cases if you want to put those one over the other... And, if you eventually wanna sell your 60hp´s, a drilled item should rest value... Would definitely think in a built in case here... similar cost, less effort. http://store.synthrotek.com/Eurorack_Enclosures
