a quad vca, such as veils, in first batch of modules is a great idea
output modules are not always needed - it really depends on what you are plugging into
unless you absolutely need balanced, then you may need nothing other than adapter cables and/or attenuators, which are useful anyway
veils will work fine as a mono unbalanced output for example
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities