Which case would you prefer?

Hi folks,
I would like to record an album (or something) using my modular. I am at an early stage and don't yet know what genre of music I'll be making or what the recording process will be. At present, I am torn between using ALL my modules or scaling it back for a more limited palette. It's not like I have loads of gear - compared to some people :) - but I'm wondering whether to treat the modular like a sonic playground (all my modules) or limit my palette and work within the limitations to create something that is perhaps more focussed. I have come up with two alternative case layouts - both of which I could have without buying any new modules. Which would you prefer if you were presented with each case and invited to record an album using only that?

Small case
Small.jpg

Large case
large.jpg

I am at an early stage and don't yet know what genre of music I'll be making or what the recording process will be.
-- ModLifeCrisis

I think you have to figure this out first. What kind of music/sounds normally come out of your modular experiments?

Hi Zacksname. Totally take your point. I guess my question, though, is do people find they are more productive, have more fun, by limiting their options? I’m not planning on taking this out live, so portability isn’t an issue. If you were given a month to write an album, which of these above would you choose?

I guess I would choose the bigger one, then. If I decided later that I didn't need all the modules, I could just not use the ones I don't need.

Hey! Personally I lean toward going for the smaller case and limiting your options. I did an experiment in January where I scaled down to 100 hp with a Benjolin, a dual filter, some envelopes, S&Hs,VCAs, and attenuators, a mini Clouds clone and a micro Ornament and Crime and had an amazing time exploring all the different sounds I could get out of just that. I was also choosing to record it direct (with a little looping and reverb at times), but if you want to record into a DAW or sampler you could do a ton with a smaller case. I strongly support limiting your options and forcing yourself to get creative to arrive at sounds you like. If you think you want to have whole compositions with multiple voices running simultaneously, it would certainly be easier with the larger case. Follow your bliss friend!

Hey! Personally I lean toward going for the smaller case and limiting your options. I did an experiment in January where I scaled down to 100 hp with a Benjolin, a dual filter, some envelopes, S&Hs,VCAs, and attenuators, a mini Clouds clone and a micro Ornament and Crime and had an amazing time exploring all the different sounds I could get out of just that. I was also choosing to record it direct (with a little looping and reverb at times), but if you want to record into a DAW or sampler you could do a ton with a smaller case. I strongly support limiting your options and forcing yourself to get creative to arrive at sounds you like. If you think you want to have whole compositions with multiple voices running simultaneously, it would certainly be easier with the larger case. Follow your bliss friend!
-- Progspiration

Thanks for your reply. I'm oscillating between the two options at the moment. My quandry in a way is process. Do I have a single sound train and record that, or multiple voices recorded as a stereo pair or multiple voices stemmed out. All options could work but which will yield the best results. I guess the good thing about modular is so many options but that is also the difficult thing about modular...

Hey! Personally I lean toward going for the smaller case and limiting your options. I did an experiment in January where I scaled down to 100 hp with a Benjolin, a dual filter, some envelopes, S&Hs,VCAs, and attenuators, a mini Clouds clone and a micro Ornament and Crime and had an amazing time exploring all the different sounds I could get out of just that. I was also choosing to record it direct (with a little looping and reverb at times), but if you want to record into a DAW or sampler you could do a ton with a smaller case. I strongly support limiting your options and forcing yourself to get creative to arrive at sounds you like. If you think you want to have whole compositions with multiple voices running simultaneously, it would certainly be easier with the larger case. Follow your bliss friend!
-- Progspiration

Thanks for your reply. I'm oscillating between the two options at the moment. My quandry in a way is process. Do I have a single sound train and record that, or multiple voices recorded as a stereo pair or multiple voices stemmed out. All options could work but which will yield the best results. I guess the good thing about modular is so many options but that is also the difficult thing about modular...