Advice for first rack

Hey everybody !

My birthday is october and saved up some cash.
Wanted to get into modular for quite some time now !

So I eventually want to start out with the NiftyCase from Cre8audio with the 2 modules Cellz and Chips.
Already tested it and some other modular racks.

Now I have to make some decisions. Basically I got a budget at max 800 euros. I got also a pretty well equipped studio where my octatrack mkII is my main brain. I am mainly making Techno and ambient style music.

Of course for my budget I could fill up the rack with the dreadbox modules (would fit the budget).

But I am always looking around for maybe "nicer" modules ^^'

This is why I created this rack on here

Any suggestions? :)

Thanks a lot for your help ;)

I'd think seriously about dumping the cellz and chipz modules - I've seen a lot of bad reviews from people who have bought them

is the budget a this is it no more ever, or is it a this is how much I've got and I can spare another x per month?

if it's the former I would go for the nifty + the dreadbox modules (get a second vco if you can) and an SQ-1

if it's the latter I would probably go for a cardboard case for now, something like an SQ-1 for sequencing and a simple vco, a simple low pass filter, a simple lfo and a quad cascading vca - use the vca as output to where ever

or better yet learn to solder and build something like this https://frequencycentral.co.uk/product/product/ or this https://frequencycentral.co.uk/product/starter-modular-bundle/ or start out with AISynthesis modules

I’ve got the chromatic modules and what I’ll say is that they’re pretty decent except that I don’t much care for the Eudemonia filter. It doesn’t have much character in my opinion. In my setup now I’m much more enjoying the sounds of 2 hysterias through a ring mod and low pass gate. To my ears that setup sounds much better and more interesting than the same two VCOs into the Eudemonia with the Ataxia modulating the filter cutoff and vca. For the same price you could get a Typhon which sounds fabulous and does a lot more. In short, I would look into alternatives for the filter/vca.

For your second setup, plaits is a very robust module and it is going to give you a very different experience than a pretty basic analog vco. You can approximate that setup in vcv rack so I would try it there.

EDITED Oct 1st 2020, 00:11

If the budget in question is around EUR 800, it seems to me that you might get loads more out of one of two possibilities...

1) A patchable. These can be pretty potent devices...and the pairing of the Make Noise 0-Coast and 0-Ctrl are being referred to by some as the "0-Easel", after the Buchla Sound Easel. There's some others that kill, too...Platypus's ANTS!, if you can find one, or Kilpatrick's gateway-drug-for-Serge, the Phenol.

2) Not Eurorack. Instead: https://www.tangiblewaves.com/ The nice thing about the AE system is that it mainly consists of "primitives", or the devices behind the "nicer" modules that make them do what they do. Ergo, it's easier to build with, it's WAAAAAAAAY cheaper, and in the end you don't really give up much by going with AE than Eurorack. For example, the Maths...you could do much of what it does with two AE SLOPE/EDGE modules and some logic and CV mixing. Plus, the AE Starter2 goes for a mindwrenchingly-cheap EUR 435...WITH VAT...and has ample room for more modules. AE also has Dove Audio working with them on a killer wavetable VCO, and others developing other 3rd-party modules...because the system, like Eurorack, is a 100% open standard. And they're DIY-friendly...they even have a prototyping module, the BR[AE]DBOARD.

I recommend saving up for a Doepfer A100 Basic system 1. That is what I did and was under 2k and included a great case/power, basic modules from Doepfer plus 84HP free to add whatever special modules desired. It came with the essentials like a dual VCA, MIDI to CV which is super useful to connect to an Octatrack that I have in my studio as well plus a decent filter, VCO, LFO, envelope and mixer module.

Thanks everybody for your great advice ! I'll consider each one ;)

I'll be back as soon as I made my decision ;)

Thx again !