https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_712881.jpg
What would you add to this to make it complete? Anything goes!!
Reply to the comment on HG-30 by the manufacturer: The 30 band generator perhaps has been found to be an overkill, therefore we have also introduced a 16 band generator, the HG-16 which is also lower cost. Although the number of sliders has been reduced, the reduction in performance does not fully follow that factor, e.g. the vocoder modes are practically identical, and it has the same number, 14 operating modes. Naturally it also requires less rack space, it is 24 HP wide.
cheers,
Jouko
Smooth exchange of modules with @yari. Highly recommended!
Totally agree and prices now are way more affordable. I had the chance to recently test out a new Korg MS20 and Korg Arp Odyssey and love these synths as they sound amazing, do not cost much, and have easy to use features compared to the menu diving of my Elektron gear. I love my Korg SQ-1 such a good sequencer for the money. One day having a Buchla Skylab and Rythm Generator or Music Easel would be awesome along with a Serge system but these cost a small fortune and I can get by fine with the less expensive modular offerings. The Buchla LEM look interesting.
Yeah, lots of changes in the market dynamics these days. Sweetwater, for instance, now carries Dreadbox, MakeNoise, Intellijel, 4ms, 1010 Music, and a lot of others alongside the 'big names'; I recall a few years back that their people couldn't figure out why they needed to stock multiple modules because they 'didn't do anything'. This is good, as opposed to the ancient times where music dealers couldn't even make sense of what a synthesizer was, and absolutely NO ONE wanted to carry these weird-ass boxes with knobs and switches. The situation is definitely in a permanent 'improvement' mode now, and I do think that over time, it may lead to changes even at the high end. Already with Buchla, you see their LEM builds and the H series modules, plus other companies entering that format...and that last thing was totally unheard of way back in Don's day.
I can't find it in any store in Europe, so where am I suposed to buy it?
Please help!
-- txukdear txuk, the module will be available for pre-order starting April. It's not out yet.
regards,
mike (birdkids)-- birdkid
Hi Mike,
anything new on that?
cheers from Vienna,
Steve
I think they were talented and super lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Both Subotnik and Ciani had access to Buchla early on and built their track record on it without having to spend any money rather sweat equity.
The same can be said for Alessandro Cortini who paid his dues and joined Trent Reznor on NIN stuff.
Kaitlyn was born into a super wealthy family with connections.
Anyways the future crop of modular hopefully will be more affordable whatnot with Neutron coming out for under $300 for a patch semi modular.
Anyone heard anything about the general health of EMW? I went to check something on their site a few days ago, and they appear to have lost their domain, which is now being squatted by a Brazilian shoe company. A post over on MW also mentioned that they didn't seem to be answering emails, plus Perfect Circuit now has all of their modules/devices on a 20% discount.
It'd be a damn shame to lose them. I really like their designs, which are very cost-effective. Plus they'd started stepping into some pretty complex areas in the past year, putting out a stereo VCA mixer, another module that appeared to be based on the ARP 2500's mix/sequencer, and so on, in addition to their revival of the EMW 200 and 300 from further back.
Hi, thanks, yeah, I only spotted that option after I posted this. Message since sent to Erica...
cheers
andy :-)
Feel free to use the [Message the Manufacturer] function to correct that.
Making the leap to the Arturia's Rackbrute for the Minibrute 2s. My main goals are to, add logic to sequencing, provide effects/sound shaping, and integrate into my studio.
Picture for this module is out of date as is the hyperlink to the Erica shop.
Unfortunately the MG page for this module is locked and cannot be edited...
Does it matter? I suppose not... HP is right, and it is black and has the right amount of knobs...
Thank you Lugia. I will definitely go take a look at the ES-8. Very much appreciated.
For seamless (or as close as you can get) integration with a DAW, I would suggest dropping the conventional MIDI interface and going with an Expert Sleepers ES-8 plus maybe a couple of expanders for it. This way, you can run several different possible things on the computer that lock up to the DAW itself, plus send CV/gate/trigger info to the ES-8 as DC-coupled audio via USB with zero MIDI latency. Also, the ES-8 has four return channels which can allow you to use the modular as the master clock or, via something like MAX, allow the DAW to 'track' behavior on the modular as cues to DAW actions.
I am new to modular synths and this is my first go at something basic to get started with. It must be able to be integrated into a DAW/MIDI system. I chose the Erica Black VCO for it's reputed darkness. Will add a sequencer at a later date. Is there anything essential missing? Very open to suggestions.
Definitely to augment. Consider the following:
Take two Pam's outputs. Run one to one side of an AND gate, and the other to the other side. Then take your modified timing signal out of the AND gate's output. What will happen as a result is that the gate will only send a gate signal when there is a 'high' state (ie: gate on) present at both inputs. So unless the Pam's outputs a gate at the same time on both channels, no gate gets sent to whereever it's patched. By doing lots of these little tricks, plus adding things like gate delays, skippers, swingers, dividers, multipliers and so on to screw around with the 'raw' gate signals, you open up a big box of polyrhythmic craziness that wouldn't normally be doable without those + some logic. Or...let's say you have a pattern running on Pam's, but it should only pass when stage #6 is active on the DFAM. Set the DFAM's 'velocity' row to only output voltage on #6 (the rest of the row has the pots all the way down), patch 'velocity' to one side of an AND gate, and the Pam's pattern to the other side. So...when the 'velocity' CV is present plus the pattern at the AND inputs, the pattern gets through the gate...but only while step #6 is active. So, yeah...lots of fun like that, which can really open up loads of interaction between sequencers, rhythmic elements, etc. Use your imagination; I'm sure you can come up with loads more ideas!
Another good one is Happy Nerding's OUT...which offers balanced stereo 1/4" outputs, a headphone amp, plus a second stereo input with a ganged level control, pretty useful for inserting AUX-sent stereo effects into the final mix. Lots of options out there...Eurorack always seems to offer a way to get the job done.
Remember, Morty was super-duper lucky as he was there at the very beginning for Buchla; it was him and Ramon Sender, plus a $500 Rockefeller Foundation grant to the SFTMC, that led to the original 'Buchla box' which is now at Mills. I kinda exclude him from that list, since if it wasn't for him, Ramon, and Don discussing the whats and hows of this 'electronically-controlled studio' (the original concept for the 'box'), the whole West Coast thing might not have happened.
Suzanne, also, is a bit different. Her initial Buchla system was pure 'sweat equity'...she worked for Don in the Berkeley factory, which apparently was quite a challenge in the day, stuffing boards and doing solder work, and that's how she 'bought' her 200 system. And again, this was a long time back...early 1970s, plus that Buchla of hers got used for a lot of scut-work to pay the bills. Things such as advertising work, odd session bits (such as Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight" and the discofied "Star Wars" album by MECO). I can respect that, too...doing ad-work sessions is pretty much the gold standard of 'no fun'.
But yeah...Buchla 200 series gear is pricey. A lot of that comes from the massive amount of control devices on the interface, things like banana and 3.5mm jacks, loads of knobs and buttons and so on. Those things are actually pretty costly, which is why you saw this jump to the awfulness of the 'display + slider' paradigm when digital control became the norm in polysynths circa 1983/4. I don't even want to think about how much all of the little sliders, buttons, controls, widgets etc cost on my Jupiter-6, for example, and I can see why Roland ran screaming from that into the slider/membrane panel/LED display era, only offering the actual programming controls (the PG-series boxes) as spendy 'extras'.
Thank you very much, that was the kind of advice I was needing. I was looking into the Moog racks but I was concerned about depth. And I don't understand why they are so inexpensive... I realize they don't have power, but I look at how much a power supply costs and I can't figure how an unpowered case goes for $50 and a powered case goes for $350.
Also, did you mean to suggest those other modules INSTEAD of the Pam's , or to add to/augment the Pam's? Good info, tho thanks again.
Awesome! Thanks, that explained a lot. The Mixswitch looks so useful, I don't have a switch module.
I really need my Otool to tune up each time I play, but it could also live in a small box next to my modular... hmm...
Thanks. I did check out Ladik and they have a couple output modules with 1/4" outs. I almost bought a dual one for about $45 US, then realized I was overthinking it, and I found a 10' cable with 3.5mm to 1/4" on Amazon for under 10 bucks. If I run stereo outs from my modular in the future as it grows, then I'll likely pick up a Ladik dual output or even the Rosie since it has crossfade.
Thanks for the cheers, much obliged.
Um. I do see a small space for another module there at the bottom! I would have put an OScope in there personally, not sure how you can function without one.
I have a handheld oscilloscope but I don't use it much. That last 8hp is just a little pocket for my peace of mind. I could get another module if I wanted to and that makes not getting any more modules feel better somehow.
What do you use a Phase Locked Loop for?
I use it either to make nice sequences a little bit less polished or to dub sequences. Sometimes is works a bit like a slew (but with audio) and sometimes it makes things sound a bit crazy. Here are a couple of raw recordings where the PLL is utilized heavily: https://we.tl/WvIzgQqVdg
That Klavis Mixswitch looks pretty interesting, and you've got 2x of em. How do you use it?
I love this module. So good value. I use it as a switch of both CV and audio, a sub octave generator and a sequencer.
I am not sure why I would simultaneously want to use Lin and Exp CV on a VCA, what is that used for?
I use them for treating sound with two CV signals. Say an envelope and a LFO at the same time.
Good to know about Vietnam and Buchla, Lugia! Yes, I was against the Vietnam war as well. That is true, Vietnam has different mindset than the greedy evil Chinese empire. I have a few Vietnam made products that are quite good and well made like my Vox amp.
Unfortunately, I don't have 30k lying around to splurge on Buchla Skylab and Buchla Rhythm gear which is what you really need to be able to create real music like what Suzanna Ciani, Alessandro Cortini, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Subotnik do since they have these high end Buchla modular rigs. Not sure how these people got so lucky to score the money and Buchla gear? I read their bios and they seemed to be in the right place at right time and super lucky and not born wealthy.
As an American, I do prefer to support people in my own country if possible of course.
PLL: glitch-device extraordinaire. You feed it a simple oscillator signal, and the PLL will lock to it to drive the module's internal VCO/F/A circuit. But feed it weird things, and it goes NUTS. Mistracking, craziness...like the MS-20 percussion thru input trick on 'roids!
And VCAs that can do linear and exponential are great...expo for audio, to follow how we percieve 'loudness', linear to screw around with CVs.
No worries on Buchla now...Foxtone bought out BEMI and vowed to bring the company back to the same ideas/principles that Don had, and thus far they appear to be making good on that.
As for communists...eh, I've actually entertained the idea of relocating to Hanoi. I have no problem with those politics as long as the government cares about the people and their culture, which Vietnam does. They're nowhere near as money-maniacal as the CCP has become, and actually toe more of a proper socialist line than China these days. Hanoi's new music scene is starting to percolate, too...it's kind of turning into a SE Asian take on Prague, with the leftover French colonial touches that the Vietnamese kept because, well, those were the neat parts.
And besides, if I were ever to do a modular company, that would be an awesome place for it. They know the tech, the government likes investment like that, there's a skilled labor pool that can do it, and the like.
Hopefully we can start making products again in the USA that are quality and affordable.
I plan to go back to school for an electronics degree so I can build my own custom music gear for fun.
Small scale machines now provide the way to fabricate electronics and other gear at low price point. It used to require a billion dollar fab wafer shop and machines but now for a few grand you can buy a quality CNC and PCB machine to produce own hardware.
Personally, I am against sending my hard earned cash to a communist evil government that abuses its people like Communist Red China. But that is me and too many people only look at low cost. Why not just save up for a quality piece of gear? Buchla is super expensive but nothing really sounds like it. Then again, I hate how BEMI screwed Don Buchla over big time right before he died so that gives me pause to buy a Buchla as well.
Ok, after spending way too much time looking at this.... I have some questions
What do you use a Phase Locked Loop for?
That Klavis Mixswitch looks pretty interesting, and you've got 2x of em. How do you use it?
Also, the Tallin VCA seems pretty unique, with some different distortion options. I really love XAOC's Batumi. I am not sure why I would simultaneously want to use Lin and Exp CV on a VCA, what is that used for?
I don't see any problem there, nope. I discourage people from getting a small rack if they're beginning with this because it's a good idea to have a broad-based starter rig when you first get into modular. But when someone has a specific musical concept in mind and they know it'll work best in a smaller form factor, then by all means go for it. And given that you're running a DFAM already, snagging two more 60 hp Moog cabs (watch your module depths!) for a total of 120 on which to expand the DFAM makes a lot of sense. Moog's designers already thought of this by offering their matching cabs and double and triple racks. Slap a couple of uZeuses in those and get busy!
One thing, tho...given that you're building this up around a DFAM and thinking of adding a Pam's to that, also consider a couple of things to deal with clock modulation and logic. That way, you can patch up all sorts of timing strangenesses that key off of counts (dividers and multipliers), CV (comparators, derivators, etc), pulse manipulation (width controls, clock delays) and randomfactors (probabilistic skippers, etc). Ladik makes a number of these that fit into 4 hp each, and Doepfer has their divider and ratcheting multiplier, and there's a few companies that offer nice, space-thrifty Boolean operator modules. May as well make that sequencer turn some cartwheels if you've got the space for a few of those.
i read on various forums for modular synthesists and they always seem to discourage people from getting a small rack, like the Doepfer mini case or Synthrotek Power Lunch etc. They say its a waste, get a bigger case, you will need it, you will want it to be bigger...
What I REALLY want IS something kinda small, that I can wrap my head around. I'm currently using a Moog DFAM, Microbrute, a couple Volcas and some effects. What I would really like to try is a small case with Pamela's New Workout, Expert Sleepers Disting, Synthesis Technology E950, and a couple VCAs and ENV generators as needed... wouldn't this cover at least a few bases, for a beginner? Then if I DO want to expand, and I suddenly have more space and a bunch more money... I guess that is what they call a GOOD problem to have, right?
Am I missing anything important?
Thanks, @StateAzure for the amazing packaging, detailed pics, and quick shipping!
-- slatin
Likewise! @slatin good communication and a smooth transaction. Thank you!
Thanks, @StateAzure for the amazing packaging, detailed pics, and quick shipping!
Awesome setup!!! Almost no overlap at all with my own case except for Batumi and Filter8, it's fun to see a different approach.
Um. I do see a small space for another module there at the bottom! I would have put an OScope in there personally, not sure how you can function without one.
Looking forward to hearing what you can do with that new filter!
The Volta + dc-coupled external MOTU interface method is a bit of a kludge; there's a better way to go within Eurorack itself. Have a look at Expert Sleepers' ES-8 USB interface and ESX-8CVmkii expanders, as well as ES's Silent Way software instead. Cross-platformable (Volta is Mac-only, last time I checked), much more compact, plus you have four return CVs back to the computer to use either for recording or tracking CV/gate activity, or both. Voltages range up to +10 as well, giving you a full CV range instead of the MOTU's restriction.
Big ups to @sceledra for carefully packing and quickly shipping a Soundmachines Ls1 my way. Tempted to get his Lp1, if someone doesn't beat me to it!
Have a look at Ladik. They provide a wide range of 3.5mm-to-1/4" devices for both input and output, mono and stereo, and they're quite cost and space-effective.
I’m now satisfied with the setup that I’ve got and I’ll stop buying modules.
I bought a Mother 32. Love it. I used the 1/4" output to run into my guitar pedal board, then into my interface (I use stereo outs from my Eventide Space reverb into both channels of it) to record into DAW. I get a clean signal with no detectable distortion, and have plenty of headroom.
Now that I have mounted the Mother 32 into a larger powered case and am adding other modules, I am going to have to use the 3.5mm VCA output to get signal out, which seems like a pain. It seems that I will need to use one of those cheap flimsy 3.5mm to 1/4 adapters, or have a dedicated module with 1/4 output like the MakeNoise Rosie, which I suppose could add some other functionality I might eventually use like the FX loop and crossfade, but seems like overkill. Are there other options though? What do most people do to get their 3.5mm outputs into a mixer or interface, since 1/4" or XLR inputs are standard?
Hallo,
I want to buy Make noise DPO and maths, Mutable Instruments Plaits, Motu 828x or other interface with dc coupled and Reakor 6 of course.
I know that i can send lfo, step modes and seqeunces but im not sure if it s possible to send adsr, vca and whether the set I described above is fully adequate and if I have to buy something to fully use the possibilities of dpo and plaits?
I readed on Motu Volta the Motu 828x have 4.15v on analog out. It will be no problem to control with this voltage, otherwise which device or interface You can recomend to be fully compatible with reaktor?
Thank You and greeting
pico vca module well packaged and promptly shipped from @tomlaan. Can recommend this guy. Thanks again!
Great transaction with @tomlaan on the fantastic MI Plaits. Exactly as described, as new, fantastic comms, really easy to meet up in the Hague, and a really nice guy as well! Cheers Tom!
— Stochastic Instruments Ltd. —
Rethink Random//Perform Process//Create Chaos
— Save the World Entire: Vegan —
End the holocaust. Change our world with science.
Very happy with my makenoise b&g lxd purchase from @tomlaan. Super fast shipping and lxd arrived in mint condition! Perfect!
@gihaume is a top guy! Good deal, packing and communication.
There seems to be a bug in the module search form.
When you search for modules available in a particular marketplace, the "Secondary Function" field is ignored. Or rather even more complicated, only one of the "Function" fields work.
-- amethyst
Indeed that was broken but should now work again. Thanks for reporting!
Beep, Bopp, Bleep: info@modulargrid.net
There seems to be a bug in the module search form.
When you search for modules available in a particular marketplace, the "Secondary Function" field is ignored. Or rather even more complicated, only one of the "Function" fields work.
Well, I agree...the USA used to lead the world in electronics manufacturing up until the 1970s, and even then it still held an edge in component manufacturing for some time. And yes, there are some issues of various sorts with China in terms of how workers are treated, corruption, and intellectual property. But the fact is that electronic instruments have become a rather 'fungible' thing. Look at Eurorack itself, for example: the format was devised by a German firm, retooling a concept that was created on two different ends of the USA. It has a pool of several thousand modules to date, made everywhere from Thailand (Takaab) to Scotland (GMSN) and everywhere in between. Its users routinely cross many borders in their shopping and research, via Internet sellers and resources (such as, say, ModularGrid). It's very much a 'world instrument'.
At the same time, though, there's that 'affordable' factor. Yeah, that's a key thing. But also, that 'affordability' relies on things much worse/sketchy than the Chinese Communist Party. If you thought the concept of 'blood diamonds' was awful, have a romp through the socioeconomic darkness that surrounds coltan, a vital mineral used in the manufacture of a lot of discrete components, definitely including those in the very computer I'm typing this on and which I use for my multitrack work and ones which show up all over the place in our electronic music gear.
Ultimately, trade wars hurt the people that the warring states roll over in their belligerence...just like in real war, but perhaps a bit 'cleaner' in a lot of cases. Less bloody. No less good for that, though. So, yeah, I have mixed views, too...but I look at Moog's situation and see a company that was a pioneer, an originator, led by a visionary and now owned by its employees who trade on a rich, impressive legacy. And I see that forcing a company like that to make ugly, dumb choices is not going to lead to something good...just as, back in earlier decades, it didn't lead to anything good for R.A. Moog Inc. as Norlin got its hooks into it, and then Gibson Brands (aka 'that place on Elm Hill Pike where music companies go to die' -- bit of Nashville slang there) nearly killed it.
Eventually what it all comes down to is this: what do WE do with these machines? Are WE creating work which dignifies everything that makes up the bits and pieces? Are WE mindful of what went into the bits and pieces, and do WE work to create something with them which produces that dignity?
I belong to a music fraternity that holds an important tenet: "Let there be nothing but Truth in Music". So when I sit down to work...many years after I first heard those words and was forced to consider the depth of that concept...I try to always maintain a mindfulness of these things I note above. I know full well what I work with, what it cost (not in money, but in human costs), what had to be done to generate the power that runs the devices, and so on. All of those things really matter to me, and it matters to me that what I create with them carries the human truths behind every tiny part forward in the music, hopefully to poke a bit more light into darkness via that truth. Does it matter where the components come from? Yes, absolutely. Are those origins truly avoidable, though? Perhaps not...but if not, then what comes from them must be right, and I hope that that's what I do. Create something right and good and true.
So, yeah, I have a lot of mixed feelings about that situation with Moog, too. But I also recognize that there are wider concerns than just materials and money afoot.
I have mixed views on this- personally I think we need to go back to American made electronic components and rare earth minerals since allowing a communist dictatorship corner the market on it is not great for the west. Second, they need to be affordable.
