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Hello!
I mostly play synths and acoustic instruments. I have a small modular unit that use as synth, too. At any rate, I recently bought a Rainmaker and a Beads module and realized that I really, really love using my modular as a complementary effects rack. It's smaller and in many ways more powerful than my giant pedalboard, and it's more versatile, to be sure.
I'll be putting the Rainmaker, Pam's, and Beads modules into the synth (stolen from my other rack), and I expect to be using the Tip Top Audio Mantis case.
Most of the music I make these days is more ambient in nature, and the closest analogue is Jon Hopkins' 'Music for Psychedelic Therapy' in terms of what I'm trying to do with my most recent project.
Any thoughts on good modules? So much in modular seems to be focused on the edgier side of things, but I probably skew closer to Lightbath:
I don't need an oscillator in this rack, I'm planning to build a separate rack for sound sources, and I have too many desktop synths anyway!
Normally, I wouldn't suggest doing a build in 84 hp like this, but that would be for full-on systems. This fits better in the "mission specific" build category, though. Let's see here...
(time passes, then...)
Damn, I feel like I owe you a consulting fee or something. This is great and very comprehensive.
A couple of quick notes/questions:
Originally, I had placed the two mic pre modules on opposite sides of the rack for the purposes of capturing more of a stereo effect. For example, if two people were playing acoustic guitars on either side of the unit simultaneously, you would have greater stereo separation between the two sides assuming you didn't comingle the signals later in the signal path. I may be making too big of a deal of that, after all they are only a couple feet apart, if that. But if you can imagine two condensor mics protruding up from the system, capturing some difference in the signals is somewhat of a priority.
Rather than using the mixer you chose, would I be better off using 2 of the little 2hp mixers from my orignal build to maintain more control over each signal on the left and right of the stereo signal? I'm assuming there are better and worse mixers, too. This is the mixer I'm referring to using as a pair: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/2hp-mix
On the topic of mults...and this may be obvious, but I want to ensure I understand. I send the original signal into the mult, switch off the second mult to give me 6 outputs and then send to:
Input on Env follower
Input on twist
Input on Lubadh
Input on Beads
Input on FX Aid
And send one signal to the aether...
And the envelope follower takes that income signal to create the gate, trigger, and env...I'm not sure I understand how that works as someone new to modular, though it does feel a bit more 'organic' than using a Pamela's.
Originally, as I thought this up and did a million iterations of a build until I settled on this concept, I didn't imagine it as parallel processing, rather, something that sequentially processed a signal. My worry was always that it might create results that were too similar. I do like that with this way of doing things I maintain a dry signal signal and processed signals without having to undo all my patching to hear the dry signal.
My main quandary is whether to step up to the intellijel case and isolate some of the needed mixers to the top of the case on the 1u slots.
I feel like this case violated the 'never enough VCAs' trope, but on the other hand there are a decent number of mixers and not a million things going on at once. The signal path basically moves across the case starting at the looper, then across the modules to the right and into the output.
I've been playing/recording music for close to 20 years and am finally ready to make the plunge into modular.
The core of the system is the idea of having two stubby condensor mics on either side of the case that connect (almost) directly to the Little Mikey modules that each provide audio to the Lubadh in a neat stereo fashion. I could plug almost directly, just using a stubby adapter, two audio technica at4022 mics. Alternatively (or additionally) I could bring in signal from a guitar, the SP404, a synth, or whatever else into the stereo-in on the AA.1 module or the Little Mikey. From there, the Lubadh provides tape-like looping which can be shaped by the Three Sisters filter, then sent to the Beads module for color. Beads' scale is controlled by Scales and timing is controlled by Pamela's. Pam will also control the timing on the loops from Lubadh, as well as plenty of knob turning by me, I'm sure.
I don't know if the Scales module is really necessary or if it's redundant since I also have Scales. My undestanding is that Pamela's can do much of what Scales does, but I haven't quite worked that out in looking into the module. It seems like Scales will be more immediate with Pamela's keeping everything well in sync.
If Scales is unnecessary, I'm not sure what to replace it with. The whole thesis on this is that outside audio sources provide the audio. I could see having a drum machine focused on basic percussion to give some sense of rhythm,or even more inputs/mixers. I'm not really sure where to go there.
The future plan is to also build a rack that is more of an audio source and could be used in conjunction with this...so I understand that eventually I'll want some oscillators, and they will come, but on a separate rack.
I've been interested in doing more field recordings and finding a way to capture music more 'on the fly.'
With $10k or so in outside sound sources accumulated through the last 20 years in synths, guitars, etc. I want the focus of this to be using my existing gear in unique ways.
All of this will go into a Nifty 84hp powered case, so I should be able to come midi-in and get my clock from there.
Again, I'm a newbie to this world. The most modular instrument I have is my Moog Grandmother, which I think will play nicely with this. The music from this would be more in the realm of ambient with a health dose of taking in sound from the outside. My yard backs up to a state park and I have a deck with the ability to run power to it that I can use to capture some interesting sounds.
