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Yep, envelopes are a problem here...my suggestion on those, given the build size, would be that you might want to look at Xaoc's awesome Zadar/Nin combo...four envelopes, plenty of control, only 13 hp.

Save your $$$...the only patching thing that will wreck a modular is patching outputs to outputs, as the output stages of a lot of modules aren't diode-protected against reverse voltages. Otherwise, the whole point is to patch everything to everything else while avoiding that one critical misstep, which one typically sees when people confuse multiples with mixers (which they aren't!). The far more important things to remember have to do with POWER...connecting the busboards properly, making sure where modules want the "red stripe" on ribbons, etc. Just proceed VERY carefully if you have to mess with any of that, and you'll be fine.

As for utilities and the like, just slap up a build of the current system and link it to a forum thread. You'll have plenty of experienced people poking at it for $zilch, and while you might get several answers...look at 'em as several IDEAS, implement the one(s) you like, but make sure to keep the other suggestions in the back of your mind in case you need 'em later. The MG Forum is also a super-useful place to get patching tips, etc. So, save the money for...well, more modules, but you'll see how THAT happens once you start using what you've got!

Yep, you go directly to/from the interface. However, there ARE ways to make this work better, and since you've mentioned tile rows, have a look at PulpLogic's Link and Tether tiles. If you use an DC-coupled interface that can handle D-sub I/O, all you'd then do would be to connect the interface to the Tether and there you are. The other nice thing about this sort of setup is that you're purely limited by the amount of D-sub I/O on the interface.

For example, this: https://reverb.com/item/40573842-motu-2408-mk3-pci-audio-interface?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiIxMDIzNWMzMy0yMWFiLTRkMzQtODJlMS1iNzJjNGNkOWI2OGUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjY2NjMwMTcsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIyOTQ1MjI0Iiwic2Vzc2lvbl9pZCI6IjdkNzVkNjc0LTYwMzQtNDhiNS05ZDY1LTEyZGJjZTE1ZjM4OSIsImNvb2tpZV9pZCI6IjRmNzU1OTYyLTM3OTItNDQ0My05OWFjLWI2YWQ5NTI5YThjZiIsInByb2R1Y3RfaWQiOiI0MDU3Mzg0MiIsInNvdXJjZSI6Ik5PTkUifQ.bYfOV-bjfEPC1dlMxZQhf12lY9yiAqV-cpZ5EZibnzM Wow...what a hideous URL...anyway, this has three pairs of 8-channel D-subs plus eight more analog I/O channels. So if you wanted the MADNESS of having 32 channels of CV/gate/trig/clock I/O, you could do that with six Tethers and six Links for the first 24, then another 8 would patch directly (preferably through an outboard patchbay...those things make life much easier in a studio). Just BE SURE to get any necessary PCIe cards and such, as these denser interfaces often rely on things like that.

Thank you all for the very kind comments. That one wasn't easy, so I really appreciate it.

OK you should fill the rest of the rack with NLC chaos modulation modules and a metric tonne of VCAs

Oh, wow. Awesome. I'm getting serious fusion vibes from this. Very well done!

Get a cv mixer like 3xMia or befaco A*B+C (encourage you to look carefully at the latter, it's like a smaller version of MI Blinds)

Get a uOrnament and Crime, install hemisphere suite firmware. It's incredible and will give you so many permutations of your modular.

Edit:
Although you could use some envelopes too and Stages is great.

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 21:10

Looking at your rack again, I'm feeling like I would want something like the WMD Performance Mixer if you don't have an external mixing solution that you already prefer. I would probably want some attenuverters too, something like the Happy Nerding 3xMIA if you can find those. I know that were out of stock for a while.

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 21:21

Quadrax and Zadar for envelopes and more since you already have Maths. Triple Sloths or the Zlob Diode Chaos for random/chaos. VCAs are kind of a personal thing. I like the FSS Gristleizer VCA for a distorted character and the AJH MiniMod, but you might want to add some quantity with something like Veils or the Intellijel Quad VCA. For 8 channels of stepped modulation I definitely recommend the Voltage Block. I love that thing for giving me that last little bit of movement that I need.
Have fun and good luck!

Yeah, I'm thinking envelopes, random, and probably VCAs. Maybe a Voltage Block too?
-- farkas

i agree with these... suggestions on some interesting ones to check out? (actual modules)

Is this a real rack that you have? Don't you find yourself running out of modulation?
-- etckla
yes. its just grown overtime. I have semi modular stuff that i use for lots of that. was hoping to find some new modules I just have not heard to add to it.

Wow, really accomplished stuff :)

Yeah, I'm thinking envelopes, random, and probably VCAs. Maybe a Voltage Block too?

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 19:58

Is this a real rack that you have? Don't you find yourself running out of modulation?

So when you use an outboart DC-Coupled I/O you go straight from vcas/attenuators to your inputs on the I/O if I understand it correctly? If so isn't that a bit messy on a big system?

I have ~174 hp I am want to fill. I am looking for suggestion for something that will be new and interesting with this rack.

This is also accompanied by a Make Noise Black and Gold plus and an Erica Synths Black System.

just looking for some cool modules I have not though of that don't duplicate what I already have.

Nice stuff TumeniKnobs!

Sure. We all have to help each other. The Patch and Tweak book is excellent for module types and has an actual “language” for patching. It can save you a lot of money in the long run. I still had to patch on paper to see points where I wanted to break out a signal, combine signals, etc. that I had missed.

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 17:26

Crappy weather has made me productive in the last couple of weeks... sorry for flooding the forum.

This one started as an experiment in the four dimensions of the Make Noise Rene 2 sequencer. The C axis is driving Rings which is what you first hear. The Y axis is driving a funky bass kinda thing through the Piston Honda. C axis is driving Plaits. The Z axis runs through variations of the sequences for all three oscillators. A big part of the performance includes enabling and disabling the sequencer gates in Rene as well as enabling/disabling glide on sequencer steps, so you get variation as it goes through the sequences. Mimeophon provides delay on the Rings sequence and is manually dialed in and out. The modular portion was recorded as a "live" performance and the rest of the parts were added after the fact.

I decided to pull a guitar off the wall for the little melody line, but the melody is later played on the Subsequent 37 and the Prophet Rev 2. I recorded many solos for this song on both guitar and synth, none of which were kept... I thought the modular track was already busy enough, so I took out the e-bow and did a guitar solo with that then ran it through a delay. Moog Taurus pedals provide the low bass line. Drums were pieced together with EZ drummer and are the only thing that was done with midi.

Just realised I've been going over an hour now!

I have really liked watching folks show their rigs for their recording so I thought I'd give it a try. There's a lot going on in this patch, but there's no clocking so it's totally freeform from a timing perspective, and it's improvised after playing with the basic patch for a couple of weeks. Lesson learned on this was putting into practice Mylar's tips on practicing/rehearsing with your live rig so you can build muscle memory and not fumble around too much (although I still do quite a bit of fumbling here).

1. First bass sounds are sine and triangle outs from the Erica Synths Black VCO 2 through the Vult Freak and Chronoblob

2. The main lead is the sine of Osc A and the Final of Osc B of DPO through QPAS and Chronoblob (also running through Mordax Data for gratuitous Lissajous figures). I'm using aftertouch on the Keystep Pro to control FM on DPO for the vibrato effect.

3. A third voice is Rings which is fed notes from Marbles which I trained to E pentatonic minor. Marbles is triggered by the gate of the main lead as played on the keyboard, and biased for unpredictable trigger outs to Rings Strum input. Rings outs are going into Typhoon.

4. After I kill the initial low drone from the Black VCO I fade in a random sequence of drones. There are four voices that are faded in and out by four LFOs on Batumi running to the Quad VCA. The voices come from Disting EX, Piston Honda A and B and Plaits. Disting is running through Ripples, PH is running through dual filters on Bionic Lester and Plaits is running through Polaris. Those are all running through Mimeophon.

Everything runs through Big Sky Chorale effect direct to DAW.

Cheers.

on the home page...it would be cool to have a 'top rated modules by type' where you could filter some of the more basic function...top 5 vca, vco, vcf, etc...

Feature request:

Some modules have 2 versions, e.g. black or white faceplate. They are technically the same module only in a different color faceplate. It would be awesome if there is an option on the "Edit Module" page that allows for linking two or more modules together. They would still be two different products of course with each their own module information page like normal but implementing this opens up two very handy features:

• A list on the Module information page showing the variations of that module. For example:
  On the page of "Module X - White" you'll see a list saying "Product Variations:" which contains a link to "Module X - Black"

• Add a checkbox for each variation. If you check this box and press "Notify me if someone offers this Module for sale", it will also send a notification if someone submits an offer for that checked module.

My profession is Software tester so let me know if the feature is implemented so I can test it out lol

Lovely track :) at least so far on Track 1 :)

EDITED Jul 18th 2021, 12:19

It's good they helped you mate, but its yet another example of a product that obviously hadn't gone through a good enough quality control process.

Yeh, fully aware that my lack of issues may be pot luck, or maybe the result of the QC getting better over time / issues being ironed out

Hi everyone,

Just a quick message to let you know that systasis002 is now available.

You can listen through my bandcamp page and the album is also available as a limited cassette edition (20 copies). Each copy is thoughtfully packaged with a small original artwork and papercut figure - no two copies the same!

I hope that you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed creating.

https://www.systasis.co.uk/product/systasis002-limited-cassette-edition

https://systasis.bandcamp.com/album/systasis002

Cheers!

Hey all,
I just bought myself a small eurorack rig and while I’ve taught myself a lot, I’m having trouble with some details that can’t really be resolved via internet searches. Plus with all the money I’ve spent, trial and error could quickly turn into a smoking nightmare.

I want to meet up in person with someone who has sizable eurorack experience, just for some basics i.e. CV patching and making the most of utilities. Living in LA I doubt this will be too hard to find.

Willing to pay a reasonable hourly rate. Hit me up via this thread or PM.

Thanks
-Jamie

Another question: Which do you think is better? A synth voice module or a bunch of modules to complete a synth voice?
-- baygiooday

Depends partly on what music you're doing and whether you need to work fast (as in live gigging) or not (studio work). If the former, you might benefit from some single-module voices. But if the rig is only going to see studio work, I'd suggest going with the individual module plan. Also, if doing music with complex sonic elements, individual modules give you the flexibility needed for that...such as for immersive ambient. But if you're aiming for a techno/EDM-type direction, it wouldn't be a bad thing to make your "bleep" and "bass" voices be single module voices.

The screws on the side panels are Torx, right? I've never come across these before. Do you know what size screwdriver you need? Just wanna make sure I order the right one.
-- Manbearpignick

The best solution here would be to hit a home improvement store and pick up a set of Torx drivers. Not all that expensive, plus if you run across other Torx-fitted stuff, you're covered.

I'd check with Expert Sleepers on that point, actually. I doubt they'd put lightpipe I/O there without being able to send/return ALL of the channels; remember, this is not exactly a "normal" ADAT lightpipe interface, but something that talks to whatever CV interface app is in use. But if you want the smaller footprint, the ES-3/6 combo would also be a good fit...just remember that it hasn't got the USB interface that allows you to directly connect a MIDI controller to it in addition to the normal I/Os, and it also only handles outputs. However, you can expand that arrangement to a massive 64-outs for both gate/trig and CV.

Even so, the cheapest and easiest solution still appears to be to use an outboard DC-coupled audio interface. I use that, and so do others here.

Thanks for the reply! I'm working in this hp space so far, but will buy another case at some point. The x-pan looks nice. I dont need the output module, it was just a good deal at the time.

You're right about lacking in utilities. I'm looking a bit at 3xmia, ochd, joranalogue select 2, and also FX aid to mention some. I'll check out the other modules, thanks! Im still pretty new to this, so learning along the way.

Also LPG looks dope, i didnt realise i needed that!

Almost kind of jazzy thing, nice!

Hey, thanks TumeniKnobs. I appreciate that. Most of that stuff on Soundcloud is just me rolling tape and seeing what comes out.
Here's another one-take looping improv thing I did this morning. I wanted to see what would come out if I flipped the "Amen" break a little bit. Same set up as last night, but added the Erica Sample Drum, Quadrax, and FSS Gristleizer VCA to the mix.
Have a great weekend.

by unscrewing the wooden side panels it's possible to "flip" the internal assembly so that the hinge can be mounted on the other side, making the two Rackbrutes in the same orientation again. Definitely something you'll want to do when getting your second Rackbrute!

-- splendor

So good to know, thanks. I can finally put the ES-9 in the far right of the bottom RackBrute!

The screws on the side panels are Torx, right? I've never come across these before. Do you know what size screwdriver you need? Just wanna make sure I order the right one.

Thanks again for this super useful tip - your setup is fantastic.

Totally my thing. ;-) I checked out a bunch of your other tracks on SoundCloud - great stuff!

Hey, thanks GarfieldModular. I've been playing around with looping minimal elements and just seeing what happens. As always, I appreciate your time.

-- jb61264

-- toodee

-- Ronin1973

-- T0MMI001

Thank you for all your helps!
I will learn some basic knowledge and then expand my system slowly. I will need your helps in the future!
Another question: Which do you think is better? A synth voice module or a bunch of modules to complete a synth voice?

Thank you all for replying. I really like those 1u rows. Especially the CV voltage source. It seems so handy. For my second case I will look into it. Now I will focus on this idea. I really dont want to change things up to much anymore.

After some research and great insights from the amazing Lugia I might go with the ES-3 Mk4 + ES-6 Mk2 combo. Cheaper than an ES-9 and it gives me 8 outs if I am correct? The ES-9 gives me more than I can use with my RME UCX (8 A INS). Let me know what you guys think of it!

Link:

All the best and enjoy the weekend.

-Glenn

Yep, they are...just as long as you use the right format. XODES has tried to come up with a "universal" tile faceplate, though...and it really seems to end-run that issue.

As to the OP's question about outputs to the DAW's A/D, my suggestion...if this is just going to be a studio rig, you might actually be better off with an Expert Sleepers interface module right there in the cab. The ES-9 comes to mind, in fact...plenty of user programmability, plus it works as a MIDI interface for any class-compliant controller while also having 8 channels of output from the DAW...and with 14 inputs to send audio directly to the DAW via either USB or ADAT Lightpipe. Oh, and it also gives you a stereo pair of isolated analog outs so that you could connect directly from that to the PA desk if you DID want to use it live.

The other cheapo method for this is to use a software package like ES's Silent Way, Ableton Live's CV Tools, etc...and then, your next move would be to snag a used but "obsolete" I/O interface (I use a MOTU 828FW mkii) and then use it as a substitute for the ES-9. This gives you an easy 8-out/8-in, and all you need to do is to grab a cheap Firewire 400 card to make that work. Truth is, ANY DC-coupled audio interface will work (usually), and if you stick with the interfaces from back in the old "96 kHz is all you get" days that have that, you can make this fly for a couple hundred.

Hi Farkas,

Oh that's a beautifully nice relaxed track. This gives me a nice feeling. I pressed the play button again, I want this again and again :-)

Nice subtle sounds that keeps the listener interested, great work! Thank you very much for sharing this with us, you have a good weekend too and kind regards, Garfield.

If working within this hp space I would recommend two Arcus Audio Dual LIN/EXP VCAs. I would also suggest looking at the X-PAN from Make Noise as your mixer, especially for ambient. Do you need to run 1/4" cables from the rig or need headphones from it? Most audio interfaces can handle this duty. Roland makes some good 1/8" to 1/4" TS cables. I would suggest the Klavis Mixwitch as a sequential switch. The Happy Nerding FX AID is a great effect module. As far as oscillators I recommend allowing whatever hp you need to get what will work best. The BIA is a very popular module. Filters are also a very personal choice. I like the VOID Modular Sirius' Veil. I would also recommend a LPG. ST Modular makes a 0 hp Workmate if you want a flying LPG. Mystic Circuits also makes one. This also is lacking in utility modules. I suggest drawing out the signal path to see if there are any choke points or gaps.

Hi! Looking for some feedback on this rack:

I think i will sell BIA and wasp filter. Looking at stages and/or quadrax next, but not sure. 4ms ensemble osc will probably be bought later, but might be too much osc/hp then? Looking to mostly make downtempo/ambient, occationally some oomphy. I have a DFAM on the side.

Thanks!

Haven't shared anything in a while. Here's a little lo-fi one-take looping improvisation using a Sequential Prophet Rev2, Qu-Bit Data Bender, Make Noise QPAS, and the 4MS Dual Looping Delay. Hope you enjoy. No worries if it's not your thing. Have a great weekend.
https://ciernyvlk.bandcamp.com/track/juniper

https://soundcloud.com/cierny_vlk/juniper-4-71621-425-pm

EDITED Jul 16th 2021, 20:57

Deckard, is that you?

Getting some Blade Runner Feelings there. Very nice Track!

That was great..... I won't be alarmed ;-)
-- wishbonebrewery

Haha! Thanks for the comments gentlemen.

Smart contact and good transaction with @fango
Grazie Nick !

Second that. 1U rows are perfect for mults and attenuverters.

Are you using yours as a second interface with your UAD?

yes :) I have it as an aggregate device. I only use my UAD as glorified sound card really and I use their plugins so I don't have to use the MacBooks CPU.

I love the ES8 / ES6 combo mainly for piping audio and cv in out of the hybrid set up. Sometimes it takes me a while to set it up but once I have it all working its great to record stuff into Ableton.

In fact I've been looking at all the modulators in Bitwig and have started to re-evaluate whether I could downsize some of my eurorack set up.

I like the Intellijel cases with their 1U row. The Quadrats are nice for attenuverting, monophonic mixing, or just as a convenient CV voltage source to control multiple modules. Intellijel also has decent 1U mults (active and passive).

That's what I like...

Not trying to take away from your perspective or personal experience, I've just had a couple of very good customer service experiences with them. The other involving feature requests and what-not.

It's good they helped you mate, but its yet another example of a product that obviously hadn't gone through a good enough quality control process. None of the above has dissuaded me from re-evaluating my arguments, I would still choose Behringer any day of the week over these cowboys but I guess this is because I have many of their products and to date all of them have been rock solid in terms of functionality and performance for me

Thanks for the chat merzky, its been a pleasure :)