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Re organised trying to balance functions, brands and colours.... I think I am finally there :)

Kinda difficult to do a Buchla-esque poly modular for $3k. Plus, what you have there isn't going to work because there's a lot of parts missing...no VCAs, the CV input section of the VC Mixer is missing, no output stage, etc. And since West Coast systems tend to use complex oscillators (pricey), just four single VCOs isn't going to get you there.

As for generative, that can get even spendier, since then you're in the realm of multiple modulation sources, random sources, sequencers, quantizers, logic, and so forth. In theory, you could fit it into 2x84 hp like the above, but you'd have to use a lot of very small-space modules, and it would wind up turning into a patchcord thicket. Put that together with the polyphony, and you've arrived at a system that's much larger than the cab above, and which costs quite a bit more than $3k CDN. You might want to scale this idea down somewhat...

Off-rack cables go to an SQ-1: (from top to bottom) A Out CV, A Out Gate, and Sync In. There is also a Boss RV-6 Reverb that can be set to Delay, Hall, Plate, or Spring modes

Im new to all of this. I am trying to make something polyphonic (buchla) for under 3000 cad$ any proposals or recomandations? What modules would benefit me better?

Ps. I am looking for a system that allows me to make something generative. This rack is only a first idea, i am not sure if it is complete or fonctionnal

Oh indeed! It can be any size, 84 seemed an easy standard to find. 7Ux126HP is a bit larger than I am ready for just yet, all that empty space will drive me nuts and lead me to want to expand too fast.

I picked 84HP to try to limit my build out of the system. I guess I'll end up with a hermit-crab like series of slightly
larger shells that way. Maybe there will be someone else out there that wants a wood 84HP box at the end of this journey... I could post pictures of the build as it goes, I have the DFAM + 60HP currently mounted with plywood sides that copy the 2-tier rack look (but in wood) and it looks and feels nice as a unified instrument.

An idea: if you're going to DIY a cab, you don't necessarily have to stick with 84 hp. Raw Vector rails can be had in up to 300 hp increments. Now, that would be utterly bonkers, but one format I've seen from Erica makes a lot of sense to me, and that's 126 hp. It's big, but not overly huge to the point of either being overwhelming or unportable. Check out Pulplogic's or Synthrotek's offerings for rails and mounting hardware. And yes, 1U makes perfect sense; if you can shunt off a lot of utility functions into the tile row(s), that makes more space for the big stuff.

Dixie II is a pretty good choice, given how variable it is plus how small a footprint it takes up. As for the Echophon, just wait and see...that plus the Batumi = serious sonic trouble (of the GOOD variety)! Other than that, I think you're good to go here.

Does anyone have any helpful opinions on what to do next?

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/image/661145.jpg
Just Friends is in the mail...

So far I am really really happy with the setup, the modular is way more fun than I had imagined. But! For example, a LxD would maybe be useful to smooth out digital aliasing the BIA produces (and 2x VCAs in only 4HP). I also don't have CV attenuation or utilities, so CV control that doesn't just go from -5 to +5V requires some planning... (I use the env outs of the DFAM, and tempo-sync LFO to get a little bit of adjustment).

I think I want to stick with this setup for a bit (since I really can't afford another module for a while), but I plan on building a 84HP wide box maybe around the end of the year, maybe with a 1U row of utilities. I'm handy with woodworking, so I'm making the case myself out of cherry or walnut (and that means 84HP could be 85HP or whatever it needs to be!). What would YOU add?

My current short list fills in the gaps with helpful utilities:
LxD
O/A x2
µVCA
µModII 4 quadrant multiplier
O'Tool Plus

All that would still leave another 24HP, I really have no clue what I'd put there that makes sense at the moment.

Staying at a measly 60HP size, would you swap out any modules in the short-term? I keep wondering how much I need that LFO over the LxD, for example..

Thanks for your help!

I sold a Trigger Riot to @BrokenBo : nice and clear communication, payment received quickly. A very smooth transaction.

Thank you Lugia!

Anymore advice about the general flow of the rack? Is there anything substantial that is missing?

I have now added a Three Sisters for filter and additional VCO, Dixie II. Seems like that will play nice with the Rubicon but any suggestion would be great as maybe a different color of VCO could also go well.

Are there any glaring redundancies? Things which are too similar or too much HP? The only module I'm not convinced totally of is the Echophon...

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

EDITED Jun 18th 2018, 10:19

I sold a Delptronics LDB-2e to @Onsturicheit. Super fast payment, crystal clear communication and very nice guy !

The Veils and the Quad VCA are pretty much the same thing, but Intellijel's prices are a hair cheaper. That's about the only real difference.

Right, but that arrangement works if you have the volume loop aerial on the right. With just one, though, the key is to simply get it away from wherever your hand might be while using the rest of the controls. Interestingly, Moog's present-day theremins are backwards from the original RCA ones, which are pitch on the right, volume left.

Thanks Folks
The Synthrotek buffered mult seems to be good for the amount of HP. I think i'm gonna do some selling and re-evaluating as I feel I've got some modules that have different modes so they cant do stuff at the same time. I'm gonna downsize my Doepfer A111-2 to an A111-3, (its basically the same for what I use it for) and add a Doepfer A118 Noise and random. I'm thinking about getting a Batumi to modulate everything, and a Maths, primarily because i want more envelopes, but also because I keep being told im missing out if I don't get one (Hmmmm)

Also, I think I'm gonna ditch my Doepfer VCAs for another Veils as I find the mixing functions more useful. I was wondering if the Intelligel quad VCA would be better but I cant really see much difference...?

Any thoughts much appreciated

Oh, great points. Part of the weird layout is because my imagination had the pitch antenna for a standard theremin on the left (probably because Pamelia Kurstin plays lefty). I was also hoping to sit the MLH and M32 MIDI ports as close as I could, but making the keyboard more accessible will be more important, especially since I'm using the concave 3-tier rack.

Thanks for the feedback! Makes me feel more comfortable saying goodbye to my money. I think this thing will be a lot of fun.

Only the order. If it were up to me, I'd put the M32 on the bottom because of its chiclet-type keyboard controller, then the DFAM above. Top row (great choices, btw) really should be (left to right) ES-8, Mother's Helper, uScale, Maths, Disting, A-178. That puts your control functions all in one area, CV stuff down the middle, and then the theremin controller all the way on the end to keep the aerial away from the synth so that you don't have to deal with random pickup issues while tweaking the other knobs. By putting it over the Moogs' patchpoints, you're pretty assured that working with the rest of the synth doesn't cause the A-178 to pick up on random hand motions near it.

First rack! I've already got the DFAM and M32, and I love them but want to expand. I'm planning to connect to VCV Rack with the ES-8 to try things out. The Disting mk4 also seems to add a lot of open-ended functionality.

Anything anyone would change? Thanks!

EDITED Jun 16th 2018, 15:33

Hmmm...well, under those circumstances, you could do with one more simple VCO to beef up the sound out of the Rubicon II or to do audio-range modulation. Doepfer has their A-143-9, a quadrature LFO that can work well up into the audio range, plus it outputs four different phase angles of its sine waveform, so that if you wanted to use it as an LFO instead of a VCO, it can have the original phase curve modulating one thing, but your choice of 90, 180, or 270 degrees out of phase to do identical-but-offset modulation elsewhere. Small and cheap, too.

I'm very happy about my transaction with @Drazen for a MMG module. I paid Tuesday night and had the module in my hands Friday afternoon. Friendly communication, top notch packaging, accurate description, and super fast shipping. Who could ask for more? I'm in Calif. and he is on the other side of the planet, so I was impressed by the speed of everything. I highly recommend Drazen as a seller! He's a super professional seller. A+ 10/10!!

EDITED Jun 16th 2018, 07:07

This is a sketched patch with ALM Busy circuits Akemie's Taiko and Mallekko Heavy Industry's Varigate 8= as a sequencer.

Bought a Make Noise Function from @Endorfinity. Very fast shipment, great condition and nice communication. Highly recommend seller, thank you.

bought a doepfer a-192-1 from @adrien
dispatched quickly and picked it up from post office last night - perfect, except for the reversed power header...

fixed in 2 mins, though

works perfectly

thanks

Another thing is I would like to be able to do is play only on the rack WITHOUT my bass. I have a Beatstep pro and a keystep. How am I doing in terms of using those to control and sequence the modular? Appreciate your input Lugia and Wiggler!!!

Thanks guys! Is there anything critical that I'm missing from the rack at this moment? Other modules I should consider to tie patches together, or get a better mix (more vcas? hah) or effects? What about utilities? I really want to be able to work and experiment with the same setup for quite a long time...

I'm sorry the original rack is still up, please click on the rack itself to review the new and improved version....

EDITED Jun 15th 2018, 11:01

Hi
I'm a beginner in eurorack world so maybe I don't think about the right module to add.. :-)

Here is my case.. there are some space to fill..
any suggestion ? (I'm waiting for a varigate 4+)

maybe a second and better vcf (ripples), one more vca , lfo batumi ?

Cheers

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_663465.jpg

@damir501 .. second time I bought from him. Excellent communication, fast shipment. Thanks!

VCAs. None in evidence in your build, and you very much need them. Get something like Intellijel's Quad VCA so you have several in a smaller space that can also function in either linear (for CVs) or exponential (for audio dynamics) modes.
-- Lugia

Thanks lad, i was considering that. Then i thought Frames could function as a VCA. But i guess i need a proper quad VCA.

Do i need a clock? Or like random generator?

Audio/Visual Essay - 120 bpm
BandCamp: https://thetimebeing.bandcamp.com/

I find it hard to figure out... limited instructions/instruction reading (maybe I did not read them)... but pretty much the only use I have for it at the moment with my software, reaktor blocks, are sequencers, LFOs and an input into Ableton, one. Also the inputs/outputs look cool but are loose and seem to be inferior in quality/construction... patch cables will just fall out if bumped lightly, there is nothing holding them in place. I am not able to make the ES-8 work the way I intended if blocks is used as a plug-in with ableton. Blocks has to be used in standalone, which is not what I was expecting. Not too interested in many of the other modules in my software (NI blocks) but I guess I could try to modulate the digital shtuff that comes out of it... I could not get an ADSR in blocks to work, receiving and sending cv... got frustrated, maybe I will read through everything again someday and try again. I was thinking I could use this for VCAs, ADSRs, LFOs, Sequencers... halfway there... Wish someone would make some useful videos.... bahhh hahahahahahahaha ahhh.

EDITED Jul 10th 2018, 15:19

VCAs. None in evidence in your build, and you very much need them. Get something like Intellijel's Quad VCA so you have several in a smaller space that can also function in either linear (for CVs) or exponential (for audio dynamics) modes.

P-to-V, definitely. Also, you're going to want an envelope follower so that the bass's dynamics can generate CVs for modulating filters, VCAs, etc.

Another fun soundscape source might be Evaton's RF Nomad. Nothing quite as strange and full of potential as shortwave audio.

Rings should be fine as a resonator. However, there's a lot of CV-hungry things in there, and you're definitely going to need at least one (maybe two) buffered mult to prevent voltage sag/detuning across either the VCO or VCF CV inputs. Another thing clearly missing is some sort of random source...you definitely need a noise source, plus some variety of random signal source such as Doepfer's A-149-1 that can derive random CVs from the noise source. Otherwise, this is coming together nicely.

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_506256.jpg

Hi,

This is my first Euro Rack, i am not new to synths but very much so to modular.
My goal is to make a "space" ambient modular euro rack. :-) In a Intellijel 84HP 7U case. With modules that are great at what they do, and with a lot of multi functionality. Like the type of functionality of "Maths".

I would appreciate all feedback possible. Is there any module that would compliment my setup? Have i missed some crusial function that i need for it to work? Like a clock generator or such?

Thanks in advance!
Johan

Resonator: do you mean like a BBD? Flanger, phaser type things?
-- Tooth

Yes, or Rings, Twin Peaks,...

EDITED Jun 14th 2018, 18:32

New Stereo multimode VCA from Steady State Fate, coming soon

Resonator: do you mean like a BBD? Flanger, phaser type things?

Hi gvfgvf. Interesting, more and more players of other instruments are starting to interface/act with a modular.
Have you considered any of these: Pitch to CV, Piezo pre-amp ?

EDITED Jun 14th 2018, 13:00

percussion
resonator
controllers

Hi fellow wigglers!

I'm a contrabassist from Sweden looking into eurorack and eventually sample my instrument directly into my system.

I'm looking for feedback while planning my first eurorack. I've worked quite a bit on the soundmachines114 and also have a MOOG Minitaur that was my intro into subtractive synthesis. Other than that I've been reading the forums here, muff wiggler, and also manuals from a lot of different manufacturers.

I own everything in the rack shown here except the 1U modules and the Morphagene. I will be getting an Intellijel 7U 104HP case to house everything.

My questions relate to setting up the system for ambient soundscapes. This is the best description for what I would like to be able to do with my system. Use my bass as a sound source and combine it with a good selection of modules that can really go into deep, somewhat melodic spaces with a lot of harmonic content and modulation. I'm definitely looking towards more generative patches that can respond to my bass playing so the modular system and I can have a conversation for a good length of time on stage.

Thank you all for your responses. Any and all advice/criticism would be appreciated :)

If viewing this in the forum please click on the rack to see the updated version. I seem to have posted an older version of the rack itself.

EDITED Jun 14th 2018, 11:29

Hi,
So this is where I'm at so far. I have ES8 controlling the oscillators. It works. I can create melodic textures and have some nice ways of modifying them, which is what I wanted... But what am I missing? Any ideas?

Quick and smooth buy of ADE-32 from @mikmanner, thanks!

thumbs up for @yochwired , great transaction on a Future Retro Transient+!

You can use Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V to copy and paste between racks on different tabs of the same browser. :)
-- ParanormalPatroler

It's just c and v without the Ctrl though.

You can use Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V to copy and paste between racks on different tabs of the same browser. :)
-- ParanormalPatroler

Bugger me - so you can! Thanks!

You can use Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V to copy and paste between racks on different tabs of the same browser. :)

Thanks, I hadn't spotted the hp discrepancy. I will look into the Octo module, that looks very interesting and versatile.

You know you can sort by Depth?
Click twice to change sort direction. Valid workaround?
-- modulargrid

It helps, but i still have to go through the module description do have an idea of actual depth.
A filter with x = max depth in mm, that excludes all modules without depth definition and deeper than x.
Workaround would be to see depth displayed in the overview, so no further clicks are needed to know actual depth.
-- bj_gzp

New Unicorn user here. Thanks for the amazing site!

+1 for a depth filter in the search settings so if you have a case that fits modules up to 70mm in depth only relevant modules will be shown in the search. It would save a lot of time.

Also, how about the ability to copy or move selected modules between racks? Again, that would be a major time saver.

I feel sorry if this is how you feel. I have never ever tried to hide the location of my modules for sale, if only you would have asked.
If someone just asks for PayPal address and transfers money without making any inquiries apart from "rack rash" then I don't see any problems. I have been honest to all my buyers about the location of my modules and their condition. It is listed as EU as I do live in EU, but as someone who lives from music recording and production I do move a lot and have more than one base. Some modules are shipped from London, some from Berlin and some indeed from Doha, Qatar. If people would have been more inclined to leave feedback then I'm sure the rest of you would know the truth.

Cheerio

-- Drazen

So, @Drazen, what you're actually saying is that any potential buyer from EU has to know in advance that you & your modules for sale are jet set travelers, so he better make sure at first that your current location will be really within EU at that given time before proceeding on a purchase in order to avoid any extra customs fees...
Otherwise would be buyer's fault..!

Ok, seriously now, the module i bought from you was cosmetically as described and working flawless indeed. Fine by that.

But, @Drazen, as you're not living in Mars but periodically also in EU&UK besides Qatar as you have stated, you know quite well that customs means extra fees -and i had informed you in the very beginning of our communication for my location. So, in a realm of common sense, as a good honest seller (who has marked EU his region) it was your obligation to informed me on your intention to send it from a country outside of EU.
But i guess the whole problem caused on my lack of Extra Sensory Perception...

By the way -
I don't know about @SpaceCowboy, but i do know that @cereyanlimusiki is not EU based...
That said, any buyers from USA or wherever outside EU, knowing they buying from a foreign country are already aware on the potensial extra fee of their country customs, so they can judge whether a purchase is in their interest or not.
That was not are case...

Anyway, i consider myself lucky that finally (and after extent debate with the officers) the total custom charges had to pay extra was only 87€ . It could be much worse...

CAVEAT EMPTOR

EDITED Jun 14th 2018, 14:03

Hm...not a bad implementation of the Doepfer DIY, actually. Tandemmed with the M32, DFAM, and the hopefully-coming-soon Subharmonicon (I hope it's not a Moogfest-only thing!), you'd sort of have the four horsemen of the 60hp apocalypse!

Rack in the image is a little misleading; good thing I checked the module listings for hp instead of going by 'eyeball', because that's not 84 hp wide.

OK...top row has 14 hp left (5, 45, 20 present), and if the goal here is a lot of weird crossmod and strange behavior, my suggestion would be some sort of module that can be a 'hub' for all of the in-cab voices at the same time: Abstract Data's ADE-32 Octocontroller. Check the listing...I think it would make for a good 'hub of weird behavior' for something along these lines. On the bottom, you've got 2 hp left, and my suggestion there would actually be two extra linear VCAs (by, who else, 2hp) to tandem with the Octocontroller to add some further levelling oddness to some control paths. Careful with the external mixer, btw...make sure its line inputs have both the extra headroom AND attenuation to deal with the synth-level signals.