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There are actually some mixers that can handle the abuse of being fed synth-level signals, amazingly enough. I can do this with my Mackie 1202, but mine's also a rev.1 and I'm not sure about the present VLZ version. However, there have been threads on sites such as Muff Wiggler etc that go into which small outboard mixers can deal with high input levels. The critical key here is to have some sort of input trim control which can back the incoming level sensitivity waaaaaaaay down to regular ol' line level. As for raising the level back up, there's small signal preamps that should be able to accomplish this. But yeah, that signal flow diagram you show above is the right method if you use an outboard mixer with a couple of AUX sends. Just make sure that your AUXes are set PRE-fader so you can cut the Rosie's send fader out to avoid feedback. Having done this, then send your stereo (or mono) effect outs back into the mixer's line inputs to create an effects mix to go to the Rosie stereo return.

Another method would be to put together some tiles in one of Syinsi's 12-tile minicabs, with their Pedal I/O tiles doing the heavy lifting and some additional tiles to allow splitting/mixing of effect signals, maybe even a couple of LFOs and VCAs to do some audio modulation. Either way, what you want to do here is to take the Rosie's mono send, find a way to split it amongst a few effects, then some method of mixing the effect-outs back in a desired configuration in stereo to go back to the Rosie's stereo return. If using this route, a simple buffered mult tile can split the single send into three mono signals, then these would go to three effect I/O tiles. The returns from the effects can go back to these if they're mono, but if they're stereo you'll need three more effect I/Os to reboost. Mono: use a single three or four channel mixer to combine the effects for the Rosie's FX return; stereo: use two, same idea.

See, this is the neat thing about modular: the 'instrument' doesn't have to end at the edges of the case. In theory, if you have enough interconnectivity, the whole STUDIO may as well be considered an 'instrument', given a certain degree of ingenuity.

Samples and Aux from mixer fed in through 1/4 inputs on the side.

I logged on once and put this is my rack of every module ever just for funsies.

EDITED Feb 2nd 2018, 17:07

Great. You'll have lots of fun!
If you want to use external effects you could also think about getting an external mixer and have the pedals in the aux/send-return there.

Thank you Phineas i absolutely agree. In some ways i am thinking of these three racks as a north star to navigate toward, but yes i would start very slowly with a couple oscillators and VCA, VCF. I also have plenty of guitar pedals that i can use for effects although i know my routing would be rather limited, i would use them as a final signal chain..
Thanks again,
Craig

Hi!
And welcome, Craig. I think you already got a lot of very specific and detailed feedback from Lugia.
One thing though: if you're new to modular, start slowly!
Don't buy three rows full of stuff at once without knowing what the things do. Get to know your setup. This will also help you to figure out what you really need and want. (And it will save you from selling tons of expensive stuff here again three months later!)
So, I really don't think that it is necessary to start with 7-8 VCOs. Start with two or three to see what they can do and how you want them to sound, which functions you like.
Apart from that, Lugias advise will really help - all the important stuff in there.

Best,
phineas

Lugia thanks a lot! I made all the changes you suggested, looks gooood!
Only thing I did was to keep a buffered mult rather than a passive one. I am new to this world, so if I get a passive one I have the feeling I don't know exactly what's going on.. and the best thing to learn is to know exactly what is going on ;)

Question tho:

could you explain better the mixer thing?
Don't I have problems if I go out with modular level?
How should I route the mixer then?

Rosie (send out) --> mixer in --> effect loop on mixer FX LOOP --> mixer stereo out ---> rosie (stereo return in)

Do you mean something like this?
Then I would need a mixer with an effect loop.. or what were you thinking exactly?
Or how can I skip the mixer and still make it work without burning my stompboxes?
Or how can I make sure that my stompboxes can handle modular level?
This would be a SUPER win! (I have some wonderful stompboxes)

Lugia,
Great feedback thank you!
Can you take a look at the rack now, it has a dedicated third lower rack for control and triggers, and then i added ring mod, other filters, vcas and one or two more osc sources. I think i might not have fully understood your comment on looping ADs etc maybe you can explain that more.

also did i get a component that is buffered to avoid the droop you are talking about, otherwise perhaps you can suggest something?
Thanks so much i am learning a lot from your feedback!
Thx,
Craig

Yeeah...but ultimately, I won't be satisfied until I can cook it up all in tiles and jam the result into a Syinsi 3U tile cab!

Hmmmm..ok, VCOs. Not quite enough basic ones. You're going to want a few more of the more plain-and-boring variety to either fill out sounds or to use as AF modulation sources for the Graphic and Mangroves. I'd also consider something that can do thru-zero FM, such as a Rubicon or Doepfer's A-110-6. Overall, about 7-8 VCOs, with 3 of those being the 'sexy' variety, should be right. Also don't forget to put a small 4-6 channel mixer close by this arrangement so that you can create mixtures for various purposes, either to feed into your audio chain or to combine VCOs for a certain AF modulation effect. Make sure that, at this point, the mixer is DC-coupled linear, because then you can switch your 'boring' VCOs to LFO mode and combine them that way (or with Batumi outputs[and add its Poti expander!]) as well. You could also utilize the Linix in this way, but having a simple mixer or two (even tho they're BORING) is always something you'll find uses for. Lastly in this vein: ring modulator. Ring modulation is a 'you gotta have it' sort of thing with multiple oscillators, because it offers buttloads of sonic variation for very little price or space. I've been a fan of Intellijel's uMod II for some time, as this also gives you some logical operations, plus allows output of only 'sum' or 'difference' results.

Filtering: moar. Threeler is pretty good, but you'll want a few filters that're different so that you can actually build up several different 'instruments' inside the same modular. Fact is, just because you have all of this stuff in a box doesn't mean that the box can only do one thing at one time. Allow for multiple signal chains...and that requires multiple filters.

Control surface: you're part-way there. Isolate your entire bottom row (which I assume will be at an angle directly in front of you) for things that make other things do things. I would suggest putting your sequencer there, the Ears, the Brains/Pressure Points (and why not add a second Pressure Points while you're at it?), the Planar, and whatever you use for a final mixer. That way, ALL of your global(ish) controls are right in front of you to interact with easily.

Other things: exponential VCAs. The Linix is good, but you want VCAs that are audio-specific toward the end of your signal chain(s) to control audio levels in a way that our ears find conveys apparent loudness. You could consider a performance mixer of some sort, as these can give you multiple audio VCAs AND panning, FX send/return abilities, and stereo output. This, btw, is definitely something that goes on that bottom row so you can 'play' it just like any other control surface.

Multiples. If we're talking 8 VCOs, that gets us toward voltage droop territory, so one for CVs to VCOs needs to be buffered to be sure your tunings remain the same if you run everything off of a single pitch CV. You also want a couple of the boring passive variety to group-send CVs, gate/trigs and modulation signals.

More envelopes. Use something that can do several looping AD or ARs so these can multitask as either LFOs or EGs. MATHS is sort of like this (but so much more!) but I'd consider something like the Quadra or Erogenous Tones's octuple crazy-ass thing. More is always better! Why? OK...if you use an ADSR for your filter, it's even better if you can shape the amplitude envelope differently, as this results in different decay rates of harmonics versus time, which is how harmonic decay works on a physical instrument. So...yeah.

And while I'm on the BORING subject, keep an eye out for where attenuators or attenuverters might come in handy. I like the latter, as you can both scale AND polarize voltage with these. Yeah, they're kinda meh...but they can wind up being far from that when you add them into various control chains for 'nuance'.

That's it for now...it's on a pretty good track, just needs the usual 'rethink until brain explodes' method at this point...

Actually, I thought the Mangroves was a keeper...what I would do is this:

Swap out the Dixie II and buffered mult for the Mangroves. Ditch the 2hp Delay for a passive mult. Then make use of the Rosie's FX loop to feed some external effects. Now, this might be a tad touchy because of level matching between modular and line levels, but the better grade of stompboxes can handle the gain-staging OK, even better if you do the send and return to a small mixer that can then handle the gain-staging and also juggle a bunch of outboard stompboxes and/or rack processors. This is something that the Rosie makes very easy, and it gives you the plus of mono-in to stereo-out in your effects chain, so you have a lot of 'abuse potential' with stereo imaging, using the small external mixer to parallel-chain various other boxes. Last, swap one ADSR with one of Ladik's 'alternates'; having a DADSR, for example, means you can stagger your envelope behaviors, and so forth.

And quite literally, that's all I'd change. The Mangroves VCO's ability to sweep through different formant configurations gives you a really quirky and interesting way to waveshape. There's too few primary CVs being sent around to need buffering to avoid voltage droop, and having the ability to incorporate something like a gate delay into your second Euro EG is a plus. Might seem nitpicky, but the rig is SOOOOOOO close that these few points are all it needs to take it over the top.

There you go, second revision!
Up for feedback! Thanks

Can i get some feedback on this rack i am designing. I am somewhat new to modular so be gentle.
Are there enough oscillators on here?
Am i missing key components?
I don't plan to buy immediately just to have an end goal in mind as i work on my synthesis skill set.
Thx,
Craig

Hey! Thanks for the reply man!
Indeed in a newer version I removed the mangrove in favor of some multiple ;)

I figured that 3 Osc (st0 mother and wave table) are enough for my purposes..

Just in case: what output module would you recommend?

Please more feedback, people!

daaaaaaaaamn...!

Yeah, this is pretty spot-on. The only thing I would change out here is to toss the Doepfer A-140 and instead put two Ladik xADSRs in...the 'x' part being for the additional function that some of theirs have, such as gate delay, hold, initial level, etc. You'll be glad to have an extra EG with the Veils in there. Maybe a little bit of regrouping for ease of navigation, also, but this is a hellacious M32 expansion rig. Make sure to get some in-line mults, also; cramming in an extra 2hp would be a chore here, so that's definitely the better route.

Exactly right about the 4ms Row Power 40s, also...the M32 (and DFAM, fyi) has a power inlet, but the empty 60hps don't. In fact, that same power supply is what Sweetwater bundles in their 'add-on' bundles, and it has more than ample current to deal with these dinky cabs. Should be nice and stable and run pretty chill.

Hi Y'all!

Recently I got a Moog Mother 32 and, of course, I fell for modular.
I really would like to have your opinion/hints/suggestions/whatever on this rack I am trying to build to expand the Mother 32.
I understood that I should build "around" the Mother, rather I should implement a rack that features it.

Keep in mind that I am 100% new to modular, so what I will say or what you will see can be very wrong :D

I will have a moog 3 tier rack to begin with. In this way I can have 2 rows for my modules and 1 row for the Mother.
If I will decide to expand I can always get a 2 or 3 tier rack and put it close to it.. so I guess this makes my set "modular" enough.
Also, I will never have the money again to buy more modules so the possibility that I will extend is fairly small.. ehehehheeh :D

The 3-tier rack is 60hp per row. In each row I have a power module and I don't have any output module since the Mother has that built-in. Does this make sense?

What do you think about the rack?
Please please please feedback!!!

Thanks!

See! :-) Nice one, cool!

BOOYAKA!

Pretty much 1:1 on functionality, with a few extras here and there, such as more noise colors, more waveforms, VCF also does BP response. 51 hp (beats Moog by 9!), $1563 on the modules alone, so way more than the off the shelf unit.

That was kinda fun...whupped that out in about 40 minutes or so.

EDITED Jan 31st 2018, 07:00

And I'll second the endorsement on a headphone cue send! If you're doing a lot of live work where there's constant minute twiddling going on, having that as a safety to make sure you haven't screwed up whatever tunings your VCOs have, or whether the filters are responding properly, etc etc etc is worth the price of gold. Often I'll just jack into a parallel output with the phones, using a 3.5mm mono-to-stereo adapter, but sometimes even that isn't as helpful as I might like.

I do use the Rosie's fx loop for some DSP stuff on the Disting. There's a ping pong delay on there I really like, as well as a reverb that can be useful. I use the headphone cue when I'm playing live to get things adjusted before I bring them in, but this doesn't work super well all the time.

Damn, I had no idea he made Eurorack modules; I thought he only stuck to 5U!
This is the exact module I wanted but thought he just didn't make it in this format!

EDITED Jan 31st 2018, 08:47

Quad Mixer/VCA would be my choice, given the space constraint. Adding a couple more linear-only DC-coupled VCAs for processing CVs is a good idea as well, plus these can be found in small sizes. As for the EG/LFO, I think you might get a little more in just 2 hp more by going with Intellijel's Quadra; the expander would be a little much to squeeze in, but the basic module alone gives you loads to work with, and two more than the Erica to boot. Plus, if you do go with a quad VCA/mixer, having the Quadra would set you right up with envelope control over each VCA.

Buffered mult? Naah...you're not going to be running so many devices on a CV line that you need to worry about voltage sag. Those things are for total lunatics (like myself!) that run a dozen or so VCOs and happen to want to stack every single one on the same CV line.

Another VCO? Loads to choose from in that general size range, with the STO being a pretty good pick among them. Of course, you could always try to shoehorn in something a bit bigger, and if so, my pick would be Doepfer's rather new A-110-6...TZFM in 12 hp for $250. But either/or there...STO gets you into the weird harmonic tilt area, A-110-6 gives you FM weirdness, either's a great pairing with the Braids. Or hey...split the difference, go to 10 hp and look at Mannequins' Mangrove. But yeah, adding one would be a good idea; the only issue then becomes what VCO to choose, and there's LOADS to pick from! Damn shame, all this potential sonic abundance...

Last, the Verb. Thanks to the mutants who're concocting the 2hp stuff, you can now cram both a stereo digital reverb AND a delay line with CV into the same 4 hp, and since these aren't things you might be apt to grab all the time, the tiny control size probably wouldn't be an issue. However, if it was, just park the 2hp modules in between a couple of others with more 'real estate' and then you should be able to get finger access pretty smoothly. Still, with the Erica, reverb seems to already be well in-hand...maybe a 2hp Freez looper could work? Or more perversely, they also make a Turing machine that was apparently left in the dryer too long, and connecting that shrunk-down thing with the RYK-185 (Metropolis) could get...interesting.

Don't sell these teensy-weensy modules short...they can make even as little as 8 hp of open space get pretty action-packed.

Right...it's designed as a 'scratchable' piezo mic module. Given what you want to do musically, make sure to get an external input that has an envelope follower. That way, you can extract the incoming amplitude envelope and use it as a CV elsewhere, such as on a filter cutoff or VCA CV. Been in love with that capability since way back, working with it on an ARP 2600 which has it in conjunction with its input preamp.

Bought a beautiful DIY Mutable Instruments Edges from @igorsv - good communication, fast shipping, superb build quality.

Note: I believe the DLY and Noise Sample & Hold are broken.

EDITED Jan 30th 2018, 19:03

Thank Lugia,
Your feedback is very much appreciated. You're a treasure to this forum.
I'm working towards having an initial rack up and running soon.
Your meaningful advice helps me understand what I'm doing a little better.
Thanks,
Burousu

Its more like a challenge. Like this one:

thanks Lugia! With Ears that was definitely my intention, thought i'd read somewhere that the input was line level but now i'm seeing it's a hi-z audio input.

Hi,

I am new to modular and would like to have some advice from this community.

These are the modules I already have: Intellijel Atlantis, Metropolis and uMidi, Studio Electronics SE88 filter, Mutable Instruments Braids and Erica Synths Black Hole DSP. See:

This means I have 34hp left to fill, needing at the very least least some sort of envelope shaper, VCAs and probably an additional fx. I have a few specific questions.

*I was thinking of buying a Black Dual EG/LFO from Erica Synths for the shaper, good idea?
*Given my space constraints, does it make sense to take a mixer (like Manhattan Analog DTM) in addition to a VCA or would a quad VCA that also mixes do the job?
*For the extra effect, I was thinking of Synthrotek Verb, good choice?
*I am new to Modular, and was wondering if I need a buffered multiple?
*For what is left in terms of space, I would probably go for another VCO (the Make noise STO?)

Many thanks in advance.

Bart

Yes, shure, all true. I just wanted to see some interesting combinations.Just for fun. ;-) Maybe something like the cheapest combination or the closest-to-original.

Too much mixer in the mix there. Both the Lifeforms System Interface and the Erica module do (basically) the same thing. I'm inclined to say you should keep the Pittsburgh mixer, drop the Erica, and use that space for something else, as having those three more (albeit ganged) inputs on the Pittsburgh will be more handy for juggling several percussion sources. Not sure why you'd have the Dual Zeus, either...this is small enough that a single input/single PS setup should suffice.

Beats...well, changing out sound generators would be a start there. It'd make more sense to find something that's more in a rhythmic-element vein for the voicing rather than VCOs. One of those might just be sufficient here. Also, lots of electronic percussion utilizes what're called 'ringing filters'...filters set just below self-resonance and which 'ring' when some sort of impulse gets fed to them in various ways. Right now, there's just the 4075 in Studio's ARP 2600 redux, and that's likely to be a constraint.

DFAM: not bad. BeatStep Pro: better. Cheaper, too. And you get...lessee...(looking at one of mine)...eight drum gate outs, two channels of CV/gate/velocity, MIDI I/O, clock I/O, and a more complex and interactive sequencer for $250. No, it doesn't say MOOG on it, but what does a word sound like, really? The DFAM is more about what it can sound like, not so much its fairly-simplistic sequencer which won't go too far in doing elaborate rhythm patterns. Oh, and no memory for said patterns, also.

It's a start, tho...definitely needs honing in on the voicing, though. Fortunately, MG's got loads of Drum modules of all sorts and flavors to sort thru. One other thing, also...when starting out on design, always make the rack bigger than you think you need, because you'll gradually discover that you actually DO need it that big. Sort of a Law of Physics of some sort...

It's a nice setup, save for the one thing I always seem to be pet-peeving on: VCAs. Simple fix there would be to just swap the Blinds for a Veils or Intellijel's Quad VCA (same idea, same size, $10 cheaper). Also, you might find that switching out the Ears for some sort of line-level input could be useful, as that would then allow you to input external audio (field recordings, for example...good ambient element) into the processing part of the signal chain. Not sure about the Rings, also...with the Elements there, it's a little redundant, and you might find that some sort of more unconventional filter would be better suited while at the same time freeing up a tad more space. So far, so good, tho...

Thing is, it's kind of a simple device. I've got it specced for a setup that I may well go with in a few months, but my reasons for it have less to do with its percussion aspect and more due to the fact it provides a nice 8x2 sequencer and some extra things that I can patch into something more complex. It'd be easy enough, though...couple of VCOs, noise, mixer, lowpass VCF, couple of ADs with fixed attack and the sequencer. Hexinverter had the optimum 8x2 step sequencer for it a minute ago with the Orbitals, but it's discontinued.

Even with it being simple, tho...cooking up a 'clone' of it in discrete modules would probably be considerably more expensive than buying a DFAM off the shelf; it's more likely that someone with a larger, more general-purposed system would just patch up a DFAM configuration on their own rig, or just buy one outright like I'm considering.

i'm putting together an ambient system and would love some advice, input, thoughts about what i have planned so far. i'll be building this slowly over time as i am beginning my journey into modular. i've been working with massive, absynth, and many other DAWs and analog synths for a few years so it's not totally new to me but any help will be useful while i learn and put it together. let me know what you all think

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_536572.jpg?1517258847

EDITED Jan 29th 2018, 20:52

Sold Doepfer A-110-2 to @Yochwired, very fast payment and good communication. Recommended buyer!

Perfect buy with Redukt. Fast shipped and great communication.

Hello,
My eurorack will be for generating beats and rhythms to back a singing guitarist.
Modular synths are new to me but I have technical and musical skills. The bottom row of the "BossTown Eurorack", generated on Modular Grid, is what I'm looking at as a starting point and the top row is more of a wish list. Also I'm likely to use MOOG (DFAM), and am considering MOOG Mother-32. Am I on the right track? I welcome any suggestions.
Thanks,
Burousu

EDITED Jan 29th 2018, 16:01

Would be nice to see any clones of the DFAM here. Any grids here, anyone...?

Lugia, thank you so much for your reply. I already own Clouds and Peaks
Yeah, it's not your typical modular synth. I'm using the 1U Output Mixer mainly for panning and mixing two stereo signals to channel through the Pico DSP, then through Ciao!.
I'll definitely keep your advice about the power supply in mind. The Ciao! also provides a cuing channel for the Morphogene (Turntable) and my line level out.
My case is Synthroteks Waterproof 104HP 6U + 1U Portable Eurorack Case which comes with filtered busboards

EDITED Jan 30th 2018, 07:47

Thanks!

The problem is one I've dealt with at points over the past 40-ish years. It came up at the very beginning of my early 'garage-level' experiments in trying to concoct something that was both irritating AND listenable enough that the listener would experience the irritation...which is definitely a paradox!

Definitely and definitely a desirable goal to me. More so when I was younger, I'm a bit more mellow nowadays, but it still seeps through.

Not exactly a module per se, but I can see immediately how this could also fit into a smaller modular rig, especially one being used along with some Volcas. Three channels (one is stereo) with 3.5mms, AUX send/return, compressor, channel mutes, DC supply onboard for three other Volcas, stereo out plus onboard speakers. It's sort of a simpler take on KOMA's Field Kit without some of the more esoteric functions. But unlike the Field Kit, this device has a master clock for Volcas and, presumably, other devices that can sync to Korg's sync standard.

Apparently it just dropped this weekend at Winter NAMM. Those looking for a small-rig mixer, especially something portable, might want a peek at this thing. http://www.korg.com/us/products/dj/volca_mix/

EDITED Jan 28th 2018, 02:59

Grrrrrrrr...had a much longer and more in-depth reply to this, but MG logged me out before I could hit 'Submit' and it got trashed.

Basically, tho...have a look at the following categories on here: "Clock Modulation", "CV Modulation", "Utilities", "Attenuators" and one I always go off on, "VCAs". None of these are particularly sexy areas, but it's through judicious inclusion and use of stuff in these categories of modules that a lot of subtilty and nuance in programming a modular comes to the fore. While exploring VCV Rack, also keep referring back to MG to see how the hardware implementations of the same concepts being modeled are done, especially when you run into an idea that you can't do in VCV. There's probably a hardware solution, and that'll help you sort out which of those you might need later on when tossing Big Money around.

Also, I'd again stress that getting and learning a patchable hardware synth is critical when moving from a software synth situation, because it's important to learn that hardware controls might not always react the same way in a given patch as software emulations would. Case in point: filter Q, especially setting it to just below resonant 'break-thru'. Fact is that even these days, analog devices may vary from one to another of the same device; back in the 1970s, it was a 'thing' to seek out certain Minimoogs that were perceived to be more 'musical' than other Minimoogs, because tiny variations in circuit components, calibration, control behavior, etc from unit to unit were rather unavoidable and it was felt that there was a certain 'sweet spot' where a Minimoog needed to be with respect to these tolerance variations to make it sound better. One hardware device I forgot to mention in the last reply, and which dovetails nicely into a future Eurorack setup, is the Soundmachines Modulor114, since its panel and power connection are compliant with the Eurorack standard and you can easily remove it from its own skiff and integrate it into a larger system in the future. More expensive than the MS-20 Mini...but it's a rather different creature, too and ultimately not as spendy as going full-in on a Eurorack system right off the bat.

EDITED Jan 28th 2018, 02:40

It’s just shocking. At least you have restored the producer. They give you guarantee and that’s what guarantee is for. However, you should try building some kit yourself, it's large amusing.It's funny and try this SpamFuck to increased knowledge in your life.

I have deleted the Spamaccount. That was the message @Lugia was answering to :)

Wow this response was so informative, thanks so much! Starting virtual definitely makes a lot of sense and I'm gonna have to force myself to do it before I get my hands on those beautiful (and tactile) knobs. As an aside, are there any modules that you would recommend (control modifiers as you say) to add to the rack to suit my sonic needs?

Well, yank the Clouds first, unless you've got a line on a used one, since Mutable discontinued it (grrrrr...) very recently. Thankfully, there's third-party builds of it turning up, and those are only 8 hp as a rule, so, more free space for the invariable M0AR!

Otherwise, mmmm...it's not too 'instrument-like'. A good rule of thumb is to group functions together, especially if you want to gig with the synth. Makes things a lot clearer, more intuitive and in the end, more playable. So I would do some shuffling if I were you, grouping all the controllers together, audio generators together, etc etc. It'll make for a panel that's a lot quicker to get around on, help disentangle patch cable snarls, and 'flow' better.

Not sure about having both a Ciao! and the 1U Output Mixer, unless you plan on having two different output sections. Also, while it's a DC device, I'd still find some way of getting that power input away from an audio output module just in case there's some unfiltered crud that comes in on your DC feed that might leak into the lower-level line output side of the Ciao! Might not be a problem, but at the same time keeping ANY power inputs or supplies away from devices that make use of lower voltage signals is a rule of thumb that's worth following, because even if induced hum, etc from AC line voltage isn't an issue, there can still be little bits of electrical 'uncleanliness' that can creep into your line-level outputs, inputs, and send/returns.

Good touch adding that Synthwerks USB supply, tho...self-contains things, no need to use (and eventually misplace at the most irritating time possible) an extra USB charger adapter for that BSP. It's also safe by audio signal stuff, since it's actually on the 'clean' side of your busboards (you ARE using filtered busboards, yes?).

Not too shabby! Now drop a 2 hp mult into that hole you've got left ('coz you need one!) and bust out the soldering iron!

Hmmm...well, from experience, this is sort of sparse for what you're intending. Yes, the Phonogene and Erbeverb fit well, the MATHS is pretty much a given, and the Morphing Terrarium is right. But in order to get into the "subtle, dark, and varied micro-movement" zone really well, plus have a lot of options for change-versus-time, you're going to need quite a bit more, especially in the way of control modifiers, to get that 'varied' thing and make it stick in listeners' heads.

I would suggest two ideas here before going too much further:

1) VCV Rack. Since you're apparently accustomed to software synths, but want to head into modular hardware, this is a good (and cheap, as it's free!) place to start, because it's actually BOTH. VCV Rack is a software version of Eurorack modular synth building, although unlike MG, it doesn't have the thousands on thousands of modules to screw around with. It does, however, have a huge base of built-in and third-party modules, some of which are models of some of the very same things you'll find here on MG. It works like you'd expect: you add virtual synth modules to a virtual cab, use virtual patchcabling to set up signal paths, and the whole thing behaves much as you'd expect a Eurorack system to work. I'm quite jazzed on this application and its community of module creators, because it gives you a very clear insight into how the MUCH more expensive hardware works before you drop buttloads of ca$h on it and then find out that, hey, this doesn't do what I need! It also allows you to learn the basics of all the different layers of programming, such as audio signals, CV signals, clock/gate/trig signals and the like, plus how to make a gain structure work in a modular, which is key to making sonically-effective patches.

2) A patchable synth. There's certainly reasons you see ARP 2600s and EML rigs in teaching labs, even to this day...and the biggest reason is that these synths, and others like them, let you get a feel for how signal flow works AND give you the option of working out your own patch architecture once you've figured out your way around and what (in general) sounds right to you. Now, those two synths there are spendy things; they're not made anymore, so examples are rather old AND very sought-after, so they command nosebleed-range prices. However, one synth from that early era still is around, is realtively cheap, and also makes for a good analog synthesis learning environment: the Korg MS-20, now in its 'mini' form. It, and its companion SQ-1 analog sequencer, can be had brand-new for cheap ($600-ish, max) and they offer an outstanding way to get used to synth hardware that both works in its factory configuration and which can be repatched to create different ones. The 'mini' also integrates really nicely into a computer-based environment since it offers both USB and MIDI interfacing.

Once you've dove headfirst into those, THEN start concocting modular ideas. And definitely keep looking at MG during all of this, studying other peoples' racks who're working in similar directions to glean some ideas about how you yourself can make use of the Eurorack environment when it's time to drop money.

Modular ain't cheap. And while these days its so much easier to get into (thanks, Dieter!!!), it's not necessarily a universal starting point, and can get you in way over your head at the start. But just as it was decades ago when I got sucked into this bizarre world of noisemaking, the best way to learn (with the excellent addition of VCV Rack) is the same ol' way I did. Get used to the world of patchcords and gearmadness the easier route FIRST...and then take that spendy flying leap! Good luck!

Hey guys, I'm a Eurorack amateur in need of some guidance. The title suggests the kind of atmospheres I like to create; specifically, I like big spaces with a lot subtle, dark, and varied micro-movements occurring within those spaces. Up until this point I've only used software. I love what Absynth's Aetherizer is able to do sonically and so I loosely structured my tentative rack around that sound. Any suggestions for modules would be much appreciated!

Tentative rack link:

Here's the plan for a poly-duo-phonic; it's all DIY from full kits (ordered). I've also ordered the frequency central power from synthcube. I'm going to build the box too. I already own a makenoise 0-coast, a bastl kastle and an arturia keystep. Hope they play well together. (for some reason the cat didn't like my layout so she modified it to what's below, that's ok, I like cats)

Do you really need the FX loop on the Rosie? I would normally say an output module isn't necessary in a rack this size. Just my opinion, you can have lots of fun with this as it is though.