As far as patch ideas, you and I probably have very different creative workflows. We certainly have different modules. I'm not all that familiar with Hermod or SMR, so I can't speak much to the capabilities of those. I like a lot of repetition with subtle (almost imperceptible) changes, so I would probably be bouncing elements between Morphagene and Clouds in Looping Delay mode, subtle modulation, subtle addition and subtraction of elements, volume swells, happy accidents... kind of a musique concrete approach. I also like to add semi-random ratchets to a repetitive but slowly morphing 8 step sequence over another sequence of, say, 24 steps, and another element of, say, 36 steps for kind of a Tangerine Dream vibe. I don't know if Hermod can do ratchets though.
Do you have an external drum machine? Sometimes starting from a skeletal percussion line will lead you to new rhythmic and textural ideas with the melodic voices.
If you are looking to do more generative stuff, you will probably want to add something like Triple Sloths, Wogglebug, or something similar. I'm a huge fan of Pamela's New Workout for syncing everything. Ochd is a cool little multi-LFO, Sequential switches and long envelopes/slow LFOs through modulated VCAs will lead you in some fun directions. I've held off on picking up uO_C (Ornament and Crime) because off the menu-diving, but something like that or a Disting Mk4 might give you some options too.
It's hard to fit everything you need into a small case. I would recommend expanding, as Lugia mentions, to fit in all of the utilities and modulation you need before you sell anything. You have the big pretty modules and aren't getting the most out of what you already have. On the other hand, don't be embarrassed of buyer's remorse if you know a module isn't working for you. Sell it for a small loss and move on quickly to something that will inspire you for years to come. Just do your research first so those mistakes become fewer and farther between. Above all, have fun with it.
-- farkas
Man thanks so much for all of this, it's very helpful for me.
Not familiar with ratchets but I will read up on them. I love musique concrete and TD so I'm definitely into your ideas. After reading this I'm starting to thing a big issue with me is that I am not planning my modulation well enough and it's not as subtle as it should be. I find myself sometimes just trying to arbitrarily modulate things as much as I can and I think thats been a detriment to my process. Also I guess I should stop trying to implement every aspect of every module into every patch and maybe try and start off focusing on a just a simple chain and build out from there.
I have a Digitakt and I love it, that's honestly one of the reasons I wanted the hermod so I could easily clock everything from the digi. But for some reason I've been obsessed with the idea of making full pieces with just the case and nothing else lately. Not even sure why, might be some kind of weird OCD tick (only halfway joking) B^).
I dont think I have unlocked hermod's true potential in my process yet so I'm definitely going to hang onto it, but I have to admit I am not crazy about the interface for entering sequences on this thing at present. I'm trying to get used to it. The ochd is something I've been thinking of getting and maybe a uO-C as well, even though I totally hear you with the menu diving. I actually had a disting in my last skiff and I didn't enjoy using it as much as I thought I was going to, although I probably should have spent more time with it.
Perhaps expanding to 2x104hp and selling my trogotronic case isnt a bad idea. I do have to say I really like the ruggedness of this case though...
Thanks again for the recommendations.