[https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1802754.jpg
I have built the rack up without any real thought to create techno beats what would I need to change as in get rid of and replace
be ruthless if you like..thanks for the in depth resonce I really appretiate it..I do most of what you have suggested vco/ filter/mixer but looking at your post I think I have problems useing envolopes ! im unsure where to use them and when ? can you advise me cheers
-- dougie834
As stated above by Jim, envelopes commonly open VCAs (as well as filters) to articulate sounds - this is what makes a sound start and stop on its own. When you use the Moskwa on an oscillator, the "gate out" goes to the "gate" input on the envelope, and the envelope goes to the filter/vca. With the filter cutoff or VCA gain turned all the way down, this should make the envelope control when, how, and for how long the sound coming through plays.
I assume you bought three drone devices because you love drones, but for now I feel like selling one or two of them to finance some basic useful stuff might help (even if you have the money to throw at this, I would at least recommend focusing on fewer sound sources for now). As stated above by Jim, VCAs and attenuators/attenuverters are big here. They basically let you control amounts of stuff (modulation or audio) and make your system more fun by giving you more knobs and more control. Make sure to look up the difference between VCAs, attenuators, attenuverters, and all that so you're not amplifying stuff too loud or not enough. I use a Frap Tools 321 and I like it a lot, but there are a ton of these (including a great cost-effective one from the company who makes your mixer and FX, Happy Nerding.
You might also consider a big function generator like Maths or the Tiptop Buchla 281t. These modules provide a bunch of simple envelopes that can loop as LFOs, be used as triggers and other sort of interlinking functions (hence the name) and can help animate your system more and give you options that work together. Pamela's New Workout is a great source of modulation/clock/sequencing for a techno setup, but having something more hands-on and less buried in menus will complement that nicely and allow you to get more freeform in switching between types and shapes of modulation.
One other utility I might suggest for you is some kind of quantizer. This will allow you to use essentially anything to sequence notes in your system, from LFOs to envelopes to whatever. Especially when it comes to improvising techno, this can help you a lot in terms of variations.
One last tip: sample and hold modules are not only a classic source of modulation that I recommend researching, but if you get one with CV and trigger inputs, you can run your mix or a single sound through it and send something at audio rate to the trigger to create an analog version of a "bitcrush/downsampling" effect. I love bitcrushers, but unless the Doepfer one has a specific sound you love, you could get a decenr sample and hold somewhere and basically have two modules in one. Modular is full of instances like this where something boring and technical is actually a simpler and more efficient way of doing something than a module built for one purpose.