input is appreciated guys THANK YOU!

i did some studying up on attenuverters this weekend, and i saw the utility in all the utility modules and realized they are probably was more important and versatile then the latest coolest filter. Inverting a signal to create panning with VCAs is pretty darn awesome.

i guess now i need an attenuverter, quantizer, and precision adder haha. what else ha?
tons of mults? i picked up some 3.5mm female jacks and blank panels to make my own passives. Also got some toggle switches to make passive mutes.
I picked up another VCA (Intellijel Quad) so i'll have 1 linear and 1 linear/exp.
Not sure which attenuverter to pickup, i'll figure it out.
My old soldering iron didn't have enough wattage so i just got a new Hakko.
I still have to put most of these together.

Now i have to lookup adding voltages, i'm sure it's much deeper than doubling an octave.

I think the plan now is to get that attenuverter, then put all these kits together and actually make some noise to figure out what else i need going forward. Looks easy in this game to make the wrong decisions as a noob and have a $2000 rack that does nothing! ha!

Thanks for your help guys! Going to research utilities til the holidays and work with what i've got so far.


Thanks so much for your answer Ronin!
Actually i have 6 VCO sound sources haha.
I was looking at the Intellijel Quad today, it looks perfect but i dont have much space left. I can always remove some of the elementary synthrotek stuff. Any VCA function inside the rack would be strictly for voltage control and logic functions, i have an extra 6 channel desk mixer to use for output.

REgarding white noise, the DS-M drum modules have 3 color types on a toggle switch. The MIX pot blends the built in VCO with the built in noise VCO. However, you are correct, if i am using all three modules for drums already, i have no noise source. My 'studio' area also has an old short wave radio that i built years ago, i was thinking of using that as a noise/sample source at times.

Regarding the attenuators, inverters, adders, shifters, polarizers.....thank you for the heads up. I cant really fathom what i would use an inverter for or an adder for, i need to see it on an oscilloscope and hear it with my ears first. However, my goal here is to be able to modulate and create logic functions wherever possible, i'm an automation guru at my day job, that's my cup of tea.

Would a single quad passive attenuator be sufficient? (hopefully one with add/subtract also)
Maybe i throw in a Doepfer A-183-2 Offset/Polarizer for good measure?

An side question also, If i plan to bring in external audio into the rack, is line level going to work well? Do i need one of these LineLevel Utility modules if I plan to bring in a sample to mangle?

Thanks guys! Just me writing this out helps a lot anyway haha, thanks again Ronin for the input.

I'll take whatever recommendation that are out there.


First of all, this ModularGrid module builder is great! thank you, i wish i saw it a month ago haha.

Right now, technical people would call my style 'industrial hip hop', sort of like technoanimal i guess but better. Maybe some days more Funk than others. Anything near experimental or ambient tends to be dub reggae like King Tubby or Lee Scratch. If i feel like turning up the BPM, it's jungle-ish with maybe a Gangstarr sample. Heavy Drums, Heavy Bass, add in a catchy melody with some accents, samples, etc, that's my style since the 90s.

I own the following external devices for reference:
-NI Maschine....a bunch of Volcas.......a bunch of Pocket Operators....a Drumbrute Impact.....a Microgranny, Thyme, Kastle, 60 Knobs, and Trinity modules....an LXR Drum Machine.....miscellaneous digital rackmount effects....a Monologue......four turn tables and a microphone.....and a BEATSTEP PRO.

What i'm trying to do is expand my sound repertoire for more Industrial Hip Hop. I prefer to call it Digital Hard Hop but whatever. Any modular rack system is incorporated to my toolkit above, i'm looking for sounds the others don't offer.

Here's the modules i have already purchased(most purchased in kit form still need assembly):
RACK............108 HP ghetto rack
DRUMS.......Qty 3 Synthrotek DS-M drum modules (bassdrum, snare, hihats)
VCO.............Atari Punk Console (square wave, it was cheap)
VCO.............Rat King Modular - TONE - (triangle, saw, pulse, AS3340 chip)
VCO/LFO....Bastl Tromso (triangle, LFO, sample and hold, distortion)
ADSR...........Blue Lantern ADSR (linear and exponential, loop mode)
FUNC GEN...Joranalogue Contour 1 (env generator, LFO, VCO, everyone else has Maths)
FOLDER.......Bastl Timber(wavefolder, VCA, feedback, overdrive)
FILTER.........Bastl Cinnamon (hp,bp,lp, can be used as oscillator)
FILTER.........Synthrotek 308 Distortion
FILTER.........Synthrotek Dirt Filter (sounded cool, supposed to be effects filter, low pass)
SEQUENCER... Division 6 Business Card Sequencer (may use BEATSTEP PRO instead)

Last thing i think i need is VCAs. Was looking to buy the following:
VCA .............Doepfer A-135-2 (Quad VCA and MIXER but not exponential(!))
VCA.............Bastl SKIS II (VCA, Env generator, but also linear)

Is there FUNCTIONAL aspect of SYNTHESIS that i am MISSING here?
Do i really need exponential VCA's? If i buy the two listed above, i have 10HP left.

Any recommendations?

Thanks guys! hate to be anther NOOB haha.
TomM