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Hi Garfield !

Holidays were nice, I needed that time off :)

So the mixer change, yeah, a lot of thinking and hesitating went in there, but I think overall the double Mixup is a superior option for me for now: I get more channels (2 stereo with mute switches and volume knob, 2 without but I can handle that in other modules as well), I still have mutes and more importantly, I realized I could just do away with the audio I/O entirely if I give up external input by connecting the Mixup output straight to the case's output, I could just then take that same output with patch cables to the headphones out (the signal is duplicated between the out plugs and another "hidden" channel with the connector on the back panel). Losing panning per channel is indeed a big downside but since some modules give me stereo imaging (QPAS, Pico DSP, Mimeophon), I can still create interesting stuff in the stereo space. The Doepfer A-134 was not part of my plan so it wasn't meant to solve that, it was given to me by someone who had no use for it but had not seen my setup plans :-p

I agree with what you're saying about Pico modules, clever placement within the case is important, and they're still to be considered as 'set and forget' items more than playable ones.

My opinion (being a massive noob) about the Ts-L is that it's very beefy and precise, it offers a few ways to modulate it but the small knobs on the bottom can be hard to manipulate when patching is done, I would have loved bigger knobs. This might just be bad decisions by me, mind you, setting it next to PNW was maybe not the best idea.

Sounds like we have similar filter opinions. What would be your recommendation to pair with the T-sL or Basimilus Iteritas Alter ?

I did what you recommend for the OctaSource. For now I like it to be a bit predictable, but experimentation will surely come soon. It's definitely very handy as a massive source of synced modulation !

I did see that sourcing the Disting can be a bit tricky but I managed to find some stock. Maybe I got lucky :)

I'm still debating the role of the OT in the setup, some days I want to use it as a looper and nothing more, some days I think I should keep most drums and complex MIDI patterns in there. Maybe it's just how I manage having an OT, I'm never quite sure how I want to use it and end up doing a bit of everything in disorganized fashion :-D

About Stages, I could start by saying that I wish I had 2. It is very playable and easy to understand, no menus or complex button combinations, the only thing to remember is what each state does (changed by the little button available per slider). Really, it comes down to your understanding of Eurorack and how clever your patching is, in my opinion. I realized I didn't know half as much as I thought I knew about enveloppes so exploring this will be another few hours but so far, I'm very happy with this module and would surely recommend it. If you're after enveloppes only though, maybe the Quadra from Intellijel is another option to look at, I hesitated between those 2 for a while...

Getting a Eurorack in the middle of end of year activity peaks at work, RIP my sleep patterns, couldn't be happier though :-)

All the best,
Diego