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Yesterday I received Erica Synths' Monster Case, new Black VCO and Expander, and the Fusion Mixer V3. Excited to hear the new VCO I patched it to the mixer along with the sub mix, twiddled the knobs and had a great time. (All while I should have been doing other things.) The VCO sounds amazing. Clear and crisp. And a lot of grit if you want to dial it in. Then I ran the output through Erbe-verb just for giggles. Holy Cow! I have never heard Erbe-verb sound so good. I've since played with the Black VCO more and the expander. Love it. Top quality build and the sound is amazing. Finally, the VCO also sounds great through Rossum's Evolution filter. I wonder how Evolution compares with Erica Synths' Fusion VCF.
Played a friend's ARP 2600 way back in the 70s. First purchase was a Chroma Polaris in the 80s. Been through Roland D110, TX7, K2000, Kronos, Electribe and various others along the way, with several diversions into guitar land.... Only now, after recent purchases of a System 1m (that's why it's in this rack, at least at the start) and a 0-Coast (wish it fit!) have I been bitten by the modular bug, and I'm finding all that history isn't quite enough. Thank providence for YouTube, Muffwiggler and this forum.
I'd appreciate it greatly if a few of you folks could have a look at this system and alert me to any mistakes or oversights you might see. I'd like a versatile system, but my primary interests will probably be about evenly divided between noodling with interesting (to me anyway) evolving soundscapes, and rhythmic integration in live-jam-type situations with my other equipment -- Midi sync will be important, but I think I can get that via one of my Arturia keysteps? I also have an SQ1 and the Electribe and a bunch of other potential controllers out of rack...
Expert Sleepers disting mk4
Intellijel Dixie II
Mutable instruments Braids
Maths v2
Intellijel Buff Mult
Intellijel Polaris
Intellijel Dubmix
Mutable instruments Clouds
Roland SYSTEM-1m
Thanks very much for any help or insight you might offer!
from what i can see here, everybody is doing good trades. nah, i don't believe there are rogue traders in this community. peoples faith is the real currency traded in these modular transactions right? what effect does a rogue trader, if there is one and i'm not saying there is, have on the community as a whole or your supporting the community by buying and selling kit ? how many wigglers use friends and family to pay for kit, taking a leap of faith with the wiggler in the community selling stuff they don't want anymore.
i'm an electronic musician releasing my own music and also doing music for theater and commercials. last week i finally bought a powered portable case and began my journey into eurorack modular. i'm having some trouble defining where i wanna go. i would like to be able to detach from computer if possible and to play freely wherever there is a power socket. i already own a moog minitaur and would be glad to integrate it into the system. the case is 6u 104 hp.
i was thinking to start with maths, since i will be buying modules very slowly and with maths i could already start exploring minitaur cv capabilities. i'm not quite sure, but it would be nice to be able to integrate ableton live into the system, so i guess i would also need a midi or usb to cv, maybe polyphonic. i guess i would also need some kind of headphone amp... i don't know if i can use a mixer for that. recently i saw this video from tobi neumann which inspired me. i would like to have a kick and hat.
as you can see, i just have some rough ideas but i'm not able to decide where to go, what to buy and in which order. i would like to thank you in advance and wish you a great day.
Thanks for the link. I know of many well-reviewed stand-alone tuners already though and am set on a racked one. It's one less thing to forget to have to lug around for. I hear ya, just personal preference.
I mean 2HP (in the case of the CED) isn't gonna kill me. Just would like to hear how some people like it before dropping $ on it, if possible.
So I realized I need a tuner and would rather have one that goes in my (euro)rack.
I'm looking at the L-1 Digital tuner as well as the Audiothingies CED, and am leaning toward the CED due to it's impressive demo video and tiny footprint. However the L-1 seems slightly cheaper.
Anyhow, I'm just wondering if anyone can shed some light on why both of these are rated pretty "meh" on MG? The video of the CED going head to head with an Electro Harmonix tuner and being spot on makes me wonder if it doesn't deserve more than a 3.5ish rating?
Or can anyone suggest a different rack mount tuner they really like? Again, I'm looking for cheap and small.
Added pedals and stompboxes to the supported ModularGrid formats. The planner is very basic but may work good enough.
There are nearly 500 pedals already, I hope it will grow.
Advanced Pedal Uploader
The pedal uploader is capable to cut white background out of JPGs and convert them to transparent PNGs.
Support for transparent PNGs
Transparency of modules and pedals is preserved after upload.
Cleaned up CSS
Cleaned up the CSS files which were cluttered with hacks to make old browsers work. No support anymore for legacy browsers, it's not worth it.
Sorry for the noob question but how is it twice the power?
-- mentalu
Likely related to the fact that it offers two independent oscillators in a single module.
www.klavis.com
Inspiration technology to let you create the difference
Got a Unicorn account so I could keep track of everything in my current rack here, and do some tweaks to my future (HUGE) rack that I'm building.
Rows 1 & 2 are my current system, and rows 3 & 4 are going to be a mix of Intellijel 1U (row 3) and Erthenvar/Pulp Logic (row 4)
Row 5 is the growing collection of modules that don't currently have a home. Considering putting together another Rast and fitting it with a couple HEK's for rails and another Synthrotek passive buss board.
Row 6 is the backlog of SDIY projects I have yet to assemble. Yes, I have 4 Ripples PCB's, as I am a total
noob to SMD work.
A half year after discovering the low-budget-modules of fellow ladik, then spending the second quater of the year with a new pair of subracks incl. power-supply, now another different kind of filter comes to my hands, the SEM-filter, manufactured by Doepfer-factory. Thanks to Peter Musebrink.
Hey all, would greatly appreciate any suggestions to my revision of the system I would like to build. I already have a Mother 32 (was on sale during Memorial Day weekend, lol) so I would like to integrate that into the system as well. Thank you!
Yes I do know about Muffwiggler and manytimes when I google something about sythesizers I find link to this page onto some forum about the stuff Im looking for, I read it from time to time, but havent had time to dig too deep really.
And what do I know about modular synthesis, well lets see haha. CV stands for control voltage and the difference between CV and LFO (low frequency oscillator) is that CV is more of an umbrella term for all voltage that is generated to modulate (or control, hence the name control voltage) some parameter of certain modules, usually via LFO or an EG (envelope generator). So all LFO can be used as CV (and also if the LFO reaches audio rates, it can be used as VCO - voltage controlled oscillator, OR as wicked FM - frequency modulator for different VCO), but not all CV is always an LFO. 2 of the different EGs are AD, ADSR, (there are some other ones too ofcourse but I dont remember all of them from top of my head, Maths module can be used as complex envelope too) from with the AD is more suitable for pecussive sounds, atleast Id think so. The EG usually modulates the VCA volume levels to create different attack, decay, sustain and release times to really shape the sound character from short attack plucky bass sounds to more ambient slow attack strings. LFO can also be controlling the volume levels of VCA to create kinda tremolor effect to the sound. Theres 2 main types of VCAs, linear and exponential, linear is more suitable for CV and exponential is more suitable for audio. I havent yeat talked about Filters (VCF), which is as the name suggests, a filter, its purpose is to let certain range of frequencies through to create either more dark bassy sound or more bright with lots of high end. Theres multiple different kinds of filters such as LP (lowpass), HP (highpass), BP (bandpass), Notch. I dont really know what exactly bandpass and notch do, but I think Bandpass takes the cutoff point and lets everything around that through and notch only lets through whats on the set cutoff point. I also dont know what exactly resonance does to the voice but it can make your filter scream, with or without a sound source (self oscillate, sine wave). Fast LFO modutlating filter cutoff with full or almost full resonance has to be one of my favorite sounds Ive made on any synthesizer so far.
I think I could go on for long time about what I think I know about modular synthesis and synthesis at all, but I think thats enough for today... Also this is what I remember from top off my head so Im not 100% confident its all correct so please correct my mistakes so I will learn! : D
allow the addition of "outside modules" i found the planner to be TOTALLY useless because it didn't include modules i'm interested in, particularly the metasonix rk2 xs-vca (tube VCA) which i consider essential. there were 1 or 2 other modules i wanted to add that weren't in your database as well. (PARAGRAPH) i had to do all of my planning in photoshop after resizing every module to 400 pixels height so i could drag & drop them into "blank rack" documents so i could include the metasonix filter and whatever else isn't in your database
add HP as a search term. when building racks, it gets harder & harder to finish them, especially when there's an odd number of HP available. searching for 1hp yields SOME results, but i'm positive not ALL. it should not only be a search term that helps people fill all available space, but it should be linkable to module types eg. 9hp filter (if any exist)
you need more categories. i'm new to all this and just trying to educate myself, but there have been several instances where i'm looking for a specific type of module or feature that isn't offered eg. FM. there aren't a lot of FM VCOs, but it would be nice to be able to zoom in on those as well as more common types of modules that shouldn't be crammed into utilities but have their own categories like voltage modulators. (PARAGRAPH) i think i tried looking for that "special" triangle type VCO (dixie II etc.) and found nothing along with "hot topic" vactrols. again... when finishing a rack, one might be looking for a specific type of VCA etc. that compliments the other types already slotted
offer filter (& other module types) clone types as a filter SEM, ARP, moog, MS20, WASP, polivoks etc.
offer module color as a search filter. i can't stand the look of mismatched racks and would add a row just for black modules and fill that up with whatever before building a mismatched
fix your forum tex editor that can only count to 2. this is idea #6 even if the text editor hides it. apparently, when you create a second paragraph in a numbered item, the forum IGNORES YOUR numbering and resets the list to 0. i had to merge paragraphs to fix what your text editor broke
speaking of hiding... DON'T HIDE MODULE REVIEWS!!! i look at a module that supposedly has 47 reviews, but go to the page... nope... no reviews. i haven't tried it since joining, but it should be public info seeing you advertise it. i despise such bait and switching
I've bought me some new modules, and in total i have 12 now. I've noticed that the PSU from the A100 gets abnormally hot (as in, cant touch the heatsink anymore).
I've calculated my current draw on modulargrid here, and i draw the following:
742 mA +12V | 286 mA -12V | 41 mA 5V
The Doepfer PSU can take 1200mA +12V and 1200mA -12V, so room to spare there. I dont know what the deal is with the +5v, could that be something i'm missing?
Okay, Doc. Here is the deal: I don't have a lot of time to write this but I really want to get some information out there. You might already know about Muffwiggler.com. If not, check it out.
There is a tutorial/introduction on modular synthesis that you might find helpful. I think it is poorly thought out, but it is a place to start. The link is here.
There is another thread on Muffwiggler about DIY cases. Lots of pictures. Some I want to point out to you are the ones with no rails. The modules are being screwed directly into wood! Hey. It works. Just a thought. The link is here.
Tell me a bit about what you DO know about modular synthesis. For example, do you know what CV is? Do you know the difference between CV and an LFO? Does modulation make sense? Does audio rate modulation make sense? That sort of thing.
How is it working with only two filters? Seems dangerous.
-- mt3
Yeah, it can be, but the LxD can double as a dual filter if need be. Also, Three Sisters can handle more than one input, if I am willing to have the same modulation on those sounds sources. I have been considering replacing the Zorlon Cannon with a filter and something else, but with creative patching I've been ok so far.
I really appreciate the feedback, all suggestions are welcome.
Im just generally interested in sound, music and anything thats related from sound design for movies to making different genres of music... as of now I got like 50 different music projects in different genres and styles (not that Im any good at any of them, its more exploration and trying out things rather than attempts to go big on them) and I love many instruments, my first instrument was drums (I played electronic drum kit on highschool bands and finally got my own kit shortly after, also my grandparents have acoustic kit I play there every now and then)and next came along guitar (I wanted guitar for myself some years ago because I wanted to make music but no one of my friends really wanted or could play the music I wanted to make so I thaught myself play what I needed) and last but not least, keyboards and synthesizers (I was introduced to genre called Dungeon Synthetics and I was in love, I got my parents old electric piano and made my first Dungeon Synth songs back in 2012 and since Ive been practising to play keyboard a bit along side other instruments I got... and I finally like 2 years ago I got to know what synthesizers actually were and I was mesmerized by the sonic capabilities) also Im very interested in more exotic instruments but I dont own anything but one flute right now... Im also music collector, I dont got much albums compared to like mad collectors but compared to average guy I think Im doing decent with my collection of CDs
Im pretty interested in making my own modules from scratch aswell but I dont have any experience other than very simple highschool stuff I hardly even remember anymore, and even back then I didnt understand half the stuff I was doing, I just followed the instructions word to word... Thats why I want to start with small DIY kits of modules and guitar effect pedals, so I could get my feet wet on that world and see if it is for me or not. I already have some simple ideas for Modules I want to make but no schemes or anything because I really dont understand them yet... I might even apply for some school or course for small electronics so I would have someone right there to teache me and gain understanding to that world, rather than try teache myself by watching youtube videos and reading some books, but we'll see what I decide on. Ive already watched some videos of ''basics of electronics'' and tutorials for DIY stuff but I really need to do it myself to get the hang of it.
In general Im really bad at saving money because Im very impatient, Im that ''I need everything right now'' kinda guy and I cant help it... : D I try my best tho.
Yes the effects processor, I designed it to have anything I would need as guitar player, and ofcourse its over done hahaha. For start I might get by with some decent multieffect (Like that Morpheus module, Ive seen some demos on it before and it sure as hell seems really capable and crazy! other module ive been looking at is the Ornament & Crime as it seems pretty cool aswell, but I dont think its as much effect processor than it is digital function generator) but on the effects box I got multiple modules of similar effect to have different flavors of the distortion and delay for example, and also so I could use multiple effects at same time, Im not sure how many effects certain digital multieffects allow at same time, also I generally prefer analog hardware over digital.. not that I think digital is bad or anything, Im sure theres always use for it, but now Ive been going by with some free VST plugin effects on my DAW and Im not happy with them... I always prefer hardware over software.
Thanks heaps for chatting, its been very enjoyable to talk about this stuff :)
my first go at putting a rack together my idea is to have beatstep seq drums but patch through the expande so can mix other trigger maybe might change it . Also wanted some synth deffinatly want clouds and love the soung erica offer aswell might control them from beatstep awell .
Hey,
first of all, thank you very much for the reply. That's some really good input!
My plans changed a bit and I have a slightly better overview. The SQ-1 Is definitely gonna be a part of the plan. Also you're idea of the Pamela is great and I was already thinking about it. So i might start with building the case and getting the power supply. Then get a Turing and Radio Fm module plus the SQ-1. From there I have to see what will fit the set up . I will check the suggestions you wrote down. I guess it's back to the drawing board, which is a good thing afterall :)
It's the least I can do for now! Keep in mind that there are some parts of the uploading process that are still based on the module uploading M.O. Minor stuff though. Just checked, the snap grid is indeed off but it keeps on throwing some stuff out of the board when I refresh. Additionally, some of the background options are not Unicorn only, but they don't seem to work anyway.
the pedal becomes quantized and it's very difficult as it forces you to place some pedals half-on and half-off the board.
Thanks for reporting. I have disabled that snap feature for now. Maybe it will come back with an option to turn on/off.
And thanks for helping to upload the pedals!
it's great so far. Thanks for adding this! Unfortunately it seems adding one pedal creates a serious issue to all other pedals, as if you can't really place it wherever you want on the pedal board. If it's the first pedal there you have free movement, as soon as there is another pedal on the board the movement of the pedal becomes quantized and it's very difficult as it forces you to place some pedals half-on and half-off the board.
Still, it's a great idea and I'm hoping it will enhance your (paying) user base!
I'm also a beginner, so take my suggestions for what they're worth. I'm not even sure why I'm responding. I guess when I start thinking about something it's hard for me to stop. I saw your post and started thinking about it, so you might as well see the results of my thought, so here are a few observations:
You have more than half the rack devoted to sequencing, with nothing to sequence except the Pico VCO, and maybe the Radio Music.
The Doepfer a161 is an expander for the a160, and doesn't do anything by itself. The a160 is a clock divider, and needs a clock signal to divide.
You have an a143-9 quadrature LFO. I'm not sure how important the quadrature outputs are to you, but I'd consider something with more LFOs per hp.
Bastl Skis gives you 2 VCAs, and 2 very limited envelopes, and doesn't give you a mix of the 2 inputs. You'll probably want more VCAs, as well as mixing, as well as better envelope generators.
There's no filter in there. Maybe not a total disaster, depending on what your oscillator(s) are capable of, but good to have.
Here's what I would do if it were me:
1. Get rid of Pressure Points, Brains, and the a161, and replace them with, for example, a Pamela's New Workout. That would get you a clock source, clock dividing, LFOs, and some other stuff. Maybe also get something like a Korg SQ1 or a Beat Step Pro outside the rack for sequencing.
2. Replace Skis with an Intellijel Quad VCA. Other options include Mutable Instruments Veils, Happy Nerding 3xVCA, Bubblesound VCA4p, Erica Black Quad VCA, etc. This gets you more VCAs plus mixing.
3. Replace the a143-9 with Mutable Instruments Peaks. This gets you 2 LFOs in the same amount of space, and it can also be envelope generators. As a bonus it can also do some drum sounds.
4. Replace the Pico VCO with a Klavis Twin Waves. This gives you 2 powerful digital VCOs.
If you followed that advice, it would leave you with 9 or more hp to spare. Maybe get a filter in the extra space?
My other advice would be to post this at muffwiggler if you haven't already. It seems to be a much more active forum, so you'll probably get advice from people far more experienced than I.
This is my modular, I'm still on the steepest of learning curves.
Inspired by Colin benders I've tried to lay it out logically.
I'm assuming readers will view via my user.
Opinions welcome.
My output modules are homebrew as is the double mult on the bottom row. The top eight sockets are bussed to the top left four and top right sockets to reduce long patch runs.
This is my modular, I'm still on the steepest of learning curves.
Inspired by Colin benders I've tried to lay it out logically.
I'm assuming readers will view via my user.
Opinions welcome.
My output modules are homebrew as is the double mult on the bottom row. The top eight sockets are bussed to the top left four and top right sockets to reduce long patch runs.
Hi all, I'm Phil from Kent, the garden of England.
I've been into electronic music for years but didn't really have the money to invest in anything other than software based systems.
I've been building my modular for around 2 years now and still don't know what direction to take it in. I'm very inspired by Colin benders and Berlin school.
I hear you. I was, likewise, intimidated. My biggest fear was putting voltage into an output and blowing my rig up. It turns out the biggest issue for me is finding the time to deeply learn each and every module and then figure out how to make ‘meta patches’ that do fun and interesting things. I also rushed too much and tried to do too much at first. I needed to learn and absorb knowledge over time.
I have a good intellect but it is a slow intellect. It takes me time to assimilate information, process, and procedure. My brain insists on constantly finding ways to do things better. In any case, as I do absorb information, and once it clicks as it is starting to, things start to take off nicely. I like to think deeply and broadly (more deeply). I’m not interested in quick solutions so much. (I say that now but I change as I get older. So, this is becoming a lie.)
Modular is just so darned exciting. I love sound, too. Rhythmic sounds, drumming, droning, sinusoidal patterns, interweaving melodies and intricate patterns. Sound mandalas. That is exactly what modular is: once a mandala (patch) has been created, it is then destroyed. On to the next one.
DIY Kits and Life
First, I think DIY kits are an excellent idea. Go for it. I have been looking at some DIY kits myself. I really like Erica Synths stuff because I like their quality and the way they think. In fact, I want to point out to you that they have a DIY kit for a complete system Polivoks DIY Module Bundle II. The complete kit including case and powersupply is about 1000 euro. You don’t have to get all the modules, however. You can listen to a sound example of this rig here.
I imagine I’m older than you are. I’ve made it to 50 years now! I can hardly believe it. The point is that I have some experiences to reflect on that have taught me. One of them was building Heath Kits when I was a teenager. Heath Company is no longer around. But there are things such as Arduino and DIY modular kits. Actually, building something like that teaches you so much, even if you get it wrong the first time. If you keep getting it wrong, perhaps you have answered another important question: electronics is not for you! If you do get it right, it just grows from there.
If you are looking for a path in life, have you considered the world of embedded system design? Embedded system programming? Designing and building modular components and modules? Look at Bob Moog, Don Buchla, Tony Rolando (Make Noise), Dave Rossum (Rossum-Electro Music), and more. Certainly, a musician/designer could be an interesting and rewarding life.
Build that custom case!
MIDI, Korg Volca, and How To Spend Money
Still curious how you will find midi works for you. I will keep you posted on what I get out of it down the road as I’m looking to integrate it so some extent. I’m not sure how yet. I’m waiting to see what Erica Synths comes out with as a replacement to their MIDI-CV module (announced). I have also been looking at Mutable-Instruments Yarns.
Regarding the Volca I would ring every bit of use out of it that you can. This leads me to what I want to say about money. I have been down the path quite a few times of spending my hard earned funds in small quantities while never really saving to reach for higher fruit. If you find yourself doing this, I encourage you to stop and save for what is truly worthwhile. Another thing about modular is that if you take good care of your modules, they appear to hold their value well. You can always sell and trade. Hey. Come to think of it: how many places are there near you that buy and sell modules? While you’re thinking about life, perhaps, this is something to do. There are so many paths. Some you will find lead to the same place in strange ways. There is no saying where life will take you and how.
Effects Processor
Yikes! Doc. You’re breaking the bank :-) That’s a nice piece of kit you put together though (with lots of redundancy :-) I think it's a little over done. But tell me more about it and what you are thinking...
I would like to point you at the Rossum Morpheus module as an effects processor. I might be all that you need. Or maybe you will want to add some reverb and delay. But that might be about it. Well, you could add bit crushing to the list. And some distortion. But that’s it! Wow. This is already out of hand and I’m sweating just thinking about it. I can feel my trigger finger.
Anyway, if you look at the Morpheus, tell me what you think of the possibilities as an effects module for guitar and keys and anything else to be thrown at it.
Well, I have lost my interest connection. And I still have more to say. Oh, well. I will have to send this later. I have been out of town the past few days, so I haven’t been able to respond. We had a storm come through last night and power was knocked out. As soon as I am able, I will get this online.
