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Hi,

I am currently making an attempt at designing some kind of noise-based synth for making cool drone, ambient sounds and soundscaping.

The layout you can see is my fifth draft, and I think it is the moment for me to ask for specialists what they think about this project, and most of all if they see a flaw, something that can be made better, or even some modules that they would have preferred over some others...

Anyway, here is a quick overview.

Disclaimer: before anything, I want to point out that everything below this point is my own and personal opinion. I am not a modular synth expert, nor a sound designer, not even a musician. I am just a regular guy who likes modular synths and cool sounds. Therefore, I may make mistakes, I may be wrong, and I am okay with that.

If you agree with me, that's okay. If you don't, that's okay too (actually it is better if you disagree, as it may generate interesting debates).

General direction

The idea started upon seeing SSF's Quantum Rainbow 2 noise generation module and saying to myself, "hey, noise-based sound generation is cool" (if you are not convinced, take look at Majken's Chimera VSTi, definitely one of my favorite virtual sound module so far); and started to pop in my head some modules and I wanted to see...

After filtering the modules I found useful and interesting, I managed to narrow the list to around 50 modules, not including the standard "tool" modules like multis and attenuators. At this time, it seemed I would not get anything without really thinking this thing through.

So I started thinking during the night: what do I want to do? What function do I want? What function do I need? And eventually, I managed to set the guidelines I would (try to) follow to design this synth :
* This synth must be quite autonomous. It should be very usable and fun to play with by itself
* That being said, we will not include post FX (we could have, but it is already difficult to choose simple modules; choosing FX modules is just to hard for me)
* At least 2 filters, at least one BP (to be able to create actual nearly-melodic sounds). Also, generic filters are boring. As we have to choose filters, better to look for modules with at least a bit of personality.
* A "good" amount of modulation; remember: drone, ambient, soundscaping...
* No noise without S&H. I love S&H. That is it.
* Stereo output would be nice
* Crucial point: flexibility. I do not want to get stuck because I miss an output or something like that.

In the end, I wanted to have a very basic sound source, followed by an extensive and very complete sculpting tool, providing the musician with a way of really carve the noise. And eventually, after a lot of searching, I finally came up with this.

Case

I was planning on using Doepfer raw wood case A-100LC3, which has the following characteristics:
* Current: +12V/1200mA, -12V/-1200mA
* Width: 84HP (x3U)
* Depth: 110mm
* Bus board: 14 sockets
* Price: 195 € (on Doepfer's website)

The Core : Quantum Rainbow

The name of the module made me laugh. I was aware of the existence of pink, brown and white noise; put what about blue and purple? IMO, it was something worth looking at.

I could have based my design on some other module (standard noise generator or more advanced one) but the exquisite simplicity of this one was very appealing to me.

No knob. No input. No switch. Not even the sightliest jumper. Just a bunch of output and that's it.

That is what made me think of this as a sculpting tool.

You cannot really influence the way the matter exists from the beginning; so just shape it to your desire.

The filters

I remember when I saw a demonstration of Pittsburgh's Lifeforms SV-1; it simply blew my mind. The sound was rich, evolutive, complex... And most of that was due to this fabulous filter.

And Pittsburgh, thank God, released that filter as an independent module. From the day I saw it, I kept telling to myself: "you will use it some day". That day has come it looks like.

As for the WASP filter? Well the WASP synth is a very funny instrument IMO to begin with. I really like the sound of this filter in this instrument, and I saw Doepfer had released a module version of it so... why not?

The fact that both the filters are multimode is not a mere conincidence. I wanted to have access to a BP filter; this was the only way to provide at least a bit of melodic timbre, using a lot of resonance.

These filters are 12dB however, and that is a unfortunate coincidence. I wonder if I should trade the WASP filter for a 3 or 4 pole one, even if it has less personality (also I am not convinced 18/24dB BP filters actually exist...).

Modulation sources

Initially, I stayed very standard in my choices. 2 ADSR, 2 VCLFO a dual S&H and a RM. And then I looked at Doepfer's website (yeah, I really love their modules). And I saw that : S&M/T&M/RM all-in-one module. "Okay", I thought, "That definitely goes in".

And then I saw that also: VC ADSR/LFO, and I thought: "Daf... okay, that goes in as well".

And then I saw: VCDLFO, and I thought: "Okay. That makes my modulation base".

I do not know yet how they really are (as they are quite knew), but their behavior seems very straightforward. In these two modules lie a VCA, a Decay, a VCADSR, 2 LFO, everything with so much thing to tweak it is nearly obscene... I mean, wow. Just, wow.

The only thing I added is a little ADSR from 2hp because I was afraid I would need that (just imagine the VC ADSR/LFO is in VCLFO mode. You are left with no ADSR at all, and this is not something I can tolerate).

And that was a good idea. Not only because I think I actually need an extra ADSR, but really because it made me discover 2hp, and 2hp has some very good modules; one of which we will talk about later and the other one being the last modulation source I put in the synth: the BRST (for burst).

The BRST was the peculiar modulation source I was looking for. It is simple yet terribly smart in its design, and I am very eager to use it for damping effects or even to trigger the S&H...

Sound modifiers

I know I said "only external FX", but sometimes we would like things to be part of the chain, and that is harder to obtain when using external rack.

First thing first, I needed Doepfer's Waveshaper. I have a real passion for waveshapers. I have even dated one once.

...

Okay that last sentence was weird. But my point is: Doepfer's waveshaper is a good-sounding, straightforward waveshaper (here by "straightforward" I mean that you have a full control over the shaping. This is not an easy module to use IMO). So I need it.

Also, remember I said I discovered 2hp and their cool little modules? Well I found my dream: FREEZ.

I cannot tell you how much I love granular synthesis (yeah, I love a lot of things when it comes to music and sounds) and this module is quite close to a kind of granular unit. Used wisely, I really think it can bring your sculpting to a whole new level.

The only downside (but this is not really a downside, is it?) is that I will probably not use this module as often as the others. In a sens, it is a little bit like it is "more useless" than the others. Maybe some other kind of module (another tool module, a LFO or something else) would have been better but... meh, this one is interesting too.

Tool modules

That part is easy: attenuators and multis for the win. I really like having a lot of possibilities when patching; and there is no other good way, right?

Also, I tried to design this synth with my little home studio in mind, the goal being to integrate it in my various projects, projects that I hold on a DAW. That being said, I find it better to have a very distinct and fix audio output (under the form of 1/4" jack for example) from which you can tap and then never move and just patch around.

So basically, I could nearly hard wire the last modules: output of the mixer to attenuators to multi stereo out. This will never move I think, and that is a good thing IMO.

Also, I decided to use a stereo mixer. I really could have used a mono mixer, but I like composing in stereo, and the modules have the exact same number of HP (if you compare it to Doepfer standard exp mixer). In the end, the stereo feature is free (mostly) so why just not go with it, uh?

Conclusion

And there we go; my whole process of thinking. I have not built this synth yet but I am really eager to do it and to finally ear how it sounds. There is always a risk it will sound very bad, but I want to be confident and say it will be quite awesome.

And anyway if it is not, as it is mostly a sculpting tool, nothing denies you from getting rid of the noise generator and putting in audio from another source.

That is it for me. I do not know if you went that far when reading my rambling, but I really would like to have your remarks.

As I said, the synth is still in the thinking/design phase, so it is still possible to change some modules (as long as it respects the constraints and, if possible, the guidelines).

That being said, see ya ;)

Edit: got rid of one multi, one (dual) attenuator and the 2hp mixer, replacing them with the Mix Mult by Pittsburgh (which is good enough). Also, got rid of Doepfer multi with 1/4", S&H/... and 2hp attenuator, replacing them by a Pittsburgh Out and a 2hp S+H.

Losing the RM is kind of a bummer, but having a proper output is good too.

Edit 2: the S&H/RM is back, and I eventually got rid of the stereo mixer (it appeared to me it was not very useful as the whole chain is purely mono).

EDITED Jul 8th 2017, 22:40

Hello everyone!

So I've built this one yesterday and I would greatly appreciate your opinion as I have little knowledge about the functionalities and possibilities of eurorack systems. I really want to include a Maths too so please let me know whether some modules can be changed.

Thanks in advance!

CV.OCD is a gadget which changes over MIDI signs to the Control Voltage (CV) and Trigger/Gate signals which are utilized to control customary simple synthesizers.

And doing this helpful piece of "plumbing", CV.OCD is intended to open up some inventive choices that go past what a straightforward MIDI-CV converter can typically do. In the event that you get a bit OCD about your CV, this could be the container for you! You can find here https://www.icrfq.com/products/ good quality PSU for cv.ocd.

CV.OCD has four assignable "persistent" simple CV yields and twelve assignable door/trigger yields.

It has capable usefulness for producing the clock, trigger and non-note doors from MIDI data. For controlling your simple hardware by means of MIDI you are presumably not going to get as much value for your money with whatever else.

Hi I want to expand my mother and add another synth voice to it.

So I'm thinking taking advantage of the Dreadbox modules as they are cheap and I thought it would give me a good go at starting down the euorack route proper.

Is what I've put together above workable?

Should I add a VCA ? I've put in an attenuator and a mult.

for effects I have external effects, and can keep the mother out of the case to get more stuff in if needed.

Other options could be to change the mulmix filter for a mutable instruments ripples, or i could add another oscillator or the dread box random module.

I've been thinking about a few alternatives since I composed the post and I get it truly records things now and again. at this point, I haven't exactly considered the network with Ableton, sequencing and tweak all around ok. likewise, in the event that you add polyphony is anything but difficult to see that I would require a great deal more rack space accessible and that would turn my "make music anyplace" thought down. that is the reason I chose to begin with this approach; I got me a volcano kick and a volca sampler, so this will enable me to begin trying different things with a few drums and furthermore utilize it as a sampler outside Ableton. Additionally, I will attempt to utilize them as a clock for my framework later, since I as of now observed a few people doing it. despite the fact that, I truly don't know whether I could utilize the volca sequencer to trigger the measured. I'll see with additional time and quiet. I figure this initial approach will convey some helpful experiences to continue becoming in light of a strong thought. I likewise will do whatever it takes not to consume the money and that is the reason I'm constraining myself from the begin.

There is pretty much zero channel bleed and you have to have multiple signals turned up all the way befor the way before there is distortion. The distortion is pretty clean sounding and when observed on a scope looks like a straight clip. The 2hp mix also works really well with control voltages and the scaling on the knobs is quite smooth, without any big jumps in volume.

Can you tell us a bit more of the 2hp Mix - How significant is the channel bleed would you say..? Does it distort audio signals anything? Any other thing to consider..?

I do understand what pamela does... I just didn't dig deeper into finding out all about it..... I figured you had it or used it since you were suggesting it.

Anyway, BUT, YEAH....... Pamela would be a good choice..... I think I'll have to go out to my local store and play around with some modules....

I also think it's time to build my own stage case......

oh... i thought you were using a metasonix VCF... no idea if it'll emulate the organ, but you'll probably get some funky tones out of your oscillator. you're the first person here i've seen that'd put one of their modules in their rack. i can't abide by the mismatching yellow, so i'd stick to their VCA. i think you'd get more tube sound with a tube filter than oscillator, but then again, you won't get the same "misbehaving sound" as metasonix's S-1000 wretch likes to make some random howls.
-- bubblefunk

Thanks bubblefunk. I'm not that concerned with the look, but more with the sound. If you take a listen to some of the demos like this one the filters in those days were line multiple notch and/or bandpass filters to try and emulate real instruments. After listening to some demos I don't know that a the Metasonix tube filter would achieve these tones. I am thinking a formant filter or ADDAC 601 might be better although I don't need all of the VC features of the 601 and at a higher cost.

How about a stereo output? I know it's not as exciting as other modules, but having a massive stereo image can be heavenly, especially with your new Morphagene! (I got one and it is amazing)
-- Thoevans

And here is the stereo output module Rosie :)
19 hp to fill before case upgrade ! Any suggestions ?

I have bought a module (Anti Patroon) from Error Instruments a year ago. About six months ago, I had a breakdown of the module. I wrote a mail to Error Instruments to ask how I could fix. The answer was to send it back in order to get it repaired by them and then returned back to me. So I sent it back. The result is that I never got back my module after something like a dozen mails to figure out what was happening with it.
Since then, no answer, no module back. I never thought this could happen in the modular community.

EDITED Jul 4th 2017, 09:10

This is a shrunk down version for being the mad scientist I am. Enough to sample and re-engineer from the inside out. I feel like I am missing a key component or two.

Any feedback would be super awesome.
Kindly yours,
Ponmon

Beginning my new eurorack. I am an experimentalist by nature, and I work with other hardware outside including (casio xw-pd1, korg volca series, electric guitar, and a few misc pieces).

I want to be able to truly plug and play then mutate, breed and release the full nature of the harmonic amalgams.

This is an incomplete idea and any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Can you mute individual channels some how, like the Tempi does?

i honestly don't know, but maybe you can at the preset level. i'm a noob to modular, so my understanding of clocks & dividers sucks, but the impression i got reading pam's description was that it can do everything a batumi AND quad clock can & more with its shuffle feature and presets, though maybe batumi & quad clock work better live where you can tweak their sliders.

i'd actually expect you to understand pamela better than me. i just wanted to give you a heads up on it as a powerful clocking possibility that won't hog rack space. try contacting the manufacturer. they'll have a much better answer to your question.

well... not just that, it'd give you more octaves, and be a heck of a lot easier to play, BUT it's your rack and you know what works for you best. at the very least, i'd think you'd have to lay the rack on its back to handle the keys better, or do a bottom row kick-out. i look at that keyboard, and only one thing comes to mind...

carpo-tunnel syndrome

OK... 2 things...

a lot of missed notes... in part because of carpo-tunnel syndrome. LOL

Hello Bluein,
Nice songs. Thanks for sharing!

Hi,
My name is Arynot, I'm new on this forum, just want to say Hi!
Have a nice day.
Thanks.

This little module just arrived and before installing it I noticed a USB port on the back. I guess Im a NOOB because I have no idea what its for, and cant find anything in the documentation I downloaded. Anyone know what its for other than the Arduino board?

This is a session I did after the most recent re-org

.

EDITED Mar 13th 2018, 23:33

Thanks for the input Bubblefunk. I'm trying to keep everything self contained and not go to an outside the rack source. I liked the idea of having a small controller and sequencer. I do have a small USB keyboard. I guess I could get a USB/MIDI/CV module and use that. I suppose that would free up some rich space for other things.

Bought an MI Clouds off @Euxine, all went well. Recommended seller.

Hey, bubblefunk! I've seen you around these parts

The tube mixer is a dream. I love it. Very glad to have it. And the Erica Synths Monster case (6U) is great. I am replacing my Elite Modular portable cases. I have two in great condition. While the ES Monster case isn't really portable. It is nice to have the extra width. The depth is nice, too. I didn't think I would like a tall case but I do.

The Control Forge is another matter. I haven't had time to delve into it much. I've done basic stuff. And I read most of the manual(!). It's a complicated piece of equipment and it is going to take a while to wrap my brain around it. I find I have to sit with a module for a while so my brain can ponder it. The more complicated the module, the longer the pondering. But I'm excited to get playing with it. I watched a lot of videos on YT of people using it as a sequencer. While it can be used as such it seems a waste to me. It's so much more than that.

I see in one of your cases the MI Rings. What do you think of it? Have any tips for me? I've played around with mine, but I haven't dug very deep with it yet. I found a guy on YT called genshi. He has some inspiring songs he's put together featuring Rings. I've learned a few ideas to try from listening to him.

Hmmmm....

Pamela huh?...... I like how it has eight outputs...... Lots of extra things besides triggers to use too....

Can you mute individual channels some how, like the Tempi does?

Obviously I can't stop after I fill the missing 10 HP. Building a case and/ or buying one will take a while..

So, to fill out the last 10 hp......... With what I have already......... maybe a quantizer and a VCO?

i like the control forge & tube

if you select your handle in the upper right hand corner of the screen & bring your racks list up, you can go back & change the name of the rack to 2.0, or whatever other name you want using edit instead of (copy)(copy)

i'm sure it is, but i'd wonder why you'd want to waste so much of your rack space on a limited keyboard controller instead of using an external. 1/5 of a rack for a 1 octave keyboard doesn't make sense to me, but then again. neither does maths. it's easier for me to wrap my head around control forge (it's complicated, true, but at least you can SEE what it's doing) and smaller single function modules.

well coming from a "tone first" perspective, the three "essential" modules i'd go for would be an intellijel cylonix shapeshifter & rossum's morpheus z-plane filter & control forge "wavetable LFO/sequencer/modulator". you could make a lot of noise with just those, but my play rack is almost the exact opposite of yours... it'd have 19 filters, half a dozen or so oscillators, and very little by way of modulation besides a pamela's new workout, a couple of triatts, a control forge, some expanders & midi with no maths or rampage EVER lol. i'd also throw a metasonix tube VCA in to warm the wavetables up a bit too. your mids sound a little thin & spitty, unless that's the "acid" kind of sound you're after.

it's interesting actually HEARING someone's rack in action.

EDITED Jul 3rd 2017, 00:27

oh... i thought you were using a metasonix VCF... no idea if it'll emulate the organ, but you'll probably get some funky tones out of your oscillator. you're the first person here i've seen that'd put one of their modules in their rack. i can't abide by the mismatching yellow, so i'd stick to their VCA. i think you'd get more tube sound with a tube filter than oscillator, but then again, you won't get the same "misbehaving sound" as metasonix's S-1000 wretch likes to make some random howls.

pamela's new workout?
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/alm-busy-circuits-pamela-s-new-workout

it's hard for me to answer. my priority is "as many tones as possible", so i'd be inclined to say wavetable oscillator, which is anti-moog, or maybe an intellijel polaris multimode filter.

EDITED Jul 3rd 2017, 00:01

cool. thanks for the info.

as to "radical patching", IF i had a modular, most of my patching would just be swapping oscillators & filters in "standard synths" with "power patches" being based on intellijel's cylonix shapeshifter & rossum's morpheus (the absolute sickest filter IMO) & control forge, so using filters as oscillators wouldn't be an issue for me, and you'd NEVER see a maths or rampage in my rack.

BTW, i forgot the doepfer 106-1. i read about it, but when i looked it up here, a different 106 filter clone, must be their code for filter, showed up, so i didn't include it.

as to punk rock, i think that would be the arp odyssey, but nowadays, NOTHING's as punk as the all tube metasonix S-1000 wretch machine.

EDITED Jul 2nd 2017, 23:49

Thanks!!

I have some outboard rackmount effects on my 12 channel mixer rack. It's a heavy unit and I don't want to move it around for live performance......It's funny because I haven't felt the need to use effects yet. I will someday, however I don't think I'll take my mixer rack to a live show. Maybe I'll run it all though my Korg KP3....that is probably what I'll do.
Maybe I'll have to buy a small four channel mixer for a live setup.....Just so I can get the levels right with the KP3 inputs.

My mind is still pushing me toward a clock divider......

Thanks for the input......I did forget about effects.....

I'm still not sure why I want a clock divider...... I guess I have mylarmelodies to thank for that!

Some effects maybe? ... Reverbs/Delay ? ... Those Pico from Erica are pretty cool. or RT-60 from Qu-Bit.

Hey Everyone!

  So, I have 10 hp left in my current system........   What am I missing?

At first I was thinking about a Make noise Tempi..... Then I got the Performance buffered mults from Malekko....I really like being able to switch mults with the button on the fly.....

Then I was thinking about a 4ms rotating clock divider and some more mults or a malekko performance unity mixer...

Maybe it's time for a Disting? However, a Disting would give me too many ways to go....

Kind of want to keep it simple-ish..... The Tempi would be a complex module to sort out but I like how it has states to save and recall......

What would you add in 10 HP?

FYI, I do have a make noise 0-coast, Korg SQ-1, Moog Werkstatt, and an Arturia Keystep.

Thanks,

    Grey

I have the older Korgasmatron, that is a great filter, very gritty but also very versatile because it tracks 1 V/octave and can be used as dual sine oscillator.
I had the dual Borg, which also sounds nice, but I did not like, that you always had to put in a cable if you wanted to use just one of the filters.
I did not use the Befaco filter, but I have several other modules from Befaco and they all have the punkrock approach, so I guess that Sallen-key filter will be cool too.

Befaco midithing is a good choice

EDITED Jul 1st 2017, 18:16

the forum's search engine doesn't do the best job of searching for filters by clone type, but using this modular grid & this article about filter clones, i came up with these 5 possible clones, not counting the studio electronics MS-20 boomstar which sounded really interesting and very different from their yamaha CS-80 which got me into it's sort of "nintendo/atari" sound

Intellijel - Korgasmatron II - seems to be the most popular as far as i can tell
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/intellijel-korgasmatron-ii

Befaco - Sallen Key Filter BF-22 - according to an online blurb i read, it is a "true clone", down to cloned ICs and can be used as a direct replacement
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/befaco-sallen-key-filter-bf-22

Analogue Solutions - SY02
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/analogue-solutions-sy02

Manhattan Analog - MA35 VCF/A - is actually an MS-10 clone... what's the difference between an MS-10 & MS-20?
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/manhattan-analog-ma35-vcf-a

Malekko Heavy Industry - Dual Borg - is technically supposed to be a bucchla clone, but is also compared to the MS-20
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/malekko-heavy-industry-dual-borg

anyone have any experience with any of these compared to any of the others? considering that at least as far as filter clones go, doepfer isn't the best choice (specifically their SEM clone), i'd expect there to be some sound quality differences between each brand, and something else i read implied that the MS-20 can do some huge bass sounds too which would be nice as i'm just not a fan of moog sound, but if 2 filters more or less sound the same, the one that offers extra tones, like a sweet overdrive, or multi-modes would be preferable. until hearing the MS-20 boomstar, i'd dismissed the synth as irrelevant.

I bought an ornament & crime module from Virgil (who also built it). Overall a very nice and easygoing person. The build quality was terrific as well. Highly recommended!

A easy to use and overall good converter is the Pittsburgh Modular MIDI 2. You can get it for almost nothing from 2. hand now.

Is everything here compatible? I don't want to go big, I just want to try to emulate a Clavioline which was a monophonic tube organ from the 60's. http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/story-clavioline I want to play it from a midi keyboard.

EDITED Jun 30th 2017, 03:36

drop #8, pamela's new workout, and put rossum's AWESOME control forge at #3!!! THAT is how you control voltages as far as i'm concerned! it destroys LFOs, ADSRs, & rigid pattern based sequencers and more as far as i'm concerned. WOW! when not keyboard tracking, i would use a control forge AND expanders for sound design or making complex multi-tone dubstep wobbles.

unlike maths & rampage, which i'm simply not able to wrap my head around, short of breaking their functions down into individual modules, many of which i'd never even use, i watch this video, and i can imagine all kinds of tonal mayhem & sloppy timed funk sequences. i don't mind complexity when it's on the surface where you can see it

OMG! i just learned about the SICKEST CV modulator ever, because it works almost exactly the same way it would if i designed it, and i imagined a module very much like it, only it wasn't step based, though, when you can alter the timing of every step, it's the next best thing to hand drawing, my module would be used to modulate notes, so you can play your "boings, wobbles & scratches" and my modulator would add a second layer for amplitude modulation for extra complex sounds, but i guess if you synced a couple expanders, you could modulate a VCA & a VCF, all with entirely different envelopes than pitch, besides patching your CVs to "whatever it is you modular heads do" said he with an accusatory tone. LOL

anyways, check control forge out. it's only 100 times cooler than maths or rampage and at least 10x cooler than pamela's workout (as far as i understand it anyways)

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/rossum-electro-music-control-forge

i just learned about control forge and REALLY dig it! it's my kind of "screw the perfect timing LFO & ADSR straightjacket & let me bend tones with CURVES & wobbles" module! it's VERY MUCH like the dream module i talked about in another thread except you can't use it to track a keyboard so you can play your "boings, whoops, & scratches", and it doesn't have a second envelope generating VCA so you can add even more complexity to a sound's amplitude over time, but i'm guessing you could do THAT with an expander module and the VCA of your choice tracking a voltage envelope.

i would trade 100 (too many unmarked functions in one box to be able to understand it) maths or rampages for 1 "let me draw my own modulations & sequence them, thank you" control forge. it's such an OBVIOUS concept! use digital's ability to make complex modulations analogue can't match, the same way wavetables run circles around "boring old sines, sawtooths, & squares"

i'm so impressed with the sound design possibilities of control forge, i yanked rossum's morpheus out of my imaginary "tone bender" rack, replaced it with an intellijel cv/logic/switcher mixer and created an entire "awesome rossum" rack

THAT's how you make analogue do dubstep wobbles! i would take complex pitch bends over "gag me with a spoon i'm soooooo sick of 303 filter sweeps" ANY DAY, but, sigh, i guess you can do those TOO with a control forge, not that i can figure out why anyone would want to. LOL

anyways, here's what it does... YOU decide how cool or not it would be making YOUR kinds of sounds

i can tell you this, if i made a demo for the module, i'd R2D2 the eff out of it, do some bass wobble, scratch over it... and go boing boing boing and figure out how to make it talk. yeah! so far, the ONLY synthesis i've ever done was playing with a softsynth i was able to use without a VST host that i had to manually trigger, one note at a time, making sound design a slow process, but over the course of two grueling days, slowly learning the basics using BASIC ADSRs, i was able to make it say "YO!" & "WOW!" with sawtooths or square waves... control forge can do that soooo much better, i'm sure, especially when you add a vocal sounding filter. granular steps? crossfade steps? WOBBLE steps?! WOW! i never imagined THOSE!

it would be about the ONLY sequencer i'd ever put in a rack too because you can REALLY slop up the timing with it instead of having to fit everything in those perfectly timed, soulless, perfectly quantized steps that make me despise most techno. when you can slide timing around, you can make beats that have some hop & skip to them. that's another reason i really relate to this module. it lets ME take control of timing and lag to a high hat or rush a kick riff 'till the cows come home. i couldn't do that, even with 256ppqn on my alesis HR16 because of that EVIL click track that made everything i played sound like kraftwerk. i hated being confined to patterns so much, i eventually wanted to smash my drum machine with a sledge hammer, and only got funky with it 4 tracking on a cassette... try editing that!

golly i wish i had a modular now! they're STARTING to get more interesting than sampling to me between this, wavetable & FM oscillators, & z-plane filters that go where analogue can't

EDITED Jun 29th 2017, 01:40

I wonder why so many people have been putting their SMRF (ahahah) on the market :S
I don't own one but it seems lots of fun!
-- Tazio

i originally put one in my imaginary system. it's an interesting effect, but really one dimensional. it really only makes one kind of "ringing tone" compared to the SICK cylonix shapeshifter wavetable voice by intellijel or rossum's equally sick morpheus z-plane filter which can do a lot more, tonally, than SMR as far as filters go.

sure... "toy xylophone" is an interesting sound, but would you want to use it on EVERY SONG? LOL

EDITED Jun 29th 2017, 01:05

rossum just blew my mind again, inventing ALMOST the same exact module i would, then adding a bunch of stuff i would have never thought of. the biggest differences are that i'd add pitch tracking to it so you could play notes with "tone envelopes" and that it's have a second layer where you could draw amplitude envelopes, which, maybe you can, as i understand it, with an expander module and modulating a VCA to act as an envelope generator.

regardless... check this awesome rack hog out!

control forge
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/rossum-electro-music-control-forge

i yanked morpheus out of my tone bender 4x104 play rack, replaced it with an intellijel mixer, and created an entire "awesome rossum" 1x104 rack out of control forge, 4 expanders, morpheus and their evolution filter because the kind of modulations you can do with control forge are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than lame LFOs & ADSRs! you can even sequence & trigger with it. there might be a learning curve with it, but i think i'd use it a lot creating bass wobbles,
scratches" & boings etc. i honestly don't know what took someone so long to let digital do what it does best... "complex modulations" like wavetables & apply it do control voltages.

your mileage may vary, but i'd trade 100 maths & rampages for one control forge.. i mean, it even lets you draw CURVES... how cool is that?! but "granular, crossfade & wobble" steps? WOW!!! seriously cool sound design potential there. THAT's how you make sounds skip & bounce, even if you can only do it one sound at a time, BUT i bet using the quantize feature, you can transpose a "sequence" (note, for me) up or down and trigger it from an expander. i'm seriously jazzed about control forge

Could swap Quadra with:

• O/A/x2 and O'Tool+
• Ansible and Shades
• Double Ansibles for Grid + Arc action

Would miss things like Batumi, Chance, Basimilus, Belgrad, Granular/Sampling modules
But this is incredibly focused, versatile, dense. If only I could buy an Isms case + Spring tank.

EDITED Jun 28th 2017, 21:31

I've just bought a CV.OCD box from tindie.... https://www.tindie.com/products/hotchk155/cvocd-a-super-flexible-midi-to-cv-box/
Could be just what you are looking for. And 0hp!!!!

Hello friends..
i'm starting to build my modular, it's a very deep world and i love it!
At the moment i have two elektron octatrack.. i think i can use they to sequence my modular synth for first weeks before upgrade to a modular sequencer..
Can someone recommend me a good quality midi to cv converter module?
if is possible dual channel operation.. 2 cv and 2 gate outs will be perfect
i'm scared about lag, bad pitch tracking..
Thanks a lot

Hello~ Can I ask you some questions about the Lora module of SX1278? ( the datasheet of SX1278 is given below: http://www.kynix.com/uploadfiles/pdf65976/SX1278IMLTRT.pdf )
I don’t know why the Lora module always failed to send. This is my sending function:
[code]uint8_t SpiInOut( uint8_t outData )
{
        uint8_t lmGET_data;

        HAL_SPI_TransmitReceive(&hspi1, &outData, &lmGET_data, 1, SPI_TIMEOUT);

        return lmGET_data;
}      [/code]
However, the DIO0 here cannot be set ! ! ! Please give me some feasible advice! Thanks a lot! ! !
[code]case RFLR_STATE_TX_RUNNING:
        if( DIO0 == 1 ) // TxDone
        {
            // Clear Irq
            SX1276Write( REG_LR_IRQFLAGS, RFLR_IRQFLAGS_TXDONE  );
            RFLRState = RFLR_STATE_TX_DONE;   
        }[/code]