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I've downloaded the Teensy loader, got the benispheres hex file I need, but I'm stuck at one part with getting the Teensy loader to work.
On this page: https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/loader_mac.html it says "The Teensy Loader should appear as a small window. If the Teensy board is running the LED blink, or not connected, you should see this window."
This is where I'm stuck. The next part mentions "If HalfKay is running...." and I'm completely lost. I have no idea what HalfKay is and it seems without this, I can't get the Teensy loader into auto mode so I can load the hex file.
Anyone have any idea how to do this? Many thanks in advance!!
Just thought I'd mention I see at least 2 more that can be used relatively easily:
Beads: if you remove cables from the 2 inputs and wait a few seconds, the module turns into a wavetable synth. Seeding grains still works, so does the reverb.
Quadrax: by selecting the bipolar LFO mode and turning up the rate, it turns into an oscillator with pretty cool waveform control and it will track 1volt/oct.
-- toodee
Re: number 1 - I was aware of this feature, but you know, I've never really played around with it. I'll give that a shot, Thanks!!
Re: number 2: Thanks for this idea, But I actually don't own a quadrax, or ochd, or fxaid... I had removed those ages ago but clearly i didn't save my rack properly. I definitely want to get one though as that would be a great source for lfos and envelopes!
Method 1: Send White Noise into Rings, not a trigger. You can get Filtered White Noise from Plaits. It's the second red mode. And then to Veils with a Long Attack/Release stage envelope.
Method 2: Trigger Rings as you would. Ting. Adjust Damping to make it decay a little longer and send it to Beads with the Reverb Fully Wet. Tinnnnng. Then to Veils with a long attack. You won't hear much of the initial ting from Rings, only the tail—a long, ethereal smear. nnnnnnnnnnng.
Method 3: Trigger Rings or excite it with white noise. Send it to Beads and press Freeze when it gets to a good spot in the decay. You now have a pad or drone sound. Or use the cv input to gate the Freeze button so you can sequence it as you please.
-- Toccata
WOW!! Thank you!! It had never occurred to me to send a signal that had already been affected by something into the VCA and then to send an envelope into the VCA.... I suppose that's a fairly trivial patch but it's just not something I've tried before, Thank you! Those are all really cool ideas that I'll explore!
Hi! So I'm having some trouble understanding how to utilize envelopes in order to turn my two sound sources Plaits and rings, into pads. I understand ADSR envelopes and how they work, but I'm struggling to use them to actually make pad sounds.
First I know I'm lacking a dedicated envelope module, so I'm using the adsr in uO_c.
Right now Plaits seems to be the more straight forward one - Pam's or Marbles sends a trigger into uO_c, the adsr then goes into the level of Plaits. Boom, there's my envelope / pad sound right?
How do you achieve that with Rings? There's no level input... So would I send the output of rings into Veils, then send an Envelope into the CV of Veils to treat it as a volume knob? I feel like it hasn't worked for me, unless I'm doing something wrong.
If anyone has any advice for my current setup, that would be great! And I suppose any recommendations for finishing my case as well would be awesome - I primarily make ambient / melodic stuff but am getting a little tired of the plucks... Need more pads! Thank you!
Thank you everyone for your responses. I'll definitely take into consideration your suggestions, and perhaps I can hold off Arbhar for now (that may come in my next eurorack case or if I upgrade to something bigger down the road).
With Plaits and Rings (and with my external Moogs which I can patch into Hyrlo) it seems I will have more than enough sound sources to work with.
I'll plan out my next purchases and will likely come back again in the future if I have any other questions. Thanks again everyone!
The case above is currently 50% complete. The top row is what I own, the bottom row is what I would like to get next. With the top row I can get some cool patches going, but it feels pretty linear and I want to expand my possibilities. I've typically been using my subharmonicon and mother 32 as additional sound sources and mixing them in with Hyrlo, but I'd like to start filling up that second row now. I'm looking for some advice on where I go from here.
I had initially set out to create a rack that could be used for generative ambient music, but I understand that since I only have 6u 84hp to work with, it wouldn't really have enough room to shine and be a true generative system. I'm okay with that and am happy with it just being used for ambient / experimental rather than something truly generative.
I want to add Rings because I just love how it sounds and I think it would pair well with Plaits. I think I'll be okay with the smaller form factor since I typically set things and just let it run. I've had my eye on Arbhar as the 3rd and final sound source for a while now. The cost of it is really the only reason I don't have it yet. It'd be cool to mix in some real instruments and let Abhar work its magic on them.
I'm pretty much 100% set on data bender. It just suits my style and I think I'd enjoy having it as another effect.
I'm thinking PNW would be good since I'd like to have another module to use as the main clock or rhythm generator, plus some LFOs since I don't have any modulation yet. Then finally I added Links because I have no mults and sometimes I want to duplicate CV.
Assuming these 5 modules are a good fit, I'm thinking I still might need some more attenuation, another filter maybe, and perhaps another LFO for more modulation? I'd have 32hp of space remaining. What do y'all think?
Hey guys, so above is my rack that I have planned and the modules that I started with and actually own are Plaits, Marbles and Beads. My goal is to have a system focused around generative, granular, randomness and ambient.
I'm enjoying what I can do with the 3 modules but I'm looking for what might be a good module to add next, based on the options I have in the link above (or if you have any other recommendations I'm open to that as well!)
I'm leaning towards the quad VCA or qpas for more sound shaping options, but would love to hear what others think. Thanks in advance!
don't skimp on case or power, especially if you find modules to be expensive - the case protects them and the power gives them life!
if it was me I would next want a better modulation source (I like Maths as a first modulation source*) and some basic utilities next (links, kinks, shades or similar functionality in different modules - wmd/ssf toolbox for example goes a long way to covering a lot of basic utilities) and then possibly a stereo mixer - before adding any more sound sources or modifiers
-- JimHowell1970
Hi Jim,
I've looked over your first response as I've made some changes over the past week. Seeing similar builds has led me to make some adjustments. I would love to hear your thoughts on the changes:
Case: Considering power, size, reliability, etc., and cost, I'm probably going to go with a 6U 84HP Doepfer low cost case. I'll message the Case From Lake owner as well. As much as I want a custom pretty case with polished walnut wood, etc., the LC6 seems to be a steady workhorse and solid choice for a first case. Plus, the extra money in my pocket can go towards some utility modules.
Modulation: I've added Maths and Pam's for some modulation and extra clock sources.
Utility: Following your advice on utility, I've added MI's links, kinks, and shades. I've also seen these utility modules echoed in other posts here and on r/modular for builds that are similar to mine.
Stereo Mixer: Since I'll eventually have Beads and Arbhar, two stereo modules, any recommendation on a stereo mixer? Will I need something that has multiple stereo ins / 2 outs? It's hard to make sense of what would work with my build, or what's overkill for my sound sources. There's so many choices. Beyond that, it looks like I'll still have a little room to spare for additions down the road. Thanks in advance!
"don't skimp on case or power, especially if you find modules to be expensive - the case protects them and the power gives them life!"
This makes a lot of sense, especially when full cases can exceed several thousands of dollars. Thank you for your input.
"the psu looks to be a standard meanwell power supply - great if you are only using low powered modules - but not so good if you want to use something high powered - the fact that the builder states the number of power headers, but no the available power may or may not be a cause for concern - I would at least ask before buying"
I admit this is where my lack of knowledge comes into play. I had no idea this was something to keep an eye out for - I just assumed "powered case" would be enough to power any combination of modules that fit into the case. Thank you for the advice.
"personally I prefer the mantis over either of these cases - but that may just be me, partly because the mantis power supply is clean enough for video (less ripple up to much higher frequencies) whereas by all reports the intellijel supplies are not so quiet"
I would probably already own a Mantis case if I wasn't also so picky about aesthetics (even though it's a little bit larger than I'd like)! I like making videos with my synth gear and having a good looking case that appeals to me is part of the whole package. You mention the possibility of video "noise" and some power supplies not being clean enough. Is there a proximity effect to this? i.e. Would I need to be careful about how close my camera gets to my gear if my case happens to have an "unclean" power supply?
Can you speak to the power supply used in this build? The size is exactly what I'm looking for (I have decided on 6U, 84-88 hp would be more than enough for a long term build) and I really like the aesthetics of it.
"not many people can afford to go out and fill a case with modules on day 1 - and it's not often recommended either - whilst most modules are relatively simple to understand, lots of them all at once is not - and those that do need a bit more time generally fail to get it when purchased in huge batches - so starting with a few modules and learning them in depth before expanding is a great idea"
Again, another great point made and something I instinctively abide by. I've been working with two Moog semi-modulars for just over a year now and still have more to explore with them. Although it's time to augment that setup with this new modular journey :)
Thank you for all of your recommendations around how to output, modulation, attenuation, etc. Definitely gives me a solid starting point and feeling a little more comfortable with my starting module choices and some ideas on how to support them with more utility.
@defragmenteur
Thank you for the info about the MIDI modules.
@Lugia
Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I've decided to go with a larger case (6U, and 84-88hp) as it will allow more room for expansion and won't be too overwhelming in my studio.
Hey all, I have a mother 32 and subharmonicon and want to expand with a fully modular system. I currently record into a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 audio interface and record into Logic Pro X. I really like the idea of generative ambient with random triggers, audio manipulation, etc. so my first system will eventually include 4 main modules: Plaits, Arbhar, Marbles, and Beads. I also occasionally do video game covers, so it would be cool to send MIDI from Logic Pro into Plaits like I do with my Moog setup. Here's the case I've come up with so far:
It's 104HP single row, so I know I'll need to leave room for utilities, VCAs (I threw Veils in there for now), MIDI I/O, etc. I have some questions though:
Everyone says get the biggest case you can afford. Although I like the idea of a low profile 1 row case, it looks like I'm quickly going to fill it up once I add some utility modules to it, and thus probably won't have room to expand. Should I just go bigger, or could I make the 104HP single row work? I did see a 6U, 88HP x2 row case I liked on Etsy, although it only has power and no extra utility: (https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/513149542/)
If I stayed with a smaller case, could a 4U 104HP Intellijel Palette be a good choice? It seems to have a lot of utility built into it (sums, mults, MIDI, 1/4" outputs), and also has the 1U row for more. This seems like it would leave me enough open space for expansion in the 3U row?
I can't afford to buy everything at once, so I'm wondering what modules would be good to get me started? I was thinking maybe Plaits, Marbles, and Beads (Arbhar will likely come later as it is so damn expensive). Would I need any utility to go along with these choices? I've been told that for this setup I might want to add attenuators, stereo mixers or filters? Or maybe an output module if my case doesn't have outputs?
That's about it I guess.... I have a really good idea of what I want to do sound-wise, just sort of stuck on how to actually "start" with something usable. Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
