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Basically it's a 2x8 step sequencer, however if you look closely there are four outputs at the top part labeled trig 1, trig 2, trig 3 and gate (which is also a trig output but it's longer, however the functionality is somewhat the same as the other trigs).

Trig 1 & 2 and trig 3 & gate are grouped. You can create a basic 2x8 pattern by flipping the two rows of switches to the upper position (which sets a trigger/gate) or leaving it in the middle (creating a "rest"). Use the outputs of trig 1 for the first row and trig 3 for the second row. You can expand this by using the "rests" from trig 1 or trig 3 as another trigger for trig 2 or gate. This way you have two independent step sequencers (trig 1 & 3), but also two sequences which can have steps whenever the two main sequences have rests (trig 2 & gate).

For an example, let's only use the upper row of triggers. Patch trig 1 to make a sound (let's say a closed hi-hat) and trig 2 to make another sounds (let's say an open hi-hat). If a switch in the upper row is set to the "up" position, the module will send a trigger to the trig 1 output. If a switch in the upper row is set to the "down" position, no trigger will be send to an output. If a switch in the upper row is set to the "down" position, the module will send a trigger to the trig 2 output.
The relation of trig 3 and gate is equal to the relation that trig 1 and trig 2 have.

Also, since you mention that this is your first modular system; the A-155 doesn't seem to have a built-in clock, meaning you need external gates or triggers to advance the steps or reset the module to the first step. Also, the A-155 output seems to have an analog only output, meaning that the CV outputs (this is handled by the lower half of the module, CV output is usually note data) are not in any musical scale. To force the CV outputs to be in a musical scale, you need a quantizer or an oscillator module that has a quantizer built in.
-- dubstepjoris

Uh, nice! And I was awared already that... I better change the A-155 from my composition or at least to consider a most flexible option since it is quite simple and need of many other modules. Thanks!!

I see you are building your own case:

what are you considering for a power supply? I really like the befaco excalibus - relatively cheap and quiet (most of my diy cases use these) - it's also available DIY - simple but tedious build (lots of power headers with 16 pins each) I'd recommend 1 per 6u...

Uh... That's great! I thought on "Sinusoda Juice & Straw". But Befaco is like cheaper and seems to be much of my liking haha. Thank you very much for the recommendation (I'll take the assambled one haha, don't want it to be so DIY!). And yes, I'll divide the synth in racks of 6u each, so I'll use one per rack!

I'd build 6u cases rather than 9u or a 9u and a 6u - all my DIY cases are 9u and they're a bit unwieldy... personally I find 6u/104hp as the best compromise... also it means that you can have 1 case vertical (or at an angle - 9u) and 1 horizontal in front (which I find easiest)

Yep, 104hp seems nice. I'll take measures and see.

2600 is a good layout... I do something similar... sound sources at the top, modulation sources below that, then sound momdifiers, then control/sequencing/end of chain mixer at the bottom/front - utilities distrributed throughout
-- JimHowell1970

Really appreciate your time dude... Thanks for taking (mostly) the synth down and build a better one with the recommendations haha!

Hi! I've read the whole comment. First, I would kiss your forehead to express how much I appreciate it... however my style of expressing emotions could be weird in certain circumstances like this particular one... So... Thanks very much!

top row:

doepfer are not well known for midi -> cv modules... I'd not worry about this to start with... ie I'd drop the module...

Mutant Brain... Instant replacement!

the oscillators you've chosen... I'd probably want a 3rd - something different - either as the source for FM on one of these, or as a separate sound source...

I'm not convinced by the audio divider... what's your imagined use case for this?

I thought it could be nice (for bass and leads?) to replicate to different octaves. I like that sound much. Or to simply control different LFOs.

not convinced by the sequencer... I think there are better options out there... so why this one? also NB it has no quantizer built in so you need either a dual one - or a sequencer module with quantisation built in... also needs a clock input... so either you need a sequencer with clock built in or you'll need an external clock - if you want to sync to a DAW, via midi you'd need one of the doepfer modules that specifies sync - ie not the one you chose - or a different midi->cv module (mutant brain - is a very good option) - or sync via audio (I use a kick sample) - also this sequencer massively benefits from pairing with the controller...

In principle, I will never use a DAW since my aim is to create everything by myself as much analogically as I can. But you are right. If there are options with some things included I should take a look at them. For example, Erica's one and Metropolix are digital, and that is not a "No" for me, but is a "mm... I don't know..." (even if they offer such flexibility)... So I'll think about them. That's the reason why I preferred Doepfer one: 2x8 steps, even needing external modules. A bit awful, but... Again, I'll think about it and see what's more out there.

middle row:

a lot of filters... but no other effects, I'd swap some out... add a multi-effect unit... an fx aid pro possibly 2... if 2 I'd only get 1 pro - the pro can be used as a cheat sheet for the other - delay and reverb (at a minimum) is a useful combination

Haha! I have just seen the Aid pro, and it is a patology of mine... I hate digital screens haha. Whatever, I'll check modules like those! Thank you again! Of course they are missing!

I'd not spend money on a b-company fixed filter bank... if I wanted something similar I'd wait and buy a better one at a later date... I'd put a matrix mixer in it's place

Sure you are right!

the 2 mixers and 2 mults next to each other will be annoying... I'd also replace one of the mixers with a happy nerding 3 * MIA - not only can it mix, but it also can be used for attenuation/attenuversion/offset - which is incredibly useful to have (& yes I know that Maths has these - but you will almost definitely want to use them whilst you are using maths for something more interesting)

About the order... there will be too much variability in the next month haha, and probably years haha. Buy I'll consider the change! And the offset was needed and forgotten! Thanks again.

do you really need 2 adsrs? I'd look for a dual in the same space... or one that's voltage controlled, oroften less complex envelope generators work well in modular... ADs for example...

Good point. I'll check!

ah some vcas... not enough... get at least a quad cascading one... a veils clone, perhaps... vcas are for cv as well as audio... and even for audio they are for more than just shaping notes...

I think I don't appreciate them yet, but I'll consider all recommendations... all of you point that out like if I was crazy haha. I am, but I'll do!

bottom row:

a-119 - it's useful, but noisy

Will check replacements.

dual slew - might be redundant (& I dislike this word with regard to modular) - maths is a dual slew! I'd drop this
ring mod... better to get the dual vc polarizer... it can do ring mod and other things and it's the same size...
maths (great module - download the 'maths illustrated manual' (work through it multiple times thinking about what, why & how) and a single lfo are not really enough modulation sources... I'd get a batumi & expander...
personally I'm not a big fan of scopes... I have an es8 so could use 1 in vcv rack and I also have 1 in the fx aid pro... neither of which i use that much... you can listen to any cv... just send it through a vcos pitch input...

I'll do! And I see the necessity of seeing the waves to understand what a module is doing, so for me an oscilloscope is a must haha.

mixer - you have all those filters - eq is a bit redundant (urgh) - I'd get a better mixer... again b-company (I try as much as humanly possible to avoid giving money to Uli!) if you want relatively inexpensive & absolutely must have EQ... then I'd go for an external mixer... I have an inexpensive yamaha mg12, which handles modular levels well - I wouldn't get one with fx built in though, just the base model - this will also save some rack space

Sure! My idea was to have a nice output and didn't find any of my likings... that was just to know I need it haha. Sorry!

remember you don't have to buy all of this at once - buy the case and a minimum viable synth and add modules slowly, one or two at a time... you will learn more... and get more from your modular... plus as no plan survives contact with the enemy, which in this case is you... your plans/wants/needs will change over time... & the slower you go, the fewer side tracks you'll take - as you will find out what you are missing and then add it, rather than buying modules you find you don't use...

My economy allows me to mount it at a not very fast pace... so I considered it from the beginning haha. Since I have the 2600, I'll buy what can be an extra to it and increase it slowly!

-- JimHowell1970

I mean physically deep, as in inches/millimeters. Some racks are shallow in depth and cannot accommodate the physical dimensions of an 80mm modules (the A154 sequencer controller, for example). If you are building your own rack, give yourself enough space between the rails and the power headers to fit some of the deeper Doepfer modules.

Oh, sorry! About that no worries... it will be much wider in the end! So I have to redistribute many things. Thanks :D

-- farkas

You have a lot of real estate dedicated to the fixed filter bank, a very subtle module. I would consider eliminating that until you have expanded to a larger rack, and dedicate that space to VCAs that are more "hands on," the Doepfer Dual Quantizer, a sequential switch, and Pamela's New/Pro Workout as a master clock.

Totally! I've gone through the characteristics of the A-155 and I've seen that there are left some useful modules for sequencing, which is going to be a very important part in my next compositions. That's really nice. Also, I have not decided yet the size of the rack. I am just adjusting the size of the rack in the web to the width of what I put together and expanding it depending on my needs. We are quite handy in my family (carpenters), so I'll build the rails for the rack and the rack. And I take the recommendation: More VCA's and the useful modules for sequencing!

Also, many Doepfer modules are fairly deep so make sure your rack is deep enough to accommodate them. I was interested in the A154/A155 combination, but my rack could not accommodate the depth of the A154.

Mm... In principle, I know there will be some potential which I will not be able to get. But I think that is part of my own process of learning... I like to think about the usage while I have the things in front of me... Im more a guy who understands things when I see them (and turn knobs with an oscilloscope in front of me) :)

Finally, the layout you have here wouldn't be very ergonomic. Your cables will be criss-crossing and going all over the place. This is something you will figure out as you use your rack, so be prepared to move your modules several times until you settle on a layout that makes more sense. Think about how your 2600 is designed and try to mimic that signal flow as best you can.

That's totally true haha. The only modules I know they are in the right position is the input (the first) and the output (the last). I have to think about the flow and the position of the sequencer with the VCO's haha. My first thought was to replicate the formulation of the 2600... but I know Ill have to change everything each week haha.

Try to avoid 2hp-4hp modules unless absolutely necessary. You'll thank me later. It's tempting to squeeze in a tiny module to add some function that you need, but if you really want single function or one knob per function modules, bigger usually equals better when it comes to tweakability and fun. If you're trying to decide what to do with the remaining 2hp, put a blank panel there and invest in another case. It's hard to turn knobs with any precision when the knobs are tiny and buried in a sea of cables.

Yeah, that's probably true. In comparison with the bigger modules, they lack of functionality usually. And also the knobs as you say... Yeah, Ill think about it!

Good luck and have fun!

Thanks to you for such a wonderful answer! Appreciated!!! Have a nice day!

-- farkas

The A-155 is by default a 2x8 step sequencer. You would need a pair of sequential switches to use it as a 1x16 step. The manual on the Doepfer website spells put some of the use cases.
-- bopodoq

Omg. Sometimes I think I forget how to read. I've read doepfer documentation first and didn't get it haha.

Thank you very much :)

Out of curiousity, what is your goal for this rack? You have a nice start to a synth here, I'd say maybe think about more lfos, attenuators, and vcas. But more specific recommendations really depend on what you're going for with this instrument.
-- HGsynth

In principle, my general aim is to really learn the possibilities from each individual module. Also, in general I am not going to use it for extremely strange sounds over which I have not fully control (up to random noise). So I prefer to have a rack without all those modules with a certain random characteristic... and maybe in the future, once I am under control of these guys, I will go into something more experimental.

More LFOs and VCAs sounds like a great advice. Thanks! But also I am going to use my Behringer 2600 with them, so in total there will be 6 possible LFOs + Maths.

I don't know if it is an answer. But I'm also yet figuring out what I can do with the modules I already know how they function individually, and what are other unknown possibilities out there.

And, of course, I have in mind to never use it in live.

EDITED Sep 26th 2023, 05:45

Thanks! I was reading the documentation to display the image correctly haha! I really appreciate the community you have in here!

Good day everyone!

Second question in the same day! I am going to start with my first modular synth. I have just created a basic rack, but basic in the sense that I am not into "multiple function" modules (not yet at least). I prefer to stay simple and clear: one module for each purpose.

Here it is. I would like to get your opinions and recommendations... it is expensive, so I prefer to know from the experienced ones!

Also... what to do with the 2hp space left in the last row? :D

Thank you very much in advance!
Sam.

EDITED Sep 25th 2023, 21:11

Good day everyone!

I'm new in here and very very soon I will have my first modular synth. Since it is quite a lot of money even for the smallest one, I have a simple question I'm sure you will solve for me:

I see from Doepfer A-155 that there are two rows of 8 steps each, which have also one output each. Does it mean that I can program two different 8-step sequences and play them at the same time? That's something I need for my ongoing work.

Thank you very much in advance!
Sam.