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Welcome soissons!

As for how to start I can tell you what I did: I collected used Doepfer modules (and anything else cheap I could find). I just wanted to avoid sinking thousands into new gear while figuring out if modular was for me. After I had a basic collection I got a (new) power supply and built a case out of cardboard. -

That said, you will first want to get the most basic modules : Oscillator, envelope, filter, lfo. Depending on what you want to do you will need some kind of note producing controller to actually play notes. Like a keyboard, midi interface, sequencer or even an lfo and a quantizer to give you stepped sequences of notes out of continuous voltages.

And no, you don't have to go full Doepfer (or any other brand). The beauty of modular is that you can combine any modules from the same format. Since you named Doepfer that would be Eurorack which IMO is a good start because it is cheaper than other formats and it has the greatest variety of modules to choose from (currently something like 800, not sure)

Hope that helped?

P.S.
Doepfer has ready made systems too: http://www.doepfer.de/a100s_e.htm
Pittsburgh has what probably ist just enough to be called modular: http://www.thomann.de/de/pittsburgh_modular_system_10.htm?gclid=CImXsfLou8oCFeTnwgod7rYHdw

My own 2x84 rack of around 50% used stuff looks like this:
I have around 1200 EUR in it.

EDITED Jan 21st 2016, 21:16

So yeah, hi everybody. This is a great a place to be, thanks a lot for creating it!

I am into modular synthdom since 2015 09 and happened on MG while searching the web for info on modular/eurorack.
After starting out on a Yamaha CX5m a looong time ago I fiddled with VST the last couple of years.
I was really taken by the combination of several emulations of the Synthi AKS/VCS 3 and Audio Mulch's Metasurface.

However the mouse is a poor interface for a synth so I began to eye modular hardware and quickly zoomed in on eurorack.
After about half a year of research I decided to build a small eurorack from cardboard and a bunch of used modules I had pieced together. Now I have 6Ux84 and guess what -- no space left! Does that make me a typical wiggler?

Anyway, so far I am enjoying the ride even though the move from all digital/total recall to analog and volatile/momentary was quite the culture shock =0 I learned a lot during the past months, reading up, hunting modules - and most importantly, using them - and MG helped a great deal, so thanks again!

Currently I am researching options to organize the lovely noises I create into meaningful sequences, so a clock divider and a knob recorder are on my radar. I am also very interested in the art of modular live improvisation and controllers other than keyboards.

cheers,
Ralf

EDITED Dec 7th 2015, 16:02

Hi Vinnie_Lee,

the deepest I know of is this 19" frame: http://www.doepfer.de/home_d.htm.
140 mm usable depth where the bus boards are.
Going with custom frames similar to this (http://clicksclocks.de/904) you could go deeper if you wanted to.

BTW some modules are only like 20 mm. That's why I built my cardboard skiff case just 38 mm deep on the shallow side.
I find that more convenient than working an upright case.

(late wish to Santa: A 'sort by depth' feature in the module browser would be nice :)

@tritata
Just wanted to say thank you for a speedy, smooth and satisfying transaction.
Extra thanks for the bits that were not in the deal initially :-)
(2 Mults, 20150930)