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Maths, definitely...but in this starter build here, I think you'll have plenty to keep you busy on the starter version here. Plus, you've got 69 hp to build this on out later..and I dropped modules in here that are already set for future expansion.
Very basic, this...but as noted, it's ready to fill on out as time/budget allows. That's why there's the quad VCA, the 4-in stereo mixer (and its FX send/returns), and the two quad modules from Xaoc with their expanders. The Happy Nerding Isolator 2022 is optional, if you feel OK about sending synth-level to your mixer/interface/etc.
The only caveat I have here is whether or not the ES-8 will fit. It's got a depth of 50mm, and these days most portable cabs top out at 45 or so. It DOES have an 80 hp factory P/S, though, so it might be just fine.
[NB: The Isolator should be to the right of the TexMix master; MG "decided" it belonged where it wound up. Silly website...]
So does this look like a good starting point with options to get creative or am I missing something key here?
-- MrMojoRisin
Well, yeah, you are...pretty much any and all modulation sources are missing, and you WILL need those in order to make those modules do their thing. In short, they're essential.
Give me a bit, and I'll try and bang out a decent "start here" build in a Rackbrute.
Mmm...I would be more inclined to think that everything started going to hell back in 2001, starting with Dubya giving away the budget surplus, and ending of course...well, yeah. Over on Reddit, on r/vaporwave, 9/11 often gets referred to as "the death of fun", and it really does feel as if that date was a sociological crater that we've never fully crawled out of.
I know! I'm not slamming it, I love it to bits. The VA one is the Cobalt - Argon is the wavetable.
-- Arrandan
Yep, but I keep calling it that because, unlike the PPG Wave 2.3 I had, I can get at pretty much ALL parameters from the panel. The PPG always felt a bit like it had something to hide, control-wise...which often required the Waveterm B to get to, and it just got too irritating. Comparatively, the Argon 8 feels like I'm driving my JP-6...but it's not the JP-6.
Just a good example of how a "redux" can arrive at results that go WAY beyond the capabilities of the original as long as the new company gets what needs fixing AND how to fix it.
Had a bash at this, too...
Kinda different...I approached this purely as an FX processor.
TILES: Noise Tools is first, provides a master clock (if needed), sample and hold, noise source, and slew limiter. Then a DuATT handles the basic mixing/attenuation for control signals. The Apex offers about 20+ other (mostly modulation) functions, including various envelope generator functions. And the Stereo Out, of course.
ROW: Starts with a little PWRchekr so you can keep an eye on DC rail health. Then the Nonlinearcircuits Env Follower gives you your guitar preamp, plus gate and envelope outputs derived from the inputted signal. I tossed the Ochd in deference to having individually-controlled LFOs via the Xaoc Batumi (and Poti). Then I added a Warps clone so that you can do various sorts of audio mangling before anything hits the Morphagene, which is next. And the Beads is after that...followed by Happy Nerding's 4x stereo mixer. Now, that module lets you take all three processing modules' outputs and parallel mix them, so you can either use the processors in a linear fashion, or you can have them with individually-controlled levels in a parallel configuration. This is VERY flexible in terms of sonics; using that mixer opens this build up a bit farther than expected.
But Jim's quite correct...the Palette 62 is definitely NOT a proper starting cab. But it does make a good case for building something "mission-specific", which this is. No sound generation (not counting the noise source here) as this build isn't really a synth, but this IS a hellacious "stomp-box" as far as guitar processing goes.
Vibrato...if it had an aftertouch sensor. I don't think that keyboard does, though. Therefore, the "hold" makes more sense; I would check how the ARP 2600's "keyboard latch" function works, and then proceed from there. You might consider mounting a 1/4" jack for a momentary-on pedal for this, too.
I could box the Argon 8X that I'm not really using and set them up there. And anyway - room arrangements aren't done yet here. Heck, we don't even have doors yet!
-- Arrandan
Ooooo...don't be slammin' on that Argon8! I've got one...and it's like a bottomless pit as far as sonic capabilities! Sort of a very different take on VA synths...it gets lumped in with them, but this has way more going on than some Roland "ACB" synth. It's actually closer in character to the Access Virus...on 'roids!
First up, the Brains supposedly played a part in why Emilie is shutting Mutable Instruments down. Yes, the Plaits (which is what that actually is) was an "open source" project, but having the module basically stolen had to have hurt.
Secondly: are you trying to build two different synthesizers in the same cab here? It seems that way...and I can assure you that you WILL wind up with two different synthesizers, both of which will be pretty compromised in terms of capability.
Third: have you ever had any hands-on experience with those Mutable clones, such as the After Later stuff in this? If not, I'm pretty safe in saying that the tiny knobs with little clearance all mashed together WILL drive you nuts.
Fourth: mults. This build is way too small to accommodate them. In the current version, you lose 8 hp on those alone. You're far better off using the 8 hp for actual functionality, and then using inline mults and/or stackcables to deal with the stuff the mults are there for.
Hmmmm...gonna futz around with this...
[time passes]
OK...got it.
So what's going on here? Let's see...
TOP: Starts off with a ring mod/slew limiter/sample and hold, then there's four VCOs from Uli's System 100 clones. After that are six VCAs...and why there's six and not four is because I opted to go with a module that gives you two extra VCAs that you can use in cross-mod tricks between the four VCOs. You'll see a little more of that in a bit...anyway, after the VCAs are two VCFs. One is your Tiptop Steiner Synthacon clone, which in this context is more of a "lead" VCF due to the wilder nature of that filter. So as a counterpoint to that, I put in one of G-Storm's Korg Delta VCF clones. These are based around SSM chips and the same filter architecture was also used in the Poly61, and as such, it's the "nice" filter...very smooth, great for pad-type sounds. And then, yep, more VCAs, these being for controlling the VCF output amplitudes. And again, two of these VCAs are for other uses as needed. After this, we get into the mixing stage, where we first see the FX units...both from Tiptop, their Echoz and Zverb...and then a four-in stereo mixer. Now, look at the master section of that, and you'll find the FX send/returns...which are set up perfectly so that you can feed mono sends to the Tiptop FX and get them back in stereo, just like the TexMix is set up for. Oh, and the TexMix has VCA levels on each input strip...so even better control!
BOTTOM: First off, the sequencer section, where I chose a Tiptop Z8000...which is an interesting device in that you get aspects of Buchla and Serge-type sequencers as well as more "normal" sequencing duties. This can either feed the Behringer Sequential Switch (which leaves you with an extra sequencer channel for controlling other things) or the Klavis CalTrans quantizer directly, since it has four inputs on its own. If you want long sequences, use the Behringer to string patterns together and then send its output to the CalTrans. And that can be fun, since you now have three spare channels which can "quantize" modulation signals into semi-random tesselation figures. Noise gen is next, with its own S&H plus a random voltage generator. And then the LFOs...four of them, via Xaoc's well-loved Batumi (with the Poti expander). Maths is next, then a Frap Tools 321 and a Happy Nerding 3xVCA...and those are for altering/modifying/wrecking other modulation sources to get MORE modulation signals. Then at the very end, Xaoc strikes again with their Zadar (and Nin expander) quad EG.
This should keep you busy for a hot minute. I left several "open-ended" bits in there (as noted above) to give you a number of different options for control, modulation, and the like. And the Z8000 has the ability to fix that sequencer aversion...it's a rather complex critter, hooked in with the ability to string sequences and then quantization for each oscillator, meaning that if you wanted to, you could send each Z8000 channel to a channel on the CalTrans, which results in a CV line per VCO. Yeah...four-voice sequencing! And with the current price of the Mantis, you are right at your $4k budget.
Another disadvantage is that the simplest things can become obsessive. Take patch cables. I have several varieties, which is OK. But I start fretting about how this one is way too flexible, and that one isn't flexible enough. These are way too long, but those are much too short to really route them well. The fit in this module isn't great, but the others don't really do it better. It's hell because there's incredible choice about everything. You ever looked at screws for your modules? Agh! Really! Who has this as a hobby anyway!?
-- Arrandan
Heh...this is why those of us who went through the mindwrench that is a typical "conservatory-type" musical training eventually learn that you have to discipline your mind to ignore things like that. My studio has HUGE jackfields for all of the routing to/from/around the Soundcraft FIVE here; as for an actual count of patchpoints, I think I gave up counting all of that once or twice before. "A lot" seems more correct. But all I worry about with those, the modular "sandbox" gear, and so on is that I've got things hooked up right...and everything else becomes superfluous. And this is with several different plug formats, to boot: the lab gear is all set up for RCA patching, the big bays all do 1/4", the majority of the modular stuff does the 3.5mm thing, and then the Mescaline, AE, and Bastl toys all work with pinwires, as does my Frederick Haer quad window comparator (except for the few BNCs on it that have RCA adapters, that is).
If I worried about minutiae like that, I'd probably not get any work done. Just learn to step back from the gear when the mind starts to wander, and toy with the same idea as a "thought experiment" until you get focused again. Composition's pretty kickass when you find yourself whipping tracks out at a fever pitch...but it takes quite some time to get to that point. Even so, over time you find that the superfluous shit becomes less distracting as your musical output grows. Equipment's one thing, but never underestimate the power of your own brain to sort things out.
And if you like "tactile", sacguy, you could always take the big, weird, anachronistic leap into lab gear...boogie like they did in Cologne in 1956!
Seriously! Fact is, while synthesizers were supposed to "replace" all of that gear in electronic music, there's aspects of the sound that NOT having this gear causes one to miss out on. Back while I was in undergrad at MTSU, my comp prof and I toyed with the idea of dragging ourselves up to the State Warehouses in Nashville and reallocating some choice bits to the studio there. That never got done, but I did carry the idea on to my own studio and started adding that stuff from the start. And it turns out, it's just like synthesizers; I got my UBMs for $30 apiece, for example...and these days, if you even can FIND a Rohde u. Schwarz UBM, it's gonna cost! Then in the recent upgrades (still going on...I've got a dedicated VCV machine in the pipeline for installation this week), I added even MORE of that sound with the addition of a buttload of snags from eBay. It's easier and easier to find all of the "old" synths these days, especially as redone module versions, but test gear still has that "mystery" to it and isn't easy to find...or, quite often, to make sense of.
Another Mantis vote here. Don't start in a single-row skiff, as you'll either...
1) jam it full of tiny modules to the point where you have no room to get your fingers in, or...
2) build 2/3rds of a synth, because that's what you've got usable room for.
Small form factor modules DO have uses...they're not bad for things you don't need to tweak often (if at all) and various utility functions, but as main modules...nuh-uh. Case in point is in the build above: if you're going to be cranking on the VCF's cutoff (a very common technique, particularly if you're working out a "builder" track), you'll be having no fun whatsoever doing that while studiously avoiding the VCO's tune control.
It's a running problem. Manufacturers use that to keep their listings from being "vandalized"...despite the fact that the main source for info is, more often than not, crowdsourced from MG's users. Bugs me from the standpoint that if MG users find something that a module does that's NOT listed as a tag by the manufacturer, it's difficult to get that tag added.
Not bad, not bad...that's what I was thinking as well: some sort of "shock absorber" at the base, which is where you'll have the largest transfer of energy when the cab gets bonked around.
As for the removal of the "dummy tube", you might try a bit of lithium grease around the base of it before pouring in the rubber material. It would be easier if the tubes one encounters in Eurorack had "chimneys" that have the usual spring-type shock absorption, but that would make the tubes less "showy".
Very often, the "hiss" comes from the source, at my place bc I often use saturation or overdriven signals, that is where I use enveloped VCA just before the mixer's inputs
-- -ADR-
Which is pretty much standard op procedure for performance mixer that have no VCAs over level, such as the MixBX, Cosmix, etc. This is one reason that I've been jazzed about Toppobrillo's MiniMix, because you can use some other VCA module as a "pre-level" going into the mixer ins, and then you also get the convenience of its two VCA panners. You just have to keep in mind that audio signals are best dealt with via exponential VCAs, as those are better at mimicking how acoustic devices decay. Of course, if you front-end this with linear VCAs, you can (if possible) use an exponential envelope generator to make those behave like they need to for audio.
1) position of pasted module
currently the pasted module is pasted on the next free space on the very top left.
it would be very useful when you track a click event and place it exactly there after pasting.
this would be especially helpful when rearranging a large rack from scratch with 2 browser windows.
On the other hand, if MG drops modules into the "soonest" open and properly-sized slot, you know where they are.
3) links to deleted racks
its totally fine to get a 404 when trying to view a deleted rack.
but it would be nice to have all users public racks as a fallback
-- modular01
Uh...do you realize how much storage space that would take up on the server? I mean, hell, MG's right on the edge of having 10,000 module listings in Eurorack alone.
I keep a rule of thumb of 6 months since creation or last modification as a line between "keep" and "delete". That's long enough for anyone who needs to go over them or copy them. Besides, right around NAMM, Knobcon, and Superbooth you typically see surges in new modules, and some of the older builds can have "superseded modules" when those big product intro shows happen.
is it possible to limit people from re-listing the same module multiple times? there are 2 people abusing the system and re-listing black panel erbe-verb multiple times, almost every day.
-- scanner_darkly
Then what you need to do is, when you find a freshly-posted duplicate module that's not had a lot of (or any) users including it in builds, is to go in and start replacing the main headers with "DUPLICATE" and "Please Delete". Mind you, this should only be done when the duplicate is new so that you don't cause holes to appear in others' builds; don't report/relabel dupes that have been around for some time.
500+ degree rubber? Ok, that's intriguing...you could use something like that to stabilize components, and even the hottest-running ones won't foobar that. That could make it even more useful for using it to "shock-absorb" tubes, which is always an issue when doing high-volume gigs (raves and the like).
Oddly enough, the one PCB holder that I prefer is actually a cheap RatShack POS. For some odd reason, this crummy 3rd hand has never wound up in my "I need to replace this" list...because it works, it's simple, and it does what the box says. Tried the expensive ones, things like edge-clamped stands, etc...nothing worked as smoothly and fit my soldering workflow like that cheap little piece of crap.
Exact-a-mondo, Jim...you learned to use the leakage and other garbage and accept that as something critical to your overall "sound".
Sam Phillips of Sun Records fame always used to get ripped on by local Memphis DJs for having 60-hertz hum on his records. But if you're cutting tracks from the likes of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and of course Elvis, you don't change the overall sound because clearly, it works. Plus, the very first mixing work I did back in Nastyville was on a now-coveted Audiotronics 16/8/2 desk that cross-channel leaked like a mo'fo. People into the vintage thing, however, have made those original desks into something of a spendy "cult" item. With leakage.
Messy...wouldn't a "third hand" make more sense for soldering work? After all, they're cheap, don't involve chemicals, and won't catch on fire if the soldering iron gets dropped on it.
Working on it...but I have to admit, this case size is pretty inadequate for the task at hand. The width is one of those even-numbers that doesn't translate nicely into module spans due to the various conventions about how to deal with panel ergonomics. Plus, rebuilding this into something that hits that zone you're looking for looks like it'll be an ugly chore because the original build used a lot of small-width modules...and they're no fun to deal with when the patchcord snarl gets really huge. Also, that really blows the whole point of using lab gear, because we've (ie: those of us using that to "extend" the electronic palette) gone to that to get better control/ergonomics as well as arriving at wholly new sounds.
Moving to something like a Mantis would be better. Better still would be B.'s 2 x 140 hp cab, which is cheap and spacious. That would allow a better module complement, plus some interfacing for actual test gear if you opt to dive into that. Also, you really do want a "typical" voice in there so that, when that's needed, you'll have that to screw around with as well as other processors.
there's a bit but as you can use the vcas on the mono channels it only really affects the stereo channels - & at least for me it's only really present on the returns - so you could just turn the sends down before muting...
-- JimHowell1970
And it's not like consoles are always going to work perfectly anyway. Back in the early 1990s and before, channel leakage is something that you had to watch out for, and it wasn't "NO leakage" back then, but "manageable leakage". I recall reviewing a Studiomaster Diamond 163 back in 1997 that had some very obvious leakage on high-level signals, and that was the sole flaw...otherwise, it was a killer little live desk.
Oh, yeah...and there's loads of potential sidecar-type racks out there, so find one that fits. Plus, since that Alesis uses the typical mono-send/stereo-return setup you find in small mixers, you can snag a couple of FX processors in that format to go in there as well. In fact, one of those has been a fave of mine since the mid-1980s: the Yamaha SPX90. Not only is it versatile and stoopid-easy to program, it's the source for a LOT of electronic music FX over the years. The most famous example might be Brian Eno's "Thursday Afternoon" reverb, as the SPX90 can do that 70-second reverb time at the push of a button or three. Plus, outboard gear has gotten crazy-cheap due to everyone being all hot 'n' bothered about FX being "in the box", so take advantage of that if you're able.
I think I understand what do you mean so I'll try to look for alternatives...any suggestion is welcome!
-- DaviG
If you can find one used (and that's a BIG "if"), grab that over the clones. Most Mutable clones have their already-tiny controls jammed into a similarly-tiny space, so that would be a "nope" there.
Actually, check the Klavis Twin Waves mkii. Wavetable architecture similar to Plaits/Braids, but you get TWO oscillators...with quantizing to boot...in each module. And at 8 hp, you can drop TWO in where the Brains is currently. Four VCOs? Hellz yeah!
More expensive, but you get your value for the $$$ there.
is the case intellijel? looks like it to me - in which case yes the intellijel 1u tiles are designed to work with their cases... it's part of the sales strategy - buy our cases, fill them with our modules...
-- JimHowell1970
Yeah, you know the drill... I really wish Intellijel hadn't done that; there's a lot of Pulplogic-format tiles that would make an AWESOME pairing with certain Intellijel tiles...but you can't do that without a PL-format row or some other bracket scheme.
And yes, the input and output mixer tiles feed to/from the 1/4" jacks on the 7U cab. They've got backplane connections that everything matches up to.
Gates on the BSP go to the trigger inputs, yes. Plus, since the Zadar deals with gates by only responding to the initial rise, you can also use LFOs that have a sharp leading edge on their output waveform to trigger the Zadar. Useful!
Mine's immediately behind me...and it's the dedicated mixer for the lab gear setup. The nice thing about that sort of thing is that you can get a rack case, put this in, put MORE stuff in with it, and now you've got a rack for FX and mixing. Just put it on a stand (like a chair, even) next to you, and save the desk space.
I've been thinking recently that we have enough of the proper stuff in Eurorack to create something that's 100% OUT of control. Not generative...but berserk! Some Moffenzeef and Schlappi (THE company that's hellbent on ruining your hearing!) stuff in tandem with that would start getting into the "batshit insane" sonic zone. Would make for a great takealong cab if you were playing an appropriately-chosen live set in some blighted industrial wasteland.
Solution simple: an outboard mixer. It feels like you're trying to get way too much out of the internal mixing strategy, and with all of the other devices, trying to run them through the TexMix is just more complexity added to complexity. Plus, running external equipment then feeding it to the modular's mixer (which is expecting modular-level voltages) probably won't sound all that good in the end. Get your audio summing out of the cab, and then you automatically solve the "drums in cue bus" problem.
Next...unless you've got an Arturia Minibrute 2 or 2s, I don't know why you would use a Rackbrute. They're nice and all, but they restrict you to the Minibrute 2's form factor. Plus...well, looking at Sweetwater here, the 6U Rackbrute goes for $359 at two rows of 88 or 89 hp, depending on who you're listening to. And right next to it is Tiptop's Mantis: $335 for 2 x 104 rows. And if the expandability of the cabs is a future concern, the Mantis can link with a second Mantis via a linking bracket to give you a crazy AF total of 416 hp for $670. Beat THAT deal!
Hmmm...clearly, you either like module programming with a pair of tweezers, or you've got fingers the size of raw spaghetti. The first thing I would suggest is to get all of those little bitty modules the hell OUT of there.
As for more modulation with the existing modules, my suggestion would be to lose the old Veils and replace it with the NEW one. This then opens 2 hp...and you have 8 hp already...for a total of 10 hp. Now head over to Tiptop's listings and check out the MISO. It fits under "mixers", but that's far from everything that that one module can do. And it's versatile enough that you'll be using it all the time for LOTS of things that involve extracting more modulation from your current modulators. Put it right next to that 10 hp Veils so that you can also have CV over modulation amplitude with ease, and there you go.
I can see where this is headed, but without a lot more in the way of "helper" modules, this will be a total PITA to use. I'm also questioning the wisdom of having so many large-sized modules in a small cab, which is part of why you haven't got many of those "helpers" in the build, I would figure. But think...do you REALLY need four effects processors? Really?
Let's fix this....
[SNIP]
OK...most of your main modules are still in there, but I got rid of the superfluous stuff, most notably the excessive amounts of effect processors. I kept the Morphagene because it's more than just a delay module and you appear to want a more granular approach to that aspect. But anyway...
TILES: Stereo input (for which you don't need extra jacks...the cab already has a pair for the input and the output as well), then the MIDI interface. Then I yanked the FX processor that was there because having a noise/random source is much more important, along with the other utilities there such as sample and hold and slewing. The Noise Tools tile can also serve as a master clock, but in this system that can probably be used for other purposes. QuadrATT is next, then I put in a Stereo VCA for a very specific reason related to the NEXT module, the Output Mixer. The VCAs are there so that, if you want to fly a signal in over the mix, you can have CV control over that level. So, if you want the Morphagene's output to slowly emerge from behind the dry signal...well, that's how you do it. And lots more besides.
MIDDLE: Just Friends and Plaits first. Then a Veils to sum down signals from those and control amplitude. Then the next thing...oh, it's just one of the most sought-after filters of all time: the Synton Syrinx, or G-Storm's clone of it. The Syrinx's filter was an elaborate and very expressive thing that was very formant-capable. G-Storm's version also has a 4-channel mono mixer on the input, so if you wanted to mix each preceding Veils channel through that, it's a snap. And after that, Rings...so you've got a formant-capable VCF (a VERY good match with the Just Friends, I should note!) going into a physically-modeled resonator. Sounds right to me! One more Veils after that, then I put in a Toppobrillo Stereomix2 as your performance mixer. This thing gives you CV over channel level, AUX level, and panning per channel. It's got a proper send/return for FX, also...mono out, stereo return, and you get a CUE, mute, and PFL too. Oh, and your headphone preamp there can be switched between the CUE and OUTPUT busses so that if you need to, say, correct tuning mid-set, you can put the offending VCO through the CUE to your headphones so that you can spot-up the tuning. In short...very effective.
BOTTOM: ES-8 and Monome thingy. Then Xaoc's Batumi (with Poti expander), Maths, and then the "modulation manipulation" bit, which uses a Frap 321 to wrangle more modulation out of the modulation and a Happy Nerding 3xVCA to control your modulation levels. Adding those to the modulation scheme actually results in being able to wring out a lot more of other derivative modulation signals. Then, Zadar/Nin...and the Morphagene.
So...this not only has its module complement fixed, the layout also makes far more sense by setting it up this way. Result will be that the rig will be easier/more intuitive to patch as the locations of different types of modules have been consolidated here. And with the "helpers" now in place, this will function far better than the initial build might've.
On the behalf of totally insane modular synth users worldwide, I'd just like to.....
Nah. Actually, VCV and hardware have their uses. VCV has loads more modules that are ready to go, but you have pretty much ZERO tactile physical patching. And hardware is more limiting (until you crash VCV!) but has the advantage of getting your hands on the sound. But since VCV can be patched up so that it's using external signals, you can go from the physical modular to the virtual one, and take advantage of the best aspects (and worst to some extent...huge VCV patches can get a bit hairy as far as CPU load) of BOTH methods.
Plus there's a method that seems to ALWAYS get missed, and that's combining VCV and physical modulars on an equal basis. Oddly, in Eurorack everyone knows about the voodoo that Expert Sleepers do, but where CV/trig/gate control is concerned beyond their offerings, people know little else, it seems. But if you can snag a DC-coupled "obsolete" audio interface (I use a MOTU 828 mkii), you can use such things as Expert Sleepers' software, CV Tools in Ableton, Volta on the Mac, etc to integrate both system paradigms into one big, complicated and glorious MESS. Plus, yes, you CAN use both CV/g/t AND audio via this method. Just don't run out of channels!
Sure, it doesn't make any sense. But then, try and follow an explanation of Neapolitan 6ths sometimes.
The BSP's gate actually goes somewhere else altogether in a basic patch: an envelope generator.
Gates are basically a "squared envelope". Zero rise and fall rates, though. So what the EG does is to translate that gate pulse into something more like an instrument's physical envelope. So the proper patch would really look more like
(Ok, yeah...it's not patched. MG's patching system seems to have a Firefox issue...? Anyway...)
I used Doepfer stuff here because it's easy to follow, but the same rules apply to any similar combination of modules of this sort.
In order to patch this up to a BeatStep Pro, you would...
1) Connect a BSP CV OUT (whichever channel you prefer) to the CV IN on the VCO.
2) Connect the VCO audio output (or two in this case, since the VCA has a dual input) to the first VCA's audio input(s).
3) Connect the VCA audio OUT to the VCF audio input.
4) Connect the VCF audio OUT to the second VCA's audio input.
5) Connect the second VCA's audio output to a mixer channel for combining with other audio signals for eventual output.
So, that's the audio path. Now, for the modulators, you can see an LFO and two ADSR envelope generators. So...
6) Connect an LFO output to a modulation input on the VCO and use this sparingly for a bit of audio vibrato. You can also add a vibrato to the VCF as well, potentially with a different LFO waveform.
7) Connect the BSP's GATE OUT on the chosen channel to BOTH of the gate inputs on the envelope generators. This now has both ADSRs responding to the same gate signal.
8) Select a decent envelope for your purposes, and then send that to BOTH VCAs.
9) Lastly, use the other ADSR with a shorter and different envelope to modulate the VCF's cutoff frequency.
Basic bass, that. But that's how the BSP's CV sequencers should be patched for basics.
Nah...the Generate3 is more akin to something like Doepfer's A-110-6, where you're dealing with an analog oscillator with a big assortment of modulation inputs. The Odessa is a VERY different critter. Instead of basic VCO topology, you'd be dealing with an FPGA-driven additive engine with the potential of outputting 2500 harmonics (which shocks the hell out of me; I thought that the Synclavier II was the big dawg with 128 partials back in the day!). And with the Hel expander (and it's in there) you can have FIVE VOICES coming out of the Odessa and feed 'em all through the next VCA set to the Linneaus in glorious stereo. The Generate3 absolutely cannot compete with that feature set, and I didn't even get super-deep into all of the Odessa voodoo.
Also, with this, you'll want a controller/sequencer that can take advantage of that voicing scheme...with the best bet there being an Arturia Keystep Pro. It's also flexible enough that you can use it with loads of other devices, too.
Hah...forgot the firmware change-ups there, probably because it was a long time ago when I set these parameters the way I need them (one's normal, the other has the screwy CV/gate settings for my MS-20 minis when I'm not using the SQ-1). Be careful about what firmware parameters you're messing with, also...you can't brick one as far as I know, but you CAN get it to behave "badly", which might also come in handy for certain "equipment abuse". Just be sure you know how to bring it back to the defaults.
OK...well, here's what I came up with:
I went in a rather different direction here. There's a lot of "West Coast" stuff in here, most notably the presence of the Buchla 281t, Maths, and the Minimix. Of those, only the Maths isn't a Buchla design...but it IS based on Serge's DUSG. On 'roids.
TILES: Changed this a lot: stereo input (connects to two of the Intellijel cab's 1/4" jacks), a Temps Utile (which is why the Pam's is gone), Intellijel's Noise Tools utility, the O_&c, a stereo VCA to control output levels, and the stereo out (connects to the other two 1/4" jacks). 100% function now.
MIDDLE: All voice. The little black thing on the left is one of Konstant Labs' PWRchekrs, lets you monitor the health of your DC rails. Then a Xaoc Odessa (massive complex oscillator) with the Hel expander (lets you feed five CVs into the Odessa for...yep...basic polyphony, at least at this stage). A pair of G-Storm VCAs after that controls levels from the Odessa or the external input (or both), then...since by now, we're really dealing with a stereo out on the Odessa (ie: odd and even harmonics...although, it can also run in mono via the "Mix" jack), I dropped in one of Dave Rossum's very pliable VCFs. The Linneaus has some very interesting capabilities, such as having through-zero modulation and loads of timbral control. Two more VCAs deal with the Linneaus' output, then the feed goes to the Data Bender. The Data Bender then feeds a pair of VCAs in the Neutron Sound quad VCA before going to the Minimix. That mixer has three (one fixed level) stereo inputs, four mono ins, two of which have CVable panning. The Sarajewo delay is there at the end so that you can drop it in across several different mixing points.
BOTTOM: Scales, Shifty, then a very useful 6 hp from SSF that contains loads of utility submodules, such as voltage summing, a comparator, inverter, 2 to 1 switch, and so on. Batumi/Poti for your four LFOs, then Maths, then the little brown thing is Frap's 321, which makes for an excellent modulation alteration device along with the dual VCAs after it. And then the 281t...which you can use for 2 or 3-stage envelopes, or you can set it up in one of its quadrature modes as another complex function generator like Maths. And that's possible because there's four "proper" EGs after it, along with the quad control expander (useful if you start to explore the Odessa's poly capabilities).
Now THAT is a fine piece of gear. Soundwise, it's going to hover in a nifty "weird zone" somewhere between German-style wavetable synthesis, West Coast, and just plain effin' trippy. Loads of potential, too!
Is there a way to create repeating random stepped voltages just like the voltage block?
-- Polyterative
Sure...one of the easiest, in fact, would be to use an LFO to feed a clocked quantizer. Adjust the LFO rate accordingly, and you'll get the basic pattern...but you can also OFFset that rate so that the resulting patterns become longer. And the waveform chosen will also affect how this works; ramp waves (ie: reversed sawtooth) will give you an "up" direction, sawtooth will give you "down", and the other cyclical waveforms will do the same over up and down.
Uhmm...no. You have a very small build, and you want to drop two sets of buffered mults in there? Bad choice; in a build of this size, AVOIDING mults is what's needed. Also, the only time that buffering is really useful is when CV scaling is critical, as in VCO pitches...but only when you've got 4-5 or more destinations for that CV. As for audio, just use the same sort of inline mults or stackcables you typically use for multing in small builds like this. Also, why two QuadrATTs? In this build, one should be fine.
Other examples: if you've got an Ornament and Crime, why have the expensive AF ADDAC quantizer? Yeah, sure, you lose a couple of O&_c channels that way, but that's why it has so many. And four VCAs is just not enough; let's say you need amplitude control of each of your VCOs. But then, you also want VCAs post-VCF on some patches, or you'll want them in front of a manual mixer, plus there needs to be a couple of linear VCAs to manipulate your modulation amplitudes. Four ain't gonna cut it, basically.
If I were you, I'd rip into this and get VERY critical, for starters. Question what you've created here and how you can use it smoothly; without good ergonomics, ANY instrument turns into a total PITA. Ask if you really, REALLY need certain modules in here, or are they taking up space that something USEFUL might go into? It's basically the same thing I would do back in the undergrad days, going over and over and OVER vocal rep stuff because practice is how things get done RIGHT. The same practice principle applies here as well. I would also suggest snagging a copy (free!) of VCV Rack to test out some of what I'm saying here...build a voice row with VCAs at the right steps on the audio chain, and then one without. See what works, what doesn't, and so on. This is how you avoid mistaken purchases while, at the same time, saving yourself a buttload of money by knowing what works and what doesn't BEFORE pulling the trigger on the Magic Plastic.
Yeah...and this highlights one point that I've gotten some crap for: YouTube is NOT the right place to shop for modular gear. You have to keep in mind that, in lots of cases, reviewers on YT have a vested interest in telling you how absolutely WONDERFUL this new module, etc is. Granted, this has been better as of late since YT started mandating that presenters have to disclose any compensation gained through a company relationship, but it still exists in older clips that predate that. It's better to see what things do on YT...and then check with actual users as to whether those things are all that useful in the first place.
As for the build above, well...you're going to have a ton of trouble controlling a modular synth with no VCAs...unless you've got several extra hands to control levels while the other two are working the OTHER controls. And fyi, Walgreens has a great selection of tweezers to go with the Pico system's controls; that device is irritating AF due to the rotten ergonomics that jam everything too closely together. Put THAT part of the build back in its own case where it belongs, as having it in with the rest of this flirts with creating a big patchcord snarl on the left end of the cab. And that should open up some space in this build.
If you've not worked with VCV Rack, I strongly suggest that you do so before buying anything else. That will give you loads of insight on what went wrong here, and how to correct it.
catwavez is 100% spot on. The M32 outputs BIdirectional CVs, where the vast majority of Eurorack uses UNIdirectional CV for control. This means that while the M32 is happy as a clam with negative CVs (ie: something like -1V is valid), Eurorack usually doesn't have the ability to make sense of negative CVs. So you either get fubar tunings when the M32's CV dips below 0V, or as in this case, the module simply won't respond to CVs below 0V at all. And yes, that's what the MScale is intended to correct.
Why does this exist? Simple...it's Moog. And don't EVEN get me started about their modulars' S-Trig idiocy, either!
An immediate impression: way too many "big modules". If you can make those smaller by finding more space-efficient modules with the same functions, try that FIRST. Secondly, if you're going to wind up using Mutable clones, make sure their user interface isn't so cramped with tiny knobs that you'll need a pair of tweezers to program 'em. For example, the Michigan uBraids is a good example of how that should work, but the Plaits clone next to it...not so much.
Last: you have two enormous (for this build) sampling modules. Again, there ARE smaller solutions that can fill those functions, and they're where you might want to go with those...or perhaps, just one.
Gonna mess with this for a bit...
(EDIT) OK...here's what I cooked up:
Hoo, boy...OK, there's a few changes to the original design, but now this thing is VERY OP...
TOP: Starts off with a little Doepfer ute that gives you a ring modulator, sample and hold, and a slew limiter. Then I went with a pair of Klavis Dual Waves mkii for the FOUR oscillators this now has. Those oscillators also can serve as noise sources, and the VCO architecture there is all wavetable. These feed a Veils (if you can find one...otherwise, use Codex Modulex's quad VCAs which are clones of Veils) to control/sum the VCOs pre-VCF. Then for filters, I put in a Tiptop Forbidden Planet, which is a Steiner-Parker Synthacon VCF clone...a VERY lead-line filter! And the other for BASS is a G-Storm clone of the Roland SH-101's lowpass filter...which definitely can bang. The Elements got shrunk so much, it turned into Qu-bit's physical modeller...same idea, more space-efficient. After that there's four more VCAs which you can use post-VCF for the oscillator path and still have a stereo pair left to control the Surface's amplitude. The mixer there is Toppobrillo's Minimix, which is based on Buchla designs and which gives you THREE stereo ins (one is fixed-gain) plus FOUR mono inputs, two of which have CV panners. And at the end is a Happy Nerding Isolator...the new version with the headphone preamp, but with the same good ol' transformers for isolation and, if you hit them a bit harder, warm "big iron" saturation to give the sound more "heft".
MIDDLE: Batumi/Poti for four LFOs, then Maths because...Maths. After that is the "screw with modulation" section, with a Tiptop MISO and an Antumbra dual VCA (same topology as the Veils, even). This gets followed with a Zadar (and its expander), then there's the dual ADSR. After that is an improved clone of the Mutable Clouds, a Calsynth Cell. Now, this can be put into the audio path (above...space got tight!) at a number of points by splitting your main L-R signals, sending one side to the mixer, and the other to Cell, then you can bring the Cell signal back into the Minimix on one of its dedicated stereo faders. You can make this "Y" pretty much anywhere, though; send one Twin Waves into VCA 1 and 2 and the other through 3 and 4, then take outs 2 and 4 and drop that down to the Cell before the filters. Lots of potential trouble there...
BOTTOM: Pretty much 100% control. ES-8, then the Disting XL, and the Pam's. Then I left the Nerdseq in because it felt like a very good match with Dave Rossum's Assimil8r, both functionally AND ergonomically. Note, also, that you can easily break out the Assimil8r's eight individual outs to an external mixer, or you could send its stereo output to the Minimix, in either one of the stereo faders or you could send it as a premixed signal to the Minimix's unity-gain "EXP" stereo input.
To me, this seems a lot more solid. It's now got the necessary utility modules necessary to REALLY make it into a controllable build, plus there's some definite upgrading here, especially with doubling the amount of VCOs. See what you think...
Or at the very least, switch the Shuttle Control out with a more "open-ended" MIDI module, such as Hexinverter's Mutant Brain. Smaller, too.
As for the drum modules, I'd suggest leaving them out and using a drum machine that's locked up to a clock in the modular. That way, everything stays in sync AND you save buttloads of money in the process. Also, it opens up space that you can partly use to put four exponential VCAs in front of the A-138s, which is precisely what would give you CV over mix levels.
Might be a hole/placeholder for a third sub-module. There's several Serge modules that fit really well with the DUSG and SSG, which is what's here already.
As an external mixer I will have a soundcraft EFX8 and a Mackie 1202 (sub mixer). Also a Delay, a stereo filter and one outboard compressor.
+1 on Soundcraft, -1 on the EFX series.
Save yourself some money and get the EPM6. Same mixer, no internal FX. Then hop over to Reverb and/or eBay and grab some rack hardware...since the EPM6 has a typical small-mixer mono-send/stereo-return setup, devices such as the venerable Yamaha SPX90 will work very nicely in that situation, and give you a lot more FX capability than a little onboard FX chip.
I’m hearing your advice on Maths as a lot of people tell it’s one of the best! Do you think it can adapt well in this setup ?
I don't even have to look, since Maths is perhaps one of the finest modulation sources devised. It works in ANY setup, as long as you've got space for its 20 hp.
Even people who grumble about Maths eventually wind up with one. No lie.
Absolutely, yes. O'scopes can handle a couple of hundred volts, depending on the model.
I'm really unclear on if I can run a patch cable directly from one of my modules into this device. I'm also not sure if this oscilloscope works with DC signals. It says the multimeter is DC, but nothing about the oscilloscope.
Because it's assumed that you know that the scope handles both DC and AC.
Tangentially: I have no multimeter and I'm thinking that would be useful for testing hardware for issues, recalibrations, and building DIY modules. But I see I can get a dedicated multimeter for a tenth the price.
And you're absolutely right...a multimeter IS more important than an oscilloscope. The only practical uses I see for a scope is for checking waveform purity, working on a module, and hunting noise in signals, plus they're quite indispensable for checking phasing when mixing. But a multimeter works on so much more that's germaine to electronic music...from troubleshooting the latest eBay find to precise CV settings, especially in harmonic additive methods that require exacting CV manipulation, to finding levels from experimental devices (like test gear!) that are appropriate for synth CVs or audio signals. Over on Hainbach's subreddit, one constantly-repeated point is that you NEED a multimeter if you're doing hardware-based electronic music. And that ain't no joke!
