Die welt ist alles, was der fall ist (Variation on output and vca(s))

Hi,

This is a build created with help from the forums from two awesome members. I changed some things up a bit. Nothing is certain yet ofc. I have a few points of concern left.

• Not enough mults/attenuators/offset generators. I have thought about:U-110 from Ladik. Also there is a M174 mixer that will join my modules soon if I can get to order it. I have some of the modules laying here while my case is getting build. My question basically is: Will I notice these are missing would I build this whole system as it stands here?

• The outputs. The main idea was first: A toppobrilo 4 channel mixer. (I hope I spelled that correct :) ) + A Ciao from Bastl. Stuff goes from the Toppobrilo to some fx and goes to the Ciao Bastl Then out to my Daw. But this is not what I want. I want to multitrack to my daw (8 channel UCX). I was thinking about some Ladik P50 4 Ch (outs).

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ladik-p-520-4ch-out-line

Can I then just let my audio run trough the Ladik P50's. Then to my I/O and hope for the best? Or is there a better more efficient way? Maybe put some attenuators in front of those P50's? I'm overstudying this and getting lost and I would appreciate any kind of help.

Thank you very much.

Kind regards,

Glenn

Hi Glenn, nice selection (and rack name). I agree you could use some more cv mixing/manipulation. A Xaoc Samara II (offset, attenuate, invert, s&h, logic, mix) and a Frap Tools 333 (mult+mix) might be helpful. That Ladik M-174 mixer seems rather large to me. Maybe get a smaller Doepfer A138s instead? Now you should still have some space left. Which is good as there are a bunch of potentially interesting things missing (as far as I can tell), like a wavefolder, comparator, a small utility filter etc. Look into those once you're familiar with what you have.

The Ladik output modules are attentuators already. Albeit with a fixed attenuation level. You should be fine. Personally I prefer balanced outputs, but these consume more space (and money). And you'll find lots of people disputing the need for dedicated output modules anyway. So, IMO these are a good choice to start with.

Cheers, Chris

EDITED Jul 16th 2021, 12:36

I like the Intellijel cases with their 1U row. The Quadrats are nice for attenuverting, monophonic mixing, or just as a convenient CV voltage source to control multiple modules. Intellijel also has decent 1U mults (active and passive).

That's what I like...

Second that. 1U rows are perfect for mults and attenuverters.

Yep, they are...just as long as you use the right format. XODES has tried to come up with a "universal" tile faceplate, though...and it really seems to end-run that issue.

As to the OP's question about outputs to the DAW's A/D, my suggestion...if this is just going to be a studio rig, you might actually be better off with an Expert Sleepers interface module right there in the cab. The ES-9 comes to mind, in fact...plenty of user programmability, plus it works as a MIDI interface for any class-compliant controller while also having 8 channels of output from the DAW...and with 14 inputs to send audio directly to the DAW via either USB or ADAT Lightpipe. Oh, and it also gives you a stereo pair of isolated analog outs so that you could connect directly from that to the PA desk if you DID want to use it live.

The other cheapo method for this is to use a software package like ES's Silent Way, Ableton Live's CV Tools, etc...and then, your next move would be to snag a used but "obsolete" I/O interface (I use a MOTU 828FW mkii) and then use it as a substitute for the ES-9. This gives you an easy 8-out/8-in, and all you need to do is to grab a cheap Firewire 400 card to make that work. Truth is, ANY DC-coupled audio interface will work (usually), and if you stick with the interfaces from back in the old "96 kHz is all you get" days that have that, you can make this fly for a couple hundred.

Thank you all for replying. I really like those 1u rows. Especially the CV voltage source. It seems so handy. For my second case I will look into it. Now I will focus on this idea. I really dont want to change things up to much anymore.

After some research and great insights from the amazing Lugia I might go with the ES-3 Mk4 + ES-6 Mk2 combo. Cheaper than an ES-9 and it gives me 8 outs if I am correct? The ES-9 gives me more than I can use with my RME UCX (8 A INS). Let me know what you guys think of it!

Link:

All the best and enjoy the weekend.

-Glenn

I'd check with Expert Sleepers on that point, actually. I doubt they'd put lightpipe I/O there without being able to send/return ALL of the channels; remember, this is not exactly a "normal" ADAT lightpipe interface, but something that talks to whatever CV interface app is in use. But if you want the smaller footprint, the ES-3/6 combo would also be a good fit...just remember that it hasn't got the USB interface that allows you to directly connect a MIDI controller to it in addition to the normal I/Os, and it also only handles outputs. However, you can expand that arrangement to a massive 64-outs for both gate/trig and CV.

Even so, the cheapest and easiest solution still appears to be to use an outboard DC-coupled audio interface. I use that, and so do others here.

So when you use an outboart DC-Coupled I/O you go straight from vcas/attenuators to your inputs on the I/O if I understand it correctly? If so isn't that a bit messy on a big system?

Yep, you go directly to/from the interface. However, there ARE ways to make this work better, and since you've mentioned tile rows, have a look at PulpLogic's Link and Tether tiles. If you use an DC-coupled interface that can handle D-sub I/O, all you'd then do would be to connect the interface to the Tether and there you are. The other nice thing about this sort of setup is that you're purely limited by the amount of D-sub I/O on the interface.

For example, this: https://reverb.com/item/40573842-motu-2408-mk3-pci-audio-interface?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiIxMDIzNWMzMy0yMWFiLTRkMzQtODJlMS1iNzJjNGNkOWI2OGUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjY2NjMwMTcsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIyOTQ1MjI0Iiwic2Vzc2lvbl9pZCI6IjdkNzVkNjc0LTYwMzQtNDhiNS05ZDY1LTEyZGJjZTE1ZjM4OSIsImNvb2tpZV9pZCI6IjRmNzU1OTYyLTM3OTItNDQ0My05OWFjLWI2YWQ5NTI5YThjZiIsInByb2R1Y3RfaWQiOiI0MDU3Mzg0MiIsInNvdXJjZSI6Ik5PTkUifQ.bYfOV-bjfEPC1dlMxZQhf12lY9yiAqV-cpZ5EZibnzM Wow...what a hideous URL...anyway, this has three pairs of 8-channel D-subs plus eight more analog I/O channels. So if you wanted the MADNESS of having 32 channels of CV/gate/trig/clock I/O, you could do that with six Tethers and six Links for the first 24, then another 8 would patch directly (preferably through an outboard patchbay...those things make life much easier in a studio). Just BE SURE to get any necessary PCIe cards and such, as these denser interfaces often rely on things like that.

That looks very promising especially with the link and tether rows. The only problem with this is I will be using this outside and when traveling in a camper van. Thats why I have an UCX and can record on the go even when I have no laptop nearby. Is it a possibility to just go straight to the ucx and skip the dc coupled i/o? It has no dc outs but I dont need cv,trigg from daw to my eurorack. Only audio rec from euro to daw. or hard disk. Would that be possible with that 1u row straight to the ucx? :)

Direct audio to the Fireface UCX? Sure, you can do that, but you won't need all those Tethers and Links since the UCX has no D-Sub audio I/O. But since the UCX also has lightpipe I/O, you could later attach an ADAT lightpipe interface that has the DC-coupled I/O that Silent Way/CV Tools/Volta/etc wants to use, and go back to that idea when it's a better fit. In that case, my suggestion would be the ES-8, with four inputs and eight outputs. But right now, you can just tie your audio outs directly into the Fireface UCX although I STRONGLY suggest you have an attenuatable stereo output module so that you can avoid clips due to the level mismatch between synth and pro audio levels. Something like, say, the Happy Nerding Isolator, which has the ganged stereo control and also has transformer isolation to help deal with hum and noise.