Idea

Salutations, Wigglers!

I was warned against coming here about a dozen years ago (expensiveness of the hobby etc.) and therefore missed out on a lot of bloops and bleeps. I finally have a bit of hobby-money and a sort of a midlife -crisis and would like to invest in a small system that will probably grow over the next years. I think this Idea is sort of a minimum viable system (Soundsource, modifier, utilities, effects, output) and am thinking about putting it all in a mantis case. Different external sound sources and additional effects are also available. Any thoughts or tips about things I may have overlooked would be appreciated.

Edit: For some reason the Image does not show the recent changes I made. I hope that's just a problem at my end.

EDITED Tuesday February 18, 15:41

What are you sequencing with? Is "Rings into Clouds" the voice you want to focus on (nothing wrong with it - just checking), or are you planning on running external audio through this or adding a more traditional oscillator? If the two are being considered the main sound source here, why Rings but not Elements or Plaits? What do you imagine doing with this, exactly?

It's not that I want to question your motives or suggest these are a bad start. I don't necessarily think you need to make a standard subtractive voice. This is one of those setups where you could get very good and usable stuff out of it. That setup could also be frustrating depending on what you expect. We need more info before making any suggestions.

That being said, I think an envelope generator (preferably with multiple envelopes, like a Maths or a Doepfer A-143-1) and a filter are sorely missing here. The former most of all. Also, I wouldn't spend any more real estate on effects even if you are going with a Mantis case. Those are things I can say pretty confidently now.

Thanks for the feedback!
There are several goals for this setup. The main ones atm are:
1) Overcome the inertia to get a case and cables and some usable modules that allow me to fool around with patching and making new (to me) sounds I enjoy for a few months (ideally) before I get the next module (thinking about Maths or Pam's pro workout)

2) play around with the audio input of the modules (I think I might need an extra input module for that) and the envelope follower to see what it does

3) learn to use the modules as thoroughly as I can before diving into learning what Maths or another complex module can do and how to do it.

4) Maybe get some samples to use for a few beats in Ableton or with my Electribe

I bought a West Pest last year which is fun but a bit limited in terms of the sound I (think I) want, but I think I should be able to use it for sequencing, midi to cv and additional wavefolding/basic envelope stuff for a start. I also have a Microfreak, which should work as an external keyboard controller and maybe also sequencer.

I thought about a filter before I realized I should be able to use the West Pest for something filterlike and would maybe go for a Doepfer Wasp filter (coming from Germany having Doepfer in the rack seems kind of required) if the current plan does not work out.

Why I chose Rings and Clouds specially:
Since there are Plaits oscillators in the Microfreak I plan on using these as input for the other modules until I get some more modulation sources.
When I first got interested in modular some years ago MI was among the manufacturers that excited me most, so I wanted to start with these. If I had enough loose change I'd get most of those for my first system, but I guess as a normal person you have to start somewhere and pace yourself (also see in-depth learning above).
And having watched a couple dozen YouTube Videos Rings into clouds is both a "traditional combination" (to avoid the word cliché) and still seems to hold up well, especially with the additional firmware modes.

As for the FX Aid: While trying to figure out what to put in the rack I caught myself coming back to delay and reverb pedals like the El Capstan and the Big Blue Nightsky and wanted the option to experiment with additional delay and reverb stuff in the box. I still might get one of those later on since I also have a guitar standing around collecting dust but I expect the FX Aid is versatile and high-quality enough to stave off my GAS for a few more months.

EDITED Yesterday, 07:17

I think Maths is a better starter than, say, Ears in this case, actually. For starters, it actually does everything Ears does except the contact mic stuff, which is pretty easy to set up at home. You can start by using it for simple duties (envelopes, complex modulated LFOs, logic, and yes, envelope following like what Ears will do) and then explore more concepts though Youtube and the manual. It can even make an interesting filter or traditional oscillator to experiment with. From there, it'll be pretty easy to figure out which of the functions you use separately enough to warrant its own module. Having both at some point will be helpful, but for now having a Maths alongside these modules will allow you to experiment with multiple robust and musical case arrangements/patches in far more ways.

Do you like the Doepfer A-143-3 specifically? I love Doepfer modules too, and that one does seem nice and roomy, but it doesn't seem to offer a lot of flexibility. 12 LFOs, but only four speeds/rhythms. No voltage control, even. It's also not as cheap as I expected. Free-running LFOs like that are awesome and help make modulars feel distinct and free, but there are a lot of options there that might get you more for that amount of space and not much more money. Batumi? Ochd + expander? Lots of options.

Just my two cents on those issues. You seem to be on the right track. Knowing why you're doing what you're doing is more important than doing any one specific thing.

Agree with the above sentiment about Maths....it's not really that complex, in that there's no hidden menus, etc. It's all right up in front. And it's probably the best learning tool for modular. Once you understand Maths, a lot of things fall into place. Once done learning the abc's, Maths adds tons of value as a sort of "swiss-army knife" of modular.

Best of luck and have fun!!!! :)

Thanks again!
I'll think about your suggestions. The Batumi is really tempting, if I don't get it for the initial build it will absolutely go on the buy later list.
I'll go watch some more YouTube vids on Maths. I got it pretty high up on my next purchases list, so maybe I'll still start without it and give it to myself as a treat for whatever I come up with as a reason in a few months.