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Hi, with the new proliferation of 1U modules/tiles would it now be possible to have a "Tiles" vs "Modules" category for 1U, whereby Tiles would be all the Pulp Logic compatible format ones with those tiny power connectors, and the "Modules" would be all the Intellijel format ones that use full-sized modular power connects.

I think this would be really helpful, as the 1U is starting to get super cluttered. Before it was sufficient to just sort by Mfr, since Intellijel was literally the only company making the larger 1U width. Now it's rapidly turning into a big mess.

Hi Lugia

Thank you as always.

Actually the marbles and the clouds were the very first modules I noticed when I started my interest in modular system about a year ago. I have got the clouds clone uBurst by Michigan Synthworks already.

I must say I am little disappointed by the uBurst. This might be because of the way I use the setup (mainly sequencing melodies) and also because of it's tiny knobs in comparison to the original (especially pitch...). I am only using it in very few of my patches.

But I just saw the marbles review of DivKid again and remembered why this was so interesting. One question about the marbles: I understand it uses sample and hold to produce it's randomized CV-Out. But as far as I see it is not possible to use a external signal into marbles sample and hold?

Also the combination with Inetllijels noise tools looks interesting for noise sources (marble doesn't have any?) and additional slew.

EDITED Aug 17th 2019, 14:30

Marbles is all about sample-and-hold, actually, and what you can do to tamper with the degrees of randomness to various extents. It would be my pick, and would pair nicely with the Noise Tools Intellijel tile.

Hi!

Here is a my current setup:

I use this setup in an Intellijel 7U 104 HP Case. I mainly use an Arturia Beatstep Pro for sequencing, also I am not really into generative approaches currently (in future maybe yes?...). Basically I use it as an monophonic synth (Furthrrrr + ADSR + filter) with extra voices (Twin Waves + LXD). As the title says I am looking for a random source offering CV for modulation and also triggers/gates and sample and hold. I would like the random source to be accessed directly (no/minimum menu diving) and "played" live in jams.

Currently I am looking into:

• MakeNoise WoggleBug

• SSF Ultra-Random Analog

• Mutable Marbles (this one has no SampleAndHold?).

Which one would you suggest? Are there other modules maybe even better in this setup? Synergies? Ideas?

No problem. The journey is the destination.

Ok brilliant! Thanks for your help

For a decent quantizer, I would go with a Disting mk4 ... :)

It is a bit of a joke, because Disting is basically the Swiss Army knife of modules. It does everything, including quantizing (as far as I remember, it has three different versions of quantizers), but it only does one thing at the time, and the interface is not the most accessible, to put it mildly.

It is great though, because it let's you play around with a quantizer, or an LFO, or a slew, or s&h, or logic, or a thousand other things, which help you understand how all of this works. If you find that you always use it as a quantizer, that's a good sign that you need a dedicated module for this, and then you will have a better sense of what features are important.

Just my two cents.

Edit: I just checked. The recent firmware has five different quantizer modes ... :)

EDITED Aug 16th 2019, 15:08

Overall it looks great. I don't know "Count," but it seems to have quite some overlap with PNW, so you may want to start with one or the other.

Right now, it will be hard to get a "melody" out of it, so on top of what you get from Count, PNW and Maths, you may want some more control over triggers and V/oct for Squid and Plaits. Depending on what you like, you could add a controller or sequencer (tons of options), a USB to CV module (say, FH2) for interfacing with a keyboard or computer, or some "generative" modules (random, s&h, quantizer, burst generator, logic, etc.)

-- mosorensen

Thanks mate , I’ll take count out . As I said I’m not really sure what I actually need .

Can you recommend any decent quantiser ?

Overall it looks great. I don't know "Count," but it seems to have quite some overlap with PNW, so you may want to start with one or the other.

Right now, it will be hard to get a "melody" out of it, so on top of what you get from Count, PNW and Maths, you may want some more control over triggers and V/oct for Squid and Plaits. Depending on what you like, you could add a controller or sequencer (tons of options), a USB to CV module (say, FH2) for interfacing with a keyboard or computer, or some "generative" modules (random, s&h, quantizer, burst generator, logic, etc.)

EDITED Aug 16th 2019, 13:37

I looked at https://vcvrack.com/ and found that it offers nothing even worth mentioning (it doesn't even compare with what you guys do)

…Maybe have it so that only subscription users could request/access the new modules? that would probably more than cover the costs of modelling and buying one of each module (provided that users request it enough)

Please let me know if I’m missing anything, still quite new to this .

I’m mainly using this rack for techno sounds but not drums .

This is all I can afford currently but will add other modules as I go along .

Any help greatly appreciated

It is excellent. It covers all the basic waveforms (sine, square, saw, etc.). It has an internal VCA and envelope generator (and low-pass gate emulator) that make it very immediate to patch. It has more advanced modes, such as a 2-operator FM, wavetable oscillator, harmonic oscillator, and various percussion and noise sounds. It is great for experimenting with all these different oscillators and modulations. No brainer. Go for it.

edited: typo
-- mosorensen

Thanks for the reply . Ok I’m buying it :)

Bought a module from PinPinKula. Not the fastest to reply or send but trustworthy.

It is excellent. It covers all the basic waveforms (sine, square, saw, etc.). It has an internal VCA and envelope generator (and low-pass gate emulator) that make it very immediate to patch. It has more advanced modes, such as a 2-operator FM, wavetable oscillator, harmonic oscillator, and various percussion and noise sounds. It is great for experimenting with all these different oscillators and modulations. No brainer. Go for it.

edited: typo

EDITED Aug 15th 2019, 21:58

Someone else has been scammed by the user @StephenLarkin? Paid via PayPal FF (yes like a donkey).

Hello..

I'm new here too and I like modulars. I hate wage slavery so I try to do as little of that as possible, in other words, I hack shit and build my own.

Is this a good oscillator to start off a new rack ? Someone’s offering me one cheap , cheers

Dear all,
I would like to do a request to the creators of this amazing site.
What about a new option after modulars and pedal, the 19" racks, so we can plan and share our studios and how we integrate outboards in our productions and workflow.
I'm sure there could be a lot of people interested in it, from who use vintage gear to who use more updated versions of outboard as well as mixers, converters and so on.
It could be an interesting feature for this site? or I'm the only one interested?

Let me know what you think and maybe the great people behind modulargrid will take this in considerations.

Cheers!

Let the bass be with you!

For Dub, Ambient, Experimental & Crazy Space Sounds.

Unfortunately, I had a bad experience buying from LudwigWals. The module he sent me was broken due to the use.
He was saying that he barely used it and it was in amazing conditions.

Cheers guys :) Very helpful.

Yes, chaining clock dividers can lead to some very long clock divisions. There really isn't a limit either, other than how long you want to wait. The technique is super useful for generating evolving sequences, you can take clock pulses off of different dividers and use those to trigger tempo_synced LFOs.

Now, I'm no EE guy, but I'd wager if the circuits are designed and built well, you should be able to construct an endless chain of clock dividers. Generally, all they're doing is counting the steps that are coming in, so you're not clocking a PLL or something like that that's attempting to keep pace with a steady signal. So if you're looking to get a bunch of subdivisions down to 1/4096, I wouldn't doubt that that would be possible

Probably an obvious question, is there a limit on how many clock dividers you could link up, so say you come out of the Div by 8 then that went into the Clk of another Clock divider and you divided the 8 from the first by 16.... you get the idea, then you go on and on!!

I'm guessing the answer is Yes, so its a way of pushing events further away via clock pulses.

@modulargrid Would it be possible to add notes/comments under a patch without having to create a new thread in the forum? I'd like to keep some notes, or maybe a description, about a patch I'm making, but I don't necessarily want to make this public.
-- ParanormalPatroler

It's on the list to detach notes from the forum. That was not the brightest idea in the first place...

How can I upload modules so that they can be played with truegrid?
-- squire80513

Users cannot upload modules to TrueGrid. Development is halted because there are better options now.
Check out https://vcvrack.com/

@modulargrid Would it be possible to add notes/comments under a patch without having to create a new thread in the forum? I'd like to keep some notes, or maybe a description, about a patch I'm making, but I don't necessarily want to make this public.

I bought a module from @Hougaard in mint condition, he is a good communicator and packaged the gear as safe as possible. Top seller i hope to buy from again.

Thank you @wazou, great comms and speedy delivery - recommended!

Hi,

Just discovered this thread but I've had so many good experiences on this marketplace:

Thanks to @restlessboy for the DFAM - a big package to send, arrived quickly in perfect condition!

Also @wirlebenmarlene for the Erica Fusion VCA2

@nickolsen for the Make Noise Richter Wogglebug

@thisisprisma for the Make Noise Moddemix

@Jungleofwires for the Noise Engineering Sinclastic Empulatrix (awesome module)

...and all my purchasers

@Tillman-Jex (uOC Black and Gold)
@GGeb (Strymon Magneto)

and many more!

EDITED Aug 14th 2019, 08:19

No hard feelings.

The Mother 32 and the 0-Coast are popular. A synth voice sounds right for you. Basically, a complete synth that's stand-alone (own power supply) or a Eurorack synth voice that only needs to be dropped in a case and powered to get a full sound from.

The Intellijel Atlantis, Dreadbox series, etc. are good examples. You can search in modules by type and select "synth voice." Be sure to research... especially using Youtube. There might be something that's more your style than M32 or 0-C. Most synth voices have normalized patching so you don't have to patch to make a sound. Of course things get interesting when you have access to a multitude of patch points.

If you're going one 3U, then yes... still go big. If you can accommodate 4U, the Intellijel 4U series gives you up to 104HP in full sized modules and the 1U of 104HP for any specialty modules that you would like. The cost is approximately $350 for that case.

Use your synth voice for a while and then you can carefully curate additional modules to go with it. The VCV Rack allows you to experiment with many, many different types of modules... so you can figure out what really stimulates your creativity and decide how you'd like to expand your limited space/budget.

I find a lot of DivKid videos very useful in module exploration... even self-patching. In my experience, you can plan your heart out but eventually you have to just buy something and hope for the best. But it's a journey. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Hi,
This is my first rack and I'm looking to expand. I'm new to modular, so would appreciate any suggestions about things I might be missing. I want my second rack to include some more modules to make some weird ambient, softer melodic sounds, and some additional controller options. I think I'll get some of the Mutable Instruments modules like Elements and Clouds, but curious what modules people like for this type of thing that are perhaps less well known.
Thanks!
gs

please do bring it back!! and add more modules!

EDITED Aug 14th 2019, 15:27

you have to filter modules by "playable in truegrid" when planning a truegrid rack. there are only about three dozen—it requires a lot of circuit modelling and stuff…I think.

EDITED Aug 14th 2019, 15:26

How can I upload modules so that they can be played with truegrid? does this require modelling? Also, could we add a feature where there is a "request for TrueGrid" button, and the one with the most votes will be added (if users are unable to add their own) I would appreciate this!

EDITED Aug 14th 2019, 15:22

Sorry guys, especially Ronin1973, I took some stuff in the wrong way and I should not have, my answer was dumb so I apologize. And thanks for your reply.

I built the systems in the original post by trying to follow a general template I found in most semi modular synths and pre made systems by various manufacturers I could found online. Stuff like 0-coast, mother 32, templates by reverb.com, perfect circuit 54hp and east/west coast series. That's why I had the feeling I had most of the modules I needed for them to work, or covered those that weren't there somehow, but obviously I missed some.

Also, I really want to focus on exploring a limited number of modules instead of allowing myself future expansions, if that makes sense. That's why I feel like only going for 3u of carefully picked modules would work better for me than buying a big case right away. I really like the idea of working within creative restrictions instead of allowing myself to buy more if I want to. It would also allow me to focus on the music while still having a very powerful tool to make cool sounds and experiment.

Moreover, 3u would fit on my desk, 6u would not, so in a way, I would use it much more if I keep it on the smaller side. I really believe that a few oscillators/modulators can already bring many exotic functionnalities compared to what I can do at the moment with what i have.

Anyway, sorry and thanks again. I think I'm gonna go for a 0-coast or a mother 32 (and maybe an SQ-1) for the moment and see if I need to build from there.

Recently bought modules from @WALKER_ and @Ayman59, smooth transaction.

I suggested the Z-DSP and Bitbox because of their flexibility. Of course you pay a price for that.

An alternative to the Z-DSP that's less expensive is the XAOC Devices TIMISZOARA. It uses the same 24–bit Spin FV1 DSP engine. However the Timiszoara is missing the analog feedback loop and clocking ability. Those features are planned for an expansion module. But once you purchase that, you'll probably wind up paying the same.

There are plenty of alternatives to Bitbox... but again you give up features and functionality.

The 2HP delay is okay. I own one. A better alternative would be the stereo Jelly Wobbler. But the 2HP will get the basic job done. The Bitbox has an alternative firmware (free) that turns it into an FX box.

Good experience buying from @slight_92! Thanks!

You can try this one https://www.factmag.com/tag/modular-synths/
They've got a great section about modular synths

And few more interesting information is here http://www.synthtopia.com/?s=modular+synths

Instead of the Dopefer Attenuator you could go with the SSF Quad-Atten. Same HP but 4 Attenuators or geht 2x 2hp Trims.

Thanks to @Ridder for a great transaction, bought a Cwejman FSH-1 from him.

I'm looking forward to the day when I have enough Eurorack modules to actually make use of the "Sketch a Patch" feature on this site. I remember my college days and doing exactly this with patches for the Buchla Easel, except on paper of course because it was the '90's.

In the meantime, I do have a healthy collection of guitar pedals and have been working on an ideal pedalboard design, including pre-and-post-amp signal flow paths. Since some pedalboards can have multiple signal paths, I think there's enough complexity to warrant adding this feature to the Pedalboard views. If this feature were there, I'd be using it!

Thanks for providing such an excellent resource!

A decent alternative to the bit box for sample playing may be the teseract Nutella. It's a 16 channel sample player with multiple sample banks. Not the same flexibility /interactivity as the bit box but not the price either.

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ladik-p-072-dual-switch

Thanks for good advice.
I did not mean that I can master a whole rack. Just that most of my individual modules functions are familiar for me exept Marbles, Plaits and a lot of Distings algorithms. But after some hours fiddling I think I now have a good understanding of Plaits.
Pretty much of my rack is a result of earlier tips from booth Lugia and Ronin1973.
I thougt Ripples would be a good extra filter but I maybe need a third one?
After your new advices I think my rack will look something like this:
(Bitbox and Z-DSP are for the moment a little bit to expensive. Are there some cheaper alternatives that you can suggest?)

EDITED Aug 10th 2019, 10:20

FYI, my votes for both the extra filter and the waveshaper both go to Tiptop. Their Steiner clone (Forbidden Planet) is perhaps a tad more spot-on than Arturia's (and I own a MicroBrute plus did own a Synthacon for some time), and that wavefolder + divider module is pure usefulness. Plus, a third vote for yet another Tiptop device, the MISO...one of the better CV/mod router/modifiers in a while, at a stoopid-cheap price to boot. And yes, you're going to need that MISO, because generative involves a lot of tinkering with control signals, and that module makes it easy to work them "live", like a configurable controller.

Oh, and as modulation sources go, have a look-see about jamming a Maths in there. Yeah, everyone gets those...but it's because they work as advertised, plus pairing something that can do complex slopes with the Marbles...oh, yeah, classic generative stuff there.

Well... have you tried all the things you can do with modular that you can't do with desktop (non-Eurorack). Audio-rate modulation sounds like it would be in order.

Are you planning on doing anything with effects? The Disting is useful but it's a jack-of-all-trades. A Z-DSP and a Bitbox would go well in that empty black hole that's begging for your money. I didn't see a dedicated delay module either.

You might also reward yourself with an extra filter that doesn't offer what the MiniBrute has under the hood... waveshaper/waveform folder... oh... and a couple flavors of distortion/overdrive?

I'm sorry but it feels a bit cheap to get the default answer to this, my question was specific about which strategy you would chose to build your first system over time and all I got was "beginners - read this" answers that I know and are almost all taken into account in the setups in my post:

Don't be sorry. You're the one that will be shelling out thousands of dollars... good or bad.

1. I'm only interested in one row because I don't have the room nor the budget for more but any of those I suggested will already be a real a significant step up from what I currently have

If the racks above are all that you can afford now then I'd wait and save a bit more money.

2. All of the modules you talk about are in all the systems I included, and there is still room...

Show me the LFOs, traditional ADSR envelopes, attenuverters,etc... especially across all three examples. You have a sliver of HP left in each example... nowhere near enough to expand your systems once you realize the deficits in each.

I looked around a lot for answers to my question and found no answer, otherwise I wouldn't have posted it.

Ever think that your question can't be reasonably answered in a definitive way?

And I know there is not one right answer to this, but I wanted to have opinions from people who've been through that already.

I have been through it and advised several others. I'm not at the Lugia level. But I've spent 30 years around synthesizers, recording studios and DAWs... for a living.

So I'll rewrite the question more concisely:
What's the best strategy when you start out?
*Start small with a few small modules and build a more complex system from there?
*Start big to get more complex and interesting modules from the beginning?
*Start with a pre-build synth voice and add modules to it?

There is no best. There's only best for you. First and foremost what's your budget range? $3000US is a good start. $2000US is okay. And $1000US will get you in the door... but isn't really worth it for what you'll get out of it.

We're all friendly here and the advice is free and valuable. People will go to great lengths to design and redesign set-ups for you. No one is being flippant or dismissive of you. But I wouldn't call anyone's advice "cheap" and expect them or others to want to help you. However, if I felt insulted I just wouldn't reply. Let's make something.

thanks....
The mention of Rebirth and Reason is a way of saying I've been messing around with music from the mid/late 90's, I never hinted that they would be of any benefit to starting Modular. They are certainly not detrimental.

I've already been doing the VCV thing as it seemed sensible before I bought anything, and its shown me that I don't want an all-singing-all-dancing module, I'd agree with darkblooCV above that simple is best.

First off I wanted to ensure I had some Stereo Output so the Intellijel Mixup, then 2hp verb cos thats stereo too so I can get a bit of simple stereo field from the limited cash and modules, Pluck makes some lovely sound so I want that to be able to spit out something vaguely ordered (2hp Euclid, I can currently trig the Euclid from TR08/09 and use Pitch CV for notes from the SH01 and have it play along in the fills), eventually Quantised with a 2hp Tune and then push that through a bit of reverb and delay (delay will be Erica Pico DSP).

At this point its simply adding a new voice to the mix with the Roland Boutiques.

Then the plan after that is to start looking at Clocking, Clock Dividers, Mults, VCA/s, LFO, maybe a Random Gate source again another 2hp, then a couple more voices and how to start bringing it all together Like you say, the important-yet-boring. Power-wise it looks like the TipTop uZeus will have me covered with the addition of another Flying bus cable for the moment.

I'll go back and edit my dumb-ass question at the start and just say 'hi' instead;-)