Complement to DFAM and Subharmonicon with focus on random elements and live performing

Hello,

I have been playing my DFAM and Subharmonicon for quite some time now and have had a lot of fun. I now want to start to complement these two synths with a Eurorack case.

Except to be a complement to the DFAM and Subharmonicon i also want to start to build an instrument that focuses on a lot of random elements and that can be played and performed well in a live setting. I will use my computer with a DAW for effects for now (Why are effects modules so expensive!?). I really like music that builds up over time, from a very slow basic almost naked rythm and melody to an epic peak and then back again. Think cinematic climaxes like in "Interstellar", "Black Panther", "Jurassic park" just to name a few. Not all examples are typical synth music, but just to give you an idea of my "end goal". If there is an end to the rabbit hole that is Eurorack? :)

I have looked at so many modules, instructive videos, read articles, watched performances and so on, to the point that i'm a little bit confused. So please help point me in the right direction.

Here is the he screenshot and I will give my reasoning, with my limited/basic knowledge, of why i have started to lean towards these modules below the image. I will also point out a few faults that I don't know if I need to correct. I have limited myself to one row of the case to start with.

Pam's new workout:

Honestly, one of the coolest modules I have seen. What doesn't it do? I also feel that it will be very good when I expand my system. For a while I was leaning towards using this as my main sequencer. One negative is the menu in a live setting. I feel that it would take a bit of pre planning and setting up the outputs beforehand.

Maths:

Complements the DFAM and SubH very well with a lot of modulation that the Moogs are missing. All around a great source of modulation with many applications.

Quad VCA:

I like this VCA because it can be both linear and exponential, have four channels and can work as a summing mixer.

Plaits:

With the DFAM and SubH I already have a lot of voices. So this one I'm a little unsure about. But I like it because it's a very flexible voice that is very easy to modulate with random elements to get real cool sounds out of it.

Qbit Chance:

I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw the first video of it in action. So many sources of random modulation with built in attenuverters that I think will pair REALLY well with especially the DFAM.

Qbit Bloom:

One of the more fun pitch sequencers that suits my needs very well. I think it should play extremely well in a live setting. Easy and very direct configuration, can turn a simple sequence to quite complex real fast and back to the original equally fast. Everything can be CV-controlled and can be used on two voices at once.

Mult:

Hey I got 2hp left and a mult will always be useful.

Glaring issues:

1. With this initial buy I will only have the filters on the Moogs. Which of course will be useful. But to not have a basic filter dedicated to each voice feels kinda bad...
2. I have no mixer except the Quad VCA. Honestly, I don't feel this should be much of a problem initially, but that can be my limited understanding speaking.

Thank you for reading this far. I would love any feedback, recommendations on different modules and pointers in the right direction.

Cheers from Sweden!

Peace,

Peremil

EDITED Jul 30th 2022, 19:18

Well, I worked out a version of this, but I know very well that it would be far more capable if you had a few more hp. If you've not bought a case yet, I'd strongly suggest going with either a Tiptop Mantis, or if you intend to gig with the synth, perhaps something from Case From Lake would be suitable. For example: https://www.casefromlake.com/product-page/9u-eurorack-case-powered-or-not-84-o-104-hp-patched-resealable-modular-synth That comes in at EUR 435 while the Mantis goes for EUR 338 (per Thomann), but what you get is three rows at 104 hp in a portable cab, 4 AMPS on the +12 and 1600 mA on the -12, and the ability to spec additions to the case (such as adding a tile row, more length, etc). By going with something on that scale, you increase the space for the critical modules to put together a serious generative system. Right now, the 2 x 84 hp setup doesn't have enough space to do that, unless you dedicated most of the cab to those functions...which also isn't a desirable result, as it'll cut way into your "voice" capabilities. Have a look at CFL and the Mantis, and I think you'll see how and why either one is superior.

Glaring omissions:

1. filter - plaits is a voice module - and has a built in filter - as part of the built in low pass gate - I wouldn't worry too much about this for now - if you're going to get a plaits though hurry up - last batch may already be out there - and if you're getting plaits I'd go for veils over the intellijel quad - it's a little smaller and has more features... but again - good luck in getting one...

2. a mixer would be a very good addition... vcas are extremely useful for both audio and modulation... both of the moons have them built in so don't 'need' to go through another vca... I'd add an inexpensive mixer - get one that's dc-coupled and when you come to upgrade your end of chain mixer, it it can be used for other things...

why are effects modules expensive? they're not necessarily - you're obviously looking at expensive ones... but a lot of the 'expensive' ones take a long time to develop, not just in terms of hardware, but also software - if you want cheap effects then you could also look at guitar pedals and pedal interfaces (AISynthesizers makes a DIY one that's pretty inexpensive)

I agree with Lugia about a bigger case - mantis is imo, one of the best starter cases there is especially because of the combination of decent power/manufacturer reputation/hp/cost

take a look at my signature - it's a simple guide to getting the most versatility out of your modular for the least cash - and scales well from the smallest to the biggest systems...

1. filter - plaits is a voice module - and has a built in filter - as part of the built in low pass gate - I wouldn't worry too much about this for now - if you're going to get a plaits though hurry up - last batch may already be out there - and if you're getting plaits I'd go for veils over the intellijel quad - it's a little smaller and has more features... but again - good luck in getting one...

-- JimHowell1970

Actually, at this point it's probably not a bad idea to look at the 8 hp quad VCA clones, such as Codex Modulex's. Yeah, it's got teensy controls and all, but when you think about it, VCAs are not something you'd "get busy" on, such as a VCF cutoff. I think it's a certainty that I'll be shifting from the Veils 2020 to something 8 hp-ish fairly soon, when the stock of Mutable's stuff runs out.

Thank you both so much for your replies! Very helpful :)

I will look into a bigger case. I didnt know about the Casefromlake, they are gourgeous! Great that they are foldable.

I took a look at the rack you did @Lugia. I can definitely see the benefits of your choice of modules from a performance perspective. For example tempi vs pams new work out. The 4 ms listen four looks small and purposeful.

Im curious why you didnt choose Maths and added Befaco Rampage? I realise the are not exactly the same, but still quite similar (again, sorry if my limited knowledge makes me look dumb ^_^).

Rene i tried to understand, but for some reason i dont fully get it. Perhaps should look into that one a bit more.

The Klavis looks interesting and a small and flexible way to add more voices. I have recently fallen in love with the 4ms Ensemble. But its so big...

If you would choose 4-6 modules to start with, which ones would you buy first?

Have a great day!

// Peremil

Rene is really amazing...for one thing, you can use it as a touchplate controller when it's not being clocked. The Rene/Tempi combo has some interesting voodoo of its own; see here: https://www.makenoisemusic.com/modules/rene

As for the Rampage, it's close to the Maths' source as well; both are different takes on the Serge Dual Universal Slope Generator, which is what the "core" of both derive from. And the DUSG is very legendary in of itself for being a "Swiss Army Knife" module, just like its derivations here.

4 to 6 modules, hm? OK...give me a bit...

[a bit later]

Hawt damn...

Six modules = one complete modular. The modulation source is Tiptop's Buchla 281t. Don got that thing right! Also from Tiptop, the MISO has the ability to turn the 281t's signals into a number of other variations. Then I went with Xaoc's Odessa for bigtime complex waveforms and (because I sneaked the Odessa's expander in there...not counting that one) four-voice polyphony. ALL of the VCAs needed are right there in Erogenous Tones' VC8; you can break them out individually, but you can also mix the Odessa's three outputs down to a single output...and STILL have a second quartet of VCAs and a free submixer! Then for filtering, one of the great pieces of sheer MADNESS...Dave Rossum's Morpheus, named for the (Proteus) Morpheus which first had that wild Z-plane filter. It can be nice and smooth...or it can go for total earrape...and most anything in between. And then the current (and last...sigh...) Mutable granularizer, Beads. 115 hp, $2000 and change.

So what's missing? Not much, really. I would think a Happy Nerding Isolator 2022 could be nice at the end of the voice chain, and maybe a MIDI interface or Expert Sleepers interface for external control. But honestly, those would be IT. The rest of this little build is ready to launch!

EDITED Aug 2nd 2022, 01:00

When I had a DFAM and Subharmonicon the two modules I wanted were a quantizer and a switch, the switch lets you increase the DFAM to 16 or more steps although I had the Make Noise O-Ctrl to help with this. The quantizer lets you easily tune the DFAM to any note you want. Both modules will help in a lot of other ways within any system too.