Help with fx rack :)

Hey all, I'm new to this and assembling an 84hp rack for fx processing of an OP1, tape loops, field recording type things. This particular rack is heavily influenced by the unperson on youtube, so there's quite a bit of overlap there.

I'm hoping to use the Bubblesound booster to bring all of these external elements up to modular level then route through the various effects, into the mixer, then out through the FX aid as a final mix effect.

The hardest thing to wrap my head around so far has been the utilities and modulation sources needed for a rack that doesn't have a sound source. I have the Maths there, but it's pretty big for only 84hp and wondering if the Pons Asinorum paired with a Kinks or something like that would give me more than enough modulation for this use. I'm also unsure how essential VCAs are without oscillators and that kind of thing. Maybe very?

Curious also about how useful some kind of clocking will be if I won't be able to link the sound sources anyway. I don't intend on being very rhythmic, mostly layered ambient sounds. Would it make sense to use the OP1 as a master clock then maybe a small clock divider to send sync up some of the fx?

Any super useful modules/utilities for this use that I don't have here? Anything seem way unnecessary? Right now the only filter is in the Data Bender or FX aid, so if possible, I'd like to squeeze something in. Any feedback is very much appreciated!

If you get an external input module with an envelope follower like the Doepfer A-119, you can use that to modulate effects. That module also has a compartor which produces a gate, which can also trigger events related to whatever sound is coming in. I'd look to adding more things that can convert audio to CV in a rack like this - utilities all the way!

maybe consider using Beads instead of Clouds...or some other smaller clone of Clouds to conserve HP? that would get you 4HP and you could add something like Disting MK4. Monsoon is a clone that is only 12HP which buys you 6HP and you could add MK4 and something like 2HP Euclid to generate clocked patterns.

If you get an external input module with an envelope follower like the Doepfer A-119, you can use that to modulate effects. That module also has a compartor which produces a gate, which can also trigger events related to whatever sound is coming in. I'd look to adding more things that can convert audio to CV in a rack like this - utilities all the way!

-- Manbearpignick

Thanks for the feedback! That definitely sounds like a fun thing to be able to do. Is there functionality there that I won't be able to get by sending an external signal from the Bubblesound booster to Maths and using that as an envelope follower?

I guess what I'm wrestling with most is if a lot of what Maths is able to do won't be super useful in this type of setup, and I'd be better served by replacing it with smaller modules that are more applicable to an effects specific rack like an envelope follower and maybe a dreadbox utopia or kinks? Maths may be perfect for this use and that would be ok too, since I already have it! If Maths is good for this setup, would you say the Noise Engineering LFO module is overkill for such a small rack?

maybe consider using Beads instead of Clouds...or some other smaller clone of Clouds to conserve HP? that would get you 4HP and you could add something like Disting MK4. Monsoon is a clone that is only 12HP which buys you 6HP and you could add MK4 and something like 2HP Euclid to generate clocked patterns.

-- jb61264

Thanks to you as well for chiming in! Perhaps I would've been better off going with Beads or a Monsoon. I've had my eye on a disting, but have been a little overwhelmed by it. I'll have to do some more research. The Euclid looks really cool too, though I'm still trying to understand how I might get the most use out of it. Would the output of that be used to modulate CV input on something like the Data Bender or Clouds? Sorry if that's way off and doesn't make any sense! I still have quite a bit to figure out