Enough utilities?

Hi there,

I've been looking through this forum and slowly building my own rack for only about 4 months now. I've been working with synths otherwise for a long time. This rack is not even close to complete in real life, but I've been enjoying playing around with future "goal" racks. Would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions.

Quick explanation: This is a Doepfer A-100 (9U/84hp) and an Intellijel Palette (4u/104hp). The 1u row will be mostly attenuverters (8-16 in total). The Palette is the "control" skiff, ER101/102 is driving the 4 voices. Circadian Rhythm will be driving another rack dedicated to drum modules. The 4 voices consist of: Mannequins Mangrove, Verbos Complex Oscillator, Recovery Jupiter Spirits, and Mungo G0, which all go through a filter/vca to the ADDAC mixer, and then multitracked out for more processing.

The music I'm making is pretty beat oriented and intentional, so I'm not really going for a "generative" build. I want to tell it what to do, with some extra random wiggling. Not to say that those types of utilities are not necessary as well.

Modules I do not have that I thought might be useful:
- Tiptop MISO
- Doepfer Matrix Mixer
- Verbos Random Sampling

Ultimately, I'm pretty sold on the rest of the rack, especially as far as oscillator+filters go. I am now trying to figure out how to squeeze the most utility/modulation into the remaining portion of the rack. I always hear the advice (I like the way JimHowell puts it I think), sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation < utilities... something like that.. and while I do not have the same feelings he does yet, I'm pretty sure he's closer to right than I am! Regardless, the bones of this system which I do have has been working out really well for me! So just wondering here how to continue thoughtfully growing this case.

Thank you all.

EDITED Mar 12th 2021, 14:30

@jasper_t I saw the name check accidentally (try @ before the name and notifications kick in)

guidelines/rules of thumb - if they work for you great - but whatever may work for you!!! :-D

I'm sure there's a lot of people out there with modulars that are made up of a bunch of vcos and filters and a mixer - everything controlled by hand - and they're probably happy wiht it - but in general this

sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities

will give most newbies a better modular experience - the point of it is to try to stop people thinking that they need a lot of voices to create interesting music with a modular - you don't!

start with a vco, mult it a few times and process differently - different filters, frequency shifters, etc through different vcas and modulated differently will produce more interesting tones overall than a lot of sound sources with some sound modifiers, little in the way of modulation and almost no utility modules - which are in my opinion the most important modules you can get as they mult, modify and merge the really important stuff (CV) that makes the shiny expensive modules (vcos, filters, effects etc) actually shine and not tarnish after a short time

which is what newbies generally come up with unless they have spent a lot of time (and I mean a lot of time - months/years not minutes) researching and thinking about the subject

bu there are utilities and there are utilities - I don't see much point in format jumbler modules, that I see in your rack - just buy the correct cable!!!

if outside North America or Japan - chances are you don't need an output module - but if you are in those territories then you probably do!

isn't the rompler a voice too ?- I would consider it such!!! so 5 not 4!!

as for the modules that you are looking at -

MISO - yeah or shades or a host of other modules that do effectively the same thing - they are all good!

Doepfer Matrix mixer - again brilliant choice - but in this size modular you may find you want something smaller - you already have a lot of big modules - but if ergonomics are important to you this is the one to get!!!

Verbos Random Sampling - no idea - it looks great, but I think I'd rather have the functionality parted out over different modules

@jasper_t I saw the name check accidentally (try @ before the name and notifications kick in)

Jim, thank you very much for the insights! Unfortunately, MG jumbled up the image, so for example, the Rample is no longer in there.. Bummer that this happens sometimes! If you click on the rack, or check out this screenshot, this is accurate:
https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1469126.jpg

I think MG was showing an older version of my rack, but still - could you further explain format jumbler modules? Or just what you mean by this name.

But I hear you and appreciate that. I think you are right, especially with some larger modules that could probably be broken down into smaller pieces and give me some more room. The Verbos stuff is a good example of this, I do really love the sound and functionality of the Complex Oscillator, but I've been thinking that I could replace it with a Gen 3 and another osc or something like that, but that would cost a couple extra utility modules as well.

Also I am in the US, so I think the output modules have to stay.

Thanks for your thoughts, Jim.

these https://www.modulargrid.net/e/addac-system-addac200s-size-matter are format jumblers - things that take i/o in 1 format and 'jumble' it to another!

keep the utilities and the output modules

I bet you could get something as complex/interesting if not more so from (a) different manufacturer(s) in fewer hp - might be more modules though!!! - but I was really meaning the random sampling!

these https://www.modulargrid.net/e/addac-system-addac200s-size-matter are format jumblers - things that take i/o in 1 format and 'jumble' it to another!

keep the utilities and the output modules

I bet you could get something as complex/interesting if not more so from (a) different manufacturer(s) in fewer hp - might be more modules though!!! - but I was really meaning the random sampling!
-- JimHowell1970

Gotcha! That makes sense. And totally agreed with the Random Sampling. Thanks again, mate.

MISO = awesome and inexpensive CV wrangling module. Another possibility there is 4ms's SISM, which is a similar sort of thing with more CV over function. These sorts of modules are pretty indispensable if you're trying to generate complex modulation curves from a few different sources.

One thing I'd suggest about the 2 hp gap in the bottom (sequencing) cab: drop in one of 2hp's Logic modules. This way, you can use TWO Pam's outs that "conflict" with each other in how they're programmed to create even more complex and elaborate clock behavior.

One thing I'd suggest about the 2 hp gap in the bottom (sequencing) cab: drop in one of 2hp's Logic modules. This way, you can use TWO Pam's outs that "conflict" with each other in how they're programmed to create even more complex and elaborate clock behavior.
-- Lugia

That’s an awesome idea! Thanks, Lugia.