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Something worth considering is to go with the Expert Sleepers FH-2 and turning the Disting mk4 into a Disting EX. Getting the FH-2 is simply to make space for the EX. The FH-2 may not be what you want in this case in which case this would be moot but it seems like they would have the same purpose for this system. The EX is basically the same as the mk4 but it is 100x easier to use. If the FH-2 works for you, I would do this. You also get the benefit of having two mk4s in one.
In regards to a pitch sequencer, which I do agree that you should probably look at, it depends on what you'd want. If you have something like an MPC One you can pretty easily use that. Same with a midi keyboard. A common one that is used with modular systems are the Arturia Keysteps. The Digitalis is a good small option.
It may be worth getting a Disting EX. The EX is a little more expensive than two mk4's and is less "eurorack-y" but it is far more usable than the mk4 and it is just a very flexible module. Some things I like using the EX for is as a wavetable sound source, a mono-to-stereo reverb, a compressor, a precession adder, and as a clockable AD envelope.
If you are looking for a random cv/gate generator a good one to look at is the Clank Chaos. It has 6 channels of gates and cv with the ability to go from very random to a repeating loop and it has a variety of additional useful features such as slew and quantize capabilities. If you want to make percussive sounds you should look at Rings. I find Rings very useful for as a type of accent tool, for lack of a better term. It is not uncommon for my patches to have audio be split to Rings and have the accent/reset of one of my sequencers ping Rings. If you are looking for envelopes the Behringer 140 is a solid option. It may be a bit too much HP-wise but you get two independent ADSRs with two normal outs from each ADSR and an inverted out. It also comes with a solid LFO. I have never tried this but I do believe you can use the LFO of the 140 as a basic waveform oscillator too via its frequency CV in.
If you want to have more tactile control over the gates you are using you can take a Grids and use it in the gate mode. This allows you to control the frequency of the gates and how many there are using your hands. This can go well with a swing module so that the clock that it receives leads to not completely on the grid notes. Something I would recommend, especially if you do go this rout, is to get some type of fader bank. I use MSW's but I know they aren't the only ones who make this. Having faders outside of the case that can control things can make modulation much easier, especially if you are using Grids like this.
Here is a quick summary of what is patched so far. I have the clock from the FH-2 going to the mult going to the grids (via the swing module), Chaos, turing machine, and stopler. Stopler and Grids are my drum rhythm sources that are going into the switch. The Stopler has two percs which are going to muted at the Cosmic mixer instead of the switch. The drums will be played from the Salmple. Then they will go into the Cosmic mixer with the aux going to a mono-to-stereo reverb in the EX and then coming back through channels 7 and 8. Then they will go to the Roland 531 mixer and yeet on out of here.
I am considering a new studio system. It needs to be able to hand drums, bass, chords, and a melody. It needs to be able to handle midi via an MPC, keyboard, or computer; it needs to be able to work without any connections to external equipment (not counting the Michigan Synth Works 16ch faders); and it needs to have some practical use as an effects processor for other gear. Basically, I kind of want this system to be able to handle everything. It needs to work as my drum machine. It needs to be able to be played as a keyboard instrument. It needs to be able to handle a more "traditional" eurorack use case.
I have some of these modules and some I will have to buy. I will also have the MSW 16ch. faders. I did not patch this in on MG but there will be some always patched connections going from the faders (to the 3 fills on micro grids; to the x and y on the micro grids). I have also already patched what I am thinking will be a set of permanently patched cables.
I was wondering if anyone would have any creative ideas for how to patch the rest of this system? I already have a good idea for how to handle the basics but I was hoping that there would be people here who can show me some more interesting patches that I can't, or wouldn't be able to, think of. While I want this to be a system that can handle everything at once the patch you suggest doesn't have to. I am far more interested in seeing what others can do with this and how that may work for my uses. Also, if you have any suggestions for modules that would be appreciated because, while I am fairly locked in to this system generally, I am definitely open to hearing what may be a better module for this system.
(also, this is my first time posting about a patch I sketched on here. If I am doing something and you can't see the patch or anything like that, please let me know and I will do what I can to fix it)
I'll look into the other VCOs. The first 1U module on the left is the Intellijel Midi 1U. It has outputs for a clock (and at a 1/16 rate), pitch, gate, trigger, cc, mod wheel, velocity, run, and reset. I was thinking that I would use the 4 4-out mults I have (the 2x4 part of the Palette and the 2x4 module) for the gate, pitch, clock, and have a 4th one as patch-dependent. The velocity out I would connect to the 1U VCA (which is the sole reason for the VCA in the first place) which would be the last module in the chain before I send it on out using the Line Out 1U module. I would use this with an Arturia Keylab midi keyboard or one of my other synths that have a midi out. I go back and forth with adding the Dnipro Modular Dot sequencer. If I were to add the Dot module, I would replace the Behringer VCO with a smaller sized VCO (probably a duplicate of the other VCO I currently have in there). I like the idea of having a sequencer but I don't think I would get a ton of value out of one for the kind of sound I would use this synth for.
I didn't know of the Deepmind but now that I have been looking into it I am strongly considering buying it
Thank you for the recommendation. I will look into it.
Farkas,
What makes the setup difficult for me get what I am trying to achieve? How would I be able to improve the functionality so that the outcome is closer to what I am trying to achieve? I am not necessarily talking about modules specifically, but what type of functionality do you think is missing that I should try to add (ie: different lfo shapes, a more "flexible" oscillator, etc)?
I am in the process of buying/building my first eurorack. I am a music producer and I can get most of the sounds I want from other sources. What I struggle to get is evolving sounds. I need this synth to be able to do a lot of modulation. In addition to that, it needs to be able to cover from bass sounds to leads and from plucks to pads. But I do not need it to be able to make drum-like sounds (which is why I don't currently have a sequencer). I also can only spend $1,000 on the modules.
I am going to get the Intellijel Palette case. In addition to that, there are a few modules I am going to get no matter what. They are the 3 Intellijel 1U modules and the Behringer 150. I also need some way of having velocity control (which is the sole purpose of the VCA but that is only the most effective way I found. I am not necessarily "locked in" to that specific VCA if there is a better way). Beyond that, I want your guys input on if there is anything I should change.
