When I started out, I did the classic newbie thing of just buying whatever sounded interesting without paying too much attention to how it would actually interact. Now that I've finally got myself a good case, I'm planning out expanding into what always interested me, generative patches.

Please experts, review my proposed upgrades and eviscerate my poor decision making. Intended budget is ~$1000. Details below.

All those modules sectioned off by themselves in the top right are the ones I plan to purchase.
Current Rack:

Details:

• Doepfer A-140-2 - $130 (already purchased)

  • Not really related to the generative goal, just replacing my busted AI003, but it counts towards the budget.

• Acid Rain Chainsaw - $250

  • Looking to add another voice, and this one specifically is a low HP way to take advantage of the Harmonaig or pitches going into a shift register.

• Eric Synths Sequential Switch V2 - $150

  • Research told me to get something to anchor a sequence but allow randomness to still pass through, and this seemed like a popular option. I like the idea of "anchoring" with the TM, but slowly unlocking and re-locking over time.

• Mutable Instruments Branches (or clone) - $120

  • Bernoulli gate, more randomness, not sure if it needs explanation. Would love to hear recommendations for good clones.

• Motion MTR - $135

  • Ok TBH this is maybe overkill for my needs, but I wanted something with dedicated offset and I like the pretty colors (but actually being able to easily visualize what your signals are doing is underrated as hell).

• NLC Squid Axon - $185? (gotta ask my guy about price, not gonna build this one myself cuz SMT and I suck at soldering anyway)

  • I wanted a shift register to get some more predictable but varied sound. Perhaps a bit redundant with the Harmonaig, but I like the added chaos on this.

• Mutable Instruments Kinks (or clone) - $100

  • Just a bit more logic, and I don't actually have a great random S&H source. Also I saw a nice little kit with the surface mounts already done that was like $70 so I may snag it just to have a little DIY project.

Altogether that takes me a bit over $1000 and doesn't account for shipping, but I'll survive. I am aware that there is a bit of overlap between some of these proposed purchases and some of my existing modules, but I prefer modules with more explicit functions over broad ones, and I may strip out some of the existing redundant modules. I also have some LFOs on the shortlist, probably Ochd or Triple Sloths to be picked up a bit later.

Please, offer alternative module suggestions or tell me if something here is just a plain bad purchase.

Thank you everyone for the advice! I've definitely got some options to play around with. The ES-8 seems like exactly the piece of equipment I'd like to have, though my research is telling me it might not play well with Windows. Anyone have experience with that? Seems like it goes through ASIO4ALL which I recall being a bit finnicky to install but otherwise working fine on my old machine.

EDITED Oct 18th 2022, 15:06

Hello! I'm a relative newcomer to the world of modular synths and I'd like some advice on how to reduce the "muddiness" of my output. My basic knowledge tells me it's probably a result of having multiple sounds in overlapping frequencies, but I rarely see racks with EQ and that's my usual solution for that sort of thing. Anyone have recommendations or resources for me?

Currently I pipe everything through a Doepfer A-138n and it just goes into my computer or amp for me to listen to it. My preliminary research shows me info about output modules but I haven't been able to find any concise resources on the topic overall.

Thank!

A note of caution, the uZeus is designed to be mounted on metal rails, and while it is possible to mount them on 3d printed plastic, it's not ideal, and if you ask TipTop I'm pretty sure they will recommend against it. However, I've got a couple mounted on 3d printed plastic (albeit not in an actual case) and what I've done is put these heat sinks on them to dissipate any excess heat:

I noticed that a bit ago, so I swapped to 4MS Row 25 because it was what the person who modeled my case was using, and they added a little breakout slot to fit it on the top instead of in the main rack.

I am finally ready to take the next steps into the modular world. I have an East Beast and a West Pest that I absolutely love, and I'm planning out my build now. I've 3D printed myself an expandable case and am looking towards the uZeus for power.

I'd like to grab myself two modules in particular and I'd like to solicit some recommendations. Given that I'm only entering the world of modular, I'm not looking to go crazy with state of the art stuff, but I'm also not opposed to spending a bit more for something worth the quality.

• First, I'd like a mixer simply to cut down on the amount of output cables I have to feed into my speakers. I think 4 channels in would be best so I could expand in the future, but more is probably better here?

• Second, I'd like some kind of delay/reverb. Probably something simple for now.

• Third, I'm planning to grab a Music Thing Modular Graphic EQ DIY kit. I have no specific interest in the EQ itself, but I saw it recommended as a very simple starter DIY kit and I'm still a soldering novice. Willing to take recommendations here as well (something more easily available in the US would be nice).

TL;DR: Going to put my East Beast and a West Pest into a Eurorack case, would like mixer and delay/reverb module recommendations. Also planning to grab one simple DIY kit to give that a try. All powered by uZeus.

Thanks!

EDITED Sep 25th 2022, 20:34