Pros: very powerful, many possibilities in terms of cv type stuff
Cons: Not very immediately accessible, hard to get a new sound just by hitting a switch or something, although cv possibility space is massive but soniclly not so much, doesn't seem fun
Ergonomics. Your rack is dominated by 2HP units. If you have 2HP to fill or if its a module that doesn't see a lot of time between your thumb and index finger... fine. But take a step back and think of how much you're going to be tweaking a knob and you'll grow to hate working with those micro-pots... especially if they are crowded together.
A lot of Eurorack is finding the "sweet-spot" by turning a knob. So be careful about making HP the main consideration. You'll get more modules... but they'll lack in functionality and ergonomics.
$0.02.
Thanks for the advice! I'm not actually planning on getting most of those specific 2hp modules pictured, they more just represent fairly brand-agnostic utility type bits. In the end I'll likely get whatever's small enough to fit that I can find for cheap (eg tiptop drums or somthing), so I don't imagine the knob size will be too much of a problem. As to where I'll get the hp to back this plan (beyond just the 10ish I have here) I'll most likely drop the least used ~15% of modules, only I can't plan for what those will be yet, so, for now 2hp it is. (I also have fairly small fingers so that's all a touch less of an issue for me even if I do go for the full 2hp line I've shown above).
On a broader scale what do ya think of the rack as a whole? I'm looking for something sequencer heavy I can use to record songs in a multitracked fashion, but not entirely useless when untethered either. Does this about cover that in your mind?
You've made some changes to the rack above. But those changes aren't reflected in this thread.
If you're using the modules as place-holders... umm... okay.
But there are some issues in your approach. The first thing is power and HP. The more modules that you cram into a smaller space, the more you'll be dealing with issues like heat, overtaxing your power supply (supplies), and simply running out of headers to plug everything into.
If your end goal is to create an advanced system, I would first concentrate on finding a much large case or multiple cases.
The 2HP modules tend to run deep because they are only 2HP... you'll end up compromising on features since there's only so much real estate in two rack spaces. Again, those micro-pots are going to be an issue even if your fingers are child-like in size.
Populate your rack with units that you'd actually want. It's a bit like designing a parking lot to only work with sub-compact cars then expecting a full sized vehicle to be able to comfortably park in there. My opinion is that you're setting yourself up for an expensive lesson in Eurorack if you pursue your ambitions down this path.
If the idea of cramming functionality into a given space is key here, I'd suggest looking into some manufacturers who specialize in the 3-5 hp range. Ronin makes a very good point that if you go too small (ie: basing everything on 2hp's modules) you'll wind up with a patch panel that's a total nightmare to navigate. Companies such as Ladik and Bastl, however, also do small well...but there's more "real estate" to work with with those, and you'll also wind up with a few more functions than the basic 2hp ones provide.
There is, however, another less-obvious issue here. Let's do some math...
Ladik does a number of different ADSR envelope generators, all with additional functions that allow them to specialize in different functions that go a bit beyond normal ADSR EGs. Each of these are 4 hp (except their fully-CVable ADSR, which is 8 hp) and each costs around $75 (the 8 hp one is $80). 2hp, OTOH, has only one basic ADSR, which is 2 hp (of course) at $89. On the surface, it doesn't seem like there's much difference, money-wise. BUT...if you start adding up how much it costs each module to occupy its space in terms of $ per hp, it becomes obvious that the smaller modules are actually more costly in terms of space they occupy. If a Ladik C-212 (ADSR with extra inverse output) fits in 4 hp and costs $75, this comes to $18.75 per hp filled. But then, doing the same test with a 2hp ADSR, you get $44.50 per hp.
That cost per hp figure is actually a valid measure of how economical your build eventually comes out to be. Let's say you have a single row at 84 hp to fill. With a $/hp of $1575, a row of Ladik ADSRs (if you were to do such a thing) is ultimately much more cost-efficient than that same row in 2hp ADSRs ($3738). But then...let's say you did a whole row of Ladik's CVable ADSRs. At $80 per module, each hp then costs $10, giving you a cost per that theoretical row of $840.
And this issue is in addition to the point that your build above is 3 x 84 hp. So, going tiny might be great if you're trying to do a very portable modular...but if you're going to build something bigger, not only would you have a difficult patchpanel to use overall, the result would be far more costly and inefficient, cost-wise. Not to ding on 2hp, mind you, but while their stuff is awesome for the small portable crowd, in a (relatively) large build 2hp's modules are better suited to fill gaps with functionality instead of throwing that away by putting in a blank panel. So, basically, if you have the space, use the space.
Lugia: absolutely. As I've said above for any of the more basic utility style modules (essentially all the 2hp ones) I'll just pick up whatever I can find for cheap (Lardik & Bastl are great options in this regard). As to where I'll get the space (beyond the 10hp free as is) I'll likely re-sell my least liked favourite few modules. As I don't know what those will be yet I find it more useful to slightly over-spec, but that's just a personal preference. As a minor note I've found cost per utility to be a much more useful metric then $ per hp, as a 4xVCA in 6hp for $300 is more economical then a 2xVCA in 6hp for $200.
Ronin: I've got quite a few issues with your arguments, but thanks for the feedback anyways!
1) The A-100p9 is 10cm deep. There isn't a single module here that cracks 5. This means it's totally fine to have a rats nest of a few flying bus boards and a second smaller power supply, so your issues with depth, enough headers, and power aren't really problems for me.
2) I might be misinterpreting this but "planing for what I want" and disregarding more generally versatile modules is a great way to end up with an $7000 toy, incapable of anything more then some ambient tingles and maybe thoughtless techno. I'm looking, first and foremost, to make a fairly compact and complete tool I can use to produce music, without loosing the instant access to exploration and strange sonic territory modular brings.
Thank you both for your feedback!
