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All good!!

My initial reaction that it is still too much to get in one go... I consider myself a very fast learner and have 30+ years experience of messing around with synths in one for or another and it would still take me a few weeks to get the basics on that lot!

Other folk will disagree I am sure, but I find Granular on a synth voice to be one of the most boring things ever, I much prefer a radio signal, a voice sample, a short clip from a band playing live, found sound, nature recordings, city soundscapes, industrial noise to be far more interesting.

I am not saying don't get all these things eventually, just that it would be much more prudent and would serve you much better to get one voice, sure go for the CsL (YEARS of exploration in that alone), and think right, what do I actually need to get this doing something:

Maths - always a good choice!!

Okay, maybe a mixer too!

The Pedal IO - great if you have loads of pedals and holy moly, if you have ZOIA then well... that along with those 3 or 4 modules will keep you busy for ever!!

Don't just take my word for it, will it really matter if you just get those and see what you can do for a week or two?

Check out the Maths supplementary manual to et some idea of the power you have in just the one module alone:

PDF Download of Maths Supplementary Manual

I can pretty much guarantee your perspective will change once you get hands on!

EDITED Nov 23rd 2020, 13:40

Wow !
Thank you so much for taking on your time to work on my rack. I really appreciate.
Considering your very usefull recommandations, it may be an alternative version of my terminal 3U rack, waiting for a second row :)

I replaced BIA by Loquelic, which is a more complex oscillator but can do percs too.
I consider my Pro-1 like a "normal" vco and it's semi-modular, so I can patch his vco ;)
I absolutely wanted a filter too. Hesitating between different models, I've chosen the Ripples for the moment.
Fx have been ditched. I can route the stereo out of the rack towards a Zoom ms70cdr I own (or buy later another used), which is a very versatile and good sounding pedal.
The outputs of the pedal are routed in an analog audio / usb mixer (soundcraft signature MTK)
I also ditched tiptop sampler. As I plan to get an octatrack for performing and manage samples, it will be my unique source. And disting is still there.
I hope Soleo Vero from noise engineering is OK for keeping everything in tune.

Very nice, I will definitely put that on the list of things to check out when things return to normal! Sounds fun - I can't think of anything that does this, at leas nothing I have around anyway, the closest I can think is the freeze option on the reverb on MI Elements!

I keep meaning to get into DIY for stomp boxes, there's an awful lot of these things around and a lot of them are quite simple circuits, which in turn means the are probably nice things to experiment with.

Thinking about the exact same thing. Both features would be absolutely great.

The first part should be fairly easy. Just having an additional field or table that maintain the module versions per user per rack.

The last bit, getting the new fw versions automatically available in modulargrid, will be quite challenging. depending on how willing any manufacturer wishes to cooperate. If modulargrid provides an api provides a simple api a manufacturer can itself choose to use it and publish the version.

I've no idea whether there is any development going on at all.

@Kel_
@t0b1

Thank you again for your help and sorry it took me a while to get back in here! I've been researching a lot the last couple of weeks, trying to take up as much information as I can and make sense of all the great advice I got from you guys. I also wrote Jason and got around the tutorials for lots of modules that I was (and am) eyeing! :D

With that in mind, I have now what I think will be the beginning of an auspicious project.
I'd start with a couple of elements, namely the main voice. I think the Arbhar would have to be there also, though, it's so deep..!!!
What do you guys think of this version?
Anything that pops out as a major deficit/problem?? Or suggestions that would make more sense??

I've been very often quite lost in the most basic of things, like I/O, Mixing, stereo elements!! The options are immense and so different.
One addition is the Pedal Interface, which I think will be rad since I got some very nice pedals that I use with my e-bass (including an MF 101, Meris Ottobit, and the Swiss army knife of pedals, the ZOIA!)) :)

This looks like I would have a lot of fun with that rig. One thing I see missing is a row or three of buffered mults. Or a patchbay, like you can find on the the Make Noise shared systems? https://www.makenoisemusic.com/synthesizers/black-and-gold-shared-system-plus
I have no experience with bigger Racks yet, but feel like I would get great use of routing things through a bay from point A to B sometimes.

I usually go to bed thinking about patching ideas and try them out the next day.
"Why couldn't I get that vibrato to work right?" "How could I use a switch to add interest to that patch?" etc.
I'm a big fan of Eno's "Oblique Strategies" too. If you aren't familiar, back in the 70s Brian Eno created a deck of cards with short phrases and single words that are meant to redirect artists out of their comfort zones. When you get stuck, pull a card and contemplate the phrase for a minute or two, then incorporate the idea into your music. It doesn't always lead to something cool, but it keeps you on your toes and shakes up your routine workflow. I believe he has used Oblique Strategies on many (most?) of his great productions including Bowie's "Low" and Talking Heads' "Remain in Light."
Here's a free website with random cards that you can click through:
https://www.joshharrison.net/oblique-strategies/

Here's an attempt.

The left side is your sequencing and modulation section. The combination of Pam's, Kinks, and Short Bus gives you a wealth of gate, trigger, and clocked modulation options to drive your modulation hungry voices. Stages is huge for such a small box but it does two crucial things: envelopes and sequences. I'm currently obsessed with it, so it's in the box. O/A/x2 will give some hands on control over all that modulation; some of BIA parameters are very sensitive and trying to get them right directly on Pam is a pain.

The noise out of Kinks will go to one of the Optomix channels to be percussion.

SY0.5 and BIA are your main percussive voices. Tiptop One does whatever they can't : chords, pads, ambience. And probably hihats :-/ Disting can do whatever is missing elsewhere.

The Doepfer dual VCA gives you the choice of linear and exponential response; maybe not actually needed because both Pam and Stages give you control over shape, but still handy I think. The knobs are not too tiny. With your choice of voices and the Optomix there you are more likely to use this for CV than audio.

The ergonomic disaster now begins. The idea is to use stack cables to bus the inputs of the two 2hp Mixers together. One is then your main mix and the other is your FX send to the Pico DSP. Hopefully you are not going to be tweaking too much, unless you have very small fingers! My preference would be to ditch this section entirely, mix on a real mixer and use outboard for effects. You will obviously need an external mixer for you other gear anyway.

I kept all the things you already had, but given a free choice I would have ditched the Optomix and the Tiptop One.
* Tiptop One can be replaced by Disting which is a perfectly good sample player, with lots of modes.
* Optomix is very big for what it is, and since your voices all have their own envelopes the need for an LPG is less.
With the 12 hp saved you might get :
* a FILTER. Lots of good options for 8hp or less, pick one to your taste.
* a "normal" VCO : Doepfer A-111-3 or 2hp VCO are flexible compact options, but there are plenty more.
* more utilities.
I might go for : 2hp VCO, 2hp Tune (to help Stages be melodic), Make Noise LxD, Doepfer A-121-3 Mulitmode filter.

I'm sure there is a lot of room for improvement but I think this has the potential to make a lot of fun (if minimalistic) techno, even without any other instruments.

If it's not an aimless jam -- and often it is an aimless jam -- I usually start from just one module or musical element. I often try to get a module to do something new. [...] Once I'm happy with my "experiment" I usually bring in other elements to build a piece of music around that.
-- the-erc

That's basically the same I do, I find I learn a lot more if I try to have my patch grow into something more similar to an actual track than leaving it as it is.

So far I've been practicing by forcing myself to produce full tracks from start to finish, in the last twelve months I've uploaded more than 30 'tracks' to my Soundcloud account. I wouldn't call them 'tracks' really, as they're more like practices or experiments, nothing I would publish on Bandcap or feel proud about. But hey, I'ts been tons of fun so far and I've been learning a lot.
-- Exposure

I'm debating wether to upload the results of my patching as I'm not sure it could interest anybody. I don't feel I'm producing anything valuable yet, if not for my own personal learning.

Plus, not recording things can also be a mistake, even if it's obvious that the "screwing around" in those cases is just that. But at the same time, if you have the take in your DAW...well, hell, ANYTHING'S fair game once it's on the hard drive. So it doesn't work in of itself...but what if you dubbed a few more things onto it? Or what if you used it as a layer in some other work? Or chopped it into loops?
-- Lugia

I agree, and maybe a downside of this approach of trying to make anything into a "track" is that many of the sounds I get from patching around could be useful in the future if recorded by themselves.

Just a random patch and jam. Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks Lugia, I missunderstood.
I have a couple of tiptop stackables and those splitters are perfect.

You are correct, Lugia. If a synth companies releases a good product, folks pay attention and buy it. Moog makes good stuff and they sell a lot of things. I still have and love my Moog Sub 37 that was my first hardware synth.

We'll see, I suppose. Honestly, if they were to reissue something of theirs from the past, I would hope it would be the Prophecy. No one really "got" this synth when it came out in the mid-1990s except for just a few people. One that I know of found that it was nearly perfect as a controller for their Oberheim Xpander...and given the complexity of the Xpander, that's sayin' something! Its MPE capabilities are off the chain, even for TODAY! But Korg felt it was something of a cross between an experiment and a failure (it was supposed to be a monophonic OASYS, actually...even used the MOSS synthesis implementation), so they retreated to "safe" things after that for a while. The Japanese synth companies are funny like that...when they come out with something that really needs exploration beyond what the company thought it was, they tend to think that these products "failed". The most egregious case of this was Roland's TB-303...failed mainly because Roland kept insisting that it was ONLY a bass synth, and people didn't get what it could REALLY do until 1987 and the release of Mr. Fingers' "Washing Machine". Then, even as the prices of the 303 continued on up toward the ionosphere, they kept proclaiming that "We'll NEVER reissue the TB-303"...

...until they did, in several clunky forms that weren't what people really wanted. And I'm NOT counting the MC-303 here; that device is an abortion of its OWN hideous sort! I don't think it's an issue of just "synth nerds", either; if that were the case, we wouldn't see all those people drooling over the Prophet-5/10 reissues. Players want and need things that work, that make sense, and that have loads of possibilities that require exploration, even 40 years on.

Hopefully Korg can get their act together and quit releasing hot garbage. At least with modular, the companies are smaller scale and cater more toward hardcore synth nerds and enthusiasts.

Agree that recording is worthwhile and one reason for my YT channel even if my music is not everyone cup of tea. I learn from it.

Uh oh... Lugia’s givin’ us a’scoldin’. Hahaha
I saw Maths and Samara so I didn’t think much about dedicated attenuverters. Agree with everything else. Someone should really hand out a Mantis with every first rack post.

Quantizer sounds like a doable thing, yep...and if this is DIY, check this one out: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/kassutronics-quantizer Looks like trouble...12 user-definable scales, methods for shifting scales as part of a patch, etc.

So...how would you send an inverted envelope to your Sisters VCF?

Oh, snap! No attenuverters! C'mon guys...also, I would suggest some more VCAs be added, since this thing's got ample modulation sources but there's only four VCAs in evidence that can be used for either the audio OR the modulation/CV level control.

Now, while it might be possible to take this to a two-voice paraphonic system in a space of 2 x 84, this would work loads better in a 2 x 104. Something like a Mantis might be a better pick here. With the extra space, also, you can easily add some attenuverters, a bit of logic to screw with your timing, and make two PROPER voices with two VCOs each, their own VCFs and VCAs, summing down to a proper stereo mixer. And if you were to go with an Intellijel 7U x 104, you'd then have the tile row for some of your basic functions, such as audio I/O, MIDI interfacing, etc. That's what I would recommend, tbh.

Hey, no prob...info unshared is useless to everyone! BTW, another really odd Chinese pedal that the synth crowd might like is the Aural Dream Breath Delay. This simply looks like a basic ol' analog delay...but then, there's that "NO - GH" toggle switch and what IT does. And what that is is that it puts a sustain on the feedback path of sorts, and the result is that the delay tails stay at an even level and DON'T decay. Used properly (like, with a sequencer-driven line), the effect is just stunning! It's sort of like a Palmer Timepressor, but in the Breath Delay's case the tail compression is fixed. And it's loads cheaper than the Palmer! Aural Dream has a number of very odd stompboxes like that...I also have their Super Ring, sort of a tremolo...until you crank the oscillator in it into audio range and yeeeeeeeOW!

Actually, sacguy was talking about inline mults, not ones in the cab. In a small build like this, you have to optimize your space for maximum functionality (one of the huge reasons why small builds are VERY difficult to get right), and leaving the multiples OUT is one way to recover space. Instead of those, get some of the passive, inline type, such as what you see here: https://www.perfectcircuit.com/eurorack-modular-synths/splitters-hubs.html or some stackcables.

There's only a few reasons to have mult modules: having enough destinations for your pitch CV that you see "voltage sag" that affects tuning and/or scaling (and here, you'd need a BUFFERED mult, not a passive) is one. Another is because the build is large enough to have them without robbing space from functional modules. But beyond those, there's not a lot of solid arguments for them if you simply have a few of the inline ones on hand.

EDITED Nov 23rd 2020, 03:07

Even if you're doing an "aimless" jam, you're still doing some valuable practice. Since we don't necessarily have an electronic equivalent to Rimsky-Korsakov's "Principles of Orchestration", even random screwing around is going to result in some insights about what patches, textures, etc work together, and which don't. And, of course, even screwing around still hones your patching skills, makes the process of knobs-n-wires more intuitive.

Plus, not recording things can also be a mistake, even if it's obvious that the "screwing around" in those cases is just that. But at the same time, if you have the take in your DAW...well, hell, ANYTHING'S fair game once it's on the hard drive. So it doesn't work in of itself...but what if you dubbed a few more things onto it? Or what if you used it as a layer in some other work? Or chopped it into loops? Or, or, or... This is part of the rationale Brian Eno's used for many years...true, it's resulted in a HUGE library of tapes of all sorts that he keeps track of, but if you know what's on them and how to work with those recordings, they're golden. In fact, whole albums of his have come out of this, with the most notable example being "The Shutov Assembly".

Speaking of Dutch bell recordings, I really wish I could find some off the air recordings of various shortwave interval signals. So many of these seem to be disappearing (along with shortwave programming in general). The Dutch one was really striking, too...field recording of a carillon in (I think?) Hilversum. Add the static and fading, and it sounded MAJESTIC!!!

Yep...plus, I've been using the BSPs I've got for five years now. And Korg's just NOW coming out with an answer to it? Again, something's rotten in the Prefecture of Shizuoka...I would've thought they'd have been first with this, frankly, given their experience with the excellent Nano series open-ended controllers. And why do another be-all-end-all workstation like the Nautilus when you've got the Kronos out there already...except to sell "new stuff" to the gullible music public?

Winter NAMM (or whatever's going to serve as it) promises to be interesting this year in the Korg booth...I know that quite a few retailers aren't happy with them right now, and if they continue to make mis-steps, they'll start to find their dealers starting to jump ship, sort of like what happened with them c. 1990 and that period where they kept coming out with the SAME synth over and over and over again!

Hi Troux,

Yes, Rings is indeed an amazing module, I just got it recently and still discovering it.

Regarding that clipping issue, good point, will try it with EG+VCA to see if that solves the problem.

Thank you very much and kind regards, Garfield.

All good, like the diy diy!!!

How about a quantiser? Not necessarily something that would appeal to everyone, but I can se it fitting into what you are doing here :)

A lot of this stuff is a matter of taste so my only other recommendation would be to consider Bastl's new Ikarie filter instead of the Three Sisters. While it's obviously a beautiful filter, you're going to pay a pretty hefty premium for Three Sisters if you can find one.

Oh, yes...I have a nice "library" of stompboxes here. I've made sure to have DC supplies for them by each of the main routing patchbays in here so that I can "drop in" one if I need an extra something-or-another to a certain sound. Sort of like a VST...but hardware.

Love the Mood, btw...one of the best things Chase Bliss does. But there's a lot of CRAZY stuff going on down at the lower end of the price spectrum...there's quite a few Chinese pedals in the arsenal here now, and brands like Biyang, Aural Dream, etc are in there...along with several things from the Noisemasters of Beijing, CUVAVE.

Just get their FUZZ pedal. Seriously. Most anything that Cuvave's designed is somewhat off-kilter and weird, but the Cuvave FUZZ has "future classic" stamped all over it. I kid you not. I have two...and drum signals through these just sound like some sort of hideous industrial cataclysm. I even have a RAT R2DU (the dual rackmount version, original circuit), and the Cuvave can kick that device right to the curb! Before we get into some sort of moron-grade war with the PRC, you guys need to be scoping these Chinese pedals out...some of them are truly AMAZING.
-- Lugia

Well... it's not every day you get a post like this!!

Ordered... thank you for the treasure drop :D

I am exploring modular/pedal relations, there's a lot to discover and play with :)

Hello all,

I decided to pick up the Catalyst (https://www.modulargrid.net/e/emblematic-systems-catalyst) and put it to use. I have always loved the scene concept on my OT (in fact I think it is the best part of ALL of my systems)... thus, I decided to pick it up and give it a try.

here is a link to my afternoon jam:

Here is a link to the morning jam:

What I have here is a very minimal patch going on.
1) Kick coming from the BIA
This same kick is split into the left input on the Happy Nerding FX AID
2) Main voice of the Mantis going through the WMD C4BON filter, then into my bublesound hex setup.
This same voice is split into the right input on the Happy Nerding FX AID
3) Happy Nerding FX AID is set to one of the stereo in delays.
4) the melodic pattern is coming from the o_C running Enigma Jr.
5) the rhythm is coming form the Circle
6) much of modulation and changes are coming from me playing with the filter, the envelope, the Cyclist connected to the Matins, and me manually adjusting the BIA for the kick drum.

Thanks for stopping by and checking it out!

EDITED Nov 22nd 2020, 23:29

May I recommend the Future Sound Systems OSC1 for your analog oscillator? I think that might float your techno boat.
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/future-sound-systems-osc1-cyclical-engine
Have fun and good luck!
-- farkas

Yes you may! Very cool oscillator. Thanks for the suggestion, that might be perfect.

Here's the link to the updated rig. This is what I've put together as of now. It will be a gradual process to completion to I'm sure there will be changes along the way. Will start with a core and build out, but a roadmap is always helpful.

Thanks for the info on the /W. I knew it was probably not the best call. Mannequins seems like a lot of fun though as a company.

Let me know what you think!

Rings is really a pretty amazing module @GarfieldModular, I think people'll be using it for some time to come. Interesting textures here, I've stumbled on this mode myself once or twice and it's surprisingly realistic sounding, especially with the right rhythms as you've got here. I wonder really how far you can take it...

Re: the clipping, I've seen this before too, you normally don't need an envelope+VCA with Rings, but perhaps in this case it would help.

I'll say that personally I love a nice wavefolder, and especially with an analog oscillator it'll open up a nice new range of possibilities for you.

Can you share a link to the new rack itself btw? A little hard to navigate the pictures, but one comment, the /W doesn't seem to have great reviews for what it's worth, might be a nice module but I'd do some research before buying one.

Excellent, you are on the right track now Cedric!

The key is to start slow and have fun and learn :-)

I have a lot more modular gear now but probably will get a very small case for portable rig in future. I also recommend simple and often overlooked tools like knurlies- these things are cheap and wonderful for moving modules around without needed a screwdriver and such, splitter 1-5 mults hex devices that work like passive mults without taking up precious rack space HP and stackable cables like those from Tiptop audio. I am actually making a video tutorial on these things for beginners. Stay tuned!

Cheers,
sacguy
-- sacguy71

I will ! do you have a link towards your tutorials ?
I always forget knurlies in my orders... :(
You're right, every one should have splitter(s) in his rack, I will find a 2hp as soon as I can invest, cause for the moment, even if I bought my rack and modules mint, I have to wait for the next ..
Can you tell me more about kinks functions ? It's the only module In this project I'm not sure how to use ..

Kind regards,
Cédric

Did you really want to have two Pico DSPs?

Two obvious things you are still missing here : a mixer and a VCA. Ditch the second Pico DSP and you could get one of each from 2hp.

That said, I would start picking up the modules one by one and see what you actually need for the way you play. Some of these modules (Disting, Stages, BIA, Pam) have a lot possibilities and depending how you use them you might change your mind about the others, especially in combination with your other gear.
-- the-erc

As I put 2 voices, I considered having a different effect for each of them.
It may be a reflex from using effect pedals on my synths and drum machines :)
I thought Optomix was a good option to start with, cause he has low pass gain, vca and mix functions. As reading your advice, I realise that not really. ;)
Starting my rack project, I was interested by Unify mixer, and intelligel quad VCA. Then I realised that I could use optomix to mangle the sounds and gain space. I'm curious about your opinion on this choice and the alternative options.
Here is where my rack is stuck for the moment, because of money ;) Don't hesitate to complete it, I would be glad.
46 HP left !!! :))

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1386516.jpg

Cheers,
Cédric

May I recommend the Future Sound Systems OSC1 for your analog oscillator? I think that might float your techno boat.
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/future-sound-systems-osc1-cyclical-engine
Have fun and good luck!

Hi Mowse,

Oh yes! You managed to hyper spaced me far away yet again! :-) This time I made it all the way to Tywradol 5G2, beautiful planet if I may say so, it matches very well with your music, hence the reason (I guess, I am not sure) why I have been hyper spaced by you to Tywradol.

Today I forgot my bloody hand towel, so I am having a bit of a headache, not 100% to be compared with a jet lag this hyper space travelling but since we earthlings have nothing else to compare with, that's all I can give you here.

Now I need to find my way back home! It's good I got Zopple, so I zopple my way back home ;-)

Thank you very much for let me have such a good time here and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Zuggamasta,

I love the picture you made when you where busy with the front panel. A nice, clear and sharp picture putting exactly the front panel DIY work into focus; love it! :-)

He, he, and your track here above is a lot of fun too. It's nice to see your work is progressing, the case being slowly filled up and I am curious where your DIY modular journeys goes to. I hope you will share more of that. I feel it's very enjoyable!

Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Sacguy71,

There was a few months back (might have been a bit longer ago) a nice post from... I think it was from Mowse (Mowse, was that you? If yes perhaps you can share the link here again?) where the updated rack was shown and logically been split in parts indicated by using coloured boundaries and that made it somehow very logically. Perhaps you can try to search for that post, most likely in the Racks section of this Forum. I felt that was very helpful.

Kind regards, Garfield.

If it's not an aimless jam -- and often it is an aimless jam -- I usually start from just one module or musical element. I often try to get a module to do something new. This is especially true for those modules that can do a lot (looking at you Disting!) For example, recently I've been trying to get the BIA to do many things at once; this means both learning the sounds that it can do, and also how to set up the different modulation tracks to make it happen. Once I'm happy with my "experiment" I usually bring in other elements to build a piece of music around that.

There's no need to record unless it's sounding good, although if I've been playing too long my judgement about good and bad can be a bit off :-/

Hi Troux,

Ha, ha, thank you, I like the way you describe the track :-) That the synth line dropped in with exact timing might be a rather beginner's luck, I didn't put too much efforts in that matter; thank you though! :-)

He, he, me going Acid, yeah, right! ;-)

I did play the guitar for the very first time in my life this very afternoon though, here is an example of it (that can be found in the You section):

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/forum/posts/index/9279

Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Troux,

Oh interesting those field recordings of bells from the Netherlands :-) I felt that sound gives the track a nice (unexpected) touch, yes indeed I liked it!

Kind regards, Garfield.

Thank you warlock016, good to hear that you could make good use of the quarantine time! My Filter building knowledge is limited to solder different kinds of capacitors in electric guitars, but thats it. I will keep my eyes peeled for a new kit.

For starters I'm going to build my own short bus / gate combiner, I found the schematics on the doepfer A-100 DIY page http://www.doepfer.de/DIY/a100_diy.htm and found additional input in a muffwiggler thread. While writing this post I remembered that might still have some parts from a baby 10 sequencer I (failed to) build back in 2013! So now I even have something to measure the fitting for a 5hp version:

Now I'm checking parts. I really want to get some of the sexy befaco bananuts for any DIY kit thats coming, and I even found a seller here that has black and red in stock! Getting only a few diodes will be annoying tho, so I'll check if I can get myself a good kit of basic resistors caps and diodes again.

@Kel_, Thank you for poiting me to the Krell Patch. It's really a fun exercise to create solutions to these kind of challenges for me. The entropy is a tempting offer, but exploding shed has the kit in stock and I want to order the jacks trough them anyway so I can also save a little bit on shipping.

Coming back to @GarfieldModular I have two of the Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators but don't intent do solder them in the rack. I read a bit about it but they don't sound nice enough to waste 12hp. It's still fun to trigger the respective clock in via the cue out on the headphone jack. Right now I'm also using the Teenage Engineering OP-Z to control the rack via midi, but need to setup a computer in between, as it doesn't come with native midi but only with an extension card.

More sonic explorations with the Rack here:

Hello All,

This is the very first time that I am playing the guitar... see below link:

Considering it's the first time, I felt it wasn't too bad. I even managed to swap from my acoustic guitar to the bass guitar and vice versa in just a blink of the eye, quite amazing if I may say so ;-)

Right... I was playing this Sunday afternoon with my modular synthesizer when I discovered the above sound. This is not sampled, it's created with a few modules, the main module being Rings from Mutable Instruments.

Edit: I only couldn't get rid of that clipping/ticking kind of sound, I tried to use a LP filter but that took away too much sound of the guitar, making it a non-guitar...

Thank you very much for listening and kind regards, Garfield.

EDITED Nov 22nd 2020, 21:27

1. I'm not sure you need a Samara and an MVP both, so I dropped the MVP.
2. In my personal experience, I wouldn't say Rings is actually a great techno voice, so I swapped it for a Manis Iteritas.
3. I'm not familiar with the Stereo Dipole, but it's a lot of HP. I swapped it with a Viol Ruina and a Ripples 2020 both of which work for techno in different ways, and give you different filter characters to play around with.
4. I added an Intellijel Quad VCA as I'm not sure you'll always want to use an LPG, and you could use a submixer in here anyway.
5. You need some effects imo so I added a Happy Nerding FX Aid XL, I have an FX Aid and it's a nice module with a ton of range.
6. Put in a Disting Mk4 because in a rig this size you can always use a Disting to fill different holes.
7. Add a Peaks clone, opening up a bunch more functions in a small-ish package, including the ability to run drums in the rack if you want to.

@troux, thanks a lot for the feedback. Helped me think about this a little bit more completely. I've updated what I think a more complete rack would look like:

(not sure if the image above is updated)
https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1380510.jpg?1606078137

Switched things up as far as modules and layout, but not too much different from your recommendations. I'm most unsure about the 3rd voice. Your NE suggestion is great, I think that Basimilus will add a lot to this. For some reason I'm really excited about Plaits as well. The 3rd voice, I think ideally I want a nice analog osc. Not too much space in the rig but I think I can make something happen. Also I really like the 2 filter suggestion, not committed to these two but theyre a great start. I have 9hp left so could throw the disting and some other things to make the dixie work. I'm not really sold on the disting, I'd rather, philosophically, get something with a more defined purpose. But still open to it. I'm not really sure if the wavefolder is necessary, but I think it could be fun. Same with the SCLPL.

Very interested in sound processing modules if you have any suggestions.

It feels like the top row is a lot of modulation, but I think it fits with the bottom row being a lot of mod receivers.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Helped out a lot.

Cheers

**Update: I think this looks pretty good after some additional thought. Let me know what you think.

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/image/1380510.jpg

EDITED Nov 22nd 2020, 21:26

Did you really want to have two Pico DSPs?

Two obvious things you are still missing here : a mixer and a VCA. Ditch the second Pico DSP and you could get one of each from 2hp.

That said, I would start picking up the modules one by one and see what you actually need for the way you play. Some of these modules (Disting, Stages, BIA, Pam) have a lot possibilities and depending how you use them you might change your mind about the others, especially in combination with your other gear.

Excellent, you are on the right track now Cedric!

The key is to start slow and have fun and learn :-)

I have a lot more modular gear now but probably will get a very small case for portable rig in future. I also recommend simple and often overlooked tools like knurlies- these things are cheap and wonderful for moving modules around without needed a screwdriver and such, splitter 1-5 mults hex devices that work like passive mults without taking up precious rack space HP and stackable cables like those from Tiptop audio. I am actually making a video tutorial on these things for beginners. Stay tuned!

Cheers,
sacguy

I try new patches and keep a patch journal/diary as well as read and watch videos and tutorials.
When I find patch combos that make the tone that I like, I record it and try to build on it.

I've often asked myself this same question. How do other people practice and learn new techniques.

We share a similar beginning, I started getting into synths and effects a couple of years ago, without knowledge of how to play an instrument or write a song. But I read a lot, bought some equipment and began to understand the basics of subtractive synthesis.

Last August I started building a eurorack system. I bought too many modules, way too fast. It's been exciting to get hands on so many great sounding modules, but I've found that my time in front of my system hasn't been very focused, at all. I've been nagging myself to come up with a more deliberate way of spending my time, something more structured, that's building toward achievement of an ultimate goal. I often think it would be easier to stay focused if I had a friend who was also into synths, we could work towards something together. Then I think to myself that I could likely find a bud to learn with online someplace, but I feel like I'm at my best when I interact with other people in person. So I end up spending my practice time doing basically everything you listed, but sporadically and without much focus.

I think all three approaches mentioned in your post are valid and will lead to an accumulation of knowledge, ability and confidence. For myself, I think it's simply a matter of setting specific goals, planning out my practice time, taking notes & recording sessions, and perhaps making more of an effort to meet people online who are also learning and looking for friends. :-)

Hi all,

I have a new 14U MDLR rack arriving soon and new modules. I wanted to gather feedback on the ideal placement of modules like oscillators, filters, utilities and sequencers in a new setup. For example, I have a new Mordax Data clock modulator arriving soon and like some tips on where to put things.

I love pedals well since I also play guitar that is a given! So far really like my Digitech Whammy DT pedal for pitch shifting madness and down tuning or up tuning as well as Boss overdrive and FX pedals and fuzz pedals. I put an ALM Busy Circuits S.B.G. module in one of my racks to use pedals with so fun.