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Hi Garfield! Thanks a lot! Glad you like it.
I also like the sound of this track. Therefore, I am planning to do some more compositions in this style.
But I think my next track will be completely different from what I did before. I'm finishing it now and I think it will be ready for Halloween :)

How do you like this combination? My on the go tape-looper for external sound sources - with feedback and filtering options...

EDITED Oct 1st 2020, 09:41

I recommend saving up for a Doepfer A100 Basic system 1. That is what I did and was under 2k and included a great case/power, basic modules from Doepfer plus 84HP free to add whatever special modules desired. It came with the essentials like a dual VCA, MIDI to CV which is super useful to connect to an Octatrack that I have in my studio as well plus a decent filter, VCO, LFO, envelope and mixer module.

Hi The-Erc,

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience with the Sherman Filterbank with me. It actually sounds like an interesting distortion box pity though for the difficulties to incorporate it into a Eurorack...

Thank you and kind regards, Garfield.

If the budget in question is around EUR 800, it seems to me that you might get loads more out of one of two possibilities...

1) A patchable. These can be pretty potent devices...and the pairing of the Make Noise 0-Coast and 0-Ctrl are being referred to by some as the "0-Easel", after the Buchla Sound Easel. There's some others that kill, too...Platypus's ANTS!, if you can find one, or Kilpatrick's gateway-drug-for-Serge, the Phenol.

2) Not Eurorack. Instead: https://www.tangiblewaves.com/ The nice thing about the AE system is that it mainly consists of "primitives", or the devices behind the "nicer" modules that make them do what they do. Ergo, it's easier to build with, it's WAAAAAAAAY cheaper, and in the end you don't really give up much by going with AE than Eurorack. For example, the Maths...you could do much of what it does with two AE SLOPE/EDGE modules and some logic and CV mixing. Plus, the AE Starter2 goes for a mindwrenchingly-cheap EUR 435...WITH VAT...and has ample room for more modules. AE also has Dove Audio working with them on a killer wavetable VCO, and others developing other 3rd-party modules...because the system, like Eurorack, is a 100% open standard. And they're DIY-friendly...they even have a prototyping module, the BR[AE]DBOARD.

Thanks for listening Garfield. With enough modulation anything is possible :)

I like the Filterbank a lot but it is less flexible than you might hope. If you want smooth creamy sounds better look elsewhere. If you want disgusting filth, the Sherman has you covered. Probably better to treat it as a distortion box that contains a filter rather than a filter per se. (I have one of the original model Filterbanks; I have heard the mk.2 version has a wider usable range of sounds.) I bought it along time before I got into Eurorack, so I'm sure there is a module that can do similar things, but I don't know what module that it is. It has some decent possibilities for external modulation, but at line level, so it's a bit of a pain to incorporate into a Eurorack setup.

Even as cheap as the B. 2 x 140 hp is, you're still paying extra to house and power the M32 in this setup. Not cost-efficient. Leave the Eurorack cab for the things that NEED it, and keep the Mother-32 where it normally belongs.

Also, take Jim's advice here and try and find a better power solution. Just remember that you'll want power that exceeds the draw of the collected modules by about 1/4th-1/3rd of the total to avoid inrush issues at power up and to keep the P/S running cooler. It's the biggest source of heat in ANY modular build, and since heat can also equal instability for various circuits, cooler is what you want.

Being unfamiliar with modular synthesis and building a rig at the same time is generally not going to work out well. Instead of going further with this, I strongly suggest downloading a copy of VCV Rack. This is billed as a "Virtual Eurorack", which isn't wholly accurate inasmuch as some VCV modules really are quite computer-dependent. But the operating, programming, and build principles are 100% the same as Eurorack as long as you don't overtax your computer's resources. By working with this for a while, THEN coming back to a build attempt, you'll find that making sense of the plethora of modules on MG becomes WAY easier.

Hi Igor,

Just when I was thinking: "I am missing something..." and there you are with a new track, yeah! ;-)

This is a nice light and subtle track, I like it. Quite refreshing for the mind I would say. I wouldn't mind if you had more of this kind of tracks.

Thanks a lot for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi The-Erc,

Wow, that's quite amazing to create such a sound track with a rather small rack, well done! :-)

What's your experience with the Sherman Filterbank, is it worth the investment? Does it has something you can't get done with a Eurorack filter module?

Thanks a lot for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

I’ve got the chromatic modules and what I’ll say is that they’re pretty decent except that I don’t much care for the Eudemonia filter. It doesn’t have much character in my opinion. In my setup now I’m much more enjoying the sounds of 2 hysterias through a ring mod and low pass gate. To my ears that setup sounds much better and more interesting than the same two VCOs into the Eudemonia with the Ataxia modulating the filter cutoff and vca. For the same price you could get a Typhon which sounds fabulous and does a lot more. In short, I would look into alternatives for the filter/vca.

For your second setup, plaits is a very robust module and it is going to give you a very different experience than a pretty basic analog vco. You can approximate that setup in vcv rack so I would try it there.

EDITED Oct 1st 2020, 00:11

Jim is correct,

I recommend the Intellijel Quad VCA as it has lots of useful features like attenuators, CV control, boost control in small modular and works great. I also recommend logic modules and sequential switch and good clock source with clock divider/multiplier as these help with generative patches. You have Maths which is a great modulation source for functions and envelopes but a mixer/quad VCA would really help out your setup quite a bit.

Thanks for the feedback Sweelinck! I appreciate you.
I'm exploring a different project now, but I may return to this idea at some point.

@farkas
It is an excellent initiative to have described the concept that guides your music and video production.
Thank you already for that.
Moreover, I think this line is particularly coherent and brilliant.
Happy man. So many creations lack that support of reason that opens the doors to creative expression.
And the result here is (still) very, very good.

Hey ! I'm fairly new to Eurorack. I just have a question I can't seem to find answers...

-- NicoJabbles

Hi, I've had eurorack for years & I have both questions and answers - and I use a few boards - muffs, here and reddit as do a lot of people!!! - I've seen you ask the same question in all 3 of these places - and you have got pretty much the same answers on each - please don't cross post like this, it's bad etiquette - just have a bit of patience - pick one and if after a few days there's no reply, then ask somewhere else - not 5 mins later

EDITED Sep 30th 2020, 16:23

well that ain't gonna get you to generative music - it may be a small step along the way, though - is this what you have now or what you are - I'd suggest that you want a mixer, or better yet a quad cascading vca

I'd probably look at something more 'generative': turing machines, marbles, bloom etc

can't say I'm a fan of the b company or their products, really - I'd go Mantis if possible (for one thing the power supply is more 'right sized' for the case)

If you are confused about the sheer number of modules then I would ignore actual modules for now and think about functionality more - spend some time reading up/watching videos about basic synthesis techniques - both from an east coast and a west coast perspective and then work out what modules you need to achieve that goal

I'd think seriously about dumping the cellz and chipz modules - I've seen a lot of bad reviews from people who have bought them

is the budget a this is it no more ever, or is it a this is how much I've got and I can spare another x per month?

if it's the former I would go for the nifty + the dreadbox modules (get a second vco if you can) and an SQ-1

if it's the latter I would probably go for a cardboard case for now, something like an SQ-1 for sequencing and a simple vco, a simple low pass filter, a simple lfo and a quad cascading vca - use the vca as output to where ever

or better yet learn to solder and build something like this https://frequencycentral.co.uk/product/product/ or this https://frequencycentral.co.uk/product/starter-modular-bundle/ or start out with AISynthesis modules

Hey everybody !

My birthday is october and saved up some cash.
Wanted to get into modular for quite some time now !

So I eventually want to start out with the NiftyCase from Cre8audio with the 2 modules Cellz and Chips.
Already tested it and some other modular racks.

Now I have to make some decisions. Basically I got a budget at max 800 euros. I got also a pretty well equipped studio where my octatrack mkII is my main brain. I am mainly making Techno and ambient style music.

Of course for my budget I could fill up the rack with the dreadbox modules (would fit the budget).

But I am always looking around for maybe "nicer" modules ^^'

This is why I created this rack on here

Any suggestions? :)

Thanks a lot for your help ;)

New composition for eurorack modular synthesizer inspired by modulation possibilities of Xaoc Zadar and Happy Nerding FX Aid XL.
You can hear the full audio picture from about the middle of the track, when three melodic patterns come together.
No post production. Better to listen with headphones.
Detailed explanation under the video on my YT channel.

Hello, I am a complete beginner when it comes to modular synthesis. I am looking to hopefully build an ambient drone rack.
I want to be able to patch self-generating sounds on my rack. I'll be honest to say that I am very overwhelmed with the selection of modules available to choose.
I currently own a Mother32 from Moog and looking for modules to complement and help me create ambient awesomeness with it.
I had my mind for the Behringer Eurorack Go due to the built-in power supply.
I link to my rack on here it isn't much and I need help to make the right choices.

Thank you.

If you only want to play a VCO chromatically and in tune to some other sequence, the way you're doing it now is the way to go. And indeed, in this usage scenario big tuning knobs can be quite dangerous and frustrating. A way to "lock" the tuning is a rare/nonexistent feature, unfortunately.
Now, there are many applications where a big tuning knob is useful/necessary – for example when using the VCO as a modulator. In that case, the frequency knob might become be a performance tool. Also, not all music conforms to fixed scales, and to be able to simply dial in whatever one feels is appropriate is an important feature.

Hi,
Like most of VCO you must turn the frequency knob at noon. Big frequency knob on VCO are used to change the range of octave (and tunning) (well on plaits you can change the range in other way (see manual) (so the big frequency knob is kind of a fine tuner).

To be always on the perfect tune, you have to wait that the module warm up, or use this king of module : https://www.modulargrid.net/e/bastl-instruments-1983

Cheers

Hey ! I'm fairly new to Eurorack. I just have a question I can't seem to find answers...

I have a Plaits (my only VCO) and I use my Digitakt to sequence it, using a MIDI-CV Module (Mutant Brains)

Now, I love the ephemeral side of eurorack, but what if I want to perform live? How can I always have the same tuning on Plaits? Since I also use samples on my music played by the Digitakt, Plaits is only providing the melody.
How can I have the same tuning when I power up my system? Do I have to tune Plaits?
The way I'm using it is to have the Frequency knob all the way down, so it's always the same pitch when I play a sequence, I just go an octave or two higher on the keyboard, if I want higher notes.
I don't quite understand the Frequency knob on Plaits and other VCO's... I'm just scared to touch it a little bit and the song will be ruined. I'm mainly producing Techno and House. Why is there always a big frequency knob? Can't you change the frequency of a VCO with a sequencer and maintain the pitch stable on the module? So the frequency stays the same everytime, as long as it's the same sequence?

I'm sorry if I'm not getting something here, I need your help :)

Thank you very much, Cheers!

Here is the rack; but the second row does not actually exist -- the Tetrapad is waiting in a box for its time to rejoin the fun.

(Seems that the preview image above is not upto date -- click on it to see the real rack...)

The main objective here was to get the Hats909 to be something more interesting than the 909 high hat, which was mostly achieved with the help of the Doepfer LPG. Disting is playing the drum loop into Font, while BIA is everything else. All sequencing and triggering from Pam's with various switches. (There is also a mixer and a Sherman Filterbank out of shot, supplying extra filth to the drum loop.)

(apologies for all the time my arm is blocking the camera....)

Don't settle on that BSP just yet...have you checked out the Keystep Pro? Imagine two BSPs jammed into the same case with a velocity-sensitive keyboard, user-programmable arpeggiator, dual expression controllers, loads of I/O. And just $140 more.

Even with two BSPs and a Keystep on hand here, that KSP is something else! And I can lock all of that crap up to most anything, since it all plays nice with +5V clocking. It's a decent size-fit for a 104 hp cab, too.

I am a noob to eurorack. My first intro to eurorack was at NAMM 2020 where I walked through the modular section and was amazed at the possibilities that modular can bring. Since then I've mostly done research on live performances using modular racks and this is what my focus is.

After some research, I'm pretty confident about buying a BeatStep Pro to sequence my modular and to control a Volca Sample 2 for drums and samples. This leaves me with 2 sequencers on the BeatStep Pro to sequence my modular. I'm not so interested in buying a mother 32 or 0-coast as a starting point. I'd much rather start buying modules.

As far as a case I'm either getting a Mantis or some sort of DIY rackmount hybrid case, but I'm leaning towards just getting a Mantis.

I'm looking for advice on performance-oriented modules for a basic but expandable rack. I have tons of experience soldering so I'd rather buy DIY kits even if it only saves a little cash.

Apparently this is expected within tolerance, just something to keep in mind for others

https://forum.intellijel.com/t/planar2-abcd-voltages-inconsistent-per-channel/2914/2?u=qdox

Just posted to their forum, so yeah hopefully they'll get back there. Seems odd to me, though I definitely tried both auto and manual calibration. I don't believe the ABCD channels can be calibrated the same way as the XY, nothing I'd seen in the manual at least. I'd assumed they were all related but the XY calibration seems okay, -5V to 5V or 0V to 10V both directions

EDITED Sep 29th 2020, 19:16

Could be slightly miscalibrated. Have you contacted Intellijel directly to see what their take on the problem might be?

I picked up an Intellijel Planar2 and I noticed that in ABCD mode, there's a discrepancy in the voltage levels. For the ABC outputs, they all output unipolar 0V to ~10.2V, though the D output only goes from 0V to 9.3V. I exchanged it for another but noticed the same problem. Can anyone else confirm this for their units?

Yo I am no official speaker, but the feature of having multiple frontpanels consolidated into 1 module is already included on modulargrid funnily enough.
check it out by adding https://www.modulargrid.net/e/neutron-sound-uo-c to your rack and pressing the blue arrow buttons on the bottom of the module once it's in your rack.
The different panels are nowhere to be seen on the actual module page though so I do agree that something like that should be more prevalent on the main module page so people can actually realize it's a feature and stop creating multiple entries for the same module.

Here's another instance:

Maths (which I own + love) is currently taking up 5 spots:

Top Modules rated by users:
1. Make Noise MATHS (black panel) Ø 4.87 (30)
3. Make Noise Maths Ø 4.77 (486)
7. Make Noise MATHS Ø 4.65 (95)
10. Make Noise Maths (white knobs) Ø 4.61 (61)
17. Make Noise Maths Ø 4.56 (81)

I have a Batumi quad LFO and IME/Harvestman Kermit MK3 modulation sources in my two setups and both are superb. The new Divkid 0chd looks great for a small powerhouse of modulation with 8 free flowing LFOs in a small 4hp module:

https://divkidvideo.com/ochd-the-second-divkid-eurorack-module/

That would be fun to add.

Forever grateful for the guidance @Lugia. Cant wait to experiment.

You've got the uModII already? Well, don't let it go! I've thought for a while that that was a superior piece of gear, especially due to the separate "SUM" and "DIFF" functions. Most ring mods don't let you go there, and if you can find a quadrature VCO to pair with it, you can get fairly close in behavior to a Bode Frequency Shifter. Not spot-on, but pretty close.
-- Lugia

Thank you @Lugia for your insights. Excited to try it. Trapezoid Thru Zero Quadrature VCO by Doepfer as a pair to uModII?
-- Iheartopone

Absolutely! While it's technically an audio source, that module would work. But a better quadrature modulation LFO would actually be Doepfer's A-143-9. Having that sort of phase-shifted modulation is an awesome tool that can work in a lot of places...effects, autopanning, stereo level modulation, and on and on.

EDITED Sep 29th 2020, 00:37

Following up, Nerdseq is another example. Each faceplate color has a different entry. If they were consolidated, then the module would appear quite high on the evaluation list.

Currently they don’t meet the 30 reviews threshold, so despite over 30 ratings that would put it somewhere in the 4.75+ range, the module doesn’t benefit from it’s deserved cumulative rating.

Thanks for any insights!

Hi Baltergeist and Sacguy71,

Ha, ha, indeed, I had tested the Varigate last year at my local dealer but somehow, it wasn't my type of sequencer, I guess.

I am currently checking with my local dealer if the Ground Control (Endorphin.es) will become available soon or if we are going to get yet another half year delay... To be honest, for the moment all my hopes are on that one. If it is for some reason disappointing, I might indeed want to test the Eloquencer at my local dealer. Let's see how it goes with the Ground Control.

Thanks a lot for your input and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Troux,

No, it was just me going wild ;-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Lugia,

That's very interesting indeed, thank you very much for that! They even got a German website for their items, great! :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

I have a varigate 4+ and it is just ok not precise enough and probably not great for what Garfield wants. I recommend the Winter Eloquencer or 512 Vector those are superb sequencers that have all kinds of great options.

I'm a big fan of the Malekko Varigate 4+. It's one of the few modules I've held onto in my purge. The sliders aren't the best for performative use, but I don't do a lot of wiggling in my patches so that's not a concern for me. Might be worth your while to look into.

@Garfield, the eloquencer is nice! I met a guy who had not one but FOUR in his setup.

@GarfieldModular TBH I thought you'd been hacked at first 🤣🤣🤣

You've got the uModII already? Well, don't let it go! I've thought for a while that that was a superior piece of gear, especially due to the separate "SUM" and "DIFF" functions. Most ring mods don't let you go there, and if you can find a quadrature VCO to pair with it, you can get fairly close in behavior to a Bode Frequency Shifter. Not spot-on, but pretty close.
-- Lugia

Thank you @Lugia for your insights. Excited to try it. Trapezoid Thru Zero Quadrature VCO by Doepfer as a pair to uModII?

OK...we all know that Eurorack enclosures are expensive AF, as a rule. But do they HAVE to be?

See here: https://www.newark.com/schroff/24563-191/19-inch-subrack-europacpro-kit/dp/59M5127

Looks familiar, donnit? Yep, it's a "Europac" enclosure, the thing that Dieter Doepfer based the whole standard around.

Now look at the price tag: $70-ish for just one, and bulk discounts for more than one.

But it doesn't have a backplane! Well, it doesn't in THAT state, no, but Newark carries those as well...in fact, they appear to carry much of the Schroff Europac hardware, so a little more searching and some time with a drill with a carbide bit to put your busboard mounting holes in, and there you go!

It's not got tops or bottoms, you say? Sure...many Eurorack systems don't, either. But the perfect solution would be to mount three of these into a road case...maybe 10U so you can add a power conditioner and lights via a Furman M-8lx. Road cases too expensive? Naaaaaah...Newark's got those, too, WITH rear rails if needed, and for buttloads less than SKB or Gator. See here: https://www.newark.com/mcm-custom-audio/555-15637/stackable-abs-19-rack-flight-case/dp/48Y8196 for a whopping $117. Cheapest thing you're gonna find like this via Sweetwater is Gator's G-Pro 10U...at $260.

The other nice thing about using an ABS case like this is that you can easily mount a better (linear, if you can swing it) power supply in the case itself. So instead of using things like uZeuses and flying busses, you could put in a substantial tripolar supply, switch it via the M-8lx, and then distro the ONE power supply for the entire rig. This has the benefit of putting ALL modules on the same source, which eliminates the potential of groundlooping behavior between power supplies.

Anyway, hopefully those of you who're locked-in on assembling larger and/or expandable systems will have a look at the above and related things, as these really do fix the cost issue of housing/powering a system when they get beyond the size of off-the-shelf cabs.

Hi Sacguy71 and Defragmenteur,

Sacguy71: The Eloquencer might be indeed another interesting candidate. The Hermod... I am not sure, not too much of menu diving?

Defragmenteur: Thanks a lot for that list, I think a long time ago I have seen that before but it's good to be reminded of, I will check the entire list once again once I have a quiet moment!

Thank you both very much and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Guys,

Ha, ha, please refer to the Racks section of this forum where I "explain" this rack a little further.

Hint: It's a modular acrostic.

Kind regards, Garfield.

Oh, I sure as HELL hope he does. Some of those Moffenzeefs are ones I pointed new builders at when they'd say they wanted some "interesting" percussion. And that stuff was nothing if not INTERESTING.

You DID get the special expander for the ORBIT, right? The one with the half-kilogram of plutonium that sits behind the panel...the tone quality definitely makes up for the impending death from cancer!