ModularGrid uses so-called cookies to ensure it's so-called functionality. We also use dubious tracking scripts. Find out more in the Privacy Policy. We use cookies and wanna let you know.
Wow, that's really NICE with big capitals ;-) Amazing what you have achieved in two years time, I would most probably need 10 years for that, if at all!
I like the way you use those colour frames to explain your rack, it's a good and clear way of explaining it and the viewer directly understands your setup, well done.
The only thing we can hope for is that you don't ditch us again for 2 more years ;-) I would rather like you to stay here without leaving us and providing us once and a while one of your videos in the "You" section of this Forum.
I look forward in hearing more nice stuff from you and kind regards, Garfield Modular.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
I've been fortunate with the uZeus power supplies but definitely looking forward to a single case with clean power and rails. I try also to keep noisy things off of the same circuit as the modular setup. Thanks for your advice early on, Lugia. Much appreciated. Looking forward to learning and sharing more as I go.
Yep, turned out pretty well, I have to say. About the only thing I'd change here would be the placement on those uZeuses, in order to get them away from the audio path/devices. But if you're not encountering any noise leakage from them, then yeah...this is solid.
Back in 2018, I wandered into this forum and did that thing, "I like modular synthesizers! They're really neato and also I like turtles!!!@! What should I buy?!" Several of you gave solid advice. It was pretty great. I went off for a year or so to learn everything I could in any way possible, including building oscillators from scratch. Thanks for a push in the right direction.
During that time, I worked on my modular rack. It went through several iterations and 'growth spurts.' I formed a solid game plan and stuck to it, mostly.
Red, oscillators and other sound sources.
Orange, filters and effects.
Yellow, utilities and modulation sources, animation.
Green, pre-output effects/utilities and output.
Purple, portable playground and 4th row supplement. Things rotate in and out (e.g. Rene for Mimetic Digitalis and lots of modulation sources)
On the side are two Moog Mother 32’s, an Arturia Keystep, and a handful of modules that move in and out of that top row. Everything is routed into a Scarlett audio interface and Logic Pro X for EQ and recording.
What's next? A proper case with unified power and cabling, but these individual 104hp skiffs were a great way to build slowly.
The layout feels right. Everything I need is where I want it. I sit down, flip a few switches and get right to patching.
A little while back, I created a Discord server where friends get together and jam. Everybody takes a turn and shares a new patch. We’re hanging out, having fun, and learning from each other. It’s pretty great.
For those just diving into this, here are things I learned:
Slow your roll! Take your time. Learn first, buy second. Learn, learn, learn!
Have a plan. Stick with it, but it’s cool to wander a bit.
You’re probably not using that module to the fullest extent. See #1.
Find friends, get together, make noise. You’ll have fun and learn tons.
Win the lottery, because you’re probably going to ignore #1 - #3.
Here’s one from last night, just a little fun with Rossum Electro-Music Trident and a Mother 32 with Plaits setting a bass tone in the background. Simple sequences with lots of modulation is where I feel most at home. Hope you dig it.
Again, thanks for all of the solid advice given in 2018.
Seems pretty well thought out to me and a perfect beginner groove box with a nice voice - one could easily make whole tracks with that setup and a midi controller!
Stick an 0-coast next to it and you have a really nice best of many worlds system in a really small form factor.
Other than that I agree 100% with farkas, let us know what you would like to achieve and we can take it from there... there are unlimited options!
No worries, happy to help. I have MSc Computer Science and 25+ years web dev experience, there's not much I can't do (so long as it isn't Microsoft - don't touch that stuff), so if you would like to talk about this then please contact me privately.
For what it is worth, I trust the MailChimp group, have used them over the last, um, maybe two decades? They are consummate professionals and take security very seriously. In fact I would argue that by not using a service like this you are taking greater risks with user data and possibly missing the mark when it comes to complying with GDPR - maybe?!
There may be a problem in that your terms and conditions may not cover using this kind of third party service too - needs to be checked.
All sortable, but requires careful thought and consideration.
Also, never used them but I hear good things about MailJet and their pricing is pretty reasonable.
I would definitely move the marketplace to Unicorn Land - that gets my unreserved approval - if you can afford modules you can afford to support Modular Grid - end of story!
I would however make this so only Magical Unicorns can sell, but anyone can browse and buy, that's fair I think!
It also has the side effect that there is a much higher chance that a seller is a genuine person with a traceable email address, PayPal account and bank account. It helps with accountability, not that it is needed much around here, I have had great experiences with everyone so far.
I wish you all the very best and as I say, if you would like to chat more about this please do get in touch.
The general rule of thumb is to buy a much larger case than you think you need (this is good advice). I would recommend something that is at least 6u 104hp (like the TipTop Mantis). The Pittsburgh Modular cases are really nice too. Plenty of built-in power and connections. I'm a fan of threaded rails too. Sliding nuts are kind of a pain.
Though I don't know what kind of music you are interested in making, or if you already have any external gear to integrate with your proposed rack, you are missing quite a few things that would make this a fun setup. You are definitely going to need VCAs and some sort of sequencing option. You will probably want more modulation options than you currently have. And how will you listen to your results? Do you need a mixer and an I/O module with a headphone output and/or something to convert eurorack levels to line level?
I would recommend taking a long hard look through this forum to see previous recommendations on beginner setups. You will find a lot of questions, answers, and recommendations to make your journey into modular much more productive.
Have fun and good luck!
I would recommend a transactional email service like Mandrill, but I understand this is additional expense!!
-- Kel_
Did not know Mandrill, thanks for the hint. Indeed that could become pricey soon.
I am also feeling not comfortable to hand out user email addresses to a third service provider.
Most emails are generated through the "notify me on a new marketplace offer" function. Maybe I limit or just shift this function to Unicorn land, that would cut the email traffic by half.
Good choice, all I know is their oscillators are among the very best around, I watched a very well performed test between 4 different oscillators, and the the AJH were pretty much outstanding of the 4. There is also a company in Berlin (ACL) which are making incredible oscillators and filters in the same tradition.
LilP, Well you seem have your head in a good place. I am using two Arturia Beatsteps Pro which gives me 4 64 step sequences, there is a polyphonic tool from a different perspective. I'm happy to hear that you have similar thoughts on polyphony in Eurorack as I do. One incredible instrument you might like is a new module from Humble Audio
This one is impressive. Its actually 4 oscillators that can be used as separate voices which sound amazing. But this is actually a Linear Through Zero FM Complex Oscillator. There are reviews on it already
hey i was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out with my modular set up!
really new here in this fascinating world and still know close to nothing in terms of cases, power supplies etc (so all the important bits) - im quite happy with my module choices as i really like the busy circuits stuff and have researched these ones quite a bit,
im mainly unsure on what type of case and power supply stuff i should be considering?
and if i've missed any other important bits?
I have spent a fair amount of time studying peoples opinions on polyphony in eurorack and definitely understand where you are coming from. It seems as though many people possibly even the majority believe that eurorack shines as a monophonic format. That being said what I am think is significantly more complex than just chords and is much closer to fully contrapuntal lines with a drone or ostinato in the background. To me eurorack appears especially well suited for this because having separate voices that have significantly different textures can be achieved by running each voice through different filters, envelopes, effects, etc. Think like an orchestra with a string section, a brass section, and a woodwind section. This simply cannot be easily achieved simultaneously on most polyphonic synthesizers (or at least not with the level of control I wish to have).
All of that being said, I realize that having a variety of different oscillators, more filters, and many other modules would be needed to fully realized this goal, but the layout I posted is my rough idea for a starting point that I can expand on as I learn the format better and have time to save up money for additional modules.
Beyond all of that, many of the artists that I have been listening to who primarily or prominently use eurorack seem to have polyphonic setups (or at least that is what I hear but can’t see if they are 100% in the rack or not from Spotify). Artists that come to mind are AnnAnnie, Lightbath, and Ben Jordan. I am thinking more classically than these artists at the moment but may try to grow into their styles more later on. More importantly however, I think it is noteworthy that these artists have reached a relative amount of success and acclaim with eurorack, so I’m not sure if any form of polyphony should be disregarded or even discouraged, although it is fair to warn of a significant increase in monetary investment in what is already a very expensive format.
I do understand where you are coming from and agree that eurorack can be an awesome format for monophony, but also believe that it’s polyphonic capabilities have yet to be fully explored. Thanks again for your opinions and input, it has definitely been good for thought, and I’ll be checking out some of the modules and equipment you suggested for sure!
Sorry, I meant to say floppy drive, not floppy disk.
Enjoy the planning phase of modular and look forward to hearing from you once you got your first modules and your first impression :-) Kind regards, Garfield.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
Yes, take it easy, while saving money, you can play around with your rack and those modules and after a while you will see you get a more clear view on what you like and prefer, from there you can then see how you can "fill up" the HP-gap :-)
Have fun with your modular system and kind regards, Garfield.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
thanks for your advice. At the moment I already have installed every module in the rack (Mantis) you can see in the picture. So I really know how limited my space is right now. I have tested the Harmonic Oscillator and the Complex Oscillator and I decided to keep the HO. So I still want one more oscillator for drones and textures. I strongly lean towards the E352, soundwise.
But it will take some more time until I got the money together, so I should have enough time to think it through.
Yes, they are pretty much unobtanium at the moment, no idea if any more will be made, Scott is currently releasing a lot of MKIII modules so it could be that this will never be made again, but I don't know that!
Scott can be very slow to reply, but he usually does eventually.
I would not place an order expecting anything to arrive any time soon.
There are lots of alternatives, although none that I know of that will match this particular expression!
Frap Tools Falistri, Endorphin.es Grand Terminal, Make Noise Maths, etc.
If you are looking for the Harvestman flavour, you could perhaps try the original Double Andore, there are a few of those around, but again, they are not the same, although some folk would argue the original is the better of the two if you like super snappy envelopes.
What was it about the Double Andore MK][ you were specifically interested in? I might be able to help!
You are correct. There is no doubt that many of these things can be achieved for a fraction of the cost and effort in software! For chords you are almost certainly better off with a computer and a synth that can respond to polyphonic midi.
My personal take on it is that I find software less immediate and I usually work all day on a computer so for me it is worth paying the price of entry into modular to get away from it to make music.
Obviously this is a personal decision that only you can make :)
I would say 2k is a good starter system, either off the shelf or build yourself (I don't mean DIY).
If you are interested in modular, I think rather than trying to go for this specific musical idea, you are probably better off choosing a system (Erica, Make Noise, ALM, Endorphin.es - depending on your musical style preference) for your 2k, knowing you are getting a complete very well thought out system that will give years of enjoyment and exploration, give that a go for a while, learn what the strengths of modular are and then see what else you would like to do.
Hey,
sorry there is still an issue with the email server. It seems the hoster kind of throttles MG emails returning SMTP errors.
We cache outgoing emails so important stuff should not be lost but there can be a serious delay (days) in the transport.
I am on trying to improve the situation.
...and speaking of recent hardware developments, you might want to have a peek at https://floppyusbemulator.com/product/n-drive-extreme-emulator-for-yamaha-sy77-sy99 No need to chuck that synth out because the FD is shot, and this sort of upgrade allows for MASSIVE storage of data that the FD could never pull off. My aim here is to eventually replace all floppy drives in my synths, samplers, etc with these; on something like my S6000, the ability to store multiple gigabytes of sample data on a thumb drive easily supercedes even the internal HD in speed and capacity.
-- Lugia
That's interesting. Also available in the UK from Amazon (if anyone's interested). However, it costs more than my SY77 is probably worth :-) Also, I don't use it and want rid of it. However, I do have some material on floppies which I'd like to save if poss. Interestingly, I no longer have a computer with a floppy drive!
I have equipment for recording.
Zoom H5, LOM Priezor, Mikro Usi and Elektrosluch Mini City.
And I thought about using Soundforge of course, but I hope a software exists for this.
I'll ask Paul Schreiber one day.
Garfield, I think we agree on this pretty much, I think you are right in that LilP should start more basic, if he wants a chord machine later on there are a few good ones. Study filters and when you find a filter you like, chances are Doepher is selling a clone of it for 80 euros. What I like about his rack is Plaits, I think he could have fun with that one. He seems to be going more west coast so additive may be his thing. Hysteria from Dreadbox is actually a very good oscillator, goes for a 100, has a quantizer, is additive in part, perfect for sync and stays in tune.
Ah okay, understand what you are saying, fair enough indeed.
Ha, ha, I might be one of those few people, stupid enough (that's rather a remark to myself than to other people) to try to do some polyphonic stuff with their modular (indeed I am using the Sinfonion for that as well) but of course you are right to say that most of it will be indeed monophonic.
Thanks a lot for your point of view and kind regards, Garfield.
For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads
I am not sure if I can follow you, perhaps you can define polyphonic so we talk about the same thing? :-)
I always thought that modular can be either monophonic or polyphonic, totally up to the user?
Thank you very much in advance and kind regards, Garfield Modular.
-- GarfieldModular
It can of course, you can do what ever you like, however a modular synth is of little use if you are only going to try and emulate a polyphonic synth with it. So for new guys who are met with this polyphonic discussion they tend to get sidetracked.
Doepher is marketing quad vco's, quad envelopes (although fun when chained, rather than used as 4 envelopes), and polyphonic controllers which I think are of limited use for modular artists. I'm not going to explain Polyphony for you since you seem like a guy who doesn't need the explanation. However in the context of Eurorack I just think there is a polyphonic snob going on.
I have the ACL Sinfonion which is a quantizer and controller for oscillators, a chord machine. However using it on many identical oscillators or a module with many, is something I would probably not do. Those are simply my own views on the matter, I use a Novation Peak and a Roland hybrid synth for my polyphonic stuff and I think I can safely say that's what most people do.
I think they're actually talking about data sonification here, not working with EM audio. The OP probably should contact Paul Schreiber @ Synthesis Technology directly to get this answered, frankly.
Must confess most of my music stuff has been in software for the last umpteen years. I'm thinking it would be nice to twiddle a few knobs as software is so hands off. So not up to speed with recent hardware developments.
M last remaining synth is a SY77 - if anyone's interested in buying it (needs new drive belt which I haven't got around to fixing.
...and speaking of recent hardware developments, you might want to have a peek at https://floppyusbemulator.com/product/n-drive-extreme-emulator-for-yamaha-sy77-sy99 No need to chuck that synth out because the FD is shot, and this sort of upgrade allows for MASSIVE storage of data that the FD could never pull off. My aim here is to eventually replace all floppy drives in my synths, samplers, etc with these; on something like my S6000, the ability to store multiple gigabytes of sample data on a thumb drive easily supercedes even the internal HD in speed and capacity.
i dunno they had a boatload of success from monotron up to the period you are talking about
-- euPothrou
Exactly my point. It doesn't matter if they kept hitting things out of the park with the Volcas, the Monotrons, the Mini and Monologues, the reissues of the MS-20 and Odyssey...all it takes is a string of really moronic moves, and gains even on THOSE levels can be negated. And the KARP 2600 FS is, as far as I'm concerned, one seriously rotten cherry on Korg's cake.
It's hard to believe that you could see a synth go from "most desired" to "most uncool" just by a massive marketing f**kup, but Korg managed it here. And I know of at least three retailers who, if they could wrap their fingers around the necks of whoever at Korg thought releasing only 500 units worldwide was a great idea, they'd squeeze until the "problem" got "dealt with", so to speak. Easily the greatest disappointment in synths since the Micor Coupland, and pretty much an invitation to Uli to come in and eat Korg's lunch.
It's not like you or 99% of the rest of the people waiting for a KARP 2600 were going to get one anyway. Without a doubt, the "reissue" of that synth is probably Korg's moment of ultimate, crowning stupidity amongst a series of gaffes, starting with the release of the NONsyncable KR-mini and KR-55 Pro drum machines. These could've been stock-in-trade machines for the electro and retro-disco crowd IF they'd had that...but someone at Korg seems to have lost their mind, and then continued losing it. There's the inherent defects with the Prologues, reissuing the FS MS-20 in ugly-ass colors for $1400 (the original wasn't even close to that!) when the market is already saturated with electronically-identical MS-20 minis, and so on. For me, the last "safe" Korg was probably the Minilogue; I won't drop good money on their new stuff now until I see some judicious and overdue firings in their marketing and artist relations departments (for starters!).
At this pace, those a-holes will probably next reissue the MS-50...in a limited run of 12 for $5,000 because...well, why break a moronic trend, right?
-- Lugia
i dunno they had a boatload of success from monotron up to the period you are talking about
Must confess most of my music stuff has been in software for the last umpteen years. I'm thinking it would be nice to twiddle a few knobs as software is so hands off. So not up to speed with recent hardware developments.
M last remaining synth is a SY77 - if anyone's interested in buying it (needs new drive belt which I haven't got around to fixing.
I think my re-interest in hardware is partly driven by nostalgia. Now I can actually afford most of the stuff I couldn't when I was younger - but really struggle to justify it :-(
Another way would be with Monome Teletype - it would involve creating a look up table for your chords and some programming to determine the probabilities, but probably a few ways to achieve this.
The Teletype will have more fine grain control and precision, the Harvestman will be more 'tweaky' and more fun to play :)
-- Kel_
Yes, that is a module all right! :-)
I've read the stuff on the site and watched some YT vids altho not read any of the manuals. Looks amazing. Not gone into it enough to decide if it can do what I'm after but I tend to think if I go down this route I may as well keep the whole thing in software.
Not least of all I can see it would be easy to drop £2K+ before I get off the starting block :-)
Anyone know where this can be bought? I've contacted local dealers by email, on Twitter and I've sent an inquiry through the Industrial Music Electronics contact form on their website, but haven't seen any response (Not saying there hasn't been any, it could easily be I've just missed it). Everywhere in my Country it's listed as out of stock or unavailable without any reason. I think it wasn't in stock even in other countries too. I'm worried if it was discontinued that I could place an order and be waiting forever for a module that'll never come, while I could be looking for an alternative. Does anyone know if it was discontinued, or if it's in fact still available? Thanks for any information.
Yeah, not sire off the top of my head how you could do the decisions like that exactly, but I bet there is a way in the Monome Teletype! Maybe ask over on Lines.
It's not like you or 99% of the rest of the people waiting for a KARP 2600 were going to get one anyway. Without a doubt, the "reissue" of that synth is probably Korg's moment of ultimate, crowning stupidity amongst a series of gaffes, starting with the release of the NONsyncable KR-mini and KR-55 Pro drum machines. These could've been stock-in-trade machines for the electro and retro-disco crowd IF they'd had that...but someone at Korg seems to have lost their mind, and then continued losing it. There's the inherent defects with the Prologues, reissuing the FS MS-20 in ugly-ass colors for $1400 (the original wasn't even close to that!) when the market is already saturated with electronically-identical MS-20 minis, and so on. For me, the last "safe" Korg was probably the Minilogue; I won't drop good money on their new stuff now until I see some judicious and overdue firings in their marketing and artist relations departments (for starters!).
At this pace, those a-holes will probably next reissue the MS-50...in a limited run of 12 for $5,000 because...well, why break a moronic trend, right?
