Atlantis would be a pretty great option for a certain type of ambient I reckon. SH-101 was all over a lot of 90s downtempo stuff.
This guy def makes it work:
Figured would throw this out there as found it useful. Hopefully someone else will too :)
FH-2 (48mm) is a little too deep for an Intellijel Palette case (45.5mm), so I used a 3D printed riser that a kind internet user designed and made available for free. It cost about €4 to print (I found a hobbiest who would 3D print small items at low cost on my local buy & sell site - Craigslist / Gumtree equivalent). Works great and no HP lost. There’s a screw on the left hand side of the case that prevents mounting it there, but otherwise is a perfect fit.
3D printing spec is here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4956132
ES-8 works great as an ADAT expander, I have one permanently connected to my audio interface and only use it in USB mode rarely. The Optx does have a channel advantage, but if sending CV into your DAW the ES-8 has DC coupled inputs as well as outputs.
I’m not sure if the Motu Ultralite mk3 does have ADAT though, so def worth double checking that. If confirmed that it does not, (and you’re using a Mac), the ES-8 will have the advantage of being able to be set up as an aggregate audio interface (this doesn’t work so well on Windows).
Since the MPC is going to have you extensively covered for sampling I feel like the Rample might take up HP that could be better used for something else. Do the CV and gate outs on the MPC handle envelopes or LFOs? If not, something like a Klavis Quadigy, Intellijel Quadrax or Cosmotronic Delta-V might be a good replacement to provide modulation for the Doepfer voice. A modulatable effect like Mimeophon or Morphagene or Qu-bit Prism should give you something that will get good and weird in the way that Euro effects do so well. Noise Engineering Versio modules also offer the benefit of swappable firmwares (and sound amazing). I don’t know how well the MPC can handle Eurorack level audio, so something to receive and send at line levels like Boredbrain Xchangr might also really help to integrate. You’ll want to process sounds from the MPC in the rack, but also bring them back to mix and mangle.
Edit: Just saw the Doepfer amplifier so can disregard that last suggestion :)
Between the Ochd and Batumi - which one do you prefer? I was also thinking about adding the Vermona FourMulator later to a second rack as it has sample and hold. The Kermit is another option as well, but any thoughts on that? Patch and Tweak book recommended it for the built in VCA. For now, do you think the LFO on PAM’s will suffice for modulating Plaits and BIA?
-- Avesta
Personally I prefer Batumi as it is clockable and really easy to operate, but Ochd is hard to beat for the price and HP. I've never used the FourMulator or Kermit, but both also look excellent. Pam's will definitely suffice for modulating Plaits and BIA (and would have been my first recommendation if you didn't already have it). The only problem with Pam's is that it is so useful you find yourself using up all the eight outputs quicker than you might expect. A micro Ornament & Crime might also be worth considering as it offers a huge array of options in a similarly small form factor.
I’ll check the filters you mentioned. I was thinking of adding a Joranalogue Filter 8. Any thoughts on that? It self oscillates so I can use it as another sound source if I want. I would need VCA’s and Envelopes to make use of that feature right?
-- Avesta
Filter 8 is a really great all-rounder. Not only does it give you eight different filter modes (I particularly love the band boost+notch output) and great self-oscillation but it can also run in LFO mode giving you 8 phased LFOs and has a dedicated ping trigger for percussive sounds (and modulation). Definitely worth getting, but as you noted it would need a VCA and envelope generator to get most out of it as a voice. The thing to keep in mind about VCAs and envelopes though is that they're not just useful for shaping sound. A good VCA will also allow you to mix and modulate your modulation. A looping envelope will give you an LFO that you can change the shape of so becomes a great source of modulation in itself. A huge part of the fun is finding these things out as you experiment with them yourself.
Erica Synths Link probably a better (well, cheaper and less HP) option than 3 X Outs. You could potentially also lose the A-138 in favour of a VCA that can serve as a mixer (MI Veils, ALM Tangle Quartet, Intellijel Quad VCA). While Pam’s and the Black Sequencer will provide a reasonable amount of modulation sources, Plaits and BIA both really shine with lots of modulation so an LFO (Ochd, Batumi) or small envelope or function generator (ALM Pip Slope, Joranalogue Contour 1) I reckon would really add to your enjoyment of those sound sources. If you’re bringing everything into a DAW you’ll get much better effects with VSTs than with the Dual FX so would benefit more from a small analogue filter (Bastl Ikarie, MI Ripples) shaping your sounds in a way that’s much harder to replicate in software.
As with everything, we all have different preferences so ultimately go with whatever sings to you :)
Speaking of HP, I'm wondering if the Erica Black Sequencer is going to stay. On paper it seems to give me more than the Metropolix, but it's (to me) not as intuitive and immediate to use, so I've been using it more for MIDI-to-CV than as a sequencer. If I cut that out, is there an obvious candidate for taking in at least 4 channels of MIDI? Hermod looks like it, but is there something else I don't know about? I've tried the Doepfer A-190-4 and was impressed with how cryptic it was to set up.
-- arthabaska
Have not used the Black Sequencer, but have an Erica Drum Sequencer (which has a single pitch/gate channel that operates in a similar way to the Black Sequencer only clunkier/way more tedious to edit) and a Metropolix. Metropolix is loads of fun to use and very immediate (while also having some very very deep probability & self modulation functionality), but it kind of takes you where it wants to go so can be difficult to create a deliberate/specific sequence if you have something in mind. If I have a bassline or melody in my head that I want to capture, I'll go to the Erica Drum Sequencer or Tete+Tetrapad first. Metropolix is a riff generating machine though, so will def be holding on to that for the foreseeable...
Five12 Vector Sequencer might be an option. Only 2 channels without an expensive expander, but it integrates with MIDI well and can sequence both CV & MIDI. Have seen quite a few people rave about it, and its the same HP as the BS. NerdSeq does pretty much everything as well and has a huge fanbase, although personally I can't get around how ugly I think it looks :)
In case you have not already seen it, there's a comprehensive comparison of Euro sequencers here: https://doudoroff.com/sequencers/
