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So, the setup below is my initial design for a more-or-less standalone ideas/fun factory. It will be installed into an Intellijel's 7U 104 Performance Case. Roughly, the top row is all IO and utilities. the 2nd row is all sampling and percussion sequencing. The 3rd row is two synth voices. All this will be to be sequenced an controlled by an Arturia Keystep Pro.
What I want this system to do:
be a inspiration factory in the studio
integrate with my pedal board both at home and on the road
be an accompaniment/effects processor for me during live performances both solo and in my band.
Plan A (at this moment) is to integrate this design with my pedal board and studio via a mixer of some sort - I can't decide which one. Said mixer needs to have at least two aux sends, 8 inputs and very as small as possible. Any ideas peoples?
As for this design itself: I'd appreciate your thoughts and advice. I'm an old hand with synthesis in general but have never built a earorack system before.
My current thoughts are:
not enough stereo audio routing and control for all the sound sources
no enough effects (my logic is that all the effects are in my pedal board. The more I think about it, the less I like this idea)
Maths.... just.... why? It's very big. Will I reeeeally miss it if I swap it for a more compact envelope generator?
which modules are totally redundant and what functionality is sorely lacking?
A few thoughts, not a comprehensive answer. If you have a pedal board you like, I think it's best to use that at first, unless there is an effects module that you can't match outside the rack. Maths is indeed big for a case this size and if you're using it primarily for envelopes and LFOs, yes, there are smaller alternatives. Common wisdom on semimodulars that come with cases, like the SV-1b or the Moog DFAM/Subh/M32, is to leave them in their cases. That gets you space for modulation and utilities. There are smaller Elements clones, but ergonomics will be worse.
There's a number of problems here...for one thing, the tile row is a wreck. There's two tiles that aren't Intellijel-format, for starters. Then there's all of the I/O modules and extra jacks, which I'm not able to make sense of since the case in question already HAS the necessary jacks. If they're an attempt to integrate pedals, they're the wrong one.
Intellijel makes a specific tile for this, their Pedal I/O 1U, which utilizes the case's jacks. But using the line-level tiles currently in the build won't work well, as both the impedance and level for stompbox inputs is very different from typical line-level signal requirements. A far better result can be had with 3U modules that are specifically for pedals, something like Adventure Audio's Merge, which not only provides proper send-return capabilities, it ALSO adds CV control functions over the module, serves as an external preamp, and comes with an envelope follower so you can use extracted amplitude information to control other modules.
Now, as for the Lifeforms...yep, spot on, I'm going to tell you that it doesn't belong in there. But I'm going to explain one of the critical "whys" as to why that is...
Your Lifeforms module costs $649, takes up 48 hp.
The Intellijel cab costs $649 as well, and has 208 hp of 3U space. Without taking the tiles into account, this means your 3U spaces cost $3.12 each.
3.12 x 48 = $149.76 is the amount (more or less) you have to add to the Lifeforms' cost if you continue to house it in the Intellijel cab. Since I'm pretty sure that an SV-1 never streets for a hair under $800, which is what you get here, it becomes obvious that the convenience of this might not justify the cost. Plus, you admit you're short on space for things...but once you put the SV-1 back where it belongs, you've got space.
Hm...let's mess with this...lessee...
OK...this got a LOT of reworking done to it. There was a lot in the previous build that could be handled better with the use of multifunction modules, one example being the pair of Klavis Twin Waves, which contain a pair of VCOs each, plus quantization, internal VCO sync, and some other surprises. This is key to Eurorack; since a typical build contains a comparatively small amount of space, multifunction modules are essential.
Tile row: This was fixed so that everything goes to the onboard jacks. The outboard stuff in here was moved, then the row was totally rebuilt so that it contains clocking, S&H, noise, a dual attenuverter/mixer, some FX, and a 2-in stereo mixer/output so that you can fly effects in over the main mix.
Top 3U: Buffered mult, as there's a LOT of pitch CV splitting possible here. Then the Rample, and after that is a 4-channel stereo mixer to sum the Rample's outs down to a single stereo pair. Mashed the Elements clone a little more, then you've got the Klavis VCOs, and a Joranalogue Fold6, a rather neat wavefolder in which you can "throw" two oscillator outputs at each other to sort of "cross-warp" them. After this is a Zlob Vnicvrsal Hex VCA to control the levels from the ATOM and Klavises, or you can opt to apply this to the Rample's mixer output, or...well, you get the idea. After that, an Omsonic unity gain panning mixer sums all of that down to a stereo pair. I went with a seriously over the top VCF, and since we're now purely in stereo, why not a stereo VCF? Hence the Rossum Linneaus...not at all conventional, and definitely potential-packed...including the ability to thru-zero it. Void Modular's M+Mix Stereo gives you six pannable inputs at the end of the voice chain, and this patches to one of the stereo pairs at the output mixer tile...leaving the other stereo pair for flying in the several processing options over the master mix.
Bottom 3U: Pam's...no sequencers here, but Pam's has a lot of other tricks up its sleeve. Then the Ochd, and yes, Maths. Sure, it's big. But it's a proven quantity as far as a modulation generator, and is just about perfect for this since it has SO MANY options. Then a Frap 321 and a Happy Nerding 3xVCA give you some crossmod capabilities, also with the assistance of the Quadrax/Qx combo. Then for FX, the Morphogene (obvious pick!), the Beads, and two Malekko SND/RTN modules for external processors. These also offer CV over wet/dry balance, which also has its own abuse potential.
Lots of other stuff got tossed, most of that being due to my work on trying to up the functional capabilities. Really, you don't want single-function devices in a small build like this, and so I attempted to make this VERY much an exploratory build for sound creation by cramming in those multifunctions, putting modules back that synergize with other modules (Maths!) and the like. Result actually has LESS modules than before, but those less modules are actually capable of MORE than the original, especially given that some of the utility bits got tailored to work with other modules...definitely a 1 + 1 = 5 sort of result!
Wow! Lugia, you put a lot of work into that post - thank you so much.
Ha! I thought that 1U module was just a misshapen PNG file
Regarding the IO: I'm confused .
The top right module is for the case's two back-panel outputs, correct? What about the two back-panel inputs? Also, the 2-in mixer in the top right corner: does that mix to line level? Wouldn't I need 6.35mm adaptors for the outside world, or am I being a derp?
My very first design actually utilised two of those send/return modules like you have here. However I took them out in favour of more open-ended functionality. My implementation of the extra IO could double as an extra mix bus or a stereo send/return or two mono, depending on my fancy - all without the need for adaptors.
From what I can surmise, your suggested system here is a waaaay, waaaaaaay more flexible - and as you rightly say 'multifunctional' - affair with a single stereo mix bus. Is that right? Regarding the 'multifunctional' modules. I was keen to not have too many of those. My thinking was "do less with more" hahaha.... :-P.
Seriously though, the rational for my first design was to have a stereo bus and a mono bus with 4 distinct sound generation workflows: a sampling pipeline, a stereo effects/processing pipeline, a stereo digital synth voice and a mono analog synth voice. Each module was placed where it was to do a specific thing relating to one or the other of my 'pipelines.' Quite a rigid and inefficient architecture I suppose. That was by design though. Is that a bad idea?
That said, I can see there is far more interoperability within your suggested system. You've suggested a lot of modules I haven't seen before. I clearly have a lot more reading and thinking to do. Right than, back to it. I'll post my next iteration soon
Does anyone know if the 'mix' output on the Rample is mono or stereo?
-- rextable
With only a single jack, it's almost certainly mono. Basically nothing is TRS/Stereo except occasionally output modules to headphones/speakers, when stereo does exist it's mostly as pairs of mono jacks.
I don't own a Rample, but from the fact that the stereo sample support was added later, and there is no mention of pan (only level) in the manual, I'm guessing it's mono.
Lugia's rebuild, as usual, is ambitious and gives much food for thought. I always learn a lot from these, even for situations that I'm unlikely to find myself in. I will point out that the Klawis Twin Waves is digital, replacing the Nano Ona, which is analog, if that makes a difference (it may not).
I don't own a Rample, but from the fact that the stereo sample support was added later, and there is no mention of pan (only level) in the manual, I'm guessing it's mono.
Lugia's rebuild, as usual, is ambitious and gives much food for thought. I always learn a lot from these, even for situations that I'm unlikely to find myself in. I will point out that the Klawis Twin Waves is digital, replacing the Nano Ona, which is analog, if that makes a difference (it may not).
-- plragde
I specifically chose the Nano oscillators because they were analog and have the characteristics I'm looking for for that part of the system. The two MI modules were to be my contemporary digital voice. However, I'm redesigning the entire thing now. :-P
Re the Rample mix output: I thought as much but thought I'd ask anyway.
