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Here is a link to my current rack which is housed in 2 Tiptop Mantis's. The bottom 5th row is there to show my current spare modules.
For a bit of background I was made redundant in 2020 in the wake of Covid19 and was fortunate enough to recieve a generous package. This left me with a bit of cash and a lot of time and having been interested in getting into modular I thought I'd jump right in.
So a few years later and I've clearly spent a bit on this new hobby. Prior to modular I was playing with DAW's and synth apps before buying a B##&%#* Neutron.
My problem is I'm finding it difficult to settle on a workflow which feels natural. I've juggled these modules around a few times now but as Tool once said "nothing seems to satisfy".
I want to make heavy distorded techno. I'm into Chem Bros, NIN, Deadmaus, Prodigy. Breakbeats etc and also Psytrance.
Are there any modules I could lose , swap out or aquire?
I've resisted posting a request for a while but I do feel kinda stuck. I hope one of you gurus out there will be so kind to have a look for me.
ok why are the spare modules not in the case (other than obvious space issues)?
I generally follow the layout of an arp 2600, but with utilities spread all over.. where they make sense...
so sound sources (& any inputs), filters, modulation, effects, control, final output mixing...
start top left, finish bottom right... this works for me in my main audio cases... I basically have sound sources on the top row, modulation on the next row down (with some filters etc to the right), filters on the next row down, percussion next row (waveshapers, logic etc to right), sequencing to the left on 2 rows and on the right effects above end of chain mixer
another way to look at it is to group by voices... starting at the left with oscillators, but you generally still end up with sequencing (control) at bottom left and end of chain mixer at bottom right... if of course you have an end of chain mixer, which it doesn't look like
if you have the top mantis vertical and the bottom one horizontal I'd move the data to the top case... same with the squid salmple...
I don't like having spare modules lieing about - I'd much rather have some blind panels in the cases - so I'd be buying another case about now and trying to work out how to join 3 mantises together... I'm sure there are some ideas in the mantis thread on modwiggler... this may actually help your issue too... some space between modules can help with workflow...
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
If you want immediate satisfaction for the sounds you seem to be hunting for, I would encourage you to go with any voice module from NOISE ENGINEERING.
If you want immediate satisfaction for the sounds you seem to be hunting for, I would encourage you to go with any voice module from NOISE ENGINEERING.
-- AEROCATONE
+1
Knowing that:
‘Today, we say goodbye to four of our popular modules: Basimilus Iteritas Alter, Manis Iteritas, Cursus Iteritas, and Ataraxic Iteritas’. (The Noise Engineering Blog - 08/15/2023).
ok why are the spare modules not in the case (other than obvious space issues)?
That's purely why except the clock divider which I'd love to use but its depth is a pain and will only fit in one spot in each case. I'd rather not have spares and will sell what I don't need but this is kind of the advice I am seeking. What to keep and what to get rid off.
another way to look at it is to group by voices... starting at the left with oscillators, but you generally still end up with sequencing (control) at bottom left and end of chain mixer at bottom right... if of course you have an end of chain mixer, which it doesn't look like
Can you recommend such a mixer? I have the Addac and Tritone in the spare row. Should these be incorporated.
I thought I was doing ok on the mixer front
I don't like having spare modules lieing about - I'd much rather have some blind panels in the cases - so I'd be buying another case about now and trying to work out how to join 3 mantises together... I'm sure there are some ideas in the mantis thread on modwiggler... this may actually help your issue too... some space between modules can help with workflow...
Not sure how the wife would feel about that and I can see the blinds being slowly replaced by modules.
Can you recommend such a mixer? I have the Addac and Tritone in the spare row. Should these be incorporated.
I thought I was doing ok on the mixer front
well, there's ok and there's OK!!! hehehe
I use a tesseract modular tex-mix, which I like quite a lot - it's modular and expandable and has a decent range of features - all channels have panning, mutes, cue and effects send - mono channels also have vcas... it's also available both ready built and DIY (I like a bit of DIY & this DIY is easy - it's basically just the panel furniture) - you buy/build a master section (with the send/returns master out and headphone jack and groups of 4 channels, either mono or stereo, there are also direct output modules for connecting to your audio interface, for example... sends are mono/returns are stereo... but if you have a stereo channels module they can be patched to work in stereo (as the a send is only L & the B send is only R) - some people complain about a bit of bleed (which has never bothered me) but I have worked this out to be related to the sends, at least for me... muting a channel does not cut the send... this is a relatively inexpensive solution... it's just the one that I have and like working with, especially for the price! others to look at might be the befaco hexmix/hexpander, wmd performance mixer (if you can find one - may be a new version in the future from ammt) and the frap tools version (which is really a high end and high priced version of the tex-mix) never actually used any of these though - so can't really recommend any...
but saying that one of these probably doesn't replace any of your existing mixers, it'll just make how you use them different, they'll become sub- mixers...
good to see you've got a vcam - I don't have one but I do really like my matrix mixers!
I don't like having spare modules lieing about - I'd much rather have some blind panels in the cases - so I'd be buying another case about now and trying to work out how to join 3 mantises together... I'm sure there are some ideas in the mantis thread on modwiggler... this may actually help your issue too... some space between modules can help with workflow...
Not sure how the wife would feel about that and I can see the blinds being slowly replaced by modules.
well it's a good test of whether she's a keeper or not...
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
I can totally second the Tesseract Tex Mix system. It is really great. I have experienced zero noise bleed issues and read about several who had but moved the noisy modules away from it and it cleared right up.
I would also recommend the Roland 531 Mixer. I have one, but would love to have a whole row of them.
I'm down for the tex mix but I'm not going to be buying a new case. What can I lose to make room for one?
-- padmasan
well that's a difficult one - I've only ever sold one module - because I really didn't like it and always added cases - I've built 4 cases myself - have you considered that??
tbh - I didn't notice the black output had mixing capabilities when I initially scanned your rack!
do you think you actually have a mixing problem?
I went back and re-read your first post...
what don't you like about your workflow? could it be solved with some longer patch cables?
have you tried both of the module arrangement strategies that I outlined in my first post?
have you tried taking all the modules out of the case putting a single voice in and working ou the best workflow for that, for you and then adding another and repeating etc etc
I'd move the mixer down and the squid salmple up one row, same with the shelves - maybe consider taking data out and into a small case on it's own... I know you said no to another case, but I'm just suggesting a 16-20hp satellite.... 5 bits of wood a few screws and a power supply - 50-60 quid... not another mantis!
that would allow you enough space to add back in some (or all - your little satellite case would need too be a little bit bigger) of the bottom row...
how are you using your step8 - as a sequencer or as a modulation source? I'd probably move this down too... same with Pams...
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
I'm down for the tex mix but I'm not going to be buying a new case. What can I lose to make room for one?
-- padmasan
well that's a difficult one - I've only ever sold one module - because I really didn't like it and always added cases - I've built 4 cases myself - have you considered that??
tbh - I didn't notice the black output had mixing capabilities when I initially scanned your rack!
do you think you actually have a mixing problem?
I went back and re-read your first post...
what don't you like about your workflow? could it be solved with some longer patch cables?
have you tried both of the module arrangement strategies that I outlined in my first post?
have you tried taking all the modules out of the case putting a single voice in and working ou the best workflow for that, for you and then adding another and repeating etc etc
I'd move the mixer down and the squid salmple up one row, same with the shelves - maybe consider taking data out and into a small case on it's own... I know you said no to another case, but I'm just suggesting a 16-20hp satellite.... 5 bits of wood a few screws and a power supply - 50-60 quid... not another mantis!
that would allow you enough space to add back in some (or all - your little satellite case would need too be a little bit bigger) of the bottom row...
how are you using your step8 - as a sequencer or as a modulation source? I'd probably move this down too... same with Pams...
-- JimHowell1970
Thanks Jim, there are somes great ideas there.
Can you recommend a power supply for the Data? Building a case isn't a problem.
The step8 is primarily used as a sequencer but since getting the Rene it hasn't been getting used so much but it's still used as more of a cv source than anything else.
TBH I never consider the rack to be lacking mixing capabilty other than fx sends etc
Can you recommend a power supply for the Data? Building a case isn't a problem.
hmm... depends, really... I like the befaco power supplies - I have a lot of the excalibus ones (built are available, but they are a really easy, if tedious DIY build - 26 power headers with 16 pins each!!!) - they are really quiet in my experience and I use them for video as well as audio - which has a much higher need for quiet at much higher frequencies (MHz, not just KHz) but they're a bit big for a case just for a DATA - excalibus is meant for powering 6u/84hp... they do a smaller power supply too, but
much dirtier, but ok for audio I've used frequency central ones - they are small and cheap, but they need a deep case... also easy to DIY... if you DIY and source all the parts yourself from tayda it should work out at about 50 quid including the wall wart... no 5v though - and the power stats on here for the DATA look wrong compared to the mordax site - the FC power supplies really only supply 500mA - so 400mA or less in practice (I suspect DATA has some inrush needs)
otherwise maybe a uZeus... but they use the panel as a heatsink - and recommend metal rails to dissipate the heat - which the others don't need so you could get away with screwing any panels straight into the wood - I did this for a while before building my first DIY case - I had a really dodgy 9u held together by modules and blank panels - no rails, no sides, no back - literally just modules, blank panels and 4 bits of wood
The step8 is primarily used as a sequencer but since getting the Rene it hasn't been getting used so much but it's still used as more of a cv source than anything else.
OK I'd be tempted to use it as a second sequencer to transpose the rene (you'll need. that precision adder back in the case though)
TBH I never consider the rack to be lacking mixing capabilty other than fx sends etc
that's kind of what I suspected after I looked again at your rack and noticed that the erica output was also a mixer!
fx sends = matrix mixer... maybe a stereo one - I usually use my matrix mixers for combining modulation souorces to get more complex modulation sources though... which is one more reason to make that expander case a bit bigger than you think you need just for the
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
