Current setup... where would you go next?

Just wanted to get ideas of what people would add or swap from my current setup.
I have plans to change over to a pair of Intellijel 7U104HP cases in the future... but for now, here I am.
I connect this to an Ableton/Push 2 setup so I can drive the µMIDI and Expert Sleepers FH-2 for up to 4 different simultaneous voices. And interface the audio by using the two Stereo outputs to bring audio into Ableton via a UAD Apollo 8 interface.
I use the Mixup to blend waveforms from oscillators.
From Dubmix, I use the AUX send to send signal to a Line 6 HELIX effects processor, and then bring the audio back in to the Dubmix AUX returns via the Audio I/O stereo inputs.
Clock comes in via µMIDI and gets distributed to Pamela, Mimeophon and Tête.

To hear what this machine sounds like - listen to anything from the last 3 months here: https://soundcloud.com/eduardinhobranco

Hi Studio Utopia,

Wow! Bloody Nora! That's some nice and interesting music you provided there via your above link with some nice creative content in most of your tracks. I am not just miles away from what you can do here, I am light years away from that :-) !

Having said that... why do you "need" more modules to add? It sounds already fantastic, no? Well I feel it does. Perhaps the only hint I can give is: Just dare what you like to do, add some modules that you like or think can even boost up more your creativity and let us hear it once you have explored your new modules in combination with your already existing setup. I am sure that will sound even better with more nice surprises up your sleeve! :-)

Speaking of such, perhaps the only other feedback I can provide is that, at least for me, I wouldn't mind if you dare to put here and there yet another nice surprise sound or kind of change in the music, to give it a little extra touch of variety (unless you want on purpose to keep it a bit minimalistic); but this is complaining at a high level. It's already very good.

Sorry that I can't give you advice on specific modules you could add, I actually don't think you need any kind of advice, just follow your guts and I am sure you will surprise us with some more fantastic tracks!

One little question, that woman voice that speaks numbers in your track 20191224 - Eve (Tidal), with which module did you manage to do that? Good track that Eve, same goes for Many Happy Returns. Nice stuff!

Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Garfield Modular,
Thanks for your kind words!! Glad you like the music!

I actually avoided going modular for over two decades. Did my stint with piles of analogs in the 90's, went "in the box" after that with the first releases of Propellerheads and Reaktor, moved to Ableton and over the past few years started going back to physical devices. the last few being Nord Lead 2X, Waldorf Blofeld Keys, Moog Subsequent37, Prophet 6 and now with a Prophet Rev2 16-voice. Even thought the Prophet 6 VCOs were so amazing - I prefer the more complex modulation options of the Rev2.
But then a friend of mine hooked me up with a Roland System 1m - which, in my opinion, is a very weak and poorly implemented "gateway drug". So here I am now with this modular - and I can't get enough of it. Eurocrack.
My actual next plans are to expand to 104HP Intellijel cases - which affords me another 80HP of 3U. And this is going to be a year of Frap Tools (not a paid endorsement). I love what Simone Fabrii and his team are doing. On the list is a FALISTRI (The second coming of MATHS), 333 (Italian Army Knife), 321 (Another Italian Army Knife), USTA (The second coming of the Buchla 250e times two), BRENSO (when it's released - Through Zero! complex oscillator!), and then I'm going to replace my Dubmix with the Frap CGM mixer - what a modular mixer should be.
To answer your questions - For Eve (Tidal) - it's not a module... :-( ....I used a sliced up sample in Ableton. The bass line is Mutable tides as a DCO clocked to an analog VCO.
Many Happy Returns - the granular vocal bit is a sample of a woman in an interview using Mutable Clouds. The Position and Size parameters are being modulated by the X and Y coordinates of Intellijel Planar2, and I am using Planar2's sense gate to trigger an ASR envelope on Intellijel Quadrax that changes the grain density on clouds from the midpoint (0 grains) to 75% (randomized grain spray at halfway) - so, basically when I touch the joystick the grains start to spray (Quadrax Attack segment), stay spraying while I move the stick (Quadrax Sustain), and dissipate to nothing (Quadrax Release) when I let go of the stick. The output of that runs in stereo to modulated low-pass filter in QPAS. REALLY FUN TO PLAY!!!
This is what I love about modular. the inventiveness in the industry is on overload! As an example those 3 modules - Quadrax, Clouds and Planar2.... you could go on forever doing outrageous new things with just those three.
What I really love to hear - is what new things have people discovered with the modules they have?

Cheers!
eduardinho in studio utopia

Realy Nicke setup. Is instuo worth buying? I an looking to put in instuo ecosystem under my MI ecosystem. Otherwise you can build a drum/perc/seq ect system under the system you have.

Realy good music take some years to be that good:):)

Tonys -
Thanks! here's a quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson — 'Its the not the Destination, It's the journey.'
At one point I had Marbles, Rings, Tides, Stages, Plaits, and Ripples and Clouds.
All of them are phenomenal works of art. Émilie Gillet is a genius.
If a synth doesn't work with your creative flow - you have to sell it and get something else -that's why I got rid of my Nord Lead, Waldorf Blofeld and Prophet 6.
Modular - you only need to change out a component. Marbles, Rings, and Tides all left me (maybe temporarily...) so I could concentrate on new ideas that they weren't a part of.
Instruo is another work of genius. Jason Lim has brilliant ideas, and phenomenal execution.
The Ts-L was my first Eurorack VCO. I tried out a lot of other VCOs since - and nothing, particularly under 12HP, sounds as good to me.
The Cs-L is a masterpiece of a complex oscillator - the two VCOs are so different yet complimentary (the bottom half is basically the Ts-L); there is a unique workflow to it, but once you understand the modulation routings the oscillator can create endless sounds, and a constant source of "happy accidents".
I had tried the complex oscillators from Verbos, Intellijel (Rubicon2+Dixie2+), Endorphines FG, and Make Noise DPO - and the Cs-L is far beyond in my opinion. We will see what Frap Brenso will be like - but my plan is to have both Cs-L and Brenso together doing duets. For me complex oscillators are my weapon of choice.
My latest Instruo module is the I-o47 filter, a homage to the 1047 filter in the ARP 2500 modular from the 70's - and I would consider it the best sounding filter I have ever heard. I can confirm now that these two modules are permanent residents for me.
I think Instruo designs are very complimentary to MI - different approaches, different results. Both very beautiful.
Cheers!
eduardinho in studio utopia

You nailed the words.

This is what i want from instruo, i have all the MI and all 1u in intelliel case.

What do you seek for sounds in your future rig?

Best regards

T

Hi Eduardinho,

Thanks a lot for your detailed information you provide, it's nice to read about how you do things.

I am currently looking for exciting filters and VCAs, oh and quad VCOs. So QPAS is in your opinion a module that's not only worth it but is a lot of fun to use it as well? That sounds like a filter for me then ;-) Any other suggestions for modules that really gives a lot of fun and you can't stop using them, those are the best! :-)

One of the modules I am particularly happy with and provides me a lot of patching pleasure and fun to use is the Erica Synths Black Octasource, that thing can modulate your modules like no other. It can seriously go bananas, just the right thing for me!

I agree with you about the Roland 1m. I thought would be a good one but once I had tested it at my dealer's shop I was pretty disappointed. It's not really bad but it doesn't give me that kind of wow factor either and that's what I am looking for in good modules.

Indeed the huge number of modules one can choose from and the flexibility of modular, that's priceless!

Kind regards, Garfield.