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Let's say I want to:
1) play chords (of 3-5 simultaneous tones) on a MIDI controller
2) route that MIDI (or other usable format of chord/pitch information) into Eurorack modular
3) distribute that pitch information via Arpeggiator to a single Eurorack voice
4) have creative (preferable real time) control over the Arp up/down and time values
The output/result would be a chord sequence, arpeggiated through modular, with real-time control of chord pitches plus some control of the arp pattern.
How would you suggest doing this?
I already have a bunch of modular gear, but above is a new "I'd like to do X" idea, and I'm rather scratching my head how to do it. Notably, I have 512 Vector Sequencer and I'm thinking sending MIDI into that might be a good option.
since you're still looking for other ideas, I gotta mention some software domain stuff:
-- SonicCouture stuff including GeoSonics and others
-- some of the Native Instrument lineup like ScannerXT, Form and others
-- a lot of the GlitchMachines lineup particularly for "tech" sounding textures
-- Spitfire Audio BT Phobos
-- or any sufficiently wierd sample set (like Zero-G Ian Boddy Odyssey) run through granular and other mangling
There's SO much in software, it's really worth a good look. And so much on holiday sale presently. Some modest $s would get you a bunch of the relevant software.
AND assuming you have a DAW to modular setup (like Expert Sleepers unit) you could pass your DAW texture audio into modular for additional mangling
FYI consider also ES-3/6 for doing ADAT in/out to any interface that takes it. That basically lets you extend a "normal" interface into the modular domain, rather than having to try to find one box that does everything you want. Also the price on ES3/6 is pretty decent too.
AND do consider some options to sequence sequences. IMO BossBow2, Switchblade, Verbos Sequence Selector and Befaco Muxlicer are all worth considering. Also running sequencing and/or CV through a sample@hold is an interesting technique. The general idea here is nesting control signals so you have source signals and reader/windows which pass a selection of the sources. That lets you get a lot of aural complexity from pretty simple underlying figures.
A few options here:
— the VCA with CV envelope open/closing it can generally be last in the chain. That way you just have one lane of VCA managing all related needs
— you COULD if desired send a dummy/nul channel to your sequence selector, that way you are sequencing in rests on an affirmative/positive basis
BTW sounds like the setup you are running has a lot in common with the Verbos Sequence Selector. There’s a bunch of Verbos videos for that online, those would be helpful and inspiring for you to take that technique further.
A few options here:
— the VCA with CV envelope open/closing it can generally be last in the chain. That way you just have one lane of VCA managing all related needs
— you COULD if desires send a dummy/nul channel to your sequence selector, that way you are sequencing in rests on an affirmative/positive basis
BTW sounds like the setup you are running has a lot in common with the Verbos Sequence Selector. There’s a bunch of Verbos videos for that online, those would be helpful and inspiring for you to take that technique further.
@meRichie, your rack above is really interesting in concept and has a lot of modules I would want if I was sample-focused.
I agree with others above on i) your rack design is short on "basic / utilities" modules that will be needed and/or ii) there may be non-modular alternatives that are pretty compelling (especially in the MPC lineup).
IF you want to stick with modular, then I suggest you keep in mind the idea of "balance" of module types and HP. For me, in a small to medium sized rack, I try to keep the balance as follows:
-- 30% or less of HP devoted to voicing, aka "modules that make or change sound"
-- ~30% to CV sources like sequencing, LFOs, envelopes, random/chaos (Sloths) etc.
-- ~30% to utilities (VCAs, attenuverters, mixing attenuverters, mixing, mults, etc.)
--~10% or less of "other" such as finishing FX and in/out
In a huge rack IMO one can get away from the above balance AFTER a good "core" section of CV and utilities is available. In a mid to small rack, I find the balance %s above very important.
My early designs skewed too much to voicing and as a result the rack was very "underpowered." Adjusting the balance towards more CV and utilities gave my rack a lot of depth, e.g. every voicing module I wanted to use had plenty of support that allowed me to explore the range and corners of its capabilities.
Kevin, for your rack IMO Intellijel Triplatt (or MI Shades) would be a better choice vs. Vermona Amplinuator. Triplatt will be more versatile and also less HP. Having something like Triplatt or Shades in your rack is IMO another "no regrets" type of choice, it will be useful on many many patches. I would have one of those in basically ANY rack setup. Furthermore, if you get to using more complex CV modulation, something like 4MS SISM or Tiptop MISO is super handy; those are basically suped-up Triplatt. But Triplatt is super useful and small.
You already have Erica Techno, so that already gives you Mixer Lite, Mixer and Stereo Mixer. That will give you a good number of basic mix channels and should handle your immediate needs IMO. Why bother with WMD Performance Mixer when you already have those Erica mixer units? Yes WMD PM is very good, but it is big and expensive, and I don't see a need for those in ADDITION to the Erica mix modules you already have.
I've read more closely the posts above, now thinking PNW may or may not be a good fit. It's a great module, but I don't know that it makes sense given what else you have. BTW if you need to coordinate a lot of different sequencers the PNW with its 24ppwn expansion plus a mult would be a good way to sync everything; that's what I have to sync my many sequencers. SO my suggestion is PNW goes into your "maybe later" modules.
I have Erica Techno & Jomox Modbase MkII (and some other perc stuff and lots of other modular stuff). The Jomox is SICK. Since you are liking the Techno, I think you'll love the add of the Jomox.
The rest of your rack doesn't make a ton of sense to me. A few comments:
-- if Piston Honda and Manis Iteritas are the synth voices that are inspiring to you, sure, go for it
-- Zadar and QuadVCA will be useful in almost any scenario, so those also I see as "no regrets" choices here
-- PNW is superb, but I'm not immediately seeing a need for it since you also have Erica Drum Seq and Nerdseq in the rack above
-- your question "what utilities" ... the answer there is "it depends." Really depends on how many voices you are running, how you will typically patch those, etc.
SO my suggestion for you is i) you already have Techno and a few other modules--cool ii) identify your next "no regrets" modules, get those, and spend some time with them--that will tell you what utilities etc. you need to make those work as you are hoping.
Last, since your focus is Techno / Acid, I should point out (if you don't already know)
-- https://wmdevices.com/products/time-warp Time Warp will let you add slew/glide to anything on demand. The glide sound is a big part of the acid sound. Its very worth considering if you don't already have a satisfactory slew/glide function in your setup
-- I notice a lot in your setup looks like it is to "dirty up" various sounds. If that's your aim, I can recommend SSF Triptych and/or Instruo tahn[3] which can help you get some added brutality on your sounds.
... and after another longish session with this method (above) I would say it is good but not a panacea.
++It produces nice results on about 50% of the waveforms I feed it. It works best on saws and saw like things. On triangles and folded sines you end up hearing a kind of "swooshing noise" that is not so great. The more buckwild the waveform, the less likely it works with this technique so far.
++comparing this to my VSTs that do unison/stack/detune/spread like Serum and Icarus2, the VSTs get a more consistent result with various waveforms.
Net net, I currently think I'm getting a solid unison/stack/detune/spread result from modular using WS+Minsk, but i) the effect requires significant "dial in" efforts and ii) it doesn't work great on every type of waveform I'm throwing at it.
Update: I added AJH Wave Swarm and Xaoc Minsk (stereo width & m/s FX) to my setup. Initial experiments leave me 60%+ satisfied as far as unison/stack/detune/spread goes; it's not getting me the super-stack sound I would get out of Serum BUT its a considerable step in the right direction. I'm wondering if I will be able to further "tune in" my setup and patches for a more satisfying result. Again the reason I'm using WS+Minsk is to be able to do this to ANY waveform (and not just rely on a supersaw module).
If ya'll have any further ideas / comments, I'll be interested to hear. Thanks!
Thanks @troux that makes sense. BTW reminds me of some Heinbach vids I watched a little on YouTube. @broken-form if you haven't already watched Heinbach vids IMO there's a lot in his recent vids that would be helpfulfor interesting textures
Okay, some other ideas, if you're open to digital
-- I'm hearing some really buck-wild stuff coming out of QuBit Organic Wavetable and NE Loquelic Iteritas Percido
-- the Xaoc "Leibniz Binary" system & modules are worth looking at
I've had some really interesting results in the DAW from some heavy digital smashing put through really lush delay / reverb. The digital harshness is beautifully tempered by a lush spatial effect.
SO if I wanted to put a bunch of $s towards an interesting texture setup I might do something like:
-- a wide ranging and barely controllable digital OSC like NE Loquelic Iteritas Percido
-- a granular module of choice
-- the Xaoc "Leibniz Binary" system
-- Panharmonium
... with some mixing thrown in where needed in the middle of that, plenty of CV modulation, and some lush FX on the end of it
I really don't focus on textures myself, so take this with a grain of salt. BUT you seemed hungry for more ideas, so here's a few more!
My rule of thumb for small to mid-sized builds is:
-- 30% or less HP is voicing (OSCs, filters, waveshapers, etc.)
-- about 30% is CV (sequencers, envelopes, LFOS)
-- about 30% is utility (VCAs, attenuverters, etc)
-- 10% other (finishing FX, etc)
... I find this reliably gets me a usable mid-sized build. For larger builds, once you have your CV/utilities core, then you can take a freer hand with what else is in/out and still get a usable setup
So a few points of feedback on your "get started" rack above
-- it looks heavy on voicing and light on CV, I think you'll miss having some CV sequencing, and could use more CV envelopes / LFOs. Consider MI Stages, Intellijel Quadrax + Expander, Instro Ochd. Those would help give you more useful CV.
-- its also light on utilities, kind of bare minimum above. Consider things like MI Links and 4MS SISM or Tiptop MISO, though Maths gives you some of that type function. Also, Maths is great, but I'm not sure it makes sense above given how little other CV there is in the system
-- you do have IN and OUT modules, which is good. But these are worth some real homework, e.g. maybe something like ES-8 will be a better longterm fit round trip to the DAW for you? And the OUT merits more attention, depends on what your needs are. Lots of OUT options on the market, I use 4MS ones because they have good headphone and mains outs. This is not to say the options you have are bad, but to highlight that there's a lot of variety available in the marketplace and better to get IN/OUT modules that are a particularly great fit for your setup and uses.
-- regarding sounds sources, there are tons of options in the market. If you're not set on one, I'd say shop around more and consider what will be inspiring for you.
Regarding learning modular, there's lots and lots and lots to learn. My best practical suggestion is review a ton of Lugia's draft racks and posts describing draft racks. That will give a lot of insights on "what and why" for particular design goals.
Intellijel Scales is part of my setup because it allows me to constrain pitches to pre-set groups (e.g. "pitch class sets" or "PC-sets").
The basic setup is like this:
1. get a Scales unit
2. read the manual to know how to program your own pitch selections (PC sets) into Scales
3. use "Pitch B" to SELECT WHICH of up to 7 PC sets is currently active
4. use Pitch A input as the pitch signal quantized to your selected PC set
5. use Pitch A output as your quantized pitch signal to send to any units needing it
I send a sequencer signal to Pitch B to pick a PC set on a defined rhythmic plan (e.g. I'm setting the "harmonic rhythm") of the song, then I send any signal to Pitch A to pick pitches from the active PC set.
This setup allows for huge flexibility while at the same time constraining output pitches to a desired sequence of PC sets. Super useful for my purposes. It lets me do things like:
-- I find 3 chords I like in a sequence. I program those 3 chords into Scales. Then my modular can jam / riff / do arpeggios in ways that exactly fit that chord sequence.
-- ditto but programming in scales that fit with a chord sequence (as suggested by the "chord-scale theory" common to Berklee books)
-- I will be evolving this technique to allow "auto-counterpoint" though that is trickier in practice.
In summary, I think Scales could be a good fit for your need, specifically because you can change the active PCset via PitchB input. In a guitar analogy: in Scales used this way, PitchB is like the fretting hand, PitchA is like the strumming hand.
Okay, well based on your use case outlined about, I would additionally suggest you hold off adding in-rack mix capacity till you know you need it. Mix modules appear (to me) overrepresented in your current build above.
BTW a few months ago I went nuts with getting in-rack mix capacity, more than I had proved I needed, and it is basically unused in my rack.
RE Stages or Quadrax+Expander, yes either of those would likely serve you well. I have Stages and love it BUT it can be hard to learn how to use without an Oscilloscope as it is very powerful and depends greatly on how it is patched. Quadrax I don't own but I've heard good things; I suspect that one might be a little more direct in usage vs. Stages. But both are good options.
I must give another shout out to Joranalogue Morph 4 for its ability to mix / morph / scan signals (CV or audio) even at audio rate. NOT a signal source, and not super cheap, but an interesting and powerful tool for experimental stuff & sound design.
-- layout could be improved. If I was using it, I'd have i) all oscillators upper ii) all filters / waveshapers iii) all CV iv) all FX, roughly ordered from upper left to lower right, with Utilities put in where most convenient. Layout is rather subjective but IMO this could be improved somewhat.
-- overall the rack design seems pretty solid BUT maybe a bit unbalanced in terms of % of modules. Maybe a bit heavy on oscillators/voices and on mixing capacity, may be a bit light on envelopes/LFOs and utilities.
-- recommended adds if you have space: the expanders for Metropolix and/or Quadra. These are low HP/$s high value adds. Instruo Ochd is a good way to add LFO capacity.
-- maybe I missed it but what is the signal in/out setup here? Are you going into a DAW for recording, etc.? Do you have enough in/out for current and future needs? Something like Expert Sleepers ES-8 or 9 might be worth considering if needed.
That's about all I can offer for now without knowing more about your intended use cases. How many voices do you want to get out of this at one time? And what is the main use scenario -- recording into DAW, jamming for fun, etc?
I think these will be great adds for me for:
-- dirty up and manipulate the sound (SSF)
-- slick BBD (Sarajewo)
-- stereo and M/S manipulation, particularly interesting for combination with my AJH Wave Swarm for doing unison stack spread type setups
BTW the SSF box and Minsk are pretty new and I think worth a close look if you don't know it already. AND there is a big sale going on at Perfect Circuit with some very sharp prices.
I'll keep reviewing the notes above for other ideas. IMO getting a send/return loop set up for going to stomp boxes is probably my next priority.
You're welcome. I did a bunch of research on clock sync a month ago. The DIN vs MIDI and what accepts those was a point I hadn't nailed down. So I was hoping to learn about options & tech on this point also.
Ladik http://ladik.ladik.eu/?page_id=7 is EU based, I think Czech Republic, and I think 1 guy or mainly one guy. I've never needed to contact them; don't know how responsive a small shop like that can be.
The M221 unit, looks to me like it is expecting clock in at 1/4 rate, and it gives outputs at 1/4 rate and subdivisions of that. So the 1/4 out is your 1:1 clock out option. BIG plus is the M221 has start/stop & other CV outputs which would be a great help to link everything to a single set of controls.
Thanks to @plgrade, Jim and Lugia for adding clarity on this somewhat obscure topic.
Thanks plgrade for the clarification. I was hoping that cable might be a cheap solution. Sounds like it may generally not work in this situation.
I thought of it because Pam’s can take a DIN input to drive clocking. And the PPQN Pam’s is looking for can be adjusted. I think the PNW manual pages 16,17,28 is saying PNW can take DIN input with user definable PPQN? To me that suggests PNW receiving DIN might work for the OP.
Still as you pointed out that leaves the Ladik as the cheapest option, maybe the best option too, it looks pretty tailor made for this type of situation.
As really you just need to get from 5pin format to 3.5mm format. I’m not sure this specific cord will work for you but I imagine this or a similar one could fit the bill? It’s about a $10-20 solution. Those are included free with a bunch of my modules. The TRS end needs looking at and considering if your Eurorack modules would accept that signal/format.
My guess is most midi to CV modules would be overkill for your purpose.
Do keep PNW in mind as it’s a great module on its own AND you can feed it Clock in from another source then use it to manipulate and distribute clock etc to the rest of your eurorack setup, in case you need an actual module to take the clock in. I would be surprised if you can’t drive PNW off your Tascam with one of those 5pin to TRS cords
And BTW all the Ladik stuff is sold straight from them to my knowledge. If you haven’t already, you’ll have to check his website for stock.
I have a lot of Eurorack modules needing clock sync. Pamela's New Workout plus its PPQN expansion are my master clock in Eurorack, I'm using that to feed everything else. And if I wanted to sync PNW to a signal coming from the DAW that would be pretty easy.
Before you buy anything, I'd recommend you do a thorough read and write-down of all the sync protocols of all the various gear you have; they can require various signals. AND I suggest you look at PNW + its expanders as your possible solution in Eurorack and bridge to other gear as PNW is very worth the $s on its own plus a rock solid clock and clock distribution option.
Thanks @77or88, I had no idea those trogotronic cases existed! They look pretty badass and roadworthy.
Do you fly with your m202? If so do you pack it in something with more padding or take it as is? I cringe some at the thought of a fine instrument being handled by airport luggage handling.
question for @mog00 and anyone else using pedals, how are you integrating these into your Eurorack setup and/or broader setup? I love pedals too, but haven't yet integrated them in my Eurorack chain and/or DAW chain, it would be great to make that linkage.
As my modular journey continues, I am thinking about a mobile-friendly rig, particularly one that would also be flight friendly
IMO a flight friendly case might include:
-- a case designed for flights / shipping, and/or
-- a case that will fit well in a suitcase for flights / shipping, and/or
-- a case that fits inside a dedicated flight container
My ideal flight friendly Eurorack case would be:
-- significant HP: over 200HP and ideally over 300HP
-- not crazy heavy or a pain to handle / move / carry. I realize HP capacity, flight protection, and weight are likely tradeoffs
Any ideas / recommendations?
I'm thinking my Eurorack setup is going to become more central to my music, and I'd love to have my rig be a travel friendly instrument.
Wow, all these comments came in and I didn't get any notices about it! Well thanks for the input, I'll be digging into comments / suggestions above more soon.
Interesting post, thanks! Question: Panharmonium is a pass-through in the video above until around 9 minutes yes?
I recently got Wave Swarm hoping it would be a way to get thickened stereo versions of any wave I throw at it yet. So far I've only tried it on my smaller system with headphones and I'm not blown away by the results. In the next few days I'll get to try it on my bigger system via monitors and I'm hoping I'll hear a more positive and more noticeable difference.
What I have heard so far is a clear sound which I think would be described as "multi-oscillator detune phase interference" which is common to the "supersaw" sounds we've all heard. What I haven't heard yet (and am hoping to) is stereo width and a strong illusion of supersaw-like sounds given (nearly) any input wave.
Thanks for the post. If I have any new insights / learnings from my Wave Swarm I'll circle back with those.
I'm now several months into modular and feel like I have a good rig and decent understanding of my modules.
As I think about future adds, I'm thinking about FX and am wondering about other MG users:
-- what are your favorite Eurorack FX modules and why?
-- do you prefer to do most of your FX in Eurorack, in other hardware, or in the DAW and why?
To date, I've leaned away from Eurorack FX thinking:
-- they may be more expensive and maybe less good than alternatives I have in software
-- I don't see a big need for CV over FX parameters or FX channels (such as parallel or send/return paths)
-- I've mainly aimed for having a bit of "finishing FX" in my rig such as EQ and reverb: "end of chain" stuff to polish the modular sound somewhat so that I don't HAVE to link my modular system to software if I don't want to
I thought I'd ask around and see if I'm perhaps missing some great Eurorack FX units or setups.
Suggestions:
— the Quadrax expander is a good value of $s and HP, I would recommend finding space for that
— the 2 Mixups you might be able to find an improved alternative. How many voices total do you plan to run simultaneously?
— personally I would want a bit more oscillator options in a rack like this. A complex oscillator, Intellijel Shapeshifter, something along those lines
Overall this is looking like a solid and fun rack.
LOTS of options in this domain, I think many of them are good options. The ones I know about and would suggest:
-- top recommendation is to get something from the Expert Sleepers lineup as those are well regarded and you would get a robust hub/interface to the rest of your studio. It is probably more than you need presently, but kind of "future proofs" your setup some
-- Befaco also offers a good and fairly broad line of selections
-- Polyend Poly 2 is a good option if you need MPE support
Since the cheaper offerings for this function are not that cheap, IMO it makes more sense to spend up a bit and get a more robust module that will last in your setup for years to come.
I've been getting into Eurorack percussion and am REALLY digging the results. I've got Tiptop, Erica, and WMD modules, and just latest added the Jomox kick unit which is awesome.
@sacguy71 was recently on another post saying how the combo of Jomox kick + Hexinverter Mutant Hot Glue (bus mixer with compression and distortion) produces his favorite kick sound. I would be interested in trying that kind of setup BUT I don't know about Hot Glue for me because:
1) I don't see it in stock at my normal vendors
2) functionally, it is maybe both more and less than I need
3) at $400 list, it is fairly spendy
SO, I wanted to ask:
A) do you folks know of good alternatives to Mutant Hot Glue especially for compression / distortion particularly for use on Eurorack percussion?
B) is there any great reason other than convenience to use a Eurorack solution for compression/distortion? I do have other hardware/software compression/distortion alternatives BUT the convenience of doing this in Eurorack (vs. having to link up to my broader studio gear) is on my mind.
+1 to sacguy71's point that modular drums sound pretty damn good. I DO own several of the nicer "groovebox" hardware pieces. I kind of always love some parts and hate others--I generally like the sounds, but don't like the sequencers or internal song data structure...
In the last few months I decided to go ahead and jump into Eurorack percussion. YES it is expensive and takes up HP in a rack. BUT I get to use my favorite sequencers AND the sounds are very good. Tiptop's versions of 808/909 I think are very strong and also decently priced per unit. THOSE things give me the kind of bouncy electronica percussion sounds I've been looking for yet never achieved with other stuff including loads of software.
The Jomox bass drum just recently arrived for me, I have yet to get it plugged in and tried out. I heard so many people praise it, I decided to give it a swing, as a strong yet versatile kick is very important in my setup.
Save to say, there's a bunch of good options in Eurorack. Furthermore if all one needs is kick snare hat, that is not too spendy on $s or HP. Worth a thought...
Suggest you check out some of the Akai MPC lineup. For example MPCX is built to fit in nice with other gear, including 8 configurable CV/Gate outputs, so it can be a hub for other stuff including your modular. Plus its a killer groovebox+
@Ronin1973, you make an interesting point above. Could you give an example or two of practical use cases?
Personally, I've don't think I've ever changed pitch more than 4 octaves up/down on a patch. So I can't easily imagine the types of use cases you're suggesting.
@happygolucky, glad this helps. A couple additional comments:
-- don't rely on my view alone or primarily. I'm a longtime musician & synthesist, but still new-ish to modular. Yes I've learned a lot and got some great sounding rigs together. But I still have a lot to learn.
-- regarding Odessa, if its inspiring to you, that's a good reason to consider it! IMO since modular is relatively expensive vs other alternatives, to me that suggests using modular where modular shines, such as having unique module designs that are difficult or impossible to emulate well in other setups. I LOVE unique oscillators and have a bunch of them. To me that's a big reason I got into modular.
-- as you get your ideas together for what will be in your first modular rack, do kick it around with people on MG. The MG crew helped me a lot to get a good initial modular setup while I still understood very little. BTW, think "balance" in terms of #s and types of modules, there's a number of basic utilities and CV needed to get a rack that works and has some depth to it.
Overall IMO it looks solid. Lots of "no regrets" modules there IMO.
A few things you may want to add sooner or later:
-- an output, like you said. IMO it makes a rig a lot easier to use, having an output that can go to headphones, DAW, etc.
-- XOAC Batumi, Mutable Stages, or something similar, just to give you more normal CV
-- 4MS SISM or something similar, to help you constrain CV to usable ranges. IMO this is very important
-- I would also want a quantizer in this rig. You're planning to use O&C, which should be fine. I like a dedicated one like Scales
Overall I think your rack above looks solid and fun. And its great you're leaving case room and have given thought to further adds.
@happygolucky, since you said you are just looking to get into modular, I will point out some things that may be new to you as a newcomer to modular. If they are obvious, please forgive me.
— modular controls are not all equal. Different controls may have different usable ranges. Those usable ranges may change depending on the patch you have at the moment. Most module designers tend to offer a usable range for a control PLUS considerably more than that, so that users can explore and creatively “misuse” modules also.
— what does this mean? Let’s look at some of the controls you are mentioning. Pitch control is normally volt per octave. So a 15 volt range gives 15 octaves! A large keyboard is 88 keys or roughly 7 octaves. So Odessa has a pitch input range roughly 2x that of a piano. There is almost no musical use case that uses that much pitch range. So IMO you will be fine if you are limited to less than all 15 volts of pitch control.
— practically, you would normally be driving oscillator pitch with control voltage coming from a sequencer or some alternative to that. If you’re using a sequencer, you can tune that output up or down as needed on the sequencer itself. So your final pitch is a function of your sequencer setting and oscillator setting. You’re not reliant on the oscillator settings alone.
— what about the other control values on Odessa? I personally can’t remember a patch where I’m using the full available range of any one parameter. Rather, there are “sweet spots” in and around the patch and the challenge is to find those and constrain the modulation to move around the sweet spots. If anything, I want a type of “modular microscope” that makes small settings and small changes easier to hit. Practically, something like 4MS SISM is extremely helpful to take a modulation source like a LFO then use scale and shift to constrain the modulation to a range that is musically appealing for that particular patch.
— In the broader picture, if Odessa is inspiring to you then yes look to creat a rig using Odessa with enough supporting modules to make it shine. I have Odessa but have not spent enough time with it yet to have a real sense of its possibilities. So beware it is fairly unique and IMO pretty deep. But it is cool IMO and the manual is good.
Not sure if this speaks to your question or not but I hope at least some of this helps. Cheers!
A couple follow ups:
-- stackables? Sure, you can try that. I almost always use active mults, so that I know what goes out equals what comes in.
-- getting the voltage offset (steps 3 above) may not be easy to do by ear. I was running the signal into Mordax DATA to view the waveforms. I don't have a good workaround to offer if you don't already have an oscilloscope handy. And I'm not totally sure what happens if the offset isn't fully "dialed in". I believe that would lead to passing DC to the outputs; what I'm not sure of is if DC would be filtered by downchain devices (such as audio outs or audio interface).
