If you can get an original plaits, I would as they will not be available for very much longer due to Mutable shutting up shop... It looks like last batches (of beads, plaits, ripples and) are still to go out - they've not officially been discontinued... also Emilie gets paid - unlike the b-company version...
also I'd go with the bear matrix mixer... slightly better ergonomics (important when trying to get to tiny trimmers)... 4 output channels (not 3 and a sum)... & the bi-/uni-polar switches (so you can subtract as well as add)...
"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!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities