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Excellent. Subtle. And very good use of Déjà Vu functions. Btw, where is this coastline?

Another nice exploration. It’s a Venusian trilogy.

Yes, I did recognize her. Long live the cats! (Here, we've got four...)

A real moment of pleasure: little touches of delay incorporating bells, plucked sounds and voices on a sheet of silence. And... your black cat as a guest star (btw nice mug :) Bravo for everything!

There is a coexistence, a balance that is established over time between what is convenient (easy access to certain controllers for example) and what is necessary (the constraints of dimensions, power consumption, etc.) I use several racks and the question then becomes the placement of the racks :)) I could one day be tempted by the beautiful creations of CaseFromLake: https://www.casefromlake.com

(...) And a combo of Veno and Mimeophon is even better.
-- wishbonebrewery

Personally, I’m trying to move a little away from the delay / reverb pairing, although I am very seduced by this type of sound! I have hesitated for a moment to acquire the Nautilus, but when I heard the power of this Veno-Echo, I gave up... I think that the Veno-Echo and Mimeophon combination must indeed be a kind of Saturn V or... USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D to conquer new (wet) worlds and parallel universes :))
But I must forget at least for now, I promised myself.
Thank you again for this publication, it’s always sincerely a pleasure.

A great use of this powerful delay module. The illustrations go very well with this piece: nice and surreal :)

For my part I am already equipped, but I must admit that it is a good concept.

Beautiful walk in the Plonk Gardens in the company of King Marbles.

Great, and thanks for the photography!

No rules. Because you can choose to vary different parameters over time (amplitude, pitch, frequencies, etc.). The possibilities are wide.

WMD Javelin, Frequency Central System X Envelope, ALM Busy Circuits Pip Slope, and (of course, but larger) Intellijel Quadra. Many solutions are available :)

Just one point: Zadar is a great module but in a system for techno music, a more directly tweakable envelope tool might fit better, I guess.

Volca Drum seems a great idea.
How about controlling the Volca Drum?
I had a Volca FM once and I found the parameters hard to access and menu divey.
So I guess it could be similar with the volca drum?
-- VONDENFUNKEN

Volca Drum can be a performance tool.
There is no really annoying menu diving.

For a groovebox-oriented setup, powerful but without too much complexity, the choice of Model:Samples seems excellent to me. And, at a lower cost, I would add a Volca Drum for totally different sounds. This amazing little box is like a small percussive synthesizer. And indeed, I would complete with the Blackbox for an opening towards wider sampling. Plus your DFAM... let the show begin!

A breathtaking crescendo/decrescendo. And while the form itself isn't totally new, within this framework, what this modular achieves is unparalleled. Brilliant!

One feature among many others, but I really like this one: noise (H-7 Noise). ‘If 'blended' is chosen, the noise color can be smoothly swept from violet to red with the Z knob/CV‘. This allows you to choose exactly your type of noise... Useful for random, texture, percs, etc.

Moving to a new server is sometimes complex. So good luck and thank you!

I use several random generators (next to stochastic and chaos modules), including Marbles. This module remains in my opinion one of the best sources of random gates and voltages. The Cara version seems very reliable. Chris Meyer (Learning Modular) uses it in his travel case. And I confirm: no menu diving.

It all depends on what you mean by 'texture'. Maybe a waveshaper like Fold 6 will give you the 'texture' you're thinking of...

This piece is a success from A to Z. This is truly a production that only modular is capable of.
Wonderful painting... Well done Adrian!

I guess I have to look, to get something nice for the 1u row to complement, but Im a bit clueless with 1u modules

-- MCGM

XO offers excellent 1U modules: https://www.xodes.net

I am interested in headphones recomendations
-- JohnBlues

In my opinion, headphones are a working tool that should enable us to be close and intimate with our music and our sound. That's why I personally prefer semi-open headphones, because you forget about them pretty quickly, they're less tiring. I can use my AKG K-240 MKII headphones for hours without ever getting tired.

Sometimes I think I should get AirPods as well, because most people listen on wireless in-ear headphones. In any case, it's good to be able to compare the final mix, the master, with several means: speakers and headphones.

Thanks for sharing this, it’s good work!

Focal Alpha 65 and IkMultimedia iLoud
-- JohnBlues

Are you satisfied with IkMultimedia iLoud speakers?

To work on a daily basis I use AKG K-240 MKII headphones: they are very precise, very pleasant headphones, they do not cause any fatigue because they are semi-open, (announced bandwidth: 15-25000Hz). I kept and still use from time to time the excellent version (made in Austria) 600 Ohms K-240 Monitor.

For mixing: Focal Alpha 65, but I check with small PreSonus Eris E3.5 BT speakers, and Zadig 301 hifi speakers from Cabasse. There is no universal and perfect listening solution, the only rule is to know the qualities and defects of your own system. And check the result on different supports.

Concerning the extreme frequencies, I usually cut (with an Eq in Logic) below 30Kz with a curve of 24db, and above 17000Kz also with a curve of 24db. There is no point in going beyond this, the vast majority of listeners and in most situations cannot perceive extreme frequencies. It’s good to manage space, and don't disturb what will be most useful to the hearing. As often said, the art of mixing is to make room and avoid everyone stepping on each other’s toes :)

I plan to start my eurorack journey soon. At 50, it's almost time !!!
Making industrial rock music (sorry ;) with regular hardware synths (moog/sequential/korg/waldorf) + Ableton Live and Push, I would like to add something more "raw" and "roots" to my setup, something to experiment with and lots of fun.

-- ouatataz

It is never too late to do the right thing :) I started modular at 62, long after my first synthesizer (1979, Arp AXXE). So there are cases much more desperate than yours :))

Without carrying out a complete review of your system (which overall seems well thought out and quite coherent), these few remarks...

Row 2 of your RackBrute 6U is a little too loaded: be careful, do not go beyond 80% of the available power (here it will be 640mA per row).

If you produce industrial rock music (excellent! We can also like ‘country rock music’ but some Skinny Puppy or Front Line Assembly titles are no less interesting than Harvest by Neil Young) I'm surprised not to see Noise Engineering modules in your racks. Basimilus might be more appropriate than Plonk (despite AAS's wonderful technology). And a Loquelic or a Manis might suit you.

µMidi is perfect for transmitting the clock and much more.

Sincere advice: start with a minimum of modules, play this little setup with your other synthesizers. Take your time to choose what you really need for your music: you will always come back to this, music is the only thing that matters.

Nice jam again... Thanks for sharing!

Yes, the Nerdseq is not initially designed to be the most 'playable' sequencer. But it frees your hands to act on the other modules! So, alongside its own powerful CV programming, you can be very active by tweaking the knobs: the cutoff of a filter, the attack of an envelope, the intensity of a folder, of an attenuator / attenuverter, etc. You can also act to open or mute a signal, switch a control...

This advice. I think you should include controller modules: joystick, touch-sensitive surface, ribbon controller, Theremin and so on. For my part, I use and particularly appreciate modules like Planar2 and Tetrapad.

I don't own the Soundmachines LP1lightplane (power hungry) but it's obviously a great module.
I have already had the opportunity to present this video here. One of Luis Codera Puzo's mottos is (and I quote from memory): 'We don't need more modules, we need more discipline'.

Classy & industrial modular technoid art :) Cheers!

The level of Cloaks/Veils outputs corresponds to the level used in the modular world. This is a much higher level than that used by the almost majority of external/usual audio equipment (level called 'line') and this is why we use an output module that will adjust to the line level required (by most mixers or recorders, for example).

Please note, the StMix is a small (but excellent) mixing module. It allows you to mix signals inside your modular and it is not designed to be an output module.

Vca: Cloaks/Veils plus Happy Nerding 3x VCA will be sufficient.
Utilities: one often recommend a matrix mixer (like this one: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ai-synthesis-ai008-eurorack-matrix-mixer)

For more informations :
https://learningmodular.com/glossary/10-db/
https://learningmodular.com/glossary/mixer/
https://learningmodular.com/choosing-utility-mixers-for-your-modular/

PS: As @Vegamorph suggests, Disting mk4 and Pam's are worth considering, and no difficulty using them. No need for degrees from Harvard University, University of Oxford plus École Polytechnique.

These few comments. Yes, save a place for an output module: Pico is a good compact module but others like Befaco also offer very good solutions. I agree with you regarding the presence of two filters, for a number of reasons including the positioning of voices in the sound spectrum. The 4ms Ensemble Oscillator is one of the best sound sources currently, not to be put in the same category as the Liquid Glitcher which is just a nice gadget.

Each of the modules or types of modules you listed could contribute to your objective. To produce 'generative ambient stuff' I would also suggest Sloths and/or Diode Chaos. That said, Zadar+Nin and Morphagene would be my priority. I must say that they have today established themselves at the center of my setup when it comes to generative and ambient music, and in many other styles...

Fantastic full moon jam! The wolves are not far away...

Interesting.
So I discovered this Kinotone Ribbons... Amazing pedal, subtitled 'Magnetic tape emulator'. Compression is one of the components to obtain a Lo-Fi emulation.
1) Have you looked at EarthQuaker Devices?
2) To get your ‘too much effect’, among the Eurorack modules, could a Cosmotronic Peradam plus Messor set be suitable?

I agree with @toodee. A 2nd filter would be a much better option than another oscillator. It allows better positioning in the sound spectrum (so your track is more 'readable'), it can tweak the sound in a way that an oscillator can't, and it can even become another source of sound (if really needed...) through self-oscillation. The choice of filter, however, will depend on your musical orientation...

I've got some interesting results with cross-modulation of VCOs before but I'll be honest I really don't know what I'm doing.
-- wishbonebrewery

Honestly, and even if this is not the only one, it's also one of the interests and pleasures of modular ;)

Crispy!

Nice jam, nice video. Thanks for sharing!
PS: be careful, a hand behind your rack is trying to steal your system... ;)

As @AEROCATONE explains, there are some (good and bad) controversies on a certain number of modules in your setup; you probably know that. Personally, what interests me the most will be to know how you’ll evaluate your system, your modules: technically, musically, etc. Will you please let us know in a few weeks? Thanks in advance!

You can try this: https://disquiet.com/2024/01/04/disquiet-junto-project-0627-just-ice-society/

I took part in it for a few years. It's quite fun.
(https://soundcloud.com/petrus-major)

Last night, I watched an old sci-fi film from the 70s: a story in which the sky is permanently in a state similar to the aurora borealis, with lights appearing and disappearing regularly... Then I went on MG and listened to and watched your video. I had the strange impression that I was prolonging this film.

I suppose Pluck and Bell play an important role here.
Anyway, it's a nice piece for this "JAMuary".

In almost all activities there are artisans and industrialists. Small structures must often distinguish themselves through quality and innovation. The larger structures work more easily in terms of volume and price. And it’s not really the same job, the same universe, the same values.

The more informed buyers or consumers are, the better. A site like ModularGrid can contribute to this, without making it a daily obsession either.

All this makes me want to read or create a good old thread about our reality which is music. Woohoo!

Happy New Year to everyone!

There is a nice illustration by Norman Rockwell on this subject.
Merry Christmas (Xmas) to everyone!

If you don't want people to see your rack as it is, make a copy of it, edit out the things you want to be private then make this copy Public so we can all see.
-- wishbonebrewery

+1

We can only make useful suggestions by seeing things concretely.
This is one of the advantages of ModularGrid.
Everything else is literature...

It’s a good idea to have started with Verbos modules, Mark Verbos being an expert in Buchla's modular philosophy and technology.

This is also why a ‘hippy’ modular would, in my opinion, be closer to the Buchla format than to the Eurorack. Don Buchla was part of the counterculture of the 60s’; he has worked with the Grateful Dead...

Anyway, it's really a fun and interesting idea! Could you explain some of your choices?

@Dan_ogq's remark is both interesting and unexpected. I look at my setup and, indeed, the inputs are the majority.

The winner is the Loquelic Iteritas Percido: 21 inputs vs 2 outputs! That said, the possibilities for shaping sound are immense thanks to all these inputs. And I chose this module (and this version in particular) precisely for this reason.

Conversely, I notice that my Tetrapad has 8 outputs... and no inputs.
No inputs? Nightmare! I have become the module and my fingers are the cables...

Modular or external?

I have often dreamed of the Cwejman VC-FCS Stereo Compressor, I recently discovered the Erica Synths Drum Stereo Compressor, but I was especially ‘impressed’ by the Cosmotronic Messor...

In the meantime, I'm doing without it and using external compression software solutions: including the amazing PSP VintageWarmer2.

When you compare the features and prices, on the one hand with eurorack mixer modules, and on the other hand with external mixers, things quickly become clear... But, especially in 'live' situations, it is difficult (or sporty :) to do without a mixing solution in the modular itself.

For my part, I adopted the following solution: if I want to stay warm, comfortably snuggled up on the modular side, it is a set of modules that will allow me to mix. Mono and/or stereo submixers (Doepfer A-138s and Befaco StMix), then a final hub (Erica Synths Black Stereo Mixer V3), and finally an output module (4ms Listen IO). Some other modules, which can be useful for other tasks, come in reinforcement if necessary (DivKid Mutes, Intellijell Tetrapad and Planar, Vcas, etc.)

If things become more serious, I believe that only an external mixing via a DAW, for example, will allow to work with precision (with Eqs, volume or filter automations, compressions, etc.) In this case, a module like the Expert Sleepers ES-9 (or ES-8) will be useful.

Everyone may freely work in their own way, only the pleasure of playing, and the result (sometimes also ;) count.

I’m sorry @Jukeshoe. 95% of my posts here (and on ModWiggler) are public. But private messages were invented to allow from time to time a more personal exchange. And I will not hesitate to do it with you, if necessary.