Hello amazing community,
I'm building my first rig (all of this is ordered and in the mail) and the last step in this process is deciding where to put things. I understand that A LOT of this comes down to personal preference, but coming from the world of guitar/pedals, sometimes there is a right way. I would greatly appreciate some feedback on module placement in regards to ergonomics and ease of use.
Thank you!
it really helps us help you if you post the url of your public rack... jpgs really aren't a good substitute...
"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
More important than anything is arranging them so the stuff you're going to use while playing and performing is readily accessible and not buried under or behind cables. Don't be afraid to turn a module upside-down if it makes it more accessible for you - everything still works the same either way (unless itnhas a . Also, expect to have to make changes to accomodate the ribbon cables and module parts inside the case.
Also, get right-angled cables. They're a big help.
Thank you Zacksname. I tried to do that with the Data and the quantizer as I knew I wouldn't want a bunch of cables in front of those screens. I imagine it may take a minute just to see how the cables fall and orient themselves. Cheers!
There is no good order for the most part, especially once you start introducing modulation. I'd say as long as your output module is in a decent spot you'll be okay.
That said, I tend to have sound sources to the left side of cases, with modulation or filters following. But overall, its just as much an excercise in "how can I make this fit?" than anything else.
Thank you clwilla. That makes sense to me. I'm also trying to keep to a left to right movement with vco and Data on the left and moving towards the output modules on the right as my interface will be on the right side of my desk. Cheers!
It also depends is your're left or right handed...
But in general i would use a big playeble filter knob at the top so you can rest your hand on the top, for extra precision. I like to have sequencer or playpads or joystick like modules on the bottem (if the bottem row is horizontal)
Basicly the " set and forget" modules in the middle and the more playable ones on the edges. so that the spagetti is not too much in the way.
Excellent point Vibe010, that's great advice. Thank you!
Odd rack!
Can I ask a some questions (I'm genuinely interested, not trying to be a snark!)? Just because it seems weird as hell!
Why are there two outputs? Even a very large rack needs just one?
Why the Mordax? Visualising waveshapes, imo, is only useful for people who say need to make youtube videos, who design modules, or have a vast rack and might as well. Is it going to be your clock?
Why the DXG? It is stereo but you don't have any stereo sources or modifiers in the rack. It will also need pings, I guess the Quart and the Mordax can ping. I'd worry you'll run out of clocks / divs, given the QQ2 might need four and Mordax might be tied up with clocking other things / making LFOs?
A full size Turing Maching? And vactrol mixer? You might want smaller variants. Also, that Turing Machine will need a clock to run as well. Guess you have the Mordax. Also, the QQ2 will double as a Turing Machine, so you might find the TM redundant.
I get that EQD make lovely pedals, but that is a monster VCO for such a small rack. You might want more filters and utilities.
Also - be aware that Erica Quad VCAs have a bizarre profile - before noon and there is nothing, which might throw you.
One more thing: mono effects, in my opinion, are never worth the time. I guess in the world of guitars, mono is standard, since it'll be going out an amp. But any effect from reverb to phasing, once you have those headphones on, is just incomplete unless it is stereo.
Oh bollocks that is modsplaining snark opinion carpet bombing isn't it! Sorry! Just trying to umm work out what this is!
Excellent questions Athena_Noctua, and no offense taken. This is my first build so I imagine there may be some peculiarities. But what really draws me to this tiny corner of synths is the customization so I tried to build something that would meet my specific use case. So here we go:
1) Two outputs because this is a studio tool for me and my interface has four inputs. Priority is being able to record 4 sounds at once that I can independently mix.
2) The Mordax because when I added up the price of a tuner and a clock it was not that big of a difference to get them this way.
3) The DXG can be ran in dual mono, and I have 7 outputs from the EQD waveshaper so I could get a stereo signal out of the DXG from two different "textures" of the same oscillator. Also, my assumption is that I can trigger/gate this from the Mordax, the TM, and the OAM Uncertainty. I don't think I'll run out of clocks as the QQ2 is only responsible for quantizing the VCO, until I build another rack that has more VCO's.
4) Yes the TM will be clocked by the Mordax. Honestly the main draw for the TM was to get the Vactrol Mix, which is really the whole reason I built this thing. Sending 4 sounds into it (4 outs from VCO for a wobbly drone, and/or outs from the DRADD, DXG, and Quart for a rythmic drone texture is just the coolest thing in the world.
5) Excellent heads up on the Erica VCA, hopefully it works well for me. If not there are others I can swap it for.
6) I'm not concerned about the DRADD not being stereo, I just want the rythmic texture. I can always reamp it into my pedal board where I have UA Reverb which has stereo out.
I already own a mono synth and have several drone synths so this instrument is for creating rhymically interesting (random) pads, that I have independent mix control over, which will eventually serve as the foundation for live jazz musicians to play on top (a la the spiritual jazz textures from the early 70's).
If you go to my Bandcamp (jordanmullermusic.com) to the album Nobody Listens Anymore, the track Lyra is a fair representation of this concept.
Totally open to feedback and corrections on my assumptions here. Thanks for you time and consideration!
