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Howdy everyone, new user here.
I do not have any specific knowledge of pacemakers but I do have electrical engineering experience. In my opinion the risk of harm from things like AC leakage, RF or magnetic interference, etc, from Modular is extremely low compared to the average home appliance. AC leakage, when present, is a percentage of the working voltage of a circuit. The voltages in modular are very low, no more than 15 volts and commonly only +/- 5V. So even if there were some leakage the amount of voltage to start with is so low that I doubt there would be an appreciable risk. You being around something as mundane as the 120V AC wiring in the walls or an extension cord exposes you to stronger magnetic fields than a modular rack running on 12V DC and pushing tiny audio signals around. People play electric guitars with pacemakers, and that involves holding the strings and the pickups right next to your chest while you touch the metal strings and that is generally regarded as safe.

The best way to reduce the risk of any sort of leakage current would be to use a metal case and make sure the case is grounded. The location of the power supply (internal or external) shouldn't matter so long as it is properly grounded. And as a general rule, don't cheap out on the power supply.

The one exception you might want to be careful about are modules involving tubes. Some tubes involve quite high voltages, sometimes a few hundred volts, and that is obviously a greater risk.

I seem to love to pair up these two. Here's a couple of recent instances featuring the RYK Vector Wave and the Resonator algorithm on the Disting Ex. Some patch info in the video descriptions. Thank you for watching.

Lately I tried out a Sovage Engineering Faille Temporelle, and while being also a very cool analog-ish delay with plenty of distortion available on tap, I missed a bit the ability to tap tempo and stereo i/o. Yester kind of cover the stuff I liked on the Faille Temporelle, it is less wild and but more controllable/predictable.
When compared to the Melotus and Imitor, Yester is very straight forward to use (I always had a bit on a headache to understand how MV and IV work, and how to use these for more conventional delay duties). Electus is also amazing and huge sounding, but it still has the tendency to go into reverb, since the base DNA is from the Desmodus.

The only things I would like to be different on YV are (but I close an eye about these):
- capability to self-oscillate (it does a tiny bit with the right settings, but it's not wild as a BBD delay)
- the Wavefold-distortion placed after the filter Tone. It can be a bit harsh sometimes.

Hey!

I have noise problems in my rack. It's okay on studio monitors, but I hear that hum when using headphones. I have a cheap PSU now - Meanwell RT65B x2 - and decent bus boards.
Will a PSU upgrade change something? I was considering the Doepfer A-100PSU3 linear PSU. Any experiences?

My Rack:

Great find, and great demo! I have 2 Versios but I'm really stuck on the Electus firmware. I tried most others and Ruina is nice but gets little use after I got my first tube overdrive (Frequency Central Thermo Nuclear). I recently tried Desmodus again and was quite disappointed. This one sounds like a great addition to the Versio series.

Thank you very much Cédric,

Very kind of you to have taken the time to detail all this.

I am actually using a Mimetic Digitalis (with Lapsus OS) and really like it.
Hoping for a Voltage Block to restock as it is impossible to find one.
Really appreciate all the tips as I am only starting with modular.
Having a blast :)

Best,
Olivier

You're welcome !

The exact connection would be :
Sub out > VCA signal in
EG out > VCA CV in
VCA signal out > mixer

(You Can also find EG with integrated VCAS, like WMD Javelin, Cosmotronic Delta V, or the latest 4ms that looks dope !!)

You'll also need a trigger or a gate to start the enveloppe.

The role of the function generator here is to modulate the amplification of the audio signal going into the VCA.
Imagine a volume curve if you like.
Once the enveloppe is not triggered (sequencer stopped) your volume will stay to zero.
It's also interresting to put a low pass filter (vcf) between VCA and mixer.
Then you can modulate the filter with the same enveloppe (with a multiple) to give more dynamics to your bass sound ! :)

Hope it's clear, it's one of the tricks, but some folks here could give you many others.
I'm not a modular expert :)

I highly recommand voltage block ! ^^
Mimetic Digitalis is a very good option too, in reduced spaces.

Best,
Cédric

Hi Cédric,

Thanks a lot for your help. I was expecting it to be this.

When you say "You have to pass it thru an enveloppe + VCA combo", could you detail the actual connection?
Should I just output the sub OUT to an EG (I have a pip slope mk2 at the moment) through its gate or trigger?
And then to the VCA?

Thank you very much for the help, much appreciated.

Had a glance at your 416 rack and there is a lot of the same I am looking at (Voltage Block for instance).

Best,
Olivier

Hi,
Sounds like a normal behaviour for me.
The sub out of the Osiris acts like a classic VCO and not like a synth voice : it's playing the sound continuously and is not affected by the decay knob.

You have to pass it thru an enveloppe + VCA combo.

Cheers,
Cédric

Hi all,

Second post here.

Just a question as stated above. I have contacted ModBap weeks ago but no answer from them. Maybe someone knows.

Here it is: while using the 2 separate outputs on the Osiris, (one for the voice and the other for the sub OSC), I get a non stop sub out even when stopping my sequencer. Output is connected to a separate input on my mixer (4ms Listen4). I do understand that the sub out gives a full volume, which is not a problem as I can tame it down with the mixer.

The weird thing is that when I hit stop on my sequencer, the sub out keeps delivering its full volume out. It will only stop on a double press on stop on the sequencer. MORE: when double pressing stop on the sequencer, I still get a signal (audio?) coming on my mixer (4ms Listen4). I do not hear anything but it looks like something is still coming out. Confirmed by the fact that I get the same visual signal on the A/B inputs on my Octatrack. Same as the 4ms mixer.

Any idea?

Thanks for any hint in advance, much appreciated as ever,
Olivier

Thanks a lot for the help, really much appreciated.
I will make some tests and get back here if it can help anybody :)
Best,
Olivier

Released our fifth album today,
Our first that is completely composed in the modular.
there is no multitracking, external hardware or effects.

This is a live recording of a gig from February.
AMA, thanks for listening.

This popped out yesterday on Noise Engineering, and so far I love it!
I always enjoyed the Versio platform, and Desmodus and Electus were my main firmwares to go. But I hoped NE would come up with a more straight forward delay, not as peculiar as Melotus or Imitor, and less reverb-oriented as Desmodus and Electus.
Finally they did it!
For me it's a best of most features I loved in the Versio delays, and it is capable of some brutal, massive sounds!

EDITED Mar 22nd 2023, 10:58

...So that would mean I can send a velocity (cv, not trigger) message to the trigger input?
-- Loersatz

Hi,
I dont know the specific modules you are using. But maybe my (pretty short) experience with modular is helpful:

The trigger inputs on my modules mainly reacts when there is a voltage rise within a very short time in the input signal (RISE).
I can imagine that there are also trigger inputs that reacts to fast voltage drops as well (FALL).

All my sequencers that produces gate & pitch/CV have one thing in common:
The voltage of the pitch/CV output stays at the last sent value until the next gate with a different value is fired.
So the pitch/CV does not go back to zero volts after the step!
But the voltage of the gate-out goes always back to zero (time depends on gate length).

With that in mind you can try the following to produce gates that has different voltages and also jump back to zero volts after trigger.

route the pitch/CV signal of your sequencer through a VCA
use the the gate signal of your sequencer to control the VCA
plug the output of the VCA into the "dynamic trigger input" of your module.
pretty sure it will work!?

EDITED Mar 22nd 2023, 07:12

since you already have marbles, try creating some short looping sequences with deja vu and use that to control params on the BS. If you use the same clock for both you can get a lot of variation in your sequences. just by way of example, i currently use a Marbles and an XAOC Moskwa II (with expander). I send the Moskwa clock out to marbles, and then the X outs back to Moskwa to manipulate transposition, random amount, overall pitch range, etc.

to a large extent any other sequencer will complement the BS... I have Marbles, step fader, BSP etc etc as well as a BS

things that are really helpful in this are precision adders (maybe a multi-channel one) so that you can transpose sequences (can't remember if you can do this straight into the BS)

a second or subsequent sequencer can be used as a sequenced modulation source as well as more sequenced pitch (if/when you have enough voices)

a cv addressable quantizer can also be used to alter sequences - again multi-channel is useful here

I use a sinfonion as a chord pattern sequencer and multi-channel quantizer (and arpeggiator) and I use a second sequencer (the BSP) to change chord patterns - which I clock from the sinfonion (a gate out on the last bar of each pattern) which means it advances very slowly and can be used to change other things - via a switch for example

My new video is online. It’s a melodic ambient jam. I hope you will enjoy it!

-- Raaf

Love it! Thank you for sharing, eagerly awaiting the next one! :)

Hi,

I am using a Torso T-1 to sequence this module and I know I have the option to send cv with pitch OR velocity but I cannot get my head around as to how send various levels of velocity (I can do that on T-1 no problem with as it has a dedicated knob for this function).
When you say "you will need a sequential that has a velocity parameter" it refers to that?
The truth is that I don't know that sequencer, nor how it transmits the different parameters to the modular system. In that I can't help you.
Now, "modulate the trigger before entering into the SY0.5" in the trigger input or pitch?
The triggers can be modulated, you can get a 0 to 5V trigger from a 0 to 10V trigger.
CV actually stands for Voltage Control, and a trigger would be a type of CV, specifically a square waveform with a very small amplitude. This is why you can use a square wave LFO, for example, to trigger a drum module.
Really sorry if my question seems stupid but as I said, I am only starting.
Thanks a lot to both of you.
Olivier

Hi,
I imagine that they refer to the Trigger input, I see that it responds to different levels of the trigger, so the higher the peak voltage of the trigger, the greater the response of the internal VCA.
Other modules respond the same to a 6V trigger as to a 8V trigger or a 10V trigger. In this case, it appears that the trigger directly drives an internal VCA, so it is sensitive to the trigger voltage.
To take advantage of this you will need a sequential that has a velocity parameter or modulate the trigger before entering into the SY0.5.
Best regards,
-- ferranadsr

-- Loersatz

This is the manual I am actually referring to :)
So that would mean I can send a velocity (cv, not trigger) message to the trigger input?

https://misw.us/SY0.5_UserGuide_Dec2018.pdf

In this guide, it says that the trigger input has a dynamic response to input levels. Maybe this is what you are referring to.
-- fretless19

Hi and thanks a lot for the hint, really appreciated.
I am using a Torso T-1 to sequence this module and I know I have the option to send cv with pitch OR velocity but I cannot get my head around as to how send various levels of velocity (I can do that on T-1 no problem with as it has a dedicated knob for this function).
When you say "you will need a sequential that has a velocity parameter" it refers to that?
Now, "modulate the trigger before entering into the SY0.5" in the trigger input or pitch?
Really sorry if my question seems stupid but as I said, I am only starting.
Thanks a lot to both of you.
Olivier

Hi,
I imagine that they refer to the Trigger input, I see that it responds to different levels of the trigger, so the higher the peak voltage of the trigger, the greater the response of the internal VCA.
Other modules respond the same to a 6V trigger as to a 8V trigger or a 10V trigger. In this case, it appears that the trigger directly drives an internal VCA, so it is sensitive to the trigger voltage.
To take advantage of this you will need a sequential that has a velocity parameter or modulate the trigger before entering into the SY0.5.
Best regards,
-- ferranadsr

Hi,
I imagine that they refer to the Trigger input, I see that it responds to different levels of the trigger, so the higher the peak voltage of the trigger, the greater the response of the internal VCA.
Other modules respond the same to a 6V trigger as to a 8V trigger or a 10V trigger. In this case, it appears that the trigger directly drives an internal VCA, so it is sensitive to the trigger voltage.
To take advantage of this you will need a sequential that has a velocity parameter or modulate the trigger before entering into the SY0.5.
Best regards,

https://misw.us/SY0.5_UserGuide_Dec2018.pdf

In this guide, it says that the trigger input has a dynamic response to input levels. Maybe this is what you are referring to.

Sorry if my question is redundant but I have not managed to find an answer to this one.
I have read somewhere (cannot find it anymore...) that the module responds to velocity. How do I send velocity and to what input?
I am only starting with modular and some notions and concepts are still a little vague.
Thanks for any feedback/hint on the matter.
Best,
Olivier

HI, thanks for the replies!
Garfield, I will certainly use good quality cables and blind panels (made of plexiglass or 3mm plywood) to fill the gaps between modules. Thanks for the tips. About front panels alternatives to metal, I think the companies you mentioned make some great products (i.e Ciat-Lombarde is specialized in making very strange and particular synths, all made of wood), but this products represents a very small, and not significative, part of the eurorack modules system IMHO.

I Agree with your considerations about the interactions that we experiments every day with devices carrying current: I want to keep away from paranoia, I would so operate in the safest way possible so, if anyone knows a way to do this, I'd really like to know details.

I have an ICD/pacemaker implant and have not really considered that any of my music gear posed any sort of risk. If you are that concerned, I would recommend contacting the manufacturer of your implant to ask if they are aware of any risk.
-- moosapotamus
I'm very happy to know that there are peoples in my same situation that not consider risky to handle modular gear. Maybe I'm the problem :D . Yes, I sent an email to the manufacturer of my implant and the answer was "low risks but control the AC leaks issues". May I ask if you ever got shocks from handling your modulars in the past or tingling or pinching? Thanks.

pic of full system: https://imgur.com/a/VHqBhjI

For years I messed around in Logic/Mainstage (mostly building this weird electronic drum set which was featured in Modern Drummer https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/maximal-sounds-from-minimal-sources/ Then a friend turned me onto eurorack, as I always wanted to make Techno/ambient, and down the rabbit hole I went. 2-3 years later and I have a setup which rarely changes anymore that I completely adore and I feel can pretty much make any sounds imaginable with in the dark techno/ambient/experimental realm. I started all hardware, but including Ableton + midi controllers really expanded things for me.

I currently use the system for jamming only and it has been designed to turn on quickly and start the wiggling. It’s mostly multitracked though for if/when I do want to record.

Here’s a recent jam on Earth Modular Society:

I’m pretty happy with this but still feel like I need many more years to get good at improvising on this thing.

NOTES ON SETUP

EURORACK:

Modular grid:

I would say my whole setup is a giant weird drum machine in some ways. I often don’t even sequence pitch that much, but rather timber/CV inputs, filter cutoff, velocity etc. I always keep it patched up, but the patch is always changing. If you asked me what my favorite module is at this point I would probably say all of them. Have done a lot of buying/selling over the years and these are the keepers. (Except PAMS, will probably get rid of that one day, but it’s nice for emergencies)

Love me some MI Marbles! Two of them share sequencing duties across the system (including the DFAM which IMO really comes to life with external sequencing) and the third Marbles sends two channels of modulation to most voices in the system, which the MiniAtt attenuates for voices which don’t have built in attenuators. So I can quickly dial in some modulation as needed. Marbles provides a fantastic range of sequenced modulation that becomes the main sequence of the voices. I love it. The Dinpro DOT Euclidean sequencers I use as clock dividers for marbles to mix things up.

The modular voices I mix externally with the Mackie VLZ 1604. Having input gain, EQ and Low Cut, etc. is super handy with modular, as are the aux sends and busses. I could see myself swapping the analog mixer for midi controllers one day, which would make this thing portable maybe and multitracked even deeper, but I’m good for now.

The signal chain for my ambience generating stereo fx path is: Vocal samples in Ableton > Rings > CS-L wave folder / drone oscillator > Rosseum Linnaeus > Quadrat > Deco > (splits signal to feedback loop in mixer back to beginning of this chain, and then > Melotus Versio > Reverbs (in Ableton). Some FX is b”useful as an aux send, but from r/guitarpedals I learned the power of running a bunch of FX in series.

ABLETON:

Everything controlled in Ableton via the Midi Mixes and IPad (Touch OSC). I don’t need to look at the screen when jamming.

FX VSTs:
- Eventide Blackhole reverb
- Irid Shimmer reverb
- Valhalla Delay
- Waves H-Delay

Looping:
- 4 channels of Abletons Looper effect which I use with pitch, speed, filter and beat repeat effects, and can also send back to a channel on the mixer for continued processing. I had a RC-505 but find looping in Ableton much more flexible. I find looping is really key to keep things musical, but then being able to remix the loops equally important so things don’t get stale.

Sample based drums:

909 style Hi-hats, ride cymbal, claps, and sequencing for my eurorack Crater bass drum are all done in Ableton via the M4L sequencer Drum Brain and the samples triggered via the VST Drum Computer. Both are based around randomness so I can quickly generate new patterns and sounds. This I control with the IPad and MidiMix above it.

DJ style Master Channel FX:

The biggest game changer for me happened when I saw this EZ Bot video on the Octatrack
which he uses to loop and process his master channel. My master channel contains a looper and various FX. The trackpad I have setup like a Kaos pad a bit with delay and reverb. What I mostly do is create a loop for my master. Cross fade to the loop, then make changes to my live modular - which an audience can’t hear because the loop is playing - then cross fade back to the live modular for a transition. But it goes way deeper that that as you can blend the loop with the live for all kinds of dynamic performance fun. It frees you from having to constantly create new sequences as you can loop them and remix yourself. And loops just sound more musical to me.

I use my BeatStepPro to send clock and bass drum triggers/velocity to modular.

This shit is a god damn good time.

Oh! Deco and Fusion box… Deco - I love the range of sounds from such few knobs. I use it on the bounce mode which can both increase and decrease stereo width in a very creative ways. Fusion box is unpredictable in a really fun way. Not sure if it’s worth the price over a cheaper BBD delay, but the stereo effects and tube distortion are pretty rad. And sometimes when you push it hard it spits out some unbelievably weird and cool shit.

EDITED Mar 21st 2023, 11:11

My new video is online. It’s a melodic ambient jam. I hope you will enjoy it!

Good morning,
Leaving aside questions of taste, companies, and even more so very small companies, as most module manufacturers tend to be, must adjust their production to demand, and if the majority demand is for black panels.... then black panels.
Anyway, a Roland TR8-S is black, and people don't ask for it in white, or red, or blue, and a company like Roland for example, could afford that functionality and sell it as a limited edition, increasing the price 20%.
For the rest, I see well that these types of suggestions are given to manufacturers.
Best regards,
-- ferranadsr

A tr8-s isn’t really something directly comparable to a 1u eurorack module.
Please note that both plum audio and mosaic which sell comparable products do offer black/silver or white option.
Finally, if you produce in Intellijel format, there’s a reason why they don’t do black.

I have Erica Black Sequencer, and Mutable Marbles. Love them both. I have not yet tried connecting them to create more variation/playability. But in general my question is: if to use BS as a main straightforward sequencer (albeit quite advanced on its own) - what second sequencer would compliment it and what are the creative ways to use 2 sequencers next to each other?

is this compatible with the new quadrax?? thks

Good morning,
Leaving aside questions of taste, companies, and even more so very small companies, as most module manufacturers tend to be, must adjust their production to demand, and if the majority demand is for black panels.... then black panels.
Anyway, a Roland TR8-S is black, and people don't ask for it in white, or red, or blue, and a company like Roland for example, could afford that functionality and sell it as a limited edition, increasing the price 20%.
For the rest, I see well that these types of suggestions are given to manufacturers.
Best regards,

Darn, I'm bummed to hear that it still didn't work out =( Hopefully you'll have better luck with it on a different power supply!

Stop producing only black panels please

I don't imagine that the combination of features, ease of use, and price point for the BSP will ever exist in a eurorack format module, even though the 3 sequencers it embodies could be described as rather "vanilla" compared to what is available in numerous eurorack alternatives. It undoubtably does appear to be a great piece of kit that excels at supporting a modular synth system.

As a self-proclaimed newbie (only around a year) with eurorack, I am still busy learning about and enamored with all the possibilities for various work flow scenarios within the rack. I think my hesitancy with getting a BSP is the, perhaps unfounded, idea that it might take me out of the rack to some degree. As a bass/guitar player, I've been into stompboxes for years. So, I tend to associate my synth rack with the idea of a pedalboard. It's typically awkward to integrate an external processor with a pedalboard. Granted, integrating the BSP with eurorack seems to be seamless. But I still get the feeling that it will draw a piece of my focus, physical, mental, creative, away from and out of my rack. And right now I am really into "the rack."

Of course, I may also be obsessing and overthinking the whole thing, too. But that's kind of where I'm at... for now, anyway. Certainly enjoying the debate ITMT. Could be a game changer if Emile takes a swing at the BSP, though!

So I tried everything possible now, and it still doesn't work. I will now buy one of those small 4ms cases, maybe it will work when I outsource the Kalyke... Wish me luck :)

Agree that I'd rather it just do the basics and not be some glitchy distorted gimmick. The Replicator using propriety tapes is a huge miss

I have an ICD/pacemaker implant and have not really considered that any of my music gear posed any sort of risk. If you are that concerned, I would recommend contacting the manufacturer of your implant to ask if they are aware of any risk. My wife and I have been considering getting an induction cook top, which works by generating a magnetic field that could interfere with a pacemaker. When I asked my doctors about it, I got a lot of conflicting answers. So, I emailed the manufacturer of my implant and actually got a phone call response by a very knowledgable person who was very happy to explain all the concerns and answer all my questions.

I'm going to provide additional support to an option already suggested here: the BeatStep Pro.

I know this sequencer quite well. My home studio includes two BSPs used for modular, various synthesizers, including Volcas which sound wonderful but have very limited sequencers, or drum modules like the ADX1 which do not include a sequencer. (I also use sometimes an SQ-1 and a KeyStep, I mention this to further support my suggestion of the BSP).

The BSP is very easy to learn, feature rich (random, swing, tap tempo, pattern chaining, memorize, etc), pleasant to work with (very visual, pads are large and responsive, same for the knobs, no diving menu, etc.), two sequencers plus one drum (gate) sequencer, and to top it all off: an unbeatable price. All of these are reasons why so many modularists use it. I don't even see how Arturia could upgrade it.

This does not prevent the integration of certain types of sequencers (or similar) inside the modular for specific uses. For example, as I’m quite focused on random and stochastic, I must say that the BSP will never replace Marbles (*), Stochastic Inspiration Generator or Bloom, and of course all the modules to create random or other specific things (logic, noise, etc. And weird things as Diode Chaos ;) At last, it will not replace the combinations of modules : patching, is still the first reason for the modular.

I almost forgot one little detail: the BeatStep pro is in stock everywhere. A criterion that will now have to be included more often.

(*) There may be an upgrade path here for Arturia and the BSP: see what has been done since Emilie Gillet's work to create the MicroFreak. But I don’t mean that this is desirable, for various reasons...

You’re right, definitely a budget workhorse. Totally understand the appeal of the SQ-1, I honestly got into modular more for interesting sequencing than for sound design, so I have a lot of fun using separate sequencers for gates and CV.

EDITED Jun 6th 2023, 04:15

Hello Picadura,

I have no experience with ICD or pacemakers however I have some experience with Eurorack and electricity in common. Here some food for thought that hopefully might help you:

• Use good quality and thick patch cables --> thought behind this is if you use thicker patch cables risk of AC leakage currents should be lower or even eliminated and good quality should make sure that you will not have patch cables that easily wears of, especially at the connections between the cables and plugs however even a low quality cable the mantle of the cable might just come off as I had with another (non-patch and non-Eurorack) cable.
• Make sure you leave no open spaces left in your Eurorack system, meaning you should use blind panels. So nothing unexpected can happen for those "open" spots in your Eurorack --> many blind panels are made of aluminium that is not so good for your case since that might short cut electricity in one or another way. Consider for example blind panels that are made of PCB material like those from Make Noise
• Easier said then done: Use as less as possible metals in your rack. Depending on how far you would like to extend this you could consider not to take modules with metal panels, which is the majority I am afraid. However there are brands that use wooden panels (like Bastl Instruments, L.E.P.) or panels made of PCB material (like Make Noise, Mordax). I am not sure about Centrevillage.net what material they use for the front panels, might not be metal. There was one other brand that doesn't want to come to my mind who use some special non-metal material, so sorry that I forgot that brand. If I remember I will later add it here. There might be more brands around that use non-metal-panels. On the other hand... yes aluminium is a metal and yes it conducts electricity but it isn't the best conductor, so perhaps aluminium panels are still acceptable for you?
• Again depending on how important this is for you and how far you want to take this, you could take your Eurorack to a lab where they can measure the "electricity leakages" --> perhaps that's the best to start with before putting enormous energy in improving everything and perhaps its all not necessary? So having it tested by a (professional) lab might be the first step to check if anything further is needed at all?

My guts feelings says, without having here any proof to underwrite this, that I tend to agree with the physician you checked with and since these are low voltages the risks should be very limited (especially if you keep a good distance, perhaps to be checked with a professional, what that distance would be? 10 cm or 25 cm or?), otherwise other pacemaker users would have serious other problems in our nowadays daily lives. Almost everywhere in the households and at work we are using tons of (electric) devices. As long as those devices are either using low voltages and/or shielding it off, the risks should be very limited. Of course, please have this checked by an expert specialised on ICD & Pacemakers.

Take care, I hope you still can enjoy modular and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Wishbonebrewery, Sweelinck, All,

No you are not the only one, I also do not prefer black panel-based modules. Sometimes (but that are the exceptions) it looks nice however most of the times the contrast of black panel-based modules is poor and text and knob's-positions are less easy to read.

I prefer a silver/aluminium look of the panels or otherwise any other colour but not black. Of course if there would be a module that I really would like to have and it's only available with a black panel then I have no choice and as you said already Wishbonebrewery, I will buy it then but it's not by choice...

I wish there are more brands like ADDAC who use a different colour than black, though ADDAC also moves (like many other brands) to black panel-based modules, it's a bit sad indeed... Is that perhaps one of the reasons why I like Doepfer modules? ;-)

That are my 2 cents, kind regards and I wish everyone enjoyable moments with their modular system, Garfield.

Good suggestion! I've had my eye on the Behringer 182 for a while. Great value even for the modest feature set. Strikes me as kind of a budget workhorse. A bit of a step up from a Baby 8 type sequencer (https://www.modulargrid.net/e/other-unknown-tearaparttapes-baby-8-sequencer) which is what I displaced when I got my SQ-1. So, I think it might feel a little like a downgrade from the SQ-1. Changing the direction of the sequence is not something I currently do much, if at all. But I do very much like being able to set the length of the two sequencers independently. The ability to disable individual steps to create rests within a sequence is also a feature of the SQ-1 that I use a lot. But, since I do have other gate sequencers that could sync with the 182, I suppose there are workarounds to emulate some of the SQ-1's capabilities. So, I guess I'll just keep my eye on the 182 while I keep hunting. Thanks!

Have you considered the Behringer 182?

It’s a recreation of the sequencer from the Roland System 100 that has a lot of great features in a relatively compact module (16hp). It can be used in parallel or series, and you can vary the (shared) step length. You can also drive it with a trigger, so it works really well to sequence with a separate gate sequencer from the one triggering your EG. the variable length is great for creating shifting sequences and polyrhythms in a really intuitive way. Very affordable as well.

You can’t vary the direction of the sequence or the length of the two sequencers independently, but it’s a small price to pay for such a straight forward design imo.

Hmmm... Strong arguments for the BeatStep Pro! I've already started collecting gate sequencers (Steppy, Euclidean, Turing). So, my thought was that I need to find module(s) to cover the CV side of sequencing. In comparison, the Tesseract seems to allow for greater manipulations/combinations than the BSP. But, the BSP supports longer sequences and also seems to be much more intuitive to program, at lease to me. Of course, the BSP won't fit in my rack. But, as mentioned, that leaves space for more utilities, modulators, effects... and, they're both in the same price range. (Don't mind me. I'm just thinking out loud.) Definitely considering the BSP. Thanks!

See my modular grid for EarJuice.

First attempt at a modular system and so will constantly change. I only have the top rack atm to fill and I have a Korg sq64 external sequncer and a bunch of external gear I plan to use. It's as follows:

303 clone
Korg wavestate
Korg volca sample, kick
Waldorf Rocket with filter I can use
Boss 202 looper
Roland SP 404sx
Model skulpt
WSG/01 drone machine
Roland j6 for chord sequences
Crave, and Edge DFAM should be coming soon
Bastle drun
Roland Jdxi just for vocoder
Korg Kaos mini for effects

I have others too and plan not to use software accept for mastering and effects. I have mixers
and MIDI thrus but of course I'm not going to be using everything at once. Mainly volca sample or kick, kaoss pad, bastle, 303, looper and Waldorf filter or as 303 instead. J6 for chord sequences and maybe 404 sampler. I have another Akai sampler for one shots but it's so laggy. Edge will get heaps of use once I get it.

So Korg sq 64 will be brains but modular will have its own sequncer more for live improv. With the plan to use that mainly and just add a few bits to it depending on what I'm doing.

The BIA is the main sound for drum along with new Tymp legio. 2hp samples for drum sounds. Then lots of gates n cv to trigger them. From there brains oscilator to add sounds.

I should also point out I already have modules I made not shown in the rack. I made a delay and have an 8 step sequencer (maybe 2 to finish off) as well as a bunch of oscilators from hex inverters. Might make a sampler n some others depending on how good they are and how useful. Could make multiples easily but I want to try and make or buy buffered multiples.

Anyways let me know your thoughts since it'smy first go and will take most of this year to complete. I went around looking at all sorts of modules and filters and envelopes but decided on a simple duel envelope and filter. With Pams workout along with bin seq and Clep I and the Korg sq I should have gates and CV and mods covered. 2 LFOs. 1 standard and 1 in the clep.

The guy at the store sold me the eq and output module. It's damn handy but it's a lot of space. The EQ probably makes a difference through my rockits but I can't tell much with headphones. It has a oscillator just for checking stereo systems at different freqs so handy but probably the first bad buy only due to 24hp size. The sapce fx and extra 2hp modules may get axed. The second brains will likely change out for something else just for variation. Also might look into noise generators to turn into hats n bits. Idk I love the korg sample because with the knobs u can change any sample into bass or drones or hats or clicks. Maybe I get something simliar or just a larger more complex sampler. I want to add voice n other type samples at some point.

People talk about maths and some other modules and I kind of get the functions but don't get the significance. Perhaps ppl have recommendations....if anyone will see this as a lot of time will pass and more changes will occur before I fill both rows.

Hi,
It also took me exactly a year to realize two things:
-A fully featured eurorack format sequencer module is very expensive and large, which brings me to my second point.
-Case space is very valuable, if you want to keep a reasonable case size (9U for example).
Before starting with modular I already had an Arturia BSP and it works very well combined with Eurorack. You can use it via MIDI with a converter module or use the dedicated outputs directly with patch cables, like I'm doing.
This also applies to percussion modules type TipTop 808-909, without modulation.
For the price of 3 of them, you have a good external drum machine.
However, the percussion modules with several CV parameters, those do make sense to include in the rack.
Best regards,

Don't do it! it took me a year or more to realise that its more sensible (Cheaper and more feature-packed) to use an external sequencer so I bought a second hand Beatstep Pro.
Its an easy way to add structure and repetition to my mostly generative rack and is so much easier than programming drums on my Robaux LL8, though they are cracking little drum sequencers.

Thanks for the replies! While I am comfortable with the SQ-1, I've only gotten into Eurorack within the past year or so. So, I feel like I still have quite a bit to learn. At some point, I would eventually like to get a more "feature-packed" sequencer. But I'm trying to be budget conscious... not quite ready to drop $500+ on a single module. Man, I thought drummers shelled out a lot of coin!

The rack mount for the SQ-1 looks cool although it does claim a lot of real estate. And, as I alluded to above, I may be gradually talking myself into a bit of an upgrade. So, the Moritz Klein 5-Step is maybe too basic for me. But the Tesseract Step Fader looks rather attractive and the newer mk2 version seems to go for only about twice as much as the SQ-1. Also, as I am still learning about stuff, all of the Step Fader's functionality is not immediately intuitive to me, so it could be something that I could grow into and learn over time. Thanks, again, for the ideas!

It's an exact clone, with the same components, so same draw

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3116258

Maybe this guy:

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/tesseract-modular-step-fader

It's seems to be able to do similar playability but with additional functions & at a fairly reasonable price.