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Thread: Planning a rack

I'm also a beginner, so take my suggestions for what they're worth. I'm not even sure why I'm responding. I guess when I start thinking about something it's hard for me to stop. I saw your post and started thinking about it, so you might as well see the results of my thought, so here are a few observations:

  1. You have more than half the rack devoted to sequencing, with nothing to sequence except the Pico VCO, and maybe the Radio Music.
  2. The Doepfer a161 is an expander for the a160, and doesn't do anything by itself. The a160 is a clock divider, and needs a clock signal to divide.
  3. You have an a143-9 quadrature LFO. I'm not sure how important the quadrature outputs are to you, but I'd consider something with more LFOs per hp.
  4. Bastl Skis gives you 2 VCAs, and 2 very limited envelopes, and doesn't give you a mix of the 2 inputs. You'll probably want more VCAs, as well as mixing, as well as better envelope generators.
  5. There's no filter in there. Maybe not a total disaster, depending on what your oscillator(s) are capable of, but good to have.

Here's what I would do if it were me:
1. Get rid of Pressure Points, Brains, and the a161, and replace them with, for example, a Pamela's New Workout. That would get you a clock source, clock dividing, LFOs, and some other stuff. Maybe also get something like a Korg SQ1 or a Beat Step Pro outside the rack for sequencing.
2. Replace Skis with an Intellijel Quad VCA. Other options include Mutable Instruments Veils, Happy Nerding 3xVCA, Bubblesound VCA4p, Erica Black Quad VCA, etc. This gets you more VCAs plus mixing.
3. Replace the a143-9 with Mutable Instruments Peaks. This gets you 2 LFOs in the same amount of space, and it can also be envelope generators. As a bonus it can also do some drum sounds.
4. Replace the Pico VCO with a Klavis Twin Waves. This gives you 2 powerful digital VCOs.

If you followed that advice, it would leave you with 9 or more hp to spare. Maybe get a filter in the extra space?

My other advice would be to post this at muffwiggler if you haven't already. It seems to be a much more active forum, so you'll probably get advice from people far more experienced than I.