Rack Attack - Any advice?

Hi All,

New to modular racks and already hooked!

Over the past few months, I was able to get a few modules (as shown).

The rest of my gear includes; Arturia ProStep, Moog Sub37, ARP Omni2, Roland Integra-7, Roland GR-55 guitar Synth, & an array of guitar pedals.

I am exploring mixing synths with acoustic instruments (guitar, piano, drums, etc.). This is so much fun!!!

Any advice, observations, etc. is appreciated. I don't know what I don't know so am I missing key functions or is my rack unbalanced?

Many Thanks!
Graig(less)

Hey graigless! Welcome to the community! I think you have too many oscillators, since I've counted six without the two present in the DFAM. Can you justify 6 oscillators in 9U 84HP? If you can, then you would need some sort of mixer to bring the signals together. What about the guitar pedal interface? Do you have an external tape machine to hook it up to it? I don't see enough modulation and no dedicated VCAs or basic utilities.

Maybe you could explain what you have in mind with your setup in order to get a better picture of what you want to achieve with it. In the meantime, I would suggest thinking about way fewer voices and making them more complex through modulation and sequencing.

I'm also quite new to the modular world, so please take my advice with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, looking at your rack reminded me of my own conceptual mistakes in the beginning. That's why we got modular grid for, so we can try out stuff before committing. Could you post a list of the modules that you already possess? This would be a good start in order to see what can be done to complement/expand them instead of creating parallels that compete with each other.

tysm Warlock016!
Somebody once told me you can never have too many oscillators. I guess like any other obsessions, a "junkie" can justify just about anything. :)
I do have a mixer, so I'm covered there. Thanks for pointing out the absence of modulation. I think I have sequencing cover outside the rack with the Keystep Pro, Moog Sub 37 and DAW. I'm hoping Yarns will help make that happen. But I don't know much. It's all learning and most importantly, fun!
Regarding the planning, the rack shows what I already have. I might sell of bits to make a more useable rack or give them to my kid to play with. Just think of it... giving my kid Maths to mess with. That just might score me as one of the hippest days (oops, using "hippest" disqualifies me instantly)
Initially, I'm looking to create a soundscape that interacts with acoustical instruments. Hoping the acoustic instrument will inform the environment with pitch and sequence rate. Funny, I can see it but I'm not sure I can explain it. Again, it's all about having fun.

DFAM really doesn't belong in there, and right now, it's crippling the modular because it cuts 60 hp out that this build REALLY needs so that you can put in some proper modulation and other "helper" modules. The layout is also pretty jacked...I don't see anything that indicates signal flow paths, which is going to result in a rather confusing to use result.

As for not having too many oscillators, well, my AE system has a huge amount of them, somewhere around 24. But it's a 180-space system, so the oscillators wind up occupying only 1/9th of the build. It would be better to go with a ratio like that than to have the VCO overkill that's here. Sure, your build's got a lot of VCOs...but the amount of OTHER modules along with that is really out of whack. Also, the thing that you can't have too many of are VCAs. And THAT makes perfect sense when you start poking at what VCAs are actually capable of besides amplitude control.

whilst it may be true that you can't have too many oscillators, it helps if you have the support modules needed for them as well

sound modifier modules, modulation sources and utility modules are just as important, if not more so than oscillators

Thank you Lugia & Jim!
I really appreciate your insights. Helps to put things into perspective.
Looks like it is time to do some shopping/trading.
KR, Graigless

Thoughts:

Remove the DFAM from the case (mentioned above). Rackspace is expensive AF. Your DFAM is taking up nearly 1/3rd.
Remove the blank panels from your virtual rack. It'll make it easier to figure out how much HP is left in this build for modules.
Passive mults are okay. But they really aren't worth devoting HP space to. They can easily be done in-line. Intellijel has little red passive mult boxes that are dirt cheap. Just keep a couple of those about.

I prefer grouping my "like" modules together: oscillators next to oscillators, envelope generators next to envelope generators, etc. It makes it easier to find things for me.

Things to explore:
I couldn't find a noise source in the rack. Noise (especially white and pink) are great for thickening up sounds, generating random voltages (with help), etc.
Sample and Hold. Look into this. They are often paired up with noise generators.
Quantizers.
Small sequencers. It seems that Yarns is your primary source for pitched CV and gates. A small format sequencer is nice for those times when you don't want to use an external device OR if you're looking for some looping modulation.
Dedicated mixer. I see the Dreadbox VCA/Mixer unit. A small dedicated mixer that can handle audio and DC (control voltage) would give you more flexibility. The Maths can be drafted to do this. But it's a bit of a waste for the Maths.
Small multi-function modules like Ornaments & Crime, Pam's New Workout, Disting EX, Temps Utile, etc. are always great for exploring new functionality and options.

Enjoy yourself.

Thanks for the very thoughtful feedback, Ronin.
I also have this linked his up with my studio gear (Lexicon Delays, guitar pedalboard, Sub37, & (B)2600, samplers, etc.)
I also just picked up a (b) Pro-1.
There are many colors in this audio paintbox. Lots to learn and I'm loving the process.
Cheers!