Opinions on a new 2 x 104 rack

Hi Peeps,

i need some feedback on what I'm looking at for a new/future build.

all will be going into a Mantis case (2 rows of 104)
I'm i trying to cover to many corners ..??
should i be winding back on some modules..?
replace some with others...

opinions... of any kind welcome..

music i make ... from ambient to weird shit... to break-beats to D&B even a bit of techno on the weird side...

thanks in advance.

p.s mods not in row order yet..

my rack

I think I would postpone the Magneto for now to recover some space to get rid of all the 2hp modules. You will probably hate trying to patch and tweak all of those little ones. In my experience, tiny modules should be used very sparingly to fill a gap here and there. You could get something like an FX Aid XL or an external tape delay pedal to use that space for other modules that you are going to want and need. The Magneto might be a good addition to a second Mantis case, but I think it's taking up too much space for now. In fact, you could get 2 FX Aids, and eliminate the Magneto and Erica Black Hole DSP and have even more room without losing much of the sound and fun of those hp hungry effect modules.
Just some thoughts I have as I look over this. Have fun and good luck!

EDITED Feb 17th 2022, 10:49

I agree completely with farkas...

dump most of the tiny modules and the magneto and the dsp2 - replace the magneto and dsp 2 with a couple of fx aid xls

also think about the mixing - you have no way near enough mixer channels in here to deal with multiple waveforms from the vcos (wavetable has 2 & vco2 has 5) and all the percussion modules (sample drum 2, hat 1 & drum2 1) so that's up to 11 sound source channels - without taking into consideration and parallel processing you might want to do...

you're on the right track with the unity mixer - but no where near enough imo

also a real lack of vcas - use them for modulation as well as audio - I'd want at least 1 quad cascading vca - probably 2 (which may mean you need 1 less sub-mixer)

the euclidean module is a bit pointless - Pams can do euclidean well enough!

is the black sequencer a bit overkill? unless you are planning on case 2 with another 2 plus melodic sources in it I would suggest thinking of something smaller - if you are thinking of adding that second case then the black sequencer is a great idea - you'll be familiar with a sequencer that has you covered for a long time early on - so no second learning curve with a new sequencer down the line

hey Farkas & Jim
thanks for that...
ill take that on board and do some more research ...

i was also thinking of using a Beat-step pro sequencer instead of getting the black sequencer because it is so large..
but i would need something like a Shuttle Control by Endorphin.es

if you have any experience or vibe on Beat-step pro sequencer or USB-to-MIDI-to-CV converter I'd be happy to hear your opinions...

thanks in advance

BB

I have not personally used the Beatstep Pro, but many within this forum swear by it for sequencing. As far as I know, you wouldn't need a Shuttle Control as the BSP has CV I/O for two tracks of melodic sequencing and a bunch of drum triggers, as well as CV and midi I/O for clocking. You could use Pamela's New Workout as your master clock, send a gate to the BSP clock in, and you are all set. All for $300 or less.

boom i think you just save me bucks!!

thanks Farkas

I can confirm what farkasa says about the BSP - I have one, works perfectly without a midi->cv interface

thanks Jim,

i've also been looking at some of the clones of "mutable instruments" that After Later Audio make..
have you any advice.. ?

I would suggest that you stick to the original Mutable Instruments modules. The micro builds make tweaking significantly less fun. I have a Peaks clone, and it's a little frustrating. The original MI builds may be larger, but that real estate is valuable in use. The MI modules likely won't cost you much more than the clones either. That's my experience, anyway.

I would suggest that you stick to the original Mutable Instruments modules. The micro builds make tweaking significantly less fun. I have a Peaks clone, and it's a little frustrating. The original MI builds may be larger, but that real estate is valuable in use. The MI modules likely won't cost you much more than the clones either. That's my experience, anyway.
-- farkas

yeah.. fair point....

ill work on a new lay out... with some different units, and you guys can tell me what ya think..!!

cheers
BB

link to new lay out..
got rid of some stuff as you guys recommended..

EDITED Feb 19th 2022, 13:15

personally I would buy originals where possible...

they generally have better ergonomics and I prefer to give my money to original designers - after all they did most of the work - plus Emilie has been fantastic with support when I've needed it - and I think that they'll probably hold their value a bit better and be a bit easier to sell in the future, if the need ever arises

I generally think eurorack modules are small enough without shrinking them further and using trimmers instead of proper pots/knobs - as they are more difficult to use/less precise - but then I've got my average cost of racks down to under £1/hp - by DIYing cases and power supplies - so I don't care that much about rack space (and I've got quite a bit left over) - might need an extra power supply at some point - but that's not much - and I might buy a second mantis - which will put the average price up a bit...

I've got quite a few mutable instruments modules, but saying that I've also DIYed a few and have some left in my backlog - but they are all full size or bigger in a couple of cases - and personally I'm not keen on small smd soldering - especially electrolytic capacitors! so I doubt I'll buy anymore once I've finished the ones I have

i wish had the space/place to be building DYIs....

but I've been working on a revamp set of units .. ...
it seems a lot of what i was originally after is hard to get in Australia @ the moment, due access to overseas supply.
so im going on availability now ...

can you have a look over it and see if its more balanced ..
i know i've got a couple odd bits but I'm trying to think out of the box.!

cheers
BB

P.S i really appreciate the time/ knowledge you are imparting in my direction.. thanks again...

it's not just Australia - module supply can be erratic at the best of times and the pandemic has made it worse, everywhere - but I wouldn't worry too much - start with an absolute minimum and add modules as and when and only after you thoroughly understand the modules you already have and how they interact

things I would note - some of the modules will be unusable in their current positions

I'd go with 2 fx aids, the dsp2 takes up a huge amount of space - which could be better used for other things

look at your mixing again: the eoc mixer is 4 stereo ins and there are no panning - all your sound sources are mono - or dual mono

not convinced about the unity mixers - I'd want some control

beads or typhoon - I wouldn't have both in this size rack

tbh probably too many voices in too small a case...

+1 to basically everything Jim said.
What about this:

I got rid of the scope and Clouds clone, added a better mixing option, attenuverters, some plumbing, and changed the layout to be a little more logical in the signal flow department. That leaves you with 26hp open. Cover that with blank panels until you play around with everything and start to realize what you really need. Saves a bit of money from your original design too.
Just a suggestion on how I would approach this. Have fun!

*Edit: Also, I think there is a newer version of Veils that could save you a few more hp. Not sure about availability of the newer one vs. the older one in Australia though.

EDITED Feb 20th 2022, 14:30

the older veils has been discontinued for nearly 2 years - the new one, veils (2020), saves 2hp and adds a couple of features, including offsets and sliders!

all those 2hp modules next to each other gave me
A N X I E T Y

not anxiety - more like oh there's a part of the rack that's unusable... that was a waste of money, wasn't it - lucky the OP came here before buying and can hopefully be guided away from them...

thanks guys,

very enlightening...

yeah.. i should wide some bits back.. and go a bit smaller..
get to know the gear and build from there...

im going to save that layout for future reference...

ill post a smaller set up soon .. '

thanks Farkas & Jim