What's up folks?!
Background
I'm building a small rack to complement a Subharmonicon I already have.
My goal is a bit of modulation with some additional flexible sound.
I have a separate rack with Maths, Morphagene and Disting4.
Feedback
I'm looking for feedback on the top 60hp. Do you see any problems or ideas that jump out? I'm relatively new to modular, so I'm learning all I can. Thanks!!
Doc
A few things jump out...
First, are you planning on racking the subharmonicon and you actually have two rows available, or is that just for representation? If the former, I'd recommend keeping the subharmonicon in it's case and keeping the hp available. Also, will you be connecting this to the other rack, or is it completely standalone?
60 hp is really small for modular. While you absolutely can build a rack in that space (depending on your goals, I'd think), it's not so simple. You have to be quite selective about what makes it in if you're going to get something that works as intended. If a bigger rack is possible, you won't regret it
I'm not seeing a lot of modulators. Yeah, there's Pams, which gives plenty of interesting gates, envelopes, and attenuation, but how else will you be generating cv signals or moving parameters? You need to consider LFOs. Something like the Xaoc Batumi gives you a bunch in a decent footprint, and Divkid's Ochd (now with expander!) is quickly becoming essential in my rack.
Also, you don't have the utilities that will be necessary to get the most out of your modulators. Attenuators, VCAs, slew limiters, s/h, you'll get a lot of modulating mileage about these types of modules. If you're looking to explore sounds, don't discount randomness. Thank you Pams for offering this, but look at something like Instruo's tagh is an interesting option to add more random flavor.
Good luck!
A kind of answer...
Welcome here. I absolutely agree to what is indicated by @HGsynth.
We have to admit that all these things have been written a hundred times here.
So you will forgive me if I only develop one point. Actually the starting point: the size of the case...
If you want to enter the modular world, there is a good chance that you will buy other modules in the months or years that follow. For example, you will wish to complete your setup with a specific filter, an interesting effect, or simply be seduced by the presentation of a new module in a YouTube video. Or a concept that is not familiar to you today might seem indispensable to you tomorrow, a matrix mixer for example, a logic module, a sequential switch, another type of synthesis, etc. Or a type of module that did not exist before will be born and it will correspond to your philosophy, as for example recently with the Droid system: look at the incredible success it achieves (see page ‘Top Modules’). Personally, this does not correspond at all to my modular ethics, But I know many who have suddenly embraced it with sincere (and noisy) sighs of satisfaction.
All this long blah-blah about what? No one knows what your intentions will be tomorrow. But one thing is certain, a 'medium-sized' case to start is not the size of a grand piano. And its price is only that of a good module.
Depending on your sensitivity to an exterior appearance or brand, you may be interested in:
Tiptop Audio Mantis (2 x 104 HP)
Arturia RackBrute 6U (2 x 88 HP)
Behringer Eurorack Go (2 x 140 HP)
Doepfer A-100 LC6 (2 x 84 HP)
And of course keep your Subharmonicon in its box, needless to say :)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Thank you, All.
I am not racking the SubH, it's just there for representation (and I have a 60hp Moog rack for the top).
I do have another 104 skiff with 60hp available, so anything I put in here could join a Maths, Morphagene and Disting4.
Based on the feedback, I'll look for more utilities and moderators. Thank you!
