I know I know... antoher guy getting some advice to complete his eurorack.

Hi there!
I want to use Mantis from TipTop to build my first rack. My idea is getting some kind of sound closer to Andy Stott's music, but open to other styles too (ambient, dub, electro). So my approach is this. Suggestions are welcome. And sorry if I missed any important module or feature totally required. Thank you!

oh look and here's the actual link:

hexmix seems like overkill...

only 1 very large sound source?

only 1 very large effect?

possibly too much modulation...

not enough utilities besides the huge mixer...

rosie is discontinued (I think) & do you really need an output module? maybe not

black maths is kinda unobtanium unless you buy a shared system...

I'd suggest taking a look at my signature and spending some time thinking about it and how it relates bith to your rack and mission statement...

I think that you should spend more time planning and thinking, please don't buy stuffs yet , you would be disappointed. you have one voice and 3 expensive filters, that' like setting money on fire.
hexmix is also no right for such a small system.
what about you buy a cheap osc, a cheap filter, a cheap vca, as many utilities as possible and you learn from there ?
shapeshifter is nice but is definitely a complex module. chose one (or better two) cheap osc ?
remove two filters.
what's the plan for sequencing ?

do you know synthesis ? did you consider a semi modular ?
something like a beastep and a behringer crave, k2, or neutron ? that would help you building some basics.
a arturia minibrute 2s would also be a smart starting setup me thinks...

ask for more advices, read, test stuffs, and try not to spend too much money for now!

EDITED Dec 8th 2023, 19:15

I've spent some time studying how does it works a modular system based on sustractive synthesis. Understand the basics components through VCV rack has been a part of my time too.

So, in my unexperience perspective, the main problem is to choose the right modules to create a eurorack system oriented to the music the I want to get.
Because there're a lot of offer, brands and modules doing several functions at the same time, I mean, not just working as a simple VCA o EG, for example.
Some of them, gather a bunch of fuctions that I don't know if these fits well, probably not. And that's my problem.

Using the Mantis case to house the modules, and with a more or less clear idea about the sound I want to achieve. What would be your suggestions keeping this in mind: sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities?

Thanks a lot!

EDITED Dec 9th 2023, 18:51

the besst thing to do in many ways is to start with very little - ie a minimum viable synth... a sound source, a modulation source, a sound modifier, a way to play and a way to listen... plus maybe a basic utility...

so:

sound source - literally any will do - plaits clones are popular - as they have a lot of variety

modulation source - pams or maths are both great - although both complex (in different ways) - 1 is programmable with a simple menu system - the other is programmable with patch cables (this is a very powerful method and will transfer to all patching - see the 'maths illustrated supplement for further details - but really requires a lot of deep thought about what, when and how to get the most out of it)

a sound modifier - a low pass filter is a good start - doepfer make some inexpensive classics - moog, wasp, sem etc... and a multifx is another useful choice if you want to push the boat out a bit further - I'd go fx aid pro (screen exponentially improves the user experience)

a way to play - if the modulation source is Pams - then that can be a good start - it can do quantized stepped random pitch - otherwise it really depends on you...

a way to listen - a quad cascading vca such as a veils clone is a great starting point, although probably mono - which isn't really that big a deal - it will do the job and always be useful!

an utility - a module that can do attenuation/inversion/offset/mixing is also a good investment - possibly the best is the happy nerding 3 * mia - but there are others...

learn these modules inside and out and once you have done that (probably weeks, if not months) start adding slowly, 1 or 2 modules at a time, and repeating... try to keep a note of what you are missing as you go...

hope this helps...

Hello @melero,
Here is an example of a rack that sort of hybridizes what @JimHowell1970 suggested and what you originally presented, as I'm guessing those were modules that are appealing to you.
I did swap out some modules that I thought might be better options, in my opinion: MIDI Thing -> Mutant Brain, Quadra and expander -> Quadrax and expander (Quadra is out of production), Magneto -> Sealegs (again, just an opinion, but I think Sealegs will be more interesting and friendly, especially when starting out). I also added a Mix 3 (to mix Shapshifter's waveforms before going into the filter), and an Out V3 (not everyone thinks an "output" module is necessary, but I do like them personally, and the headphone out and cue option is nice too). I think this build will give you an interesting and fun synth voice to really delve deep into for a long time.

You could, of course, strip things back more at first to make the setup simpler and/or less expensive. For example, take out the Quadrax and expander, take out the Mutant Brain if MIDI connectivity isn't an absolute must have, swap out Shapeshifter, Evolution, and Sealegs for less expensive/simpler options, like the excellent ones Jim suggested in his post.

I hope some of that is helpful!

Wow, thank you so much @Chace and @JimHowell1970. This really does help me. At first, I'm going to analyze what @JimHowell1970 tells me. I think it's true that Shapeshifter has a lot of complexity, although wavetable synthesis is something I want to study in detail. But Plaits is a good starting point too, and highly versatile. The important thing for me is going to be maintaining the balance between a versatile system and the initial investment in modules. I will tell you about my progress and doubts.
Thanks again.