hello, and a big ‘thank You!’, first of all, to any modular head who is bothering to read my thread and hopefully will be happy to give me some advice.
I have no experience regarding modular systems at all, and even though I’m very curious about them and wish to get into them proactively further down the line, at the moment it’s simply not an option due to the very limited financial resources and funds I have (or rather don’t have) available, so for the time being my concern is purely to be able to use the SAMPLE PLAYER MODULE “ONE” by TIPTOP AUDIO along the rest of my audio set up, which isn’t modular, and it is simply all fed into either an analogue or digital mixer, depending on the situation, which outputs to active speakers.
More specifically I guess what I need to know is
*how to supply power to the module (I’m based in UK but also travel to Europe regularly),
*how to get its levels right ( I know modular signals are hotter than usual line signals) so it can be inputted into the mixer,
*and perhaps how to be able to control it with another device, I imagine via Midi,
*as well as upgrading its firmware when it’ll be needed if that’s something relevant to modular setting?!
As mentioned what’s currently most important for me is to do the above in the cheapest way possible, but of course within this frame if there’s options that allow me to make this set up open for future modular development rather than not I’d definitely go for those options, though for instance if not having a case for the module for now doesn’t cause any safety issue I would be happy to do without until I won’t get more.
Can anybody spare a few moments to enlighten me and give me directions on the matter?
Ignorance isn’t always bliss, damn! :)
Thank Yous, a Gentle Werewolf


  1. Get a used Doepfer beauty case (https://www.thomann.de/de/doepfer_a100mc_raw.htm).
    They go used for ~50 EUR and include power for a handful of modules.

Or

  1. Construct a case from spare wood (see http://www.doepfer.de/a100_man/a100m_e.htm for dimensions) or cardboard (). Rails are usually required for that but you can get away with using wooden bars and wood screws to attach the modules with. Get a (used) uZeus PSU and module. You won't grow out of that as fast as with the Doepfer. Heck I even saw a rack made of wooden book shelfs with the modules screwed to them and bricks and tiles as spacers! I guess you can't go any cheaper than that.

To connect the module to your other stuff your mixer should have a -15/-20 db pad switch at its inputs. That should bring your module level to line level used elsewhere. To get outside signals up to modular level, your cheapest option would the headphone amp in your mixer I guess.


But conversely, if a used Akai S3000xl can be had for 120 UKP on eBay UK and a Doepfer A-100 LC1 48 hp cab alone costs 119 EUR, I'm not sure of why you'd go through with having just the ONE in a rack, even as a starter module. The Akai already has the signal level situation sorted, no issues with powering, deals with MIDI just fine, and does what the ONE does as well as quite a bit more. It sounds more to me like you'd be better off waiting until you can build up a system that's a lot more sonically open-ended in Eurorack, rather than just going with this single function which can be accomplished better and more self-contained in an easily-obtainable and inexpensive used rackmount sampler unit. Not saying 'don't' here, but just pointing out that there's other solutions outside of the modular synth box that you might find quite suitable.