First Eurorack (Ambient/Drone). Any advise or criticism welcome.

I'm looking to purchase my first Eurorack with drone / ambient in mind.

Any advise or criticism before I purchase anything would be greatly appreciated!

I was considering using a Maths or Stages instead of a Quadrax. I know that Maths has a much longer LFO rate but it only offers two EG's / LFO's. Thoughts?

EDITED Apr 10th 2020, 19:14

Hmmm... Maths is a very flexible module. It really can do a lot (check out Loopop's YouTube videos), and would probably cover many of the functions of the Quadrax and Blinds. I've got both Quadrax and Maths in a larger case and I'm finding new uses all the time. You may find a Maths/Batumi combo valuable in this case instead of Quadrax/Blinds, but everyone works differently. Maths was not immediately intuitive for me, but I'm really appreciating it now.
I question the value of the Data in a small case. It's a lot of hp, but again you know your workflow and needs better than I do. The factory build of Clouds is discontinued and you will probably pay a premium for an original build. You may want to take a look at some of the smaller clones like the Monsoon if you want to save some money and space.
Finally, will you be relying on Marbles for all of your sequencing, or do you have an external sequencer? I would take a look at something like a Varigate 4+ if you want to do some more sequencing in the case. Adding some mults and switches might be something to look into as well.
I'm sure some of the other folks here will have other valuable advice for you. Good luck and have fun!

Maths is way more than 2 LFOs/EGs - it also has a mixer/attenuverter section that is really useful and take a look at the Maths Illustrated Manual for patch ideas

Data takes up quite a bit of space in a small case - I'd go for the tiptop Mantis instead of the Rackbrute - about the same price, but more space and no annoying power input module!!!

Other than that I would add utility modules - the dull polish that makes the shiny modules shine brighter - which are a fundamental part of a modular synthesizer that most newbs forget as they don't understand how to patch yet so fill their cases with expensive modules

There's definitely problems on the horizon here. Jim's comment about "utility modules" is a very good point; you have a lot of "sexy" here, but no "sauce", because the boring modules that bring the REAL voodoo are missing. Also, loads of this could (and SHOULD) be reduced in size by using third-party builds for the Mutable stuff, which would also provide more space for the utilities, and by simply using smaller versions of the same ideas you have present. Presuming that this is a RackBrute 6U, you just don't have the room you need in 2 x 88 hp to do too much given the way things are going here. And yeah, if you opt for a different case with more room, you'll get a lot closer to the direction you're aiming for here. Remember, the Rackbrute was primarily intended as an expansion for the MicroBrute 2 and 2s, so it doesn't have to be huge because you'd have a whole other synth to patch into.

One other caveat that I seem to be giving more and more as of late: if you've not spent a MONTH or two (or more!) fiddling with, studying, and refining builds on MG, you're nowhere near the stage of dropping a wad of cash on the physical device. ModularGrid IS NOT a video game; you get no bonuses for trying to "speedrun" this process. There are loads of negatives that WILL crop up from trying to get everything right on your first MG builds, all of them rather expensive. Take this slowly, examine everything more carefully, and research deeper. You'll get a better result from it.

Hmmm... Maths is a very flexible module. It really can do a lot (check out Loopop's YouTube videos), and would probably cover many of the functions of the Quadrax and Blinds. I've got both Quadrax and Maths in a larger case and I'm finding new uses all the time. You may find a Maths/Batumi combo valuable in this case instead of Quadrax/Blinds, but everyone works differently. Maths was not immediately intuitive for me, but I'm really appreciating it now.
I question the value of the Data in a small case. It's a lot of hp, but again you know your workflow and needs better than I do. The factory build of Clouds is discontinued and you will probably pay a premium for an original build. You may want to take a look at some of the smaller clones like the Monsoon if you want to save some money and space.
Finally, will you be relying on Marbles for all of your sequencing, or do you have an external sequencer? I would take a look at something like a Varigate 4+ if you want to do some more sequencing in the case. Adding some mults and switches might be something to look into as well.
I'm sure some of the other folks here will have other valuable advice for you. Good luck and have fun!
-- farkas

You can only use maths as a single attenuverter if you need to use channel 3 as the offset though, right?

I placed the Data in the rack, however, it's something that I would only intend to get much further down the line.

I knew that Clouds was discontinued, however, the module sold well so I presumed that there would be loads of them kicking around on the second hand market. I didn't think about the prices though so I should look into that.

I want to do all of the sequencing inside the rack. Are you suggesting a Varigate 4+ in addition or replacement to the Marbles? Just checking that module out now.

I didn't add any mults because I was intending to use stackable cables but yeah a basic Doepfer switch would be a good idea.

Maths is way more than 2 LFOs/EGs - it also has a mixer/attenuverter section that is really useful and take a look at the Maths Illustrated Manual for patch ideas

Data takes up quite a bit of space in a small case - I'd go for the tiptop Mantis instead of the Rackbrute - about the same price, but more space and no annoying power input module!!!

Other than that I would add utility modules - the dull polish that makes the shiny modules shine brighter - which are a fundamental part of a modular synthesizer that most newbs forget as they don't understand how to patch yet so fill their cases with expensive modules
-- JimHowell1970

I know that Maths offers more versatility - I was just referencing 2 vs 4 in terms of cost per LFO/EG, if that makes sense?

I placed the Data in the rack but it's something that I would only intend to get much further down the line.

I like the design of the Rackbrute and can get it £70 cheaper than the Mantis but you make a good point about the extra HP.

What utility modules would you recommend based on what you think my rack is missing? Thanks in advance!

I want to do all of the sequencing inside the rack. Are you suggesting a Varigate 4+ in addition or replacement to the Marbles? Just checking that module out now.

-- WeAreTheProject

I would think a Varigate 4+ for more predictable sequencing and Marbles for random duties, so both together would probably be a fun combo.

There's definitely problems on the horizon here. Jim's comment about "utility modules" is a very good point; you have a lot of "sexy" here, but no "sauce", because the boring modules that bring the REAL voodoo are missing. Also, loads of this could (and SHOULD) be reduced in size by using third-party builds for the Mutable stuff, which would also provide more space for the utilities, and by simply using smaller versions of the same ideas you have present. Presuming that this is a RackBrute 6U, you just don't have the room you need in 2 x 88 hp to do too much given the way things are going here. And yeah, if you opt for a different case with more room, you'll get a lot closer to the direction you're aiming for here. Remember, the Rackbrute was primarily intended as an expansion for the MicroBrute 2 and 2s, so it doesn't have to be huge because you'd have a whole other synth to patch into.

One other caveat that I seem to be giving more and more as of late: if you've not spent a MONTH or two (or more!) fiddling with, studying, and refining builds on MG, you're nowhere near the stage of dropping a wad of cash on the physical device. ModularGrid IS NOT a video game; you get no bonuses for trying to "speedrun" this process. There are loads of negatives that WILL crop up from trying to get everything right on your first MG builds, all of them rather expensive. Take this slowly, examine everything more carefully, and research deeper. You'll get a better result from it.
-- Lugia

Thank you for your recommendation regarding the MI clones. I notice that some of the clones have less HP but not all of them. Presumably, all of the clones are identical in processing and the only difference is aesthetic and layout?

The Rackbrute case is somewhat modular in that you can add another 6U to it later. I could use the TipTop Mantis which offers more HP but you can't stack another one vertically later. I guess it's just a matter of trade-offs.

Do you have any recommendations regarding utility modules that you think the rack lacks? Thanks in advance!

EDITED Apr 10th 2020, 23:43