ModularGrid uses so-called cookies to ensure it's so-called functionality. We also use dubious tracking scripts. Find out more in the Privacy Policy. We use cookies and wanna let you know.
Excellent. Going to look through the A140-1 review today.
You must be in the academic world in another life. Your reviews have all the signifiers of a dissertation. :)
On a related note, Garfield, I need to get your thoughts on the Doepfer monster cases. Will be upgrading soon and not sure which configuration I need. I know you are a Doepfer fan, so I’ll post a new thread soon with more context.
Thanks for your attention to detail in your reviews!
I had never heard of the CVilization so I checked it out. It looks super powerful, but I cannot stomach all of those hidden button combinations, and remembering what different colored lights signify, and short press vs. long press, etc. I know that I would never use 10% of its potential. That is definitely something to consider when planning your rack.
I'm like Jim. I tend to invest in modules that serve the function I use most in a multi-function module. When I'm recording, I like to be able to reach and just turn a single knob on the fly, not rack my brain to remember the esoteric button combos.
Either way, welcome to the forum/conversation. I think we're all so used to people sharing their racks here for the sole purpose of starting a conversation and getting guidance.
Branches might be neat for adding some random variation to your triggers, and something like the Klavis Mixwitch might be worth a look if you do decide to invest in a switch. The Mixwitch does a few different things in a small footprint. I've been amazed with the sounds I get out of QPAS if you decide to add another filter. I may have overlooked it, but something like a Doepfer A119 envelope follower might be useful if you are incorporating external drum machines... Just one of those utilities I didn't think I would use as much as I do.
Have fun and good luck.
A couple thoughts here: First, what kind of music are you hoping to make with this?
Second, you mentioned the "fun factor," which is my highest priority with my rack/music, and always what I encourage above all else. With the collection of modules you have here, do they all have the fun factor? I love Disting and Pam's, but they are not what I would consider fun modules. If you add uO_C to those two, you are REALLY getting away from on-the-fly tweakability due to the menu-driven set and forget nature of these modules. Is that the direction you want to go?
I have a few things that I would probably change about this for my personal tastes and goals, but I'll wait to recommend anything until you respond.
Have fun and good luck!
I’m with @troux 110%, unfortunately. This will be unusable and not much fun super quick.
I just looked through the other videos of the first artist, and he appears to have a much larger selection of synth gear to choose from. He just put together a tiny rack for a singular purpose (what Lugia calls “mission specific builds”). In this instance, the mission was a single short composition in a garden.
Without even basic functionality, I would say this is an unwise investment. Good luck, though. Let us know what you decide to do.
Well, here's where the "you need a bigger case" conversation starts. Haha
As you know, you are indeed limiting yourself from the start. Many of the tiny palette style cases are shallow, and so you are limiting the number of modules you can choose from. Once you factor in all of the ribbon power cables and flying bus cable, you very well may find that some of your modules won't fit (or won't fit where you want to place them). Also, limiting is the rack-wart power supply eating up valuable rack space... so, the choice is yours.
I know the aesthetics of the Moog case are tempting. An alternate consideration would be the 104hp Make Noise powered skiff. The power supply is built-in and plenty powerful, it's deeper (but not super deep), and you have a broader range of modules that you can choose from, depth- and hp-wise. Something to consider, anyway.
You are stepping into a world that offers a mind-boggling potential for sound sculpting, so I recommend taking advantage of that without placing any unnecessary limitations on yourself from the outset.
Have fun!
Seems like you have done your research and you are definitely on the right track. With something this small, you will probably want to pack as much functionality as possible into the small space without sacrificing playability and fun. There's a trade-off between tiny modules and the fun factor, so a balance of large and small will maximize functionality and ergonomics. You also will probably want to consider a few function-dense menu-driven modules that detract from the one knob one function approach, but give you lots of options.
Maths and Disting are almost "must haves" in your case, from my perspective anyway. You can do the subharmonicon patch with Maths and DFAM (see Loopop's video). Disting does a bit of everything, though only one at a time, so you can add oscillators, filters, effects, waveshaping, utilities, etc. depending on your needs. You have attenuverters included in Maths too.
Veils and Kinks are probably the route I would go for VCAs, logic, and S&H. Pons Asinorum is a cool multi-envelope generator/LFO in a small package. Pam's New Workout can do all kinds of neat clocked things.
Take a look at how I might approach your specific build below. I'm sure others may chime in with other ideas.
Have fun and good luck.
*Edit - Keep your mults outside of the case with those inexpensive little star-shaped external mults you can find at most modular retailers. You probably won't need a buffered mult at this point.
It may be worth taking a look at Noise Engineering's Numeric Repetitor and Zularic Repetitor.
I've been having a blast with the ZR in combination with some other gate sequencers.
These are interesting patches. The range of beautiful tones is impressive. Trying to think of the right adjective to describe your sound... “majestic,” maybe?
Great work!
This thread is a reminder that OPs should provide a little context for why they are posting the rack, what is owned/planned, style of music, etc. It's hard to provide any valuable guidance without this information. The people who hang out in forums like this (myself included) have a tendency to assume, make judgments, and offer repetitive advice based off past experience and personal preferences, not always the OP's needs.
Let's remember that this is a fun hobby for most people. This rack as displayed isn't an instrument that I would assemble in this way, but it's not an expensive mess to the OP. I'd like to offer any of my limited experience to help you make it the instrument you want it to be. Give us some context for what you are trying to do, and many of us will try to take an objective look at it.
Have fun and good luck.
This is great, Garfield. Very similar to the layout that I unconsciously ended up with in many ways. And I agree that this is an excellent primer for beginners in the types of necessary modules and functional grouping that should be considered when planning a larger rack.
I've been making some small tweaks to my layout, and even removed a few modules that weren't seeing any use (gasp Goodbye Clouds!). I've come to the conclusion that I will probably never finish tweaking it, as my needs change and I embark on different kinds of projects.
Thanks for putting this image together for us to consider. Have a great week.
Oh, wow. In addition to your excellent composition as always, the EQ, separation, and use of the stereo field are outstanding.
I have been eyeing both the Worng Soundstage for a while, and the new ALM variant. May have to make room in the rack.
Thanks for sharing!
I thought the Arturia Microfreak vocoder examples I heard were really good. It also has the MI Plaits oscillator firmware and CV I/O if I’m not mistaken. I believe I also saw something about a Microfreak collaboration between Arturia and Noise Engineering. Might be worth a look.
I would love to have a VC340. It really has that classic sound found on so many great albums.
I have not had much experience with the Novation gear in many years, probably since 2005, but I remember thinking the sounds were fairly high quality in that era of virtual analog.
Let your ears be your guide. :)
@GarfieldModular I seriously considered picking up a used Roland VP03 because it sounds pretty good, and I don’t have space to add a Behringer VC340. The Disting MK4 algorithm worked fairly well with very few concerns. I don’t need a vocoder too often, so it does the trick for me.
This creates a great mood. Excellent work.
I visited my friends in Leipzig a few years ago, and I could sense the "Ostalgie". In fact, I brought home a poster celebrating the beauty of industrial design in the DDR.
Just listened through some of your excellent soundscapes. Nice work.
Yes, Clouds is another module that I have found to be less useful than its reputation suggests. I still have one but it's on my chopping block. I'm anxious to see if the new version fits my needs.
Not sure if I have much more to add beyond the-erc and Lugia, but my experience was that I mostly had to dedicate myself to the modular format. Aside from a few specific external hardware pieces (one polysynth and a drum machine), I got rid of just about every other piece of hardware that didn't interface well with my rack. And I didn't feel like I could quite accomplish what I was trying to do until I had about 9u/104hp full, but that's just me. I especially second the-erc's suggestion to avoid your computer for a while. I also agree with Lugia that Maths probably isn't the best option here. Maths can do a lot, and it has many disciples, but it's not the best option for every circumstance regardless of the hushed tones and legendary status it encourages. For your style of music, I would probably be more likely to recommend Zadar or Octasource and a bunch of utilities (aka "boring modules," switches, sample and hold, 3xMIA, Disting, etc.) to get the most out of what you do have.
Dedicate time to learning what your modular can and can't do, and invest wisely in expanding its capabilities. Sometimes the format just isn't a good fit so don't throw more money at it if it's not working for your workflow. Above all, have fun with it.
Thorough reviews in a written format is an excellent idea @GarfieldModular. Just looking over your Waldorf review (wow!), I can see that this is a labor of love. I have always been an avid reader, and as much as I love DivKid and some of the other reviewers, I process things much differently when they are in-depth and written.
Thanks for doing this. Please share each new review.
I enjoy the X0X sequencing style, so if this was my system I would hold on to the TR09 at least. I take a hybrid approach to drums with a combination of euro and an RD8. The monosynth sounds are easier to replace in the rack, but something about the ease of sequencing with a hardware drum machine works for me.
But, I am of the opinion that it’s best to part with any gear you aren’t using. I don’t get sentimental about gear anymore. I know others here take a different approach. I figure you can always replace it if you feel like you made a mistake by selling it.
Thanks @the-erc. Gotta be honest, I have no clue how I would get a good overhead shot with the limited camera equipment I have. I’m 6’5”, so the tripod I have wouldn’t even get close if I’m standing instead of sitting. Haha
One of our supportive members here suggested I should do a live streamed set, so I did a little practice session. This is fully 100% improvised from a completely random starting point so I could practice digging myself out of a hole in a live situation if necessary. I just went with whatever was already patched. I got into some groovy places via some abstract noisy backroads. The distortion/noise about midway through is intentional. I was trying out drums through the Moffenmix cranked into the Erica Black mixer for some disgusting overdrive.
I definitely need new headphones because I was not getting an accurate picture of the volume of some elements (headphone recommendations welcome!). Mistakes and glitches are an honest part of the process, I guess.
I guess it's post-minimal, post-electro, post-techno, post-industrial, android jazz. It was a fun learning exercise. Thought some of you might enjoy it.
Yeah, they make some cool stuff for what seems to be a very fair price. Was kind of curious about them, so I may take a chance on ordering something soon. That mixer would be a good candidate.
Wow, this brings back memories of my first planned case. My first plan had many of these modules included. Let me just start by saying that you will almost certainly end up with a MUCH different collection and arrangement of modules than you have assembled here.
You are on the right track as far as case size if you really are committed long-term to putting a versatile rack together, but many of your modules have overlap (Shifty and uO_C, Branches and Marbles, for example), and some you have probably chosen because you see them in a lot of other racks. Maths is cool for its versatility and as a learning tool, but it's not always intuitive, and the same goes for Rampage. Could you get dedicated modules that achieve the specific functions you want? Or is the exploration more fun for you? You will probably want modules that have a wide range of patch points so you can modulate as many parameters as possible (i.e. "modulate the modulators").
You'll probably want to invest in Pamela's New Workout and the upcoming Clouds update instead of the older discontinued versions. Mults will be mega-useful, but try to keep them outside of the rack with those little in-line star-shaped splitter thingies so you don't take up limited rack space.
First and foremost, invest in a big case but only a few must-have modules. As soon as you start patching those first few modules, you will quickly realize what is missing for the sound you are trying to create. If you find yourself reaching for something that isn't there, that's the next module you should invest in. Do a LOT of research to avoid buying something that isn't going to do what you want. Wishful thinking will not make it fit into your sound and workflow. The more research you do, the fewer duds you will waste money and time on.
All of us here would likely recommend very different modules for generative patching, but the concepts of generative patching transcend specific modules or manufacturers. Check out mylarmelodies excellent video about generative patching ideas:
Go slow. This is a big investment, but above all, have fun!
