Thanks Garfield,
Yeah, I am getting the new modules dialed in. Rossum Trident pairs well with Rossum Morpheus Z Plane filter for infinite soundscapes and WMD Metron is great for percussion. Still learning what works well for dance focused music so that I can do live shows after COVID lockdowns end. Of all the modules, so far, the Rossum Mob of Emus is the most difficult to learn. It can be a hex oscillator, LFOs, envelopes and lots of crazy stuff.
Get a much larger case you will need it. Something like the Mantis case is affordable or you can get a Doepfer 9u suitcase.
A wacky mix I came up with last night
I would never do this with Elektron or computer as fun!
Had fun getting some acid bass
Not to hijack the thread or anything but modules from IME/Harvestman and Schlappi Engineering are superb for the classic NIN/Reznor sound. I have been using Hertz Donut, Kermit, and 100 Grit with Angle Grinder for some amazing industrial sounds.
Intellijel Quad VCA is super awesome for VCA module. I have no experience with ALM Busy Circuits Tangle Quartet but that looks super duper for VCA as well.
Agree 100% with Jim.
For modulation, I am having a blast with Acid Rain Technology Maestro it gives you 6 channels of modulation goodness and lets you record and chain patterns of LFOs in various formats. It is great for live performance and really fun to use!
I use kinks/links and WMD/SSF toolbox for a lot of utility functions. Those are great in little HP for a smaller setup.
Mixers- lots of choices based on budget and size. Befaco STMix is really nice and same with Happy Nerding makes on as well.
I use an Intellijel Mixup in my travel case.
I highly recommend Batumi for LFO that thing rocks especially with the Poti expander. Utilities- agree with Jim here: kinks/links is great combo and I also recommend SSF/WMD Toolbox. Toolbox is a small module power packed with all sorts of goodies like comparator, switch, logic and so forth. For VCA- the Intellijel Quad VCA is really good and super easy to use. Pam is a great clock and can do other tricks up her sleeve like random sequences and Euclidian patterns. A good mixer would be Mixup by Intellijel or perhaps a 4 channel mixer like Qu-bit Mixology.
I found larger case good start point as you will outgrow the small case fast! I filled up two Doepfer 6u cases and use those for travel now. The Mantis cases are great.
@the-erc sounds good you found what works for you which is key. I like the Befaco ST mixer my buddy has that I checked out this weekend for a small eurorack mixer. Also was impressed with his Befaco Kickall bass drum. Befaco makes great stuff and can do DIY if so inclined as well.
I would get the WMD Performance mixer if you have the budget. That is the mixer on my wish list as the ones I have thus far like Befaco Hexmix, Intellijel Mixup, and XAOC Devices Praga are so-so and not that great for larger modular drum setups. Well Befaco is great but needs the expansion add on to be great.
Gotcha, well I know Ableton the best of my DAW so will stick that. Plus I can figure out how to integrate my Ableton Push MIDI controller with modular.
Thanks Lugia,
I will use Ableton then until I find a better DAW option. I know that some pros use Logic like Alessandro Cortini of NIN fame who has tons of modular systems.
So today my new laptop arrived and I am looking for a good DAW to use instead of Ableton or Cubase for recording direct from modular to PC. Figure it would be great to get serious about recording stuff for later use in music to audio files.
Thanks Garfield,
Yeah it is great to have one place for all my gear now. I am working on building some templates for self generative and techno/dance music. My next module will be WMD Performance mixer and more tools. I do like what I see from the Erica Synths Black Sequencer and Vector sequencer.
Fun experiment today
I realize the need for a larger mixer in rack. Probably get HRAD expander when in stock and WMD Performance Mixer.
Wowzer Lugia this was a super deep treatise on generative music and synths! I'd love to see a patch guide example to help budding self generative acolytes like myself apply this to our modular systems. My large system has plenty of LFO, VCAs, sequencers and logic modules and even a comparator now. I hope someday to see a book and video series on modular synthesis from you and I'd definitely buy it. I'm finding modules like Mutable Instruments Marbles, Acid Rain Maestro and WMD SSF Toolbox great items to help with self generative music creation on modular.
Great question Garfield,
I would have to wear each on a scale and find out. The MDLR feels heavier as it is solid birch wood than the Doepfer monster case.
The Doepfer base/monster were expensive together cost close to $2800 but with discount cost me about $2300 and not cheap but I figure for all those expensive modules the solid power supplies and case will be worth it. Now I won't have to buy another case for a while until I fill up the 300+ HP and 140HP in the 6u case free.
Thanks @Lugia,
Yeah love having it all in one place and infinite patch options. Now I can really sink my teeth deeper into modular and not buy another module for a long time. The Doepfer rig is quite portable and has great covers/handles to take on the road. I know a guy with two monster cases who does events and he has a very impressive rig. They are expensive but I bought mine on sale and Detroit Modular has point discount program so I saved over $300 for a new monster case. For large travel case, the MDLR 12u is hard to beat. I would however get a lighter case like the Amalgamod or NONO Lander Two 104HP 9U Modular Case for less money that still gives over 200HP for mobile power.
Thanks Garfield,
I plan to keep the MDLR case next to the Doepfer monster case, and use the mostly empty 6u Doepfer case for jams and travel.
I can throw in Queen of Pentacles and Ground control in the 6u case and maybe a good mixer and some utilities and a complex oscillator and have enough to jam and do sets without killing my back carrying the MDLR case which is heavy! I do have a hand cart so could use that also for the MDLR case.
Thanks, yeah it is huge and lot of room to expand. The great thing about Doepfer cases are that they have nice metal locking covers and handles so with a hand cart, one can transport them around fairly easily. I do have my Doepfer 6u suitcase for jams now so that can make life easier when I do jams at local clubs and friends' places. It also helps me stop G.A.S. to focus on mastering my gear and create fun tracks. Here is a quick ambient jam I made to test the case after moving modules over:
So even after moving my dozen or so modules from 6u case and base case to the monster, I still have 300+ HP left over to grow!
While I would love to get 4ms Spherical Wavetable Navigator & Spectral Multiband Resonator (SMR) plus Xaoc Devices Odessa & Belgrad and lots more, I will slow down and create patches with this monster and my MDLR case and perhaps add few modules at end of the year. I do need more long patch cables to reach between cases however. Also getting Mutable Instruments Beads/Blades would be awesome to feed into Rings and Marbles for ultimate ambient patches.
Very cool and I just put most of my 6u modules into my new monster case so now all my modules in one place for easy patch access. Really love the combo of Doepfer 12u monster base with 12u monster case. Tons of room on base for sequencers and mixers and have room to expand. However, now that I have a lot of modular stuff, I need to process and dig deeper into my setup! I am still learning how to make use of complex modules like Rossum Mob of Emus and Acid Rain Maestro and how to tie my sequencers together to create fun submixes and chains of patterns.
Always get a bigger case/power supply than you think you will need! I started small with 6U case but realized that I needed a monster base case with 12u monster case after a year.
I would pass on the Disting- I have one and it is a big pain to use. Maybe because the encoders are tricky to get to do what I want and the vast number of algorithms packed into it make the UI not that great. For a drum sampler, my choice would be something like Erica Synths drum sampler.
how lovely! I really like marbles and have been using mine as well for ambient stuff.
Today, I finally got my new monster case and placed most stuff in base/monster case so can patch all together. Works great and now I have millions of possible options:
Plus room to grow in the future even. But for now before I buy any more modules, I want to see what music is possible with my setup all together in one space. I do need longer patch cables now to reach the monster case to the base as well as more to patch to the MDLR 14u case and some 1/4 inch to eurorack cables of course. Doepfer makes great cases.
I created this fun ambient session today after moving the modules out of my 6U Doepfer case to my new monster case:
New Doepfer monster case arrived and should have plenty of room for my modules and room to grow for a while hehe:
That should put my GAS at bay for while and focus on patching and mastering what I have now to create some interesting tracks and beats and more intricate patching opportunities. I have plenty of utilities and modulation now but could benefit from another mixer and sequencer and who knows?
@TumeniKnobs that is where I am at. When my 12U Doepfer monster case arrives hopefully this week, I plan to put my modules all in one spot and then just have the monster case/base and MDLR 14u in same area for patch opportunities. I would wait on the Stillson Hammer, as Scott has a new MK3 version coming out soon. Erica Black Sequencer looks great but wait for few firmware updates to fix the bugs as it is too new. The 512 Vector sequencer with expander is super expensive but that or a Cirklon would be the ultimate sequencer for me.
Lapsos Os and Planar 2 on my list plus Verbos mini horse
I love joystick and touch sensitive modules like Planar, 0-ctrl and Tetrapad. Hands on and loads of fun!
I have these except for Planar but tried one at friends place and it is better than my Befaco Joystick which is so-so.
Thanks Garfield,
The sound around 5:40 is the kick bass drum from the Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter! One of the best modules around since it can generate lots of various tones from kick drums to cymbals to acid bass lines. I sequence it with Winter Modular Eloquencer that is my favorite modular sequencer in my setups thus far. Sorry about my voice it was muffled and I need to fix that in future videos. I ordered the Doepfer A-100PMS12sw [PSU3] Monster case that should give me another 672HP of space to move my modules from my Doepfer 6U case to this one and free up the base case for more sequencers, mixers, effects and utilities of course. However the Mackie FX on the external mixer are really quite fantastic so those work well plus the FX in my rack. I like to create submixes and subsequences to spice patches up quite a bit.
I did a quick jam with base case and new mixer.
Once my new monster case arrives, I will add rest of modules in one place to have complex patches create cool tunes.
I plan to put my Doepfer 6u modules in the monster case on the way once it arrives and then use base case for mixers and sequencers. I also put my 14 U MDLR case in the same area so lets me create some fun patches in one spot.
Depends on your needs and budget. I started with a Korg SQ-1 sequencer with my first modular setup then progressed to in rack sequencers. Korg is ok but I much prefer my Eurorack sequencers like Eloquencer, Metron and Stillson Hammer now. I just ordered a new Doepfer 12U Monster case to stack on my Doepfer monster base case and reorganize my modular setup now that I have larger studio space. I probably will wait to end of year to order new mixers, sequencer and few more drum/voice modules plus more utilities like attenuator/attenueverts and so forth. One thing that I learned was to order the BIGGEST case and power you can afford as a beginner as you will quickly grow. I still have my 6u cases to throw a few modules in for jams in town once Covid ends and portable 14U MDLR case but that case is HEAVY and needs a tray to cart around.
Same here and now that Endorphin.es Ground Control has finally launched that interests me more as a sequencer.
From my personal experience the only modular brand that has sucked in terms of poor support has been MALEKKO!
Everytime I called/emailed them there was ZERO and I do mean ZERO response. BOO! Not sure why they stink so bad?
Other modular companies that I contacted like Intellijel, Make Noise, WMD, and Noise Engineering always helped me patiently with my questions and support issues. Heck, I even had Scott Jaeger of IME/Harvestman and Rick Burnett of Erogeneous Tones reply to my emails directly. At least my Malekko modules still work. I love my dual Borg filter.
I have both an Eloquencer and a Metron sequencer, and I believe that you can set gate length on both sequencers.
WMD Metron gate patterns with burst and gate modes:
On the eloquencer you can set gate length for entire track or per gate step even.
Yeah that is great idea Garfield! More eggs and use the egg cartons and foam for cheap solution.
Love the Mackie mixer will let me daisy chain my gear together and free up slots for jam buddies to contribute.
I need to sample some gunshots from the local gun range in the future to add the hardcore industrial ambience now that my new studio is quieter hehe.
Thanks for the tips on the studio monitors. I will get some as I plan to use a smaller enclosed room as my mixdown studio and recording wise. I'd bounce to Vegas now to scoop up those deals but with a broken ankle, still limited on getting around. Probably once it is healed would be worth a trip also to race a Lambo on the race track there and shoot some machine guns to record for my downtown ambient vibe that I no longer get at the new much quieter place hehe!
Thanks Garfield,
Yeah, it is great having a ton of space and options now with no limits. The mixer in the video is a Mackie ProFX16v3 16-channel Mixer with USB and Effects. It is super awesome and I needed a much larger mixer to accomodate fellow musicians who visit and more gear. The level of control and FX options are superb in this affordable mixer. As my studio grows, larger mixers become essential equipment. The JBL 5 inch monitors are LOUD for a small speaker. I still need to assemble two studio desks to place more gear in the same area. At this point, I may also use another room or two for recording quiet mixing studio room as it is more enclosed and would lend itself perfect for sound treatment. Lots of egg crate sound proofing material to be purchased for sure to avoid the loud echo in the rooms.
My new 16 channel Mackie mixer and JBL monitors arrived and had fun messing about today in new studio space.
I may use another part of the house eventually but these areas are great for folks to come over and jam and with the 16 channel mixer can easily accomodate friends with modular synths. A quick demo
Now it is not a Mozart performance just mess around try the various presets and FX from the new Mackie mixer and JBL monitors. Amazing how loud 5 inch studio monitors can sound!
Good stuff and I need to keep an eye on those mixing desks that Lugia talked about. Not sure where to locate one here in northern California. I did get some new JBL 5 inch monitors with stands and they sound amazing for a low cost affordable studio speaker. Also have two new desks to assemble for my home studio. At least new house has lots of space for studio gear and no more gun shots or homeless all over the bloody place! Whew such a relief. At least I can record pure modular now. I do need to get some acoustic treatment egg crate stuff to put on the walls to keep the massive echo effect from ruin my video recordings. Maybe setup my camera instead of iphone as well.
Hi all,
I have finally moved into a much larger house with tons of new extra studio space for my modular gear! Looking for ideas and tips for the following:
ok cool - it's great to hear that!!!!
now stop seeing the 3 cases as separate instruments and see a single modular synthesizer - then combine sequencers!!! - I'd use the euclidian circles to clock nearly everything including the sequencers!
-- JimHowell1970
Indeed and once I get moved into my new studio space, then I will have my setups organized and connected better. I plan to have a large wall of modular! Then I can sequence my sequencers from all three racks in harmony. Maybe get the large 14u doepfer monster case to put on top of my base case and then I won't run out of room for at least another year. Probably add a few smaller palette cases and another 7U case for travel jams. I do like what I see in the new Erica Synths Black Sequencer, Vector and new Intellijel Metropolix sequencers that offer different things.
instead of chasing functionality of different sequencers - have you considered combining the sequencers you have into a complex sequencer?
-- JimHowell1970
Yes, indeed I have and do this already. I feed external clock from Eloquencer to my Varigate 4+ and use these in my base case and have fun with the tonal variations. On my smaller 6u case, I feed PNW into Mimetic Digalis and mix that with Euclidian Circles for beats. Then modulate it like crazy with Batumi and Quadrax!
For my MDLR 14u case, I use a combination of WMD Metron with Stillson Hammer MK2, Acid Rain Maestro and Rossum mob of emus for pure chaos. This is tons of fun because I can cross modulate with infinite options and flexibility. Maestro has multiple swim lane channels of pattern modulation that can be saved as presets sort of and used with other modules. Mob of Emus has crazy options as well.
So for now, I really don't need any more sequencers as I have a real powerhouse arsenal of sequencers and modulators to my heart's content! I am soo glad that I took your advice to invest in support modules like VCAs, attenuators/attenuverters, mults, logic, matrix mixer, sequential switches and so forth as they come in super useful for patches. At first I had no idea what to do with them but over time, they are used in most patches for random generative stuff.
Hi there and I am new since last year with similar goals.
Here are my recommendations and tips:
Filters- I like Harvestman/IME Bionic Lester since it has lots of infinite tone shaping options plus use presets
as well as lots of filter types from high pass to band pass. Another candidate would be Dual Borg love that filter.
Sequencers- super important I found for melodic options. I have a lot and found something like Eloquencer or Black Sequencer or Vector to be ideal because you can create and save presets for your melodic patches as well as create random, reverse and quantized scales without needing a separate quantizer module.
Utilities/tools- the less fun but crucial modules. You want mults, VCAs, sequential switch, logic all key for crafting unique patches. I like the Mutable Instruments Kinks and Links pair of modules for this in a small setup. Our very own @JimHowell1970 here turned me on to these functional modules and I have zero regrets. Another fun support module that I like is Tool Box from WMD/SSF which adds spice in small rack as it has logic, rectify, compare and switch all in one small HP module! Attenuators are super useful especially when using percussion and melodic patches. I like my WMD 4TTEN module since it has 4 sliders that are super ace for live performance with patches that can let you play your modular controls like an instrument.
Mixers- I started with a small 8 channel external K-mixer and love it but once I got a mixer dedicated for in box eurorack, I was hooked! Nothing beats the flexibility and ability to mix cv and audio in your case. I am a big fan of WMD Performance Mixer and Befaco Hex mixer and been having fun with my XAOC Devices Praga mixer. For a small mixer, I like my Intellijel Mixup and you can chain them together as well for larger mixer.
@ural, nice yeah I am trying to decide between the Erica Synths Black Sequencer and Vector with expander for my next modular sequencer. I really like the workflow of my Winter Eloquencer and being able to see 8 tracks at once of patterns and quickly change them on the fly instantly as well as save presets, chain songs, and so forth.
Depends, if you already have similar modules like Plaits or Rings and don't have the Mimeophon or Desmodus then go for the effect module. Picking between Mimeophon and Desmodus is more difficult which is why I ended up getting both. Mimeophon can do more but Desmodus is way easier to use as a beginner to modular. All three are great modules! I have Plaits, Rings, Mimeophon and Desmodus and now I really want Beads aka Clouds v2 so that I can feed it into Rings for the old muff wiggler meme.
Cool. I still want a real Buchla and Serge panel one day. Would be fun to combine with eurorack.
Yes, definitely add me. I am working on new tracks using modular as foundation. So far, I can cut techno, house and ambient songs easier now that I have a decent sequencer.
