Ok, I want to start by saying that, as a noobie, I appreciate all of the perspective, especially on how to get the most out of the voice modules like the Mavis and BIA, as well as the helpful resources for learning more about various modular aspects.
I'm pasting below an update to my rig with the Mavis and a multi-fx (represent the MOOD pedal) outsourced from the palette case so that y'all can get a better image of the expanded system that I was alluding to. However, I realllly have to push back on this notion of an inevitably bigger case. I mentioned "financial and simplicity" as reasons before but this probably deserves to be expanded on, because it doesn't seem to have been taken very seriously, and I hope my own perspective on the creative process can help others that may have found themselves sliding down the slope of endless eurorack investment, or maybe even dragon chasing.
I'm attracted to eurorack for the same reasons I'm attracted to analog photography. The digital world has endless possibilities and I find this not just overwhelming but also uninspiring. I'm coming to eurorack to force myself to think more carefully about music. I want to find a balance between the sounds I'm imagining and the sounds that I can actually produce, as well as discover more creative ways to leverage the gear that I have - not just endlessly buy myself access to new approaches and sounds. I want the music to fundamentally emerge from the constraints, because the more severely that you are constrained, the more creative you have to be. As a noobie, I'm getting the sense that this has become somewhat lost on the eurorack community, but I understand how this can happen after years of investment and rabbit holes.
Obviously we're all fundamentally working with constrains in the eurorack ecosystem, and despite being able to create some really satisfying drones and with the Mavis, there's a reason why I'm planning to expand. I also desire more tones, textures, and flexibility, but the point that I want to say "enough" is probably a little sooner than most. I fully expect to gain interest in modules that won't fit in my case down the line by the way. This is when I will have to make some hard decisions about what to remove from the rack ;)
This is not to say that there is anything actually wrong with buying all the modules you desire. If you have the disposable income and inspiration, go for it. I simply don't want to spend my entire income on this hobby, and it's not how I like to work either. I'm also interested in more than just semi-modular because I want a unique system that I can modify as I go. I also really desire portability. I plan on hauling this system to some renegade parties that I host with friends, and so I want something that will fit in my backpack.
Treat your ears to the album Recur by Emptyset. I saw them perform and attended their forum at Moogfest in 2017 where they elucidated their process, and I found it really enlightening. They largely improvise their music and basically do each track in a single take. Much of what I've written about constraints was inspired by their talk, and their music also accomplishes things that I aspire toward. Despite my lack of experience, I hope that my approach can be respected.
the modular link above was displaying outdated to me for some reason, but in case that's the case for you as well, the following link is what I'm actually working with
https://imgur.com/a/jPjYSHD
With all of that said, I would really look forward to hearing what anyone thinks about the new 62(+)hp system that I've laid out. The Mavis will be in its own self-contained box and the Multi-FX 1U is representing the pedal(s) I can get. This system can now bring in MIDI (most likely from Orca https://100r.co/site/orca.html) with the 1U tile that replaces the attenuators (responsibility shifted to the O/A/X2), and samples can be brought in with the TipTop ONE. The old attenuator module that would have been my mixer has been replaced by a proper mixing module with an extra channel for the sampler (BIA+Mavis+samples), and I've included a bunch of other utility modules to modulate these three voices. Last but not least, Steppy has been replaced with the Mimetic Digitalis, as rightfully suggested.
I still have a lot of reading to do about all of these things but I suspect that the main source of learning will come from hand-on experience with these modules, so I don't really know how far in advance I can realistically plan, but I appreciate any additional input y'all might have :)
