Not too shabby, nope. One recommendation I'd suggest for augmenting the CV/mod manipulation would be, when it finally hits the stores, the Tiptop/Buchla 257t. Loads of abuse potential for this...
VCAs...well, if you want versatile, Veils has that. The ability to sweep between linear and logarithmic responses is a huge plus, and the design itself is so good that...well, lookit all the clones! But at 10 hp for a quad VCA mixer, how can you go wrong? But if we're talking about only linear VCAs, a big fave is Happy Nerding's 3XVCA. Unfortunately, some butthurt jackass decided it would be a good idea to start a war with Ukraine, so if/when we get more of HN's stuff is very up in the air.
If you have a cab or power supply that has no indicators for the DC rails, I STRONGLY recommend keeping 1 hp open for a KonstantLabs PWRchekr. It's small, it's cheap, and it lets you know if you're having DC rail issues.
Mixing utilities: there's two mixers that I like for altering/mangling modulation signals, depending on how much space I'm dealing with. And those are the Tiptop MISO and Frap's 321. These give the best ratio of usefulness to cost on something that many users unfortunately ignore, that being a way to get a lot more mod signals out of just a couple of modulation modules. Paired with a couple of linear VCAs, this is the quick and simple (and if you use a dual Veils clone VCA to pair with the 321, also very SMALL) way to get at that.
And of course, one of the best purveyors of useful utes has got to be Ladik. 4 (or multiples thereof) hp form factors, cheap prices...that's a win. Especially their voltage "reading" modules, which output a gate depending on the input and module behavior. If you're doing heavy sequencing, or especially generative, their stuff has plenty of the "tricks" needed.
That would be seriously bad news :-(
-- GarfieldModular
No joke. Losing Mutable would be just....AAAGHH! I can see a lot of the reasons, too. So it makes some sense on a basic level, but still...damn...
See @Vow3ll above. I generally don't advocate putting devices in an Eurorack cab if they've already got a cab and power of their own. Plus, you're taking up a TON of space doing this...with three Moogs in there, you're using nearly half of the cabs' panel space for just those three. Save that space for devices that have NO cab and NO power of their own. Then, as @sacguy71 notes, the "helper" modules you need will have space in the build, which will then benefit both the Eurorack build AND the Moogs once they're out of there.
And that's without even going into the cost-per-hp thing.
Very doubtful...I would HOPE! Actually, this resembles what happened when Clouds got discontinued. A few years pass...and then we got the even more powerful Beads. Emilie's just trying to keep up with that good ol' Moore's Law, I'm betting.
+1 on this for great justice! Also, folks...keep in mind that we have some amazing module designers and firms in Ukraine, and those people need all the props we can give. Russia, as well...hopefully those developers were able to get out before everything started going to hell over there; I know Roman @ Sputnik/Black Corp. dipped outta there, for example, although that might've been a bit ago.
War is one of the most antithetical things to music that I can think of. Period. Nobody needs it. Especially a certain balding neo-dictator trying to up his cred...no matter which one of a specific two that we're talking about here.
Ladik just doesn't get enough love. No, they don't sell via stores. No, they're not super-fast. But if you need some really esoteric modules for a price that doesn't make your wallet spontaneously combust, they're those dudes. F'rinstance, this: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ladik-c-015 Gateable slew limiter, selectable portamento direction, selectable linear/logarithmic slew curves, and so on...and it's only $80. For all that, $80 is stoopid-cheap.
Even moreso, they've got modules that just don't readily exist in Eurorack...this: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ladik-j-110-derivator is a module that outputs a gate that's dependent on CV movement direction. Yeah, you could cobble up something that does this...but it won't do it in 4 hp, and it won't do it for $56. And for generative, this plus some Boolean logic would drop some serious power into a generative-style build. Ladik's no joke, folks.
Chords and polyphony in this build size just ain't happening. You could get a psuedo-chord memory-ish thing going with a few oscillators, but you can't possibly jam everything needed into a cab even twice this size. Or rather, you COULD...but the resulting control surface would be a nightmare!
I would suggest not looking at "voices" here. Instead, treat the entire thing as a "voice" of its own sort in amongst the rest of your production. Also, redundancy isn't a bad thing...it just depends on which modules you're talking about. 2-3 VCOs = good. 2-3 filters = OK. 2-3 Marbles = don't do that. Anything that you can detune or tamper with works nicely here (hence the multiple VCO suggestion). But in the end, systems like this are best for creating the "backdrop" for tracks...the atmospherics and such that "glue" a production together.
So...I banged around with this for a bit, see what you think. The idea here was to fill the cab out with supporting modules, and in the process a couple of the top row modules got bumped, mainly due to the picks being less useful than...well, have a look:
TOP: With the exception of the Ochd at the left end (that was where it had to go), this is all audio. Two Plaits, for the reason mentioned above. Then I added a Veils for VCA control over the oscillator outs, which is also useful in that the module's mixbus can be "broken" into 1 + 3 or 2 + 2 configurations, depending on what you're cooking up. This then has a choice of VCFs: either the Ripples clone or the Rings clone. Or run one into the other. No real rules on that. The VCFs sum via the Doepfer mixer, then this feeds the LEFT in on the Beads, which can generate a stereo result from a mono input. And that stereo goes out to the Befaco OUT, which has your isolated 1/4" outputs plus your headphone preamp and your overall stereo output level.
BOTTOM: First up, better MIDI interface that still takes MIDI and USB, but has a more comprehensive feature set AND less depth than the original Doepfer module. Then Pam's. Pam's lets you tamper with overlapping gates and such, which is why the Deep Thought is after this to provide alternate clocking signals, etc derived from Boolean operators working with the overlapping gate functions. Then Marbles, which is a primary "generative" device that can work on/with random inputs, ordering those into coherent CV streams. Maths follows, then a Frap 321 and a Doepfer A-130-2 dual VCA so that you have the ability to mix, modify, and level control your modulation signals. Then I put in a Zadar as the primary EG; no room for the Nin expander, but that should be OK here. Then a 1 hp blank followed by a KonstantLabs PWRchekr which lets you see the health of your DC rails.
By splitting the row functions, this gives you a very clear left-to-right flow for your audio path. Then modulation signals can come up from the lower row to affect that. Very clean, easy to sort out...which should be the way you WANT this to turn out. True, this might be better done in a 2 x 104 hp cab like a Mantis, but for right now...and since you've apparently got some hardware already, let's see how this feels.
+1 on that Trogotronic P/S. It might be spendy, but it's capable of powering a HUGE system...or a small one with very little load and, ergo, little heat due to the load vs. capacity. You could easily power several rows of 104 hp with that!
Yeah, an analog computer. A brand NEW one, too. Now, for some time I've been holding onto some semi-working surplus Systron-Donner 3300s, with the idea that I might be able to use them with some major modifications, building ONE functioning machine out of all three. But this had issues...the most disturbing one being that these had a +/-100V operating level. Plug that into a Eurorack module and watch the fireworks!
The Analog Thing, however, has a +/-10V level. This means that not only will it play nice with Eurorack, etc, it'll allow me to make the computer directly interact with my modular gear, with only some proto-pin to 3.5mm cables needed (and yes, a common ground). You want it to "talk" to something like Maths? Yeah, it'll do that. Want a VCO (yes, it appears to even be capable of CV control!) based on Chua's circuit or a Lorenz attractor? No prob, doodz. Just keep an attenuator on hand so that you can tighten up the voltage span, and you're live with that.
And now, I'm going to make you, the reader, have a total conniption fit:
It's only EUR 299. And yes, they ship and handle purchases internationally, so if you're not in the EU, you can still get on this thing. Extra cables? They got 'em...about EUR 25 for a sizable pack.
This thing is such a no-brainer for heavy-duty modular guys...but even those with smaller systems can jump on this. And if you want to constrain the voltages to a 0-5V for things like my AE, you can snag one of Soundmachines' NS-1 Nanobridges and use that to clamp things into the right ranges for that. Gamechanger, more or less!
Oh, and if you want to save a sequence of voltage curves, you've got Expert Sleepers' modules, which should handle this machine's outputs like a champ. Or work out something for its internal "hybrid I/O", which allows direct connection to a digital computer; IMHO, this just SCREAMS "Max for Live abuse".
Amazing times...I'd NEVER expected to see something like this! Should arrive in late May, so after some basics to get used to it, it's going right into the modular "sandbox".
I’ll definitely look deeper into Maths, but I always disliked the almost illegible font - i guess that’s probably why I’ve steered away from it for so long. I hope I can find a Grayscale version/faceplate of it. Are there any other versions of Maths you recommend (if any)?
-- Avesta
I feel you...the Make Noise "edgy" look is kind of annoying. I prefer modules that clearly show what's being done instead of rockin' some graphics that only wind up confusing/annoying the user. This is why I don't think much about effects pedals that have overdone, elaborate graphics (see here for an example: https://reverb.com/item/53789313-digitech-dirty-robot) that makes it more difficult to see knob positions, etc due to all of the busy artwork on the case. So, yeah...get the Grayscale panel.
Now, as for Maths-ish devices, there's the direct predecessor of that, the Serge Dual Universal Slope Gen. Several years ago, I would've told you that if you wanted one in Eurorack, you'd be screwed. But these days, Random*Source over in...Sweden, I think?...has many of the Serge circuits adapted to Eurorack. So here's their version of the DUSG: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/random-source-serge-dual-universal-slope-generator-dusg-mk2 With these, you don't need an entire Serge panel or half-panel...you can get JUST the module, which is also rather un-Serge-like. No, not cheap...but still far cheaper than if you had to buy one in the "old manner".
As for the Tangle Quartet...there's a workaround for that if you want to use them for audio, and that would be an exponential envelope gen. And it does appear that the Zadar is capable of generating those, so not only would this be a decent EG for the rig, it would "correct" the VCAs so that they behave exponentially even with them being linear VCAs. DEFINITELY get the Nin expander, though...it's got some assignable CV ins and a four button direct selector for the envelope generator in only 3 hp.
Actually, the site's there somewhere...the Internet simply can't find and/or get to it at present. Wait several hours and hit it again. The problem probably stems from the ongoing Ukraine/Russia war; remember, not all of the fighting is being done with tanks and missiles as there's also a LOT of Internet "warfare" going on with a wider "theater of conflict" than just what you see on TV.
And of course, a tiny drop in that sample rate might just yield a musical benefit...a touch of "crunch" that doesn't screw up the signal but adds a bit of "character" instead. Sort of like why an older Yamaha SPX90 sounds so musical, even with its lower sampling rate and bandwidth limits.
You have a lot of module who aren't "one knob per function". It can be ok for you but also can bring confusion and discomfort to play, specially fx aid, marbles and disting mk4. Do you want to do live concerts or just program at home?
You also don't have stereo mixer like stmix or mixup. With 5 stereo effect module, it may be missing.
-- SamuelGeai
The only menu-diving module amongst those is the Disting...which is super-powerful but also a real pain to navigate with its minimal display. As for the FX Aid, it's dirt-simple, like the majority of the Spin FV-1 devices. And Marbles shouldn't scare anyone who's accustomed to manipulating random sources.
The problem with "one knob" functionality in a small build like this one is that it wouldn't be a small build if that were implemented. That's the real reason for avoiding that trap; small builds require function-dense modules so that you can get lots of functionality per module, which is key to making a small build that can hold its own against huge builds that are more "one-knob"-like. And, of course, so that you can tote the synth around in a small cab, instead of hauling Doepfer monster cases around.
I wonder...might the problem be a component mismatch? Not the 3320 itself, but in the audio path "upstream". It might be worthwhile to A-B the schematics of this module against an "old skool" CEM3320 module to see if there's some component corrections that might even out the behavior/sound quality.
@clusterchord Yes. For all its features, but also 'intellectually' :) Maths remains a must-have. The best cigar money can buy :))
-- Sweelinck
Makes me think of the parallels between Maths and, say, the long-lost Avo piramides. I seriously miss those...
But yeah...Maths is 100% a core module these days. The capabilities it has are super-deep, and it's a logical must-do choice as a modulation (and loads more!) device. Tony NAILED that thing!
But is it really radioactive? I mean...a couple of my studio devices are, sooooooo...
That leads me to your already mentioned conclusion about the huge number of B.'s "teasers" the recent weeks/months and wondering how much of it ever will be produced and released on the market, besides the next important question... when will it be available? To me, this becomes a rather "irritating" experience getting to know about those "teasers" but nothing much else than that...
-- GarfieldModular
100% with you there. I have a great deal of annoyance at B.'s dropping teasers and then not offering any concrete follow-up info. For example, the PPG clone...wanted it, it's not out, so fukkit...went with a Sledge instead. Similarly, they keep making noises about their VCS3 clone...which I would be in line for IF it comes out, but B. just drops teasers and nothing concrete about this one. And where's the Solina clone? They might want to finish CURRENT projects FIRST before whipping users into a frenzy!
Look, if Uli wants a synth to copy, one that definitely benefits from the current tech AND which can be copied in its entirety and sell for about a grand...there's the Crumar GDS. Crazy-complex stuff for the late 1970s/early 1980s, it was the predecessor for the DK Synergy and Synergy II. But with the present-day tech, you could use a computer ed/lib to store patch data as well as to pass various signals (clock, for example) to the synth via USB, eliminating the need for the computer side of the instrument. And the internal microprocessors, RAM, etc are now nowhere the prices they were back then, which kills the expense aspect.
But the important part? Well...amazingly enough, that synth engine is 100% PUBLIC DOMAIN. I kid you not! It was originally developed by Hal Alles when he was working for Bell Labs in the mid-1970s, and given that the Bell Labs patents are open for public use without royalties, there's no way in hell anyone could scream "KNOCK-OFF" about it. Also, Hal Alles's prototype is still very much in existence, and it's housed at Oberlin's TIMARA labs. Studying that would be productive, along with a Synergy or Synergy II IF they can find one anywhere; it's not like these grew on trees, after all!
C'mon Uli...if you want to pull off a HUGE win without infringing patents and angering your putative customer base, THAT is the project I would suggest. It'd be a win all around! We're talking a synth that was used by the likes of Wendy and Klaus...so clearly, it's got loads of mojo, otherwise those two alone wouldn't have had anything to do with it.
Now I wonder...what cigar would be an aesthetic stand-in for Schlappi Engineering's stuff? Probably something explosive...
No...I know the BCR32 is going to come out. And that's actually important, as they did collaborate with the people who did the ZAQuencer firmware for the old BCR2000, so it should function along those lines. It's something I'm waiting for PROVIDED it doesn't turn out to be one of Uli's BS product info drops.
But yeah...it's a Prophet VS oscillator, which is key to the sound of the P-VS. You lose the polyphony here, but you apparently retain the rest of the bits that make this a killer VCO. As for the "Soul", though...I was intrigued until I saw what they were touting as "prototypes", which just look ugly and ungainly...no fun to play!
One of the big problems here is Behringer itself...and not merely Uli. Their practices of ginning up customer interest with these "teasers" is, ultimately, annoying and a tad deceptive, particularly when one of these teasers drops and gets everyone all hot and bothered about something that won't be in stores for perhaps YEARS. If even then! Just another fine example of how Tribe really doesn't give a flying f**k about communicating the real info or whether or not the synth-buying public is annoyed at these antics. They need to double down on getting projects out the door instead of showing us renders of something "conceptual".
F'rinstance, they've apparently now got a Buchla Easel retread, it's got a price tag, pics, blahblahblah...and it's just as likely to be out in 2032 rather than 2022. I might get it...but Uli's heading into MY turf here, having used a 200/300 hybrid system back in the 1990s. If it's not up to snuff, I'll be PISSED.
Yep...although, there's always the cheaper alternative: use an "outdated" DAW interface (like the MOTU 828mkii I use) and some software (like Ableton's CV Tools, MOTU's Volta, etc) that can deal with incoming and outgoing control signals. That way, if you need to gig live, just use the saved voltage info in the track and connect things appropriately. You just have to make 100% sure that the interface in question is DC coupled, otherwise this gets difficult.
VCAs: well, if you want the variable response curve AND need to optimize space, my suggestion would be the new 10hp version of Veils. Those can be shifted from linear response for use with modulation signals, CVs, etc...to the exponential response you need to properly maintain perceptual loudness in audio signals. And anywhere in between, for that matter.
As for the EG, the Zadar isn't a bad choice as long as you get Xaoc's expander for it, and as long as you don't mind some menu-hopping. Next fave is probably Intellijel's Quadrax/Qx combo, then the much bigger Buchla/Tiptop 281t. Maths can also do this, but using a Maths as just an EG is sort of like paying $20+ for a Arturo Fuente Opus X cigar, then smoking it while mowing your lawn. Definitely look through the "function generator" possibilities, too...
OK, now Uli's team of design copyists have cranked out (or will soon, I should hope!) something truly astonishing. What this is is a modular oscillator that's based on the tone generation in the Prophet VS. I would figure this is something that spun out of their efforts to create these little Microfreak-ish boxes they've been teasing. This is far more important, though...
First up: pretty much NOBODY without a bushel of ca$h will ever get their hands on a Sequential Prophet VS. Ever. I kid you not.
And secondly, all of the voice oscillators in the VS are "ganged" to the one joystick, so you can't easily impose different vector patterns on each one. This, however, fixes that issue, since the module has its own vector joystick and you can save vector patterns per modules. Think something along the lines of the Korg Wavestations or Yamaha's SY-22 and the TG-33, but sounding a lot beefier...provided they do their homework on the design.
In short, what you have here is a wavetable oscillator that outputs four different signals, and the joystick lets you manually (or under CV) morph between these, then save the vector "path" so that it's reproducible. Definitely NOT a normal VCO.
Drawback: it's Behringer. And since it is, some people will want nothing to do with it. This one might be a gamechanger, though...
And Firefox on Windoze also seems to be unaffected, since I'm able to type this right now.
Try looking for a Princeton Applied Research CR-4. This is a completely insane-sounding scientific instrumentation amplifier, with three input configurations and low and highpass filters switchable in 5ths.
Anything processed through one of these takes on a vicious psychedelic tone...totally overloaded, brutal, and the filters just add to this. The only caveat is that these are obsolete test equipment devices, and not musical ones per se. Even so, to use Hainbach's term (he also owns one), it will 100% music! You should keep an eye on eBay for one of these; they can turn a basic synth into something that sounds like it might KILL YOU.
A whole nother universe of overdriven, wrecked, FSUed racket can be found courtesy of the psychos at Schlappi Engineering. I think they come factory-drenched in ACIIIIEED! Because sometimes just overdrive is not necessarily the right way to get at that crazed sound...or at least, the way I remember it from the early-mid 1990s, which wasn't quite like Larry Heard's methods on "Washing Machine".
I've gone nuts over the cheap Chinese pedals in recent years. Yes, it's true that they don't always sound "right" (although many DO), but the "not-rightness" can actually be an asset in a purely electronic setting. Plus, I can jack 'em in via the studio's patchbays.
Ones that really ring my bell:
Aural Dream - Breath Delay. Analog delay, up to about 600 ms...but it has this little switch labelled "NO/GH". NO is "normal operation", where this behaves like any basic analog delay. But GH brings in the "ghost trails", where the delay returns tend to not decay, so you can build up masses of delayed sounds' echo trails. VERY useful.
Joyo - Classic Flanger (the white one with the jump jet). To my ears, this hits the spot on the OLD MXR flanger...the one with the AC cord from the late 1970s. It can go from normal to rubberband-twang sweeps with one or two tweaks. VERY easy to get excellent results here.
Nux - Tape Core. Nux's take on the Boss RE-2. I actually think the Tape Core is easier to use than the RE-2, while still delivering that old-skool Space Echo sound and feel.
Mosky - Spring Reverb. On first glance, it looks like just some knockoff of Malekko's pedal of the same name. But looks deceive, as this thing hides a secret under the "Dwell" control. Turn this up "too far", and the reverb starts behaving like FEEDBACK, ringing on the main harmonic inputted. Since you can't exactly do this with synthesizers, these cheapo things are a godsend if you want to do keyboards with rock...why let the guitarists have all the fun, right?
Biyang - Ripple Space. Really good reverb coupled with their also-excellent Time Machine delay. The Time Machine gives you either 600 or 1100 ms of delay, and coupling this with their reverb in the same box: brilliance.
But those are just the high points. Fact is, there's a LOT of pedals coming out of China that are either utterly excellent (Mooer's "Liquid Phase", f'rinstance) or downright strange. That last bit might bug guitarists...but around here, we eat "downright strange" as a main course!
And two Electro-Harmonix pedals...the first being the Flanger Hoax, which is actually a redux of the incredible Mu-Tron Biphase, and that pedal's creator collaborated with E-H to whip this out some years back.
But the other is fairly new...and totally KILLER: the TriParallel Mixer. Makes NO sound...but instead, provides a set of three FX loops that, instead of normal pedalboard routers, work in parallel against the dry signal, and you have a broad array of controls per "loop" to affect levels and phasing. THIS PEDAL IS A REVELATION...I kid you not!!! ANYONE who works with stompboxes should own one...the versatility is off the scale!!!
I think my only gripe about the Rackbrutes is that they didn't really incorporate 'airflow' through it and have seen a couple modifications that use the 'laws of physics' for some natural airflow.
-- jb61264
Which comes back around to why I keep insisting that the width is, as Arturia notes, 88 hp. Simply because it's possible to jam 89 hp worth of panel space into these is NOT a good reason for doing so. With 88 hp and its slider nuts, you can add a little bit of space across the panel by slipping each module a TINY bit, and then this should help with the internal heat issues.
I think I made this argument a couple of times, that Arturia states the width is 88 hp and there's a definite reason for it...this problem being exactly that.
Actually, the thing that REALLY dropped everyones' jaws to the floor when Tiptop released the first two "t" modules...was that the price on the 258t was only $200. That's the non-Buchla part...that price tag. Everyone's so used to seeing prices up around the $1000 (or higher...a LOT higher) mark for Buchla modules that I myself just about did a spit-take when I saw that. Anyway, they'll have all of those out by the end of summer (barring supply chain issues) and they're all supposed to be in that general and affordable range. And, without dropping any specific hints, a support person at Tiptop that I had some communication with noted that these will NOT be the only ones and that they're going to try and reproduce as many different ones as they can, also noting that there's not much documentation on some of the 200 series. They also want to do some 100 series, but they're working out supply issues with...oddly...the knobs. Weird story there, too long for here.
OK...as for the build, all requisites duly noted...(heads up)....
Back to the Doepfer LCs, then...you mentioned you liked the stackability of those, so what I did here was to use both an LC6 and an LCB. So the top two rows are vertical, then the third is at an angle, and the fourth...where I put the "controllers"...is flat, like you'd expect if there was a keyboard in there.
But there's NOT...I'll explain that in a minute...
TOP: First thing is a PWRchekr for the top cab, then the 258t/Dannysound combos are still there, as is the A-119 input module. Anyway, the top row also still has the Veils and Behringer 2500 VCF, and the rest of the audio now moves downward from the VCF.
2ND: Modulation core is pretty much the same, minus one 281t. The Disting is next to the remaining 281t, and then the Beads is next to that.
3RD: The SOU, and then a more compact 2-row (and then some) sequencer, the Tesseract Step Fader. The sequential switch is after that, and then a dual-channel quantizer from Intellijel. After that are effects: one of these is Make Noise's Mimeophon, which can do delays, loops, and several other interesting things. Then the Stasis Leak returns to make use of the mixer's mono send and stereo return.
BOTTOM: The lower cab's PWRchekr, then the Pam's...and then this Nonlinearcircuits CVable matrix mixer. Instead of a keyboard or something similar, I put this thing in. What it can do is to send a signal to one of eight inputs, then it mixes those across four output busses. But since each control responds to incoming CV and modulation signals, you can either tweak it, or you can have modulation sources operate it. Or both, what the hell? Then the Mixology and Ciao! as before.
This slims things down, as desired. And by avoiding a typical controller, this also plays into the generative aspects since the MISO/VCAs core can output several CVs at once, and then you can also send those into the matrix's CV ins to control the crossmodulation aspects that the matrix will generate. And size-wise, this only stands slightly taller than Doepfer's LC9 case, but has far better ergonomics. Better? Or more changes?
Well, part of the problem is in the fact that there's something in the cab that shouldn't be: the DFAM. It already has a cab and its own power, so use that. Otherwise...well, your case costs $649, and it's got 168 hp in its 3U rows, which is what we'll be dealing with here. This is going to hurt a little...
649 / 168 = 3.86. This is the cost per hp for the case (barring the tile row, as it's not really germane to this).
Then, find the cost of 60 hp. 3.86 x 60 = 231.60
Now, a DFAM these days streets for $699. So 699 + 231.60 = 930.60
So, the DFAM, in this configuration, winds up actually costing over $900 if you leave it in here. So not only do monster-sized devices like this rob powered housing from modules that REALLY need it, it's not a very fiscally-sound idea, either.
And it's an impediment to revising builds as well. If you're looking at a case where over 1/3rd of the space is taken over by just one single device, you need to be thinking VERY carefully about how to use the remaining 3U space. Or if you just put that 60 hp chonk back where it belongs, you'll have opened up loads of space for MORE stuff that can integrate your system in with everything else. Same routine works with the other Moog 60-ers, and there IS a way to mount four of those in a big, curved master stand; see here:
Can't do that if the DFAM stays where it is...and you've got to admit, that curved 4-tier setup looks totally badass, sort of like a piece of TONTO that got left in the dryer too long!
This is also another good reason for keeping a spirit level around the studio. Besides levelling keyboard stand tiers, etc., it comes in handy for figuring out annoyances like this.
Yeah, it's just a really uncommon use, but then you see people using things like the Volca Kick as subbass synths...similar idea. Sort of goes back to an example I should've realized then...the "magic moment" in Stockhausen's "Kontakte" when a note starts descending, goes into the subsonic rates, then becomes a rapid pulse...and finally, very slow single pulses with their pitch being determined by a resonant filter. Sort of like extratone stuff, but in reverse.
Actually, Yamaha's exclusive license to John Chowning's FM tech which was developed at Stanford has been expired for a while now, so it's more or less "safe" now to do algorithmic FM if your company isn't Yamaha. But that was a bitch to deal with back then; most any company that attempted to head in that direction got dinged pretty hard by their lawyers. The only one I know of that dodged those courtroom bullets was NED, as the FM implementation on the Synclavier systems predated Yamaha's use, so they had to eat a bit of crow there. And the license being done means that we can have toys like, say, the Akemie's Castle...which gives you algorithmic FM with CVs. Wild!
Fact is, though...if Uli was better-behaved and housebroken, you wouldn't see nearly as much push-back as you do these days where Behringer's concerned. But he doesn't play nice, and has a long history of not doing so, either. Even so...the synths they've released are astonishingly GOOD; the Pro-1 is about as spot-on a copy of the Sequential Pro-One as you'll ever hear, the B.2600 (even the "Xmas tree" version) behaves exactly like a newer ARP 2600, one of which I did get to use from time to time in the early 1980s, and so on. And it's...
1) Available to purchase, and...
2) It's not "crippleware" like Korg's 2600M, and...
3) It doesn't have its origin in some very sus "make the celebs jump for joy...and f*ck everyone else" marketing BS, like the 2600FS. Or rather, it's the "antidote" to that. So yeah, I'm down with how these market disruptors are shaking up the idea that a "vintage synth" should cost you a kidney and then some. FYI, I find it very telling that Sweetwater is NOT stocking the Korg 2600M...the 2600FiaSco s**tshow was apparently something that Chuck and Co. took a VERY dim view of.
But yeah...I'm personally waiting for a $500 FPGA synth, or maybe we can prod Behringer into "copying" a synth that uses a synthesis engine that's Public Domain...namely, the "Bell Labs" synth (at Oberlin's TIMARA facility these days), which begat the Crumar GDS, which begat the DK Synergy and Synergy II, and then these begat the Mulogix Slave32 Expander. It's a cheap AF design these days, and could probably be done for $400-700 as it avoided the use of proprietal/esoteric parts, and the current state of microprocessors makes the original synth seem like it's made out of rocks and sticks. THAT would definitely be a welcome development, as none of those synths ever had huge release numbers and, in fact, were WAAAAAY ahead of their time.
Anyway, rambling...time to hit the sack/oil mod/Eliane Radigue CD thing...
Well, the four Electrosmith VCAs aren't a bad idea...for modulation and CVs. These are linear, DC-coupled VCAs, which are better used for those purposes. For audio, you want exponential VCAs with AC-coupling, which is why you often see VCAs such as Veils, Intellijel's Dual VCA, etc used so often; since these have a control per VCA that can shift the VCA's response between full linear and full exponential.
Why this is important is because we perceive "apparent loudness" on an exponential curve...with a unit called the decibel. Decibel readings are confusing at first, but as long as you keep in mind that adding 10 dB of amplification to a signal, you're only increasing the apparent loudness in doubles.
Gonna mess with this, starting with a bigger and portable cab off the bat. I'm designing this around a Case From Lake 3 x 126 device, which is here: https://www.casefromlake.com/product-page/9u-eurorack-case-powered-120-or-126-hp-patched-resealable-modular-synthesizer And it runs only EUR 495, compared to EUR 379 (@ Schneidersladen) for the Doepfer. But the CFL one has a lid, strap, MUCH more amperage capacity, and if you want any tweaks to the basic design, they can do that too. Anyway...
Banged on this A LOT. Instead of having a bunch of Mutable modules, I opted for the ultimate tweak-head ones: Buchla. Or rather, the Tiptop reissues of the original Buchla 200 modules. Then I built around that.
TOP: This is the "audio" row. Starts off with the very useful Konstant Labs PWRchekr to keep an eye on your DC rails' health. Then a 1 hp blank, followed by a more comprehensive input module, the Doepfer A-119...sort of the OG of Eurorack input modules. It gives you a comparator for creating gates out of audio levels, plus a CV from the amplitude of the input signal...AND it has a proper 1/4" jack, not a 3.5mm. Then, a pair of Buchla 258t for s paired with a Dannysound Timbre...a waveshaper derived from the circuit in the Buchla 259, so I suppose the result here are "258 1/2s"? Anyway, Veils, then another curveball: Uli's clone of the ARP 2500 VCF. There IS a 200 series VCF...but it's not been reissued (yet), so why not drop in another famous early modular VCF? But after that, you get the Buchla take on that, with their 292t quad LPG...so you can have either a straight audio feed from the VCF to the row's stereo mixer, or you can have four of those vaunted Buchla lowpass gates...or both, why not? Anyway, the end mixer is right after the LPGs, a manual stereo mixer with four pannable inputs to help stereoize the signal before it hits the Beads, or you could just run the LPGs down to the performance mixer individually, or or or...tons of potential, and I've not even got into the next row yet! I put the Disting last in this row, as it'll be easier to get at both patch-wise AND finger-wise for the various purposes it's got.
MIDDLE: Modulation-ish. The famous Buchla "Source of Uncertainty" kicks the row off, then your Maths is after that. I put together a little array of the Electrosmith dual VCAs and a Buchla 257t for mixing and/or mangling modulation signals. Then there's a pair of Buchla 281ts with a Doepfer diode OR combiner for triggers and gates. It's worth noting that the individual envelope gens in the 281ts can be clocked way on up into the audio range, at which point they become something like CVable variable waveform generators. And there's a lot more of that sort of "hidden trickery" in here, since it's a weird hybrid of West and East Coast principles all functioning in Eurorack; back in the day, most of this would be in systems that couldn't necessarily be cross-patched due to CV and/or trig/gate differences that we, for the most part, don't have now across the Eurorack module gamut.
BOTTOM: Pam's, then a Doepfer dual quantizer for pitch constraint and a Eurorack Essentials 2 x 2 sequential switch. More about that in a bit. Then a second switch, this time from Doepfer and with a 4 x 1 circuit. After that is the first of two Buchla 245t sequencers, and then the second is separated by another Doepfer 4 x 1 switch. And why are those switches important? OK...sequential switches shift between two or more incoming CV signals when they receive (in this case) a trigger pulse. So the switches form a timed network to step through all sequencer rows, then send these over to the quantizer for discrete pitch tunings. Or you could just as easily use one sequencer as your "line" and the other as "transpose". Need divided timing for any of that? The Pam's deals handily with this need. After the sequencer section, you've got a Qu-bit Mixology. That performance mixer gives you CV control over your amplitude level, panning, and FX send per channel, plus a manual per-channel solo and mute. This also has a parallel FX processing bus, so your sends go out via the mono send and come back in through the stereo return. With that, I opted for a more straightforward FX processor, namely Freq Central's Stasis Leak, which gives you mono-to-stereo tap delay, chorus, and reverb. Note, also, that you can also opt to use the Beads post-mixer, hence one reason why they're close vertically. And all the way at the end is your balanced outputs, a second stereo return (useful if you split off the send to the Beads, then you can send the Beads output to the second return), a headphone preamp, and main level controls.
Yeah, OK...it's bigger. But unlike the Doepfer LC, this is designed to be portable, as the CFL cab comes with a lid (and yes, you have room to keep things patched beneath it) and a carry-strap. It's about the size of a large briefcase, which is a good form factor, especially for fitting it into an overhead bin on a plane. And the current limits are...well, if you go with the Meanwells that CFL offers, you'll never have to worry about exceeding current limits in this build. Ever. And while it definitely costs more than the initial plan, you probably won't need to add anything to this for years to come. You WON'T exhaust this build's possibilities!
Maybe they won't...but again, maybe they will. That's an odd one; I've not heard of triggering drum modules with an audio rate trigger. You might be surprised, though, as there's a lot of modules that can deal with that already. Tech's pretty different from when I first got hold of synths c. 1978. The overall idea's the same as any old modular, but what goes on behind some of these panels is way more complex than old Moog, ARP, etc equipment.
There's a load of digital/analog hybrid modules out there, too, where you can't be 100% sure what's being done with the tweaks and inputted signals. But overall, I don't worry about the type of tech...just whether or not it sounds and behaves "normally".
Check the Dannysound listings, also...they've got a module that's just the Buchla 259's waveshaping section. Feedback themselves also have something similar.
Amazing, really...Buchla used to be prohibitively expensive, and now we've got loads of Buchla-type stuff, and even actual Buchla (via Tiptop, or via several other companies that do Buchla clones) stuff in Eurorack now.
Hm...not sure why the Make Noise Brains isn't in there, as it'd allow the Pressure Points to also function as a sequencer. Lose the Dual VCA, since you don't use those on clocking signals or scaled CVs, and you'll have room for that. The X-Pan also doesn't seem like it should be there either, since there's no audio path in here at all. Space you recover from that should go to some logic, which will allow you a bunch of conditional Boolean logic gates that can make the sequencing more complex and capable. The Pam's should be able to output the various signals to cause the "hi" state depending on which gate you're using.
Another idea would be a quantizer or two. And if those, then you might also want an analog shift register, which is a clocked "store-and-forward"-type circuit with usually several outputs. That would allow you to output CVs in various "arabesque"-type patterns to several destinations. Lots of possibilities besides these as well...
Delete, start over. But this time...
1) NO DFAM. Put it back in its case, which you paid for, and on its own power, which you also paid for. Otherwise...well, let's do the math.
A 6U Rackbrute is $359, which gives you 171 hp to work with. 359/171=2.10 (ish). This is the per-hp cost of housing something in this case.
So...DFAM is 60 hp. 60 x 2.10=126. This is how much to add to the DFAM's price when it's installed like it is now.
So, let's do that. A DFAM right now at Sweetwater streets for $699. 699 + 126 = 825...which I'm betting you wouldn't have paid for it. But even so, incurring your own cost increases for "convenience" isn't necessarily a good idea.
2) The Befaco OUTs. If you're trying to output individual tracks to a DAW, these aren't the right thing to use. If you want to do this, there are actually two ways to do so...
A level shifter. Have a look at the Ladik P-520. Dirt-simple: synth-level signal goes in, line-level comes out x 4. And once you have the line level, you can send that directly to a typical interface. There's other similar devices on here, but the Ladik is both cheap AF and it's very basic, with no need to pay attention to it. Or...
An Expert Sleepers "soundcard" module that can interface directly to the DAW via USB. And they have a few, so it would be worthwhile to look at what they've got and decide which one fits the bill. They also have software for this, but if you have Ableton 11, you have their "CV Tools" suite that can handle the same purpose. Or just don't use ANY modules, and run your synth-level signals directly to a DC-coupled audio interface; I use a MOTU 828mkii for this exact purpose.
3) Space. Or rather, the lack of it. If you're not using this with a Minibrute 2/2S, then go bigger. Just stepping up to a Mantis at 2 x 104 hp would give you another 40 hp to mess around with, for example. And if you add the utility modules that everyone's talking about here, you WILL need that extra space (and no DFAM, etc). Or, if the central point is portability, then you could do much better with a 3-row or 4-row from Case From Lake, who're doing some inexpensive yet killer portable Eurorack cabs with ample power, which is very important. See https://www.casefromlake.com/ ...and yes, if you want tile rows, extra length, etc etc etc, they can do that, and it'll STILL be reasonable. And although I still don't advise putting the DFAM in a cab like that, if you felt you HAD TO do this for portability, that sort of cab will give you the space to do that AND have a proper module complement in the same case.
Couple of things...first, lose the mults. This build is too small in scale to lose 6 hp to modules that should REALLY be replaced with inline mults and/or stackcables. Plus, you really don't need a buffered mult unless you're trying to split out a scaled CV to 4+ devices, as you'd need the buffering to mitigate voltage sag that can happen from this. But if you've only got two or three audio generators that (might) need this, the buffering is superfluous.
The other thing is the drum modules. I'm not sure if it's been said too much, but I'm going to say it again here: modular synths really aren't drum machines. You CAN build one, of course...but you'll only find a couple of advantages to it versus a proper drum machine, which is a mission-specific device that's designed for drum sounds and patterns. In fact, you could easily clock a drum machine off of a Pam's output; you don't have to keep the modular's signals only in the modular.
But looking at this as cost-vs-usability, the idea fails. Right now, your drum modules ALONE are going to run $1055. And you've only got Pam's as something of a sequencing source, instead of a proper trigger sequencer that allows you to write and SAVE patterns. And that module will probably run about $300 and up. Very up, in fact.
OTOH, the RD-8mkii sitting next to me cost $329. Yeah, I know...Uli's a trolling nutjob, and his behavior is sus at best. But it DOES have the 808 soundset (and it's very convincing) along with a few classic Boss DR-110 electro noises and a very familiar UI. I just cringe, get over it, and keep on going, actually, and the RD-8 (plus a pair of RD-6s...I'm recreating an OLD setup from before 1995 that I found incredibly effective at the time) ticks right along. I can lock it up on sync from a number of devices, ranging from Beatstep Pros to the DAW via my Antelope Orion 32, too. True, some people won't buy Behringer...for very well-grounded reasons, actually...but I don't have the $10k necessary for the vintage Rolands or a couple thou for the present models, and their "circuit modeling" in their new machines really saps the punch out of their sound across the board, not just with the drum machines.
Wow, thanks a lot for the effort. That looks to me like a setup with a lot of possibilities. The miso seems like a simple useful module. Could you give me an application example? I can use it to sum modulation sources, invert them, etc. Is that correct?
-- FWGW
And more besides. MISO can also supply DC offsets, scalar changes, modulation signal waveshaping...it's a Swiss Army Knife for modulation sections. And coupled with some VCAs, that can get REALLY wild because you can tandem those functions with the VCAs in linear mode to control modulation amplitudes. For example, there's this: https://i.discogs.com/tR56UmH3E9cR204H0-eIzMI6F_IEF1KrxwiiiEp8bZM/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:500/w:500/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTUwMjAz/LTEyMjExNzgxOTMu/anBlZw.jpeg Note how the amplitude there is increasing over the scope's time window? That takes a VCA to accomplish. So, yeah...MISO + VCAs, or if space is limited, a Frap 321 + a smaller set of VCAs, which does a lot of similar things but being a 6 hp module, it's not got the panel space that the MISO has, ergo a bit less control.
This has some very serious issues. For one thing, there's only four VCAs for this entire honkin' big build. That's not going to work out very well. You also have discontinued modules in here, the Shelves being one of those, so if you don't either have one or can't find one on the used market, you're not going to have one. The Moog should NOT be in here, since it's got its own cab and power, and using case space (which should be for actual modules that don't have those) that makes the Moog more expensive doesn't seem to me to be fiscally sensible. If you doubt that one, try this:
Cost of case / hp count. This yields a "cost-per-hp" amount for the cab. Then...
Cost-per-hp x 60. This is the actual cost to house the Moog in the cab. Then...
Actual cost figure + Moog price. Kinda spendy. Ouch...
The layout is pretty confusional as well. You might try laying this out so that you have similar-function modules grouped together, and then pushing those into cogent signal paths overall. Right now, the build's a trainwreck...definitely NOT something I would want to use. And a lot of that's because the panel's going to vanish beneath a mat of patchcords that go all over the place needlessly. Plus, you could stand to lose maybe a third of the modules that's there, especially the 4 hp and down ones, especially if you can consolidate the various one-function modules into a couple of slightly larger ones. That'll help clean up the panel as well; have a look at THIS for an example of what I'm talking about: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/steady-state-fate-tool-box
Wishing is good, but like the old saying says, "be careful what you wish for". This has an awful lot of operational booby-traps as it is; you might consider being a little more methodical with the module complement instead of dumping piles of "feature" modules into the cab. You have enough of those (plus the Moog) that you're in a position to build an uncontrollable mess, so don't do that.
Had a bash at this one...
You'll notice that I upped the size of the cab from 84 to 104, and added a tile row. This is designed with an Intellijel 7U x 104 in mind, which helps with a number of things, such as pedal interfacing, power, and so on as well as simply providing more SPACE in which to push the build a bit further. Went ahead and filled it on out, as well.
Oh, crap...what have I done here? Welllllllll....
TOP: Konstant Labs PWRchekr, so you can keep an eye on your DC rails, then a 1 hp blank to help the PWRchekr stand out a bit better and to fill a 1 hp hole, natch. Then, TWO Plaits (since two oscillators allows for a lot more in the way of things such as audio-rate modulation, FM, and so on) which are followed by a Veils. Then that HUGE black thing there is G-Storm's redux of the famous Synton Syrinx filter, which is one of the most expressive VCFs out there. It works on vocal formants (and a bunch of other methods!), so the output has a rather voice-like contour to the timbre...provided you use it that way, as there's a lot of other things it'll do, filter-wise...especially with the expression pedals! Then Rings, Beads...and a Tesseract TexMix setup with four mono ins + the master module. The TexMix gives you VCAs for audio levels per input, dual FX sends and dual stereo returns, panning, your outputs and a headphone preamp.
MIDDLE: Manikk quad freerun LFOs with symmetry control over the square and triangle wave outs. Then Maths, and after that is a Tiptop MISO for manipulating/merging/messing with modulation signals, and a second Veils for VCA control over modulation signals. An Intellijel Quadrax/Qx combo handles basic AR envelopes, but also a bunch of other sorts of mayhem since the Qx can be used as a "cascader" for the EGs there, offering EOR and EOF outs. Then for more "normal" envelopes, a Doepfer A-140-2 Dual ADSR. After that are effects...the Morphagene, a Frequency Central Stasis Leak, giving tap delay, chorus, and reverb and stereoization, and a Happy Nerding FX Aid XL for all of the other onboard FX.
TILES: This is where it gets fun. First up is the stereo input module, which connects to the dual input 1/4" jacks on the cab. Then after that are two expression pedal interfaces, a third that uses a pedal switch to flip between A and B signal paths, and two sets of Intellijel external FX interfaces that let you add two loops of mono I/O pedals to the fray. Then the stereo out, which fixes the output module question as it connects, like the input module, to the output jacks on the cab.
Now, if you know the Intellijel cabs, you'll notice that this is built "upside-down". This is very deliberate, as it brings all of the external 1/4" jacks for pedals, stompboxes, and the synth's I/O plus the power switch close together so that you don't have 1/4" cables hanging all over the modular, and this will make using the pedal complement much easier. So you have to tote it around upside-down...eh, not an issue, really. This build effectively eliminates the original's power supply module, fixing that issue, plus it deals with the audio I/O question AND allows the build to be much more guitar-centric via the tile row's interfaces.
Ummmm...no. It's pretty and all, but it's going to be pretty useless like this. There's no individual VCAs (not counting the Optomix), you're using 76 hp for effects modules alone, and there's only three audio sources in the entire thing.
Modular synths aren't intended to be decorations. And yet, that's what this seems to be. I'd suggest rethinking the entire thing, scrapping the "one maker" idea (that pretty much NEVER works!), and proceed with a much wider module complement. You'll find that you can put more functionality into the build that way; I've only ever seen two "one maker" builds that I thought was worth a damn as an instrument. And yes, that includes things like the Moog modulars and the original ARP 2500. The two? Buchla and Serge...and these days, in both cases, you don't have to stick with the same maker in those formats anymore.
For example, if you tossed the DPO and STO, that would open up a 36 hp hole. Then you can fit a pair of Tiptop/Buchla 258ts into that hole, giving you FOUR VCOs. Pitch the Telharmonic, and you can add THREE of those 258s if you scrounge up another 14 hp from somewhere else. The three MN modules together = $1147. Three 258t modules = $600. So...six oscillators, more free space AND $547 back in your pocket? Yeah, I'd jump on that...as would most anyone else. That's just ONE example.
Went ahead and did a fill-out of this, since there were some modules not in the rack itself that gave me some good ideas on how to proceed:
So, this has the audio on the top row, control/modulation on the bottom. This lets you run your audio path across the top, and then you bring the lower row signals up to the top when/where needed.
TOP: Starts with a Konstant Labs PWRchekr to keep an eye on your DC rail health. Then for the external input, I went with the ol' reliable Doepfer A-119. Sure, it's been around about 20+ years...but that's because Dieter designed it right and it became sort of the "gold standard" for good external inputs. It not only allows you to have that crucial step-up in voltage, you also get a comparator that fires a gate when a given level is exceeded, and a proper envelope follower to derive dynamic signals from the inputted audio. I doubled the Orage VCOs (one VCO good, two VCOs MUCH better!), and added Erica's PicoRing, which is a single ringmod with an internal carrier oscillator. This then goes to the Veils, which has four VCAs and allows you to split the mixbus; given the multiple waveforms of the Orage VCOs, it seemed like the combo of those + the Veils was a good fit to allow shifting between waveforms for more timbral variation. Chucked the 12 dB VCF in favor of something WAY more versatile and which also lets you go from mono to stereo...which you need for the Clouds. The Wiard reissue (from Malekko) of the Dual Borg not only gives you a pair of multimode VCFs, they can also work as gates...and not merely lowpass ones, either! Coming out of the Dual Borg, you hit an After Later dual VCA based on Veils topology. Then the Clouds, now fed with a stereo signal, feeds to the new version of Happy Nerding's output module, which also has a headphone preamp and also has your main output level control.
BOTTOM: For a decent and user-definable MIDI interface, I went with Hex's Mutant Brain. Then the new version of the Qu-bit Nanorand provides ample random signals for the Marbles to chew on. After that is a pair of CVable LFOs from Volt-a-tone and then, of course, Maths. I should note that Maths is one module that can be confusing at first, but once you decipher the way YOU want to use it, it becomes apparent that this module is majorly OP! After that, a Frap 321 and another After Later VCA pair gives you a pretty good modulation processing pair, then we get to the Quadrax...which now has its expander.
This isn't too shabby...fact is, it's a great basic small modular with loads of sound design possibilities, and every basic module you'd need (and then some!). One note: there aren't any mults here...which is what you want, as builds like this demand function in every panel HP. Use inline mults or stackcables here when needed for that. Also, keep the max depth of 45mm in mind here...some cabs don't tend to run that deep, although these days manufacturers are getting more savvy about their module depths.
you'd need some kind of lift to reach the upper modules.... or a staircase built of smaller racks... :-D
-- dennis123LMFAO staircase built of smaller racks-- Now were talking
-- MrMagpie
That's doable. Japanese furniture makers have been making "staircase tansu" for centuries. Just add some rails and distros, and there ya go!
It would be nice if each module had a specific field for the manual, guide, build docs, etc.
-- zmorriss
It sorta does...but the field doesn't see enough use, IMHO. There IS a field in the new module markup page that should be filled with a manufacturer's URL so that there's on-page links to the module's (or the line in general's) manufacturer, etc. It just doesn't get filled out by a number of posters.
Expensive. Pointlessly so, too, especially since you have Moog's "stacker" frames AND you can put them together in a configuration that's something like this. See here:
I can't recommend building a drum machine setup within a modular. The problem becomes apparent when you look at the problem purely from a fiscal standpoint.
For example, let's look at Uli's recent redux of the Roland TR-808. This gives you sync I/O, each voice has an output, got MIDI and USB, etc. Cost = $329.
Now, let's build a VERY SIMPLE module complement for doing as much as the RD-8 above (hint: it can't):
Now, that contains most of the RD-8's sound complement, clocking, the VCF and waveshaper, stereo mixer, and stereo out with a headphone preamp. Even trying to keep the cost as low as possible, this still comes in at $1182. That's a difference of $853.
How many drum machines does $853 buy, hmmm?
My suggestion would be to go with a case with more panel room AND which plays nicely in live situations. I suggest Case From Lake, actually (https://www.casefromlake.com/), as they have great prices on fold-up portable cabs AND they can do custom row additions, including tiles in both the Pulplogic and Intellijel formats. They even let you spec the power supply...either Meanwell or Doepfer. With one of those (and they can go up to 168 hp in a portable cab...see the website), you can have ample space, ample power, however many tiles you need, AND still make the build portable.
