so Nick, the answer is - better patching technique AND more modules!!
it's all there in my signature
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities
how to get the most out of your modular for the least cash - plain to see and easy to understand, but unfortunately also often ignored...
a matrix mixer is a great addition to any modular system - relatively inexpensive, if you buy something like the doepfer - which will take 4 modulation sources as inputs and spit out 4 more related (and possibly/hopefully attenuated) more modulation sources
a bank of attenuators (and/or attenuverters) is a near necessity to reduce the travel of modulation sources
lots of vcas are useful to modulate those modulation sources
for those extra modulation sources to be useful you need modulation inputs (both on sound sources and sound modifiers)
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities