Hi, I'm very interested in (semi-)modular synths and decided to start my journey with the affordable Behringer Neutron. I've been playing with it for a couple of months by sending midi sequences from a DAW, but I'll be getting a Keystep today. I'd like to create a rack that will accompany the Neutron soon and in the future add another VCO or two and some sampler. After some research i came up with the rack shown below. It would be great if someone can give me their opinion on the rack and suggest what i could replace/add/remove.
ModularGrid Rack


What are the strong points and weak points of the Neutron and what direction are you looking to go in with your set-up?

There are lots of directions you can go if you're looking to beef up your Neutron.

The Neutron has a lot of great basic circuits on it.

The one thing I would suggest would be an output module capable of stereo line-level outputs. Eurorack level is a lot hotter than line level so you may (or may not) have issues if the audio path terminates in your rack rather than the line level output of the Neutron.

The Neutron lacks effects except for the delay. So you can stretch things quite a bit with a wavefolder or a swarm generator. Effects like reverb, chorus, and the standard lot that have CV modulation go a long way as well... check out the Tip Top Z-DSP as far as effects generation. It works off of hot-swappable cards. So you get a wide palette to choose from if you buy additional cards for it.

A third oscillator is always a welcomed addition as well.

There's nothing wrong with any of the kit you've selected (including your Intellijel wavefolder). The Disting is a nice sampler-plate of different functionality. So if you have your case and an output module, I'd get those plus the Disting and have a play for a couple of weeks and see what tickles your fancy before purchasing the rest of the lot. But that's my opinion. :)


Yes, some FX and a modulation source would definitely improve the setup. I'm not really enjoying the factory delay in the Neutron and i find myself in situations where i could use another LFO.
For a stereo line-level output would something like Intellijel Outs do the job? Here's what i came up with for starters, removed some modules because of budget limitations.
As for the casing, I'm looking at Tip Top Mantis.

ModularGrid Rack


You mentioned budget. What is your entire budget for your initial build excluding the Mantis? You'll probably add more later. But what's the budget to get-going?


Excluding the Mantis that would be around 1600 euros just for the modules. Maths is the most expensive module in this rack but i figure it would provide me with a lot of useful functions for instance sometimes i would like to use it as an external envelope for the Neutron because i can't modulate the ADSR parameters in the neutron.


For the output module, why not looking at a mixer+out+headphones out ?
In fine, you might end up with several voices when you'll get another vco
I started with a 4ms listen four and i replaced it by a XOH (with a XPAN before to increase the XOH limited mixer capabilities and save space)
The Quad VCA before the Out will do the job in the first time but as your rack will grow out, the needs of VCAs as well
However listen to the pro, I am still a beginner


Excluding the Mantis that would be around 1600 euros just for the modules. Maths is the most expensive module in this rack but i figure it would provide me with a lot of useful functions for instance sometimes i would like to use it as an external envelope for the Neutron because i can't modulate the ADSR parameters in the neutron.
-- abrupt

With the Maths, you have some possibilities to modulate the envelope. However the Math only has a rise and fall... so basically attack and decay. The Neutron has four stages per envelope. So if you're looking to replicate the Neutron's envelope generators, that might be hard with The Maths module. It will sound different.

To get closer, I would try something like a TipTop Z4000NS. You get CV control over all four stages, plus the "deviator" offset. The Z4000 is a little trickier to use as the deviator and attenuator always come into play. But that's the module I'd pick. The Maths is a good pick, don't get me wrong. But I can see you having an awesome patch on the Neutron then trying to swap out EGs and not being able to replicate the Neutron's envelope with the Maths.

I'll take a deeper look tonight once I convert Euros to Dollars. I'm on the other side of the pond.


For the output module, why not looking at a mixer+out+headphones out ?
In fine, you might end up with several voices when you'll get another vco
I started with a 4ms listen four and i replaced it by a XOH (with a XPAN before to increase the XOH limited mixer capabilities and save space)
The Quad VCA before the Out will do the job in the first time but as your rack will grow out, the needs of VCAs as well
However listen to the pro, I am still a beginner
-- anglr

Finding the right combination of Outs + Headphones + the features you want can be tricky. In my search, it was "not enough channels", "too expensive", "not enough sends", "no mutes", "too big", etc. Those features are nice if you can get them on your mixer. But I wouldn't make them must-haves if you find something that works for you.

Another factor is performance. Some mixers are meant to be set-and-forget. Others were purposely designed with performance in mind. That's something to always consider when buying a module... ergonomics are important if you're going to be playing the module live. Perhaps something not towards the top of the list when you're first starting out. But, something to consider if that's a goal.

Cheers.


With the Maths, you have some possibilities to modulate the envelope. However the Math only has a rise and fall... so basically attack and decay. The Neutron has four stages per envelope. So if you're looking to replicate the Neutron's envelope generators, that might be hard with The Maths module. It will sound different.

To get closer, I would try something like a TipTop Z4000NS. You get CV control over all four stages, plus the "deviator" offset. The Z4000 is a little trickier to use as the deviator and attenuator always come into play. But that's the module I'd pick. The Maths is a good pick, don't get me wrong. But I can see you having an awesome patch on the Neutron then trying to swap out EGs and not being able to replicate the Neutron's envelope with the Maths.

-- Ronin1973

The Z4000NS looks like what i would want from an ADSR env, plus its 8hp and not expensive at all. I might throw it in the rack, but keep Maths as well.

For the output module, why not looking at a mixer+out+headphones out ?
In fine, you might end up with several voices when you'll get another vco
I started with a 4ms listen four and i replaced it by a XOH (with a XPAN before to increase the XOH limited mixer capabilities and save space)
The Quad VCA before the Out will do the job in the first time but as your rack will grow out, the needs of VCAs as well
However listen to the pro, I am still a beginner
-- anglr

When I'll add another VCO i'll need a lot of other modules including more VCAs, a filter or a LPG, maybe envelope generators etc. But that won't happen very soon. I'll be looking at a dedicated mixer then and at the end of the routing i'll always just need some "modular level to line out". I'm also looking at Lifeforms Outs as a cheaper alternative to Intellijel Outs, i have no idea about the sound quality on both modules tho.