Have you considered buying a copy of the most excellent book Patch and Tweak by Chris Meyer of LearningModular.com and downloading the free VCVRack software? These really helped me get started for low cost and I still use them for trying things out before a purchase. Congrats on your plunge into modular world.
-- sacguy71

Thanks for this guidance! I'm reading Patch an Tweak now. I haven't really played around with VCV Rack but will do so.