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Hello Anubiz,

Wow, this is amazing! :-) How did you do this? Did you used samples for the sounds? Supported by a large sequencer I guess? The large top left module, is that your main sequencer? What is it exactly (I mean brand & model)?

Are you (Anubiz) and Attack Regularity Release Chaos (on YouTube) the same performer? I am now listening to the Tubular Bells, nice one too!

Must have been a lot of configuration work ;-) It's amazing and enjoyable at the same time. Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Wishbonebrewery,

Oh yes, that's nice! :-) Super nice and it's relaxing too, this is how my weekend should be :-)

Nice long, kind of ambient and relaxing, the ideal track for me! Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

P.S.: That picture is that of a piece of textile? It's quite nice!

The module isnt associated with thonk as far as im concerned. What about Neutral Labs?

Nice work :)

I keep starting out to make a Drone based patch then it kind of changes.

Hope you enjoy.

I use Ableton and Cubase. Will stick with Ableton even though I have a love/hate relationship with it.
It works with my Push 2 controller and laptop and modular.

So this is the second iteration of my starter rack that I have poster before. Apart from what I ideally want above I already have a mother 32 and a dfam. I produce more ambient/leftfield leaning music. I have focused on utilities ( some of them I already own and absolutely love). I have realised that I need more mixers since i end up using triplatt and tangle quartet as a mixer more than a vca. I am not firmly set on an STO as a second osc (since I like domino by eowave too even though its a little too acidy) so would love to know if there are other options that allow more modulations.

@Lugia Excellent simile. Curious to know how it will land with the younger crowd on here though lol. Showing (y)our age!

-- merzky_shoom

Y'know, back when I was in St. Louis in 1937...

-- Lugia

VERY funny! Ya know I'm only 66yr old. Is that old? ....(feelings hurt...) Just kidding....

To disable Native Apple UI in Safari you can set the "-webkit-appearance" style to none;
-- defragmenteur

Yes, I know but the dropdown menu would not look like a dropdown anymore and you have to fake in that down triangle icon and that triangle icon will not register clicks so the dropbox would not open and than you can add javascript to prevent that, etc.
Not worth it imho just to get flatter dropdowns on Safari which might come "for free" with a next Apple update.
Anyway: "ModularGrid? Isn't that the tasteful site with the beautiful webdesign?" said no one ever ;)

OK...well, here's a possible idea for the 6U Rackbrute:

Since this build is more intended as a "sidecar" as far as its own voicing goes, I opted to add more in the way of modulation sources so that these can go out to the Hydrasynth and/or Minibrute as needed.

Top row: The P/S, then a gated slew limiter - this lets you gate the slew response in a similar fashion to the TB-303 "glide", which can be selected between specific steps. In this case, you'd simply select the points where you want that "glide" and then sequence a pattern of gates for that. Oscillator (dual oscillator, in fact) is a Void Gravitational Waves, which gives you lots of complex VCO-style patchpoints as well as an onboard ring modulator. Then this is followed by Nonlinearcircuits' dual Buchla waveshaper clone, and then you've got a Veils for controlling oscillator (or other) signals that get fed to the VCF. This is also from Void, and it's their stereo state-variable VCF. Then after that...more VCAs. Since I opted for a stereo mixer that has no VCAs for level, I put in a Zlob Vnicvrsal VCA which gives you VCAs for six of the Cosmix's inputs, allowing level control for each mono strip as well as one stereo pair. The Cosmotronics Cosmix has four mono inputs and two stereo input pairs, plus an AUX send and pan per mono strip. The AUX allows you to tailor your effects send from the mono strips, and then you have two stereo inputs that function as stereo returns OR stereo inputs. Then the audio out is after this, which offers yet another stereo AUX return, plus your headphone preamp as well as isolation.

Bottom row: Your noise and sample and hold is on the left. Then there's a dual VCable LFO, Noise Reap's uLoaf, which has a very odd "psuedo-sync" control that can send one of the LFOs into less of a regular waveform and something more like a "wobble". Following this, Maths...then Frap's 321, which is a module for altering/mixing/inverting CV and modulation signals from other modules to create more complex "composite" modulation curves. Then Happy Nerding's 3XVCA gives you three mixable linear VCAs for mixing and control over modulation levels. Following this section, you've got envelope generators, although the Intellijel Quadrax is actually rather more complicated than a typical set of two-stage envelope generators, especially when tandemmed with the Qx expander. After that, you've got a pair of ADSR envelopes...then effects, with a Mutable Warps for your "frequency" effects and a Happy Nerding FX Aid XL for the "time" ones. And the very last bit there is actually a quad level shifter for line-to-synth voltage conversions. This bit allows you to input the outputs of other devices back into the modular, so that if a certain situation requires you to mix the Minibrute and Hydrasynth through a VERY minimal external mixer, you can rely on the Cosmix + these level shifters to let you feed THOSE sources through them, potentially making for an easier setup.

Like I said, this is sort of an "example"...but it's actually not a bad example as it is. But it does hit all the bases...you've got a very capable voice section, modulation is nicely overspecced for the modular and other synths to use, and you get onboard FX and stereo mixing that can also take external signals. This is pretty much the sort of thing that would be ideal as a Rackbrute complement for both the Hydrasynth and the Minibrute, though.

Oooo...part of the answer appears to possibly be hiding on the first data sheet! Check "Note 7" at the bottom, then go to Meanwell's site and see what they say about RFI and noise filtering.

Whenever you see a retailer pushing something specific, the correct reaction is NOT to immediately jump on it. Instead, you need to be asking "why?".

All very good points, which I will be taking forward in my modular journey

I, however, am NOT easily "influenced"

So where is the best place to 'learn' and get good information on beginning a modular system? I did take toodee's recommendation and have downloaded VCV and will play around with that. I think I read another one of your posts (I think it was you that made the comment) to buy a module or two and play around and discover where you want to go from there. I did order the RackBrute 6U earlier today as I know if I am going to dip my feet into modular, I like the idea of integrating it with my Minibrute 2 (being able to connect and carry so to speak). My my goal is to 'extend' the capability/flexibity of making cool sounds with my Minibrute 2 and Hydrasynth...I think I'll have enough HP with the Rackbrute 6U to do some damage but I really just need the 'compass' to point me in the right direction. All the videos on YouTube I've watched so far don't seem to just discuss the basics...these modules do this, that module does that and together they can do this...its more 'abstract' discussion and as I mentioned to someone before, how do you know until you really have your hands on it and are playing around with it...I get that time and experience over time is going to be a big factor in learning modular, but would like those initial recommendations of what someone with lots of experience would do in my shoes

Sorry to sound stupid here, but I'm not sure what you mean by "inspect the buzzy bus header" or what to look for. There are a set of screws that both flying bus cables were manually wired to. Beyond that I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for? This is the PSU:

http://download.siliconexpert.com/pdfs/2017/7/21/11/32/19/509/mwe_/manual/209402834386489rt-125-spec.pdf

These modules of theirs, the two Passive Tools, are something that those of you considering fairly tight builds should consider. In 8 hp and for a smidge less than $100, these together offer EIGHT super-useful utility circuits under their two panels. As much noise that I and others make about "functional density", these are 100% on that! Effin' brilliant!

AND was about as stable as nitroglycerine being handled by Bobcat Goldthwaite.
-- Lugia

@Lugia Excellent simile. Curious to know how it will land with the younger crowd on here though lol. Showing (y)our age!

-- merzky_shoom

Y'know, back when I was in St. Louis in 1937...

Whenever you see a retailer pushing something specific, the correct reaction is NOT to immediately jump on it. Instead, you need to be asking "why?".

So, right now if you get over to Perfect Circuit's website, you'll see loads of small one-row skiffs that are in stock...but the REAL best for starting cabs, in the 84-104 hp range with two rows, those tend to be chronically out of stock because, overall, they're the best solution for beginning synthesists as well as experienced ones who need a cab for a "scale-down" for live work, etc. These "miniskiff" videos have been popping up for a hot minute from them, but not so much so when you could yank Mantises, Intellijel 7U x 104s, etc off the shelf. Just sayin'...oh, and this might just have something to do with the excess of these skiff builds in general, because if manufacturers are trying to unload these (too) small cabs, they'll be sending 'em to their A-list of "influencers" for appropriate product placement.

I, however, am NOT easily "influenced". I suppose I've been around the music business long enough to not be blind to the sneaky shit. So MY take on YouTube clips is one that's been focused through a rather jaundiced eye where "sneaky" is concerned; as for the outright incompetent stuff on there (and there is a BUNCH!), it's way more obvious and most anyone can figure it out. But you need to keep in mind that quite a bit of what you see on YouTube where these things are concerned is actually rather devious "free advertising", and while YT is presumably trying to crack down on this, using YouTube as a reference for equipment purchases is something that I wouldn't recommend for anyone starting off for precisely this reason.

Jim Coker is super cool guy and it’s great to have modular inventors willing to help us out. I’m really liking Vector and glad that I bought a Doepfer monster case now. What can I say- sequencers are super fun in modular world compared to the boring step based xox ones in traditional hardware synths.

Actually, you've managed to rule out the busboards AND found the culprit. It IS the power supply, and there's something specifically wrong with the second flying bus header!

Next step, therefore: pull the power supply and inspect the "buzzy" bus header. For starters, do you see anything inside the header, such as dust, maybe a tiny bit of metal, bent pin, etc etc? If you can get the supply housing open, do you see anything on the soldered connections to the header that resembles a cold joint, or maybe there's some other soldering fault that's having the same effect as a crossed wire from (best guess here) the Eurorack bus line to a power leg?

Yeah, it's confusing...but this is troubleshooting, that process of elimination of causes of screwy behavior. It's tedious, it's annoying...and it's invaluable, because this is exactly how you learn your rig. Look at it as the 21st century equivalent of being an oboe player and knowing that if you want to play at your best, you need to cut and tie your own reeds. What you're learning as you poke around in this thing WILL translate to being able to deal with other equipment faults in an effective manner, over time.

To disable Native Apple UI in Safari you can set the "-webkit-appearance" style to none;

Thanks Garfield- great tip on the Erica Synths Dual VCF will try that tonite.
As for Vector, I had a great chat today with Jim Coker the inventor of Vector and he was kind to help me out. Was great connecting with him on how he came to design it and so forth. I figured out the pitch stuff and now have a bunch of cool patterns going to several oscillators. I also figured out how to connect the expander correctly as it was not hooked up right. Jim graciously helped me on that as well. A fun sequencer and very powerful. I do wish that it had 30 CV outs and 30 gates but it is great. Paired with my Eloquencer an unbeatable combo to drive a very large modular system with ease. Now I just need another large eurorack mixer and that elusive comparator Lugia mentioned to me a while back.

Hi Sacguy71,

Great, a video with Erica Synths - Dual VCF (one of my favourite filters) and the Five12 sequencer Vector :-)

Regarding the Dual VCF from ES, try to make a patch with two inputs, either two outputs from the same oscillator or preferable with two inputs from two different oscillators, then take the two outputs to a stereo mixer. It's a stereo filter and making use of such is great, the possibilities of that filter become more clear then.

Regarding your question about the Vector sequencer:
- Press the blue "Preset/Scene" button (that brings you to the "Preset" overview of the current part)
- Then press the grey "Next" button (to the "Scene" overview of all parts)
- Then with the encoders select the Scene per part you want to select, if nothing is selected for such part then that's the reason why you don't get any result from part 2 for example, so if part 1 is at "A01" then it might make sense to put part 2 at "A01" as well (to get started). Note though that A01 from part 1 is different from the "A01" from part 2. Scenes are independent and configurable per part.

So then after done that, press the blue "Part" button, press the white button of part 1 and make sure at pitch & gate that you have configured there something. Do the same again for (press the blue "Part" button and press the white button of) part 2, and then it should work.

Use the main encoder (I think Jim calls it encoder 9 in his manual, doing this by heart though) to set all values at the same time, that's especially handy when doing the gate of a new part you haven't configured yet, use that main encoder to set all gates at the same time so you have faster some results :-) The fine adjustments of the gates per step you can then do later on with the individual encoders per step as one does with the pitch.

The best hint though is: take your sweet time and read first the entire manual, then things should become clearer. I, myself, would love a bit more extensive manual though. Everything or at least most of it has all been mentioned in the manual but sometimes you have to read it twice or thrice to completely understand it, a more extensive explanation would make it at certain points indeed a bit easier (in my opinion).

I hope it's kind of clear and helps you forward exploring the Vector. Have fun with it and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi ModLifeCrisis,

Wow, that's amazing, you have a waterproof Eurorack ;-)

Drone or not, nice ambient track it is! :-) It's lovely relaxing to listen at, watching the video, feeling so relaxed. Yes nice, I want more of this :-)

I miss a bit your commentary at the beginning of each track, any chance of that happen again? :-)

Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

I like Reaper, myself, but in fairness I haven't tried anything else in years.

I've been working on an album of what I call Covid Drones. This track was intended for the album but did not make it, mainly because I decided it isn't actually a drone... It was created on my little modular, with chords from Plaits, wave sounds I recorded at the beach and a slide guitar fed through the Morphagene and clocked with Maths. The slide guitar is available for the Morphagene from Free Sounds, search for Extraborg and slide guitar.

AND was about as stable as nitroglycerine being handled by Bobcat Goldthwaite.
-- Lugia

@Lugia Excellent simile. Curious to know how it will land with the younger crowd on here though lol. Showing (y)our age!

EDITED May 14th 2021, 18:24

That's a tough question to answer because really, how do you know what all everything can do until you really have your hands on it and try it out? I've watched quite a few videos and its the "modular can do anything/everything you want it to" that makes it difficult to answer that...I want to do the crazy filtering/waveshapping sound design thing for sure with the ability to experiement as well.

This sounds like a job for VCV, it's the next best thing - and it's free :-) I find it perfect to get familiar with what's on offer in modular world when you can't try the modules in the real... I would recommend you spend as much time as possible experimenting with not only synthesis techniques you know, but also trying new stuff. The ideas of what to try can come from replicating a certain module you find interesting and see what you can do with it, trying ideas from youtube videos like proper module reviews (have a look at DivKid's stuff if you haven't already, many ideas he shares are applicable not only to the module on review...) or Patch From Scratch videos and what not - the idea is to try new techniques that you can't achieve with what you have (or realize you can achieve it with what you have, you never know lol) and discover why so many of us get excited by a cascading VCA or clever logic modules. A trick that worked for me was to have a look at the manual from the Disting, and try every listed function in there. Find out if you can come up with a creative way to use a quantizer or if a full wave rectifier could be your favorite thing even if you didn't know about it 5 minutes ago... VCV should give you a good idea of what type of module could be interesting for your setup and your way of doing music. Take people's advice but do try things on your own before buying ;-)
If you have an iOS device, there's also Drambo on there, it's a paid app but I find it a lot of fun, albeit potentially confusing for modular beginners since all connections are hidden and automatic, it might not always be obvious what does what, but it's always fun to use.

Are you absolutely set on this rack size ? What is your budget ?

Yes and No :) I like that it can attach directly to the Minibrute 2 and I could easily carry it if I wanted to take it somewhere. I figured it was a good starting point and if I did things right, could add a few cool things while I'm learning more and then add additional things that would compliment the Hydrasynth and Minibrute until I filled it out...heck if I get completely consumed, (which I'm sure I will) I can see myself doing 'builds' from a square wood case like I've seen in a video series I watched and thought was pretty cool.

Ok, so here's an advice that has to do with building on MG specifically and not with the actual object: try with a much larger build, because you don't have to pay for that yet, as long as it's on here, it's free (well, there's Unicorn, but you have time to see if that's for you later). It will allow to think freely in terms of what the build needs, what makes sense etc, instead of what can fit. That way you may either confirm you had picked the right size or realize you may need bigger right away, but it will be after the dust settles and you have picked a direction. You will read the advice of picking a rack size bigger than what you think you need and I would tend to agree, especially if you are not yet sure of what Eurorack can do for you, I reckon you'll be like most of us and find out very very soon after taking the plunge that you actually need a bigger space to realize your vision, now that you know more about said vision :-)

That's all I have for now, I'll let more experienced builders propose something, maybe someone who knows your synths better and know what they lack - I don't, sorry.

Wish you good fun in your building adventures and see you soon !

That is Apples idea how a default drop down should look. Every attempt to restyle those elements is a bit hacky and has other disadvantages. The new "dropboxes" on iOS have the dropbox appearance disabled so they look flat. But from UI perspective they are no dropboxes anymore which can be problematic. I hope that Apple will just tone them done a bit in the future.

Dropdowns looks great, thank you!
-- subframe

Oh, I still see the Aqua/reflective dropdown in Safari on my mac. I see the new flat look on iOS, but not macOS for some reason.

I hope what I'm about to say will not hinder your will to learn modular, but I honestly think this video is a good example of a bad example :-)

Not at all...I'm about as new as it gets to modular. I've watched videos, read through forums, and figured that Perfect Circuit built something specific to work with the Hydrasynth that I couldn't go wrong starting with what they built/included...sounds like I'm wrong about that :)

Crazy modulation and analog filtering/waveshaping is what I consider the main advantage Eurorack can offer to an existing synth setup like yours

This is exactly what I'm looking for. Want to extend the capabilities of both the Hydrasynth and Minibrute by stretching out their legs with the ability to integrate with modular, adding a lot of flexibility/experimentation capability that I can use with both.

What do you feel is missing from what you already have?

That's a tough question to answer because really, how do you know what all everything can do until you really have your hands on it and try it out? I've watched quite a few videos and its the "modular can do anything/everything you want it to" that makes it difficult to answer that...I want to do the crazy filtering/waveshapping sound design thing for sure with the ability to experiement as well.

Are you absolutely set on this rack size ? What is your budget ?

Yes and No :) I like that it can attach directly to the Minibrute 2 and I could easily carry it if I wanted to take it somewhere. I figured it was a good starting point and if I did things right, could add a few cool things while I'm learning more and then add additional things that would compliment the Hydrasynth and Minibrute until I filled it out...heck if I get completely consumed, (which I'm sure I will) I can see myself doing 'builds' from a square wood case like I've seen in a video series I watched and thought was pretty cool.

What is the type of music/sounds you are making ?

I'm all over the electronic music board and love listening and attempting to make anything that feels good to me, I don't try to get into any "I do stuff in this genre" discussion...I really like a lot of The Crystal Method, from Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, New Order, Depeche Mode to a lot of the Deadmau5, Glitch Mob, Massive Attack, Bassnectar as well...and everywhere in between I guess...Not saying I like everything that all of those artists do but definitely enjoy most of the stuff they make.

Trying to answer those questions might help you see things a bit more clearly, and sharing those thoughts on here will help others help you ;-)

Look forward to any suggestions or recommendations you and others may have based on my responses above

EDITED May 14th 2021, 16:08

Cubase user here. Ableton looks enticing regarding it's integration with eurorack. Having Cubase Pro, I have trouble with the expense of Albelton. I'm new to eurorack, but have had fairly good success with integration with Cubase. Able to sync midi timing (start/stop/tempo track), which was huge for me. I can't remember the exact native plug in, but I can use Steinbergs built in voltage/wave monitor. Bigger screen than VCV.

Well there's a quick start guide and then you have to search around, but there is a manual. You probably found video series (I think there's something like 10 short videos) that could help.

I'm responding because I had trouble getting an external midi keyboard working. In the Effects menu there is a midi effect already in place. I thought that would take of my midi needs. But for me, others might have some different experience, that didn't work. For me to get the keyboard working, if you add an effect there is a Midi effect selection. That's the one to add. A little confusing.

Good luck.

Hi !
I hope what I'm about to say will not hinder your will to learn modular, but I honestly think this video is a good example of a bad example :-) See, I don't understand the point of this rack, this looks like something one would throw together from modules you already have on hand just to say it's modular stuff rather than a build you would design as your only rack (no beef with Perfect Circuit though, they put out stuff I enjoy as well and are very nice people)...
In such a (very) small cab, I wouldn't even start thinking about integrating the TipTop One and Varigate just to trigger some samples. Since you're not going for a pure Eurorack setup, a small box like the Model Sample from Elektron or something similar will get you there for the same price and with way more functionality. A used Digitakt or an MPC One would be my first choice for sample duties if you can afford it. There also the software part to consider, IMO the Elektron world is slightly better than Akai's, but that's another discussion entirely, just think about it before buying and make sure to inform yourself extensively ;)
Keeping the drums out would allow for your Eurorack setup to be entirely dedicated to improving your existing synth setup. Crazy modulation and analog filtering/waveshaping is what I consider the main advantage Eurorack can offer to an existing synth setup like yours, so if this was for me, I'm not even sure I'd keep the 810 (maybe just get an 860 if you want that JOVE filter sound) and I would rather try to focus on using what the Eurorack format is particularly good at to expand/improve my existing synths. I would think about some nice filter designs the likes of which you only see in modular, say Make Noise QPAS, Xaoc Belgrad, Doespfer's Wasp, etc + fun/playable modulation like the Batumi you have there (I don't know it that much), the Acid Rain Maestro which looks dope, my beloved Noise Engineering Mimetic Digitalis, and of course attenuverters/matrmix mixers/VCAs to go with it. Maybe Marbles, a Turing Machine or an O&C, if space allows for it. I don't know about the MiniBrute that well but depending on its patch bay (the Hydrasynth's looks very limited) you could even think about fun logic and switching modules... But that's just me, what do you feel is missing from what you already have ? What attract you to the Eurorack format and what do you expect from it ? Are you absolutely set on this rack size ? What is your budget ? What is the type of music/sounds you are making ?
Trying to answer those questions might help you see things a bit more clearly, and sharing those thoughts on here will help others help you ;-)
Have a good one,
D.

So my new 512 Vector sequencer arrived today, yay! I love it and can get first oscillator sequenced amazing.

However, when I connect an oscillator to the first pitch 1v/oct connection, I can create a new sequencer fine without a problem linked to the default Part 1. However, I am not able to create a sequence for the second oscillator connected to the pitch 2 and other pitch connections. How would I do this on the 512 Vector? Below is my first attempt

It works great on first pitch connection from the 512 Vector sequencer to the Erica Synths VCO. But when I connect another VCO to the second pitch and other pitch connections, I don't know how to create a sequence for playback.

Eh ... I spoke too soon.

I'm really stumped now. So after that last post, I replaced the 2nd flying bus with a fresh spare one I had, thinking I had it in the bag now -- but when I added my 2nd row of modules back in ... once again, I got the buzzing.

This leads me back to wondering if it's the PSU somehow, and related to a certain amount of power draw. But if so, why on earth does it have no issue running the same exactly modules on one flying busboard, but not another? Unless I have the bad luck of the spare one also being bad somehow? I might have one other, maybe I'll have to try that. It just makes no sense to me.

Thanks Garfield,

Yeah I now have tons to learn and use for long time. Even better, if I have a live jam in the future then I can just pop the sequencer and modules in my 6u Doepfer case and be ready to roll. I really like the Hexinverter Mutant drum modules a lot- snare and high hats sound great and tons of modulation options. My friend brought a Befaco Kickall and that is a fat bass drum.

Hi Sacguy71,

That's great news! :-) Take your sweet time to read the manual of the Five12 - Vector sequencer and after that just enjoy that fantastic sequencer! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Have fun with your new modules and the Vector and kind regards, Garfield.

Hi Troux, All,

How about "Get started with at least a monster case of say 3 * 168 HP" ? ;-)

Most of it has been said already indeed. Perhaps pointing out to the very basics of (modular) synthesizer as well? Like you need at least: 2 oscillators, 1 or 2 filters, VCAs you mentioned already, 2 LFOs, 2 EGs, etcetera. Before even thinking about "sexy looking modules".

If you need that picture that I made of all those functionality stuff, you are welcome to use that link to that picture, no problem.

Good luck with it and I think it's indeed to have one of such posts stickied here in the Racks section. Kind regards, Garfield.

Thanks Garfield,

Well Vector arrived today along with Erica Synths Black Wavetable VCO, Qu-bit Mixology mixer and Erica Synths Black Dual VCF. Hooked these up except for Vector (will do that tonite) and ran sample patch. Amazing sound from the Erica modules and Mixology is a fun 4 channel mixer with mutes, solo and send/pan controls very smooth and super awesome. I am finding that as my system grows, the need for mixers, tools and sequencers is more important than a bunch of the fancy voice modules. I also ordered bunch of longer patch cables to cross patch both larger modular systems. It is easy to use up a dozen mixer connections. The 4ms VCA Matrix helps somewhat.

That's because the search function is too advanced for this world. If you enter something in the search box all posts are hidden that do not contain the search query. I will fix that one day..
-- modulargrid

Oh that makes sense now, yes I was searching about the cat haha. Thanks for clarifying what happened :D

Well, there are two flying busboards attached to the Meanwell. But thank you for directing my attention thataway, because this morning I finally made some progress towards isolating the problem and solving it.

I attached a row of relatively power-hungry modules to just the top busboard and tested it out. Def a bit more ground noise than I'd like, leading me to think a PSU and overall busboard upgrade/reconfiguration may be a priority regardless, but -- no buzzing/interference sound, and generally work-with-able.

When I attached the same set of modules to just the bottom busboard, I did get the interference sound. Strangely it didn't sound quite the same as what I recorded, but was still hugely noticeable in contrast to the first busboard.

So, my thought is to find I fresh flying bus (I think I have one somewhere) and replace that flying bus. Hopefully that will work and if so this setup will be usable enough until I can afford a more complete overhaul.

O.k. that is not directly modular related but chances are someone here also uses an old CR-78 to sneak those Phil Collins vibes into the Eurorack performance.
I tried to sync my CR-78 via Midiclock using various converters but had issues with all of them so I decided to build my own which took WAAYY longer than expected. I call it the Compusync 78.
The Compusync 78 can also be used as a realtime programmer for the CR-78. It looks a bit DIYish because it is, but the result, especially timing and START/STOP behaviour is very good.
So if someone is interested send me a private message since I hand built a small batch of devices I am happy to sell.
Also did a video to showcase the interface with my best presenter skills:

Lots of good ideas there @nickgreenberg, will definitely add some of that in!

Looking for some feedback on adding to a rack build. The initial modules are based on a rack that appeared in this YouTube video:

I recently purchased the ASM Hydrasynth and an Arturia Minibrute...looking to dip my toes into modular and thought getting a Rackbrute 3U that could be used with both the Hydrasynth and Minibrute and incorporating the modules used in the video would be a good start. I've created a rack with the corresponding HP (88) for the Rackbrute and will have 19 HP left to add to. Is there anything critical that I'm missing and/or something I should definitely consider adding to the remaining 19?""

Hello folks!

I think I’ve assembled a fairly nice starter rack here and am hoping someone could take a peak and suggest any additions I’d need to make to maximize its patching options.

There’s no going back now as these modules have either arrived or are on the way via shipping.

Am just curious for some ideas on which 2-3 more modules could be added that would play nicely here.

Have Beatstep pro and a Microfreak as well so sequencing and a playable touch surface are taken care of.

Thanks and have a great day everyone!

Edit: down the road i had an idea to get a sampler (bitbox micro?) to do some drums and more mods/utilities on the bottom rack. Would that work or am I trying to cram too much in there?

EDITED May 13th 2021, 12:13

I got one of those from the first batch arriving in Europe late last year, and absolutely loved it (the closest I ever got to that was an Odissey back in the 90s). But... only a few days after unboxing, the digital part of the synth stopped receiving current from the main board, so to my dismay I had to send it back.
My trust for Behringer's QC has hit rock bottom since, but having said that, the price of that thing is too tempting to ignore. I may get a Gray Meanie when it becomes available again.
Also I got the other one in my pre-modular days, now I can think of a million fun things I'd like to try with both racks interacting.

@troux, good idea. I do tend to see similar feedback in a lot of the "rack feedback" requests.

In addition to the ideas above, how about adding in some of the following:

a) write out your vision for your modular synth. What do you want it to be great at? It's okay if this is vague to begin with, but the clearer the vision, the more coherent the modular design will be (e.g. more fun, more good sounds, less frustration and waste).

b) consider how big a modular case you would likely get. Next, consider a larger case! Ideally, plan to leave 25-50% open space in your first case so you can add additional modules as you learn your needs and interests better.

c) consider your $s budget for modular. Is modular a better option for you versus other music items (e.g. software or hardware synths, grooveboxes, etc.)? While modular is great at many things, it can be an inferior alternative in some situations.

d) plan your first (or next) modular rig. Start by thinking about proportions of modules: a useful guideline (courtesy of JimHowell1970) is "sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities." A rig with good proportions of modules will tend to seem balanced and deep (for its size); a rig with skewed proportions will tend to seem unbalanced and limited (for its size).

e) pick some modules! A balance to keep in mind is "inspiration / working instrument / going slow". Something has led you to modular -- make sure at least some modules embodying that "inspiration" appear in your rig. "Complete working instrument" -- if you buy a hardware or software synth, most of the time it arrives as a fulling working instrument, essentially complete on its own for some musical task. With modular, there is a risk of missing an important module type, and severely limiting the rig so that it is not as much a complete working instrument as a VST or hardware counterpart may be. Consider all the modular functions you need to accomplish your main musical tasks, and include those in your draft rig. Lastly, there is the longstanding advice among modular synthesists to "go slow," namely get modules one or few at a time and learn them very very well before adding new modules. Keeping inspiration in your rig, designing a rig that is a working instrument, and going slow enough to learn your incremental new module are somewhat contrary guidelines -- with some consideration, you can find the balance right for your rig.

f) consider some "no regrets" or "tried and true" modules if you're a beginner. These can include [to insert list from across thread above].

g) use tools like Modular Grid and/or VCVrack to test your rack designs. There is a large modular community and other modular users routinely help each other start or extend their modular journey!

h) dive in, take time to learn and explore your rig, and enjoy!

IMO maybe some of the above is helpful broader advice to include in a primer for new folks. Feel free to keep / toss / update / recombine any of it as you see fit.

Cheers,

Nicholas

: ( I was hoping this might be a new complex oscillator I really NEED!... (j/k)

EDITED May 13th 2021, 00:50

Hi Sacguy71,

Thanks a lot for the interesting details! :-)

Ah-haa! You are getting yourself now a Vector as well, I still love it, great sequencer. It's good that you ordered it together with the expander.

The Dual VCF form Erica Synths is a great filter in my opinion, so I hope you will enjoy that one :-)

Enjoy the new and great stuff and I look forward in hearing and seeing some more interesting stuff from you! Kind regards, Garfield.