User Posts

Hi and welcome yebanat!
I would say if you can start out with a rack like that your funds cannot be all that limited ;-))
Looking good to me. Knowing what you expect it to do would help though.

Hi Wiggler ! Thanks for your answer !

...looking for a very cheap 6U case and uZEUS or that Source d’énergie seemed to be a good way not to spend too much

Sounds familiar to me. I built a 6Ux84 skiff from cardboard, inspired by this:
I went with a uZeus too. It's now powering over 20 modules with no problems. Watch the ma count though.

Yeah I guess I’ll use a computer (running Max 7/Pure data) because for now I don’t have enough money to buy a cool sequencer like René or others.

Excellent!

I was not able to find a drum module that had multiple triggers in order to use with grid, and more important, that had multiple outputs so I can process the sound of each instrument (with reverb, distortion..) individually. Last Braid’s firmware has drum sounds included so I think it’ll help.

That's a problem right there. If you want a conventional drum track you will need 3 individual modules to produce 3 note polyphonic percussion. (The idea of spending like a complete row on just "drums" seemed ridiculous to me). Erica has a new sampler that plays 2 samples at the same time out of a few dozen with an option to upload your own. Grids seems to make sense only with seperate modules though.

A voice in my noobs head told me that having 6.3mm jack for the line outputs would be better but ok I’m gonna get rid of that Outs module. Also for the VCA I planned to use RYO’s uptodist… Will this apply distortion on everything ?

Probably you will need 6.3 mm at some point. You can buy a Doepfer 3.5 - 6.3 cable or just make your own converter from a cigar box. Be sure to add a few bananas too ,you never know ;-)

Oh and also I’ve seen a lot of little racks using Maths to do all the utility stuff, should it replace my ADSR ?
Well Maths is a lot of things. So yes it could replace your env too but it's not an ADSR, just a rise and fall.
You might get puzzled by the multitude of features though. Your A-140 is a perfect start. When that gives you a yawn you may want to look at Make Noise Function which is the smaller brother of Maths. I got mine used for 100 EUR and it's a keeper . As for the attenuverter I would go for cheap used stuff and upgrade with experience.

Thank you for your help !
-- Denez

You're welcome. Ask away.

EDITED Jul 15th 2016, 11:21

Hi Denez.
Do you have power a brick or wall wart to drive that source d'energie?
Are you planning to interface with a computer or external gear?
Why did you pick a single hi-hat module rather than a generic drum module/rom player with more sounds/instruments?

Other than that, it looks very workable with those utilities sprinkled in. The Outs is optional IMHO, you can feed your monitors/headphones from the A-138. Get a vca instead. Oh and a attenuverter will be needed for adjusting the cv coming from your lfo and env.

cheers,
Ralf

EDITED Jul 15th 2016, 09:09

It sure has enough modules to do something meaningful. Question is what exactly are you trying to achieve? Looks like you want to plug in some sort of guitar or similar. In that case you may want to have something to convert the pitch of your instrument / controller to CV so you can actually play your synth with it, such as the RS-35 . Also, there is a lack of VCA and mixer for my taste. Loose one the uZEUS and get a mixer instead. Did you notice, the guitar interface module seems to be DIY only.

EDITED Jun 7th 2016, 09:04

That Shiny Beast makes me feel like Making love to a vampire with a vactrol on my knee.
Along those lines.

That 'Trout Mask Replicant' looks more like 'Eeeheelahacktriacity' to me ;-))

Is anyone here using Ladik's C-214 envelope with retrigger?

I suggest that alternative panels or modules are categorized as such.
I mean all variations of the "base" reference module.
-- Zentek

I second this.
Also I would like to see a tag / attribute "is an expander for [link to module]"

EDITED Apr 22nd 2016, 07:44

How about: hover over a blank spot in your rack ...and a popup tells you how many blank HP are there. ..
-- pescatore
+1

Also, in the summary at the bottom of your rack,
- show the width in hp
- show the name of the deepest module

For me using a rather shallow skiff it's a constant nuisance when planning on using a module,
learning late in the decision process, it's too deep for my case.
Speaking of which it would be helpful in the process of 'manufacturer approving' to make sure
power requirements and depth of the module is given.

This soundscape is completely made with my modular synthesizer. No samples. No field recordings. Just VCOs, LFOs, filters, step sequencers, analog delay and spring reverb. Year of production: 2012
-- MRau
Nice! Brings back memories of Ummagumma :-)
Care to share some patching notes?

Hi and welcome, bkraco!
What else do you need to fit in that case?
Did you look at the Doepfer cases (http://www.doepfer.de/home_e.htm) ?
Both plain wooden and very solid flight case types in several sizes.

I play in a semi-frequently touring grindcore band, and 2016 is looking to be very busy for us. I'm looking for recommendations for a portable and durable case to fit a 60mm depth Doepfer VCO module, with at least 44HP. Since it's non-studio, the more portable the better, as we'll probably have to fly at least once next year.

If this is the wrong section, I apologize, this is my first post.

Thanks!
-- bkraco

Not too many vcas here, according to conventional wisdom.
Now let's hear a patch.

These modules must be foolishly good.

This ![my future rack](https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_264526.jpg) makes your picture appear inline with the text:

When in Reply/Edit mode click Markdown Syntax below to see more tricks.
Cheers

EDITED Mar 10th 2016, 07:44

I seem to run out of multiples, attenuverters and patch cables no matter how many I have. But all these considerations are pretty futile unless you put something together and start patching.- While I had a pretty good idea what I wanted from my rack when I started out, things looked different when I actually got my hands on them. The learning goes on but my decisions are getting more educated.

Hi Rob!

I really like the idea of the modular being able to play samples so maybe a Grandpa or Qubit Nebulae should be on my wishlist?<

While GrandPa is a sampler, it seems to have a grain synth slant. Nebulae looks more open to me. Also, it can run Csound and Pure Data programs. So quite the beast in a class of its own.

I haven't included any specific percussion or drum sounds as I have a Maschine somewhere that I thought I could use for this and to act as a Midi trigger in the early days (hence the Erica Midi - Trigger module). <

If you don't feel like firing up the DAW but need some quick and dirty sampled drums: D-333
Doesn't break the bank and throws in some lofi wavetable-ish sounds for good measure. Just 4HP too.

I suspect that once I start this, I'm going to have difficulty stopping...

That's conventional wisdom around here ;-)

The modules on the bottom row are my wishlist that I'm having difficulty sourcing.

Even disregarding the bottom row it looks pretty complete to me.
A little light on utilities but you will see what works for you .

Enjoy!

Thanks guys! Looking to replacing something here with a 4vox oscillator!!!
-- Aaron
That something would need to be some 30HP wide I reckon...
Whatever, just throw the scraps my way, I'll take care ;-)

Looks like an awesome and powerful first rack! Enjoy the explorations!
-- dinsdaba
Much exploration work ahead there, Aaron.
Some of those modules are pretty deep...
Congrats!

Maybe it's just me and I haven't yet discovered the right way to use this. I would like to be able to select the format of module I want to see, 3u, 1u or both. However when the 1u box is unchecked (by default), both 3u and 1u modules are listed.
So something like this

[x] 1u / tiles
[x] 3u / modules

with both controls individually selectable, would give me a chance to view 1u or 3u or both.
Lest I forget, great work so far on the 1u integration.

EDITED Feb 29th 2016, 14:49

You will want triggers to make thinks happen and control voltages to define pitches to be played by your oscillator/s.
Any module/s doing that can play your patch. For example, a LFO can be used to trigger an evelope that shapes notes out of your continuous OSC output. The same CV from an LFO (or an envelope or other CV source ) can be used to produce pitches for your OSC, combined with a quantizer to cut steps in your gliding OSC if you want to play musical scales. So yes, no keyboard or sequencer needed.

I would like corrugated cardboard.

Only serious.

Well, I would possibly feel complete with half of that. But if you really have cash burning holes in your pocket, you might want to get a CV recorder/player (PH01,Quad CVRecorder), some sequencing logic (Gatestorm, René, Trigger Riot) , or some serious mixing/routing (Frames, VCA Matrix, ADDAC802). Not that you couldn't go just about anywhere you wanted, as it is ;-) Also, how do you control all this? Some wheels, joysticks, sliders, (Nunchuk?) etc. seem appropriate to put control in your hands.

I would get a powerful mixer first. You might want to control all those audio and CV streams with minimal effort from a central spot.

Black Varishape VCO2: Described here: http://www.ericasynths.lv/en/shop/eurorack_modules/7252-black_varishape_vco2.html
Color Palette explained: http://www.blackmarketmodular.com/#colour-palette/colour-palette-features
BASTL GRANDPA: http://www.google.de/url?url=http://www.bastl-instruments.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MANUAL-GRAND-PA_WEB.pdf&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwie3YCNzpLLAhVkDJoKHay-BicQFggZMAE&usg=AFQjCNG4K1K0JJQEPerSdl49X1zCvw1X8A
Now read up.

In general, there is no fundamental difference between audio and CV, both are just voltages. What makes them one or the other is the receiving end. E.g. there is not much use in listening to 1V of DC, but add that voltage to the 1v/Oct input of a VCO and it will play one octave higher. Avoid patching together OUTs of modules that produce a voltage. Other than that I , go ahead and try. When unexpected things happen, unplug and try to figure out what's happening. Also, read up on the manuals when you're stuck. It might help ;-)

You could still try google with 'site: modulargrid.net headphone amp' and add keywords to thin out.

In the Modules section, search for 'headphone' as a module name.
Make your choice.

...id mention the Klee Sequencer uses shift regs to provide mult cvs out (4) banks
-- xPump
Thx xPump for mentioning Klee, it was even coined the "Shift Register Sequencer" by its inventor.

I'm using a Doepfer A-138b for audio (which is tight for my smallish 2x84) and a Ladik M-120 which offers 3 ch of bipolar CV mixing and offset, too. I myself learned about that the hard way e.g. , got a fancy quad lfo, then found out that its full CV swing is rarely useful. Many ch of CV need many ch of attenuverting/mixing.

Hi Swirve74, I see 3 envelopes but no audio mixer?
You will need one, all the more with that bottom row.
Also, with your lot of modulation sources you will need CV mixing and attenuation.

THere are dedicated lines for one CV and one gate/trigger signal in a Doepfer compatible modular system. However, these are used rarely. See:
Pin usage: http://www.doepfer.de/a100_man/A100_bus_orientation.pdf
http://www.doepfer.de/faq/a100_faq.htm#Bus CV and Gate

EDITED Feb 21st 2016, 12:18

There are a few modules using shift registers, one of them being the famous Benjolin (https://www.modulargrid.net/e/epoch-modular-benjolin). Other modules using shift registers: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/modules/browser?SearchName=register&SearchVendor=&SearchFunction=&SearchSecondaryfunction=&SearchTe=&SearchTemethod=max&SearchBuildtype=b&SearchMarketplace=&SearchIsmodeled=&SearchShowothers=1&SearchShow1u=&order=newest

Do you use a module with shift registers? Why? Do you even care? Just wondering...

EDITED Feb 17th 2016, 09:50

Ability for users to annotate their racks in some way.

I use Modular Grid to explore and research future modules. I use the racks to group modules under exploration and use the rows as default categories by shuffling modules around the rows as I learn more about them. This alows me to see all modules under research all in one view rather than in seperate racks.
...
-- John Jacobs
+1
Exactly what John described.
MG is the #1 module research tool for me.

...option is to specify how many 3u and 1u rows to add when making a case. grow in use soon.
-- exper
That would be very helpful!
So far I have to sketch out my future 1+3+1+3 U x 104 HP case using pen & squared paper.
Or should it be 3+1+1+3 U : - ?

Lest I forget: What's there seems thoroughly thought out and works amazingly well.
So thanks A LOT for what we have.

EDITED Feb 16th 2016, 12:59

Honestly, how do you call european countries which are not in the EU?
-- modulargrid
Europe (non-EU)?

Thanks @solitud for selling me a Meng Qi VM. Quick shipping, thorough packaging and a module in great condition. I recommend!

Thanks @f33d for a swift and smoooth transaction and very nice communication. Recommended seller!

...multing select outputs from channel one into channel two as a kind of cascade or divider or coordinator for even more wide ranging results.
If you like exploiting the A-150, you would LOOOVE the A-152. Too much too get into here and now, but check it out.
-- RLK
Will check it out, thx RLK!

It would make sense to avoid module duplicates just for the sake of seeing one's module in its actual orientation.-

On a side note, I am toying with the idea of having a 1U-ish row of 'rotated-by-90-degrees' modules. To manage that in the Module Browser/Planner, a Rotate [r] command would be great. Using it twice would also solve the flip/upside down problem. But that's probably too far off of everyone else's needs.

EDITED Feb 10th 2016, 12:09

.. And yes ofc it does affect if your module is on the last page or on the first page up top.

:)
-- AThousandDetails

If your module is on my want list I'll find. Promise.
Everyone else can, too, via the Module Finder (Modules) + Available in the Marketplace

EDITED Feb 9th 2016, 09:55

I have another request: Can you make 2 regions for Europe, EU and Non-EU?
If you have 3 regions for the Americas, i think we can have 2 for Europe :)
For the customs it is the same if i import a module from CH or US ...
-- bj_gzp

I second this.

+1
I like how the Rungler creates grooves that can be held/changed/held/... by CV.
With a few very slow changing external CVs it seems to be the perfect drone machine.
Only got it 1h ago so the most fun is yet to be discovered ;-)

Sure would be a challenge to do a live impro on ; - )

Doepfer A-150 Dual VCS ist my latest purchase. Anyone using this?

It's one of those generic modules that get little attention because they have no sexy sound or features going for them. At 55 EUR new, there's little to be lost so I just got one. All it really is is a switch that connects one Input with one of two outputs (or two inputs with one output as it is bi-directional, x 2 units). The switch is voltage controlled. That seems more trivial than inspiring. In fact I had no real clue what to do with it until I started patching. Then it turned out to be a real swiss army knife utility kind of thing. Switching the flow between different parts of your patch at low rates is the obvious application that comes to mind. Since it can do audio rates too, you can do things like switching between two different wave types of a VCO or outputs of a VCF, for example. That makes it a wave shaper / wave composer when operated at VCO frequency. Connect a VCO and patch the two outs into clock divider and get alternating sub-octaves. Feed it pitch control CV from sequencer and modulate your switching audio streams with a melody, there's your VCO... I'm only scratching the surface here.

Which makes me think: When I view some fancy complex oscillator or multifunction module as a hi-tech bucky ball, primitive modules like the A-150 ar more like atoms. While on their own they seem to accomplish little but they are so universal in their application that you find new uses all the time. Your thoughts on this?

Whatever works for you is alright by me. Both the sq-1 and the mircobrute can talk CV so you should be good to go. Oh and as far as completeness -- modular synths seem to be preliminary by nature!

E560 Sounds very interesting to me!
Did you use other modules in that clip?

Do you plan to use any external controllers?

You probably need to figure out what desnity means before you judge ;-))

i think a part of the pleasure is to build it, am i right ?
That's what I thought and still think ;-)
Don't stick to my list too much, it's incomplete.
Just looking at the starter systems will get you an idea of what to get.

Starting something new is alwas fun. In my case it's not so new anymore
but the fun kept coming. Only your own experience will tell what is right.
Your system will change anyway as you go along and learn.
Just allow enough time to learn the modules you get,
because it's the player, not the gear.
Fun to you!

Somehow didn't think of this earlier. There is a guy with the handle
The Tuesday Night Machineswith who has a series of very useful videos on modular on youtube:

EDITED Jan 25th 2016, 19:36

Welcome soissons!

As for how to start I can tell you what I did: I collected used Doepfer modules (and anything else cheap I could find). I just wanted to avoid sinking thousands into new gear while figuring out if modular was for me. After I had a basic collection I got a (new) power supply and built a case out of cardboard. -

That said, you will first want to get the most basic modules : Oscillator, envelope, filter, lfo. Depending on what you want to do you will need some kind of note producing controller to actually play notes. Like a keyboard, midi interface, sequencer or even an lfo and a quantizer to give you stepped sequences of notes out of continuous voltages.

And no, you don't have to go full Doepfer (or any other brand). The beauty of modular is that you can combine any modules from the same format. Since you named Doepfer that would be Eurorack which IMO is a good start because it is cheaper than other formats and it has the greatest variety of modules to choose from (currently something like 800, not sure)

Hope that helped?

P.S.
Doepfer has ready made systems too: http://www.doepfer.de/a100s_e.htm
Pittsburgh has what probably ist just enough to be called modular: http://www.thomann.de/de/pittsburgh_modular_system_10.htm?gclid=CImXsfLou8oCFeTnwgod7rYHdw

My own 2x84 rack of around 50% used stuff looks like this:
I have around 1200 EUR in it.

EDITED Jan 21st 2016, 21:16

So yeah, hi everybody. This is a great a place to be, thanks a lot for creating it!

I am into modular synthdom since 2015 09 and happened on MG while searching the web for info on modular/eurorack.
After starting out on a Yamaha CX5m a looong time ago I fiddled with VST the last couple of years.
I was really taken by the combination of several emulations of the Synthi AKS/VCS 3 and Audio Mulch's Metasurface.

However the mouse is a poor interface for a synth so I began to eye modular hardware and quickly zoomed in on eurorack.
After about half a year of research I decided to build a small eurorack from cardboard and a bunch of used modules I had pieced together. Now I have 6Ux84 and guess what -- no space left! Does that make me a typical wiggler?

Anyway, so far I am enjoying the ride even though the move from all digital/total recall to analog and volatile/momentary was quite the culture shock =0 I learned a lot during the past months, reading up, hunting modules - and most importantly, using them - and MG helped a great deal, so thanks again!

Currently I am researching options to organize the lovely noises I create into meaningful sequences, so a clock divider and a knob recorder are on my radar. I am also very interested in the art of modular live improvisation and controllers other than keyboards.

cheers,
Ralf

EDITED Dec 7th 2015, 16:02