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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?
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.
For the cat matter: it's even worse now with the dark theme. Now there is a negative cat which in theory should neutralize the regular cat if they ever meet what god forbid hopefully will never happen.
-- modulargrid
SYNTHMAGEDDON!!!!! My god...we'll all be forced to play kazoos if that were to happen!
This has issues. For one thing, you have no VCAs, no filters, no utilities, and nearly half of the build is taken up by effects. So there's not even a typical audio path here, just a single digital oscillator with reverb, delay, or both. And since this is in an 84 hp skiff, you have all of 4 hp into which the rest of that path can be built. Sort of a recipe for disaster, IMHO.
Instead of building in this Niftycase, step on up to a bigger cab...Mantis, Intellijel 7U x 104, that sort of thing. For one thing, you'll have more than twice the panel space that's here. And that then lets you build out a proper setup; these tiny skiff builds pop up way too often on YouTube, and they're a bit of a fraud inasmuch as they're NOT suitable builds for beginning modular users to either build a full system in and/or they force decisions that beginning modular users are really not ready to deal with...such as implementations in confined spaces and knowing what can be removed and what must stay in place. They're fine if you've got an idea for a "mission specific" build...but that's about the extent that they're really good for, and certainly NOT general purpose modular setups.
Why only 4 Rows ?
I have a Case with 6 x 104 TE and 1x 1U .
is it possible to expand the possibilitys?
-- ebotronix
Of course it is. If you spend the pittance needed to get yourself a Unicorn account, you can then start creating HUGE builds, plus you'll then have up to 60 possible racks to work with.
If you've got a second power supply, even if it's underspecced for the time being, try connecting its DC legs to the busses in the new cab after you disconnect the Meanwell that's already there. Then just put in a few modules that appear to be the "usual suspects" here and see if the buzzing continues.
The more this goes on, the more suspicious I'm getting that it might actually be an issue with the filtering on a busboard. By checking these using the older (and obviously functional) P/S, you might be able to eliminate the Meanwell as a source of the noise if the buzzing happens on the other supply.
So...
There is a background bit of BP filtered noise with random quant modulation from the 2hp RND then messed with in Clouds.
There is a Pip-pip noise which is a pinged filter with an envelope fired at it from an ALM PipSLope with a bit of Pico DSP delay.
I use all 4 parts of the ADDAC103, Bass Drum, Ratcheted kind of high tapping sound, then 2 different tone Toms. Hih-Hats come from the Patching Panda Hatz, Clap comes from the Prok CP, additional persussion from Roland TR09.
There is a filtered Saw wave bass note coming out of the Befaco EvenVCO triggered from the Noise Engineering Bin Seq, other sequecing from the Robaux LL8 and Dni Pro Dot.
Basically I was trying a patch with no Pitch CV.
Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.
I am using the Hertz Donut MK3 to get that speech sound to add texture to the lead and percussion. I love the Stillson Hammer. Super easy to create on the fly with the sliders and encoders. You do have to get used to some of the button combos and abbreviated symbols for quantized scales and sequence patterns but it's not bad. I like to use a forward sequence in a diatonic scale for the lead/pad voices and then a random pattern with another scale for the sub sequences for variety. Changing patterns on the fly is super easy once you get used to it. Now for the percussion, the Metron is super awesome! I still like my Eloquencer the best of my sequencers in my setups. I splurged on a new Vector 512 sequencer with the expander and it should arrive sometime this week along with a new mixer. I find having many sequencers and mixers to create various linked subsequences and submixes amazing way to create a fun complete track or live set. Also have Erica Synths wavetable oscillator and dual VCF on the way and another drum module then good for long time. I do need some more tools like comparator, quantizers, another VCA and so forth. Would love a sampler that can do granular synthesis and looping with cv record and playback to spice things up. Maybe Qu-bit Nebulae, Make Noise Morphagene or Instruo Arbhar? Also a random noise generator for random CV like Frap Tools Sapel or Make Noise Wogglebug would be awesome to add to the mix.
Btw, do you use the same handle on Youtube? I'd like to check out your stuff too!
-- baltergeist
I have some gigs up as Konstantine via the Copenhagen Powwow group, from a few years back. And probably a concert or two from Basic Electricity in Berlin. I'll see if I can dig up some links with the jazzier stuff and send them over via PM. I also have some older videos up on Instagram.
I'm sure this is something that's come up a few times but I'm looking to build a small case with some room to grow and would love some thoughts and opinions and pointers.
I currently have a beatstep pro, microfreak and an ipad I've been using miRack on (VCV previous to that but the ipad fits a bit better in the tight space I have and is a more tactile experience). Right now, I use that setup for 2 monophonic voices (1 on ipad, 1 on 0-coast), 1 polyphonic voice (microfreak) and effects on one outboard synth (via ipad).
I want to explore using a small modular case to add to what I can do with the 0-Coast and drive generative melodies. (Maybe think Susan Ciani a bit using slightly different techniques to derive notes.) I imagine even if I start there, I'll find lots of other kinds of patches and sounds to explore. I want to intentionally have a smaller rack to provide some friction against gas and fit on a small table that I have to setup all my synth stuff and maybe even keep it portable.
This is what I have in mind so far. The 0-Coast I already have (not mounted) and I plan to get a 4ms pod 48x or 64x.
The modules on the left on the top row would be modules I'd get sooner and the modules on the right would be later on if they are still the modules I'd want to get after exploring the ones on the left.
I'm thinking:
- a 3x MIA for mix, attenuation, and offset duties of random voltages or envelopes/slopes (to basically sculpt melodies in pitch up or down and in scale)
- a 2hp S+H for sample and hold on the signals
- a Disting MK4 for a quantizer and then experimenting with other module types
- potentially a Befaco Rampage Kit for EG/LFO and till I had a clock div, I could trigger it from the bsp to create repeatable melodies etc (thought this over maths to get the 3x MIA to have offset and attenuation on one set of stacked knobs and the rampage kit is cheaper than the maths, plus I think I might get more use out of the sharkfin eg on default instead of using an additional offset on maths to change it to a sharkfin shape)
Later on:
- a time wizard or maybe a tempi for clock divider if I want to develop more rhythmic melodies and start playing with events, or make a sub
- an FX AID XL for some nice sounding modulatable FX in the case
- a micro Plaits to add more texture with individual modes especially on the percussive side or randomizing the mode
I'm not positive if that's the direction I'll go later on. For the more immediate modules I've had a bunch of fun playing with this kind of patch running pitch via midi from my ipad to the 0-Coast but it would be a lot of fun and offer more possibility having it in a case with more instantaneous control over parameters. It by no means needs to be a built out case but I'm having a blast with my 0-Coast and figure this would be enough to dip my toes in and see if I like it and slowly build from there.
I know I don't have any vca's other than in the disting but figured since it was primarily one voice and I have attenuation and offset, no filter and a lpg on the 0-coast, I'd be alright. Happy to be wrong as of course.
Anyway, any thoughts on what I might be missing? Being newer to modular, I'm thinking of a particular patch and don't necessarily have the experience of thinking ahead to what else I might want. I also know I could go with something like a marbles but I love the idea of having control over the parameters as building blocks so I could build other things out of them. And from my playing with marbles, it's maybe too deep for me at the moment.
Depending on what I'm doing, however, I will go full-wet with Beads. It really just depends, and I rarely set out with anything specific planned. Those pieces are all improvisation on top of improvisation on top of improvisation.
Ah, gotcha. It is not full-wet on those two. Mix, if I recall correctly, was around midnight. The idea was for Beads to help simulate flams/drags and variation in attack strength. A slightly rightward turn of the pitch attenurandomizer helps with this too.
But is your Bead's mix fully wet or do you allow for the incoming sound to pass through? Checking your bandcamp as well, different direction, but I like it, although I'm more interested in your jazz work.
In Free and Monday, I have two Lorre-Mill Double Knot v2s synced and providing clock to a Ciat-Lonbarde Plumbutter 2 via the 'Steam' sequencer. The sequencer then triggers the PB's snare and gongues. The Plumbutter then goes through Beads. The rate of the DK clock is modulated by one envelope on one of the DKs, so that gives things a little variation rhythmically. In Beads, I usually have the size knob around midnight, the feeback somewhere between 2 and 3 o'clock, and then have the attenurandomizers somewhere to the right. I use the reverb here and there. It's all seasoning to taste, though. I rarely use an external trigger for seeding and don't use freeze much. That said, I have barely scratched all that Beads can do.
Hey, if you want some modular sax instead of acoustic, I'd be down to help with the tracks. I like working with physical modeling of brass sounds on the modular and it would fit nicely with the concept.
I really like the recordings. I'd be interested to hear more about how you set up the percussion via Beads. I'm very much into modular jazz (I have some stuff up on YouTube which might fall under this category), so very curious about your percussion in terms of sequencing, and processing etc.
Hey mastermol, if you want to start with modular without a synth on your desk you should check out VCV rack (https://vcvrack.com/) it's a software where you can patch modules. There are some packed with the program and others to add later. If you look for a bit you can find hardware clones, too. These behave just like the hardware version.
i don't have any moduler system but i like to think about them. so i made this. i don't know if it work. or it sounds good. in my hand it does. if you have the modules and you try this, please let me now how it sounds.
have a good one
Strangely, when I posted my earlier message I couldn't see any posts in this thread besides the first post and one reply.
-- Sarksus
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..
For the cat matter: it's even worse now with the dark theme. Now there is a negative cat which in theory should neutralize the regular cat if they ever meet what god forbid hopefully will never happen.
Also as a general update -- still no solution. The connections all seem to yield the appropriate power via multimeter, (I have no oscilloscope). The guy who made the case suggested removing the 5V connection from the PSU and taping it off -- none of my modules use it anyway, and the only way he was able to replicate similar interference on his end with same PSU, was with a slight negative power draw on the 5V rail. So I tried that, but it made no difference. Trying to isolate it to a particular module hasn't been fruitful either -- the sound becomes present regardless of which modules I put in, just once there is "enough" of them to (I presume) create a certain power draw level at which point this buzzing noise starts up. I got a recording of the sound today. It's amplified a bit of course, it's subtle at normal listening levels, but problematic if you try to build patches over it.
Using the same modules in my Synthrotek case creates no such sound, though it is a smaller case with only 1 row (it's the case this new one was intended to replace).
What makes you say that the Kungber doesn't have those features "despite the panel markings"? It says it's a linear PSU in the description. Just curious.
Anything available via Amazon PSU-wise that you'd recommend? Or Sweetwater or wherever? I mean the lead time on the one you linked is 38 weeks (!).
Sounds cool. Though yeah, I'm in the camp that just takes a pass on anything Behringer. There are so many synths I want to buy that there's no reason for the B not to stay at the bottom of my list. But maybe they'll turn their rep around with time, I heard the Neutron is pretty good too, and not a copy/ripoff of anything specific.
Great news about the first takes, bummer about the wife's job but sounds like you are committed to persevere and I look forward to hearing the final project.
OK...let me explain that I've got a LOT of background where I've used versions of the original. When I posted a review on Sweetwater's site, I'd thought that the B.2600 would be the seventh one I'd used. But I was wrong...it's the EIGHTH. Of those, three were Tonus-logo rev.2s, two were G-clef-logo rev.3s, and two were the "Orange" rev.4s. And one of those "Oranges" was only about two years old when I used it (right around the time ARP closed up shop, in fact), but I definitely remember it, how it behaved, sounded, and such.
And shock of shocks, Uli has now given us the synth that, for all intents and purposes, is the REAL, BONAFIDE, NO-FOOLIN' REV.5! Yeah, screw Korg and their vapor2600s...Behringer, with the assistance of Rob Keeble, has knocked this thing out of the park...and the parking lot beyond...and busted out the front window of the Carl's Jr. on the other side of the expressway!
How can I say that? I mean...Uli's pretty much not a nice guy, and buying anything with that ear logo on it STILL makes me cringe. But dammit...
OK, OK...the upshot is that, if you were to compare a NIB Behringer 2600 with a pretty-much-new "Orange", as long as you had the BARP in the x1 time constants on the EGs and the 4072 VCF in use, you would have a very difficult time telling them apart. As in, REALLY difficult. So why are all the purists saying that this doesn't sound like a "real" 2600?
Well, it DOES sound like one...that's not 40-50 years old, with 40-50 years of component deterioration, 40-50 years of use and abuse, 40-50 years of drifting out of factory spec, and so on. And therein is the problem: none of these BARPs are 40-50 years old. These guys are so busy A-B-ing these in their heads that I'm pretty sure that they're comparing the BARP to an old, vintage unit that they've got access to now.
And that's NOT the right thing to compare it to! It's sort of like comparing a 1956 Chevy Bel Air to a 2021 Hyundai Sonata -- yes, they both have four wheels. They both run on gasoline. They have decent interiors. Annnnnnd...that's where things start diverging. Put that Chevy out on the interstate and punch it up to 90...and before long, that thing'll throw a rod or something equally horrible, whereas the Hyundai takes it in stride. This is the problem here, translated into aging electronic components.
For a more in-depth look at this, I'd suggest looking at my review over on Sweetwater's listing for the "Xmas Tree" 2600, which is what I got. The sole flaw...and it's a nitpicky one, but important IMHO...is that Behringer doesn't include any OEM 3.5mm cables or dummy plugs with the synth. The latter are ESPECIALLY important, as what they are are 3.5mm plugs with no connection inside, which lets you break connections such as, say, VCO2's Keyboard CV while keeping VCO1 under CV, then feeding these through the ring mod. But beyond that, I have zero buyer's remorse. It IS what Korg promised...and then didn't/wouldn't deliver on, or plans to deliver on "someday" with a "crippleware" version, neither being ultimately acceptable as long as Uli's version can be obtained for far less and with far greater ease than either.
And again, by no means is this an endorsement of Uli and his behavior. I 100% think the Music Tribe needs to find a way to curb his juvenile antics, as they DO cost them quite a bit of business...to say nothing of doing little to overcome Behringer's rep for IP theft. Instead, if they can shut him up (thorazine is useful), products such as the new 2600 would be more than capable of demonstrating what they're capable of and could well be a way to build a very different and more positive public image. It's that good. No lie.
Thanks for the response! That's the thing I don't want to happen! I don't want to just have all the fun stuff and then realize I'm missing something necessary. So beefier power...done!
Well, for one thing, I'd go with a beefier and proven power supply. Behringer's doing decent stuff, but you never, EVER want to skimp on power, as that's the part that can cause catastrophic failures. Also, you want to OVERspec the current ratings as far as you can, as this lets the power supply run cooler and, given that heat is the real enemy of electronic components, with a lot more stability. A 4ms Row Power 40 comes out to about twice the Behringer...but has a good amount of more current headroom over it, and in the end will probably be far more reliable as a result.
+1 on bigger cab. Especially if you're insisting on using big honkers like that Verbos Harmonic Oscillator! Otherwise, you're going to have a problem with a single VCO that takes up 32 hp of an 84 hp row.
Or, consider this: are you really looking for a Eurorack solution here? If you dig the sound of that oscillator, fact is, you might ACTUALLY be happier spending the extra money for a small(ish) Buchla system. Yeah, it can get VERY spendy, but if the West Coast methods are really speaking to you, you might as well consider tossing that cash at a long-term solution of THAT sort. This build is up around $2500 already (modules + case) and it's only 2/3rds full. By the time you fill those spaces, you're actually heading into the zone where another few hundred bucks (if that!) can get you a Sound Easel. No lie...see here: https://buchla.com/systems/ And honestly, that sort of move would make LOADS of sense, as the Sound Easel is one of those "best teaching synths" (along with the ARP 2600) and you can learn tons from following how Don intended things to work.
Ok! So Moog mother-32 is coming and I am already thinking of expanding, but this is new territory. Everything I have done so far has solely been on my digitakt...and I love it! The only thing I dread is clicking through samples. So time to make my own sounds. So, I want this system to be a slow build. Maths and Plaits are my first additions. Trying to keep this in just another 60 HP...for now. The other 2...the Quad LFO and Chord Machine are the fun extras, but should they be? Am I missing anything necessary to have all these play nice together...including the digitakt?
Thanks!!!!
I delved into modular when I saw what Knobs, Ricky Tinez and Ihor were doing in only 62hp. That's what I'm into, I also have a ZOIA and never used the external cv.
-- Lorenzzz94
OK, hold it. Just because experienced, seasoned synthesists who know modular (to varying extents) are on YT pushing an idea does NOT mean that it's a GOOD idea. Fact is, beginning modular synthesists really shouldn't try this "tiny skiff" idea because it will lead to either a poor understanding of modular capabilities (as you won't have room for very many of them) or a decently-outfitted modular in theory which, in practice, contains teensy knobs with no space for fingers to get in amongst the patch cords, etc. Neither are worthwhile, and both can lead and HAVE led new users to abandoning expensive systems...which I suppose is great if you're a YT modular sort and like having an ample supply of cheap used modules on the market. Gotta build up that video set (that never seems to be used for anything else) somehow, right?
Even so, as noted above, a 6U x 104 hp build in something like a Mantis is STILL a "small" build. Even TWO Mantises, because you're still in the range of gear sizes that'll allow you to stuff the whole mess into a suitable gigbag. When it starts getting "big" is when you start using the big Doepfer Monsters, or ADDAC's 1 meter x 5 or 6 row cabs. But in 208 hp alone, you can still create a build that contains parts of most to ALL modular aspects, and it'll still be quite portable (a Mantis measures 21 1/4" x 12 3/8" x 4 1/4", which is about the size as a flattened trumpet case...and Tiptop even makes a custom canvas gigbag for them!).
Yeah, I am getting the new modules dialed in. Rossum Trident pairs well with Rossum Morpheus Z Plane filter for infinite soundscapes and WMD Metron is great for percussion. Still learning what works well for dance focused music so that I can do live shows after COVID lockdowns end. Of all the modules, so far, the Rossum Mob of Emus is the most difficult to learn. It can be a hex oscillator, LFOs, envelopes and lots of crazy stuff.
@modulargrid I'll refine all of the above into a post and drop the draft here. If everyone is still onboard at that point I can make a new thread and we can sticky it!
I would respond, however I have been killed. This message has been posted in the event of my death. I regret everything.
Haha, I am somewhat fond of the kitty, but my ADHD makes me very easily distracted and I am driven to chase after it with my mouse :P
Strangely, when I posted my earlier message I couldn't see any posts in this thread besides the first post and one reply. I hadn't seen the other solution posted. Maybe the cat pre-emptively sent me to another dimension to prevent me from communicating :D
It really needs a proper input module. Not only will something like a Doepfer A-119 bring external levels up to the right voltage, it ALSO provides an envelope follower, which is a circuit that translates amplitude (incoming audio) levels to voltage levels, plus it also provides a gate output so that, as long as your audio is above the gate threshold level, you'll have a 5V gate signal to do things like fire/sustain envelope generators for use on VCFs, VCAs, etc.
A typical sort of A-119 patch would see outputs for your audio (now amplified to the correct synth level), the envelope follower's CV out sent to a VCF cutoff, and the gate out to an envelope generator or, if you just want on/off action, directly to a VCA in the audio path. By doing this, you can change timbre via your input signal's dynamics while also firing off a gate pulse for some other purpose. Useful.
As for the Behringer 914...filter banks are more like equalizers, not filters...despite the name. You can force them into resonance, though, if you use an attenuator to put together and control (CAREFULLY!) a feedback path from the 914's output back to its input; more than likely, this is what you saw being done. But this isn't going to yield the sort of results (and possibilities!) of a proper VCF, especially since there's absolutely no "VC" going on with a filter bank. Hmmmmm.......
EDIT: Hawt damm...OK, I whipped up something in an Intellijel 7U x 104 hp cab that's rather different. For one thing, it's got SIX inputs! Have a look:
So, there's two channels of input in the tile row (with level controls) and those are for feeding the two Ladik envelope followers below. Then you've got four more direct line-to-modular level converters over in that area as well for feeding audio without attenuation controls. But let's look at this a bit more systematically...
Tiles: Two channel input (fed by a pair of 1/4" jacks in the cab), single channel MIDI interface (also via a connector on the cab), Noise Tools (sample and hold, clock, slew limiter), DuATT (two-channel mixer/attenuverter/offset), Dual VCA, then a mono effect send/return and 1/4" dedicated jacks for that, and lastly, your level-controlled stereo out. As for that mono FX part, since you've got an outboard spring unit, I opted to keep that out of the modular and use these to let you put the spring into the system. This keeps crashes from random bonks and thunks on the modular from causing BLAAAAANG.
Top 3U: Quad level shifter, two envelope followers, then Noise Reap's Paradox dual(ish) VCO, with a Veils, a dual ADSR from Doepfer, then one of G-Storm's SH-101 VCF clones and an SSF ADSRVCA; those last five modules are intended to give you a hefty bass voice on the bottom end, using one of the best sub-wrecker VCFs around. And then...it gets weird! Next up is a Limaflo Motomouth...a vocal formant VCF, which lets you impose voice-like wahs on an audio signal. Alright's Chronoblob2 is after this, it's a killer delay line, capable of stereo or mono operation...and in mono, you get that twisty feedback path insert to play with. G-Storm's nice, gritty chorus cloned from Roland's JP-4 is after that for some dirty swishiness. Then we get one of Xaoc's devices, their Kamienec 4/6 stage VC-able phaser. Then next is Synthesis Technologies' Deflector Shield, which gives you a real frequency shifter for trippy detunings, wild, out-of-control phase effects, bending sounds into metallic FMed clangers, and so on. And the little white sliver at the end is a Konstant Labs PWRchekr to keep an eye on your DC rail conditions.
Bottom 3U: More Noise Reap trouble with their uLoaf, which is an LFO (per)version with a lot in common with the Paradox VCO in terms of interaction between the two circuits. Not so much a repetitive cycle thing, but more wobbly and weird. Maths (of course) next, then the Tiptop MISO lets you cook up more modulation signals from the sources by generally messing with the behavior of the modulation module outputs. The other source is the Intellijel Quadrax/Qx combo, offering two or three stage envelopes, CVable LFOs, etc etc. And the MANUAL modulation control, a Doepfer A-174-4 three-axis joystick with onboard "joystick math" outputs, allows you to add your own hands-on touch to many different functions in the build. Mixing gets done by the TexMix setup, with four mono inputs and four stereo, and given the high flexibility of the TexMix system, it lets you break out things via the outputs, the two AUX sends...PLUS you get four more VCAs over your audio on the mono module. And with the DOUTS module, you can even take a direct output from a single strip on the TexMix and send that separately to the DAW.
The idea here was NOT to create a typical modular synthesizer. Instead, I took a few cues from explanations of how Tubby's Dromilly Rd. studio plus Lee Perry's original Black Ark were set up, and cooked up a box here that can be dropped in to deal with a lot of that functionality, while making additions to the module complement that can work for the old-skool dubplate sound as well as the newer Deutsche Dub sounds. Now, to REALLY open this thing up, I'd also suggest some of the following...
First of all, you need some crossovers. Get as many bands as you can, because you'll be using a pair of these to split up parts of incoming mixes into different frequency domains. I use a pair of four-band mono crossovers from Wheatstone/AudioArts for this, then what I use NEXT are several of THESE: ZRMAAOSwEmlZ1RpV" target="_blank">https://www.ebay.com/itm/132351591652?hash=item1ed0c504e4ZRMAAOSwEmlZ1RpV Not necessarily that exact model, but Krohn-hite is THE name to know in outboard filters. Anyway, what I use these for is, once the crossovers have done their job of bandsplitting, these various Krohn-hite (and here in my studio, a few others) filters let me "zoom in" on a specific sound. This sort of thing is especially effective with the envelope followers, as you can use a VERY tight bandwidth on one specific sound to trigger one of them. You could even be putting some OTHER sound under the control of the envelope follower to create a "ghost" based on the original extracted sound's envelope...but NONE of its spectral material!
In short, it's a box of dub trickery and general sonic weirdness that goes along with that. Put to the proper use, I doubt you'd ever really hit the limits of what it can do, particularly if you've put it into your studio's workflow in the right place (right by the mixer, tbh!).
