Advice On Rack

Hey all,
I'm feeling less than inspired with my rack, and I've spent more of my time than I care to admit, trying to find out how to best get more out of my rack, while not throwing thousands more dollars into a money pit. The more modules I sit down to try and learn about, and the more ways I figure out how to theoretically come up with a better system, none of it seems really wow me. I find myself still kind of sitting in bewildered confusion, and idk what I'm doing wrong.
A few of my modules I know I need to learn and understand more, but I still am not getting that "surprise" out of modular that I was hoping for. Of finding ways to patch things together that gives me something I wasn't planning on. While I can use my modular to further songs I currently have, I find myself constantly patching in the same ways. I'm unsure if it is just the fact that I need to spend more time actually using my modular, or if there's something that I'm completely missing; or the "dreaded" option that I just need more modules and parts. (And as stated, just looking and seeing HOW many different pieces and bits there are, it feels beyond daunting)
Apart from this case, I also have a Keystep Pro, a WMD Geiger Counter, and a Noise Engineering Loquelic Iteritas.

Any and all advice is immensely appreciated. I still feel like I'm a modular noob, finding their leggings, despite the fact that I've been in modular for about two years now.
Many thanks in advance for the help!

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_1815404.jpg

This one yeah?

Your setup seems quite comprehensive. One could perhaps imagine some complementary Lfo modulation source, possibly more 'disturbing' (Ochd, Diode Chaos, Triple Sloths...) or other modules. But obviously this is not really the fundamental problem.

Fluctuations in inspiration are things that commonly happen. And they are not always dependent on the musical equipment. Advice: recharge your energy within the music you love. Then resume your work from these bases. Reflect about how to reproduce some references in your own way. All the creators, whether in music or in other fields, all including the most admirable and innovative, have started from what already exists, then appropriating things their own way.

PS: and take your time to experiment... sometimes also without thinking too much! Venture, avoid only out > out :))

EDITED Oct 7th 2023, 17:30

This one yeah?

-- wishbonebrewery

Yeah, that one!

Agree with Sweelinck, you have a lot covered with your choice of modules. Maybe an O_c to give you some more options on quantizing, sequencing, LFOs? Also maybe replace one of the granulars with an ES-9 and tap into VCVRack and it's endless options. What kind of stuff do you like doing with it?

to me it seems very heavy on sound sources and modifiers - light on modulayion sources & utilities...

see my signature for firther details and food for thought!

Agree with Sweelinck, you have a lot covered with your choice of modules. Maybe an O_c to give you some more options on quantizing, sequencing, LFOs? Also maybe replace one of the granulars with an ES-9 and tap into VCVRack and it's endless options. What kind of stuff do you like doing with it?
-- Manbearpignick

I'm mostly interested in sound design and having controllable unpredictability. To clarify more on the latter point, I like being able to control sequences and get out what I put in, but I find myself wanting ways to change up patterns and scales, I want to be able to set certain parameters, but still have my modular be able to give me things I don't expect. I suppose something like the Trigger Riot might be more up my alley for that, but I'm just super hesitant at this point.
One of my eventual goals is to use modular in live performances, although at this point that is far down the road.

to me it seems very heavy on sound sources and modifiers - light on modulayion sources & utilities...

see my signature for firther details and food for thought!
-- JimHowell1970

Are there any in particular that you'd suggest, looking at my system?

I'm mostly interested in sound design and having controllable unpredictability. To clarify more on the latter point, I like being able to control sequences and get out what I put in, but I find myself wanting ways to change up patterns and scales, I want to be able to set certain parameters, but still have my modular be able to give me things I don't expect. I suppose something like the Trigger Riot might be more up my alley for that, but I'm just super hesitant at this point.
-- SlunkLord

A module I just got that I am in love with right now is Joranalogue Route 4 which does, in a very simple way, exactly what you want to do here. I have been using it to change up both patterns and scales with the simple flicks of the latching switches. It has the 1V precision add to each of the outputs on the top portion which when you use along with a quantized input (or even combine up to 4) you can make changes super quickly to your original pattern.

Here is a video from Bries actually using it this way. I don't have a Step 8 but I do have a Muxlicer. You don't need either of these modules to make the Route 4 shine either as I've been messing with quite a few different modules with gate, log, eoc, eor, outs.

to me it seems very heavy on sound sources and modifiers - light on modulayion sources & utilities...

see my signature for firther details and food for thought!
-- JimHowell1970

Are there any in particular that you'd suggest, looking at my system?
-- SlunkLord

matrix mixers are always great, sequential switches, logic, clock dividers, sample and hold...

triple sloths is good - especially when combined (via a matrix mixer, perhaps) with other modulation sources... a quad lfo (or envelope generator) like batumi or zadar is great (especially with the expanders)...

if you haven't already download the 'maths illustrated supplement' and work your way through it many times - always thinking about what, why & how...

(...) triple sloths is good - especially when combined (via a matrix mixer, perhaps) with other modulation sources... a quad lfo (or envelope generator) like batumi or zadar is great (especially with the expanders)...

-- JimHowell1970

To add unpredictability, disturbances, Zadar + Nin is really a good tool. In ‘loop mode’ (‘repeat parameter’ set to infinity), plus the two assignable CVs on some chosen parameters (e.g. Warp, Time), the results are amazing. Here a link to have a look at the Zadar basic envelope shapes: http://xaocdevices.com/manuals/xaoc_zadar_chart_2.0.pdf

One module I've had a lot of fun with is the WORNG Vector Space. It acts kind of like a matrix mixer in that it takes three modulation sources and uses them to create a variety of other modulations. It is a big module, though.

Vult will be releasing a Eurorack version of their Caudal VCVRack module soon - it's like a better Triple Sloths and has two S/H outs. O_c has various awesome quantizer features that allows you to scale mask, CV rotate those maskes, linear shift register and CV shifts to other scales. Befaco a*b+c is awesome for 'tuning' your CV, or maybe add some cheap 1u Duatts for the same purpose.

EDITED Oct 12th 2023, 15:46