hi playing around with this in two cases atm. the upper 2 rows are like additional voices i really like and cannot seem to part with. even though i know i probably got too many (complex) osc.
while playing live i found myself struggling for switching off / muting certain sounds.... is there a space saving variant maybe with buttons like the divkid mutes?
does the malekko mute switch and other mute buttons klick? or is it more wise to use the mutes on the gates triggering sounds?
thanks in advance

https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_705895.jpg

ps: i also want to cram in my piston Honda mk3 but its really hard for me to switch something out


There's a lot there you could switch out...or, for that matter, eliminate altogether. And that's what's crippling this right now. For example, how many sequential devices do you need when you actually have very little in the way of logic and other clocking modifiers?

Stop and look at this build carefully, asking yourself constantly "Will I need this in 18 months?" This seems awfully specialized...and if your musical direction changes, will this build still serve your needs, or just turn into a 12u money pit?

In another post I did today, I mentioned what I call the "sexy module syndrome". This build here is that in action. Lots of wild panel art (which will be loads of fun in a dimly-lit venue! as in, no fun AT ALL), very specialized modules, and not a whole lot in evidence that is "boring". And the "boring" stuff, in the end, is what makes these function. There's not too much in the way of general-purpose stuff, either...things that you can say "yes!" about when you ask that question in the last paragraph. Yes, eight Doepfer A-110-2s all in a row would look really bland. And they seem boring in of themselves...until you start adding other basics, and then you get to really unleash those VCOs with, yep, just as much capability as several complex oscillators (depending on what else you have on hand) but more importantly, less cost than several complex oscillators.

And about all of that jazzy panel art...

Here's an experiment: turn your display brightness down to about 10-15% of normal while looking at your build above. Can you still make perfect sense of what you're looking at? No, you can't cheat by getting your eyes a couple of inches from the patchpanel on the screen, because if you do that live, it'll look really derpy. Treat this as what it is: a simulation of light levels you may have to deal with in live performance. Does this build make sense in dim light? My bet is that it won't. And yes, I know a lot of module designers pride themselves on their "edgy" designs...but then, go have a look at Grayscale's listing, where there are LOADS of plain-layout redesigns of all of that "edgy" stuff because, basically, those "edgy" graphics ARE ANNOYING. And also, turn down the lights and "let's see what happens" comes into play; are you up for memorizing every single knob function, switch function, patchpoint function, etc when the patchpanel looks like total gibberish? That's where this leads.

Yeah, I know you have a lot of this gear on-hand already. But seriously...back up for a moment and look at some prebuilds, classic synths, etc. They work because they play into what the performer needs before they know they need it. Try removing some of those "can't part with" modules, decomplicating the build. Try coming up with an arrangement of modules that reflects the signal flow you require before you plug in that first patchcord. And how much did that Piston Honda cost? The one you can't use because of the "everything else" that you're supposedly so locked in over? Hate to tell you, but you're up to your navel in that proverbial money pit already, friend. Time to figure out some strategies to get out of it!


Hey lugia thanks for the reply!
You're absolutely right with the lighting Situation thats why i got myself a few led lights to brighten up my Rack.

Its hard for me to part with voices even though i could use a tiptop audio one with samples i love having access to a myriad of sounds (i am doing glitch/hitech psy stuff) but i am not convinced in the one sample player yet..... I sequence it with voltage block. maybe i should let a noise/random source do the sample select thing to get more Variation?
With Metropolis+loquelic+qpas i do my basslines together with the second loquelic Mixed.
Shapeshifter+micro sequence cover my leads and sometimes fx.
The plaits and synchrodyne fill in melodies and occasional bleeps'nbloops

Other then that i got kick,snare,hihats and percussive samples from the tiptop one. Doesnt seem too much to me


Perhaps a controlled random source would work. Something that operates along the lines of the Buchla "Source of Uncertainty", such as Doepfer's A-149 modules, Mutable's Marbles, or the Frap Sapel. By using something like this, it's possible to constrain and direct the random variance into a specific "zone" of random activity. Within that zone, you'd still have varying degrees of randomness, but with the additional control functions, you get a more workable stochastic result.


Yeh maybe i can swap the first row out for marbles along with 2-3 one players that would give me 2-3*256 sounds


Not sure why you'd use several ONEs when something like this would make a lot more sense and only cost slightly more: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/1010-music-bitbox-2-0
Granted, it occupies a bigger footprint, but you have far more simultaneous sample voices, plus a lot of capabilities that simply can't be crammed into a 4 hp module. Also, this allows full sample editing and manipulation to be done in the build and on the fly, along with SD card capabilities, interactivity with Ableton Live, etc.


Noise Engineering makes mutes that are 4HP for four independent mutes with normalling to the set of mutes. The mutes are passive but have active indicator lights if you choose to plug it into your power.

I have two units. They tend to work their way into a lot of my patches to create variation: controlling modulation. I tend to mute with a Eurorack mixer (Sir Mix A Lot) with built in mutes for audio.

As well as DivKid's mutes, check out Joranalogue's Select Four. It has three-way switches for mute/unmute/momentary usage as well as a selector knob for a separate channel using one of your four inputs.

If you're looking for automation of your mutes then you're getting into -switch- territory. The principle is the same except you can use a control voltage to select an input. Of course, if nothing is plugged into an input it serves as a mute.