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Hi Brunomolteni,

Wow, this is something very nice and special! I like the tension within the track and then that fat bass, wow! :-)

This is great work, so nice you are sharing this with us :-) Kind regards, Garfield.

quantizers only tune v/oct not vcos

if the vcos are out of tune, then it does not matter if your v/oct is quantized or not - the oscillators will still be out of tune, unless you've tuned them

yeah - I think Lugia was expecting this to be a pre-buying thread as so many are! - as a newbie there's no point putting discontinued modules in your want to buy

re utilitties: there are utilities and utilities

personally I do not count Maths or disting as utility modules - they are both extremely useful (I have both - well a newer Maths)

when I talk about utilities I mean simple modules that can modify, merge and multiply electrical signals - not generate them - and not really audio effects

I would look at (and yes you can patch some of these with Maths or select an algorithm in disting, but then that's used!) waveshapers/folders, matrix mixers, sequential switches, attenuators, attenuverters, offset, basic mixers, more vcas - veils, perhaps and then go on to discover more types of utility - maybe buy some to use with audio - I'd say 30-50% of a rack should be modulation and utilities - to some extent the more utilities you have the fewer modulation sources you need, but the more complex your modulation will be - a balancing act obviously

I'm jealous of this original Maths!

This thread is a reminder that OPs should provide a little context for why they are posting the rack, what is owned/planned, style of music, etc. It's hard to provide any valuable guidance without this information. The people who hang out in forums like this (myself included) have a tendency to assume, make judgments, and offer repetitive advice based off past experience and personal preferences, not always the OP's needs.
Let's remember that this is a fun hobby for most people. This rack as displayed isn't an instrument that I would assemble in this way, but it's not an expensive mess to the OP. I'd like to offer any of my limited experience to help you make it the instrument you want it to be. Give us some context for what you are trying to do, and many of us will try to take an objective look at it.
Have fun and good luck.

Guys, these are just modules I own. It’s not the order I have them racked. It is a mess on here. But very functional for me in real life. Yes I’m onto my utilities now. You gotta keep in mind some of these digital modules and the bigger ones have more than one function. When you end up having 6 Doepfer modules that one or two bigger modules can do what’s the point? I hate small or crappy pots on the new small modules also. And the whole idea of getting rid of modules just bc they are discontinued is super whack. All while peeps be still using and buying shitty clones Of Braids. Lol. I bought a lot of my modules used at a great discount. I’m stoked I have the OG Maths with lightning bolts. You wish you had it. Ha. And maths is a great utility that would take several Doepfer or smaller modules. Disting is a great utility module too. I love having one older dixie and one newer. Having that coarse knob on the older one is dope. Lugia you sound like an asshat and you are not helpful but Jim, what are you recommending for utilities? I know I could use some more mixing around the system CV wise and open to suggestions on other utility modules. Those behringer system 100m modules are well built end have lfos on like every module and lots of utilities. Buffered mult would be nice. Anyways thanks in advance.

Nice vibes @dubheadz, welcome and thanks for sharing!

@Lugia undoubtably knows more than me, but from recent explorations of my own I think it's possible to build at least a generative melody box in 62HP, so I took a crack at it, see below:

I left the Wogglebug and the Marbles, they seem great, but pulled out everything else. We're coasting a lot on the power of Marbles (for example we don't need a quantizer, it can do that for us), but that's ok, it's a powerful module! So, to review:

1) Shifty lets you route the output of one of Marble's melodies to up to four different synths, and has gate triggers which can be used for envelopes and/or for manipulating other parts of this rack. Want two synths to add some harmony while others handle the melodies? Shifty can help out here.
2) Switchblade lets you toggle different inputs, for example want to alternate the Deja Vu input into Marbles from an LFO or a Sample and Hold? Switchblade can help you there.
3) Ochd provides 8 long running LFOs, that can slowly shift different CVs around your system. Want long, slow change over time alongside a little more busy-ness? Ochd is your module.
4) Sample and Hold is pretty useful for generative work, RND Step gives you 3 sample and holds normalized and with pink noise sources if you don't patch them. This is a great control tool and a random source alongside Wobblebug.
5) Adding a Slew Limiter gives you a lot of new terrain to explore, so I added a Time Warp. Using this you can for example have the gate triggers from Marbles turn into smooth, rolling CVs that will stay high if there's lots of notes and will drop down if Marbles quiets down. It can also be used as an envelope generator, triggered by gates around the system. Even better, it's gate-able itself, so other modules can control when WMD fires off.
6) Speaking of gates, the Rotating Clock Divider lets you take one gate and create rhythms around it. If we're making ambient rhythm might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but this will help take output from e.g. Shifty/Marbles and create a sense of movement or complexity around the system, triggering an envelope to adjust a filter somewhere every so often, or toggle a Switchblade switch, stuff like that.
7) Hyrlo, smaller 6 channel mixer, will help you collate all your synths together.
8) We've gotta have reverb for generative ambient, FX Aid does a ton on top of that so it's a no-brainer in a rack this size.

For the 1U tiles, I added
1) a Quadratt so you can attenuate different control signals
2) a dual VCA to make more complex control signals
3) an oscilloscope so you can understand what's going on (surprisingly important!)
4) an LGP to let you do a little signal volume control here in case one of your outboard synths doesn't have VCA control.

One important note: I only picked modules that I felt you would still want were you to expand down the road. Everything here is small, yes, but also powerful and could hold its own in a rack of any size. So if you start here and find you really do want that 2 x 104HP rack you can just port some of this over.

Anyway, that's a lot of text, hopefully some of it's useful!

EDITED Feb 18th 2021, 22:36

Generative != small. And why didn't you implement anything in the tile row?

I wouldn't have bought this cab for this purpose, frankly. Generative tends to imply a sizable network of interlinked control systems which act on each other at different orders of systemic control. It's not even exactly easy to do effectively in a 2 x 104 cab, although you can get there by totally compromising your ergonomics and cramming the case full of small modules. I understand that the point here is to try and put together a small "sidecar" for the generative processes...but honestly, you're not even close to where this should be.

And they can probably get more space for more utilities by eliminating the discontinued modules, for starters. Doepfer A-199, Maths, Linix, Dixie II...

Basically, this is an effin' mess. An EXPENSIVE effin' mess, at that. It looks for all the world like someone just threw things into a case at random, with no forethought about workflow, signal paths, necessary utilities and "assisting" modules, etc. But they DID make sure and use the biggest modules in many cases because...uhhh...big module = big noise?

hey guys, thanks for listening and so =)

Just chiming in to say that I appreciate your post! I was looking for solutions on the question "can I flip an LFO waveform to mirror mix two VCAs?" and I found that and much more with your post. Lots of great ideas for LFO use that got me scheming new things to try. So thanks!

Ok. My very first post here so... Bless you all!
I call it deep ambient sometimes, music for trippers, psychedelia... It gives me nice vibes most of the time.
I control the thing in parameters, I patch it, and still I am amazed of the output. It has a life of its own and this makes me very much apprehensive about my role in the process.

Hi everyone, hope you're keeping safe!
Debuting the Serpens Modular Sirius as the first filter in the case, also trying something new with the intro, lemme know what you think!

Patch notes:
Eowave titan into Serpens Sirius as bassline
Calsynth Rangoon as melody
Instruo Ts-l as kickdrum
Erica Pico Drums as high hat
Dreadbox Splash as reverb
Mutable Instruments Stages as envelope generator and LFOs
Doboz XIIO as arpeggiator and note controller.
Robaux LL8 as gate sequencer
Super Vcas as vca, inverter and sidechain.
Synthrotek MIXIV as mixer
Music Thing Startup as mixer and clock generator.
Takaab LPG as low pass gates.

Oh...and I saved you $90.
-- Lugia

Hah! Great critique with whip cream and a cherry on top.

https://i.postimg.cc/d3ykBvmH/Larale-3am-Fu.jpg

EDITED Feb 18th 2021, 12:42

Hi,

I own some semi-modular synths, such as Lifeforms SV-1, Moog Grandmother, Mother 32, 0Coast, and the Neutron.

I would like to add some extra modules to expand on them, but use the semi-moldulars' oscillators, filters, envelopes and audio outs.

I just bought an intellijel Palette 62HP, because I want to try a little Eurorack.

I read it's hard to do a small palette well and don't want to waste money, so I thought I would run things past experienced people.

I want a generative krell type palette with some musical potential, to tame chaos a little with a quantizer.

Before I buy anything more I put together some of the modules I'm interested in.

Any advice and things to think about and to beware of would be great.

Also any advice about what might be good for the smaller 1U row would be great.

Many Thanks

one would hope - utilities, utilities, utilities - and more space for more utilities

Definitely on my wish list along with Blades. Would love to add them to play with Rings and Marbles for a Mutable Instruments ambience rig.

Quantizers are your friends. Well besides the tune knobs and a tuner. I use the quantized scales on my sequencer to help keep the VCOs in tune and in same time.

What's the plan for the remaining space?

Well, one thing immediately comes to mind here, that being that if you're scared of certain knobs, you picked the wrong instrument to play. All of us have to manually tune VCOs (and lots of other things) quite often, so you'll pardon me if I don't see a problem here.

Now, if you need to get pitchmatching between the Digitakt and the modular, I'd suggest the following:

Create a sample for the Digitakt that's nothing but a sine tone at 440 Hz. This then gives you a loop for tuning the synth to the same tuning standard as the Digitakt. However, your samples ALSO need to be tuned so that they comply with that same Concert A, which might be a bit fussy but once you've got it done, you won't have to do it again.

Anyway, once the samples conform to that Concert A tuning and then you use the loop to pitchmatch the synth to the Digitakt, you're then in tune. Given that the Plaits is a digital VCO, it shouldn't drift, so that same Concert A should apply across an entire set.

Basically, this is a simplified version of what I've done every time I've played live, although I use a digital synth's Concert A reference rather than a sample loop, and I'm also usually dealing with anywhere from 8-12 synths and other electronic instruments with those gigs. Even so, it only takes me about 4-5 minutes out of sound check to get the entire rig for a given concert work in tune. But given that I've done pieces that require all sorts of Concert A tunings from 415 Hz (baroque A) to 447 Hz (majorly up-tuned A, sometimes done by me to "brighten" a work overall) and this method works every time, it's worth doing.

HOWEVER...

Getting back to that first point: if you're at odds with the idea of adjusting a certain knob while working, I would strongly suggest that you adjust the HELL out of it instead. For one thing, this will get you used to hearing when things ARE out of tune, and let you practice spot-tuning when needed (which is a pretty invaluable skill in electronic music!). But secondly, it'll help you get out of the corner you're painting yourself into; no synthesist should ever have ANY trepidation about needing to adjust ANY control at ANY time. And besides, have you actually tried seeing what "out of tune" actually sounds like? Fact is, it might actually work...look at Aphex Twin's work, for example. Quite often, he doesn't even use 12-note scales, opting instead for microtonality lots of times. In other cases, he'll let things deliberately detune for musical effect. Take "180dB" off of "Syro", for example...three synths that pretty much NO ONE on here has the money for (Korg PS-3300s...and I'm not lying there, as he's using about $80-100k worth of vintage Korgs in this case), all being sequenced by (or something very much like) a TB-303 for what has to be the most expensive ACIEED track in music history...but he lets the Korgs go out of tune with each other, and the result sounds weird and wild and seriously messed up because of the out-of-tuneness coupled with the rigid 303-type sequencing. Just a thought...

EDITED Feb 18th 2021, 04:12

Messed with it...I think I squeezed a little more out of it, although the module complement was already pretty spot-on. There were still a few changes that could've been made, plus a general reordering...

I opted to shuffle everything in here. There were modulation modules in amongst audio ones, and the signal flow was sorta confusional. This version has all audio on top, modulation and control on the bottom. And on top, there are actually two "voices" laid out...

Voice #1 consists of the Ts-L and the Plaits clone, which then feeds into an After Later dual VCA which uses Veils clone VCAs for summing under CV control. This then goes to the Sinc. This first "voice" is mainly intended for bass...with that LPG in place to output punchy hits. Then voice #2 is the Piston Honda/Morgasmatron combo, which is a stellar digital-hybrid stereo voice opportunity. After these sections, there's a Veils clone to provide VCA control prior to the mixer inputs. And the mixer I opted for here is a Cosmotronic Cosmix, which is four mono ins with panning, AUX sends, and two stereo ins. Now, since this mixer has an AUX send/return, this lets you use the Morphagene in parallel to your mix, or you could just as easily patch it in after the Cosmix for global processing/looping. Last little sliver there is a Konstant Labs PWRchekr, lets you keep an eye on your DC rail performance.

Lower row starts with the ES-9 and Disting, then the Pam's and the RCD...but I also added the RCD Breakout expansion which lets you mess with timing a bit more. A-118-2 is next, then the Pachinko, and I then dropped in a trio of linear DC-coupled VCAs specifically for tampering with modulation levels. And after that is the Maths and Quadrax/Qx, but between them I put in a MISO, which is a CV/mod mixer/polarizer/mangler that can let the Maths and Quadrax contribute to even more modulation strangeness.

This should work a lot better than the prior iteration, I think. The layout now makes tons of sense, plus the few additions I made are optimized to really get the other modules perking. Much more potent. Oh...and I saved you $90.

EDITED Feb 18th 2021, 03:43

GarfieldModular: I just have the clock and reset from the one on the left going into the one on the right. It takes some very deliberate planning to successfully use them both in parallel but I have devised a method that works quite well. It's on the complex side but I enjoy it a lot because of the nature of how I use my modular system and what I aim to do in terms of writing full arrangements with it. Cheers!

Sure!

Actually, they seem to have addressed some of these BSP issues in the more recent firmware revisions, notably the pad velocity thing.
-- Lugia

Sounds like I need to update the firmware then -- Thanks Lugia!

I actually think a larger knob allows for finer tuning.
My pico voice is not so easy to keep intune

Cool rack and a good tune, hoping to hear more.

Hi Valdto,

Wow indeed, for a relatively small rack it produces a lot of music and rhythm :-)

Well done and thank you very much for sharing this. Kind regards, Garfield Modular.

Hi Ivo,

That's interesting, do these two NerdSeqs work then in a master-slave configuration or how did you set that up?

Kind regards, Garfield.

EDITED Feb 17th 2021, 22:29

OP - make the rack public!

so we can copy it and rip it to pieces!!!

Mine is on its way, soon to be processing banana gear.

First, thanks for the support guys!

sequencing : i Don't know

Thanks a lot, I'll check them out.

Definitely on my wish list since I am a fan of their modules and already have Rings and Marbles.

https://i.postimg.cc/tgBxRB45/iRA.jpg

Nice! Well done.
This is a good reminder that it is possible to achieve good results with a smaller case filled with the right selection of modules.

GarfieldModular: thanks! That's the NerdSeq - I have two of them linked together and they allow me to orchestrate everything. Cheers

Yep, I spent over a year reading before I got my first module...

VCVRack or ay of the other excellent virtual modular synths is a fantastic place to start, wish these had been available when I started!

I also wish someone had told me to have a very specific goal in mind before starting too!

It's all too easy to end up clutching at shiny and ending up with a lot of very expensive things that don't work together well!

Already in the shops... and... sold out at my favourite retailer hehe!

That problem is fixed. Thanks for reporting!

Thanks for the feedback!

Hey guys,
appreciate your feedback a lot.

Hi @Lugia , thanks for the suggestion, I'll think about it.
I'd like to note my workflow to audio path, usually I make a hard use of stereo path, is for this reason I have 2 veils (for the moment I don't find another solution). I use one veils for left channel and the another for right channel. Sometimes I use HPO as a merger stereo, sometimes I use an external mixer. When I make a recording session I use each out from veils to sending the audio to external mixer. I've spent a while searching a solutions mixer to keep the stereo path in eurorack, and save hp as possible... but I didn't find nothing better, so I continue with this workflow.
Because I'm working with hard stereo path, mostly I use the buffered multi (links too, so useful for those works) as a mixer/splitter/merger the audio path. Sometimes I make a hard use of that, sometimes less. Maybe I should replace the buff mult from wmd to another links better for this kind of audio works.

EDITED Feb 17th 2021, 10:24

Will be an instant classic. Any release date on this?

Hello
Here’s a track I recorded yesterday while jamming on the palette case. Salmple is the main sound source and it’s being triggered by pam and steppy. Ch 7-8 goes true ssf pole zero and fxaid for the reverb.

=clipboard&p=i&c=1

Here’s the case if anyone is interested :)

EDITED Feb 17th 2021, 11:21

Well said Lugia,

I was fortunate to have friends with large modular setups that let me try them out and do lot of research and a small semi-modular before I dove in last year. Now I have lots of modular gear now and just scratching the surface. I can finally create some tracks and fun music on modular but it is a steeper learning curve and higher cost than say what I can do easily on an Elektron Analog 4 for example. That said- for experimental music and my goal of creating soundtrack stuff, it is perfect!

Love this @aphex_goodman, the performative aspect is awesome and the tune rocks.