@GarfieldModular, glad to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for listening as always. I realize 18 minutes is quite an investment, but I'm happy it paid off, this time at least! Now, when're we going to hear some more tunes from you? It's been too long.

I do remember that about Stockhausen @Lugia, what an interesting, crazy guy. You do make a fair point about context, but overall I think the bar's being raised for what we expect from people, which is necessary and even rather late, but also lots to figure out about how we reconcile the past with our vision for the future. The 21st century will be interesting I think. Re: this tune @Lugia, it's the patch I was working on the other day where we were discussing envelope followers: the HP and LP outputs each go into one of the DUSG inputs (whose fall CVs are tweaked by the Ochd), with the HP Envelope set to control the filter cutoff in reverse, basically setting the HP and LP filters up to fight over the cutoff point. I'm looking forward to more experiments like this... #modularrocks


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Thread: New rig

Thanks Garfield, I will consider it. Having two rows of 1u is nice to add tools so free space for larger fun modules. For 1u, probably add some tools like attenuator, mults, noise tools, clock, and steppy for sequencer and maybe micro 1u O&C.


Yeah...I get the Steve Reich issue, mainly from having studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen right around 9/11. Stocki made this statement that was 100% a self-boobytrap, stating in a presser that he thought that the 9/11 attacks were "...the greatest work of Lucifer's art perpetuated upon mankind".

Self-boobytrap? Yep...because there was a axe-grindy reporter there from the Hamburg (I think) newspaper who quoted all of that EXCEPT the mention of Lucifer. Still a quote, if you're willing to go with the definition of "that came out of Karlheinz's mouth" alone. As a result, there was a MASSIVE surge of people condeming Stockhausen for "celebrating" the 9/11 attacks as a "greatest work of art". Which, natch, isn't what was said (thankfully, there WAS tape of this fiasco!). But it harmed him, and the reporter got the dig in at Stocki that he was apparently looking for. This did get straightened out...eventually...after it resulted in cancellations of concerts of his work in the USA that had been scheduled for 2001/02.

But yeah, I get it...there are definitely reasons to be skeptical of what figures of this sort are "saying", which might NOT actually be what they said! After all, Steve Reich's not the first people to make off the cuff moronic comments like that; I recall Elvis Costello's nasty, alcohol-fueled comment about Ray Charles while EC was on his berserk and bizarre "Armed Forces" N.Am tour. And yes, he caught a raft of crap for that...rightly so...but then, was it Elvis talking or the booze, tour-strain, etc? Eventually, it turned out that those were the culprit, and not Elvis Costello himself. So you have to take what musicians do/say with a grain of salt about the size of a cattle block sometimes. We're a strange lot.


Thread: Pedal Love?

Oh, yes...I have a nice "library" of stompboxes here. I've made sure to have DC supplies for them by each of the main routing patchbays in here so that I can "drop in" one if I need an extra something-or-another to a certain sound. Sort of like a VST...but hardware.

Love the Mood, btw...one of the best things Chase Bliss does. But there's a lot of CRAZY stuff going on down at the lower end of the price spectrum...there's quite a few Chinese pedals in the arsenal here now, and brands like Biyang, Aural Dream, etc are in there...along with several things from the Noisemasters of Beijing, CUVAVE.

Just get their FUZZ pedal. Seriously. Most anything that Cuvave's designed is somewhat off-kilter and weird, but the Cuvave FUZZ has "future classic" stamped all over it. I kid you not. I have two...and drum signals through these just sound like some sort of hideous industrial cataclysm. I even have a RAT R2DU (the dual rackmount version, original circuit), and the Cuvave can kick that device right to the curb! Before we get into some sort of moron-grade war with the PRC, you guys need to be scoping these Chinese pedals out...some of them are truly AMAZING.


Yeah...if you get the 10 hp Veils 2020, that opens 2 hp more...and what I'd suggest there is to swap out the 2hp Mix with a Doepfer A-138n instead. This opens up the space and makes that source mixer more tweakable when working with a patch. Otherwise, this seems pretty spot-on.

I rebuilt the example above to show how that would work.


Thread: New rig

Hi Sacguy71,

Oh come on, you just spent a small fortune on cases and modules and then 20 bucks a year for creating bigger racks here would top your budget? ;-) With that Unicorn account you are supporting this website too :-) No, I am not one of the owners of this website, just supporting them by trying to convince you ;-)

Regarding your 1 U modules question. I almost bought last year two Intellijel 7U cases and put quite some efforts in checking those 1U modules, check out my rack-planning for that double-Intellijel 7U case, those 1U modules might be interesting to consider. I put the whole plan on hold so I didn't continue this rack planning but for the 1U modules it might be interesting. Meanwhile a few new 1U modules have been released I noticed, so check out the 1U modules that had been released this year by Intellijel.

ModularGrid Rack

Once you got the MDLR case please let me know your impression after a few days of use, looks like a great case!

Have fun with it and please keep us updated, kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


The SQ-64 doesn't get me all that excited, tbh. It feels more like Korg's playing catch-up to everyone else with it, where there's already a big installed base of Arturia, Polyend, DSI, etc etc sequencers like it out there. And while some reviewers have pointed out that it has more tracks than the Beatstep Pro, that "more" actually amounts to "one", since track 4 on it is a trigger sequencer that only puts out 8 (16 over MIDI) pulse channels. Also, the BSP doesn't involve massive menu diving...and that Korg has one of those ominous, Roland-esque alpha displays on there, implying that it does.

The vibe I get from this is that it likely has something to do with the 2600 mess (three CV tracks, three VCOs...?), as it was intended for release in May of this year, and it would've filled the gap that not having the 1601 Sequencer reissued caused. But whether this indicates that Korg's preparing to drop the "2600 for the 'unconnected' peons" at whatever Winter NAMM 2021's going to look like, or it's just leftovers from that screw-up from 2020, it's hard to say.

Might make a good match for a Behringer 2600, tho!


Hi Troux, (I will avoid Steve to avoid confusion ;-) )

Oh yes, that's a nice drone! I am glad it's at least 18 minutes, first you think 18 minutes, long time to go! But before you know it's over and pressing the play button again to listen at it just one more time to enjoy!

Nicely done, also like the sound that kicks in around 10:00. It's a nice gift to give a friend! :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


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Thread: New rig

I will consider it but I just blew a bunch on new gear :-)
So budget exhausted til next year. The 1u modules look nice for support modules and Intellijel Steppy sequencer to play with Stillson Hammer for 2 sequencers in one portable setup. I do want to add a sampler and more FX plus granular synthesis.


Thread: New rig

Hi Sacguy71,

If you are willing to spend 20 bucks (per year, but you can stop after one year if you don't like it), you can get a Unicorn account here then you can create larger racks. Then select 6 rows and then there is an option to select which row is 1 U (more 1 U rows are possible). You can go up to a total of 10 rows with the Unicorn account.

You might want to consider that, I just renewed my Unicorn account and I love it, I can create larger rack-overviews :-)

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


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Thread: New rig

Hi Garfield,

No, this is the MDLR 14U portable case that came on sale this week. I needed a new case until pre-order for the Doepfer monster base case arrives in few weeks or months. I decided to have more than enough space so I don't run out quite as fast this time :-)

There are two 1U tile rows of 126HP space for Intellijel and Pulp logic tile modules as well in the MDLR case. Unfortunately, this website tool does not let you add that for larger cases unless you pay $40/year for a unicorn premium account here. So I will create an add on to case for 1u modules :-) to get around this extra cost.
. So for Intellijel and Pulp logic 1u modules, what would you recommend?

Here is what the actual case will look like empty:
https://www.mdlrcase.com/eurorack-case-14u-126hp-performer-series-pro/

I figure these two new cases will keep me busy for the next couple of years! Now I can get big and small wide platform for mobile modular events after COVID ends! I will use the Doepfer monster base for sequencers/mixers, support and few more FX, sampler, voices and other stuff as time goes on.


Hi Mowse,

He, he, yes, sounds you had lots of fun to make this music. Those reverb-kind-of-(quite high pitch)sounds around 4:00+ how did you do that, sounds interesting!

Thank you very much for sharing this and kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Thread: Pedal Love?

Hi Kel,

Ha, ha, good that you mentioned the pedal section, I wasn't even aware of it, though kind of interested in it for adding some effects to all my "noise" ;-)

Indeed a bit weird that there is no Pedals section in this Forum.

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Thread: New rig

Hi Sacguy71,

Wow big rack, so this one comes on top of that Doepfer monster case 6U (2 * 168 HP), right? Why not putting everything into one rack here on Modulargrid? At least you have everything into one view? That's how I do it with my racks. I have a base monster rack from Doepfer (A-100LMB) and on top another monster rack the A-100LMS9 but here in my rack view I put that as one rack, easier to overview the whole thing, in my opinion.

But somehow the MDLR 14U doesn't add up, I am missing 2 U, isn't it? Here you display 4 rows * 3 U = 12 U, so do I miss here two rows of 1 U? Why not adding them here to the rack view?

It's good to see you still have some decent free space, that's always good to have for (near) future extensions :-)

Have fun with the planning and kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Good to hear more positive reviews :D

I bought some of that solder, not tried it yet, but happy to hear that it is good!!

Keen to give it a try... I need to build something...


Yes, the guys at exploding shed are great. Had the misfortune of a jack missing from a kit and they quickly sent a replacement, no questions asked.
They also have great solder in stock, which is a plus ;)


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Hi Cedric,

Sure glad to help as always. The reason why I recommend a much larger rack from the get go is to not repeat the stupid mistakes that I made this year when I got started with my first modular system. I bought a Doepfer A100 Basic System 6U that was half full of Doepfer modules which are superb but quickly filled that up and then bought an empty Doepfer 6U case/power that was filled quickly as well. The fun modules tend to be quite pigs in HP size and want 20-30HP easily for a complex oscillator or large drum voice and that is why a larger case is best even if you only need less to start. You can fill in gaps with cheap blank HP slates and decorate those as you expand. Heck now with 2 full Doepfer 6U cases, I just bought a much larger empty case 14U MDLR so I won't keep running into this issue. You can always get a small skiff pod case if you want to do anything mobile.


I have been doing something similar for a little while, and techno in 88 hp is quite possible, especially if you have other gear too. See for example :

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/forum/posts/index/9056

In my setup Pam's is the heart of everything. To get the best out it you will probably want the Pexp-1 expander. I also strongly recommend getting a switched OR module like the Low-Gain Short Bus or the Ladik S-260. This will turn Pam's into a much more powerful trigger sequencer, because you can use the switched OR to overlay sequences. Pam is also a very capable modulation source, and it can be quantised to pitch to generate melodic loops (your Beatstep Pro is probably a better option for this though!) To make the most of this you will need a CV mixer, and a logic module (e.g. Mutable Instruments Kinks or SSF Tool-box) could be quite handy too.

I am assuming you are going to get more percussive voices here. I second Sacguy's recommendation of BIA - it's very good, and with some creative (clocked!) modulation it can be many different "voices" at the same time. A low-pass gate is a nice thing to have : will let a "normal" oscillator do more interesting percussive things when needed.

I have no suggestions for pads and general ambience, other than to use Disting as a sample player, with loads of delay and reverb. If I had infinite budget I would get the Instruo Saich, but it is very expensive and quite large.

p.s If you haven't already seen it, Mylarmelodies' video about making a tiny techno system has many good ideas.


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Thread: New rig

Hi everyone,

So my new MDLR 14U case arrives next week along with fun modules, yay! Anyways here is what I have arriving next week:
ModularGrid Rack

Now, I realize it is not perfect but I have almost 2 full rows (200HP) free to address any weak points in the build. Open to suggestions, advice and recommendations from the modular veterans and experts as always here. I did make sure to get plenty of VCAs, EGs, mixers including the 4ms VCA Matrix mixer as this intrigued me for the options plus a couple new complex oscillators and new filter and sequencer. The Harvestman Stillson Hammer MK2 was a good buy so wanted it for sequencer and hope it is an improvement over the Varigate 4+ in my other rack. I do have a Metron trigger sequencer on order and may get the 512 Vector sequencer at some point or the Erica Synths Black Sequencer, Eloquencer or Endorphin.es Ground control if it ever gets released in next few years. I also got Marbles for function generator as the VCV Rack model was a lot of fun and will be nice change from Quadrax in my other setup. The holiday online sales were good deal and saved me a great deal of money on this gear.


Hi, and thank you for your reply !
everything you offer me reassures me, because if you look at my rack projects you will find equivalent modules!
I got stuck on the BIA for a long time, but after watching a few videos, I found the sy 0.5 to be more versatile and tame, and adding Viol Ruina to it, I think it can be even crazier.
Why not adding A Noise Ingeneering voice instead of the Plaits 😉
As a modulation source / utility, the mutable instruments stages seems clearer to me than Maths for a beginner, what do you think?
I am also interested in the Intelligel quad VCA which can perform the functions of VCA and mixing, so quite close to your recommandations.
Finally I was on the right track;)
Thanks a lot for the rack, I'm studying this. 😉
Concerning the rack, I can go bigger once this one is full. First I searched the 6U, but no used one is available for the moment.

Cédric


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Welcome, here are my recommendations.

Get a larger rack you will need it.

VCAs and attenuators- I recommend these as they are mandatory for any modular system. 2HP makes small one.
Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter (BIA) a beast of a percussion techno module
Modulation sources: you need them. Consider something like a Make Noise Maths and Batumi quad LFO.
Mixer- a small mixer like Intellijel mixup would be super useful. Happy Nerding makes nice small mixers as well for Eurorack.
Logic- Kinks is a great small one for that and more.
Mults- Links is super helpful

Here is an improved rack to show you what would help you reach your techno goals:

ModularGrid Rack

I also suggest that you first download a free copy of the VCVRack software and try out various patches and different modules. This greatly helped me when I started working with modular. Most of your setup will need to be support and utility modules- boring but essential. Stuff like envelopes, attenuators, VCAs, sequential switch and so forth.

Cheers,
Sacguy


I hear you - kinda the same here in the UK - although I think it is not quite as extreme perhaps.

Shrugs... I am nobody, in a little corner of nowhere and my opinion matters very little, I just wish I had some money to buy any music at all hahah :D


Haha, thanks @Kel_, glad you enjoyed it.

To the question about Reich and progress, I have kind of mixed feelings about all this. On the one hand, I think holding people accountable for their behavior is critical, but on the other hand we (here in the US) live in a very punishment oriented culture and seem to prefer to hurt people rather than to help them grow and work through their issues. On the other other hand, abusers or racists are often great at playing the game, so protecting people from harm can very much be in tension with the desire to help others improve (rather than just be cancelled).

It's a pretty tough nut to crack, the solution I aim for is a bit of a "not OR, AND" and accept that Reich has issues and probably caused harm in his own community, that I should not be buying his music and should support other folks instead, but that I can also acknowledge he made some great songs and that I can continue to enjoy them, just maybe not so much from a "He's an Icon" perspective. Everyone will of course have a different perspective on this though, and I think the next few years and decades will definitely be interesting in how we keep working through all this as a people.


If it was up to me, the whole brexit thing would be in the sea along with the 17 million people who thought / still think it's a good idea - utter insanity on every conceivable level as far as I can tell!


I really like Exploding Shed and can wholeheartedly recommend them, too. But honestly, the (admittedly few) times I've ordered from thonk.co.uk I was absolutely happy with their service as well. And they offer a much larger selection of parts and kits than the Shed. Can't you please delay Brexit for a few more months so I've got time for another order?


p.s. nice jam :)


Oh I see!!

Oh... that is indeed very disappointing, but you raise an excellent question. I am a fan of Mr. Reich's music, have been for a very long time, one of the best concerts I have ever been to was a live rendition of Music for 18 Musicians - which was absolutely out of this world!

Generally, I think people need to be a lot more forgiving, these days it's like you say one thing wrong or make one mistake and it's like you are the devil incarnate.

Attitudes and appropriate behaviour change over time and are different for different people, hell - cannibalism is accepted in some cultures, marriage of young children in others, etc. It's not that long ago that full on racism was pretty much fully accepted in western cultures, even deemed absolutely necessary for survival by some! I have talked with some people in Africa that I would consider to be extremely racist, yet when you hear the stories that led them to have these beliefs, it's understandable on some level. They are prejudiced literally because they believe their lives depend on it. Would I go wandering around the streets at night in some SA townships? Er... not a hope in hell! Is that prejudice or just not being insanely stupid and reckless? I could say the same thing about certain areas in Manchester, UK while I was growing up, possibly still true to some extent.

So it is only when someone absolutely insists on being severely nasty despite being asked to reconsider that I ever speak out about these things.

I am definitely in the camp of well, come on, give them time and show a little tolerance, you know, have a conversation. How can you expect anyone else to show tolerance if you show none yourself?

Otherwise we just end up in a situation where it is "us and them", and without wanting to be over dramatic, that's literally how wars start!

It's not like anyone who grew up with certain cultural beliefs and a lifetime of experience is suddenly going to wake up one day and for no reason at all suddenly become a completely different person is it... these things take time, patience, effort, understanding and forgiveness.

I am not making excuses for whatever they said, I am trying to add a certain element or rationality to the situation. I realise there will be people out there who will show me no tolerance or understanding for saying these things... but such is life!

Do we destroy all the Egyptian artefacts because of Egyptian slavery? Probably not... although I guess some people would!?

Art is art. Acknowledging it's context and cultural relevance is important, but by no means required, or even possible in any meaningful sense in many case.


No @Kel_, I meant Steve Reich, one of the pioneers of minimalist music in the US, who this piece is ripping off quite a bit. I'll have to edit to make that clear.

It's an interesting question for me as the times progress and our sentiments change... how do we keep our connections to the icons of the past who don't meet the standards of the present day (and who should've known better back then TBH)? For myself I'm choosing the path of valuing the art, acknowledging the importance of these people in history, but moving along and maybe this is part of that, the future has plenty of great tunes yet to hear.


Thank you for the feedback and taking the time to listen.
Much appreciated.


Thread: Pusherman!

I didn't see much mention of this store here, so...

Some delicious kits and other DIY stuff here:

https://pushermanproductions.com


Thread: Pedal Love?

Anyone here into pedals?

There's a section on MG for pedals, but no section on the forum? Unless I am missing something? In which case I apologise!

Anyway, I am writing specifically to give a big song of praise to Chase bliss... wow! What a wonderful company and delightful people :D

If you don't know them already I highly recommend checking them out!!


I am a little confused, so I am just going to ask directly, are you SteveHand talking about yourself in the third person?

I have no agenda here, other than to satisfy my curiosity :)


Or cut a hole in the back of the Palette case?

Sorry... couldn't resist hehe!


I was looking for a decent company for synth parts, kits and other sundries and found Exploding Shed!

Absolutely fantastic!! Highly recommended!!

https://www.exploding-shed.com

We could do with a decent company with good people behind it here in the UK too :)


Ok clear. Thanks.
Considering that in future upgrade certainly I'll buy the new version of Veils, you say that I could recover the two hp using the Links instead of the 2hp mix or do you have better ideas for that remaining space?


Oh yes, good calls on all of those!!

Spotted a very expensive QMMG in the marketplace the other day - eek! Is there really nothing else like this?

I have lost a lot of friends over recent years, it's absolutely devastating, you don't know what it is like until it happens. I was warned about it, one day you are fine and everyone around you is fine, then all of a sudden half your friends are dead or seriously ill. The same thing happens in eras of famous actors, for example. While I wish no one, not even the total assholes, any ill will... it's not going to be long before some Euro Heros start to go.

This is a bit morbid, sorry, but it is part of life, I believe we should talk about it a little more.


Steve Reich's getting some well justified criticism nowadays for his cultural attitudes (edited to add, it's probably just clearer to say he's made some racist comments, or been reported to), but nonetheless I found myself ripping him off this evening in a jam for a friend, give it a listen here:

https://stevehand.bandcamp.com/track/for-danielle-take-one

Lots of clipping, probably needs editing, the levels are all off, but somehow it comes together pretty ok, at least I think so! Like a lot of my other tunes lately I'll probably re-record it, we'll see if the vibes remain.

In this case, made with:

ModularGrid Rack


First patch with Alright Devices Zzzorb. What a cool filter! Immediately approachable and serious cv fun within minutes.

For this patch, DPO plays through Zzzorb, then on to Clouds and Mimeophon. Make Noise Rene feeds Cloud 1v/oct for our little sequence. Trident, Odessa, and ochd feed cv to Zzzorb.

Just plain fun!


Thanks for all the kind words. Feels nice to connect with Telharmonic after not really getting it at first.

17 minutes... an elusive goal! :-)


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Agree with you Lugia and the MS-20 mini that I played around with in a shop a few years ago was fun and I actually liked it better than the KARP Odyssey and 2600 there. Now what are your thoughts on the Korg SQ-64 sequencer? That one looks interesting but I prefer in rack modular sequencers. Anyways, as I have fallen down the modular rabbit hole now, I've been more focused on developing skills and music there. My Richter Anti-Oscillator and Dual Borg Filter get me the best of both worlds with cross between MS-20 and Buchla sounds so all good. Still, at some point after I have a larger studio space, would not mind adding a Korg MS-20 to my setup.


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Thanks Garfield :-)

Yeah, I wanted larger modules that interest me so a much larger rack was mandatory. I did not want to repeat the mistake of getting only a 6U case when 12u was required. Now I feel better- with the new MDLR 14U case coming soon and the Doepfer Monster Base case, that should give me 400HP to play with even after adding the new modules and sequencers/mixers/support modules. Now I need a bigger place to live to house future gear. That should put off buying much more until end of next year. Maybe I get another Doepfer monster base plus 14U monster case on top of that. But want portable modular cases- beyond 14u makes carry difficult. Of course with covid lockdowns, it may be years until live performance venues open again.


Hi Sacguy71,

Looks great :-) The rack is already nearly half full, before the end of 2021 you need another monster case ;-)

Have fun and kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


Plus, the Qx module offers the Quadra functions that didn't make it into the Quadrax, notably the envelope start/end pulses that allow chaining EGs. And even with that, the Quadrax/Qx STILL fits into less space than the Quadra and its expander.


ENVF is difficult to find here in Europe.
-- frankbartoli

Looks pretty easy to me: https://www.planktonelectronics.com/store/envf/

Also, why add another set of inputs when there are these expensive Vermona ones already there? I can think of lots more sensible things to do with another 2 hp, and all that's needed here is JUST the envelope follower. No point in the rest of an Ears being in there.


I still like the MS-20, frankly. Over the years, I've had four...two were the original version 1, with one of those being bought new back in 1980, and the other two are sitting on the other side of my studio right now, with those being Minis. You hear a lot of hot poop about how the Mini doesn't sound right, etc etc etc...

BUNK! What they sound like is a NEW MS-20, and NOT one that's been sitting around for 40-ish years. You have a lot of "VITNAGE RAR W0W"-types who claim that the Mini doesn't sound like it should. But lemme tell ya, if you went back in a time machine and unboxed a virgin, straight-from-Hamamatsu '20, it would sound EXACTLY like an MS-20 Mini. No lie.

Granted, yes, a proper modular is always better. But there ARE things that the MS-20 can do that modulars CANNOT. For example, that screwy input section that most people ignore. The idea was to offer a pitch-tracked input channel...but like Korg's other contemporary pitch-tracking device (the X-911 "guitar" "synthesizer"), it was utterly useless for that. BUT...that input section is made of pure, uncut ABUSE POTENTIAL, and a certain Mr. Richard James found that if you feed it UNpitched material, such as a TR-606, you make the MS-20 GO BERSERK with just a little bit of patching. If the TB-303 is the "lead" for ACIEED, then the mangly MS-20-processed drums is its complimentary backbeat.

Unfortunately, Korg continues to screw up...I just saw some demos of their new sequencer, and frankly, I thought it was a trainwreck. It might have ample connectivity, but it was obvious to me that certain parts of the sequencer implementation are not as intuitive as they need to be. It was like Korg was trying to either build a Beatstep Pro or a Polyend Seq, and wound up creating both...and yet, neither! Pft.


this user has left ModularGrid

Thanks Garfield,

Here is what I have on the way for my Christmas gift to myself:

ModularGrid Rack

The Doepfer Monster base case and WMD Metron sequencer will arrive later :-)


Hi Sacguy71,

Fair enough :-) Let me know how you like that Rossum Trident oscillator, might be a nice one!

Kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


this user has left ModularGrid

Thanks Garfield,

I took advantage of sales to buy two new cases so will have plenty of space now. A Doepfer monster base with 300HP+ of free space to use with my two Doepfer full 6U cases and a new MDLR 14 portable case that has even more room plus a row of 1u power and space for smaller 1u Intellijel modules. That MDLR will be my portable modular rig once COVID ends. I did order a bunch of new modules for these like Rossum Trident oscillator, Rossum Morpheus Z Filter as well as Expert Sleepers Disting EX, Marbles, Rings, Shades, Plog, and support modules like 4ms VCA Mixer so I can have fun creating self generative patches! That should keep me busy for a long time. Maybe by end of next year the new Erica Synths Black Sequencer and Endorphin.es Ground Control will be out.


Hi Sacguy71,

Well many good complex VCOs have already been mentioned, for example the DPO of Make Noise, it's high on my wish list too.

ACL's Variable Sync VCO or Multi-Function discrete VCO are options to keep in mind. Now don't laugh but the Doepfer - A-111-2 High End VCO might be a good option too, this isn't a simple VCO and offers a lot for the money. I have this module and I am really happy with it.

If it is your cup of tea, you might want to consider the Intellijel's Rubicon2. I got it, but I am actually not sure if this one is worth the money, it can do fantastic things and you really get a complex VCO, but is it worth it for what you are paying here? I am not too sure...

Not extremely complex but a lot of fun, at least for me, is the E330 - Multimode VCO from Synthesis Technology, I like that one.

Already mentioned the Endorphin.es - Furthrrrr Generator, I had it tested two times at my local dealer. The first time I just didn't manage to get any sound out of it at all, no idea if it was broke or I just didn't know how to use it. The second time it kind of blow my head clean off, this is a nice generator, bloody expensive but from all that expensive stuff out there this one might be worth it I think, it's high on my wish list too.

That having all said...

I wonder if I am the only one here but is it worth it to pay say 600 or 800 bucks for a "complex oscillator"? For many of those complex oscillators their prices are in the region of some serious good and complex sequencers! Those expensive sequencers are already far too expensive, if you would ask me. So I am not 100% convinced yet about some of those serious expensive complex oscillators.

The DPO (haven't tested it yet though) and the Furthrrrrr Generator might be the exceptions but the rest, is it really worth that kind of fortune? I am not sure.

Give it a very good thought before you buy such an expensive "complex" (or should it be called "expensive") oscillator! Better have it tested at your local dealer first!

Take care, have a good weekend and kind regards, Garfield.

For review reports of Eurorack modules, please refer to https://garfieldmodular.net/ for PDF formatted downloads


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Quadrax with the expander replaced Quadra and is a great module! I love mine and it really spices up patches and super easy to use with lots of modulation options. I think that either Quadrax with the expander or Marbles would give you tons of options for a fun setup.