Excellent business with @iridite. Purchased a DPO.
Fast shipping, good packaging. A+++ experience
It's July 2...you know what that means...
KICK ASS!!! June 2018.
...in which I have a look at the Eurorack deluge here on ModularGrid and sort out what looks the tastiest each prior month. Gonna be a shorter one, looks like, as the only major music trade event coming up is Summer NAMM, and that's called the 'guitar show' for a reason. Things should start to heat up again as we get closer to Knobcon in the Fall. So, let's hit it...
1) Recovery Effects Motormatic. Let's face it: sometimes you need out-and-out racket. Ring mods do that. So does bit crushing. So why not both? Well, $149 gets you this: a not-wholly-in-control clangorous crossmodulating mangler that doesn't seem at all capable of outputting 'nice' things. Instead, you get GRIT and SCREECH and all of those other oh-so-desirable Industrial-type noises and textures. If you like making music with a clear level of 'harm' to it, this module delivers. Check their website for a few examples...although, I'm sure that from those, most anyone here can extrapolate as to the abuse potential of this thing.
2) Happy Nerding 3x Stereo Mixer. This is so simple, it's stoopid! Three stereo ins, one stereo out. For summing down stereo effects, or stereo anything, that just got damn cheap ($100!) with this module's introduction. But the front panel doesn't tell the whole story, as this (and the PanMix Jr.) have backplane connections that allow a bunch of these to be stereo-bus-linked into a bigger mixer configuration. Smart! So you could take a few of these, a few of the PanMans, and whip up a bespoke performance mixer-type assemblage, or most any sort of special-purpose stereo configuration you need between those two modules.
3) Purrtronics Purrvrrb. Got a skiff and want a spring reverb? Not doable, really; where are you going to put the spring tank? So there's this, a digital spring emulator, full stereo, $130, solves that problem! Spring reverb, of course, is so nice with LPGs and the like to get that percussive 'splang' thing, ala the Buchla 100 series, just right. At 20mm depth, it'll fit any skiff, so now everyone can twannnng away without worrying about where the springs go or accidental spring-splats (if you don't like that sort of thing).
4) Takaab VC-EG. Done right, done cheaply! A CVable ADSR with LFO and Gate looping modes, plus the typical EG type operation, everything nicely controllable with input attenuators and all that good stuff. But Takaab tossed in a few extras, such as a 'Hard' mode that adds a very short top-of-envelope 'punch' stage when switched in, plus either linear or exponential modes, which means you can get a basic old linear VCA connected to this to respond either way with a switch-flip. A really intelligent ADSR design, and it deserves more than a cursory glance! $158, too...bang for the buck!
5) Ladik HAS BEEN BUSY!!! Last time out, I had a bunch of their toys to talk about, and here we are a month later with more surprises. First up are a pair of metered line input stages, the A-545 (stereo, $71-ish) and A-560 (mono, about $69) that are a nice change from the typical line-in modules, especially with multisegment LED metering to keep an eye on things, which is useful if you're inputting something that's level-critical. But wait...their M-17x mixer series ALSO now has input modules, the M-177, 178, and 179, each with different stereo configurations, and each costing a mere $86 or thereabouts. These are really neat...allowing you to, if you so choose, build a full-on stereo line mixer into your rig, allowing you to mix down EVERYTHING right there on the modular and with the modular! For those of you out there trying to get a higher level of gear integration between your modular and bunches of other boxes and bits, I think Ladik may have a solution for you.
6) Future Sound Systems FIL3 Spectral Devastator. I have to respect a module that has controls with erstwhile-irresponsible-usage indications, in this case two little switches marked 'Blast'. The FIL3 is the latest iteration of FSS's coupled dual-filter module. New surprises include a 'Colour' control in the resonance paths, attenuverters for negative modulation of the filter cutoffs, Drive and Output Level controls for more flexibility over levels and using the FIL3 in overdriven modes, and that pair of 'Blast' switches, which push each filter core into new levels of resonance, range, and drive. This thing, from the same people currently bringing us the sonic manglage that are the Gristleizer modules, promises lots and if the FIL2 and FSS's other efforts are indicative, it'll deliver. $230 or so.
7) LZX Escher Sketch. But wait...don't video modules run on a different voltage standard? Yeah, but there's converter step-down/up modules for audio level I/O, and this might be worth getting those extra for whatever use your fevered mind has planned! It's a stylus/touch pad, high-rez, 5.7” diagonal with X, Y and pressure modes, plus directional velocity sensing. And it has 'abuse potential' written all over it! This could have a lot of possible uses, especially in conjunction with a DC-coupled audio input interface so that it can 'talk' to a computer (for all sorts of things...think MAX here, folks) while at the same time doing its CV thang over the modular itself. Yeah, I'm talking recursory control here...and that's just ONE bad idea that comes to mind! I'm sure everyone can come up with more. $499-ish, which is a tad spendy but I think well-deserved for something of this sort.
8) Noise Reap Dub Delay. And in just under the wire is this: a nicely nasty little BBD-type delay for a stoopid-cheap $90. Supposedly clean up to about 300ms, past that point you get aliasing, muddy tone, lo-fi galore out to around 2000ms. Full CV control, too...time and feedback are both under CV here, and to avoid the feedback-loop overloads, Noise Reap even put a limiter circuit in the feedback path to clamp the level so the signals don't become super-hot, allowing you to jack the feedback into overload and still get a usable result. Very smart thinking there. But even neater...this device can do CV DELAY, as it's DC-coupled, so delaying (and mangling!) envelopes, LFO curves and so forth is right up this device's alley! Virtually anyone can make use of one of these for some nefarious purpose, and at only 8 hp it's an easy fit...plus, it's cheap!
And that's it this time around. Like I said, the crazy that precedes Knobcon should start before much longer, so stay tuned...the next few months look interesting!
So far, so good...just remember: the Intellijel tile format requires an odd sort of spacing between the row's rails. Using the endplates from Synthrotek, etc will give you the 'normal' spacing; I would suggest getting one of the longer Intellijel tiles (like the QuadrATT) first and using it as a template for that row to make sure you've got it nailed. I'm assuming that the tile row will be at an intermediate angle between those used for the upper and lower rows?
OK, after much thinking and wiggling knobs on what is currently assembled, 84HP is just going to be too small for my plans.
I have been doing a lot more planning. Does this look well-balanced?
I found 108HP Vector Rails are sold by Pulp Logic, and I think they are usable with Intellijel 1U modules. The 108 is also just wide enough to fit an extra intellijel 1U tile compared to 104HP.
The case I am thinking of building is going to go next to a Sub37, so I am trying to match the shape a little bit:
http://prntscr.com/k1t8n8
http://prntscr.com/k1t99h
sorry for the wonky links, I don't know how to show pictures here...
The bottom is at a 10° angle, and the back is at 25°.
These are the modules I have so far:
Basically the functions I am looking to get in the next 100HP are in order of need:
Attenuation, Touch Controller, Multimode Filter, 4X VCAs, Scope Utility, 4X LFOs, Logic, Rhythm and CV sequencing, Precision Adder, Utilities, Buffered Mult.
Of course, the easiest way around not having a 5V bus is something like a Doepfer A-100AD5, which also works solely from a 12V only supply. Only 100mA, but so few modules actually demand 5V (mainly digital-based ones) that the load amount isn't usually an issue.
It's really interesting how that came out...it shifts like weather changing, which I think Schoenberg really only pulled off once, in the "Farben" movement of the Five Orchestral Pieces. Webern sorta gets there as well, but with his work being more rapidly-shifting and pointillistic, "Euphony IV" is kinda like a Webern record pitched down to -80!
I bought a 2hp Tune from @js213 Quick shipping and well packed. Module was in excellent condition as expected.
I collected some Modules that will probably run with a standard 12V PSU.
Connection can be done via a flexbusboard.
(The Rack is 104 HP but does not display correctly here)
Thanks for the insight, guys! I guess I'll have to start cheating.
Lugia: Euphony IV sounds lovely.
I have a OmniMod that is not powring on . Does anyone Know How to contact them to send it in for repairs? jonsroom78@aol.com thanks
That's a brilliant little rig! I did a little more to it, assuming in the process that the cab is an Intellijel 4U x 104...
Damn near perfect, I think! Sequencer control under the left hand, Tetrapad under the right, generation down the middle where both hands can get at it easily. Tile row populated w/ Intellijel, which now gives you a clock, S&H, mixer/attenuator, stereo I/O, etc. And a couple of linear VCAs got tossed in for good measure. Nice!
Actually, 'cheating' on 12-tone is sort of 'canon'. Webern was the odd one of the original serialists in that he never did any fudging on rows/matrices, while both Berg and eventually Schoenberg himself were known to do so.
There's also another way to do this than the gridded-out matrix method, too. On "Euphony IV" (https://daccrowell.bandcamp.com/album/euphony-iv), I experimented with what I call a 'quantum matrix'. With this piece, there are several voices playing through individual tetrachords, two playing through hexachords, and a few more that were capable of playing all notes in the prime row, with all of the behavior being controlled through a generative system that still weighted the pitch classes equally, that being the key underlying criteria for the method. By doing this, in essence the generative process is accessing ALL points in a given matrix at once, but 'collapsing' the observation when the process sounds a note. The results were actually VERY satisfying; parts of it remind me in some ways of a 'switched-on' variant of the denser parts of Schoenberg's orchestral writing in "Moses und Aron".
This is actually a very clever little system.
SO much in there - full, modular production & performance unit, like an OP1 on DMT ;-)
I just somehow can't reduce mine to this modules... because some perfectionist mind fuckup.
cheerz!
Cool piece, well done! I've dabbled with 12 tone composition from time to time and it can sometimes lead one to create something very cool they wouldn't have though of. I also recommend that if someone comes up with a 12 tone row that is almost perfect except for one or two notes and you can't make it work, go ahead and ignore the rules and fix it! ;-)
If anybody would like to try out the twelve-tone technique but feels that reading music theory is boring there's a simple shortcut.
The whole idea is that you create a row with all the twelve chromatic notes. One of each, so the row will be twelve notes long and has to be performed from start to finish before the next row can start. There are some mathematical variations you are allowed to do. Put your row into this tool and you get all the variations: https://www.musictheory.net/calculators/matrix (from left to right, from right to left, from the top to the bottom or from the bottom to the top).
Besides the aforementioned rules you are allowed to do whatever you want to the row. Instrumentation, rhythm, note length and octave is up to you.
Are the A+B and A-B outputs normalized to the C D inputs? It would be awesome.
www.aroom.cc
While you've got the space, you might consider the Poti expander (3 hp) for controlling the Batumi's jumper settings. It opens up some fairly useful 'hidden' functions.
Hi, so Ive gone for a batumi and the AWM-3 hopefully this will give me a flexible and lush sounding set up. Any ideas on what I might be missing?
I bought a great VCA / mixer from @LiquidYzer - very smooth transaction and he also helped me understand it / how to fix it when it didn't appear to be working properly. Very pleased, thanks!
Bastl ABC: 5 hp, 3-in, 1-out mixer x2 for mixing three stereo pairs down to one. Perfect stereo summer for after the Morphagene and Clouds to allow them to be used in parallel....woooo!!!
Befaco Dual Atenuverter: 5 hp, dual...well, attenuverter. Perfect for rescaling and/or inverting CV signals such as envelopes, etc.
Neither are sexy, but function-wise, they're able to make the existing modules even more interesting!
My work with VCV Rack 0.6.1 has been a bit better than with 0.5.x, but it's still got some issues. Running it on multicore is pointless as it only deals with a single processor at a time. Because of this, it would seem that some howling-fast i7 or i9 (if you've got the buck$) would be the best pick to either drop the latency or allow it to run very large (50+ module) patches. I did notice, also, that 0.6.1 has a control up in the file menu that puts time utilized indicators on each module. See https://vcvrack.com/manual/Toolbar.html for more on this.
Now I have reorganized a bit and will put the modules to connect the bass on hold. I realized there are a variety of ways to integrate outside sources that do not take up rack space...
I have 10HP left in this rack setup...What should it be used for? What kind of modules? any recommendations from anyone?
Thanks everyone!
Hi,
I was able to set up the module with NI Reaktor (and also with VCV Rack, CVToolkit, or even Softube Modular) all of them are working fine however with some limitations:
NI Reaktor: yes if i run it as a plug in i can have only 1 input and 1 output to (or through) the DAW (or at least in Ableton).
as Stand-alone i could receive 4 signal and send out 8 signals to Eurorack - so also any ADSR is working fine
My only concern is the latency. I might need a faster computer. Of course in some cases a relative low or middle latency is enough eg some effect etc.
However if you want the same signal coming into the software and going out to Modular again then this means every in and out on the same signal route will add latency - so at the end you might end up summing up a lot of latencies. Plus also in case of using software VCA (or LPG) with Hardware VCO if the attack time is fast then i can notice a strange sound at the beginning of each note i play...
I saw that it is possible for a Plugin to use multiple channels to Ableton. like Softube modular can route 4 auxilary outputs to Ableton. These outputs you will be able to select as an input for a seperate Ableton track. Would be nice to have the same for NI Reaktor. And would be even nicer to have an option for multiple INs and OUTs as well.
Or another solution could be if you could use direct access to the soundcard not only in stand alone mode but also as a plugin.
I like the possiblity in VCV Rack that you can add 2 (or more)Ö out modules and will be able to select different soundcards for each OUT.
So you dont need to make aggregate devices (in OSX) but can route Inputs ond OUTputs to different places at the same time: eg: to ES-8 for CV plus to DAW or another soundcard for recording audio or listening through headphones etc..
"MrWigglesworth" just send me a message with details and i can help to set up Reaktor ADSR with ES-8 (in standalone mode) if you want.
I used the Buchla Music Easel drum pack made by 101 Things I Do. I love that pack, if I disregard the file names and what they suggest that the sounds supposedly are mimicking.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxrQncJUJ4YDeWwzSWwxdmstV1k/view
Thanks for a friendly kick ind the music balls :-) YES, I'm a hopeless romantic who dreams of learning ALT about modular synthesizer, and my thought was that if I bought the best from the start, I had a goal to aim for :-) And yes, I'm going to get better into it all the stuff, and know it's expensive, but it's so sexy and I only turn on on modular without keys.
I think about your words and try not to spend all my children's savings. But I choose MINIMOD, because it looks nice with all the sexy buttons and fat noise coming out.
And again, thanks for taking the time to see it all in a helicopter perspective :-)
Hey all. Newbie here (to the site).
I'm getting a rack brute to go with my MiniBrute 2S and the Sub37 CV I just picked up.
MPC Touch and Macbook pro will ultimately be my master clock.
Thoughts on this setup to go with those guys?...
Thanks much!
Yeah, you did that right. I'll second cg_funk on the Pamela's (kinda overkill here) but I say keep the o+C...it's way too useful. Instead, cg's idea on the more conventional clock + divider makes sense; my suggestion, fitting in the same 8 hp, would be Evaton's CLX dual clock/logic plus Zlob's clock divider. That way, you get some weird logic possibilities sneaked in. Then yank the 2hp Snare and Arp (the o+C can handle that function, more or less) and add an ALM PipSlope as sort of a teensy VCS-ish device to loop CVable attack/decay for those times when the Maths is too overtaxed. As for the rest...looks great!
The latter...one is just a VCO, the other is a synth voice. Apples and oranges. However...
You might want to consider if a modular makes sense at all in your situation. As you noticed, a full build is a spendy thing, and given that you're just starting (by your own admission), I don't see the sense in piling up cash for a complex modular (or even a not-quite-so-complex modular) system when you're at a stage where you're still wrapping your head around synthesis techniques in general. My suggestion would be something prebuilt; if you like the sound of the Moog VCOs and so on, get a Grandmother when they start shipping. It's patchable, it has the ACTUAL Moog VCO circuit rather than a clone, and it can easily be integrated into a modular build later on. It's also $900, which includes the keyboard controller, case and power, etc etc...which, of course, are extra expenditures in modular.
Modulars are sexy things. Modulars are also very expensive, a huge swamp of pitfalls and traps for beginning synthesists that can easily be avoided by learning the basic architecture of a proper synth before ever considering modular. Yeah, yeah, Deadmaus has a few...BFD. Deadmaus also makes more money than the gross national product of some third-world countries and can afford to make critical errors in purchasing judgement as long as people keep buying his tracks. And owning one will not make you Deadmaus (thank god...given that I own a few myself).
So...my advice: stop. Study the 'classics' and see how and why they work. Get something that moves you toward this zone, but where you don't wind up spending thousands on something you could easily get lost in. Then, once you've sorted out where to go and how to get there, then look into modular synthesizers. Otherwise, your experience in this sort of thing...and potentially music in general...could turn out being not as cool as you'd expected.
Solid looking rack! About time I saw one on here that I made me immediately jealous.
I'd go with the Noise Engineering lunchbox mixer in the same size.
Regarding the tiny computer screen trend: I would personally swap out the Pam and the O+C for something else more immediately usable. Maybe a Turing Machine or Mimetic Digitalis, and a regular clock/divider, LFO, and quantizer. More knobs and switches on the panel and less fussing with interfaces.
I got a o+c module from @Delabelle, it arrived well packaged and in perfect condition. Thanks for the deal!
I have a very wide question, from a beginner:
I'm crazy about the sound of MINIMOD VCO, and would rather buy 3 x VCO, Glide, VCF, VCA etc .. but it's also a lot of money .... so my question is:
Should I wait until I can afford to buy MINIMOD setup, or could I "settle" with an Intellijel Atlantis? ... or can not these 2 setup not be compared?
It was awesome to deal with @Leyy. he sold me his Xaoc Belgrad and by some mistake DHL returned the package, so he posted it again with not asking for additional fees - thanks for that!
thanks @0netwo0netwo for the super fast shipping! Everything arrived in perfect condition :)
https://cdn.modulargrid.net/img/racks/modulargrid_689188.jpg
Probably never going to bite the bullet with Eurorack, but making up hypothetical ones sure is fun! What do you think? A lot of voices and a lot of utility, all for a cool 4.3k...
Well, I am...wish I was still in academia so I could drag this over to the composition dept at the U of I and put it on for the typical academic serialism wonks and say "YOU CLOWNS ARE DOING IT WRONG!!!" Nice job, sislte!
Not qualified to tell if its really 12-tone but I can say it sounds sweet to me.
@noeticsound
The issue is fixed.
You will see the right expire date on the receipt if you still support us next year :)
Beep, Bopp, Bleep: info@modulargrid.net
Small fixes
Beep, Bopp, Bleep: info@modulargrid.net
A friend challenged me to make use of my Mbira (thumb piano) that I got 10 years ago in San Francisco so that’s in there too.
Bought a R*S Resonant EQ from @AVJR
I have bought previously from him, and as usual, a very quick transaction, module was well packaged and in perfect condition.
A very nice guy.
If a compactflash card could talk, it would say "yes".
Hello, I think I now have the modules planned that I need to make a cool groovebox. Any ideas?
Just saw these. Uhm...yeah. Now, let me get this straight...
The 'low end' version is over US$500. When eBay shows the real thing hovering in the US$300-ish range. Sure, it's umpty-gazillion dollars over in the EU...but that was also where the concept of the $2000 TB-303 came from, and while I thought (and still think) that was insane, anyone paying more than about $350 for a minty-fresh NOS Minipops of any series needs to be fitted for a straight-jacket. Just because Aphex used one on "Syro" (somewhere) doesn't mean that possessing one makes you Aphex. And yes, this does take clock in/out...but Tubbutech has a MIDI mod that gives you MIDI control for EUR 140-ish of the actual thing.
But then, the 'high end' MP7 comes with a lot of silliness...mainly, the whole triggering scheme. In order to work with the triggering, you will need adapters to go to TRS 3.5mm plugs, because while the input triggering is between tip and sleeve, Nabla opted to put the trigger-out from the MP7's wired-pattern sequencer between the ring and sleeve. Why is this important? OK, follow me for a sec...
Let's say you're triggering the MP7's internal voices via the tip-sleeve connection. Which, of course, means that the entire patch-plane is the 'ground' and the actual trigger pulses are on the tip, and the outputs from the MP7's triggers (on the ring) are cold. What's wrong here? OK...if you are using (like everyone else in Eurorack) a TS 3.5mm patchcord, then there is a bit of a risk of sending backwards voltage into the MP7's sequencer, but that's only if things are a bit miswired coming from the external sequencer sending the pulses. No...the REAL, dead-on-certs danger is what can happen should you accidentally start the MP7's own sequencer and send ITS triggers back down your connection. Miswiring here now has the ability to reverse-voltage the external sequencer! And by 'miswiring', I mean something akin to pulling a patchcord while the MP7's sequencer is on, allowing the Ring terminal in the jack to momentarily contact the Tip of the cord's plug. Expensive external trigger sequencer module go BOOM if it doesn't have diode protection on its outputs!!! This is, in fact, the PRECISE reason why we don't use 3-conductor jacks/plugs in patchng architecture, Nabla!
While I can appreciate the effort from a startup company, guys, PLEASE try and understand why things work the way they do in the Eurorack standard! No one, for one thing, is going to be jazzed about the prewired patterns; they're going to want to do their own sequencing, otherwise they would've already gotten (such as I have) rhythm boxes for that sort of purpose. Secondly, if the sounds are the important thing, then why not just make a soundbank module such as so many other companies do? No sequencer, no reverse voltage hazard (other than the usual ones), just sounds. You could even stereo-bus this, add some pan-pots on bus side of the voice circuits, with the additional solo-out defeats. And THAT actually would be a welcome addition to the drum-module constellation. Not this...since it has "potential damage liability" wired into its design. C'mon...do this right, not like this.
Not sure why you'd think Plan #1 would be a 'waste' if you went further into modular. After all, the 0-Coast is patchable, works with the typical CV/gate standards so it can be integrated with a modular rig, and is pretty cheap + a good start-point for learning. I would strongly suggest you consider something along those lines, in fact, before plunging in over your head in the complexity and CO$T of modular synths. Otherwise, even if price isn't a problem, you run the risk of finding yourself in a position akin to taking Driver's Ed 101 behind the wheel of a Bentley Mulsanne. Not a good idea. Whereas an 0-Coast is more akin to doing the above with a used Lexus, by comparison. It does what you need, it's still really nice, and you can build on the experience gained from that if/when you want to step up to something super-expensive and ultra-powered.
Modular looks sexy. Yes. But many of us who're used to large-scale rigs started off on the equivalents of the 0-Coast, sometimes many years back, and got to this point...not started at it. It's very trendy right now...but for a lot of people who don't know the intricacies, it's trendy sort of like how pigs as pets got trendy after the movie "Babe" came out. Looks like a good idea, but the reality may include certain flaws that weren't on the big screen.
So, start with patchable prebuilds. While you learn to use them, study why the 'classic' synths (some which have been reissued, even) are exactly that: benchmarks by which synth gear is measured. Learn by doing FIRST...THEN take the full-on magic plastic-burning plunge!
A couple of others worth looking at along these same lines might be the Orthogonal ER-301 and the Mordax GXN (when it drops in a few months). Also, if going outboard for manipulation is possible, a Tasty Chips GR-1 might also fit the bill.
Bought a Ginko Grains from @owbotic
Befaco A*B+C from @solipsistnation
Peaks from @synthetictheory
And sold a Doepfer A-184-1 to @omer1789
All smooth and painless transactions, all modules as described.
And/or behaviour
I appreciate these descriptions! Because of the range of experimentation that the morphagene provides, and its ability to incorporate field recording samples into the mix, I'm leaning more in that direction. I never thought of the clouds as a kind of one-trick pony, but I agree that the one trick it does is a really cool one!
I am new to the morphagene and still have a lot to learn, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I have both clouds and morphagene, and love them both for very different reasons. So far, the way that I see it is for interesting live manipulation that doesn't require much work, clouds is superior. For intricate sample based sound design, morphagene wins by a landslide. The workflow that morphagene thrives in is recording audio, then manipulating it, whereas clouds wins as a live granular effect. That being said, I honestly find clouds kind of boring because there is not that much that it can do (however what it does it does very well and it sounds great), where morphagene is an endless pit of possibilities where every day you can discover something new and amazing. Just my two cents!
Hi Everyone,
I'm interested in cinematic, evolving soundscape work, and I'm debating between waiting for the new version of clouds or breaking down and getting a morphagene. I understand that these are two very different modules, but I'm primarily interested in live granular manipulation. The brain of my setup is a digitakt, but I don't see the sample functionality of the morphagene as redundant. (Is this correct? The DT's capabilities are huge, but it won't do what the morphagene does, at least not as easily).
I've got 22 free hp. The new clouds is rumored to be 14, so that's a big bonus.
Curious to know everyone's thoughts, especially folks who are interested in ambient, soundscape-type music.
Thanks!
