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the only thing I can see is that it boasts that it is low power consumption and can be powered by an ipad (via the camera connection kit)

maybe take a look at the manuals for the connection kit as that may have an upper limit for you

things you don't need:

output module - mono straight from the vca is fine for starters

buffered mult - you do not have enough v/oct destinations to warrant this at this point - if you want a mult get a passive or some heeadphone splitters or stackcables

adsr - pams will give you an envelope generator (or 8) and rings doesn't need one

things I would swap:

nRings - for Rings - get the full size one it won't be that much more and it will be much more fun to play with

pico dsp for fx aid xl - yeah it's more expensive and takes up more space - but it has more algorithms (32 swappable), more modulatable and is stereo in and out (unlike the pico dsp) so if in the future you get to a point where you want to effect a stereo signal then you can

Maths - brilliant buy it - download the illustrated manual and work your way through it a few times

I'd also be tempted to go for a simpler (and cheaper) sequencer to start with maybe the pico seq (the one that has 16 steps and memory slots and quantization) - possibly or a beatstep pro - multiple sequencers can be really handy - so a simple sequencer to get you going and then dive into something more complex such as a rene in the future

the next modules I would buy would be kinks and shades

start with a single voice and all the support modules that are needed for that - but instead of buying a single vca, buy a quad etc etc etc get to know them inside out and then add as needed as slowly as possible

it depends on the manufacturer or a third party adding it - nothing to do with modulargrid itself

only noobs think of redundancy in modular - at least from just looking at a rack

a module is redundant if and only if you never use it - and the only person who can work that out is the actual user of the rack - this is because how you patch may be different from how I patch etc etc

duplication of both functionality and specific modules is useful once you get past a couple of voices

re mixer (and vcas) always get more channels than you think you want right now - you will almost definitely need more in the future!

just looked at the revised rack - too many 'feature' modules not enough support modules (common noob mistake)

for a 6u rack maybe 2 or 3 voices at most - as you have other external voices - I would reduce this further (only 1 or 2) the interesting stuff most of the time is not the sound sources themselves, but but what you do with them

go and read a load of other noob needs help with 1st rack posts - you will see the same thing time and time again...

EDITED Jan 22nd 2021, 13:14

yeah agree with everything Lugia said

the 6u/104 case was really just for a starter system to get the feet wet!

[quote]
I’m wondering if this is a decent starting set up?
[/quote]
No

too many shiny big feature modules (chord, uO_C, disting ex, plonk, monsoon, merge) and not enough support modules

for these modules to really shine double the size of the case and fill the rest mostly with utilities - if you think of the modules as silverware that needs polishing - utilities are the polish

there are no vcas - you almost definitely want these - a quad cascading one, such as veils, is a good start - modulation and modifying modulation in different ways - matrix mixer (to combine different waveforms, vcas (to reduce/increase the amount of modulation)

how are you intending to sequence? are you intending to use a pitch follower? disting?

are you intending to use external effects only? no cv controlled reverb, delay, etc etc again disting?

I'd be really surprised if you need either 6 sample and holds or 8 lfos in this size case - or even a 6u

it's difficult to turn knobs whilst playing the guitar - an expression pedal interface (or 2) would be a good idea

I would not recommend any clouds clones at the moment - clouds 2 is around the corner - also almost all versions of clouds (including the original) need external modules to use them to their best - specifically attenuators/attenuverters for cv inputs

as an engineer I would suggest maths as a great starter modulation source - more control than ochd - and it's a great learning tool for modular in general - see the maths illustrated manual for 32 patching examples

I would also strongly suggest bigger case (6u/104hp minimum - unless you want case buying/building to be a hobby), fewer modules (don't worry gaps are fine - they will fill soon enough), more research - much, much more research... try reading a few dozen - "I'm a guitarist wanting to get into modular" threads - there are countless - here, muffwiggler, reddit... and think about what the general advice is! then start again

yes you can - it says so in the description

"Quad Voltage Controlled Amplifier and Cascaded Mixer"

the important part is "Cascaded" or "cascading" - if a multiple vca says one of those 2 then it is also usable as a voltage controlled mixer

yeah it's already been noted that links aren't working properly - blank or this by the look of it!

It's actually an open piece of furniture, with four equal rooms. I probably used the wrong term for cupboard. Just google IKEA kallax.
It will add a piece of retro / high tech / geek touch to any living room. I didn't find any bus board and power supply combo for this size, so I'll be startibg
With flying cables.
-- glennbech

I think the befaco lunchbox power supplies will fit

I think shelving unit would be the best description

you are going to end up with a approximate 1.5" gap in each section at either the top or bottom

to be honest getting some wood from the local diy store (if open!) is cheaper and easier to get the right size for rails etc screwing together etc is pretty easy - rather than getting rails the right size or cutting them yourself - remember you'll also need brackets for the rails so you can screw them to the insides of the shelving unit

...for trying to find a bridge between the current Intellijel vs Pulplogic tile mess! EVERYONE making tile modules needs to have a look at what they're doing here!

and so simple it's clever

And I'll also point out: if XODES can come up with a full series of drum tiles, this could go some distance to fixing the "drums don't work with modular" issue. You could easily devote a tile row to this, along with the requisite mixers, etc, and this keeps these types of modules OUT of the 3U rows, meaning that you'd have the space for the intensive sequencing needed AND space for the rest of the build as well.
-- Lugia

but the drums do work, they just cost you more... much, much more!

and even then not necessarily - I use a fss portland, which I built for under €300 - or a set of prok drums and a cheap mixer isn't much more - of course you need a soldering iron...

Just to add I got a different image when I linked one - looks to be an earlier iteration of some sort

here's the link for anyone interested

it maybe a good idea to differentiate between what you have and what you think you want - maybe that's what's happening - one image is displayed in this post and the link displays another - I guess you have tempi, rene, quadrax, veils and plaits? and want the others - if so why replace veils with intellijel? unless it's based on availability

i would probably add some logic, mixing for modulation (matrix mixer, another cascading vca - or possibly a matrix vca!), an envelope generator (zadar perhaps), a wavefolder, possibly some effect pedal interface modules - depending on the pedals - I have some that can cope with modular levels

i wouldn't rule out effects in the rack completely - there's nothing to stop you, for example, adding a load of reverb to a sound before hitting a vca and/or filter, then sending that to your end of chain reverb too - same with delays - also the modulation possibilities - unless of course your outboard effects can be controlled with cv, idk - same with clouds - you can use it as a vco - record something into the buffer and freeze it - granular oscillator - just because a lot of people use it as an end of chain stereo reverb, doesn't mean that's all it can be used for - not that I am particularly recommending it - just pointing out that it can be used for more than you may think it can - saying that I would probably add an fx aid xl

EDITED Jan 20th 2021, 22:38

I would do some more research first - specifically reading a load of other newbie with semi wanting to get into modular posts - here and muffwiggler are both good starting points

as farkas pointed out there is no point racking the semi-s

if you already have the semis - then it maybe an idea to concentrate this rack on modulation/utilities/effects/mixing

the first modules I would get would be links, kinks, shades, a quad cascading vca, a filter (non-moog inspired), maths and something that can do delay and/or reverb (FX Aid XL perhaps)

and nothing else - play with that until you know it back to front and expand slowly and organically from there based upon your own experience

at the very minimum download the maths illustrated manual and work your way through the patches in it a good few times with the modules you do have - probably one of the best learning techniques for modular there is!

use the output of the vca as a final output stage for now - most will drive headphones or speakers - output modules are a weird topic - those who have them swear by them and those that don't generally say - they are superfluous, unless you absolutely need balanced outs (which you probably don't)

EDITED Jan 19th 2021, 16:48

general advice is leave at least 20% (preferably more) headroom - this is too allow for both inaccurate reporting of power draw/capacity and on-rush requirements of some modules that can be significantly higher than the quoted figures

you should aim for at least 2250mA on the +12v rail for these modules and I'd want to use real bus boards not flying ones

these power supplies are 'designed' to power 1 row of 84hp mostly analogue modules - not 140hp with a lot of heavy draw digital modules

or look to slim down a bit - take the moog out (or power it off its own supply in the rack - if you can do that?) and do you really need voltage block and varigate8+ and the bin seq (and the sequencer in the moog) in this size rack? maybe replace 2 of them with another veils (maybe get the new one!) and get rid of the output module (use veils as final stage for speakers/mixers and add an alm hpo if you need headphones - small, inexpensive and very low power)

maybe you could post another question about the other modules - it does not look to be a particularly balanced rack to me

as everyone else has said - larger case

these 'beauty cases' are great for specific purposes once you know what you are doing, but as a beginner you don't have a clue, to be honest they hint at a lack of research - particularly not reading a lot of the thousands of newbie posts (here, reddit and muffwiggler for example) - because almost every single one says GET A BIGGER CASE if the OP is asking about 'beauty cases'

with regards to the case - both the mantis and the lc9 are great value for money - one thing to watch out for is that if you think you might want to get high power consumption modules (metasonic, for example, or video) in the future is that the mantis has a lot more +12v available than the lc9 - -12v are the same iirc - for most people this may not be an issue, and you can always add an extra psu if you need

the only sensible advice to take in modular, is to buy a bigger case than you think you need, buy fewer modules than you want and grow slowly = there is no need whatsoever to fill the case immediately

just get the absolute minimum (sound source, sound modifier, modulation source, way to play, way to listen)
if you have money left over then the following modules (or similar) are very useful additions - links, kinks, disting, shades, a quad cascading vca (veils perhaps) - the last one may be (should be) your way to listen from above

from a learning perspective Maths is my modulation source of choice to recommend to beginners - it's complex, but only because it has a few different sections - but the illustrated manual is an excellent modular tutorial in itself - work your way through the patches in it a few times and you will know a lot more about modular synthesis than you did before

play with that for a month or 2 and try to work out what you are missing - disting is a great help here - and then buy another module (or 2 at most) and repeat and repeat and repeat etc etc

true and also guilty... hahaha

but let's face it, it is generally good advice

start with 1 less module and a bigger case

get a bigger case - you will need it in the long term and buying a mantis now will be a better investment and remove the rack wart

do you really need an output module? probably not - replace with a quad cascading vca - veils for example - most will work as simple output modules - and this will allow you to modulate, for example, one channel of ochd with another - if you need headphone output then consider just a simple headphone out like alm hpo

spend the extra few $/€/£ on the fx aid xl - more modulation options!

personally I would swap the ochd out for a pamelas new workout

i'd also strongly consider links and kinks as they will add a lot of functionality for little cash in a small amount of space

my next module would be maths - work through the illustrated manual a few times - it's a great modular patching primer

When planning rack layouts, sometimes it can be a challenge to verify if your choice of modules in a rack is heading in the right direction. There are a few rules of thumb out there around counting mod sources/VCAs/Oscillators/etc - and these are helpful - but one thing I constantly wish for here is something like a simple function count/missing function list for a given rack.

This could easily be provisioned by counting the functions for each module, and also offering a list of anything missing.

For example:
I build a rack with Tides, Plonk, Maths, Quadratt & Veils.
Somewhere there is a screen (maybe on the Data Sheet screen?)
- It shows me what functions I have and how many, eg. Oscillator x2, Envelope Generator x2, CV Modulation x2, LFO x1, etc.
- It also show me what functions I'm missing, eg. Effect, Equalizer, Filter, Sample & Hold, Waveshaper, etc

It would help a lot to make a quick assessment if my rack is heading in the right direction, and if I'm missing something critical.

Thanks for considering.

-- stok3d

I think you'd be better off just asking actual people (possibly on this forum) regarding the specific rack and genre(s) of music - absolutely none of these modules are critical in any way - so all you would likely get is the list of functions minus the ones you have and with a little note saying "we see you have added a (insert list of functions iinn rack) to your rack perhaps you would like to try one of these (insert list of functions not in rack)"

EDITED Dec 31st 2020, 03:25

not enough utilities...

a lot of modulation sources but not many ways to combine and modify them

these small cases are never a good start (in mine and many other peoples opinions) - whilst they may be able to make music with they will be very very limited in terms of patching

they always look like the total research done was watching a single ricky tinez (or similar) demo video (whihch whilst being vagualy entertaining are not a good introduction to modular synthesis) and not reading any beginner threads (or at least not taking advice from the answers to the beginner threads)

the cases are expensive for what you get, you may or may not actually need a lot of the built in functions, you are commited to 1u tiles that have limited functionality, there is not enough space to actually work out what you need as opposed to what you want

there are no vcas in this build - these are an important part of synthesis - see youtube video "why you can never have too many vcas" ) they are just as important for modulation as they are for audio

I can't really see the need for the steppy

as a minimum (and if you know you will need the built in functions) go for the larger 104hp case - better yet get a mantis and get modules you actually want/need to do the things you need (mantis is quite portable unless you are a small child)

get the minimum you need to start and grow organically from there: a sound source, a modulation source, a sound modifier, a way to play and a way to listen

sound source - the ia if you particularly like that
modulation source - Pams - this will give you more modulation and envelopes plus clock and related functions in a single module
sound modifier - the happy nerding fx aid xl would be a better choice than the
way to play - the mimetic digetalis - or midi - do you really need both???? probably not, at least to start with
way to listen - get a quad vca (veils) or a triple (happy nerding) - these will also work as mixers

if you insist on getting a palette - get noise tools over the steppy, if not get a kinks

patch that for as long as you can without buying anything else - and only buy things as you need them

remember you don't need to buy everything at once

would LOVE a way to subtract my power supply specs from the "power consumption" section at the bottom of my racks.... could be a good unicorn account feature.... that way i don't have to bust out a calculator to see how much headroom i got
-- SlagRalden

even better if there was a way to add power supplies and assign modules to power supplies (for those of us with multiple power supplies in a case)

maybe just added in the list view - so you can see power usage by psu

date created would also be useful

EDITED Dec 24th 2020, 10:50

i'm not going to answer the non-question above, but I will agree with Lugia about the 2hp (and 3hp) modules

I'd also look at Maths - especially the illustrated manual

a matrix mixer would also add an interesting way of mixing together modulation sources

a sequential switch

probably wouldn't add much in the way of extra voices

maybe something to drive the chord2 with - harmonaig possibly or a sinfonion (I have a sinfonion and use it a lot as a quantizer for marbles and to send chord pitch cv to a generalCV - you'll probably want an extra simple sequencer with this at some point - I use a pico seq - for changing song parts)

plaits before maths I guess is because this will add a second voice that can be integrated with the mom easily and will add a lot of versatility in that regard in one go

maths second though - it's a great module for learning modular synthesis - possibly the best, due to the illustrated manual that is available online - working your way through that a few times is an excellent learning exercise

another thing to consider might be - put the money the module swap would cost you in a jar and every time you buy a module put it's rack rent (modules hp * cost of 1hp of rack) in that jar too

when your rack becomes full, you will probably have enough in the jar to buy the next rack

this is the way to go if you like ergonomics instead of trying to cram as much as possible in as small a space as possible

Just start with the minimum you think you can work with

a sound source
a sound modifier
a modulation source
a way to play (midi interface)
a way to listen

and then play with it for a month or so - your patching will lead you to know what you need - rather than want what you think

Maths is really good as the modulation source - see the illustrated manual - working your way through that a few times is a great learning exercise

shh!

I'd want more mixing capabilities - mostly for submixes, but also for modulation (matrix mixer) - also possibly some way of placing things in stereo (panning mixer) - possibly sacrifice one of the modulation sources - quad cascading vcas are also really useful - veils for example

possibly replace the dual fx with a couple of fx aids

how are you intending to sequence?

it may be an idea to look at a trigger sequencer - metron appears to be good - also eloquencer and erica synths do one - some of these will also sequence v/oct and/or modulation - which is useful

what to buy first - a way to sequence - kick, snare, hats - mixer (or quad cascading vca) - an effect - a modulation source

a quad vca, such as veils, in first batch of modules is a great idea

output modules are not always needed - it really depends on what you are plugging into

unless you absolutely need balanced, then you may need nothing other than adapter cables and/or attenuators, which are useful anyway

veils will work fine as a mono unbalanced output for example

what is the use case for the 2hp tune? I'm not conviced of it's usefulness - Pams does quantized doesn't it?
and re Veils grab the new one for an extra 2hp

I'd look at the mi branches code - should have almost everything you need there

first I would get a bigger case (6u/104hp is a good sized starter case) so you can actually build a modular synth in it rather than a collection of a few modules that won't play nicely together

you need to add modulation, envelope generators, utility modules

either a bigger case or cut back to 1 or 2 voices at most - otherwise not enough space for the support modules you need

-- JimHowell1970

Thanks for the great feedback! I’m such a n00b and could use some more examples of what you mean by utility modules. I have 8 LFOs, and 6 VCAs — what other basic utilities do I need other than an envelope generator? Pardon my ignorance

-- trazo5

you could do with some more mixing capabilities for starters - I see you have a sequential switch and some logic (too much logic not enough mixing) - first off all throw both the logic modules out and get a kinks - you get a rectifier and a sample and hold thrown in - but only 1 logic channel - which is probably more than enough in this size case

I usually recommend links, kinks and shades as a utility starter set, after that a sequential switch and a matrix mixer

to me the turing machine and expansion modules take up way too much space in this size case - but then so do the instruo modules - I'd choose one or the other but not both - or a much bigger case

marbles would be my choice for replacing the turing machine and the quantizer - almost all the functionality (plus some more) in just over 1/3rd the space

a lot of the interesting stuff in modular comes from sequencing the sequencer, or modulating the modulation - which is where utilities usually come in

Utility modules are the inexpensive, dull polish that makes the expensive, shiny modules actually shine!!!

I'm also not convinced by ochd as a primary lfo - not a great deal of control and only a saw iirc - great as a secondary lfo though

I'd second the recommendation of Maths - check out the illustrated manual online - it's a great learning tool - if you want to actually learn about modular - which some do and some don't

EDITED Nov 18th 2020, 18:42

whatever modulation source/envelope generator you get - buy kinks and a matrix mixer - these will massively increase the effectiveness of your modulation

the big advantage that Maths has over other DUSG style modules is that someone took the trouble to create the Maths Illustrated Manual (google) - it has 32 patch suggestions in it - working your way through it with is a good grounding in modular sytnhesis

I think it's funny that people complain about Maths being indecipherable and then go and buy fallistri or rampage, both of which to me look 10 times more complicated and way less ergonomic than maths

veils will work fine for amplifying your external drum machine to modular levels!

first I would get a bigger case (6u/104hp is a good sized starter case) so you can actually build a modular synth in it rather than a collection of a few modules that won't play nicely together

you need to add modulation, envelope generators, utility modules

either a bigger case or cut back to 1 or 2 voices at most - otherwise not enough space for the support modules you need

drop voltage block - I'd also drop the mimetic digitalis and probably the pittsburgh mixer (this i would want to replace eventually (but a cascading vca will do to start)
go back to full size marbles
add an fx aid xl
consider replacing the quad vca with veils - saves 2hp
leave the remaining space empty

i think you should go slowly - and stop overthinking planning - it will probably change anyway as you start to patch

get one of the sequencers, plaits or LIP, maths, one of the vcas, one of the filters and maybe the disting and kinks

work your way through the maths illustrated manual a few times and try out a few functions of the disting - if there is one particular function you like consider buying a module to replace it

I'd look at how many 'sequencers' you have too...

mimetic digitalis, varigate 4, marbles and pams new workout would give you a lot of potential v/oct and gate sequencing - obviously some of it will be controlled random, but even so - I'd loose either mimetic digitalis or varigate 4

I would plan less (other than the mantis) buy a minimum viable synthesizer

a sound source, a sound modifier, a modulation source, a way to play and a way to listen (quad cascading vca is good for this - but will be mono only)

and then start patching it - exhaust everything you can do and you will work out what you need - then add one (or maybe 2) module at a time repeating patch until all possible patches are exhausted and repeat

NB whilst I can see why people don't like plaits so much, it's fine as part of a mix - not everything has to be phat as phuck!! - in fact it's easier to mix when this is not the case - as the thinner sound takes up less space

and this is where you really shoot yourself in the foot

he did accept the return, but just not for 230€, WHY?

because you didn't pay 230€ for the Maths!!!!

you paid 400€ (and he received 397€) for a Maths and an Optomix and postage and packing and paypal fees

take off the postage and packaging, 12€ - he gets 385€, take off the Optomix at 180€, he gets 205€ for the Maths - seems reasonable - I would offer you the same deal - you only paid 205€ for the Maths, not 230€

go try this at a shop: buy a two for one offer on something and then try to get a refund on one of the items - I'm sure they will gladly take it back off you - but I would be really surprised if they give you any money

same with shops where they offer 2nd item 1/2 price - the price is the most expensive plus half the price of the cheapest - not the cheapest plus half the price of the more expensive item - but if you then take the more expensive item back they will want you to pay full price for the cheaper item

It really does not look like pibou is at fault here at all

Hi GarfieldModular

Everything is working - haven't checked all the cv inputs yet - just clock and outputs - but I expect all of those to work too

as a simple performance style sequencer it is great - I'm not going into details - you can read the manual (which includes the build docs - which could do with a little bit of an update, for clarity)

points to note - the repeat does not trigger extra gates - gate is only triggered when entering the step - so it's more of a hold function - but this is easy to patch round - mult the clock to an EG for example

is it a metropolis? no - it's much much simpler - no quantization (but sinfonion works well), no memory - but do you really need that, in a performance sequencer? and it must be remembered that a metropolis is over 600€ (new) and as a full kit this cost 120€ and took about 2 hours to build

Hi JimHowell1970,

I am curious about your experiences with the Tesseract Modular Fader Step once you received it.

Ha, ha, yes, I have the same feeling/experience with Metropolis, I tested it at my local dealer, liked it but indeed so far haven't bought it. It's the steep price I guess and not sure for that price if one gets enough (i.e. doubting the price/performance).

Please keep us updated once you receive the Fader Step. Kind regards, Garfield.
-- GarfieldModular

Fader Step has arrived - I got the smd pre-soldered full kit - there is a lot of panel furniture - so build still took a while (maybe 2 hours*) - still need to program the atmega chip** - couldn't get my macbook pro to recognize the port to send the hex file to - but didn't spend long on it - I will try again tonight - maybe that the cable is non-data

• I also built 2 tex mix 4*mono channels and a tex mix master (all smd pre-soldered) total build time about 4 hours

** turns out the atmega chip comes pre-programmed - although not really mentioned in the build docs!!! everything else was very simple and documentation is pretty good apart from that - I will get back to trying to program mcus next week though (Blue Lantern Basics via a FTDI Friend)

EDITED Oct 29th 2020, 16:13

I have used the 2020 Veils now for a couple of weeks and simply love it. Having the illuminated sliders gives a very quick overview of how the different channels are set up. The feel of the sliders was surprisingly satisfactory.

I don't understand why someone just rated it with one star - an explanation would be nice.
-- airic

unrealized expectations probably - saw someone complaining about the lack of cascading cv... rtfm before buying!

EDITED Oct 29th 2020, 10:03

DIY dos not necessarily reduce costs

you need to look very carefully at your mixing solution - it won't work - the frap tools mixing solution needs a minimum of 3 modules - for a single channel mixer - the module you have included in the rack is just the master - no channel inputs!!

I'd rip everything out and start again - put back in a single voice (a minimum viable synth) and work out how you would play, modulate effect and listen to that voice - think about how you will patch it - consider utility modules

then add another voice and do the same exercise - utility modules become more important

how do the voices interact? how will you cross modulate? how will you combine modulation sources to make more interesting modulation?

and then add another voice - repeating the same exercises... utility modules become even more important

you will probably need to replace a few modules along the way

you case should now be full - or nearly full - aim for 3 or 4 voices (max) in a 6u case is enough

there's an audio impulse file (kick) provided by Make Noise - download this - paste it into your project as appropriate and play it out of your audio interface into the sequencer

probably don't need the quantizer - all the 3 methods you have of generating pitch are already quantized

do you need 3 ways of playing?

the midi module - lots of people on here saying it's a pain to get working - look for something else with better user reviews - Mutant Brain perhaps if you can find one

swap the xoh for the alm version - 2hp!!!

do you really need an auto tuner - it will only work for 2 modules - probably better to get an actual tuner (pedal or app) and learn to use that!

get stackcables or headphone splitters instead of the mult

the amplifier seems redundant - veils has plenty of gain (over 20db)

the delay is massive in this size case - maybe look at a fx aid xl? more options, much smaller!!

with the extra space freed up I would look at getting rid of the pico modules - and replacing with at least a decent sized filter

by the look of it one of those row power 25s is powerful enough to power all 120hp

couldn't agree more - I have 4 cases of which 2 are DIY (both 9u/104hp) - rails, threaded inserts, screws and wood - about 110€ each - power is where the cost is - the Doepfer PSUs are good - but often stretch at 9u/84hp due to modern digital modules - I'd pay attention to power draw if I were you!!

hahaha - where I come from they call heroin "smack" - so it still rhymes!!!

I've got a sinfonion too - absolutely love it - currently feeding it with a combination of sequencers - Marbles, BSP and a Pico SEQ (for changing song part - clocked from gate1)

I have just ordered a Tesseract Modular Fader Step - similar to Metropolis/RYK in lots of ways - but comes as DIY kit with smd pre-soldered for €120 - it has repeats like Metropolis from what I have heard - if I don't like it as a melodic sequencer (I can always use it for sequenced modulation) - no quantization afaik - but it's going into sinfonion anyway

I will report back once I have it and it is built (also on the tex mix, which I ordered at the same time)

I've only played with a Metropolis once for a few minutes in a shop, liked it, but always a lower priority than other things

just to add to what Lugia said - you could probably get away with a single rack wart (power module) to power both rows - although much easier with a single case

sometimes when trying to do things cheaply you need to spend more upfront to actually make the savings in the long run - it's like buying from a warehouse store (like costco) as opposed to a deli - work out cost per hp for the DIY powered case - and then work out how much a Mantis costs (I checked Mantis at sweetwater the other day at $335/204hp = $1.60/hp ish) and it's a respected case with good power etc etc and it's still portable, unless you are a small child

the easiest way to make a small eurorack system is, like how to make a small fortune, start with a big one!!!