Modular groovebox plan - Update from a rack in a previous thread

Hi, I've posted previously in this subforum but once again I'm looking for opinions from experienced people. I currently have the bottom row of this rack set up and I've been having lots of fun feeding variable clock divisions into the EC and getting some funky broken beats out of it. Also feeding quantized random into the Squid channels that can handle pitch. Outside of the rack there are a Neutron and Keystep which I occasionally use. Pretty happy with the Mimeophon too.
What I'm looking for now is adding ratchet and swing on separate outputs from EC so the QCD +expander seems like a nice option, if it's an overkill I'd like to hear about other recommendations. MD looks fun and compact and I'm thinking of using it with the uO+C in part as a melodic sequencer (I'm not trying to dial in anything pre-planned, i enjoy unexpected results as i play) and in part as a CV modulation sequencer. The switches to switch between different sequences from MD, Keystep, PNW or whatever else generates a sequence of gates or pitch. Compare 2 because I've watched the tutorials and I liked the complex gate patterns it can spurt out. Finally there's Plaits as an additional voice and FX Aid XL to add some other effect besides the Mimeophon (I'd like to use shorter delay on some sounds and longer on others for example).
This is some plan in my head at least, I'd like to hear about any inconsistencies or redundancies and also what module to fit in the 8hp space left.

redundancy is often a good thing in modular - but in a small case like this with big modules...

I think the qcd and expander is way too big for this size case - especially as pam's can do 80%, if not more of what they can do - same with the euclidean circles - Pams does euclidean too

and to some extent the same goes for compare2 - in this size case I would concentrate all my trigger/gate generation from Pam's, which has built in logic functions - not as exhaustive as compare2 - but for me that would be a next case module

I would focus more on modulation:
maybe something like maths - it's a fantastic learning tool - especially when combined with the maths illustrated supplement - available online

and utilities:
you can never have enough vcas - use them for everything - modulating modulation, note shaping and volume are only 3 basic uses - want a sidechain compressor - patch it up with a vca, want an auto-panner or a crossfader - vcas...

switches - are they going to do exactly what you want??? exactly as you want it - I have a feeling they won't - some AB switches probably would though - the switched multiple is a great module - especially when you abuse it as a gate/trigger combiner - not advised by many - see Steevio and MylarMelodies though as they both use this technique - as according to Mylar - Steevio once said to him - "I've been doing it for years and not broken anything yet!"

sub mixers - it's really useful to have a few modules scattered around that can create submixes - especially if one is featured like shades - where you also get attenuversion and a precision adder thrown in

if y0u can find kinks buy it - it is a great small and inexpensive utility module that has been discontinued recently

power - I hope you have the turbo boost wall wart and not the regular one - the modules in your rack draw too much power for the regular psu and you are at very nearly 1A on the +ve rail

you should leave at least 20-30% headroom to accommodate for inrush draw on top of what modulargrid says and I add 10mA per hp to each rail for every hp that is not filled to allow for expansion

I had to get the Euclidian Circles so i can have a more "hands on" approach on the rhythms. I spent a month or two just with Pams and it provided me with rich and swung rhythms (also used the Rotate Row feature in combination with logic for each channel to get all sorts of crazy breaks), but i felt a lack of involvement after pressing Start. I really needed something to make me interact more and faster as the patch played.

The switches - That's where this came in too. I was hoping of live pattern switching, both sequentially by CV and manually. To develop more variations let's say.
QCD + Expander - instead of this maybe just a smaller ratchetting module + a gate delay for swing? Although, i'm planning on expanding to a bigger rack in the future so i thought i should probably get something that i can still incorporate as my system grows?

I haven't thought of how I could use Maths for rhythmic music, so I'll need to research that.

Shades should be a nice addition, will probably get it.

As for the power of course, the 3000mA boost, it's kind of quirky because the cable is too short but oh well.

hands on is good justification for anything and I understand about pam's being kind of the opposite

you may be better off with a module full of a/b (or a/off/b) switches - I have a few with 6 (diy from pusherman but they do do built for these too) - for what you describe above

if you want to play with ratcheting send a multiplied trigger from pams to a vca and open and close it with a heavily divided gate from pams with a shortish high state - so it doesn't happen that often - obviously you can mess with this more inside pams - combine using the vca as a trigger combiner (it's dc-coupled and cascading, isn't it?) - you could also use the switched multiple for this... - for me that would probably be enough - apart from ducking hats for example: send the inverse of the gate signal to a vca using it to turn on/off the hats - either the triggers or the audio depending on what you want to send it (and maybe how many channels you use for your hats!)

google - "maths illustrated supplement" - 32 self-patching ideas - from bouncing ball to drone and back

extension cables are available

Thank you for all the tips! I could use a combination of a faster clock from Pams and a slower from EC in a switch and do the ratcheting that way. It also seems Maths can do clock divisions as well as the other hundreds of neat things. Replacing the 4ms modules from this rack with Maths then.
Speaking of switches, this seems like a nice a/b/c/d switch https://www.modulargrid.net/e/joranalogue-audio-design-switch-4
seems very playable

EDITED Jun 9th 2021, 18:15