I was thinking of getting a Grandmother and wanted to theorycraft a boy-toy for her: effects, utilities, another voice to harmonize with. This build is at least a year off, so feel free to make suggestions/recommendations or tell me i'm way off the mark.
start with a bigger case - get a tiptop mantis!!!
make sure you leave most of it free though - no plan survives contact with the enemy
not a lot I would call 'utilities' there - see my signature for advice on that
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities
Deckerd's? Mmm...OK, having a CS-80 laying around the house gives me a bit of an insight there. Basically, you've got the basic voicing of a single CS-80 card there...but that's not the only aspect to that sound. Adding the Rachael "expander" would do a lot to remedy this, but then you're talking about 46 hp in cab space and a tab of $1048 for a monosynth that still won't approach the "playability" of the OG. TBH, given the prices I'm seeing on vintage Yamaha's CS-01 as of late, you could get TWO of the little Yammys for that and still have beer money left over. Things are changing, to be sure...
It would honestly be a better choice to get a patchable synth and then use that with the modular, then use the space gained from removing the Deckerd's for more modules. In fact, one combo I'm liking is a pairing with my other modular/patchable devices with one of Uli's 2600 "Xmas tree" clones. It's...well, it's an ARP 2600, a synth I've used off and on for some 40+ years now, made more compact (without becoming difficult to play!) and including the 3620 circuits, which Korg left off of their 2600M. Ergo, I look at Korg's available-to-everyone version as literal "crippleware", and the snarky SOB in Penang gets the win for creating the real Version 5. Plus, unlike the Deckard's, it's 100% complete...you can even cram it into an 8U road case (plus, you can even find 3rd party cases out there that emulate the original's form factor). And the fact that you can "break out" the modules via the patchpoints for full-on modular integration is the cherry on the cake.
And Jim's 100% on about that larger case. It's possible to do a build in 104 hp, sure...but 2 x 104 hp means more room for utilities and other "helpers" that make the spendy ones do what they oughta.
since the CV bus case is now showing up again, figured i'd through a few more brain cells at it.
I have the grandmother, a make noise strega, and strymon nightsky. I've enjoyed that trio so much, but I'm thinking of adding 104hp extenders that attach to the grandmother and this version is what i'm thinking.
Shout out to those that preached waiting and thinking more. I moved slowly and really enjoyed what i have, rather than moved fast and wasted time/money.
