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a major inspiration was "datach'i - system". he made a whole album on 1 case. i wanted to try to make 9 albums on 4 cases. its a high concept design. i get it if its not your cup of tea, but id appreciate if we could focus on making it better or more functional, not: 'smaller and more ordinary'. nothing against you personally, zachsname, but like, you wouldnt tell slipknot: 'just get rid of one of your dudes. too maximal.'. im open to little tweaks or redesigns, but i will not compromise on the high concept. like i said, i designed this for fun.

peace. peace. peace. ☮

like i said, this is a test dream rig im thinking of like a full studio. please, any future comments judge it as this.

peace. (peace.)

also, also, lastly, zachsname,

i have the opposite problem.

i bought myself a po-33 last holiday,

and i have 'blank daw syndrome'

because there are not enough

"options".

i need all that stuff to 'unstuck' me.

peace out.

☮

also, zachsname, id really appreciate it if you would listen to 'snarky puppy - outlier' and 'moondog - moondog' if you havent heard them already and possibly reconsider the aesthetic of my maximal modular approach, etc.

peace. ☮

i just want to know, zachsname:

is it really way too much,

or just enough for a 'singular_sound'?

peace.

out.

... ... ... ...

also, zachsname, you mentioned 'complex modulation', thats why i put the two maths there. im not sure exactly what they do, but i have a hunch they could do some pretty interesting things to two lfo signals.

peace. out.

hey zachsname, i designed a 3u 84hp case like you asked me to, how about you design 4 tandem 12u 100ph cases, and then we can compare notes. should be really fun, i think, lol.

peace. out. "peace".

im sorry if i let this feel a little personal, zachsname, but what i really want to know is: would you enjoy patching and playing this rig, given that its intended to be maximal, or do you think its a bad design entirely and needs re-thinking, even if its intended for each performance to only use a subset? like, do you think there really is a cool 9 albums in there, or have i really left too many options off the table? like, think of it as a whole studio; is it workable, etc? just want to hear you critique it on its on terms, not on how the average case should be set up. like, the way the modules are set up, is it aesthetic? what specific might you do different? thats what i want to know. peace. out.

also, re: "building up one unit at a time", im pretty sure "junkie xl" just plopped down $100k all at once, and it worked out just fine for him. ... ... ... "p.e.a.c.e".

i re read your comment about layering vs modulating, zachsname, but what im really going for is multitude of melodic voices, many options for sequencing and arpeggiating, possibly with multiple melodic voices out of synch, an enormous bass line, lots of performance options, a canvas of vocal samples i can layer, and a record straight to disk workflow. do you think there are any modules that are not there that should be, or is it just too big. i basically want to never run out of a patch idea is the big concept. sorry if you dont like this. p e a c e . . . . . . . . . .

a lot of cases seem to be 'only about 1 patch only' systems, to me. do you not like that i am trying to make a '1,000+ patch system', or do you really think i could get everything i want for less, seeing what is already there? tell me, zachsname, whats exactly the matter with trying to give myself a full daw in eurorack? is it that it would cost too much, or am i really making that fundamental of an error. do tell me. peace...

im sorry if you think my system is to maximal, 'zachsname'. i like it, and, i think it really does make good use of modular sound modulation potential. i havent heard you take any issue with any module or how they might work together, only that i could do more with less, but, i am literally trying to d more with more. im sorry you dont like it. its just a concept. 'peace'.

i just want to know, zachsname, do you not like 4x 12u 100hp systems, or do you just not like my 4x 12u 100hp system. lets pretend i really know what im doing and have a lot of ideas, do you like my design, asthetically, or would you do a 4x 12u 100hp system completely differently? im thinking, like, this would be my one studio forever forever, if i had it. do you like it just for that concept? peace peace peace out out out.

EDITED May 11th, 02:36

i like the tukra as a performance instrument for drum sequencing, then i can have 2 clock divided arpeggiation voices, with seperate adsr, and then the chao can sum the two synths and feed the pure tukra out into something an mbox would take, by abusing it a tiny bit. if i wanted 'just 84hp' then, i cant think of anything less that would give me the options i want. the whole point is to give myself the right amounts of 'nooks and crannies' to really keep me intetested. i already have like 20+ patch element ideas that i would want to test out. i dont think i would get 'blank daw paralysis'. i think i would have a lot of fun trying 1,000+ things out, but, thats just my opinion because i dont have the physical thing. are you against maximalism? is that why you like albert ayler? j.c. peace. out.

Albert Ayler is certainly not everybody's thing, nor does he need to be. I'm glad you took a look and I hope you at least understood what I meant about how much comes from simple sounds being well modulated. In the end, these are just oscillators, samples, and drum machines like any other electronic instruments - it's the workflow and design for each voice that makes it.

I do understand how the Tukra works, but the fact that it's a sound source makes it more of a liability in the small rack you posted (unless you just ditch the other oscillators entirely until the case expands). In a bigger setup this changes, and it's not a bad start at all if it's what you really want, but when you've only got a bit of stuff at the beginning it won't be as much of a team player as it could be if there's also oscillators to manage (though the Doepfer mino synth does make a cool modulation hub if you abuse it like modular is meant to be abused). A modular drum machine setup focused solely on facilitating and manipulating the Tukra would be a great start and could probably get that first hour of music going pretty soon.

I'm not engaging with your concept because it's too theoretical. It's not that a big system like this is bad, but no one can know what it needs to be at this stage when you haven't yet explored what it is and what it accomplishes. Spend a month with something like that Taiga on its own and you'll find it can fill out entire tracks on its own. You'll probably get your 60+ hours of music a lot easier from thinking in terms of one thing at a time, spending time with each stage of your modular setup and using the little nooks and crannies in it to fuel your inspiration rather. If you somehow got rich and just got it all at once and had to sit with all the possibilities and decide where to start, I doubt it would be as productive. Your concept, aside from the idea of a big system, which is good but best done gradually and through trial and error, seems to just be "what if I could get the analysis paralysis of a DAW in physical hardware?" Staying focused is the only way to keep modular from being an expensive chore rather than good, useful fun.

For those fortunate enough to have more than one Eurorack case/system: How do you go about organizing them?

I recently added another case to accomodate my growing collection of modules. I know I could splurge on a monster case to accomodate everything but for some reason the large price tag always seem's daunting. Even though I know logically it's a fraction of what I've spent on my whole system My silly brain gets scared by too many digits. LOL
Typically I have organized my cases into functions. For example: A Subtractive Synth Rack, Drum rack, and Sequencer/Control rack, Mixing & effects rack. I just got a new case and while planning it out on here I thought, "is there a better way?"
So I come to y'all for your wisdom!
Is it silly to have all your sequencing in a seperate rack from your synth voices? Is it more fun to have each case be its own standalone instrument? I have recently had to travel a lot... maybe having multiple standalone systems would be more managable. Instead of lugging around 3 cases just to get a jam going, is grabbing one and seeing what can be squeezed out of it better? Or is it more advantagious to have everything set up and ready to go in the studio?
What do you think? What works for you?

Cheers!

yeah, like i said, i just decided to design this for fun. i intended to go a bit overboard, ie using a whole nerdseq for just 1 bass tone. i want to be doing most of the performance on the tukra, so i want that to be the clock for most of it, as i like how its clock control works, but yes, i would program in the whole set into the nerdseq first. i think you dont fully understand how the tukra works. i checked out the albert ayler, but tbh i prefer snarky puppy and moondog. also, to the point about lugging it to gigs, if i had to, i could can a whole live performance, then do live visuals on a laptop and work the croud on stage. i really wish you would consider this design for its own merits rather than suggest i do things more the way other people typically do. i get that its a lot of units and a big price tag, but thats what i set out to do. i wanted to make a maximal system. i just want to know if you think its too maximal, or doesnt makr any sense. this is a 'dream system'. i just want to know if you even like it. peace. peace. peace.

i just like to design things for fun. dont you think, if i work out all the bugs, that a system like this could make one even more creative? do you have any specific complaints or do you just think its just too much? peace out.
-- singular_sound

I think it's definitely too much to get at once... do remember that all plans fail as soon as the enemy is engaged - and that enemy is you!! and quite frankly you need it to...

as a one off purchase - it will likely be overwhelming and will almost definitely not work how you want it to in practice... plus if you haven't got the money for it in your hand right now, it's almost definite that some modules you've picked will go out of production and become like rockinghorse shit - and new ones that are (potentially) more interesting will appear...

I'm revisiting this after taking a look at the racks - they show a poor understanding of the necessities of modular synthesis - it's almost devoid of utilities (including some that you'd absolutely need in order to make tonal music - sequencers without quantizers & no dedicated quantizers, too few vcas and not a sub mixer or attenuverter/attenuator/offset to be found), no filters or waveshapers, not enough modulation, way too many sound sources with almost definitely not enough support modules to control them - the list could go on forever... and contains quite a few modules that are only available used and possibly difficult plus some modules that are near unuseable...

either start with vcv rack (or similar) and then start with a much smaller rack or just start with a much smaller rack with a few modules and expand slowly... this way you'll learn modules better and to a much deeper degree - and learn patching techniques - that you almost definitely won't do if you bought everything at once... and you won't need 1/2 the modules you have here to achieve what you want - but you'll NEED a good few other modules to achieve it...

a good starting point is: a sound source, a modulation source, a sound modifier, a way to play and a way to listen (I'd go for a quad cascading vca for this - it'll be mono, but it'll do the job) - and then expand that towards one of your goals and then start on another and then work out how to get them to co-operate...

4 12u cases are a multi year project - whether you go all in and buy everything at once or if you build up slowly... you still have to learn the modules and you need to learn how to patch them together and how to control them - and at this size of modular it's at multiple different levels - which generally requires multiple sets of things like vcas and mixers and envelope generators etc etc etc

if you bought all of this as is in one go - you'd need to buy at least another 2 cases the same size to add the modules you'd need to support the ones you'd have already bought...

take a look at my signature and think long and hard about what it says... and especially think about how it relates to the racks you have planned etc etc..

and this is coming from someone with a similar sized modular and a lot of expereience - I'd be looking at this and wondering how to get more than a thrird of it to work not because I don't understand the modules that are there or that I'm overwhelmed by the size of it - it'd be because I'd be missing the things that I'd need to have in order to get it to work - filters, waveshapers, enough modulation & primarily the utilities that glue all these things together...

im thinking: program the bass line 1h at a time on the nerdseq (plus whatever live options it has available, if any) then draw in a base drumline, then either use a keystep pro or any of the sequencing and arpeggiation options available to build the main melody, then add extra drums and melody on the tukra and rene, clocking everything to the tukra, then fill in a ton of extra cv mod texture, then build an effects chain, then have 5 pre loaded samples to trigger stretch or reverse at any time, then some 'extra magic', then record. now that you know the whole concept do you think it makes more sense now? peace.
-- singular_sound

The one thing you'll learn in modular synthesis is that the line between bass, lead, drum, and pad is relatively arbitrary. The more you break down sounds to their base elements and the circuits that make them up, the more you'll have ideas that are just about sounds and how they're made. Theoretically, this is all fine, and what you're describing is a bit vague but definitely workable, but you'll be surprised at how differently you see these elements when you're working with them vs when you're imagining them from the perspective of a more typical workflow.

Also, the way you've talked about this leads me to believe that, if you plan to start with a voice and a sequencer, you should probably go with the Nerdseq first rather than the Tukra, because you'll be able to do a lot of the stuff you're describing in this big setup using just the Nerdseq and a few well-chosen modules for a voice. When I first got mine, I tested it with just a Moog Mavis, a 2hp MMF, and a power supply with a built-in mult, and I got a ton out of that. You don't need 8 voices to make it count - the outputs and inputs are freely assignable and the ungodly amount of features makes it good for supercharging a Eurorack voice or two. It is also more live-friendly than it seems, especially since it has extensive integration with Launchpads, allowing you to do a variety of fun things and basically turning it into something like an Ableton workflow, but in hardware. It will probably be the best way for you to determine if you want to manage and maintain a larger Eurorack environment as opposed to having the modular just be an instrument in a broader context or a solo instrument like violin or whatever. Obviously, I'm just one guy, though - be careful before you start throwing Nerdseq money around.

also, im not really sure i understand how a clock divider works, and i feel like i included enough random cv modules to sculpt some interesting stuff. please give my concept a little extra consideration for its concept. peace.

you are mistaken. the tukra is a fully featured drum machine, on top of the extra sequencing gates, and i just really want a crazy bass tone with possibly 4 octaves of demon cores all being modulated by 2 8 pase lfos, or something even more complicated. what i am going for is 'lots of options, big sound' so i can keep repatching and repatching and have almost a completely different instrument each time, so i can make 60+ hours of content and never get bored, etc. i will look into the album you mentioned, i just wish you would take some more time to try to apreciate the high concept. i was trying to make it 'too much', i just want to know if you think it is 'way too much', etc. peace out.

If anything, I think your setup would be bigger if you had all these modules, because the real juice comes from modulating and manipulating voices and sounds with control voltage and routing the signals creatively more than methodically layering and combining lots of voices (which is kind of better left to non-Eurorack hardware). Think of a jazz trio - a bass, saxophone, and drums. Despite only two mostly monophonic melodic voices (with some opportunities to do chords or whatever) and and a few drum sounds, the possibilities are immense because of how much they can manipulate timbre with their playing. Albert Ayler's Spiritual Unity is a pretty good way of demonstrating what I mean - that music is massive despite being basic instruments available in reasonably well-stocked high schools. That level of flexibility per voice is what makes modular special relative to other formats despite essentially making the same sounds as any other interface with the same circuits inside of it, but it comes from modulation and utilities. LFOs, envelopes, VCAs, mults, CV mixers, clock dividers, sample and hold, switches, etc. - the boring stuff that was pretty much already figured out by the 1970s.

For example, the small system you made has two sound sources (three if I'm being picky, but I won't count the Tukra). One does include its own support modules, but that will just get you to the point of making regular synth sounds. When you consider that the Tukra only sequences gates and you still have to get notes into the thing, you'd probably do well to stick to a general "one sound source per row" rule and go from there. Theoretically, if you said "I want to get a setup with at least two synth sources and some unique sequencing/drum options", I would recommend a Syntakt or Analog Rytm before this modular setup, and you'd make the same sounds better and more conveniently.

Instead, my advice for your first modular setup is to go the other way and just think "what is the most badass single voice I can come up with?", and maybe add that onto the Tukra for a cool start. You can even use the Pam's to quantize modulation from weird modules and create generative melodies, so maybe keep Pam's if you're going to start with a pure gate sequencer like this - it will help cover for it and integrate it into a less rigid framework well. After you have a full, tricked out single voice figured out, the setup ideas will just be flowing and it will be easier to make it more expansive and nebulous.

Also, if you need 104 HP for your first rack, go for it. I just kinda said 84, but a Mantis case could be wise if you know you want to do this stuff.

im thinking: program the bass line 1h at a time on the nerdseq (plus whatever live options it has available, if any) then draw in a base drumline, then either use a keystep pro or any of the sequencing and arpeggiation options available to build the main melody, then add extra drums and melody on the tukra and rene, clocking everything to the tukra, then fill in a ton of extra cv mod texture, then build an effects chain, then have 5 pre loaded samples to trigger stretch or reverse at any time, then some 'extra magic', then record. now that you know the whole concept do you think it makes more sense now? peace.

i was mostly just thinking about live streaming and 1 take dawless play. i dont have any intention of treking anything anywhere. id say the cases are "main case" which has a full synth unit, a full drum computer, chop sampling if i want it, nifty touch points, and pams + op ned for ease. "bass case" which lets me program a 8 oscillator 4 demon core complex bass tone on a nerdseq, or other patchs, plus some nice effects modules, too. "performance case" that has the tukra and a rene, and a plethora of cv, and some more voices. and lastly the "sampling case" that, i believe, should let me have total control over 5 samples, plus any mixing i missed on any other case, plus some more trigger and live patching options, plus a bluebox to make recording extra convenient. i have a whole concept that there are 9 albums there in that 1600hp, and i imagine i could even travel with it if i absolutely had to, but i see it as purely a studio rig. i hope that clears up what my vision is. are you purely convinced this is too much? everything is out of my budget now. i just like to design things for fun. dont you think, if i work out all the bugs, that a system like this could make one even more creative? do you have any specific complaints or do you just think its just too much? peace out.

As a live setup, this is just too much. There is a pageantry to a big setup when you're onstage, but one 12U case (or, frankly, 6U case) is already quite a bit of stuff when you only have two hands. This is enough to keep 4 different people stressing out to keep track of everything.

As a studio hub for experimenting or just general production work, things obviously change a bit. However, the big systems that people like Red Means Recording use to make professional sounding and well-thought out music like you could get from a DAW (or at least be able to keep and use the results as if it werw that kind of music) are built piece by piece. If you're on a budget, not being too tied to a specific plan where every piece is interdependent is best - go where the deals are.

Let me ask you this: roughly speaking, if you had to describe each of these cases succinctly as "the (blank) case", what would each one be? For example, "the Buchla case", or "the sampling case", or "the techno case" (though, if this describes all four, maybe don't pick that).

edit: Sorry - I posted this without seeing your new post.

EDITED May 11th, 00:19

sigh, maybe you are right zachsname.

i designed this one just for you, like you said:

peace, etc.

i kind of think it is, mostly, a bit, in my head. i understand i would need way too many way too long cables and its totally possible i dont actually need a number of those, or the synergy isnt quite right, but i truly am working on a whole 4 x 4 3u h 100hp concept where each case can mostly work on its own, but together, can make live music like nothing else. i dont mind criticism about the racks, and specifically what wont work, etc. but i would really prefer if you would just try and buy into the big concept, first. plus, there are plenty of bigger systems out there, etc. id just like to hear, given that i can find the right cables, and given that i can wrap my brain around the individual modules, that the high concept design works. thanks for the comment anyway, tho. ☮

This is a fun way to brainstorm, but a system this size will never work exactly as you plan it, so judging it overall at this stage isn't going to do much. This will be a lot easier if you plan in chunks and adjust as you go along (as I assume you already know you'll be doing). Start with one bit at a time.

What are your favorite options here in terms of modules? If you could only start with 84hp, what would you pick?

If this is a bit and I'm missing it, I apologize.

https://modulargrid.net/e/racks/command_center/237880

i have never played with eurorack before in my life. i decided to build a massive 4 case rig on here, just for fun, as the whole thing is way out of my budget. i only half know what most of the modules there do, but i wanted the biggest canvas to create really unique textures and performance. i tried for true greatness.

so, the question is: do you like this setup? do you think it makes any kind of sense all together? and, did i go way too overboard? any comments completely 100 welcome.

thanks for the feedback.

peace out. ... ... ... ... ... ... .

I have two of these and really like them a lot. One of them I mostly use for playing with the v/o signal for a synced vco ... lots of interesting timbres there. However, the sweetspots are quite "narrow", and something like +/- 1V offset rather than +/- 5V would probably work better for my purpose. I assume it's simply a matter of replacing one or two resisters. But which? And to which values? Hints on this are much appreciated. Best wishes.

still not sure if bloom is the good choice there. there are other options to use others to save hps and include something else

Enjoy

@modulargrid

Please can you remove the reported offers and the user, to secure your members? I reported this two times via mail, but no reaction.

-- Christoph1972

That is not entirely true, I replied to your mail on 6.5.
The user account is currently suspended until he resolved the issues.
Best, Knut

-- modulargrid

Your answer was removed to spam. Sorry for that. Thank you for suspending the user!

Super impressive in every way!

Love from Sweden.

Lovely sounds!

What was ur reasoning behind the CIVILISATION + erica synths black cv tool?
Do you need that many note quantizers?
A bit weird choice if u ask me.
Nice pic btw. Happy noodling.
-- Chrissozz

Actually, getting rid of all the Erica Synths :)

EDITED May 9th, 00:26

@modulargrid

Please can you remove the reported offers and the user, to secure your members? I reported this two times via mail, but no reaction.

-- Christoph1972

That is not entirely true, I replied to your mail on 6.5.
The user account is currently suspended until he resolved the issues.
Best, Knut

A postcard from the west coast of Sweden

Love!

What was ur reasoning behind the CIVILISATION + erica synths black cv tool?
Do you need that many note quantizers?
A bit weird choice if u ask me.
Nice pic btw. Happy noodling.

EDITED May 8th, 11:41

Ok Cool, I'll check that out. I have to say I did another patch session last night with this rack and it's really really versatile. I put a synth into the Endless Processor to build some unusual pads and then fed it into one channel of Beads, the fed the other channel of Beads through Echoz and WASP, all modulated by the Doepfer. I was there for a good hour in blissed out reverb washes, and that's what it's all about isn't it?

(...) And a combo of Veno and Mimeophon is even better.
-- wishbonebrewery

Personally, I’m trying to move a little away from the delay / reverb pairing, although I am very seduced by this type of sound! I have hesitated for a moment to acquire the Nautilus, but when I heard the power of this Veno-Echo, I gave up... I think that the Veno-Echo and Mimeophon combination must indeed be a kind of Saturn V or... USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D to conquer new (wet) worlds and parallel universes :))
But I must forget at least for now, I promised myself.
Thank you again for this publication, it’s always sincerely a pleasure.

@modulargrid

Please can you remove the reported offers and the user, to secure your members? I reported this two times via mail, but no reaction. If such offers are not deleted by the administration, this platform is simply unprofessional, the place to be for scammers!

If you're going for a single note .. use one an octave (or two) above middle C. I find they translate down beautifully, and while probably less of an issue on modern equipment... they take up less time/disk-space (shorter waves).

EDITED May 8th, 04:40

just an idea... what about a Qu-Bit Data Bender? its becoming cliche, but I love the way Ive seen some YTubers utilize it.

that leaves 6 hp... an ochd and 2 hp mult to fill the rest

EDITED May 8th, 04:32

just thought Id add a picture 😉

I'd go as far to say the Veno Echo is amazing. It absolutly loves modulation.
And a combo of Veno and Mimeophon is even better.

A great use of this powerful delay module. The illustrations go very well with this piece: nice and surreal :)

Its quite a lot of fun.

2hp Bell for sound.
Befaco Burst for triggers and probability.
2hp ARP for Arpeggios.
Divkid / Instruo Ochd+ Expander for modulation.
Veno-Echo for delays and messing.
Monsoon Clouds for a bit of Reverb.

I should clarify 'noise'. I don't mean pink / white etc. I mean off specific pitch and sequences. For me this generally happens by overloading modulation to the point of breakup.

I use the Echoz and the A-143-4 because I already own them, like them and don't have unlimited budget to spend. Morphagene looks good but I'd really want to try one out for a time before committing to £500

Cosmix has always been really handy as being able to mix sources and mute immediately is very useful in love performacces. It also has the drive feature which significantly warms up and boosts the output sound

I'll check out Nautilus and mimephon :-)

Oh yeah!