Nice! Here we run into one of the problems of modular that's already becoming apparent to me: SO many tempting modules, SO many ways to modulate and process...!
Literally all of the options you outlined appeal to me in one way or another, and I 'm intrigued by the idea of paired modules.
Probably the most budget-conscious option is one Pip, second Pip, then... probably MISO, which I really like the look of over O/A/x2. The QARV is another module like the look/feel of, so I'll be sorta keeping an eye on a bunch of these options on the wait'n'see principle over the next couple months, so another good shout there.
My last question... with preamble lol...
The idea of the rack is to have the core drone and wibble maker as discussd, then the quad VCA (or an erica double black vca) and the wee little arp and burst mods to generate basic bleepitude and melodicity, adding modulation and FX as i expand (to be used in both aspects, obviously).
How far off base am I in my expectations there?
Sorry to keep asking but it's really nice to get such detailed and useful responses!