All Posts

All jokes aside, I’d love to have feedback from senior modular producers and performers. I’ve been producing with DAWs mostly and recently committed to modular after getting hooked on the OXI One and learning about its CV modulation features.

I’ve always wanted to build a live set that relies on ad hoc creation of sequences, focusing on the more “generative” side of techno. The OXI One helps me do that, and I’ve built a setup with an Analog Rytm for the drums, a Syntakt, and an Analog Four for other sounds like textures, drones, pads, and leads. It all routes to an Octatrack (yes, big Elektron fanboy), which I use mainly for master effects. Initially, I thought about using the Octatrack’s looping feature but haven’t needed it (yet).

Now that I’ve caught the modular bug, I’m moving many of my Elektron duties to my rack and wouldn’t be surprised if I eventually ditch most of my Elektron gear in this setup. I recently started using a DAW again with the ES-9. The Analog Four got replaced by a BIA and Coral, and I’ve significantly reduced the number of voices coming from the Syntakt. I still love it, but the sounds I’m getting from the BIA are incredible and the patching is too much fun currently. The mix is now done in the DAW so I got rid of the Octa too. Surely saved a lot of space.

What do you think of this rack? I’ve already own the BIA, Coral, Ghost, ES-9, and an attenuator. I plan to use this rack to generate loops on the fly while also using the OXI One to send gate and pitch for certain voices (and maybe swap between auto generated stuff and user generated). Since it's quite voice heavy, I might drop the Bassline and replace it with a pair of Clep Diaz's or such.

Ultimately, it should be performative, allowing me to create cool sounds through trial and error while minimizing menu diving.

p.s. Disregard the bottom row for now. At some point, I might also move drum duty from the Rytm to the rack but I love the Rytm for that. The sound from the Battering Ram did surprise me last time I played with it in my friends studio.

Appreciate the effort and thanks for reading :)

EDITED Jun 21st, 08:11

Made some werird noises, thought I'd share them. Starts weird, and ends weird with a dancy bit in the middle ;-)

Take a look at brand new module, Wear and Tear:
https://ampersandampersand.co/products/wear-and-tear

Hi, where can I find a tutorial of the squarp hermod mk1?
I need everything...
I’want to use it with my modular and my Desktop gear, too!
happy patching
best regards from germany
sebastian Sch.

This one looks pretty neat: https://modulargrid.net/e/jroo-music-machines-jroo-loop
I was very close to getting one of these but went with a Strymon Volante instead. The pedal suited my needs a little better.
Let us know what you choose. Have fun and good luck!

Hi there people - I am looking to add another modulation source to my rack in the form of a tape emulator / effect. Research has steered me towards recovery - cutting room floor V3 https://modulargrid.net/e/recovery-effects-and-devices-cutting-room-floor-v3 at 6hp VS the Bezzare Jezabel Athra https://modulargrid.net/e/bizarre-jezabel-athra at 10hp and dual stereo.

Visually, both look great and happy to purchase either but am intested in others views on these 2 modules - or any others you feel I should take a look at.

Thanks in advance.

And we just posted a new session!

As usual, this is recorded straight from the modular into the computer, with no editing.

This one is a beautiful session, pretty easy listening, with many soundscapes.

EDITED Jun 19th, 11:02

I think it depends how good you threat your modules.
If you have insuffiecent power in your rack it may occur that you grill a module.
If you buy used modules on MG, which gone through a couple of hands, there is always a chance that the people did some crap with it. + that they are not honest and sell you a troubled module.

QU-Bit for instance gives a lifelong guarantee. They will help always with issues and repairs for free, even if the regular guarantee time is over. I guess there are more manufacturers who do it too.

Since today, I had no function issue with my modules, only knobs or nuts got a bit loose.

But in 3 cases, MG-sellers did withold that they sell me a broken or troubled module, which I didnt see immedately. I guess the previous owners treathed them harsh.
The first module worked at the first runs, but after a short while it was not completly working - 1/3 of the features and inputs didnt response
The second module, had the problem that the nut of the trigger-input was loose and fall completly off.
The third Module had a broken clock input, the rest was working.

Things like that are pain in the *****.

EDITED Jun 18th, 16:56

I would give Westlicht Performer a try. It is also 34 hp and the black version is a perfect fit in the SS case. Many sequence and modulation possibilities, brings the whole system to life.

Smart transactions with @Gregi and @dosko64
Recommended Sellers.

Just compare with the obsolescence of computer products (PC or Apple), hardware and software (including OS), compatibilities, bugs, and so on. Nothing is perfect, no tool. We went to the Moon with nearly nothing compared to what we have today. Only the result counts.

Hey guys,

Im really loving my shared system to bits and i will never separate from it, however i dont really gel with the RENE and im thinking of bringing it out of my case and replace it with another sequencer (not sell it)

do you have some to recommend? im thinking maybe a USTA....

My only gripe with modules are the Tact switches (Buttons) that can sometimes be a bit fickle and an area that quite a few manufactureres could look for more solid components.

Overall though, I only have 1 module that I bought second hand that has developed a fault, it still works and has all functions but there is an intermittent fault in either the multi-colour LED or the Tact switch on my Erica Pico DSP.

I've something like 89 modules and have been 'collecting' / 'feeding my habit' since 2019 with very good longevity of modules.

Anyone had any dealings with user: timadam ? He is based in Germany - paid for a module on Monday then immediate silence, no tracking info, no response to any further messages
-- cfemery

I had a somewhat similar experience with him. Didn't receive tracking information but did receive the module in good condition.

-- MPCman

how strange - thanks for letting me know, gives me a tiny bit of hope yet! one other person messaged me and said he had almost no contact from him too - what a strange way to conduct business - he was communicative right up to point of payment, then radio silence and no tracking info

Hello, new here. I just wanted to say that I never-ever paid the price displayed on MD for a module (always more lol). I'd really love to have a "what I paid for it" option for each module I add to My Modules so I could keep track of the real value/spend of my rack.

If you keep dust out and avoid spilling liquids and foods they have been pretty rock solid. I began my modular journey several years ago and out of my 100+ modules, all work except for a few ones. Support also is way better as small boutique makers tend to pay greater attention in the customer support area.

Got 2 requests

1: 19 inch rack gear please! Been hoping for years Modulargrid would get on it. Why hasn't it still been added though?
Seems like a pretty straightforward thing compared to all the other options right?

2: Pedalboard too small, please let us extend it beyond what we currenty have.
It's been very populair for people with desktop gear not just pedals.

I have modules that are up to 8 years old... I have over 100 modules, from over 40 manufacturers & have had 3 failures in that time... one of which was a button... which was fixed for free by the manufacturer, out of 'warranty'... and another of which may have been damage in transit (used module)... this I had to get repaired... it was 60€ for the repair... as the module was an uncommon and out of production one this was my best option - it ended up costing me slightly over the original retail proce, which wasnt' that much to be honest - is it better ot spend 60€ (or whatever) to repair a module than to effectively throw it in landfill - of course it is... in reality some modules will not be able to be repaired, due to obsolescence of parts - particularly things like processors for digital modules - but this is unforeseeable in most part by hte manufacturer - although covid did cause other issues - basic unavailability of non-obsolete parts...

the 1 year guarantee is ok in most cases - electronics usually fail very early or very late... plus local trading standards "fit for use" periods would supercede this in a lot of cases (3 years for EU & 6 for UK) - although getting that enforced can be problematic - so modules usually either fail almost straight away - often component faults - or after quite a long time - longer than any reasonable guarantee or "fit for use" has run out...

I think you are massively overestimating the amount of failures of modules - like a lot of things - if you spend a lot of time on the internet you will find complaints about something... there may seem to be a lot of complaints - but in reality there are only a very small & of users, most of the time... a lot of the time there will be clusters of failures - due to the manufacturere buying parts in batches - and maybe one batch has a tendancy to fail much earlier than other batches - for some reason only known to the original manufacturer of the part - see leds, encoders etc... the small % of users with failures tend to be much more vocal than the larger % of users who are happy & just get on with using their modules

i don't buy modules for their internal memory... nor have I had any digital modules fail on me - except in the above mentioned button failure (which was an analog component of a digital modules) if you arre worried about this stay away from modules that don't have it or use sd cards for storage, but again see previous paragraph!

as far as quality of build/customer service/repairs to modules - I generally see that anything above the absolute cheapest modules - it's quite good - most manufacturers will repair modules - you may need to pay for shipping and possibly parts...

some manufacturers have poorer reputations in other areas - generally this also seems to be reflected in this area as well - so if you want good customer services, repairs instead of landfill etc then steer clear of manufacturers with dubious ethics etc

unlike in fast moving consumer goods, there is no built in obsolescnce - ie the item being deliberately designed to fail or become unrepairable after a certain time... modules are generally designed to work for as long as possible... but it is also impossible to guarantee that every module will work forever...

How long are you leaving between turning on your modular and tuning and playing?

if they are digital modules it should make no difference, but analog modules need sometime (anything up to 1/2 an hour & possibly more) to warm up and stabilize... if you tune before they are stabilised they will go out of tune whilst you are playing...

with marbles for all 3 X outputs to output quantized notes related to the settings on the panel you must set the X mode (button N in the manual to green) - if you have a different colour displayed on the related led, this may be the problem

https://pichenettes.github.io/mutable-instruments-documentation/modules/marbles/manual/

()

Best with headphones, patch notes in the youtube link

EDITED Jun 15th, 20:18

Anyone had any dealings with user: timadam ? He is based in Germany - paid for a module on Monday then immediate silence, no tracking info, no response to any further messages
-- cfemery

I had a somewhat similar experience with him. Didn't receive tracking information but did receive the module in good condition.

Hi,,
Just a quick question if any body can answer..i have trouble keeping my oscillators in tune,,despite tuning them for every session.if i purchased say,,a Doepfer a-1114 quad voice,,would this module stay in tune as its all in one module?.
Bonehead.

Hi'
Im all over the place,,when i tune 3 of my osclators,,they can be in perfect tune with each over,,if i bring marbles into play,,now i have sharp and flat notes,,,really really frustrating,,any ideas for what the prob could be,,? and how can i solve it..?

I'm going to say no. There are 4 independent tuning knobs on that module, though if tuned once it will probably stay tuned between power cycles assuming you let it warm up for a few mins before using.

Anyone had any dealings with user: timadam ? He is based in Germany - paid for a module on Monday then immediate silence, no tracking info, no response to any further messages

Hi,,
Just a quick question if any body can answer..i have trouble keeping my oscillators in tune,,despite tuning them for every session.if i purchased say,,a Doepfer a-1114 quad voice,,would this module stay in tune as its all in one module?.
Bonehead.

It seems that they can not work for a long time.
For some modules, a guarantee of 1 year is given that not very much, for the given cost.
All these RGB Leds seem to be burned.
The presence of the Internet Memory in some modular synthetia is bad. This is because the Internet Memory can not simply be changed as a SD card, but it can break. Screens, if we talk about OLED, look ridiculous as they can also burn out by making a modular synthesizer unusedble.

Do you have experience of successful exploring a modular synthesizer?

How many years to your oldest modular synthesizer?

Is it profitable and easy to repair the modular synthesizer?

What modular synthesizers digital/analog work for more long?

Do you know the manufacturer of modular synthesizers with a good reputation and a minimum of built-in obsolescence?

VCAs, attenuverters, and more modulation. Preferably with knobs that you'll enjoy using.

There is a Doepfer analog modular flight case over there. Half of the modules inside have been purchased. There are modules from Pittsburgh Modular, Make Noise, and Mutable Instruments. For example, the black kit under the Doepfer case is designed by the company Vaemi, which I founded with my brother. It is a series that we have designed and currently sell. The modules have black panels and blue knobs. These modules are not clones; they are entirely our own designs. Everything in the other boxes are modules I made for myself. Among them, there are some prototypes we made for Vaemi. In the middle and left racks, I only see a Polaris VCF and a Metasonix tube VCA. The other tube VCA is also our design. There are 2 black racks; one is a sequencer and the other is a synth voice with phase distortion and a wave folder, again our design. At the top left, there is an 8-bit drum machine. But if we talk about this patch, the drums are made with the Osi-Op oscillators we made for our Vaemi company. Some of the other FM sounds are made with the DPO. These are the things that come to mind...

Thanks for the tips been playing around a bit more with your advice in consideration and came up with the following. Maybe still doubting abit between uRings and uO_C

Also shoud've mentioned that the sax will go through a boss RC20XL loopstation so i will have time to play with knobs . Not all the time but quite often and could probably set up an aby pedal so i could switch my pedaltrain of doom from my bass rig to the eurorack.
And once I fill out the rackbrute I was considering ordering a Caixa 104 case to fill at a slower pace. especially because it comesz with quite the nice package of built in utilty.

1 more question there was mention of some unethical companies, could you maybe elaborate a bit? new to this world as you'd expect by now and not completely up to speed here.

Greetings F

EDITED Jun 12th, 22:27

There seems to be three goals going on here at once:

1. Play saxophone through modular tools and effects to alter its sound.
2. Play saxophone and have it trigger samples and synth sounds in the rack.
3. Play saxophone alongside synths and samples being triggered/played by the rack itself.

If your goal is to do all three of these, I would focus the first row (at least) that you try to put together entirely on goal 1. The Minibrute 2S can cover sounds for now, and I can't imagine you not having another easier way to do samples for now. For now, think about a) getting the sax sound into the modular in a way that sounds acceptable to you and b) modulation. The last one is the main thing missing here: the main reason to do this instead of pedals is the way modulation moves and shapes the sounds in unque ways. I would save extra synth voices and samplers for later and just focus on getting the sax and Minibrute 2S to play together. As for input, also think about emvelope following - turning the amplitude of your sax signal into modulation is a huge part of the potential fun here.

This one has some promising elements. The Barback and Knit are probably unnecessary, but could come in handy for later. Instead, that space might be better served by a Maths, a quad/multi VCA and attenuator, some logic stuff, a mult - the stuff that sounds boring but kind of makes systems workable and flexible. You also may want to look into something to convert modular voltages so they're safe for pedal expression inputs - if you already have pedals, there are many ways to bring them in on the fun here.

I saw you put the Meta-Module in there. Have you tried this concept in VCV Rack yet? Or even with an Empress Zoia or Poly Effects Beebo? Not necessarily as an alternative, but even just as a place to demo patches/module concepts, experiment with them, and potentially cover some ground that would be difficult and expensive in modular (that met. Especially since you'll be busy playing saxophone and not turning knobs as much. I had a Beebo and not only does it have a lot of ports of Mutable Instruments stuff like Plaits, Rings, Marbles (all stuff you have here), but you can use it as a MIDI controller to send Eurorack-style modulations to different MIDI CCs on stuff you may already have.

OK

Generally I think you're trying to do too much in too little space in the 3u racks... by that I mean not enough support modules per voice - & rememeber your inputs are also a voice..

general thoughts on micro versions of mutable modules - poor ergonomics kill enjoyment + trying to tune modules with trimmers is a hopeless and horrible task...

O&C - what do you think you will use this for? I'm not a big fan of these all in one multifunction modules - you can only use 1 or 2 functions at once and the UIs are compromised - simple functional modules are better everytime imo - although using htem as I method for working out what modules you actually need and then replacing that functionality is a valid method of learning - but then I would recommend having the free space in the rack to allow for that - which you haben't - & yes I do own a disting mk4 - it's almost always been used as a tape delay

notes from 1st rack (starting at the top):

Not convinced about the ADDAC input module... you mention both sax and bass... you'll need a mic for the sax, won't you? in which case I'd look at the befcao instrument interface... it can handle mic (including +48v phantom power), line and instrument level & has useful functionality like envelope following and gate extraction... disting ex is also useful here as it has one of the better pitch extractoin algos...

erica black output is way too big (and possibly completely unnecessary) for this size case - takes up way too much valuable rack space - but then so does the rack wart (a pet hate)

in a rack this size, if you want to use things like overdrives and compressors - I'd get a pedal interface (AI synthesis for example) and guitar pedals - potentially cheaper and don't waste rack sppace that'd be better used for more modulation, more filters, and most importantly utilities!!!

notes from 2nd rack:

as above where relevant plus - no envelope follower in disting mk4 iirc, maths - great module but rack too small for it imo, mixer also takes way too much space... other modules are too small on average... remember 1hp =0.58mm or 1/5" of an inch!!!

notes on 3rd rack:

as above where relevant plus - I really don't like these digital modular in a module modules - they're the absolute antithesis of modular synthesis to me - which tends towards knob per function & discrete modules that you patch together with patch cables etc - if you want something like this a laptop and vcv rack is a much better option in my opinion - even if it is connected up to the modular via something like an es9

notes on 4th rack:

same as above where relevant plus - kind of better in that it's bigger - but way too many sound sources!!!! see my signature!! read it, think about it for a considerable period of time... then apply what you have learnt to this rack...

and seriously consider your options when buying modules - you can give your money to known bigots (I believe the modern american term is edgelords - but I'm old and British) or you can give it to people who aren't - one modukle in this rack is from a company owned by a known bigot, infamous for making rape jokes in online forums... but it's your choice... most modular manufacturers are not in this category - as far as I know it's just 2 manufacturers...

also experience with fx aids - great modules - but imo the xl (or regular versionl) isn;t very practical without a cheat sheet - the pro is usable without a cheat sheet and if you set them up correctly the pro can be used as a cheat sheet for one or more of the other fx aid modules... screens are far better than leds for determining what algo you are using!!!

notes on 5th rack:

same as above where relevant plus - nothing that makes sense in terms of an actual modular synthesizer - all of this could be done cheaper and probably better in pedal form... nothing that leverages what modular is good at - modulation and utilities - or in terms of the effects - not a lot of modules that take modulation well or are that interesting... modulatable granular, delay reverb etc...

again see my signature: read it and think about it until you understand it... then apply to building a rack...

as a start: a sound source (instrument interface), a sound modifier, a modulation source (maths is great, see below), a quad cascading vca (you can never have too many vcas & the above racks are bereft of them) & some utilities - at a minimum something like a happy nerdiong 3 * MIA and some patch cables - buy no more than this to start! and add very slowly and with careful consideration

maths: download the 'maths illustrated supplement' work your way through it multiple times paying specific attention to how what and why it is doing what it's doing - as well as just using it as a dual function generator - it'll really help with your patching in general - not just self patching maths!!

Woo is it really have 4 voices?

EDITED Jun 12th, 21:31

So I am quite new to modular synthesizers. And was wondering if these are viable options to start having fun. Or do you think i've overlooked some things?

OK better... so what's the question?

then these two together

copy & paste the urls of your public racks... much easier for us to help you with than fuzzy jpgs...

mouseover infomatics & clickthrough really help when there are 12k of modules to choose from

So I have a saxophone that i've been playing since 6yo. and have the crazy idea to put it through eurorack in combination with synthesizers. I also play bass guitar and have twin yamaha heads so could put out stereo with my stacks even put my pedalchain in my effects loop since my 12 ch mixer is a 6.3 mm vintage studio beaut. The idea is top create somethin in between doom, synth-wave and dark soundscaping these are some of my ideas. I already own a minibrute 2s and rackbrute 3U . Thoughts???

EDITED Jun 11th, 22:22

having built a few 0604 smd, I wouldn't consider 0402 smd... far too fiddly... I have some 0604 boards still to build, but increasingly poor eyesight keeps me away from them!!

I'd just buy a clone... they're only about 40-45 per channel, which is quite reasonable...

veils won't do inversion - the combination of vcas and manual attenuators/attenuverters is very complimentary...

as for an output module - in my 8 years or so of having a modular I've never had one - although the first mixer I bought had a headphone out built in... and I still have that and another mixer with headphone out... otherwise I've often just gone straight into an old yamaha mg10 mixer, without any issues... if I needed balanced outputs from the modular (and you only really need those for longer runs - especially if you are in the UK or EU and the power is decent) then I'd get an output module - otherwise as far as I'm concerned they're an unnecessary waste of both rack space and cash!

EDITED Jun 11th, 17:06

A very quick one today,quickest ever, a passive attenuator/mixer from Zlob. Since it’s passive (no power) it’s just some jacks, pots, and three resistors.
Works as you would expect, controls the voltage of the signal, you can pick up each signal or get the sum. Since it’s passive there is some signal loss.
This would be a very handy unit if you’re really squeezed for power in your portable rack, say, since it just takes space, no milliamps.

Fine build. Good first build if you want to get used to soldering eurorack modules.

Build

the force does filters, effects and mixing.

Thanks for the tip... I thought about the Mutated Veiled that is a Veils 2020 clone but the populated board is out of stock in Pusherman and I don't feel confident soldering 0402 SMD...Might wait a bit if it gets restocked.
When I thought about the 4 VCAs, I thought exactly on using them as attenuators for the Clouds. Will look into the MIA but I understand Veils can do a similar job, right?
I'm trying to not rush into anything so learning as much as I can is the priority now :) Maybe I need an output module too to plug into speaker/headphone/line.

what do you miss?

Maybe it works with your akai force but its seems very uncomplete to me.
I dont get the idea at the moment.

in general:

too much voices and to less of everything else

5 voices and 1 filter?
to less modulation
to less utility like attenuverters and stuff

you mix and master in your laptop?
you use external fx?

I'd skip the single VCAs and invest in a quad cascading one such as a veils clone ... you can never have too many vcas!!!

and I'd add some attenuators/attenuverters - clouds really needs them - specifically for reducing modulation from fulll voltage range to 'tiny little bits' - less really is more when modulation sources talk to clouds! Happy nerding 3 * MIA is a good example...

take a look at my signature... spend some (& buy some I mean considerable) time thinking deeply about it!!!!

it's really helpful for steering newbies into good practices...

I'd tackle this build in 3 phases...

1. Dice(Marbles) + Monsoon(Clouds) + 1 DIY uVCA + Power and Case (TipTop Audio Happy Ending?)
2. Tryfello LFO + 1 DIY uVCA
3. Pixie(Plaits) (or another voice) + Add(replace?) Tryfello with Ochd

I will upload all of the Wiard modules in as high resolution as I can manage. I'm doing rack planning in OmniGraffle right now for my mixed FRAC / Wiard 300 system, and there has to be a better way (this site, this site is the better way). The multi-format rack request is so that I can have Wiard rows and Frac rows saved to the same rack...I assume some other folks with several different formats would also like the ability to show their whole studio on one saved rack? Anyway. I'll do my part, just need the ability to do so.

I'm playing live for the first time this summer. This rack is connected through the es9 to an Akai force wich does sequencing, eq/mix, filtering and effects. What is missing?

The organization of the modules can also change, im not married to it.

Better still, just use proper ISO8601 format everywhere: YYYY-mm-dd

-- igloopoo

Let's start with the marketplace long list!

Any experience with this module?

EDITED Jun 10th, 12:58

Do you mean Effect, OSC/Sound generator, Sampler, or Utility module?

EDITED Jun 10th, 12:56

https://modulargrid.net/e/joranalogue-audio-design-transmit-2
Is it a good module to convert mono OSC to stereo
Is it good for some sort of mixing?
Thanks