32hp for controller, effect or utility?

I'm pretty happy with this setup. I'm mainly making acid and (generativly deficient) ambient drones. I'd like to free up 32hp by removing the Herbs & Stones Liquid Foam. I feel like I could use more utilities and a good controller/interface. I have an external Source Audio Collider and a Hologram Microcosm. I'm also entertaining the idea of other onboard effects. How would you fill this 32hp?

A Sweet Sixteen might be good. 16 faders that can be used for attenuation, offset generation, MIDI control or I2C connection. I do not have one, but it's what I want to fill the space in my rack.

Even if you just see it as 16 attenuators/offset generators, it's a pretty useful tool for centralizing control in a big rack like this. You could then throw in something like a DistingEX, which is normally not very hands-on but has lots of useful effects algorithms and utilities (among other things like sample playback and polyphonic synths), and control the EX with I2C/MIDI to have hands-on access to multiple parameters without menu-diving.

I'm not sure if you wanted that kind of control or maybe a different kind like a touch keyboard, but for the space we're talking about I think this kind of control will be more usable in the rack, whereas that problem is better solved externally so you have space for your fingers to actually do stuff.

I like this option a lot. Thanks for the input. I have a MIDI keyboard, BassStation 2 and TR8S that I didn't mention. The faders seem like a pretty versatile approach. I had been stuck looking at joysticks and this is a cool option to have.

I should say that I double-checked and the Sweet Sixteen does not have MIDI in, so I was incorrect about MIDI to CV conversion. However, you seem to have that covered already, and this would allow you to go the other way - convert CV to MIDI to control CCs on your other stuff with your modules (might be good for some of the stuff on the TR-8S that's in menus). I just wanted to correct myself and not have you make a decision based on my mistake.

edit: turns out I mentioned MIDI to CV conversion somewhere else. Still good to point out.

EDITED Jul 1st, 00:21

CV to MIDI is probably more valuable to me. I'm gonna dig into this module and a few others like it. Thanks again for the recommendation.

I highly recommend the Catalyst Controller. At its most basic, it's an 8 knob cv or gate controller, but it goes deep!—8 banks of 8 scenes (64 total scenes set along pathways), you can easily use it as a set-and-forget module with a linear pathway (like a typical fader or static macro controller) ORRRR you can randomize the knob positions and physically play the pathway by hand or by cv. It's so deep in fact, you can flip the faceplate and use it as a sequencer. Two modules in one!

Another controller-modulator I have is the Tetragrid. You can play it with your fingers or like a board game. How cool is that! It's a fun way to explore the whole generative-experimental vibe: