Modular update.

[Arpangel]

I’ve finally finished my design, in my attempt to keep it small, and under control.
Only 84HP and 3U, it’s a random music generator, based around Maths, a Noise Swash, and a Jupiter Storm.
The Arturia Rack Brute hasn’t worked out, it’s too awkward for my space, so I’m replacing it with a Doepfer LC3 as I can stack things on top.
It’s very tempting in these small systems to pack in lots of small modules, for me this isn’t good, I’d rather have less, bigger modules, they are easier to manipulate, and their functions are obvious.
The Maths was a gamble, but its just about within my tolerance level, of multi-function modules, I was thinking of getting a Disting, but that’s just a step too far.

[Ben Asaro]

I can recommend the Make Noise skiff, I have two of them (powered and unpowered). Probably a wise choice re: the Disting. It's a fantastic utility module, but it's also the gateway drug to buying one of everything!

I added the Eudemonia to my modular over the weekend and started working on a new patch for a piece I'm calling If You Listed Everything You Have Eaten During The Past Month You Would Probably Find A Lot of Chicken.

My patch as it stands now:

[Arpangel]

I can recommend the Make Noise skiff, I have two of them (powered and unpowered). Probably a wise choice re: the Disting. It's a fantastic utility module, but it's also the gateway drug to buying one of everything!

I added the Eudemonia to my modular over the weekend and started working on a new patch for a piece I'm calling If You Listed Everything You Have Eaten During The Past Month You Would Probably Find A Lot of Chicken.

My patch as it stands now:

Ha! yes, that looks like my place about three years ago.
I’m not young, I’m not into basket loads of options, I’m impatient, I just want results.
I know what I want, I’m not experimenting, I have clear goals.
I’m now armed with a bit of modular experience, and I know what suits me, and what doesn’t.
I thrive on limitations, love it, I know that my little system will get used a lot, unlike my first one, in fact, once I’ve found a really good patch, I’ll probably leave it and just vary it occasionally, twist a few knobs.
I’m not even going to fill my case right away, I’ve goth three main modules, and I’m going to fiddle around with those for awhile, and see what happens, I may ad more, or, I may think that that’s enough and I no longer need the ones I specified.

[Ben Asaro]

I can totally relate! Just deciding on what I was going to use as my master clock, how, and testing the clock resets took me nearly 3 hours on Saturday! :p

[Arpangel]

I can totally relate! Just deciding on what I was going to use as my master clock, how, and testing the clock resets took me nearly 3 hours on Saturday! :p

I know, I reached a point where I was actually spending more time buying, planning, and patching, than actually making music. That’s bad.
I’ve had a reply about my Rack Brute so that’s cool, I can sell it on and get my Doepfer LC3.
I ordered my Jupiter Storm today, from a shop called Signal Sound in Glasgow, they seem to have good stock levels, and very good prices.
I bought my Maths from Elevator Sound in Bristol, I got a lovely hand written card in the box thanking me for my custom! how amazing is that!

[Ben Asaro]

Nice touch! I usually deal with Control here in Brooklyn, or Perfect Circuit in CA. I've heard great things about Signal Sound!

[Arpangel]

Nice touch! I usually deal with Control here in Brooklyn, or Perfect Circuit in CA. I've heard great things about Signal Sound!

Ben, Signal are amazing, it came next day delivery! I’m home now, the Storm is sitting unopened, going to have some fun today!

[Ben Asaro]

Do you have a Modular Grid rack showing this setup in complete form, or can you list the modules? Is this totally self-contained, or will you be connecting it to semi-modular?

[Arpangel]

Do you have a Modular Grid rack showing this setup in complete form, or can you list the modules? Is this totally self-contained, or will you be connecting it to semi-modular?

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1015413

Here’s the latest incarnation, can’t seem to improve on this, I was going to use a combination of cheap Doepfer stuff to ad a random element, but the Wogglebug won out.
This is purely for random noise generation, insect and nature type sounds, I have my Matriarch and a Micro Freak for other things, and for some reason, I like to keep my instruments self contained, I don’t like cross-patching, I like trying to get the most out of one thing, the limitations.
The Maths is going to be primarily a great utility, it’s my mixer, two LFO's, attenuators, envelopes, it’s saved me so much space.
The Doepfer delay is great very dirty, and as for other effects, I have enough pedals to keep me going!
The only things I’m going to wonder about are VCA's, although, I may see how I get on, I’ve never been a big user, but they are useful sometimes.

[Arpangel]

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1336683

Here’s a link to my previous design.

[Ben Asaro]

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1015413

That looks like a fun skiff!

I don’t like cross-patching, I like trying to get the most out of one thing, the limitations.

The Doepfer delay is great very dirty, and as for other effects, I have enough pedals to keep me going!

Isn’t that the same thing?

The Maths is going to be primarily a great utility, it’s my mixer, two LFO's, attenuators, envelopes, it’s saved me so much space.

Yup, as long as you don’t have to use more than 1-2 utilities as a time, Maths is a great solution!

The only things I’m going to wonder about are VCA's, although, I may see how I get on, I’ve never been a big user, but they are useful sometimes.

You can use Optomix as a 2 channel VCA, no?

[Drew Stephenson]

My patch as it stands now:

I love the look of this stuff, but given my colossal levels of ignorance I might as well just print it out as a poster and stick it on the wall behind me.

[RichardT]

I added the Eudemonia to my modular over the weekend and started working on a new patch for a piece I'm calling If You Listed Everything You Have Eaten During The Past Month You Would Probably Find A Lot of Chicken.

For me at least, that’s quite true!

[Arpangel]

Yup, as long as you don’t have to use more than 1-2 utilities as a time, Maths is a great solution!

That’s what’s bothering me a bit, if 1/4 are cycling LFO's, that blows them out as envelopes, using the mixer? no attenuators

You can use Optomix as a 2 channel VCA, no?

Yes, that’s what I thought

Blinddrew, if you can use a keyboard synth, you can use a modular. it can be as simple, or as complicated as you want it to be, plus, there are people who are more than willing to help you get started.

[Drew Stephenson]

Blinddrew, if you can use a keyboard synth, you can use a modular. it can be as simple, or as complicated as you want it to be, plus, there are people who are more than willing to help you get started.

This is the only synth I own: https://www.rakits.co.uk/assembly-guides/drum-synth/
(actually that's not true, I have Xpand2! as a software synth as well).

[Ben Asaro]

Yup, as long as you don’t have to use more than 1-2 utilities as a time, Maths is a great solution!

That’s what’s bothering me a bit, if 1/4 are cycling LFO's, that blows them out as envelopes, using the mixer? no attenuators

Calling Dr Disting?

Seriously, that's what the Disting excels at: filling in utility niches. You just have to resist the urge to then buy the dedicated utility after trying it in the Disting!

[Arpangel]

Yup, as long as you don’t have to use more than 1-2 utilities as a time, Maths is a great solution!

That’s what’s bothering me a bit, if 1/4 are cycling LFO's, that blows them out as envelopes, using the mixer? no attenuators

Calling Dr Disting?

Seriously, that's what the Disting excels at: filling in utility niches. You just have to resist the urge to then buy the dedicated utility after trying it in the Disting!

This is where discipline comes in, the Disting, even though it seems like a no brainer, the downsides far outweigh its advantages, for me, personally.

[Arpangel]

OK, the final rack...

https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1015413

No going back now, I’ve got the modules just got to put them in.
This was a good compromise, I didn’t want to buy too much expensive 2hp stuff, if I expand later it won’t make any sense.
The larger Make Noise stuff had to go, it was covering similar ground to what I have already.

[Ben Asaro]

That looks like a solid, well-thought-out skiff!

[The Elf]

Don't worry, Drew. Even some of us steeped in synth-speak don't do modular.

The truth is that it's not as complicated as you'd fear, nor as simple as you'd hope.

[Arpangel]

Don't worry, Drew. Even some of us steeped in synth-speak don't do modular.

The truth is that it's not as complicated as you'd fear, nor as simple as you'd hope.

The beautiful thing about modular is because it’s so individual, it’s a major thrill when it actually works out, and music spills forth, from "your" instrument, I mean not just a few beeps and boops, but a finished piece, or a major contribution to ensemble or performance.
I do seriously believe that there is a critical mass for people who get into modular, for me it was about 9U, and even that was intimidating sometimes, that’s why I want to leave it here, and not expand. My little system does what I want it to do, it’s manageable, I can see at glance what’s happening, and that’s just fine.

[BJG145]

I added the Eudemonia to my modular over the weekend and started working on a new patch for a piece I'm calling If You Listed Everything You Have Eaten During The Past Month You Would Probably Find A Lot of Chicken.

My patch as it stands now:

Speaking as a vegetarian, that's a terrible name for a track.

Nice modular though!

[Arpangel]

I’ve always been a big fan of Doepfer stuff, if I can’t look at a rack and immediately see what a module does I’m not interested. This cuts down patching time, the most important thing.
It’s only recently I started to take on board Make Noise stuff, I resisted it before, but now for some reason it doesn’t seem intimidating at all. I’ve only had my Maths about two weeks and it’s already indispensable.

[resistorman]

I have a small modular rig for processing sound in fun ways featuring a 4ms dual looper, Instruo Arbhar, Zverb, Rings, a Doepfer multi ode filter, and an eq. I cheat a bit by using an iPad for modulation sources. If I could figure out how to post a picture, I’d upload one

[Arpangel]

Blinddrew, if you can use a keyboard synth, you can use a modular. it can be as simple, or as complicated as you want it to be, plus, there are people who are more than willing to help you get started.

This is the only synth I own: https://www.rakits.co.uk/assembly-guides/drum-synth/
(actually that's not true, I have Xpand2! as a software synth as well).

That looks interesting, but when it comes to drums I’m rhythmically inept, maybe that’s why I’m into abstract synths
I think I got into modular because the keyboard synth isn’t really going anywhere interesting for me.
Keyboard synths have definite well defined uses for me, but for genuinely interesting things, that are mysterious still, I think modular is the vehicle for that journey now, especially with all the exciting modules we have now, that we didn’t have in the early days.