NiftyKEYZ

[Eddy Deegan]

It arrived today and it's ridiculously good

https://www.soundonsound.com/news/niftykeyz-cre8audio

I've been playing around with it for a couple of hours, trying out a few arrangements of basic modules while getting to grips with it.

There's not much to dislike here; nice velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch, pitch-bend and mod wheels, built-in clock & arpeggiator (the former can sync to external sources, the latter has a repeating step sequencer mode), 4 CV/Gate outputs, built-in LFO, a couple of built-in buffered mults, key latch and glide buttons, heavily configurable, plenty of depth for deep modules, sustain and expression pedal inputs (the latter exposed as a patch point on the top), MIDI DIN in and out on the back along with USB, excellent build quality and very reasonable price.



I've got a couple of new modules on the way as a result. If I'm not back in 3 weeks or so, send food

[zenguitar]

I see it in the Juno mail shot, resisted the temptation, and am now tempted again.

Cheers mate

Andy

[Eddy Deegan]

You're welcome, and sorry, in equal measure Andy!

Considering the price compared to a normal case with power only, it's a huge step up and beautifully combines the convenience of a small synth with the power of modular.

Waldorf did the KB37 five years ago but this takes it to new levels with a longer keyboard and a host of well thought-out and solidly implemented features. Having seen your module collection I think it would be perfect for it as the nerve-centre.

I'll be evolving my modular for a while yet no doubt as the Nifty will be alongside the Arturia Rackbrutes and the Moog stack. I want the Nifty to be usable in a self-contained fashion so the modules I ordered after setting up the Nifty were space-saving utilities in the form of a 5HP 6-channel mixer that can perform stereo duties if required (especially since the Nifty makes stereo operation a breeze), a 5HP-width dual VCA and envelope generators to support a bit of polyphony without taking up too much space and a 4HP Mutable Instruments LINKS for further mult/mix/summing capabilities in a small footprint.

[The Elf]

Got my eye on this one. It would give me more space (beyond my current NiftyCase) to build my 'dream' 2500...


One more U of width and I could have re-used my existing mixer.

And Gear4Music have an offer on the noise generator...

As far as I can see it, the main crime the NK makes is having the wheels in the wrong place, but you can't have everything. I will ignore the external PSU, because only I care.

[Eddy Deegan]

I will ignore the external PSU, because only I care.

I feel your pain. I was looking for those extra modules I described above and everywhere was out of stock of pretty much everything except for Behringer stuff which seems readily available.

There were plenty of Behringer modules in stock that in theory I'd have loved to have grabbed in terms of bang for the buck but they are still on my no-no list. I've resolutely held my ground and only I (and a handful of others perhaps) care.

But for the issues we care about I think it fair to be both discerning and constructively critical. I'm in your camp on the external power supply front.

For what it's worth I just unscrewed an oscillator and peeked into the case. There is only one place an internal power supply could live in it which is at the extreme left at the bottom of the case. The Eurorack power supply in there occupies much of the upper space and there is a control board with the I/O on it also.

I think it would be possible to squeeze a small internal power supply in there under the Eurorack power supply but unless they could be combined there could be issues with heat and clearance so in this instance I'm less inclined to be harsh on them. They could have engineered it to have slightly more space horizontally to accommodate an internal unit but there is quite a lot of difference with, say, the Hydrasynth in this case (pun intended)

PS: Another plus, although an external power supply it is, is that the cable is not the usual flimsy bell-wire affair. It's reassuringly chunky; reminiscent of that on an Alesis Midiverb 4.

[Luke W]

I do like the look of these, although I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go straight from 0 to modular

[Eddy Deegan]

I do like the look of these, although I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go straight from 0 to modular

Hehe... fair point

In truth although modular is undeniably a rabbit hole it can be sensibly used to build a really good, bespoke synth. If you pick a small range of modules (a couple of oscillators, envelope generators, VCAs and filters, all of which can be dualled into single modules along with a utility module or two) to fit the NiftyKEYZ, and stick with them, you can genuinely build a very tasty custom synth as opposed to a stereotypical never-ending modular, even though there will be patch cables involved.

Edit: But if you do, then you're skirting on the edge of the abyss and it may well overcome you

[Aled Hughes]

I wouldn’t be at all surpised if on me of those made its way this way at some stage…

[zenguitar]

Just ordered mine from Juno. And added a quad VCA and a Black Corporation Rachel for good measure.

And this month I have a car and motorbike to MOT, tax, and insure. So that's enough new toys for one month.

Andy

[Luke W]

I do like the look of these, although I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go straight from 0 to modular

Hehe... fair point

In truth although modular is undeniably a rabbit hole it can be sensibly used to build a really good, bespoke synth. If you pick a small range of modules (a couple of oscillators, envelope generators, VCAs and filters, all of which can be dualled into single modules along with a utility module or two) to fit the NiftyKEYZ, and stick with them, you can genuinely build a very tasty custom synth as opposed to a stereotypical never-ending modular, even though there will be patch cables involved.

Edit: But if you do, then you're skirting on the edge of the abyss and it may well overcome you

It definitely interests me (anything modular generally does), and that's certainly the approach I'd take. I'm looking at expanding my I/O in the studio later this year and then it'll probably be synth time, although I've been eyeing up a Summit for a while now, so this may have to stay on the list for a while...

[Arpangel]

I saw this and thought that looks handy, but I can’t think of a reason to get one. Although, I want to build a four oscillator Frankenstein rack, comprising Berry Moog modules, and TipTop Buchla, this could fit the bill, although a three octave keyboard would be better, with more space for modules.

[YashN]

Great hardware, and with 4 CV/Gates too, that can be a great backbone for a composition rig.

[resistorman]

If this had come out a few years ago when I was just starting out in modular it would have changed everything

[Arpangel]

Great hardware, and with 4 CV/Gates too, that can be a great backbone for a composition rig.

If it had hardware Midi out, and sent notes polyphonically.

Red face,

Both boxes ticked!

[t-sun]

If I do take the plunge on Modular at some point, this'll be where I go to start. Full of impressive features (potential for 4 voice poly!) and would pair perfectly with the inevitable wall of modules I'm sure I'd end up with.

[zenguitar]

Received mine this afternoon and loaded a few complete voice modules ready to explore.

Generally very impressed, but slightly disappointed with the actual rack strip. The top and bottom don't quite match up. Modules with oval holes for mounting screws can be encouraged to fit exactly. But a module with exact holes will not align with both the top and bottom strips at the same time. What I might try is slightly loosening the screws fitting the strips in place to see if there's a little bit of play that will encourage better fit.

Andy

[Eddy Deegan]

That's unfortunate Andy. I've tried several combinations of modules in mine so far and all have gone in without any problem at all so if yours persists in being slightly awkward it might well be worth asking the vendor to switch it out for another one.

[zenguitar]

It's not a massive mismatch Eddy. I'm sure it's not beyond my skillset and tool box to sort it out in due course.

Just need to get some patch cables out of the storage boxes in the spare room.

Andy

[Eddy Deegan]

[Martin Walker]

If I do take the plunge on Modular at some point, this'll be where I go to start. Full of impressive features (potential for 4 voice poly!) and would pair perfectly with the inevitable wall of modules I'm sure I'd end up with.

I'm getting more and more tempted, for exactly the same reasons.

It would probably take me weeks (if not months) to amass enough Eurorack knowledge to decide what to purchase to go in it though

Martin

[Eddy Deegan]

If I do take the plunge on Modular at some point, this'll be where I go to start. Full of impressive features (potential for 4 voice poly!) and would pair perfectly with the inevitable wall of modules I'm sure I'd end up with.

I'm getting more and more tempted, for exactly the same reasons.

It would probably take me weeks (if not months) to amass enough Eurorack knowledge to decide what to purchase to go in it though

When approaching modular for the first time I was in a similar position and although I was fortunate enough to be gifted a nice set of Doepfer modules to get me started I was fairly clear on what I'd need to kick off.

Modular draws you in, undoubtedly, but as a starting point it's really a matter of duplicating the core signal chain to be found in most conventional synths, so for anyone thinking of dipping a toe in I'd recommend a couple of oscillators, a couple of mults (signal duplicators), an envelope generator, a VCA, an LFO and a filter.

This small starting point will allow you to construct a basic 2-oscillator monosynth with the ability to modulate (using the LFO) the usual parameters; filter cutoff, PWM and/or anything else that your modules offer as modulation inputs.

That starting point isn't necessarily very exciting but once you've got it up and running and played with it a bit you can start to delve into the endless possibilities offered by additional modules. Function generators such as the Make Noise Maths provide a far more flexible modulation source than the LFO, Swiss-army modules like the Disting from Expert Sleepers provide anything from sample playback/additional oscillator duties to FX and a ton more things besides and with each additional module the possibilities unfold scarily fast.

Prevaricating over this or that model of module is tempting but in the early stages I'd say don't worry about it; just find things that look interesting and go for them. Ring modulators, clock dividers, arp/sequencer modules and so forth are plentiful and once you've got the basic synth working they make a lot more sense to approach one by one as opposed to trying to learn it all at once.

For the basics while getting started, Doepfer modules are very good!

[zenguitar]

And to add to Eddy's wise words...

There are quite a few Eurorack modules that comprise of a single monophonic synth voice with VCO, VCF, VCA, LFO, & ENV and more in a single unit with plenty of patch points.

They can be a useful starting point to which you can add additional modules as and when you identify a need.

Andy

[YashN]

If it had hardware Midi out, and sent notes polyphonically.

I don't care about MIDI in the backbone of my jamming/composition rig.

[YashN]

I am in agreement with the approach suggested by Eddie: being already familiar with Subtractive Architecture, you could start building like this.

However, here is an alternative that I used for my own DIY Analogue Modular: since I was already acquainted with Subtractive and the East Coast School of Synthesis, I chose to go the West Coast route this time.

Thus, my rig also has a Wavefolder for sound sculpting. One of the next modules would have been a Ring Modulator. Actually, my rig still doesn't even have a VCF module.

You could do a bit of both: i.e. alternate from an East Coast module to build a voice, and then add a West Coast one, and so on.

A Module like Maths comes more from the Serge Modular approach, where a single module can be configured into a multitude of functions at different times.

On the other hand, it appears to me that the traditional approach to Modular, especially East Coast, involves the ability to view all modules in front of you to re-patch as you see fit. This does away with the multi-function module in favour of having several modules all laid out for fast patching.

There may be some exceptions here and there, but that's the main thing in modular: the modularity, the modulations and the patching.

Having several multi-function modules veers away from that, but can be a useful consideration if you want to have, say, a portable little rig that you can bring with you on the couch or when you travel.