I’ve had some modular kit for a while but never really got to grips with it. It needs a re-think, or a re-start. I’ve GASsily bought esoteric modules/oscillators, probably too many for the case, and not enough modulators, utilities etc. There are no FX currently, and I need filters I expect (although benjolin & synchrodyne have them), and to fill out the 1u row. It feels confused, thrown together and without a purpose.
I want to do generative/drone/ambient, but also some modular techno. Would be sequencing with OT and doing drums on Rytm. I could switch up the modules for each purpose.
What I have is below. I also have an 0-coast and I thought of racking that, and take out all the other sound sources to start with and concentrate on getting the most out of 0-coast plus other utilities. Or similar with one of synchrodyne, cyclebox, DPO or Benjolin.
Buy that book Patch & Tweak and read it. Most of the fun does not come from expensive Mutable Instruments or Make Noise modules, but from all kinds of utilities like mixers, multiples, attenuinverters, sequential switches, trigger sequencers, logic and so on. Also, some kind of neat MIDI interface would be required. Maybe ExpertSleepers FH-2 or Mutant Brain.
I’d say you can use that gap (plenty of space, IMO) that’s left and buy a bunch of these utility modules from Dopefer or something similar. They’re usually cheap.
Don’t buy or sell anything and focus on a few essential modules you have already: DPO, Quadrax, the 1U utilities and Veils. Then determine what you need when you get there.
It sounds like you’ve already correctly diagnosed the issues imo. I think for the time being it’s probably not a bad shout to focus on a single voice in your existing case and see what you can do with the utilities you do have. OT via MIDI 1U + DPO, Quadrax, Veils, Paths and Plague Bearer make up a pretty powerful monosynth with tons of possibilities. You can also send that through OT for some FX, though they won’t be quite as well integrated as FX modules would be. Put these next to each other in the case and spend some time patching them together. Learn what you need for your case from what you find yourself missing while patching.
You might find while patching that to get all you can out of DPO you need all the power of those other modules - that should be some indication of what the true cost of having this many sound sources in your case is. A mixer or two can help with that problem, but you still may run out of modulation for the other oscillators. But that brings me back to the previous point - best way to learn what makes sense for your needs is patching.
If you want to make generative stuff you can do some tricks with the OT (plenty of videos on youtube), but if you want to do it ‘the modular way’ you need a quantiser at a minimum. You could use OT’s random LFO in trig hold mode through the MIDI 1U in place of a traditional Source Of Randomness module, but you’ll be missing out on some of the unique things you can get in eurorack (like random modules where you can lock in a loop once you hear something you like, like Turing Machine/Marbles). A nice 1U module to get a bunch of random/S+H/T+H/noise CV stuff is Intellijel’s Noise Tools.
It can be used in ‘dual mode’ for two voices from two MIDI channels, but you lose the (pretty useful when you’ve got an OT) CC and Mod outputs - you get two rows of pitch / velocity / gate. I guess you could use the mult with that to control most of the sound sources, but it really depends on what subduct is intending to do with all the oscillators.
Thanks everyone for the replies. Consensus then is start some patches and don’t make hasty buy/sell decisions. I can do that.
@lesstalkmoredisco@dokev
For MIDI yes currently 1u only but you can get an expander giving 4 more jacks/channel. So I think 2x MIDI in and 2x audio out (to OT).
For randomness yes I would love marbles (maybe a clone now it’s discontinued and seems to have doubled in price
Here are some videos of Benjolin & Cyclebox (precursor to Intellijel Shapeshitfer I think)
cyclebox has depths that go unexplored. it was my fav sound source in modular for synth sounds and beyond. it can be really fast too because no menus and you just have to feel your way and over time you’ll know how to get back to certain places. but really, there’s no other oscillator in eurorack that sounds as good and as varies at the cyclebox. i far preferred it over the Shapeshifter mostly because of the UI but also the sound.
it’s all over my modular releases. can sound like a weird horn, massive bass thing, plinky plonky toy, noise shifting weirdness etc… just a beast of an oscillator. it’s one of the things i miss.
eg the sound the comes in at about 4:23 in this track
main synth sound in this track that morphs all the way through. kind of a bass stabby thing.
all over this track too.
in short… it’s all over my modular stuff for years! just reliving the glory here. i’ll go now.
Good advice above. You’ve got the core of something suited to the type of music you want to make. Yes, you have too many esoteric oscillators, but each of them is interesting in a different way. Maybe keep DPO and one other in the rack, and then rotate the others through slowly (like once a month). I wouldn’t rack the 0-coast, but keep it at hand in case you want to throw in some extra modulation. Don’t rush into in-rack FX, you have external ones at hand. A bread-and-butter filter might be nice (or can Plague Bearer act respectably?).
At the very least get another Intellijel midi module to allow more control via the OT.
I find you can never have enough mixers and attenuators to allow for more control over the full strength signals. Acid Rain Junction is very neat and compact. It can also operate as a mult which I also think you can’t have enough of.
If you’re making drone and ambient consider modules that might enable feedback patching. Bastl Dynamo is pretty neat.
The Versio range is really great for ambient stuff and can be flashed depending of what sound you’re after.
Low pass gates always sound great on hard oscillators. I particularly am digging the Steady State Gate as it can work as a filter, has distortion and can plop out envelopes.
Well it’s colloquially known as ‘shredder’ and in use that’s pretty true - respectable it is not!
I think at least one filter is a must and I like the look of dual borg, or epoch twin peak. Steve’s MS22 also sounds boss, but man that’s a cramped module (then so is synchrodyne).
Have you considered a modular sequencer like the Erica Synths Black sequencer? That really helped me be productive on modular instead of dealing with cv to midi using the OT that for me was a pain to deal with modular even when I had it working.
This is why I wanted it, even though it remains unexplored by me so far!
Walker Farrell did a series of sounds on it (which hooked me in, but I can’t put my hands on that just now. All the descriptions are here but the soundcloud links are dead:
I’m coming with a techno system in mind, cause I can’t say anything about ambient and drone stuff.
I enjoy my modular as a fairly smal (6U to 9U) space for a few voices to add to an Elektron drum machine. You already have a couple of full-voice modules if I understand the Tellharmonic and Synchrondyne correctly. Id take them as a great starting point to work with. I would ditch the DPO for now, and focus on the full voice modules.
I’d add modulation (specifically LFO like Twin Waves Mk2, Batumi, or that new Shakmat Mod Medusa). And sequencing power. Either one good sequencer like Erica Black Sequender or something similar. Or FH-2 or similar to sequence multiple voices from your OT.
