Talk me out of moving most of my setup to eurorack

Oh, yeah.
Like: you think you need a module?
Wait for a whole month. Think you need it again? Wait again. Then, go for it.
Unless you have large amounts of money I guess.
Resist impulse buying. Always.

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Also, in my experience “moving” or “exchanging” all your gear into modular is really the wrong approach. There’s many types of gear that are just way less expensive and better suited as regular format synths or machines. For example drum machines and poly synths are waaaay more expensive, bigger, and cumbersome to recreate in Eurorack. So to me it’s more realistic to see Eurorack as an addition. Which also means it’s an additional cost.

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Most fun comes from fucking around with envelopes. Reshaping them, retriggering them, mixing them together via logic gates and so on. Pam’s on it’s own is a bit boring and does not provide that eurocrack crazyness of crosspatching. For me, it’s an utility module, not a primary modulator. It’s good for clock and triggers and perhaps some random gates but I suggest you getting at least a few interesting envelope or function generator modules. That’s why stuff like Maths is so popular. It just opens so much new cool stuff that you can’t get that so easily and intuitively in softsynths.

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Some of the things you can EASILY(EASILY!!!) do on the A4 would be an absolute nightmare creating the same effect on modular(and this is ignoring the p locks)

Even if you have ALL the existing modules needed. The patching route would be a nightmare.

You could easily create a rats nest of patch cables trying to imitate just one voice of the modulation possibilities of the A4

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This was nearly exactly my experience. Hated the patch cable mess. Sold the eurorack, bought the Moog sound studio 3.
I’m still on the fence about that, ha. But last couple of days I’ve figured out a couple more things… So it will stay for awhile.
I’ll go back to eurorack when I can build the exact small system I want, not something I cobbled together because I got good deals on the modules.

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Slow is the way to go, but it’s not always easy. Personally I’d start off with a Maths every time, that’s the best toe-in-the-water module in my view. Pam’s is a great toolbox, but a fair amount of what it offers is already covered by your Moogs. Maths will open up a wealth of new possibilities for the gear you already have, and also provide a bridge to other modules. Where you go from there depends on what you want to do - I started with a Maths and Wogglebug, which was perfect for me because I wanted Krell patches and uncertainty.

In terms of replacing non-modular gear, that can be a big job. Even something relatively simple on the synth front like a Monologue, you’re talking a lot of components and a lot of money. But with the Moogs you’re in a good position to start off by expanding - identify what you wish they could do, and find a module that does it. They’re not especially amazing for modulation, so that’s a great area to explore. They’re very East Coast, so there are plenty of West Coast modules that can expand them quite substantially (wavefolders, low pass gates, random sources). You’ll probably find that bath water and baby is the best combo.

But equally, when you’re identifying what’s missing, consider if that gap has to be filled by modular. Would a 0-Coast be suitable, for example? Cheap Behringers can be a source of modular expansion without having to commit to the form factor or the cost.

Don’t let yourself be put off investigating, though - modular can be endlessly rewarding, if it’s for you. Just prepare yourself by taking any opportunity life offers you to practice your self-control.

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True enough, and there are some monosynths out there (like the Pro3) that can take this even further (only one voice though).

I have both a Pro 3 and an A4, so while I have an Intellijel 7u, I’ve only added things to it very, very slowly. A Doepfer multimode 12dB filter, a Studio Electronics Mixer, some attenuverters, and Intellijel Noise Tools (an APC is on the way, slowly). I’ve looked at the NE sound generators and also things like Edges or even the Chipz module, but nothing has quite had me jump to buy yet. I figure I should get at least one oscillator/sound generator and a function generator but I haven’t found the one yet. Intellijel Quadrax seems like what I’d go with for functions, but I can’t decide how lowfi to go with my oscillator. This reminds me, I need to source some blanks.

My plan is I ought to be able to do things in euro I can’t do with something like the a4 or pro3, but that makes finding modules (that I also want to use) tricky, as a basic mono voice is already well-covered ground. Sequencing, too - I have a keystep, unless I am ready and willing to get super weird, why just recreate that function in a tiny module?

To pmags: I wouldn’t try to recreate your other stuff. Maybe go down the rabbit hole of sequencers for a bit (and I mean learning about what is available). There are lots of options in eurorack but they all have their quirks and all have different UIs. That might temper your enthusiasm a bit.

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If you don’t mind using a computer(probably a blasphemous statement in a modular thread) but Nodal 2 is like a shattered Elektron sequencer when you get into it. Sends every midi message you want, can change midi channels between steps.

Talking about it makes me want to actually dive into its more advanced midi capabilities

Oh, wow - that looks neat.

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Right?!

I’ve only really dipped my toe into it, and when you experiment with parallel outputs with loops/conditional directions you can run the risk of massive feedback. But its pretty effing crazy

I am pretty sure you are not the one who do the cleaning in that house.

Maybe ask that person first.

Care to share the patch notes?

o__o

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I managed to reset the calibration on mine 10 minutes after putting it in my case :sweat_smile:

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I would, but I don’t want to get flagged.

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The novelty will wear off and you will feel the inconvenience of having to patch and pull a patch and the utter workflow killer that it is. Once the pain of patching sets in, you will soon realize the convenience of presets. You will sell your modular gear and replace with groove boxes and stand alone synths. A few years will go by and you will long for the freedoms of modular architecture again and fall down the rabbit hole when you realize all the advancements that have been made in eurorack, and the cycle repeats. Eventually you will realize that ITB production is king and settle into a workflow free of cables and a rats nest of power supplies.

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I’m not the OP, but I love patching and don’t think it’s difficult.

I unpatch whenever I’m done unless I have a good reason to need to come back to it the next day.

I can understand it not being for everyone but it also helps if you have not only a good understanding of your modules but a good understanding of what limitations you want to set for yourself.

Modular can be an open ended thing with endless options should you choose to afford it, but it can be far more constrained if you take the time to build it with some purpose.

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You will look way more cooler on InstaFaceTok with all the squiggly cables and blinky lights. That’s a pro.

You’ll be stealing peoples puppies to sell on the black market to get your next module. That’s a con.

Use that website where you can add up all the modules you will need to make the system you want that will adequately replace all your current gear then come back and tell us the price.

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I don’t dare! :wink:

Besides, I can send myself to the poor house with my desktop / keyboard / FX pedal addiction just fine thank you!

For me, one trap with modular was getting sidetracked by the modular “scene” rather than focusing on applying the tools to my own practice. Met some cool people but in that scene it often felt like the tools were an end unto themselves rather than a means to an end. No slight to modular folks, like I said I met some great people, but the scene just wasn’t aligned to my musical goals or vision.

From a practical system design perspective I echo what others here have said: go slow and with very considered attention to what you want to achieve. In my studio, this ended up being a canvas for hands on sample/granular based sound design and sequencing experimentation. But I sure wasted some skrilla getting to that place.

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Some of the clichés about Eurorack are kind of overblown imo. It really doesn’t have to be this all-encompassing thing, it doesn’t need to be a complete overhaul, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be that expensive.

I had a couple of synths and drum machines that I barely used, sold them to fund the modular and I’m way more productive now. The common assumption that modular makes things more complicated and kills productivity doesn’t have to be true. My setup is smaller and more focused now, and in many ways much more simple, which I never would have expected going into it.

Lots of people on YouTube make great music with small racks. It really doesn’t have to break the bank or be a slippery slope.

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