#1810

Hi all.

I’m building a small self contained modular for drones/textures to fill in when playing piano. Think Radiohead Scotch Mist style textures.

I have barely anything other than an Ears, uClouds, Links, HPO output and the uZeus. In an 84hp case. I was thinking of getting a micro Plaits, maybe a Stages, but I’m not really sure so asking advice. This skiff I want to be stand-alone, and focussed on creating textures and drones. I can input audio in and run direct into clouds, but sometimes I’d not to do it all in the box.

Thoughts?

#1811

If you’re going to specialize in drones, I would probably choose Zadar or Kermit or another multi LFO over Stages (which is better focused for envelopes, hybrid sequences and some general utilities). You night not find you need Links, or would prefer a mixer with level knobs, but wait and see. You’ll probably want some attenuation for any inputs where it’s not built in.

Plaits is generally good for a small system IMHO (though I wouldn’t personally go for a micro version). An E352, Erica Graphic VCO or Orgone Accumulator would be pretty great for drones, or there’s the upcoming Endorphin.es Godspeed+ and a Ts-L would be a fantastic compact pairing I think. It all comes down to personal preference though.

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#1812

ER-301 or Morphagene. As starthief said, regular sized Plaits and something for attenuation. Micro Plaits will be a hinderance. I also second Zadar. You get a lot of control over the envelopes. NLC Sloths is a really fun modulation source if you don’t mind the lack of control. If you want control Just Friends is a really fun modulator, as many here will attest.

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#1813

echoing @Starthief and @grey a little:

•get a regular Plaits. I agree that the Ts-L would be a good companion if you want a second voice, but also check out the ALM MCO, depends on your tastes/needs.

•maybe don’t get a Stages at this uh stage, unless you anticipate using it for short sequences and an envelope or two. I like Stages a lot but you will likely want another module for modulation services (many good recs above, shockingly no one said Batumi).

•definitely a Shades or a smaller, even passive, attenuator (you have a clouds).

•swapping out Links for the 2hp mixer and a unity mixer (a lot of mixing in 4hp) could be very helpful for mixing “dry” with Clouds stereo for output.

•also check your intentions with Ears (just input?), you may need/want a filter or a Rings (also a very very very fine partner for Plaits and hashtags).

•there’s a 2hp dual VCA or LPG with your name on it (I like Zlob - sum out! - but you do you)

•where are you getting pitch (1v/oct CV) from? do you care?

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#1814

Where am I getting pitch? Good question!

I know I’ll be building larger eventually, so happy to experiment even if it doesn’t work out for the Piano Box as I’m calling it.

I think my next step is a sound source and the Zadar.

#1815

Two birds.

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#1816

I guess I’ll append a rec for the Korg SQ-1 then?

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#1817

What for?

Zadar ordered. Will be feeding in external audio for a bit until I order some sound sources, and a way to sequence (simply).

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#1818

SQ-1 is a super affordable one or two channel cv/pitch sequence/keyb/step or slope voltage source. usb or battery powered, basic quantization options. also a decent midi-usb box. possibly the best value in eurorack.

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#1819

Ahh, ok. I want to keep everything in the case if I can, I have a tiny space and desk space is getting very limited :slight_smile:

The Ears can take external audio and turn that into CV with the envelope follower, not that I know what that means but it’ll be fun to see. Otherwise Mutable Grids has always interested me.

#1820

You won’t get musically useful (read: notes) CV from Ears or Grids as far as sequencing goes. You could quantize Zadar envelopes. You could sub Marbles for Grids. The SQ-1 would give you proper sequencing, which you will find challenging in a small case. I’ve been considering a Mimetic Digitalis, but haven’t used it, so I can’t speak to experience with it.

I guess the questions are: How do you want want to generate notes? Do you want to select them? Do you want them to be generative? Do you want to play them manually? That should narrow down what you are actually looking for.

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#1821

An envelope follower is a circuit for extracting one or more envelopes (nice pictures/animations here) from a wave - usually deriving a CV signal that tracks just the peaks of an audio waveform. On Ears the GATE output is (nb: I have not actually checked the schematic) the output of a comparator comparing this extracted envelope with some fixed threshold, producing an on/off signal that detects notes by checking if the peak of the waveform is high enough.

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#1822

I’d like to select a primary note and then generate a texture based around that note. The notes will rarely change in this rack. That’ll happen, in my head at least, by mixing incoming audio with the generated sounds. The incoming audio will be the piano.

#1823

You can probably just play the Plaits pitch knob then? Give it a try at least. Once you have a version in practice, I find you learn a lot of what you need to know very quickly.

For me, that’s been one of the more challenging parts of modular. As my system has gotten more refined, there’s a lot of stop and go based on having modules on hand. With a more concise case, that will be less of a thing, but I imagine you’ll make a lot of discoveries quickly as you explore!

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#1824

I’ll try that. But just in case I’ve also found this : https://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/2hp-16-Step-Sequencer-2HP/2D3I

But then again, I do love a sequencer, and you can never have too many, so the Digitalis may get a look in. The videos of it look like fun, but I’m supposed to be finishing my norns sequencer and using that as my brain with a grid attached.

#1825

If you want to precompose, the 2hp sequencer is probably fine, but I’d spend more time with modules before getting too invested in the idea of the most compact modules you can find. Maybe you’d love them, but as someone who also considers HP efficiency almost constantly, you may find that having the smallest possible modules is not always as nice as it seems. Some modules want space around their knobs.

Norns is more than sufficient if you’re already invested there, so you don’t really need anything else. You just need a CV interface for it.

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#1826

Kind of an odd question here, but is it possible to either daisy chain or have some kind of A/B patchbay interface for ADAT/Toslink sources?

Basically I have a MOTU Traveller as my main ‘desktop’ interface, and I keep that hardwired to a (shitty) Behringer ADA8000, since it’s handy to be able to record 12inputs every now and again.

I also have an ES-8 module, which serves as the main I/O from my modular, which I would like to plug directly into the MOTU when I’m using it.

The problem is the ADAT connections are behind MOTU, which is rack mounted at the moment.

Is there a simple/elegant way to be able to swap out the ADAT connections without having to dig around behind the rack?

#1827

https://appsys.ch/en/products/adat-splitters-repeaters/ads-8

Something like this?

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#1828

Hmm.

Ok, so that could handle going from MOTU—>ADA8000 and MOTU—>ES-8, but it looks like going from the ES-8 back to the MOTU, along with the ADA8000, I would need some kind of merger/joiner? Or even a switcher?

Is that a thing?

Or is it possible to use both ‘outs’ of this thing as ‘ins’ in some way?

#1829

You could always add a simple 4 step sequencer like https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ladik-s-141-4-step-seq-quantized or https://www.modulargrid.net/e/ladik-s-142-4-step-seq and trigger it to go to the next step with a very slow clock or manually.

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