#124

You might want to consider some of the 1U offerings from Nonlinear Circuits for something more esoteric and interesting. They come in both PulpLogic and Intelligel formats. The Diff-Rect, Signum, and Sloth tiles come to mind.

1 Like
#125

I have two Sloths and the Difference Rectifier in 1u. Really awesome modules that work well in the 1u format.

#126

I am expanding my Doepfer Basic System A-100-BS2 and this is my idea:

image
6A67A0F0-F026-431C-9730-BA114F917510.jpg2208Ɨ1242 763 KB

My question is: do I need the quad VCA?
They say you never have too mang VCA, but the A-100 only has 2 voicesā€¦what do you think?

1 Like
#127

You can use it for CV attenuation. You definitely need that with batumi + nebulae combo. Since both lack attenuation. In fact Iā€™d maybe change quad vca for a couple of something like mutable shades or happy nerding 3xMia

2 Likes
#128

While I do think there is merit to having and using several VCAā€™s, I find in my own patching that I donā€™t actually use that many. Perhaps that means Iā€™m a bad patcher but Iā€™d rather say that the types of patches you make is very individual.
I think @kveyeā€™s point about attenuation is really good and Iā€™d also point to offsets as something Doepfer systems often lack.
I havenā€™t used Shades or 3x MIA myself but I use Levit8 in basically every patch I make.

#129

There is a linear mixer in the A-100 which could be used to process CV

#130

I think having more VCAā€™s becomes usefull if you have something like Pressure Points, where you can use VCAā€™s to act like switches turning on and off various things with presets.
I have two lowpass gates which I use strictly for audio and two 2hp VCAā€™s which work really well for what I mentioned above. I also use a filter as a VCA as well sometimes, I think it sounds nice.

2 Likes
#131

How big is your system? I have a quad VCA and two DPLPGā€™s in a 84hp 12U system and use perhaps half of that at most.

#132

I have 9u at 104hp. I have a patch right now going where Iā€™m using all of my VCAs, but its partially for functional reasons to allow a signals to pass through for various reasons when I trigger a Pressure Points pad.

1 Like
#133

I would heavily consider the Mimeophon in place of the Black Hole. I know itā€™s not a 1:1 swap, but, Iā€™d say itā€™s worth considering.

#134

Too late :slight_smile: The trautonium, rings and black hole DSP units are already there.
I really love Make Noise stuff and I have a 0 Coast already (so fun!), but they are a little too pricey for my budgetā€¦that doesnā€™t mean that I wonā€™t get a Shared system when I retire!

Here I am more concerned about VCAs, as I only have an exponential one and a linear one and they sound pretty different, then with that story that you never get too many VCAs I was going to buy a Quad VCA, but I am still confused and doing research

#135

thanks this is helping, I was also thinking that maybe having more VCAs would help me make my sequences more interesting (I am referring to the first minutes of Mylar Melodiesā€™ "You can never have too many VCAs video on youtube)

#136

I have 9 straight up VCAs/LPGs and 3 modules that can easily be patched as VCAs (1 ring mod and 2 crossfaders) in 478hp + 126hp of 1u. This isnā€™t counting Planar, which has 4 more VCAs.

80% of the time I donā€™t use all of them but the other 20% I run out. If I start doing patches with pseudo velocity or or amplitude modulation they get used up pretty quickly.

Also, different VCAs have different responses and overall sound qualities so having a variety is nice. The WMD/SSF Amplitude is awesome for classic East Coast patches for instance, whereas I like to use the Optomix and DPLPG for noisier patches that donā€™t use a traditional filter. The uVCA I use primarily for modulating CV or for feedback patching (although it sounds great as an audio vca as well).

2 Likes
#137

Iā€™ve got one dual VCA (Tallin) and Cold Mac, and one dual LPG (Natural Gate), in 456HP. Sometimes I donā€™t use any of them, relying on manual level controls and voices that have their own amplitude control. But I do also have an ES-3, ES-6 and Bitwig Grid if I need more VCAs.

(Oh, and when I remember, I also have a couple of 0HP vactrol LPGs.)

2 Likes
#138

You can save a lot of money if you build it yourself and opt for silver panels for the top row! Iā€™m still amazed that I was able to afford one in about a year of saving and selling!

1 Like
#139

True, I was thinking about adjusting levels manually myself, but then I realised that the Quad VCA can be used to process CV as well and I fell in love :slight_smile:

#140

i am currently mulling over this swap. I bought my BH2 about 3-4 months before mimeophone came out and wish i had waited. Black Hole is great - but is a pretty traditional FX unit, where as mimeo just seems to be off the charts.

#141

The quad VCA will be immensely useful once you learn how to get creative with it. If you like crazy unpredictable stuff ā€“ which is the main reason to get into modular in the first place ā€“ youā€™ll get a lot of mileage cross-patching feedback loops between it and Batumi. The results will drive your other modules into totally wild and unexpected places.

3 Likes
#142

A question for all those here who are far more versed in modular ways than I am as yet.

This is my (almost) current (semi-)modular setup:

image
image.jpg889Ɨ552 257 KB

I also have a Nyx v1, Erebus v2 (do I like Dreadbox? Why yes I do, how did you guessā€¦?), a Lifeforms SV-1 Blackbox and 0-Coast patched in to the above in various combinations, with anything and everything sequenced by an SQ-1, a Urzwerg Pro MkII and an Analog 4, usually synced together.

I have been making some sort of dubby electronica for the last few years, though am by no means fixed on that path; Iā€™d like to get more generative and abstract, and to that end am considering a Tides or Erica Swamp to set the balls rolling and tumbling, probably quantised using the Disting Mk 4, particularly using the Antiphon as and when it joins the setup. So which might be the better option between the two, and what am I missing or overdoing, are there any alternatives, or things that could be used from the semi-modulars in particular?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions.

#143

Hi guys,

I am rediscovering VCV rack now that I have my modular synth as way to try modules that I donā€™t have. So I was thinking of a way to integrate VCV Rack with my setup without buying any new module. ā€¦can I use my Doepfer A-190-4 to integrate VCV Rack with my hardware? If yes, do you know how?