#384

Watch out your system doesn’t get to menu divy for your tase. Some people don’t have a problem with it but some will. If you rely on pams for envelopes it will add another screen with menu’s. To each their own :wink:

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#385

Yeah I think i’ll build it as planned and see if I can do enough with teletype’s internal metronome architecture + triggers from maths, wogglebug, morph, & JF for now. Thanks :slight_smile:

#386

This is a small doepfer “skiff” (desktop unit actually) that’s going be a small ambient instrument.

The Teletype+friends are going to provide triggers and note sequencing. The Loafers will handle LFO duties - over the Quad VCA channels or filters, or both.

Obviously I could put just about any samples into the STS. Longer wav files could provide ambiance for melodic content.

I plan to use the matrix mixer as an FX send. It’s a simple setup designed to provide a stereo pair out. I have a sort of psuedo panning by using stereo pairs out of the matrix mixer into the fx.

I’ve just got the Teletype, TXo and TXi installed at the moment. In an effort to learn the Telex commands I’ve had a blast making drones, chords, and playing with the wavetable oscs.

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#387

I notice that between Blinds/Tangle Quartet/Maths, a huge chunk of your real estate is devoted to the genre of VCA/mixing-type duties, yet there is no simple stereo submixing ability. so if you want to use Morphagene or Mimeophon in stereo, your whole patch has to run through it.

I recommend you ditch the HPO and eke out another 2hp somewhere else (maybe downsize the Tangle Quartet to a Happy Nerding 3xVCA?).
Then use that 4hp for the Music Thing Startup - simple stereo submixer, simple tap tempo clock source with subdivisions, headphone amp. solves a lot of problems at once!

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#388

Just wanted to throw this YT link on here. @maf is a huge inspiration for creating/performing a smaller system. My plans have already changed a fair bit from my above post and I can’t wait to continue pursuing modular as something cohesive and somewhat performable.

https://youtu.be/kbKgLoBm0T0

Also, I saw the post with images of making the DIY case, but any resources on how to build something like this would be great!

3 Likes
#389

hey! hoping to get some advice on building a very small modular unit but feeling very bamboozled by all the options! as my starting point is always from samples, I am hoping to create interesting textures using a small hands on system, then composing the material separately with Norns on a tape script like Oooooo. I am pretty sold on a Morphagene from what I have seen and understand, but want some good filters to go with it. Interested in including the Twin peak resonator/filter by Klangbau Köln or Three Sisters, QPAS by Makenoise. I have a Motu interface with dc coupled outs and Ableton, but was thinking to have a PAMs workout module in there to do the CV. Soundwise, I am very into artists like Jan Jelinek or Pole. My budget is around 1000, any thoughts?

#390

if morphagene is your vibe then the tape and microsound system might be a reasonable framework of a system to look at. It is roughly double your budget, but as inspiration. If you’re into that I would suggest that maths + morphagene would be the more appropriate starting place, and it would give you a little bit more left over in your budget to see where you want to go next. “modular” is all about modulation, so my feeling is just getting morphagene+qpas for example would take up too much of your budget when modulation should be the higher priority. You also have to consider the expenses of a case and power, etc. If you’re willing to wait and think you might be able to increase your budget, a system like the Tape and Microsound is a better value-for-money than buying individually because of these semi-hidden costs. If not, I would definitely suggest buying used—or even better, getting a tape and microsound system used if you can find one :slight_smile: just a morphagene and maths alone is legitimately a standalone modular instrument. this little system might be something to look at for example (I’d guestimate $1,500 but could be a little less if you buy used and make your own case): https://youtu.be/vPE5fy5g0_E

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#391

Morphagene is around 600, good filter around 300, a powered case is 300.
I don’t think it’s feasible to do it for around 1000.
New ADDAC granular device seems more capable as standalone than morphagene, though a bit bigger. I’d look into it, and then looked at some modulations and a stereo version of ripples.
On the other hand octatrack can do about 80% of what such sample based system would do. Except fine granulation.

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#392

thanks! Yeah Maths and Morphagene looks to make more sense, that loopop system looks good. I would be buying second hand hopefully. Yeah its a shame power and case are so expensive just to get started. what do you mean by a tape and micro sound system? Is that something specific or you mean actual tape?

@kveye thanks! yeah would be second hand so the prices would be a bit less. The ADDAC device looks cool is that this one? ADDAC System Launches ADDAC112 VC Looper & Granular Sampling : Ask.Audio
Need to think about the Octatrack again but I find it a bit off-putting in some ways…set ups and menu diving etc. Ripples looks nice!

#393

That one, yeah.
I find myself using octatrack more often than modular since getting it.
Also, the menu diving and setup bit is similar to patching. You do it in the beginning, and then you can perform or twist knobs.
For looping and sample tweaking is not super complicated. Though if you are on the control freak side I get the intimidation of octa :slight_smile:

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#394

https://www.makenoisemusic.com/synthesizers/tape-and-microsound-music-machine

also if you’re in the UK i think the ALM busy circuits “system coupe” might be comparably priced. different vibe, but sampler focused. could be very interesting for the type of music you’re interested in. again, over your budget but could be worth saving up for.

havent used the octotrack but its useful to think about why you’re getting a tool. getting in to modular will be most rewarding if you’re interested in the workflow (I think) rather than a particular module. Sample manipulation and sequencing can be done more easily other ways… sometimes that ease helps make room for other creativity, sometimes the conundrums of modular breed creativity… it depends what inspires you.

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#395

I think in sample based workflow there are some questions to be asked of yourself:

  • How much computer do you want involved?
  • Do you want to perform and play with multiple samples at the same time?
  • Do you want to extract textures that come from granulating a tiny bit of audio?
  • Do you want for such system to play along/sync with other devices?
  • what do you have for effects?
  • What do you want your process to be?
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#396

@renegog thanks, interesting to see these options and think about it a bit more and what I actually want from a system. It is something to do with finding that optimum workflow rather than the perfect module or effect for sure.

this discussion is very helpful as might be talking myself out of spending!

@kveye thanks for laying out these questions, they are spot on.

I think in answer to some of them, my thinking comes from having amassed a personal collection of samples over a long period and wanting to build lots of textures out of them. Generally i will have sampled it with an ear for how it would sound with certain processing, i.e pitched down, granulated or smeared etc. I suppose its an inspiration thing and the ability to get going fast which I sometimes struggle with in DAW. Also playing multiple samples at a time is important in order to build quickly. I really like the idea of something like radio music where a system is going through selections of material say. I’m currently trying to organise the sounds into roughly the same key or to be harmonic with eachother if layered randomly or unexpectedly. Extracting textures is probably the key to it. I do get nice results in Max for Live and granulation there so perhaps doing it in modular is a bit excessive…

I am quite curious about exploring filters in modular too, so I suppose feeding them samples is enticing!

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#397

Hey there folks, I have often found modular instruments handy to bring together in the 4MS Pods. I use them as some kind of sub-patching in a way.

For example, I have some Pods that are mostly audio signal paths. Similarly I have some which are CV signal paths, mixed modulations for example. Also I have one which is MIDI/CV and another which is like a DC Coupled audio interface with some extra bits and bobs.

I also include some basic utilities in each of these which is handy. Just another thought or take on the idea, cheers :mountain:

3 Likes
#398

im not really the person to be giving advice here but since i tried this same thing, i’ll say that i’ve found nebulae v2 to be the most satisfying granular module for extracting texture and rearranging samples into abstract loops for happy accidents, which sounds like what you’re looking to do maybe. mutable warps is a good way to further process that with it’s frequency shifter, ring mods, vocoders (parasites firmware helps a lot). then an analog filter and some sort of complex but controllable lfo and/or function generator like maths or one of the cheaper alternatives to modulate the grain looper and filter. the little 84hp rack i built for that purpose was great. very fun sound mangling machine for extracting textures and weird noises from samples, external instruments and sound sources within the rack (like noise generators or filter pings). but it got to the point with me where i would end up just fucking around with weird sounds forever and never actually making anything with them, so i sold it for more elektron stuff.

octatrack is great but it does lack that more advanced level of granular sampling and newer effects processing that you’re probably used to in ableton and building a small modular setup is a fun way to make your own hands on version of that. if i were to try again, i would get a nebulae v2 again or the new addac granular module, miso cornflakes and/or bicycle granular modules, maths/ochd/batumi/nlc neurons, mutable blades, some kind of eq (maybe happy nerding), a mixer/vca, an input module, and warps. and a bigger rack. because it seems like in order to make modular really make sense practically, you need a lot of components. or else it’s just a weird jumbled pedalboard

3 Likes
#399

Having read the replies and seeing how you describe your interest and budget, I would suggest considering getting a Push and some other MIDI controllers and focusing on Ableton and Max for Live for now And I’m pretty well down the eurorack rabbit hole already, so I’m not a hardware naysayer.

My thinking is that you already have a very powerful and flexible vehicle for playing and manipulating samples, and lots at a time. What modular would give you that a laptop can’t is hands on control, and the immediacy of manually making connections with patch cables, and not having to look at a screen. That is awesome, but good knobby midi controllers can get you very far down the road, and there is no costs for cases, power, and all the ancillary utility modules you will invariably want for a eurorack system.

Then you can save for a more capable eurorack rig while spending more time researching…

Just a thought, of course.

Enjoy the adventure!

4 Likes
#400

If you haven’t tried it yet, and you have an iOS device, I’d really recommend messing with borderlands. It offers a wonderful hands on interface for generating textures out of a sample library.
A gr-1 would be in your price range. And while it can be frustrating, it can make incredible harmonic textures.

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#401

I’ve got one of these and I lurv it

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Birdkids Bateleur 42hp System

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#402

I’ve recently come to appreciate stand alone mentality. I think there is value in having everything all in one case but for me I felt more comfortable after removing drums from my modular rack to have the rack focused on drone, soundscapes, and CV modulation. I’m also using a Grandmother which I often use as a separate voice in my jams but it also integrates flawlessly as one system with my rack.

A couple downsides to stand alone instruments is it’s certainly a lot more gear and power cables to manage for setting up for gigs. Also, if you’re mixing modular and something like an Elektron box it can be difficult to context switch between the menu system of an Elektron and patching/knob turning on modular. At least I noticed I struggle with jumping between the two.

Though I recently had a bit of a shift in viewing how I use my Digitakt. I’m currently routing my modular output through the Digitakt and using it sort of like a single input mixer. And in the event something really interesting comes up I can immediately sample it and start working a track out. This is more of a composition set up and I wouldn’t use it for live play but it’s really fun. I just wish you could route external inputs on the Digitakt through it’s reverb.

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#403

20 characters of and the compressor too!

1 Like