#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:

2 Likes
#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.

1 Like
#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?
3 Likes
#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!

2 Likes
#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.

2 Likes
#401

I’ve got one of these and I lurv it

image
image1024×768 101 KB

Birdkids Bateleur 42hp System

2 Likes
#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.

3 Likes
#403

20 characters of and the compressor too!

1 Like
#404

Agreed. I wish Elektron would be more complete with their product features. It seems they intentionally forego at least a couple critical features on each device to pressure consumers to buy more than one box.

#405

I built this little ALM system recently. I’m kind of missing a few things that wouldn’t fit, but maybe it’s for the best. I feel like it’s much easier for me to focus on what’s going on with limitations. I love eurorack fx modules, but I think they are too much of a distraction for me.

image
image4032×3024 3.55 MB

16 Likes
#406

pretty! love the re-knob on the Akemie’s.

1 Like
#407

it might be worth looking into Tip Top Audio’s happy ending kit. Its about 130usd for 84hp rails and a power module. Its rack mountable but also is able to sit stand-alone on a desktop. (or you can be a crazy person like me and built a simple pine rack to hold 9 happy endings)

1 Like
#408

This is so much fun:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKocRw4hA3o/?igshid=rfx1oe3d57vr

IMG_20210129_151605_967
IMG_20210129_151605_9674248×2224 2.2 MB

Finally assembled it a few days ago, after getting the final piece (2hp Nearness), and now spent some time with it today, making music for a theatrical play in March.

11 Likes
#409

how are you getting on w very little modulation? techniques or tips?

#410

The case is so small you can do most things by hand. Other than that, the VC Transitions is excellent for macro control of many parameters, and it works excellently with the CV Out from the Morphagene. I enjoy amplitude as a parameter modulation, it is very natural, so plugging that to modulate a bunch of things works for me more than an LFO would.

4 Likes
#411

That VC transitions looks very interesting

1 Like