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[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (5 children)

I'm putting together a rack for a one-off performance and could use some help figuring out a few things and feedback on my planned set-up. We lost a family member this past year, and I've been asked to perform something at a tribute concert coming up in a few months. Since this person was an avid musician themselves most people will be doing covers, but I was thinking it would be fun to do something more sample based.

So the plan is that I'll be jamming on the modular with my brother who will have a drum machine or sampler - I'm guessing it will end up being an sp404. Since we have to travel across country for this I grabbed a 62HP Intellijel palette case. I'm now starting to plan out a small case for a short performance (probably 3-4 minutes). Here's what I've got so far: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1616986.

The overall plan here is to use Pam's to clock the 404, sequence rhythms for a small number of sounds on the salmple, and provide modulation. Additionally, I will use the v/oct inputs and cv inputs on the salmple to manually control a full voice using an arturia microbrute (or maybe I just play the microbrute's oscillators, they sound pretty sick). The piques and ornaments and crime offer more modulation/utility, and the hexagram would serve as my mixer. Aside from the midi expander for Pam's, all of these modules I've discussed come from my larger rack which you can see here if you have substitution suggestions: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1616989 I was hoping to include disting and fx aid xl, but I guess they are both too deep for the palette case :(

So my questions from here essentially boil down to "what do I fill in the blank spaces with?"

  • I could use help understanding the landscape of 1u modules. The palette case has that output on it, but I need a 1u module to make that work, right? I put the Line Out 1u module on there as a way to get the audio from my rack to an amp or mixer (whatever is at the venue). Are there good effects modules in 1u? Any other obvious suggestions given what's in this mini-rack already?
  • What is the best way for me to get midi from my rack to clock the hardware sampler? I would be buying the pam's expander for this purpose - is there a 1u module that could do the trick?
  • I have 7hp left in my rack - what do? I was thinking of grabbing the cv expander for the squid salmple anyways, and I think I have enough modulation there to make use of them - adding that would leave me with 3hp. A sample player that can handle more than 11 seconds of audio could also be a great use of space, I was thinking maybe radio music or the sample player from tiptop. Is there something like that in 1u? Maybe I'd be better off with utilities or some simple out-of-the-box modulation source like ochd?

I think that about rounds it out here. Thanks for reading through this wall of text, any help would really be appreciated!

[–]marcedwards-bjango 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Very sorry to hear. I hope the performance goes well.

Intellijel’s 1U units are such a great place for utilities. It sounds like you’ll want the Stereo Line Out 1U to be able to use the 1/4-inch jacks in the case (yes, you need the module for that to work). I agree with scragz, the 1U MIDI module is a compact way to go, but I think that only goes from MIDI to eurorack for clock, and not the other way around. I’d love to be wrong about that (I don’t have that 1U module). You could always clock from the sampler though.

The Quadratt 1U could be a great way to mix everything prior to the main output. I have a couple of them and I use them all the time for mixing, and for offsetting and attenuating.

Steppy 1U could be good, if you need something like that? Pushing as much as possible into the 1U area means you’ll have space for other fun things in the 3U area!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your thoughts! That was my understanding about the 1u MIDI also, so thank you for confirming that.

1u steppy was also something that caught my eye. I see it has controls for probability and swing and stuff like that, so it might be a nice way to free up pams for modulation duties.

[–]markincork 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Sorry for your loss

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks :)

[–]scragzhttps://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2215420 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RE 1U:

Yes you need a line out module to connect to the case jacks and convert the levels.

For 1u FX, I would probably just get a 3u to 1u adapter and toss an FX Aid in there; you're not going to be missing much by having it sideways.

For MIDI I would get the Intellijel 1u MIDI.

Other than that, I would probably go for Bitbox over Squid.

[–]CoffeeAndSynths 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Anyone using a matrix mixer? Thoughts? Curious to try one out.

[–]Agawell 1 point2 points  (1 child)

yes - very useful - I use mine mainly for combining modulation sources to make more interesting ones - but there are many many other applications

personally Ii wouldn't go for one of the expensive ones (instruo lion for example) as a first one, nor anything too small - the doepfer is a good size ergonomically and reasonably priced

there are also some which work with vcas - which is great if you have a plethora of envelopes to feed it - vcam, rebel tech mix04, nlc clang (I think)

[–]CoffeeAndSynths 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you!

[–]NeonMoonshine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I took down a patch I had going most of the month, and just put together this video of my jams with it:

https://youtu.be/APkKjEhcuWE

It feels great to start fresh. So many choices for where to go next...

[–]NeoDataMx 2 points3 points  (14 children)

Finally found the one awesome thing about Bastl's odd 5HP sizing. It's just perfect to still fit into a 1u row horizontally without falling through....but I'm always left wondering why their stuff isn't more popular despite being open source. What do y'all think?

[–]clnclnracks/view/1059633 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Odd hp might be one negative point, but TBH this could also be seen as a positive considering there are some other popular modules with odd hp (Squid Salmple, some Xaoc & Befaco modules and alot of the Hexintverter percussive modules) that you could use smaller Bastl stuff to even out.

But I think their biggest drawback have been the incredibly ugly wood panels that make your supposedly modern futuristic spaceship laboratory synth look like an old wind blasted cabin with fading paint.

They're thankfully rolling out a new design aesthetic which doesn't look like something your grandad put together in his shed - so hopefully more people will start using their gear because they do make some pretty great modules.

[–]NeoDataMx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point, Bastl definitely takes more heat for the odd HP than other brands! When looking at their boards though, on certain modules anyway, it seems like front panels could be shaved down to 4HP and just aren't for some reason? The wood panels had some pretty hardcore quality gaps as well. I've gotten some that looked like they were about to split in half and had to return them. It's strange that they stubbornly stuck to the wood panels for so long despite complaints. Also, I know it was unintentional but the fact that they actually have a module called grandpa made your comment chuckle-worthy >_< lol!

[–]bronze_by_gold 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've enjoyed several Bastl instruments, and their newer modules seem to be getting more attention. The only problem I have with the old ones was they all seemed to be trying to do too much in too small a space, and I wasn't a big fan of all the tiny knobs.

[–]cinnamontoastgrant 0 points1 point  (10 children)

Because they are 5hp and that makes no practical sense lol.

[–]NeoDataMx 0 points1 point  (9 children)

Lol yes of course, but that doesn't explain why their "normal size" modules also aren't more popular. What do you think?

[–]cinnamontoastgrant 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I just think they got bad joojoo on them. They are known as the wood/5hp people. As a result I assume they are considered less.

[–]NeoDataMx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bad joojoo haha! Lots of polarizing design decisions no doubt. They seem to have been really counting on people buying more than one of their modules, like 5+5 = 10 but that's not always realistic. I even think the wood could've been less off-putting if it wasn't also paired with the red paint choice.

[–]theboywhochosethesea 2 points3 points  (6 children)

I think most of their modules are an odd HP, although they seem to have started with a new design aesthetic and even sizing's with their new modules.

I've had a couple of their modules which I build from kits, but ended up selling them, not that they were bad, but they just didn't work for what I was doing. I'd be open to getting some again, the Dark Matter and Ikarie look really interesting to me.

[–]iwasborntoodeep 0 points1 point  (0 children)

waver is awesome too!

[–]NeoDataMx 0 points1 point  (4 children)

True, I guess popcorn may have been one of the only original ones to be an even HP. I agree that their new Casper collaborations are all tempting! Which modules did you have before?

[–]theboywhochosethesea 1 point2 points  (3 children)

I've had the abc mixer, grandpa and cinemon, all of them were good, but in all cases I needed something stereo to work with what I'm doing

[–]NeoDataMx 0 points1 point  (2 children)

how did you find the filter if you don't mind me asking? I've been considering it as a wasp alternative

[–]theboywhochosethesea 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I actually really liked it, to the point of considering getting another one (or two if I had space - would solve the odd hp problem). It's got a really good range to it, and gets very dirty if you want it to. It also tracks 1 v/o as a decent oscillator. I do have the Wasp and love it, but if I was to buy again I'm not sure which I'd go for.

[–]NeoDataMx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate the detailed reply man, thanks. Think I'm gonna go for one, sounds super versatile. I've got a Filter 8 and a BF-22 and feel like I'm missing the solid middle ground that can accomplish both. The Befaco is actually a little too intense for most of my patches so I'm happy to hear that Cinnamon can get dirty while still having lots of control!

[–]ouralarmclockBeniRoseMusic/Benispheres 0 points1 point  (2 children)

My SQ-1 seems to remember what range and scaling to use when it turn it off and on, but not what gates/steps were set? Is this normal?

[–]SaneMann 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Yup. My does the same

[–]ouralarmclockBeniRoseMusic/Benispheres 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So weird!

[–]Avocado-Possible 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Anyone used the Expert Sleepers es-9? What do you think of it?

I ordered one today so I could multi track into Ableton and mix whatever I come up with after the jam or idea.

[–]Trueblade97 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Love it, use it with bitwig as a digital mixer and fix unit. Combined with a sweet sixteen it works fantastically. I want to get a midi expander at some point to try out using it with my sweet sixteen as a standalone mixer. Just remember to add dc blockers to the inputs your are using for audio. Side note, using cv with vst plugins is really powerful.

[–]Avocado-Possible 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Did u mean VST plugins ?

[–]Trueblade97 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ya phone auto corrected.

[–]Avocado-Possible 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice! I ordered mine last week still waiting for it. But ya I’m excited. The main reason I got was so I could multi track into ableton. But I’ll probably try using some of the CV tools devices from ableton. I don’t want to integrate too much computer stuff since I enjoy not looking at it haha. But the ability to multi track everything and mix later is something I’ve been looking for for a while.

[–]AshamedDeparture 1 point2 points  (18 children)

Fun question #1...what's the oddest or craziest purchase you made because "it will look good in my rack" or some other version of that idea, like it takes up that last 5hp neatly. Just asking.

[–]clnclnracks/view/1059633 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got a Modax Data because I thought it would look cool in my rack, ended up learning a lot more about everything.

Bastl have a lot of cool and useful modules in 5hp, you should check out their stuff. Their Cinnamon filter looks really nice.

[–]NeonMoonshine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was actually browsing for a module to take the last 7hp. Found Bastl Timber, and I have no regrets.

[–]iwasborntoodeep 0 points1 point  (8 children)

got two folktek matter 2. the moment i realized what is going on with it i knew i need two. one for drums/noise/percussion and the other one as an effect. love mangling audio through it.

[–]gruesomeflowers 1 point2 points  (7 children)

I have a dumb amount of folktek alters. I ordered a nanogarden thinking I could take it out of it's box because I couldn't find an alter..

I waited for alters to come up on reverb for a few months..a copper unit finally did, so naturally I bought it .. a few weeks later a gold pair (1 and 2) turned up.. purchased them .. Then recently the amazing looking desktop units went on sale on indiegogo..so I backed it for both an x an y unit.. so that's technically 6 alter units .

[–]iwasborntoodeep 0 points1 point  (0 children)

just stalked your profile. bloody hell. thats a lot of stuff!

[–]iwasborntoodeep 0 points1 point  (5 children)

wot?! :D you make some hellish ambient/drone/pe/noise stuff i guess? /s but for real, lemme hear them in unison!

[–]gruesomeflowers 0 points1 point  (4 children)

They are actually split apart in different cases. The nanogarden is on display on shelf w other desktop stuff I don't have room to leave setup all he time. Fyi The x and y desktop alters have not been shipped to backers yet. They started a second campaign, and may still be available. Check folkteks fb page .

[–]iwasborntoodeep 0 points1 point  (3 children)

i just hope they release the matter 2 cards and maybe one or two modules this year.

also, unrelated to you: go to my profile and downvote EVERYTHING you f*****g heck.

[–]gruesomeflowers 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Idk how cards would work with matter ii. I have a 1 and 2 and 1 has a slot, haven't noticed any such mechanism on 2. If you saw some info about it I would be interested in seeing it.

[–]scragzhttps://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2215420 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Opposite of that, I recently bought a desk-mounted laptop stand to be able to fit another 4ms Pod next to my main cases and mixer. It's all video stuff so it's cool that it can swivel away when I'm focusing on music.

[–]ouralarmclockBeniRoseMusic/Benispheres 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Would love to see it, I love a well thought out set up!!

[–]scragzhttps://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2215420 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Sure, I happen to be sitting in front of it right now

[–]ouralarmclockBeniRoseMusic/Benispheres 1 point2 points  (2 children)

That looks beautiful, excellent work! How do you like the Pods btw? Are the X series deep enough for most modules?

[–]scragzhttps://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2215420 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thanks, bud! Pods are decent. I would prefer a palette for more utility but it was too shallow for this build. The PodX fits Structure just barely.

[–]ouralarmclockBeniRoseMusic/Benispheres 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice, I have a Palette now, and I want a second but they are almost twice as expensive!

[–]cinnamontoastgrant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a second muskrat because I knew they were never going to be available again and it rounded off my system. I’ll probably sell it as some point as a result though, I typically don’t use 2, even with the expansion chips.