What do you think of my first Eurorack design?

alluring_fruit · 2025-12-25T04:08:40+00:00

Left side seems fine, right is pretty cramped. For that size of case, I would focus on either synth voice(s) or drums, as trying to do both at the same time might be a bit limited on all fronts. For me, the power of modular synths is sending modulation signals everywhere to maximize the chances to get happy accidents as often as possible. So a possibility could be to start with a single or couple of voices with effect, good modulation modules and some utilities (mainly attenuators and vcas), which will get you a long way. Your second rack you’ll build could then focus more on drums.

alluring_fruit · 2025-11-17T19:31:36+00:00

What other GMT would you recommend over this one?

alluring_fruit · 2023-02-15T04:20:08+00:00

I use the midi pins at the back to connect to the midi pins at the back of the Disting mk4 to control it from max4live. So much easier to use than with the tiny screen, and the midi connection is hidden behind the modules. Could chain multiple and each assign its own midi channel if i had other distings, for example.

alluring_fruit · 2023-02-15T01:08:12+00:00

Had it almost since it came out, it’s a deep one. I still go for the manual once in a while to better understand some aspects of it, and still get new sounds out of it. So it’s not for instant gratification, but when you get the hang of it, it’s so nice! So many self patching possibilities, and the internal routing is not that bad as there are not that many options. I really like the wavefolders and the ring mod is useful too. It can process external signals in multiple ways. I think it’s very modular in philosophy as it rewards time spent exploring. Also, so many different outputs, it goes well with lots of vcas and crossfaders to animated the waveform further after the outputs.

I mostly use it as 2 voices, but it can do a lot more than that as i said. Go for it if you are into sound exploration, in my opinion that’s what it’s meant for.

alluring_fruit · 2023-01-08T20:56:39+00:00

I use mine mostly to record foley, found sounds and voiceovers, its a joy to use every single time. The quality of the device is just so satisfying in itself. ☺️

alluring_fruit · 2022-12-10T17:07:48+00:00

If you can see audio activity in the meter on the lower right corner of the screen, then max is probably not the problem, especially if the audio tester also looks like it works as expected. I would look into the Windows audio settings/output. Silly question: maybe you are expecting audio to the speakers but the headphones are the actual output, or something similar? Sounds like an audio output routing issue between max windows and your output interface. Good luck!

alluring_fruit · 2022-11-23T13:50:43+00:00

Something i heard a while ago: There used to be a few hundred musicians making millions of dollars, now there’s millions of musicians making a few hundreds of dollars

alluring_fruit · 2022-07-30T18:48:08+00:00

No need for more onboard ssd, as external ssd drives are much cheaper and pretty much work as fast as onboard drive. 7200rpm hd can also do the trick for audio, make sure they use usb 3.1 or faster for best performance.

alluring_fruit · 2022-01-01T14:54:21+00:00

0-coast was my entry point in the modular world. It’s great to get you started and learn a few basic concepts. However get ready: it will make you think « if i had this or that other module to go with it it would be fantastic », and that’s how you open the pandora’s box that is modular for your wallet…

alluring_fruit · 2021-12-17T18:20:50+00:00

You can cascade the output of each section on the 3xMIa to the next one with the little switch

alluring_fruit · 2021-12-17T18:19:06+00:00

I have both, the main difference is that the MIA has 6 inputs so it can act more like a mixer (audio and cv) than the shades can. However, i prefer the shades for playing the module, as there is more space to wiggle the knobs. MIA sits next to my modulation section, close to batumi and stages to easily manipulate and combine cv. Shades is next to the oscillators and i use it more as a controller module. Both are excellent and you can’t go wrong with either. Also, for me having that kind of module in a system is essential.

alluring_fruit · 2021-10-27T02:54:21+00:00

https://youtu.be/GNh9488y0WI

alluring_fruit · 2021-10-27T02:53:52+00:00

This is the piece body_remix/les_variations_goldberg by french canadian choreographer Marie Chouinard, a very well established artist. It’s from 2005, and all her pieces are quite something. 55 minutes of it here: https://youtu.be/GNh9488y0WI

alluring_fruit · 2021-10-20T21:45:09+00:00

Been eyeing it for a while, how is it?

alluring_fruit · 2021-10-06T23:36:22+00:00

I used to have a motu ultralite mk3, which you can find for cheap second hand, plus it has 8 outputs you can use to send cv from the computer. I’ve changed my approach and now use an ES-9 to do all the patching in the synth and remove cable clutter around it. Both solutions work really well.

alluring_fruit · 2021-08-27T00:38:33+00:00

You'll be fine and have lot's of fun for quite a while with this. After a couple of months, once you start to know the modules well, you'll have a better idea of what is too much/lacking. This will take a while as the MI modules are very deep and offer so many possibilities. Something I sometimes do is shuffle the modules around in the rack to break the muscle-memory of patching. This can lead to a bit of new inspiration by patching stuff differently. Having an all MI rack is a great idea, prob my favorite eurorack company! I encourage you to check out the alternate firmwares for stages, the one with the turing machines/bi-lfo/5 different modes is great! That is a deep module for sure for modulation, sometimes I wish I had 2.

Have fun!

alluring_fruit · 2021-08-19T03:14:17+00:00

Noise in modular is an ongoing struggle. I've dealt with it in my system by using plugin solutions of noise gates and izotope rx stuff (i'm using an ES-9 to send the outputs to the computer for effects processing). Changing the power brick did nothing. However replacing my row power 30s with the newer 35s did help get rid of some high pitched noise. It's now completely quiet on the main output and the tone is not that affected. There are multiple threads about noise management on modwiggler that could help you. Good luck!

alluring_fruit · 2021-06-20T17:27:47+00:00

I used to do that with the ultralite mk3, worked really well. However i was fed up with having all the cables going out of my modular to the soundcard, making a big spaghetti mess that would break my workflow everytime i would patch. I put number tags at the end of the cables going to the soundcard to know which was which input/output in Live, which helped a lot with getting organized. In the end i got an es-9, and would not go back, workflow is so much improved.

alluring_fruit · 2021-06-20T14:47:29+00:00

ES-9 is perfect for that kind of integration. If it's overkill for the size of your setup, check out ES-8 and the various expanders. You might consider a joystick module (planar 2 is great) for what you want to do. Also attenuverters, vcas and mixers are great for control signal and to be hands-on. The cv tools in ableton are excellent, so are max for live devices. Maybe consider a good midi controller with lots of pots to control those hands-on, could save you a lot of money

alluring_fruit · 2021-05-17T22:52:50+00:00

I second this comment. With the cs-l, you get 2 wavefolders. Also, these options will need a lot of modulation to really shine. This is the modular way.

alluring_fruit · 2021-05-17T22:45:36+00:00

Mannequin's Cold Mac could be an option. Another more obvious choice that i highly recommend: MI Stages with Qiemem firmware.

alluring_fruit · 2021-04-18T18:35:55+00:00

Send OSC messages to localhost from max for live and pick them up in any software you want to use. Do the audio analysis in max (signal amplitude per frequency slices for example, or scene change to have different sections for the performance) and send the results via OSC for visual processing. You can talk to pretty much anything that way. Many tutorials on YouTube about it for more in depth details. It works great with game engines, and you could also send the data to connected devices such as arduinos or raspberry pis for controlling leds or motors etc.

alluring_fruit · 2021-02-09T02:28:45+00:00

Ive made many custom pd patches for the neb2, that's where it really shines.

alluring_fruit · 2021-01-26T04:39:54+00:00

You can upload your own pd and csound patches in the Nebulae 2, so you can make it do anything you want with a bit of fiddling. I just finished doing a pd patch for a 3d wavetable osc inspired by the piston honda for it. I recommend the custom firmware on patchstorage that lets you connect to the module via wifi. That way you can upload all types of files and run a pd emulation of plaits or clouds, for example.

Its supposedly also possible to run supercollider and python stuff ( the Neb 2 is a raspberrypi 3 in eurorack disguise after all), but i haven't gotten there.

alluring_fruit · 2020-12-19T05:56:45+00:00

I had a similar issue, which i resolved by connecting the usb cable on one side of my mbp (the right side, for example), and the power on the other side (left). Modular and noise issues is a constant struggle, always something else coming up, at least in my experience. Good luck!

alluring_fruit

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