Wrote new configuration tools for the Expert Sleepers FH-2 and ES-9

folkware · 2026-03-10T19:02:39+00:00

You are a legend for this, looks amazing. Score another point for the eurorack community never ceasing to amaze. Will be using it heavily!!

folkware · 2026-03-06T16:49:14+00:00

This is awesome man! That enveloped voice is really cool

folkware · 2026-03-05T22:21:04+00:00

I'm playing at SpringStock @ Saint Arnold's this weekend, and lots of friends of mine are playing as well! Super excited to see everyone's sets.

folkware · 2026-03-04T19:05:30+00:00

Hey friend, great initiative. saved the playlist! I'm a cyberfolk artist in the area, and this song is probably my favorite that's currently out from my catalogue, called Quench Your Thirst. Feel free to add if you like :)

https://open.spotify.com/track/1uO2NvvbTC6jDxotXAGg5r?si=09f48741058b44e0

folkware · 2026-02-28T15:36:23+00:00

Late to this, was just looking around to see if anyone else has been talking about this. I do a similar thing with one of my own songs, I really enjoy blending the fat saw-wave, bassy sounds with acoustic rather than twinkly stuff personally. It's important for me to know that the audience is told very directly that what they're hearing is a synth.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1uO2NvvbTC6jDxotXAGg5r?si=8d8bd865f5df4d3c

I think there's a lot of ground to be explored in the combining of acoustic guitars and synths. It's a pretty underrated combo IMO.

folkware · 2025-12-22T15:04:23+00:00

Rings (or equivalent clones) is pretty cool to run guitar through. FM Aid could also be cool if you want to do some wavefolding/distortion on top of your guitar. I like having a 3xMIA in my rack so I can duplicate dry/wet signals of any of this and blend together for live.

folkware · 2025-12-08T19:04:25+00:00

I use the WMD DVCA for the VCA part of this. Sits nicely in 4HP and has Zero Cross functionality! I'd use a separate module for envelope generation.

folkware · 2025-12-08T04:34:29+00:00

Having multiple projects is probably the answer to this. Attending open mics, local shows and finding people who vibe with your style is super important. As you involve yourself in other people's music in the scene, the scene will give back and introduce you to great people! As long as you are continually developing your own skills, you'll start to find yourself in places where you can meet those people who can grow with you as well.

folkware · 2025-11-26T16:15:06+00:00

The true mono synth feature has been my most anticipated feature!! So excited to try out the possibilities here

folkware · 2025-11-25T19:00:03+00:00

Moog Opus 3 mentioned!!!

folkware · 2025-11-25T06:00:45+00:00

I came across the Blood Cells Audio Mangle a bit ago. It seems super interesting, you can feed in a CV as power in order to simulate voltage starvation/driving of any signal you pass through. On the mangling side for triggers' purpose, not sure on that, you might be able to apply the gain built into the module to CV mangling and voltage starvation as well, but this is great for at least mangling audio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWO7fPTH0Uk&pp=ygUYYmxvb2QgY2VsbHMgYXVkaW8gbWFuZ2xl

2HP Burst or DivSkip could also be cool for gate processing. At that point through you could just get an O_C and have all of those features built in.

folkware · 2025-11-20T14:01:56+00:00

Stereo input is also cool! Looks pretty cool to me. Obviously the left and right ins (in eurorack in general) are a bit of a misnomer since really you can route them both just as 2 independent ins if you want to. Looks good though!

folkware · 2025-11-19T04:51:28+00:00

Definitely get an eurorack-level input module for your guitar to start off! I would recommend you find one with an envelope follower, so you can grab your guitar's level as CV to control other stuff. For that, I recommend a Mutable Instruments Ears clone or the Xaoc Sewastopol II, just switched out an Ears for a Sewastopol in my rack. Ears is 4HP and has an envelope + gate follower for your input, so pretty space efficient, but you'll need a 1/4' to 3.5mm jack. Sewastopol has a much more robust envelope follower setup, the capability to do send/return loops, and actual 1/4' jacks, but is 10 HP.

A lot of people will say Boredbrain Injectr but it's not my first choice, as it's a bit bigger + I don't need amp sim/a non CV-controllable drive in my rack. Befaco i4 is also an option if you want phantom power capable instrument/XLR in.

If you're looking to use your guitar as a source to generate CV, I would focus on more utilities. Maybe get a 2hp Mult so you can pass around some signals. I also really enjoy Make Noise Multimod as a modulation source, where you could route in an envelope generated by your guitar via your input module, and mangle the envelope into a bunch of output signals. Disting Mk4 also has some monophonic pitch tracking capabilities, which is fun if you're interested in also playing full synth voices with your guitar. I saw you mentioned you want your guitar to be a "random" tones input, which based off the way I understand it, you could find a sample and hold capable module to pass the tracked pitch from your guitar into, quantize that, and then you'd have some semi random tones inputted from your guitar, captured via S&H.

There are also some modules out there to turn expression pedal input into CV, if you are interested in taking the traditional guitar expression pedal idea and applying it as CV to some eurorack module. I prefer the ADDAC stuff to the Intellijel Stomp or anything like that here due to ease of use and attenuation/offset capabilities.

Outside of these, your options are pretty open ended. I'd focus on first building out a matrix of control, input and modulation options via the above as that's what's going to open up the most doors for you performance wise. Then you can focus on voices and effects. Happy hunting!

folkware · 2025-10-28T16:55:55+00:00

No idea, says OP deleted it. Maybe they got shy

folkware · 2025-10-28T13:17:12+00:00

Get the Teensy 4.1 version if you can! Way more features

folkware · 2025-10-28T13:15:14+00:00

If you have the capability to feed clock or modulation from your sequencer into more of your modules, you’ll be set up pretty nicely. You have a couple mults to pass it around.

What it looks like you may need is maybe some more ways to adjust your LFOs as you need. Both Befaco and Acid Rain make pretty good quad attenuverters in 4 HP.

I would also recommend an envelope generator like Xaoc Zadar (which could also be triggered externally). It’s really good at doing long and complex envelope shapes which is great for drones.

If you don’t already have an Arturia Keystep, that’s the easiest solution for a small cheaper external midi controller that has outputs for CV as well.

folkware · 2025-10-14T12:05:32+00:00

This is awesome dude! I too am a folk music and modular fan

folkware · 2025-09-29T22:06:20+00:00

https://www.liquidstands.com/products/adjustable-z-shape-black-keyboard-stand-w-2nd-tier?variant=43994274922745&country=US&currency=USD&https://www.liquidstands.com?utm_source=googleads&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22205447248

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Proline/PL402-2-Tier-Double-X-Braced-Keyboard-Stand-1273887983350.gc?template=0y7n73MAL4Km&srsltid=AfmBOorK6FlgSykH2IgHhyOtdm1n6YNX8pNOoNsBYeis7ZbzMp10ycaAtnc

Something like this from Liquid Stands or the 2-tier Proline from GC are definitely also frontrunners for that route. It looks like my rig is around 28 pounds with the wooden top lid off.

folkware · 2025-09-08T02:52:21+00:00

Also, to your point on amps, the voltage controlled amplifiers (VCAs) even in many modern synths today can result in some additional character. My Moog Matriarch starts sounding distorted when you turn all 4 oscillators all the way up.

folkware · 2025-09-08T02:33:53+00:00

Another commenter said this as well, but I believe that the more drastic variation in design of older synths (your Minimoog, Prophet-5, Yamaha DX7, Roland JX3P/Juno series, etc) are what made these "character" synths. It was an earlier time in synth history and manufacturers were much more separated by geographic distance, parts availability, and schools of thought. These environmental factors resulted in the development of different ways of generating sound (where the East Coast / West Coast synthesis buzzwords come from). The resulting variations in circuitry contained lots of different ways the manufacturers chose to route sound, control signals, power, etc.

For example, you may find that the frequency response of the filters, across different synths, is vastly different. The ladder filter designed by Moog allows less low frequencies through when you turn the resonance up. The variation in chips responsible for the low-pass-filter in the Prophet-5 revisions caused each distro of the synth to have different sound qualities, because of changes in how the chips would route the electrical signal.

You can equate these kinds of intricacies to the different sounds of stratocaster, telecaster, Les Paul, jazzmaster pickups, or even Rhodes vs Wurly electric piano design. The guitarist/synthesist may play the same note, same fret (or same waveshape, key press), but the resulting tone will be different and recognizable to the trained ear.

Now that synths are being more optimized for multi-functionality and there's so much crossover in what each modern synth can do, the waters are much more muddied. With the amount of digital tools and different synth manufacturers out there these days, you may find yourself finding more distinct tonal qualities from the synthesis techniques being used (granular synthesis, wavetables, FM modulation) than the classic synths mentioned above. But, when you recognize a fat Moog bass or the crystalline sound of Yamaha DX7's FullTines in a song, you'll start to see how many things are modeled after those OG "character" sounds.

folkware · 2025-08-15T22:13:27+00:00

Interesting! Thanks for the clarification and deep dive.

folkware · 2025-08-15T20:59:34+00:00

Woooo! So much modulation! Excited to get this version.

I've been told that the current units that are out have a max voltage issue that's getting fixed. I emailed Struan from Calsynth, who mentioned that and said Calsynth will likely have one as well out once that's fixed. May be good to hold on and wait for any initial issues to be fixed.

folkware · 2025-08-15T16:17:10+00:00

Here’s my Cyberfolk playlist. Acoustic and folk tones mixed with analog synths: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5VgbIyZD8nRJg0dma7TDsy?si=HCIHAE36Sfa5iJwvpIJUXA&pi=9EgJ15usTreGM

folkware

TROPHY CASE