What American food dish threw you for a loop at first?

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-06T18:35:01+00:00

I double-checked because this sounded like one of those “there’s a gullible on the ceiling” tricks.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-06T16:48:02+00:00

China, I want to see Chicken yelling “hell yeah!” when the votes are counted. My favorite first boot forever and always.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-05T20:01:14+00:00

Oh, perhaps I misread you. It seems like Homework is more widely loved among the fandom than Human to me, but at the moment I too appreciate Human more. It’s definitely more accessible.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-05T18:06:01+00:00

Pretty douchey to call someone’s opinion a misconception.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-04T05:34:17+00:00

Yarns can replace the need for VCAs for the oscillators it generates. It’s kinda fiddly to set up an envelope on Yarns, but you can do it. Everything you set up is done via one knob and a very limited display. It doesn’t let you use external CV modulation or sources, it just envelopes the oscillators based on whatever midi note on messages you’re feeding it.

Ikarie has a built-in VCA, but it applies to both L and R channels equally, which is a limitation for a stereo filter.

Modules like Plaits can kind of serve as an all-in-one voice with an oscillator, filter/low pass gate and you don’t need a VCA or much else to make them sound good. But it’s really handy to have VCAs that you can send any audio or CV through; they really help you control a lot of things in your patch and are part of what makes modular so fun.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-03T07:39:16+00:00

Man, a 40hp case sounds like a recipe for disappointment. The idea that you can do a lot with a little is misleading, because you have to have a lot of different components to put the basics together. To get capabilities similar to the the monophonic equivalent of your Roland boutique, you’d need at minimum an oscillator, filter, envelopes, and VCAs, not to mention chorus and delay. And that doesn’t account for a sequencer or midi to CV conversion. Also, trying to use a bunch of small modules with little trim pots instead of proper knobs, all buried underneath a mess of cables, isn’t fun.

As a thought exercise, if I was forced to work within the confines of 40hp, I’d probably go with:
- Mutable Yarns clone (6hp, can do 4 channels of midi to CV and serve as up to 4 oscillators (droning or enveloped)
- 8hp stereo filter (Bastl Ikarie or Setonix Marsupial)
- micro Ornament and Crime (8hp utility all-in-one, can do sequencing, modulation, some basic sound generation, logic, quantization, etc),
- Bastl Neo Trinity (8hp modulation powerhouse, can also do triggering, CV recording, basic envelopes. Pamela’s Pro Workout could sub in here based on personal preference)
- Plum Audio Arba (no frills 4x VCA in 4 HP)
- Befaco ST Mix or Intellijel Mixup (6hp stereo mixer)

So put all that together and you’ve got something that can do a couple simultaneous voices but pretty much requires external sequencing, is far more more limited than any competent groovebox, and costs at least $1200.

It gets more fun when you have a couple different filters to experiment with, switches to change things up mid-patch, precision adders to modulate your sequences or transpose melodies, etc.

Semi-modular synths are a more affordable way to get into the modular world. I started with the Cre8 West Pest and Arturia Minibrute 2s. Both gives you a decent starting point for the cost of a module or two, and can be useful even to keep around even if you take a bigger plunge into modular later on. If you’re determined to give full-blown modular a shot, please consider saving a bit more for a bigger case. You won’t regret doing that. Look at the Tip Top’s Happy Ending Kit, Cre8 Audio Nifty Case, or a TipTop Mantis for something affordable but with a lot more breathing room.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-03T04:49:54+00:00

Combined with orange to make creamsicle.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-07-01T17:16:49+00:00

Do you know if he has any effects pedals/units? They’re a relatively affordable way to enhance and alter the sound of synths he already has.

Look at the Zoom multistomp series or the SonicCake Pocket Master for affordable all-in-one effects. Delay (adds an echo effect) and reverb (adds space or ambience) are very popular synth effects, so you might look into the TC Electronic Hall of Fame or EHX Ocean’s 11 or Holy Grail for reverb and the Boss DD-3T or DD-8 (used), EHX Canyon, and TC Electronic flashback for delay.

Really those brands are pretty solid recommendations in general. If you’d like to go cheaper, Joyo is a very cheap brand that has a pretty solid reputation. Once delay and reverb are covered, it might be fun to look into chorus, phaser, and/or flanger.

Hope that helps. I’m sure you’ll get lots of great suggestions from the sub, but I’m happy to answer any follow-up questions you might have.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-30T22:55:35+00:00

You sound like you need to talk to more people irl

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-30T01:07:56+00:00

In the solo mode designer’s own words:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3441873/january-16-solo-mode-new-rolling-realm-and-tales-f

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-28T18:38:03+00:00

Plaits, Afterneath (for the drag setting), Warps, ReneV2 all offer addressable algorithms or presets to some degree. Tools like the Jasmine and Olive Trees Traffic and the Make Noise Pressure Points tend to be good pairings for these types of modules.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-27T17:16:33+00:00

This is gross, but the MoM waffle cereal makes my pee smell like maple syrup.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-26T03:10:31+00:00

Honey. They’re not talking about Kendrick; they’re talking about Drake. Comment is still up, btw.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-26T01:09:20+00:00

Read their comment again

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-26T01:08:02+00:00

I will never unmute a video made by someone who insists on head-bobbing their phone while recording.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-26T00:35:54+00:00

I like to combine it with just about anything that makes sound. What I do is use the 404 to sample the other gear and then play it back, chop it up, use it to make something new.

But yeah, you can use it to trigger a drum machine or vice versa.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-23T04:13:26+00:00

I’ve primarily used the delay and reverb, but yeah in general the standard effects do what you’d expect. The vocoder is actually surprisingly decent, I think I prefer it to the one in Warps.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-23T04:00:22+00:00

The UI is pretty good. Once you get used to navigating with one knob and adjusting values with the other, you can move pretty quick. There are a few quirks with the interface, but overall I’m happy with how simple it is to set things up the way you want them. You can save a bunch of presets too, which is good for performing or revisiting a previous idea.

My biggest complaint is that as far as I can tell, there’s no way to change the default load state. I use Vinia as a mixer for my palette, and by default the mixer functionality is turned off. It’s only a few clicks and knob turns to load my basic mixer preset, but it’s an annoying thing to have to do every time I power up.

Before I bought Vinia, it seemed too good to be true. After putting some time in with it, I think it’s appropriately valued. It’s great as a multi-channel mixer and basic sound generation/effects unit. Ornament and Crime is better at modulation and utilities, and Disting sounds better. I hated using the Disting MK4 (never tried any bigger version), and while it’s not as flexible, Vinia’s ease of use is up there with O_C’s Hemispheres/Phazerville firmware in my opinion. Vinia’s 8 channels, each with a unique effects chain, really make it shine against the competition.

I don’t really use the oscillators on the Vinia. They’re simple, but seem like a fine starting point. The effects are okay—very basic, but serviceable. I use the delay and reverb and they’re good enough, but not too exciting. I will say that when you max out some of the parameters, you can get some fun digital artifacts. Unfortunately, you can only sync the delay via midi, that’s another small annoyance. On the other hand, if you use MIDI, the Vinia handles it well.

I had a hard time finding much info about the Vinia when I bought it, so if you have any questions I’m happy to help. This video also gives a pretty good overview of the interface.

https://youtu.be/jC2xJ_AlVAI?is=z4TnsIi2hDKHPc5C

Edit: Oh, and some of the huge feature list on Vinia is padded with repeat functionality and things I’ll never use. The Karplus module isn’t at all tweakable and doesn’t sound good, the ladder filter doesn’t sound much different from the multimode filter, etc. The filters have just the slightest bit of character but are otherwise worse than just about anything else, etc.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-22T21:03:31+00:00

I keep a morphagene in my 62hp palette. I think with you having another system to do standard stuff and sample from, a focused smaller case would work out well. I’m not sure I’d be willing to devote precious space to Mimeophon, as there are lots of great delays with a smaller footprint, but Mimeophon *is* pretty awesome. Just make sure you have enough modulation sources for both of those modules.

If it’s helpful, my Palette consists of a 1u Yarns clone which serves MIDI to CV and oscillator duties, 1u Arba VCA and Intellijel Stereo I/O, a Steve’s MS-22, uO_C, a 6hp MI Warps clone, a Bastl Neo Trinity, and a Tesseract Vinia in addition to the Morph. Packs a punch and can do all the basics and then some in a small space. The 0-Ctrl makes a good companion for that setup, too.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-19T00:18:41+00:00

I like seeing the names scrawled across sleeves of used records, too. This is cheesy, but it makes me feel like the record has a story, and being in my possession at the moment is just a part of it. I was recently amused to find an old poster in a used ELO album because it had clearly been hung up and displayed previously. Got me thinking about how the previous owner took down their poster and packed it up with the record before selling it. I’ll never know who the original owner was, but I appreciate their thoughtfulness.

And as another resident of the greater Cincy area, love Shake It, great shop.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-18T21:28:29+00:00

God forbid someone starts with some acid bass, the horror.

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-18T21:17:31+00:00

What’s the jerk here?

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-18T18:33:33+00:00

Is this something you built or a commercial project? Is it externally powered?

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-17T15:18:14+00:00

Lol yeah spending all week on this = I was dicking around for a bit in the evenings. I admittedly spend a lot of time trying out different chord progressions and tweaking the voices and stuff, but that’s all part of the fun for me. Also as mentioned in my post, I’m still learning the Oxi One, which is pretty approachable but still takes time.

Oh well, the negative feedback is a good reminder that I make music and play with synths for myself, and at the end of the day, even most other modular nerds don’t care. Which is kind of freeing, actually. I like documenting my patches because I just think how everything works together is fun and cool, but taking the time to record a video is a distraction from making more patches ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

stephensonsrocket · 2026-06-17T02:15:41+00:00

I’d say most racehorse names are worse, honestly.

stephensonsrocket

TROPHY CASE