Let's talk modular synths

[uhoh7]

My new semi-rack...

 

That stand was really cheap, it tilts also. I bought shelfs. 2600, Taiga, Model D and two MIDI CV converters "Midivolts" and FH-2 (which is also a midi-host/ sequencer (uses Launchpad interface) and swiss army knife, does MPE. But today I ordered one more, the Droid Universal CV converter. Made by the Sax player who designed the Sinfonion. It's a super swiss army knife, espescially with live performance in mind, but super flexible. I got an attachment for it, the X7 which let's you interact with MIDI. Droid was referenced in a video above, but I missed it's significance. You'll see it up there, interview worth watching, here is the thing working:

 

Since I have Osmose coming soon (I hope), I also got the CVC made by Haken, which has four channels of CV, each with four outputs of Hi-rez CV you configure in the Eagan Matrix. Also you see Zoom R20 which is mixer and recorder. 

 

The Droid is a big deal, I read, and has looping and many options. You configure with a simple text "code". It also has motorized faders and knobs as add-ons. Good videos and support. It's available in USA. The Taiga arrived two days ago....really sounds very nice, with incredible flexibility. New video by our hero really shows the sound:

 

[mate stubb]

Another day, another design. I went back to 9U and ditched the 1U rows. Now I can fit the Black sequencer into the main cabinet. The only thing missing is mults and midi breakouts, but I can do a couple of 1/2U rows of solid panel and just drill for jacks.

 

[hurricane hugo]

 

[NewImprov]

@hurricane hugo, that setup looks super cool! I've been watching videos of the Taiga, and it just sounds amazing, have fun with it!

 

My latest modular development is that several of the TipTop Buchla Eurorack modules I've had back-ordered/pre-ordered for months came in last week, I've had different modules ordered through different dealers, trying to gauge who will come through the fastest. This week, I got the 281t quad function generator, 245t 5-step sequencer, and 258t dual oscillator. Still waiting on the 251t voltage processor, and (most importantly) the 292t quad low-pass gate. I put together this rack the other night (minus the 251 and 292) and have been really enjoying it:

 

Impressions thus far:

 

The 258t oscillator may be my current favorite in all Euro-land! Really great sounding, stays in tune well, and the price ($200) is pretty unbelievable. I may order at least one more of them. Similarly, the 281 function generator is awesome, it covers a lot of the same territory as Maths (which I have in my other rack), but is much clearer/easier to use, though it really offers some deep functionality with combining functions. And the 5-step sequencer is just a blast. I'm not currently planning on getting the 266t source of uncertainty because I already have the Sputnick West Coast Random Source, which I believe has all the same functionality.

 

[mate stubb]

Improv how do you find the Benjolin?

[NewImprov]

10 hours ago, mate stubb said:

Improv how do you find the Benjolin?

It's a fascinating module, and very unpredictable. very interesting tones in the audio range, and a great source for unpredictable modulations in the sub-audio range. I'm not sure I understand how it works, but it is very fun.

 

My route to getting it was pretty circuitous, a few years ago, a friend organized a local synth DIY meetup, we got together a few times and settled on a group project, the Benjolin. We did a group order for the circuit boards from a guy in Japan, if I recall correctly, did group orders of the parts from Thonk and Mouser, and one of the group members who did metalwork did the face plates. I ordered kits for a pair, and then never found the time to build them. During the pandemic, I got in touch with one of the group members, and when he found out I had the pair of kits, he offered to build me one in exchange for the 2nd kit.

[mate stubb]

I finally managed to cram a Benjolin into my design. Been staring at this for a few days and can't think of any changes I still want to make.

 

[RABid]

On 3/11/2023 at 1:42 PM, uhoh7 said:

But today I ordered one more, the Droid Universal CV converter. Made by the Sax player who designed the Sinfonion. It's a super swiss army knife, espescially with live performance in mind, but super flexible. I got an attachment for it, the X7 which let's you interact with MIDI.

How are you liking the Droid? This is a system that I have been curious about.

[RABid]

Another day another change to my main rack. Moved the Metropolix to a dedicated Intellijel case with almost all Intellijel modules. Moved the Erica Black Sequencer to the main case to sequence more voices. Got the effects unit I always wanted and it had to go to the main case, Strymon Starlab. I updated the Pamela's New Workout to a Pam Pro. That was a nice upgrade. Picked up a 1U uPeak used mostly for EG, and the 1U Ornaments and Crime used mostly as a 4 channel quantizer for the Mimetic Digitalis. They make a good pair. The one big deficiency I have with the case is the mixer does not have an effects send. That is hard to find in Eurorack. You might note that the main case does not have any subtractive units or VCA's other than what is built into voice modules. The Intellijel heavy case with my Metropolix is my subtractive case. The third picture is one of my early cases. Some might first notices the Cwejman modules which are no longer made and in high demand, but the stars of the case for me is the Vulcan Modulator and Dalek Modulator. Those were the first two modules I purchased and they are still favorites. I think I will put the Cwejmans up for sale along with my Make Noise QMMG which seems to be the most demand module in Eurorack. I've seem them go for $4K and higher. That would buy my that Fantom 7 I have been gassing for. 

 

 

 

 

[hurricane hugo]

some really welcome news:   https://www.perfectcircuit.com/signal/william-mathewson-interview-wmd-returns-ammt

[hurricane hugo]

This didn't happen at Superbooth, so I guess I'm posting it here:  https://www.matrixsynth.com/2023/05/buchla-usa-announces-new-music-easel.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

 

[hurricane hugo]

I posted this link in the Superbooth 2023 thread, but I'd better post it here as well. A lot to learn here:   https://www.perfectcircuit.com/signal/tiptop-art-modules-explained?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=featured-article&utm_content=tiptop-art-modules-explained&fbclid=IwAR058o9q0oVKauS2SUw8x2TfKthENSKV_d7-t8VE2NSBiAtU9C36Hp8-o0w

[mate stubb]

Polyphony in modulars is an interesting thing. I had 8 voice poly on my Synth of Doom, but rarely used it. It is a lot of work to patch, tune, and set all the voices. It ended up not being worth it for me, especially since I had dedicated poly synths I could just whip out.

 

I haven't looked closely at the TT stuff, but if I were to want modular poly these days I would probably go in this direction:

 

[hurricane hugo]

love it!

 

[hurricane hugo]

presented w/o comment

https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2023/06/30/new-eurorack-module-generates-random-cv-gate-signals-from-uranium-ore/?fbclid=IwAR1N4ctUZUY8QYJNHV5abB_BVMTwnNWUWZdkXAWSSy6OE7NBUUFA5OxhsEE

 

[Artomas]

3 hours ago, hurricane hugo said:

presented w/o comment

https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2023/06/30/new-eurorack-module-generates-random-cv-gate-signals-from-uranium-ore/?fbclid=IwAR1N4ctUZUY8QYJNHV5abB_BVMTwnNWUWZdkXAWSSy6OE7NBUUFA5OxhsEE

plutonium for audio rate?

[GRollins]

I'm curious about this "uranium ore." Your basic uranium ore is uraninite, aka pitchblende. Uranium oxide. It's black. Secondary minerals form quite readily (uranium being quite chemically reactive) when surface waters leaching into the ground reach the uraninite and create various hydrates, depending on what other ions might be available in solution: torbernite (copper), autunite (calcium), etc. That's in addition to the basic hydrates, e.g. gummite.

 

The thing to note is that the majority of uranium ores are either black or really vivid colors; bland and boring to look at, uranium minerals are not.

 

So where am I going with this? See any black, red, green, or yellow in the photographs of the vial? Nope, me either. Okay, so that means there's very little uranium ore present. Now...oh, fooey, I'm long-winded enough without going into the details, but my question is this: How long will this thing produce a usable signal in the real world?

 

Anybody still have clocks with radium dials? Can you see the dial in the dark anymore? No? Hmmm... The reason you can't see the hands and numbers on your old clock is that the radium has decayed sufficiently that there's not enough radioactivity to make the material fluoresce the way it did when it was new. The counter argument is that uranium's half-life is much longer than radium's, and that's true, but you're starting with a very small amount of ore, so the signal is weak to begin with.

 

In passing: I'm also thinking that there'll have to be some sort of calibration, due to variations in the amount of ore present in the vials from unit to unit. Not really a problem, just an observation.

 

Anyway, it's a nice stunt, but I'd be reluctant to buy one. I've got enough summers under my belt that I might not live to see the unit become useless, but someone in their twenties should probably plan on replacing the thing at intervals.

 

Grey

[RABid]

On 3/13/2023 at 9:53 PM, NewImprov said:

My latest modular development is that several of the TipTop Buchla Eurorack modules I've had back-ordered/pre-ordered for months came in last week, I've had different modules ordered through different dealers, trying to gauge who will come through the fastest. This week, I got the 281t quad function generator, 245t 5-step sequencer, and 258t dual oscillator. Still waiting on the 251t voltage processor, and (most importantly) the 292t quad low-pass gate. I put together this rack the other night (minus the 251 and 292) and have been really enjoying it:

I have the 258t oscillator and the 266t Source of Uncertainty. Trying to decide what will be next. Thinking either the quad function generator or the lowpass gate. Guess I need the function generator before the gate.

[NewImprov]

9 hours ago, RABid said:

I have the 258t oscillator and the 266t Source of Uncertainty. Trying to decide what will be next. Thinking either the quad function generator or the lowpass gate. Guess I need the function generator before the gate.

Well, of course the correct modular answer is that you need both! I see you have one of the ultra-rare MN QMMG's, I'm not sure how the 292T lpg compares, but it might be a worthwhile replacement, and leave you a wad of cash leftover. I have an Optimix and an LxD, and I'd say the 292 compares sonically nicely with the LxD, but offers more control.

 

The function generator is really great, especially combined with some kind of attenuverter/CV mixer, like the 251t. Of all the TT Buchla modules I have, it's the one that gets patched outside of the Buchla rack.

 

Here's where my mostly Buchla/TT rack is currently, and I'm finding a lot of inspiration in this setup. Control/sequencing is mostly coming from either a Keystep Pro, or my euro sequencer rack, which includes a Behr 960, Rene v1, Voltage Block, etc. I'm liking this setup so much that I'm considering making Buchla themed faceplates for the other modules, the 4ms in particular bugs me.

 

[RABid]

2 hours ago, NewImprov said:

I see you have one of the ultra-rare MN QMMG's

I finally listed it on Gear Exchange a few weeks ago, along with the Cwejman modules. Trying to fund a Fantom 7 and yes, I hope the 292t will be a nice replacement. The QMMG is earmarked to fund the Fantom. The Cwejman modules can get me the Tiptop Buchla modules.

[hurricane hugo]

https://cdm.link/2023/07/free-sqsl-canvas-app-connects-ipad-to-eurorack/?fbclid=IwAR35vtyuO5_VXJMRp2NDywDovti8CIMpX-hS2fuz_g_ukPKABllVvwQ-M2g

[mate stubb]

21 hours ago, hurricane hugo said:

https://cdm.link/2023/07/free-sqsl-canvas-app-connects-ipad-to-eurorack/?fbclid=IwAR35vtyuO5_VXJMRp2NDywDovti8CIMpX-hS2fuz_g_ukPKABllVvwQ-M2g

 

That's a nice solution.

[hurricane hugo]

kinda philosophy, but interesting:   https://www.perfectcircuit.com/signal/rethinking-eurorack?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=featured-article&utm_content=rethinking-eurorack&fbclid=IwAR1nU2SJbKKLZ50LzvTziT_wqLNOsY3GZRuBfFEZ5MJlIq6g8iIceR_3DzQ

[hurricane hugo]

read all about it: https://cdm.link/2023/09/3d-printed-modular-modular-cases/?fbclid=IwAR2zw-Tz3SpC9h8q2XHk41CndbbrYk9-BAiDHFO4L42LXshbccEt4KSa-Ow

[mate stubb]

The way the jacks are recessed, it seems impossible to have multiple rows.

[RABid]

1010music released BlueBox in Eurorack format.

 

Bluebox Eurorack

 

 

[mate stubb]

Saw this a few days ago.

 

 

[RABid]

My little fun box. Modulars don't have to be big to bring joy. The key is Plaits (Beehive) providing a variety of sounds, sequenced by Vox Digitalis and modulated by Pam and the u4R, and Electus Versio providing ever-changing reverb and echo as settings are modulated by Pam and the u4R. I use the Pique to provide bass and snare drum. Though Plaits normally has an 8 note pattern played by Vox Digitalis, the sound of each note is random. The real fun comes when setting the tap on the delay to an odd signature. I normally drive it with a channel from Pam set for 4/2.6 so the echo is off, but not totally out of time.

[RABid]

On 9/9/2023 at 7:46 PM, mate stubb said:

Saw this a few days ago.

My only issue is no headphone out.

[mate stubb]

5 hours ago, RABid said:

My little fun box. Modulars don't have to be big to bring joy. The key is Plaits (Beehive) providing a variety of sounds, sequenced by Vox Digitalis and modulated by Pam and the u4R, and Electus Versio providing ever-changing reverb and echo as settings are modulated by Pam and the u4R. I use the Pique to provide bass and snare drum. Though Plaits normally has an 8 note pattern played by Vox Digitalis, the sound of each note is random. The real fun comes when setting the tap on the delay to an odd signature. I normally drive it with a channel from Pam set for 4/2.6 so the echo is off, but not totally out of time.

 

 

What do you use the Data for?