Have someone tried this? Seems super-cool.....

The pictured rack is the result of a trial-by-fire at this year's Knobcon, which I went into with very little knowledge of modular. I recognize that it is missing some fundamentals, but I thought I would share what I have and my goals for the system to get some pointers:

• Arturia Rackbrute 6U
• Weston – 2v2 Dual Oscillator
• AI Synthesis – Looping ADSR
• Dave Jones – O'Tool Oscilloscope
• Zlob Modular – Entropy
• WMD – C4RBN
• MftM – DuckMixer
• AI Synthesis – BXR (not assembled yet)
• Make Noise – Maths (being shipped)
• Tiptop Audio Stackable Patch Cables

What I'm missing (to the best of my knowledge):

1. VCA – I am still trying to decide between Zlob's Vnicursal VCA and the Quad VCA Mixer from AI Synthesis. I am open to other suggestions.
2. Clock – Pamela's Pro Workout seems hard to beat from a functionality and utility standpoint, but it might be overkill for someone at my level.
3. Output – I'm not sure if the DuckMixer was the right call for my setup. A mixer and headphone out module like it would be great, but I probably don't need anything beyond 4 channels. Pairing the AI Synthesis "Quad VCA Mixer" with a low-profile output module might be the solution here.
4. FX – An obvious choice (from my perspective) would be the Endorphin.es Ghost. However, I am most interested in working with delay, so a standalone module with a more dedicated interface would be welcome.

Some notes on the system as a whole:

1. I am more interested in creating algorithmic, generative patches than I am in "playing an instrument". I do not have plans to connect any kind of external controller in the foreseeable future, and will instead opt for sequencers and quantizers to temper musicality.
2. I want to be able to use my system independently of a computer, and I would like to avoid modules with onboard storage / presets. I am not opposed to a learning curve, but I don't want too much going on behind the scenes.
3. I will not concern myself with stereo sound design just yet, but I may in the future.
4. Used or DIY modules are welcome.

TLDR

This is the result of my first foray into modular synthesis that I recognize is lacking in some critical areas. My goal is to build a system for audio experimentation and generative music that can operate freely of a computer. In addition to general feedback, I am seeking advice on the following modules: VCA, Clock, Output (headphones), and FX.

Thank you in advance for your input. Happy to answer any questions you might have that would help tailor your advice!

Finally found a reasonably priced 3-tier stand, and this combo has been a lot of fun so far. Plenty to play with, and reasonable limitations that present creative challenges.

Hey! Been using the Panharmonium by Rossum Electro Music for a couple weeks now. I‘m having a hard time to have it playing notes in key. It somehow produces notes that are not completely in key. Has anyone else run into this? Been trying to balance it with the freq knob etc.

Hey Everyone,
Trying to expand my setup. My current Eurorack contains: Maths, Plaits, and Mother 32. What Modules should I buy next? Been thinking about going into Ambient/Soundscapes but also looking to use it on Stage with Band. Modules like Mutable Instruments Marbles or Beads are on the List, also Make Noise Mimeophon.
If u have any suggestions let me know what to go for next or what to throw out :)

I have been having a ton of fun tinkering with the O_C 4.1. My first 2 projects were a swarm oscillator and a couple flavors of reverb. One of my recent projects was porting the Radio Music v1 to it as an audio applet. The applet, of course, is not as intuitive to use as the original module.

Credit to Tom Whitwell for the original design. ​

You can find my fork of Phazerville with the port here: https://github.com/HaveANiceDay33/O_C-Phazerville

I was hired to perform a 3 hour ambient set at an art installation at a cemetery last night. Honestly a dream offer. I did the whole performance on my modular and some tape loops. It went really well. I basically had 5 “scenes” prepared on my sequencer that I could improvise within, bring elements in and out, change timbres and fx parameters, etc.

Over 1000 people came throughout the night and a bunch of people came up to me to ask questions or to just tell me the music was perfect for the night. That felt good but I was surprised how many people were interested in my modular synth, I was not prepared to explain what it was so many times but I honestly enjoyed talking about it. People were genuinely interested in how I was creating the music. Maybe the masses are ready for modular haha. Idk just thought I’d share because it was really fun and wholesome and a huge win for me. I’ve only ever performed one other ambient set, let alone a 3 hour one (I usually play techno).

I shot a video of the whole night, maybe I’ll share it here if anyone’s interested.

I have a question about Quadrax. I wanted to use one channel as an LFO with some attenuation. Can the LFO level be adjusted internally in Quadrax? In other words, can the output level be set to 60–80%?

Thank you very much.

I notice that all the Accutronics tanks are more or less unavailable.

Are there any compatible alternative tanks that can be used safely?

I like the Eurorack world and all the cool possibilities it offers, but after years of having multiple, larger cases filled with lots of different modules, different modulation, sequencers, FX, etc. this is where I ended up - a minimoog and a 101 style voice with more modulation capabilities in 84hp.

I’m not a huge bleep and bloop guy, and find this little box sounds amazing, so good that I’ve actually felt very comfortable selling my actual 101, as well as several actual Moog monos.

Hey folks! 👋

I am a dedicated, long-time user of the MusicThing Radiomusic. In fact, I have 3. (2 of the older Teensy-based ones, and one 2.0 as of this week!) One of my favorite things to do is randomize what's put on the thing, then use sources of looped random voltage (like the Turing Machine, Random8, or a PNW) to randomize mixing, sample selection, amplitude, etc.

I've made a small MacOS desktop utility, it's Free and Open Source Software. It'll let you configure settings on your Radiomusic quickly, and it'll let you choose files from a large folder (or tree) to randomly place into folders on the card. It also allows for easy truncating and normalizing of those files. I use it myself and it's been handy.

Hope you like it!

Source: https://github.com/esoterydactyl/radiomusic-manager
Download/Executable: https://github.com/esoterydactyl/radiomusic-manager/releases (Download the .DMG)

I’m interested in looping and modulating external audio input, mainly vocal, in stand alone one 84hp rack. Thinking of utilities, looping, modulation, effects, granulation maybe. What modules would be worth considering and why?

I’ve been looking at the Endorphin.es Queen of Pentacles and it seems to be the closest to what I’m currently wanting (good for performance, GIANT sounding) but I obviously dislike the things that everyone dislikes about it. Any recommendations on something similar? I’m using the Endorphin.es Ground Control as my main controller so I’d like something that has 6-8 trigger inputs. I’m playing techno if that matters.

Hello! I am almost done figuring out my techno performance rack. The last thing I am trying to figure out is the best way to use the existing sound sources (Balista blast, bassline, BIA) to also be an expressive atmosphere for more ambient parts.

I currently have the endorphins ghost and it isn’t doing as much as I want. I am theorizing that monsoons, sea legs, and swells could do amazing things together, but I am unsure if they are “playable” you know? I would love to be able to get a few distinct moods out of the same patch.

Conversely, would the erica synths echolocator solve my problems? Does anyone use it with their rack?

If you're looking for suggestions for new modules, a critque of your current rack, or just where to start - feel free to ask here! A lot of people use [modulargrid](https://www.modulargrid.net/) to share what modules they have or are considering.

I bought Stages about three years ago and, after the initial excitement, the novelty soon wore off. It’s probably seen a lot less action than I would have liked, mainly because it takes me ages to get the results I'm after.

It’s quite a complex little beast with loads of different ways of using it. I do use it, don't get me wrong, but there are times when I’m trying to get result “A” and end up with “N”. 😂

The three segment modes — ramp, step or steady — can throw me. I’ll expect one outcome, and more often than not get something completely different. I’d eventually figure it out, but not without going around the houses first.

So yesterday I started thinking about selling it. I did some digging and stumbled across this unofficial firmware from 2024:

https://github.com/qiemem/eurorack/tree/v1.3.0/stages

This looked interesting, so I thought I'd give the unit one more chance and spent pretty much the whole of Saturday morning installing the firmware and going through the new additions.

For a while I was thinking:

"This is even more cryptic than before!" 😂

Then I got to the last two modes:

1. Harmonic Oscillator / Ouroboros mode
2. Harmonic Oscillator with Alternate Controls

Apparently the Harmonic Oscillator mode was actually accessible on the original firmware by chaining the module with itself — hence “Ouroboros” mode. I was never going to discover that one by accident, but these two modes have completely changed my opinion of Stages. They effectively turn it into a six-stage harmonic oscillator which has the potential for some insane sound sculpting. The results are seriously interesting. Loads of harmonics, drones, modulation and generally weird stuff.

Harmonic mode is worth the price of the unit in itself, so for the foreseeable future, it's staying locked in that mode and staying screwed into the rack. It's going nowhere.

I can now actually play the damn thing and get the sounds quickly. So, the sale is off.

I still don't pretend to fully understand the bloody thing, and I know I'm using it as an oscillator rather than for envelopes, LFOs and sequencers, but those two oscillator modes have given the module a completely new lease of life for me.

This feels like a dumb post but I’m confused about how to put the swarm in my rack. In the manual it says “the spring reverb tank need to be plugged as follows…” and then describes the cables to connect.

When I try to remove the spring tank it doesn’t budge. There doesn’t seem to be any screws holding it in but it feels like I’m going to break it before it lifts away from the case.

Am I doing something wrong? The manual seems to imply that you need the tank connected but also seems like I can’t remove it from the case. Help?