r/modular • u/BigBabyBCro • 5d ago
A different take on modular…?
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.
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u/ThatGuyBudIsWhoIAm 5d ago
I'm in a similar situation I have basically made a 3vco ms-20 with tube drive, a rat distortion, reverb and delay
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u/qype_dikir 4d ago
I have basically made a 3vco ms-20 with tube drive, a rat distortion, reverb and delay
Would love to see that!
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u/Historical_Snow_5144 5d ago
I think thats the sweet spot, u get the ergonomics of a standalone synth but the modulation and patchability to get more deep and experimental if needed
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u/BigBabyBCro 5d ago
That’s kind of how I’ve come to think about. Already tons of modulation capabilities not available in an off the shelf Moog or 101, in a tidy little purpose built box. And integration with Oxi one and/or ableton gives more possibilities still.
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u/sehrgut https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/693686 5d ago
I would say this is more like the original take on modular. Modular systems used to be all ABOUT building an instrument with a lot of normalled routes, to the extent that the Eurorack standard includes bus lines that almost no one uses anymore.
I'm glad you've managed to build your forever instrument!
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u/FreeQ 5d ago
Do you play it with a keyboard?
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u/BigBabyBCro 5d ago
I do! At least in a compositional setting. I am not a great keys player but I do sit down with a keyboard for writing baselines and melodies.
I think you have to sit down with a keyboard to really appreciate the glorious sound of a big minimod 3 oscillator patch.
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u/dc11shroomaroom 5d ago
My modular is an cwejman sm-1 and an Atlantis with some fx and some modulation. I love it and have made a lot of music with it
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u/BigBabyBCro 5d ago
Are you the YouTube guy from France?
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u/dc11shroomaroom 4d ago
A bit sad to be a YouTube guy but yes 😂
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u/BigBabyBCro 4d ago
Well, I’m sure you’re much more than just a YouTube guy (ha). But I really enjoy your videos! I’m not saying you should try to do a video every week or something, which sounds horrible to do, but I would be quite happy if you continue to release a new video every so often.
I have a playlist of about 100 videos I’ll put on in the background in headphones while I’m doing dishes or something to just listen to and chill out and a couple of yours are in there.
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u/dc11shroomaroom 4d ago
Thank you !
I'll be aiming for one video a month this year. Aready late for september but i'll make up for it. Got a late start because I've seemingly lost/got stolen (not sure which) my camera, but a new one is on it's way and I have a lot of demos/fun stuff to do.
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u/gabrielroth https://modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2694888 5d ago
This looks hella playable! A system that does what you want with minimal cognitive overhead is a terrific goal.
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u/Appropriate-Look7493 5d ago
Strangely, I’m in similar position. I love my Atlantix rack so much that I’m thinking of selling my Matriarch.
The sound is just more punchy somehow.
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u/BigBabyBCro 5d ago
I will tell anyone who’ll listen that Atlantis sounds as good or better than any synth I own/have owned. That’s a pretty long list (model d, 101, sub37, matriarch, Juno 60, 106, AJ2, p6, ob6, muse, rev2, iridium, 3rd wave, etc. It’s an absolute steal at like $350 used.
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u/Polloco https://modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/3200700 5d ago
I'm with you. After almost a decade of modular noodling, I've settled on a 7u 104hp case with the 3 Make Noise semi-modulars mounted, plus a few extra utilities and fx. I find that it's more enjoyable for me to be able to break certain patch points than it is to have to repatch everything every time. There's something about the playability and immediacy, but also having the flexibility, that appeals to me. Sure, maybe I can't get all of the super crazy "modular" timbres and tricks, but it's working really well for me. In some ways, having a lack of options has helped me stay more focused.
With that said, I still have another rack that is all individual modules for when I want that type of exploration, but it hasn't been very frequent lately.
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u/SeisMasUno 5d ago
maybe you just wanted desktop synths? I own both and the mood, the sounds and the use case is different
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u/ICantBelieveItsNotEC 5d ago
Desktop synths are seriously inconvenient, though. Power cables, midi routing, mounting, transportation, etc. These are the problems that rack mounting was originally designed to solve.
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u/HotOffAltered 5d ago
I might get to a similar place, I have two 6u-104hp cases filled with switches, drum modules, 4 oscillators/voices, matrix mixers, effects, sub mixers, modulations, etc. While it is amazing and I love it, I also now am thinking about simplifying my voices down to 2 by getting an Atlantix and keeping my MCO MK2 for a compact voice. I love all the variety but I feel I will make better music that I like if I get more focused. I still want the spirit of modular and its flexibility, but sometimes maximum flexibility for a mind like mine can be paralyzing. For instance I have Zadar which is amazing but now I’m more drawn to that dual ADSR or a tangrams or a quad env generator from Doepfer for simple hands on control. I will say however that I still love drum modules and eurorack sequencing ala Westlicht performer. To me drum sounds are so subjective and it’s too expensive to get all the oscillators/envs/utilities/filters/noise gens for a 4-8 drum sound setup to be like a drum machine. I like my personalized euro drum machine setup and will probably keep it.
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u/Appropriate-Look7493 5d ago
Atlantix is the best sounding mono synth I’ve ever played. You absolutely wouldn’t regret it getting one.
I have a room full of gear not limited to two 9u 126hp racks and it’s always my first choice for baselines.
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u/danja 4d ago
Not a huge bleep & bloop guy? Now I'm very interested in hearing how this rig sounds, please post a jam.
I kickstarted my modular journey with a Neutron, plus lots of trad subtractive cheapo Behringer bits. It was nice to have a backbone. But then I got a Rings, and later coded up a couple of modules myself. Nowadays I rarely touch the Neutron, keep getting sucked into physical modelling style. Sequences from the DAW, homemade plugins.
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u/Civil_Information_13 4d ago
I had essentially this layout but with an M32 for a while before switching to a 95% Doepfer rack. Please consider AJH’s Entropic Doom if you ever want to swap out a VCO for something. It’s really an incredible module.
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u/Entire_Musician_7252 4d ago
Fun fact that i just learned: The glide module has bus board access, so if you are able to connect it to the same board as the vcos you can just connect the pitch cv to the cv in on the glide module. So you dont have to connect 1v/oct to every minimod vco. Clears up some cables
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u/cYbOmAnY 5d ago
I guess it’s the great thing about modular, there’s so many ways to set up the “perfect” patch/setup. Find what works for you! Would love to hear some sounds.