Can we talk about modular synths?

[MrNovember]

Oh man, I've wanted one of those since seeing Olafur Arnalds talking about his! Too bad I don't have a spare $28k laying around

[Seance]

Oh man, I've wanted one of those since seeing Olafur Arnalds talking about his! Too bad I don't have a spare $28k laying around

Slap some wheels on it and you can drive it as a car.

Tack on an awning and it can operate as a 2-season form of shelter.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Very cool! It would be so fun to play something like this for kicks, but there's probably no way I could convince anyone I'm a real prospective buyer and I'd feel too guilty / terrified of breaking it

[D.o.S.]

28K CAD is like two modules in real currency I'm sure you'll be fine.

[gila_crisis]

Tiny update to my black system: I've took out the Modulaire Maritime Tarot for the time being (and actually later I kind of better like to use the Boundary for distortion purposes, it's amazing what Schlappi did on this module!), because I needed place for 2 new entries: the Divkid Ochd (which was on my wish list since very loooong, thanks to Videt and few others, super cool multi LFO, very dynamic and organic, super cool utility and together with the Doepfer Quad LFO now I have all the LFOs I may need) and the Bubblesound DIOD (it's a brute force filter, HP/BP/LP, resonance at max may sound very abrupt and unusable.... at least for "normal people", which is not how I consider myself )

(...and possibly soon (thank you again Vidret... .always your fault ) there'll be a Endorphin.se Airstreamer 4 joining the system, but that's another story.....)

CD0EA0EA-5859-4B5E-9BD9-D4CF0018B738.jpeg (79.54 KiB) Viewed 1475 times

[gila_crisis]

Well, I''ve re-arranged a bit the skiff: I removed the Sindikat (I have too many mixers... eheheh), so that I was able to make place again for the Tarot, which slowly I start to understand better how to use it: really a very cool distortion device!
Looking forward to the Airstreamer4 also to finally able to have a S&H/T&H functionalities, beside all the rest it can do.
Ochd & Quad LFO together are a great combo.

[gila_crisis]

Big Big news: Mutable Instruments released a new Firmware for PLAITS, with 8 new additional modes!!!

https://forum.mutable-instruments.net/t ... e/20719/61

[MrNovember]

I just bought a Plaits not too long ago. Still haven’t really explored all the sounds in there, but I guess I’ll install the new firmware anyways

[dozicusmaximus]

Been a while. How is everyone?
I'm missing all the Mannequins and Mobenthy modules I sold 4 years ago. Give them back to me!
I haven't been paying much attention to the modular world since then. Looks like everything is all kinds of jacked up from all the bullshit from the past few years. I did just grab some Noise Engineering software so that should help me make weird noises on the computer for a while.

[MrNovember]

Just got an email that there are some new Just Friends and w/ being made available on December 16. I don’t have any money set aside, but I am very tempted. Really want a Just Friends again and always wanted to try a w/

[MrNovember]

Just got an email that there are some new Just Friends and w/ being made available on December 16. I don’t have any money set aside, but I am very tempted. Really want a Just Friends again and always wanted to try a w/

[MrNovember]

I’m in the same boat with the w/. Always wanted to try it, but the interface and price always scares me away.

The price of the Just Friends makes me kind of sad because I absolutely loved that module. It was one of the last ones I sold when I initially got rid of all my euro gear. Never should have sold it! I’ve got a Tides v2 that scratches some of the same itch that the Just Friends would though

[Confuzzled]

I'm about to (or want to) delve into the modular world against what my OCD and anxiety is telling me. I have a few questions:

1. I have heard that there are two different types of modular systems that the units are not compatible with one another? Is this myth or true?
2. when looking for modular units, are big knobs better than mini pots for visibility and ease of use?
3. the sockets: Is a neat row of sockets usually preferred over random placement to keep things clean and neat and easy to navigate or is this just a personal preference?

[MrNovember]

I'm about to (or want to) delve into the modular world against what my OCD and anxiety is telling me. I have a few questions:

1. I have heard that there are two different types of modular systems that the units are not compatible with one another? Is this myth or true?
2. when looking for modular units, are big knobs better than mini pots for visibility and ease of use?
3. the sockets: Is a neat row of sockets usually preferred over random placement to keep things clean and neat and easy to navigate or is this just a personal preference?

1. There are like 3 or 4 dominant types of modular systems. Eurorack/3U is the most accessible both due to cost and availability. Eurorack uses 1/8" jacks and is what most people here are into. There's also Moog/dotcom/5U, which are much bigger, more expensive, and more difficult to come by. 5U uses 1/4" jacks. Then there are a lot of other specific brands that have their own form factors like Serge and Buchla, which use banana jacks and are also a lot more expensive and hard to come by.
2. Totally up to personal preference and the size of the system you're looking to build. If you're looking to fit a ton of modules into a small case, then you might have to learn to love mini-pots, but if you have the space, I'd personally prefer full sized/bigger knobs. I would recommend checking out modulargrid to try and put together some racks
3. Also totally up to personal preference. Manufactures like Make Noise have jacks all over the place and arguably difficult to read labelling, but they're one of the most popular brands. Mutable mostly have jacks all at the bottom of their modules. A neat row of jacks might ease OCD/anxiety, but don't be afraid to mix and match brands.

[Confuzzled]

I'm about to (or want to) delve into the modular world against what my OCD and anxiety is telling me. I have a few questions:

1. I have heard that there are two different types of modular systems that the units are not compatible with one another? Is this myth or true?
2. when looking for modular units, are big knobs better than mini pots for visibility and ease of use?
3. the sockets: Is a neat row of sockets usually preferred over random placement to keep things clean and neat and easy to navigate or is this just a personal preference?

1. There are like 3 or 4 dominant types of modular systems. Eurorack/3U is the most accessible both due to cost and availability. Eurorack uses 1/8" jacks and is what most people here are into. There's also Moog/dotcom/5U, which are much bigger, more expensive, and more difficult to come by. 5U uses 1/4" jacks. Then there are a lot of other specific brands that have their own form factors like Serge and Buchla, which use banana jacks and are also a lot more expensive and hard to come by.
2. Totally up to personal preference and the size of the system you're looking to build. If you're looking to fit a ton of modules into a small case, then you might have to learn to love mini-pots, but if you have the space, I'd personally prefer full sized/bigger knobs. I would recommend checking out modulargrid to try and put together some racks
3. Also totally up to personal preference. Manufactures like Make Noise have jacks all over the place and arguably difficult to read labelling, but they're one of the most popular brands. Mutable mostly have jacks all at the bottom of their modules. A neat row of jacks might ease OCD/anxiety, but don't be afraid to mix and match brands.

Thank you! That was incredibly informative.