modular etc etc

[steevio]

Sleeparchive or Mika Vainio

sold! those names are like "the magic words" to me!

my long term goal, which i admit is young and naive and likely to change as i learn, is to have 12u to make a dedicated techno instrument.

3u synth
3u synth
3u drums
3u sequencing and cv mangling

thats pretty much how i planned my first modular rig, but it didnt work out that way, the drums and synths became just one thing, i dont distinguish between synths and drums anymore, i have the odd drum module mixed in with everything else, and i dont really think 'synths' anymore, i just think 'modules' (every module is a synth really)
this frees you up from the fixed architecture idea behind normal synthesizers.

i soon realised that 3U is no where near enough for sequencing (i now have 12 U sequencing and 15 U other modules) ok if you're using software sequencing, but the more sequencing modules you get the less you want to use software. when i got to 6U of sequencing i could safely ditch the computer altogether, but with limitations which actually didnt bother me, it was so liberating to get rid of the computer.

the CV mangling also should probably be just considered 'synth modules' too. they become intertwined with everything else, for instance i dont have a mangling section, the manglers are mixed in with everything else, sometimes mangling sequences, sometimes mangling everything else.

it all becomes homogenous pretty quickly, and i move modules around so that they are better placed for shorter patch runs till they settle into a pattern which works best.

if i look at my first module planner now, it no way resembles what i ended up with. i think you just have to feel it as you go along, and dont plan too far ahead

[skept]

thanks for the advice steevio. i am definitely in the mindset of drum machine, synth, etc but when i currently patch my modular i realize its another monster of its own and quickly break away from the traditional synth path.

i am currently sequencing with a computer and likely will continue to do so for awhile.

could any of you suggest some module types for me to check out that i could patch after my sequencer and before the oscillators to alter the cv? i think clock dividers seems appropriate but what could i use that would be similar to a midi delay? i currently have a vcbend module that allows me to shift the pitch of the cv. i read through the list of doepfer modules trying to decide what seems appropriate and what i should get. it can be a bit overwhelming especially as some of the concepts are foreign to me but i feel like i am slowly starting to understand things.

[steevio]

@skept

when you say alter the CV before the VCOs, what do you want to do ? why do you want alter the CV ?

the equivalent of a midi delay would be a trigger delay A162, but that is altering triggers which does not really relate to the oscillators, you cant delay a VCO, but you can delay when an envelope is triggered, which shapes the sound from a VCO

[skept]

i think most of my confusion comes from to not having a full understanding of cv and its capabilities so i just have to put in the time and research so i can understand it.

right now i can only relate to things based on how i currently make music. one of my favorite and most productive techniques is to have one midi clip that triggers all instruments in a song. by default this sounds really bland so i put midi manipulating plugins, mostly max for live stuff, in front of each instrument to make it start to move differently than the rest of the instruments and fill in some gaps. i'd like to continue this approach with the modular so in my mind now i would have a sequencer and many sound making modules triggered by the sequencer and in between the sequencer and each sound making module i would place modules that would alter what the sequencer sends differently for each instrument.

[steevio]

i would recommend buying two A162 dual trigger delays, (which gives you 4 delays and gate length adjustment) and an A143-2 quad envelope. i have two of these set-ups in my rig, i use them for everything.
if you cant afford an A143-2 you could get a similar but very much less flexible result with a A142-4 quad decay

[skept]

steevio your advice is greatly appreciated. i'll take a look at those modules.

[ekwipt]

Would this do for the first 3U am I missing something, people on Muffs are saying more modulation sources, i'm really a bit baffled on what to put in.

Want to start on 3U but buy a 6U or 9U case for inevitability.

[oblioblioblio]

looks fine to me. You'll never get it perfect from day one, so maybe start slow and see were it takes you.