A modular system can be so many things its easy to lose any sense of consistency and one of the most defining aspects of an instrument is its limitations. When you can always put in new modules it doesn´t force you to learn it the same way.
Absolutely … but there is no force to do this. I for myself plan out a modular system to be an instrument and keep it unchanged over a long period of time.
Modular is great for inspiration, new sounds, happy accidents, but unless your end goal is only jamming, it needs to be paired with a practical method of capturing and using the sounds you produce in a track or composition. If you don’t want to use a DAW for this, Digitakt is great, and Rytm is extra great for this as you have kits, analogue filters, individual outs etc.
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I would agree and am only speaking from my own experiences. To make it clear, I wasn´t able to keep my modular the same for many years bcs I got frustrated and distracted. 
Therefore to me an instrument is something I have to learn how to use and not be able to change everything on a whim.
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true … this is the kind of workflow and a set of tools, required to make good use of it. If this doesn’t fit to a musicians idea of creating music, it would be better to avoid modular 
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Well, I think I’m probably going for AR after all the recommendations made here.
One last question: do you guys ever used another analog drum machine to complement AR? I mean, drum machines usually have a sound signature, despite their versatility. Have you ever felt the need to look for another sound signature, like Jomox, MFB, etc?
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When I need another sound signature, I use samples.
E.g. Digitone samples into AR sounds great
Well, anything through AR filters tends to sound great, even 2012 phone samples pitched 1 octave down!
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Often play live and see ppl with modular “drum machines” playing same night. Their drums always sounds a bit more raw with more presence and basically “better quality“.
I would suggest get an AR and a small euro case and try some things slowly one by one (like Erica stuff, Noise Engineering, TipTop) and also have a kind of “generative” sequencer like MI Grids or Euclidean sequencer. This will widen up sonic pallete, give more freedom, you can always sample modular into AR. So probably the best scenario.
By myself I use both worlds too (Tempest, vintage Roland, Digitakt and BugBrand DRM1 and other things ) sample a lot and basically can say there are no perfect recipes, each case is unique.
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Wouldn’t call it a “need” in my case, but yes, depending on the musical idea a different sound signature can be interesting. Resently I combined the AR with a Flame Mäander, which is an interesting Fixed-Filter-Bank groove box and I loved it.
just get a MFB Tanzbar 2, best of both worlds
I’ve been reading the thread over my ‘morning’ coffee and comparing it to my own situation. For me, I’m getting a lot of mileage out of an AR MKII (MKI doesn’t sample) and a Make Noise 0-Coast – a batshit crazy semi-modular synth that you can connect to Rytm over regular midi. It’s great for drums too! So, I just sample some crazy into Rytm, back it up with Rytm’s analog engines and maybe some Roland X0X samples, and I’m set for beats for the next few years at least. I see it as a “best of both worlds” until I can dip into modular proper. Above all else, tho, make sure you have a decent sampler (and Elektron’s sequencer) for turning your modular adventures into proper songs
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Like @LyingDalai I sample - anything and everything - into the AR. Model:Cycles, machinedrum, eurorack, Peak, TR-06, monomachine, etc.
That plus Samples from Mars and some miscellaneous other drums samples (Tanzbär etc) and the AR is pretty tough to beat.
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I have a Eurorack setup - I spent a couple of years building a self-contained techno improvisation system and it’s a lot of fun. Once you get a patch setup that gives you versatility and control you can do a lot and I could stream for 1 hour or so without too much issues.
However I missed being more “compositional” with my music, so I’ve shifted slightly. I bought an AR MK2 which I’m now using to sequence a slimmed down 1/2 voice system and I will use this combination for live performance. The rest of my modular I now use for exploration and sound design, weaving this into tracks I build in Ableton.
I have tried a few Eurorack drum modules (BIA, SY0.5, SSF percussion synth) as well as using things like Plaits, Akemies Castle for percussion purposes. With careful modulation you can get some great sounds. That said … Ultimately I agree with what has been said by others here - the ability of AR MK2 to blend synthesis with samples in a coherent way, as well as the flexibility of the sequencer is more satisfying to me and so I’m in the process of selling a few of my percussion voices in favour of oscillators that I can have more control over.
Just some thoughts in case it helps.
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If you have an iPad you can get into modular territory real quick with @mekohler Collider app and it’s kit/pattern randomizers.
It’s arguably even more flexible (for the price and time) as scenes and performance controls are like hundreds if not thousands of dollars in utility modules.
And I don’t personally know of a sequencer that can top the Analogs’: trig conditions/probability + pattern length + bpm per pattern + direct jump.
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If you want to try eurorack you should start here:
-
https://vcvrack.com - you can use all the modules ale check if you like this kind of workflow
and than: -
https://www.modulargrid.net - create your dream synth and check the price (+ a lof of cables, case and God knows what more )
And if you have $ - you should buy second hand AR and DFAM
i have a pretty large euro and have used an AR for years
i use the euro a lot for drums, but the AR just has an immediacy that keeps me coming back, so I often sample the euro in there. the sequencer and performance features are just hard to beat and also hard to replicate in a modular without spending a shit load of money.
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It’d be sick if you could (edit) internally sequence and/or route an LFO to scenes/performance
You can do that, they have cc numbers, that are addressable via midi (from external devices)
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For sure…do it all the time…I meant in-box.
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I would keep in mind that the moog dram or the BIA can do a hole drum ensemble with just it´s 1 voice.
For example:
The dfam can build a beat with bassdrum, bass, zipper noise hihats and and a snare with just 1 voice.
A voice from the AR will be always be that voice … like bassdrum will just be a bassdrum (na or maybe a tom). Okay you maybe could plock a different sample on each step, but then you can´t really tweak it.
Same goes for the BIA. You can modulate the hell out of that thing so you may just need to add 2 or 3 other drum voices and you are done … and it will sound way more complex then programm a pattern on a rytm with 4 voices
But to my experiences … tuning drums, especially bassdrums like Crater can be a pain.
So if you wanna have a modulare drum machine … buy some modules and pams new work out … or go with the A4 MK2