Recreating Elektron gear with modular

The Lounge Other Gear
#21

recreating something/anything in eurorack is a fools errand, one that will prove costly and frustrating.

musical instruments are not feature lists that you can tick off with the appropriate module.
they are a plethora of design decisions, from the UI, to the filter/oscillators chosens, even the limitations are deliberate design decisions. (oh and budget!)

with eurorack you need to make those decision very much based on what you want to achieve, and also whats available, in your budget etc etc.

personally, Id say forget Elektron gear, rather play with VCV Rack, and use it to flesh out what you would like to do with modular.
tip: try to use simpler vcvrack modules, and one that is ‘feasible’ to build in the real world.

sure vcv is not perfect, for many reasons… and I dont enjoy it much because of its lack of a tactile interface - but Ive no doubt, if you are serious about getting into eurorack, it can save you a lot of time, money and frustration :slight_smile:

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#22

This is why I eurorack! To venture into areas that are not possible with Elektron and other gear.

This is why I eurorack :point_down:

Not my video (obviously)

So thats why i always get so perplexed when people want to recreate menu diving in eurorack. For me the thrill is making pathces that are like a connected network, where audio and CV intermingle as both audio sources and modulation sources… where the turn of one knob can change up a whole patch.

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#23

Absolutely agree.

I gave it some tries to use it like Musique Contrete tape machines. Works pretty well.

1 Like
#24

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Heres my modular version of the Syntakt… sort of … :thinking::smiley:

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#25

You got any sound examples? :smiley:

#26

This. Where exactly can I make a feedback loop, slew a stepped random signal, use a sequential switch or a comparator, use a function generator as an osc, an lfo as a sequencer, ping a filter, use audio as modulation on an elektron device?

Not even close. Elektron devices are trackers.

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#27

My two cents: You might become frustrated rather quickly with this approach to modular. Eurorack is all about creating complex behaviors with simple modules.

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#28

if you have enough envelopes, vcas, and sequencers it’s definitely possible, and probably an interesting way to approach building a system but this is if $ and space is no concern

to me the thing that separates elektron from modular is the ergonomics. Yes there’s menu diving and lots of combo buttons but the continuity between machines and their approach make them sublime for live performance in a footprint that CANNOT be beaten by modular.

IMO the best approach would be to buy an analog four and have it be your “brain” via the CV outs controlled by the sequencer tracks and go from there :slight_smile:

#29

Of course elektron devices are not modular and they have a fixed architecture. But you can actually do some of these stuff on an elektron device. Maybe in a bit more limited way but you can get interesting results.

No comparator for sure or you can’t use the envelope as oscillator, no non-linear cv feedback loops…etc. But for example, Octatrack is seriously a perfect device for audio feedback experiments and you can control it via lfos or its sequencer, trigs…etc. The best thing is that you can even recall your patch! You can’t do that with a modular system. You can use LFOs as a pseudo-sequencer by modulating the amp or even a filter. You can definitely ping a filter and even feed it back again by using just a knob (on Analog Four). I guess you can also use audio as modulation source on Analog Four and Rytm via their cv inputs.

But they’re definitely not as flexible as modular systems. You can’t even compare them.

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#30

yes ofc you an approximate/recreate some modular tecniques, especially with the OT, just like you can with many other synths, but saying ‘Elektron is modular gear’ is a bit of an exaggeration.

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#31

Yeah, definitely.

You’ve asked where you can make these things on an Elektron device, that’s why I wanted to reply, that’s all :slight_smile:

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#32

You can recreate p-locks easily in modular with step sequencers, but as others have noted it would be impractical to use modular solely for this. You’d also be missing out on the many other modulation sources modular has to offer. For example, I find something like Mod Medusa, which has no analog in Elektron-land, to be a lot more inspiring than just trying to step sequence everything in sight.