This is the most insane part of modular to me - almost like getting slapped in the face real good but after a week going from ”it wasn’t that bad” to ”I actually enjoyed it.”
I had a brief but intense affair with eurorack and quickly realized it probably would never become effective/productive with the limited time I’ve got for making music. Also went about it wrong in many ways (expanding way too fast etc). Sold everything and bought a proper piano instead. But still I find myself looking at 2nd hand modules regularly, thinking if next time comes, I’ll be wiser. (Yeah right.)
I know I said I was done but just wanna reiterate, the addictiveness mentioned above is real, even if you’re not buying lots of modules the whole endeavour can eat your thoughts 24/7.
Exactly why I recommend a different format than euro, or a one manufacturer system; cuts down the noise
I personally don’t see anything wrong with that. Most of my free brain time is spent thinking about patch ideas, sounds I want to make, things I want to try and remembering how much fun the last jam session was.
And I usually recommend the exact opposite, although I think quite a few premade systems are very well thought-of, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much as a system I built myself. What you perceive as noise, I call incredible freedom. But it can be daunting indeed, just like a computer with 1000 VSTs.
This is what I think is neat with Euro: everyone sees it differently, makes different things with it and in the end, it’s all fine as long as everyone enjoys what they are doing.
Yeah I can definitely see both sides of this… partly the whole point of modular for most people seems to be building your own unique system, but also working with in the constraints someone else came up with is easier than on a system you come up with yourself. The second I start think oh I could use another few mixers and mults on a system I built myself I’m back into shopping mode, while on a prebuilt system my thought is more how do I twist more out of the tool set they gave me. I suppose with more experience I will likely learn to make contained systems with interesting limitations but I think premade systems are a great way to learn about thinking this way.
true that is why stuff like the Industrial music modules used to be called Harvestmen like Piston Honda are so confusing with digital presets and huge size in hp. I like ones that have knobs and dials and not tons of screens. The Xaoc Devices Batumi looks like a sweet LFO and the Xaoc Devices Belgrad like a fun filter. I also look at triple oscillator like Rossum Music trident. Having 3 VCO in one module that have knobs and switches not presets in one module and so forth let me experiment in patch ways with say a quad VCA device.
Yeah it is all super expensive but I play guitar and that can get pricey too for a decent amp and custom instrument. I save and invest in stocks that helps fund gear habit.
that is why I am soo glad to have discovered the free modular software called VCVRack. Yeah it is not as fun as real patch cables but at least conceptually can see and hear how modules fit together. I also am learning what kind of tones and modules I like. The ones that have difficult to read graphics and bazillion hidden features drive me crazy! I want simple knobs and switches. Otherwise I can mess with my Elektrons for a few hours
Digging into my Elektron gear and Make Noise 0-coast again after time away from them due to a major injury has kept that gear GAS lust at bay.
All my Elektron gear is still very much in use despite my love for modular. Octatrack in particular of course but also all the others. I spent time trying to make modular be a custom version of what I already had - ie. a “better” sh101 or a “better” a4 but finally realized this is not the best approach. Modular has its own role to play for me.
agree and I am always learning new stuff on my A4 and OT. Both great solid machines. One weak point of modular is no real ability to create preset tracks like what you can do with Elektron gear. That means for live performance it is tricky as a patch cable missed or unplugged spells disaster. I like the stability of Elektron gear and the experimental tactile nature of modular gear. When I see guys tote around 50 lbs of modular gear to shows, I wonder how soon it will be when they have back problems. Nothing like one Elektron box to do an entire show in a small backpack case.
I’m using miRack myself to prototype ideas for a future physical modular. I probably won’t get the real modular until a recurring pattern emerges in the patches I create and explore - a recurring pattern in the sense that my choice of modules is consistent and how i like to route CV and audio signals.
With some of it you can, the two bit’s i’m adding both can. The Make Noise Mimeophone even has an SD card… Of course in general, you need a camera to store presets.
I find modular extremely appealing, but Ive always stayed away as I find the whole scene ridiculously overpriced, exploitatively so. Im pretty convinced their profit margins must be crazily high. Can anyone estimate how much it would run you, to build up a similar capability of an A4 in modular format?? I would guess (admittedly out of my a$&) at least ~5k$
Ergonomics is an important consideration, personally found trying to reach a control buried behind several patch cables of varying lengths turned the modular dream into a modular reality.
The jury is out on whether a fully patched system (in a practical context) is aesthetically pleasing.
Yes, sequencing my eurorack with the octatrack and it’s pretty excellent. If you’re low on space and cash, I’d evaluate the reasons why you want a modular system and go forward by building a concentrated (I.e small) system.
I also agree that investing in a bigger case is wise, however. I luckily bought an intelligel 7u performance case, buy it’s almost full and as I progressed, new ideas for things I want to experiment with developed and have me considering another case…when money allows it
