Taiga and use the price difference with the Cascadia (over a grand) to buy some other modules.
1 Like
(cheater. 
)
A non-binary response to a binary question. No ulterior innuendo intended.
Iāve got a Hydrasynth Desktop I want to pair up with a semi-modular. Iām not looking to get into Eurorack (ever - famous last words, I know) so Iām looking for a self-contained box that is beautiful in of itself, and doesnāt have to rely on āthis other moduleā to really shine.
Iām currently looking into something akin to Buchla-style sound. Iāve currently got my eye on the Taiga, the 0-coast and the West Pest (in that order). They all seem to offer āthat soundā but the Taiga looks the most complete. I could probably score a cheap 0-coast secondhand, but the weird design of the synth actually deters me a bit - looks very exoteric and different (which of course could be a good thing).
For reference, I adore making ambient slowpaced music (everything upbeat and with lots of instruments and beats I handle in the box). I like sampling and layering to make drones and walls of sound etc. I usually do some live jamming while multitracking and then I re-arrange and master in the box afterwards.
As a bonus question, would it be possible to run MIDI from my computer to my Hydrasynth, and then run MIDI THROUGH into a CV gate? Or is there a mismatch in signals here?
1 Like
Donāt forget the Microvolt 3900. I use one for ambient, experimental music. You can procure one secondhand. For your last question, you would need a Midi to CV converter.
I can only speak for 0-Coast here (not sure about the other two) but thereās no need to get the Hydrasynth involved. The 0-Coast accepts midi (mono only ofc) and comes with an adapter for 5-pin midi connections. And, of course, if you want to get the Hydrasynth arp into the 0-Coast without midi, you can use the CV and Gate outs instead.
1 Like
I just got a barp 2600, its pretty great
Although Iāve not owned one myself I think if your budget supports it itās a hard option to beat - it covers a lot of ground (east and west) and sounds fantastic. Extensive patchbay too.
I think Cascadia versus 2600m would be the most apples-to-apples choice. and Iād choose 2600m. (and purchase a Cascadia later)
1 Like
I thought this about Taiga too when I first saw all those patch points but it actually looks fairly limited at the same time. For example, the ADSRs, you get in and out and thatās it by the looks of it. No way to modulate decay or send a gate at end of cycle etc. 0-Coast has less patch points but Iād say itās more flexible in some ways. Having three separate oscillators on Taiga is better for FM and cross modulation, etc, tho, admittedly.
3 Likes
I thought this at first too, but the manual is really detailed and explains whatās going on well. Thereās actually a sort of logic to how everything is labeled thatās consistent across all of their stuff. Iād check out the manual if youāre getting serious about it (skip the midi stuff at first, itās a bit confusing).
Your left-field option for Buchla on a budget is the Volca Modular. I really like this little box! Plus it wonāt tempt you into additional modular stuff.
3 Likes
I got the Cascadia
3 Likes
Except for the leftmost centimetre, which is the equivalent of the junk drawer I had as an adolescent.
Thanks for the reply 
I was actually talking about sending MIDI notes from Ableton to the Hydrasynth, and then use the MIDI THROUGH into the semi-modular. Iām asking since I like to program sequences from my DAW, and donāt really like to use step sequencers. I believe the Hydrasynth Desktop can send MIDI over CV, but the question is if the MIDI from the computer can do a pass through. Canāt seem to find that covered in the manual.
@tapesky Thanks, Iāve actually already skimmed the manual but since you point out it should be logical, maybe I should try a more thorough read 
Thanks for the replies, lads. That didnāt make it easier. Might end up ordering them all and make good use of the european return window.
2 Likes
I had an Explorer at one point but not at the same time as an 0-Coast or alternative (semi-) modular. So, I couldnāt try it out. But for this specific use case, it could be worth reaching out to ASM to see whether they think itās possible or not. I think theyāre very responsive.
Erica Synths Pico 3.
Sounds sick, keenly priced and stuffed full of useful bits and pieces in case ever venture further into euro. Which you will.