I actually had utides when I first started out with eurorack (3u 48hp). My rack was really unstructured and well n00bie. I think I could utilize tides a lot better this time around. The amount of things I’ve learned since then is really staggering!
But yes I think I might opt for the original module if I get it.
If you end up going with just friends should consider teletype. Turns it from not that useful to like the most insane programmable poly synth. Lots of brain power affention and focus needed for those uses though.
Just Friends has an absurd amount of depth. I concur with everything @dokev said. It’s a minor tragedy that most folks who get one just use it as a polysynth, which granted is perfectly reasonable since is probably the most straightforward and useful module in that class, if a bit bland. I have not used it as a modulator enough.
It is beguiling and gorgeous and difficult to describe when self-FMed - there are worlds of interacting harmonics, chords and undertones between very slight movements of the intone control. Put some mixing utilities after it and some very gentle modulation on it, and it comes to life with nuanced, colorful drones. Edit: and you don’t need Teletype/i2c to enjoy this.
The best examples I’ve heard of this on record:
Ah, yes, this was another thing that put me off JF. Much of the useful discourse I found online revolved around using Teletype… which is unobtainable, and the sort of “little computer” I am personally trying to avoid in Eurorack. I understand the history and why it’s like this, but coming to it now and not five years ago, it just doesn’t appeal.
I disagree with Just Friends being “not that useful” without Teletype, but TT is awesome in its own right, and is surprisingly not that disruptive to the patching flow. When I first got TT I used JF with it just to get my feet under me because all the tutorials centered around it, but I just didn’t find it that interesting. I’ll probably come back around to it eventually, though.
Here’s a goofy TT jam I did for Flash Crash last year just to give you an idea of the workflow (and, yes, Crow is the only audio source):
I agree with everything from @license
I think for people who don’t want to have to spend the dough for rows and rows of modules for clocking, sequencing, and logic, the teletype is one (of many) ways to dive into that world.
However, I don’t really like screens in my modular either anymore, even though it doesn’t elicit the eye pain of a laptop or the brink-of-the-void limitlessness of the software environment. the code is super rudimentary, I can understand it as an absolute non-coder, but given the relatively molecular nature of modular it is an absolute universe of potential.
But that comes with a lot of commitment and learning in a way that feels less directly “modular”. It’s kind of an internal modular environment that can take event signals, and spit out some other event signals and rudimentary envelopes and a lot of flexible stepped/pitched CV. Oh and you need to use a keyboard, which kind of sucks.
So, I don’t use one, I don’t plan on returning to it anytime soon (on a moswka+leibniz control voltage journey), but I think for the right people it’s an amazing way to continue exploring musical structures in a way that can drastically lower the cost of a modular system.
and just friends is great with or without it, as an oscillator or modulator!!! Though I think tides/batumi/ochd have interesting advantages in their own right in the modulation realm. Wouldn’t pay more than MSRP for a JF though, they pop up for reasonable deals on lines often enough if you have a good trigger finger.
Yeah, this is huge. Even if you do simple stuff with it like clock dividers, key quantizers, or step sequencers, you can save like dozens of HP with one script/pattern and still have plenty of room for other stuff going on.
I’m not using mine right now, either - I’m rocking a very back-to-basics case at the moment myself since I’m returning to euro after a months-long hiaitus. But I plan to return to it when I get a better idea of how I want to sequence and control, and when I inevitably would rather tap in 3 terse lines of code than patch 7 cables between utilities to make a wonky rhythm sequencer.
I think it tops Pam’s, o_C, etc. any day of the week.
Unwanted advice here, but you might want to start patching before buying a new case or new modules. They only way to find out if your dream setup is missing something crucial or completely unusable for your workflow is by playing with it.
Nothing wrong with being a collector of modules though, if that’s your style, but it’s a rather big money pit to not even play the things!
I concur. In retrospect, I had more fun with my first 3 modules than when I got the 15 I “needed”.
Maestro is excellent, the workflow with the buttons is genius. Very easy and intuitive to program, hold the channel button, then select the settings you want for that channel with the other buttons. You can also build chains with it, so either complex LFOs, or complex envelopes, which you can trigger each step of.
Any advice is good advice IMO so thanks. Buying hardware synths in the 80’s and 90’s was also an expensive thing (car prices) but I did alright back then too.
Oh I absolutely intend to play with it… I have just been ordering a load of patch cables coming this week so I’ll be able to actually get a start.
Modular hasn’t really cost me much so far as I’ve just sold various hardware and bought modules, sort of like for like.
I have a pretty good job and earn great money so don’t mind spending a tiny fraction of it on a couple of modules each month.
So far I have the perfect modular drums/sampler/percussion I won’t be needing much else really.
Thanks
Out of curiosity can you do both LFOs and Envelopes simultaneously or just one or the other?
Just envelopes or LFOs: when you’ve got one of the toggles set to Shape (modulation) you have another toggle to choose between transient (AR envelopes), sustain (ASR envelopes) and cycle (LFO). Each output has a trigger input (triggers the envelope in transient, holds sustain phase with a gate in sustain, resets the LFO phase in cycle), and the triggers are all normalled in sequence so you can retrigger half of them with a single trigger in the third input (for example). You get the cool interaction stuff from the intone knob which sets time relationships between the outputs, and by the shapes ignoring re-triggers until the shape is falling. Each one of these setups has an alt mode when the Run jack has something plugged in (can be a dummy cable which gives you one basic alt, or even more complicated behaviour when you send Run control voltage) which gives you even more variation on the behaviours just described. It’s DEEP.
I think something like Acid Rain Maestro is probably a good place to look if you want to shoot a bunch of envelopes and LFOs from one module together.
I by chance just ordered a white magpie front panel for my uTides. Right now I have a picture of the original on my computer screen for reference. Hopefully the new panel will help.
Edit: Oh and also, I’ve only used it as a lfo so far. I need to explore the env mode more
Equalization/Mixing as a playable instrument in a focused compact performance case:
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I’m trying to figure out mixing/equalizing In a fairly compact 136HP 6U technojazzy case.
The only proper hardware mixer I ever owned was the 1010 Music Bluebox(returned), great interface and compact but It seemed liked It couldn’t quite compete with the headroom/dynamic range(?) of having hardware going straight into my Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 interface(I would upgrade this one if it makes sense). It’s very possible I did something wrong here though since I quite like the audio quality when recording into my Blackbox.
Eurorack has clicked hard with me - as few menus as possible, preferably analog; that I can learn to play and trust like an instrument has been key for me.
I have one Quad VCA with 4x attenuation/knobs, one 3X MIA, two Optomix LPGs and 4 filters to mix and push my sound sources with. I also have a 2hp Bubblesound Booster and a 2hp Reducer to bring up and down audio levels for external equipment.
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I would love to bring in equalizing and also possibly something akin to Return/Send to the 4-8(4 should be fine) channels I want to multitrack into my DAW.
I have a hard time finding compact analog mixers with 4-8 outputs. The Mackie VLZ4 802 seems to be able to do 4 outputs but I’m now playing around with the idea of having equalizing and some kind of primitive “Send/Return” inside of the case - I have 20-30HP to play around with on top of the modules I mentioned before.
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Has anyone a neat compact playable way of figuring out the mixing into multitrack recording?
I have some solid compact Faderfox midi controllers that I’ve mapped to filtering/EQ in DAW before but it just doesn’t compete with the trust I have with my hardware knobs : ]
Frap Tools QSC? (I don’t own one, but those who do really like it, and there is a further mixer ecosystem.)
nice one - but it mixes into two channels of output only
Maybe I could combine it with something else since I might not need my 2 channels of percussion to have Return/Send function.
With that thinking I could also possibly be okay with a compact 4-8 channel input / 2 channel stereo-output only standalone mixer for anything that isn’t percussion and just add 2 channels of equalization to my in-case percussion that goes straight to my interface if I want to save HP.
alright thanks : ) that lead to some new thinking
definitely also going to consider the QSC if it makes HP/ergonomic-sense
I have a SSF Vortices (Vortices — STEADY STATE FATE) on mixer duty and I like it a lot. You get a 4 channel mono mixer with pans, a 3 channel stereo mixer, separate outs for just the mono mixer and the stereo mixer, and a master out that has everything - 16HP. You can use the separate outs to set up a send/return bus for the mono mixer, or just to do silly feedback mixing stuff. CV control over pan and (with the expander it comes with) individual channel gain (so you get 3 stereo VCAs and 4 standard VCAs). No EQ though: the standard version has a saturation circuit that makes things a bit crispier after 2 o’clock on the gains, though if you didn’t want the character aspect the SSF guy said on Modwiggler that he’s going to release a ‘clean’ version of the mixer in a month or so.
It’s a nice module, I like it as a pure utility and for doing stuff with feedback/noise - I was deciding between it and the QSC that @plragde mentioned and decided on the Vortices because of how feature packed it was in the footprint. Might be hard to find a eurorack mixer below 30HP that has everything you’re after though - I think a lot of mixer functionality doesn’t make sense to be voltage controlled so maybe makes more sense doing it outside of the rack anyway?
Hi all,
Just on modular grid here so posting a screenshot of what my first rack will look like on Tuesday when a couple more modules arrive.
Still have 26hp after that. I was going to buy the Erica Synths drum mixer which I like but it doesn’t have any panning as far as I can see but the Doepfer 138sv does wich appeals to me. choices choices.
I can then focus on the other modules I have for a new mantis case which I can stack with the brackets I have.
Oh I went with the Befaco Out V3 and ST Mix this morning at Juno UK
Just came upon Shakmat Mod Medua. Might be up this alley
Though according to comments by them on MW, the final version will have a number of changes.
