I bet tetrapad & tete is super fun, it does seem like it requires a bit of setup though to find what you want it to do as you perform. While a joystick is more no think just do.
An unlisted video I did a bit ago to show someone how I use quaid mega slope as more of a performance offset controller. You do need multi and attenuation if you want to get more complex with it though but it does have easy to navigate modes, you can like leave it in step mode if you want to go hands off for a minute. Has positive and bipolar outs which helps add some variety to what you are controlling. Probably not really what you are after but I was kind of shocked at how integral itās become to my mono voice in my setup.
I have a sequencer case with Planar2/Tete/Tetrapad together on one end (plus one of Intellijelās 1U pressure sensitive tiles for some extra hands on control), and itās a really good combo. The Tete + Tetrapad functionality kinda speaks for itself, but what Tete does for the Planar2 (and vice versa) doesnāt get talked about a lot. The main thing is Tete is designed to send out CV specifically for syncing a recorded Planar loop to the Tete/Tetrapad sequencer/looper (basically a ramp that travels from 0 to 5v over the course of the sequence/loop): Planar can use that to scrub through its loop at the same speed. Things get interesting with the Tete sequencer which is a trigger advance sequencer, so can be fed irregular clocks and still keep Planar in sync - very cool! And obviously the joystick CV + gate is very nice for manipulating the Tete, which has a lot of assignable options to modulate stuff (eg. octaves/semitones/toggling loopy mode on and off/slew/tons more).
Hi all Iām wanting some kind of CV Controller module but not sure what to look out for. When I use hardware synths I would control all sorts with the FADERFOX EC4 however is there anything similar in the modular world that would allow me to do similar stuff but with CV? I feel I need a good controller to have my most important controls all in one place. Anything out there I should look at?
A simple solution to this is grabbing some attenuators that have voltage normaled to the outputs when they donāt have an input patched in - eg. WMD 4tten - Eurorack Module on ModularGrid or Antumbra ATN8 - Eurorack Module on ModularGrid or Erogenous Tones LEVIT8 - Eurorack Module on ModularGrid. Put them somewhere handy and patch the outputs to the controls you want to fiddle with most, then you can control all those parameters from the attenuator module(s). This is pretty much what all faderbanks/offset modules that youād get for this purpose are gonna be doing anyway, but you have the bonus of being able to also use them as attenuators for other CV in different patches, and you can get as few or many faders as you need, rather than being locked into having too many faders or too much HP. I have a bunch of 4TTENs throughout my case for doing this kind of thing.
Iām reasonable new to eurorack, had a small system for a while, but it has taken me sometime to get into it. initially, i just used it to generate sounds sounds from DPO, with most control coming from ableton via Expert Sleepers. I do have Maths, which is great. Iām finally moving to the idea of it being more independent, although still clocked from live via cv.ocd into pam pro workout, which from my understand should help keep things somewhat stable without being to expensive. So I now feel that Iām going to need a lot more modulation.
What would people recommend to complement Maths? I guess I might also need modules for attenuation/offsets, I do have a plan to get Bastlās Aikido vca/mixer module.
LFOs: Kermit, Batumi, ochd, doepfer A-145. Random: (Pams ofc) Marbles clones, doepfer a-118. More envelopes: Delta-V, Quadrax, Tides, Just Friendsā¦a second Maths (cause why not). Or just roll your own with something like the FLAME C3-MK
Iām gonna go for a wildcard suggestion since Ableton is already in the mix for you: if your audio interface has ADAT channels, an Expert Sleepers ES-3. That would get you 8 DC coupled outputs on your interface that you could send CV out of via Ableton CV tools and/or VCV Rack. You could clock your system directly through this rather than needed to go via MIDI-CV conversion (pretty much the stablest way to get sync with a DAW), and you could use the other 7 outputs to send whatever craziness you can generate with the 100s of great Max For Live devices you can get for free (or even just the CV tools suite).
If you get the VCV Rack VST you can also try out loads of the things that are likely to come up here (eg. most of the Mutable Instruments modules are on there, including Marbles). Maybe you decide you want the real thing in the case later on and you can just sell the ES-3 on, but good way of trying out lots of stuff (relatively) cheaply.
In terms of actual modules though, I like having some source of randomness to keep the rise/fall time on Maths always changing a little bit. Something like Wogglebug, Marbles, a Turing Machine or a RND Step is good for that. Iād second Just Friends (in fact I seconded it myself, I have two of them itās so good) except itās incredibly hard to get hold of without paying ridiculous mark up in the second hand market. Having a bipolar source of CV would also be useful in a case with a Pams and Maths. LFOs like Ochd or Batumi are a lot of bang for your buck.
Thanks for the advice. I did not mention it, but Iām using OCD.CV as Iām using the OT to sequence the eurorack, but when thatās not in the equation Iāll use the ES-8 as you imply, which Iāve already been doing.
Iām on the list to be informed when Just Friends is back, which according to the website is Summer 2023, so fingers crossed
Good idea about VCV Rack, Iāve been using the teletype module in there, which I really enjoy, another hard to get module! So makes sense to try stuff out there.
Having recently bought a Matriarch and with a couple of rows of 19" rack going spare Iāve inevitably started looking into this potential money pit seriously for the first time! Simultanously exciting and headache-inducing
Initially I was going to take the easy, all-in-one option and get a couple of Tiptop Happy Ending kits even though I felt a bit unsure about how good the power supply would be. Then I happened to see a note in the manual of one of my ādefiniteā modules, the AJH Gemini 2412, saying that it was quite picky about power so I started looking into that a bit more. Found a couple of people saying theyād had issues with the uZeus and other flying bus solutions so now Iām down the PSU rabbit hole with my head spinning a bit, especially since itās not getting mounted in a case but going into a desk that happens to have a row of racks in front with empty space behind.
Am I right in thinking I could just go for this Konstant Lab Strongpwr set (intended for 6U apparently), stick the switch module in the rack, fix the bus boards with standoffs to some sort of shelf inside the desk, buy some ribbon cables and be away? If so, does this look like a reasonable option for this use case and that amount of stuff? I donāt mind paying for something decent that will minimise noise issues but obviously I donāt want to overpay for something thatās overkill either.
Iāll probably email AJH tomorrow on the off chance theyāve heard of experiences with their modules and those PSUs or can make a more educated guess than me about whether itād be OK but itād be cool to know if Iām vaguely on the right track as this aspect of things feels like a bit of a minefield.
Yea that should set you up fine Not sure if itāll work for your needs but the Doepfer supplies tend to be well regarded and I think a little cheaper than that.
You can apparently buy the Intellijel supply seperately too which I can personally vouch for (TPS80W), looks to be a similar price.
I also never had any issues with my uZeus either but that could be due to the modules I was using with it.
I use an AJH Minimod Ladder filter and have used a Glide+Noise too without issue, both on the Intellijel supply. Not sure if they have the same foibles as the Gemini.
Edit: Overvoltage/short circuit protection is well worth while - think you get that on your option and the Intellijel but not sure about the Doepfer. I plugged in my Glide+Noise (coincidentally) in the wrong way round once and when I plugged in a patch cable it shut my whole system down. Iāve always wondered what would have happened if the protection wasnāt in place
Yeah, the AJH manual mentions the PSU3 specifically as being fine but there seemed to be some element of DIY to that with warnings and such. Happy to get my feet wet with DIY on a module or two but Iād be wary with mains stuff for sure. I couldnāt find a more ready-made option for that either, I was kind of surprised at how there didnāt seem to be much between āall-in-one full caseā and ābuild a DIY PSUā in general actually.
I should probably register there anyway really but the threads I happened to read when trying to get my head around it all often seemed to get a bitā¦ contentious, as far as power stuff was concerned. Maybe I just managed to find the wrong ones!
Not sure if itāll work for your needs but the Doepfer supplies tend to be well regarded and I think a little cheaper than that.