Can we talk about modular synths?

[Invisible Man]

Roger that. Basically needed to know if they'll respond to more complex envelopes.

[MrNovember]

I build all of my stuff on a small end table. You don't need the most space in the world to build things, just make sure you have a window nearby so you can set up a vent to shoot out the solder fumes (unless you want the brain damage from lead huffing.).

If you don't have dick for experience with soldering, I'd say start with a through-hole kit or two at first before going SMD. When you want to try SMD, Ornament+Crime is a great start for it. I wouldn't view it as a money saving venture though. Instead of buying pre-built modules, you just start buying a ton of PCBs to build. Just view it as a fun time to make things yourself.

I finally bought a proper soldering iron and lead based solder. Before I only had super thick lead free solder and a cheap soldering iron that just plugged into the wall.

I'm going to start my DIYing by building a set of AllFlesh, then replacing the battery in my DX7, then probably building a new Radio Music or two because I could always use a few of those

[baremountain]

Any of y'all use a Tempi? Anyone care to talk me out of it? It seems pretty perfect. I saw people complain about the lack of control over gate width, but they added firmware update that'll let you choose 10ms for triggers or 50% clock width. Continuous control might be cooler, but honestly those options are perfect for my purposes. Anything else I might want to know before i pull the trigger?

[behndy]

i mean...... it's not a PAM'S.... but it does look pimp.

..... i've never had on. O&C was super baller though. just way more menus than i wanted.

[kbit]

Any of y'all use a Tempi? Anyone care to talk me out of it? It seems pretty perfect. I saw people complain about the lack of control over gate width, but they added firmware update that'll let you choose 10ms for triggers or 50% clock width. Continuous control might be cooler, but honestly those options are perfect for my purposes. Anything else I might want to know before i pull the trigger?

I have one, what exactly are you looking to use it for/what specifically do you want to know?

I think it's a good module in general. Both human and machine programming are easy to understand after spending a bit of time with it. Its easy to use as your clock source for all other stuff or even to drive the rhythms of you whole system on it's own depending on what your doing. The menus aren't that bad and are easy to remember, except the double tap menus, I hardly go into those and use the cheat sheet whenever I do.*

The one thing that's been a bit challenging is sometimes I want to tap in a really off rhythm and it won't reproduce it. I hypothesize this is because all the channels are programmed based on a leading tempo which is only subdivided so many times. But, that's a pretty specific use (which will probably be mitigated by the Trigger Riot) and I haven't updated the firmware to the newest version yet so who knows, that might be part of it there have been a few times where the clock jumped for a second but that's been addressed in the new firmware as well.

I also haven't really dug deep into state programming aside from saving some clocks I thought worked well together. It's a cool little springboard of inspiration to patch something up and flip to an old state to see how it sounds with what you have going on.

*Cheat sheet:

SPOILER : show

[baremountain]

i mean...... it's not a PAM'S.... but it does look pimp.

..... i've never had on. O&C was super baller though. just way more menus than i wanted.

Yeah I'm trying to avoid lots of menus right now. The Tempi might be pushing it, but we'll see. I found one & took the plunge

Any of y'all use a Tempi? Anyone care to talk me out of it? It seems pretty perfect. I saw people complain about the lack of control over gate width, but they added firmware update that'll let you choose 10ms for triggers or 50% clock width. Continuous control might be cooler, but honestly those options are perfect for my purposes. Anything else I might want to know before i pull the trigger?

I have one, what exactly are you looking to use it for/what specifically do you want to know?

So I think my main desire for it at the moment is a specific patch with the Just Friends. I want to send 6 clock signals to the 6 Trigger ins on the Just Friends in the Sound/Sustain mode, where different CV at the Run jack changes the decay time of the pings the triggers cause. Having a 6-output trigger device that can not only shuffle around divisions across the outs, but also swap between rhythm banks via CV seems like a pretty good way to have an endless generative choir.
Beyond that my primary use will be doing clock-like things to different sequencers or sending triggers, etc.
I think the navigation will make a ton more sense when it's in front of me. I'm more of a tactile learner for sure, but I see most features I want are there. When you discuss that limitation, do you mean you wish it could send out a rhythm, rather than a steady pulse? That is a bummer, but I think I could get over it. The glass-half-full version is that using 5 or fewer of the outputs and creative/deliberate use of shuffling might put you there??

[Dark Barn]

So uh, I bought a soldering gun, and I tried to fix up a few SMT cold joints that I have on some modules. And, I suck, it’s too small for me to feel confident in what I’m doing. I could definitely use a vice and a magnifying glass type set up. And could probably use some practice on larger components. There’s actually a little soldering DIY meet up group in Seattle I’m going to check out and absorb some skills.

Regatding Just Friends, what you’re trying to do baremountain is absolutely a fun way to use JF. I do think both Pam’s and Temps Utile have a better feature set than Tempi, except for tap tempo which is pretty cool.

[kbit]

When you discuss that limitation, do you mean you wish it could send out a rhythm, rather than a steady pulse? That is a bummer, but I think I could get over it. The glass-half-full version is that using 5 or fewer of the outputs and creative/deliberate use of shuffling might put you there??

Not quite. When you set the "leading tempo" that effectively becomes 1. If you multiply or divide any channel by 1, the leading tempo is what you get. From there the smallest factor you can multiply or divide by is 0.25. So if you're on a channel that is set to 1 and you use the fine tempo increase, that will go up to a factor of 1.25 compared to the leading tempo, one more fine tempo increase gets you to 1.5.

The limitation I'm referring to is if I want to tap something in the would mathematically correspond to 1.33, it would either round up or down to 1.25 or 1.5. but again, this isn't a deal-breaker, just something I've noticed in use. When Tempi was the only device I had to send gates in my rack, it was annoying, but that wasn't why I got it, it's both a solo and supplementative module when it comes to making rhythms in my plan.

[behndy]

why'd you get the mito if you have pams, behnders?

lol. because i am in LOVE with gate output modules.

i use Pam's for so much that even with a multi i run out of outs pretty quick. i was thinking of a second Pam's, but i like the idea of the Mito and Moffenzeef makes neaaaat stuff. so wanted to try it.

it's pretty damn cool. super immediate and the divisions being on easy grab knobs and the mutes? USEFUL.

also, it's fun as butts to run different channels into each other.

hah! ALSO, when you send a reset it goes to 0 count but holds it at far right knob setting for all outs for as long as the gate lasts. REALLY cool Anger Swooshy Run Ratchets at high tempos.

[behndy]

also, anybody use a Keystep? the Beatstep was neat but some things were just super frustrating. looking forward to having a little keyboard to noodle out melodies and arpeggios with.

[dozicusmaximus]

Still kind of looking at the Rings and SMR.
I do have a Plonk coming at some point. I'm really trying to hold off until I get that. The plan is to use Plonk for percussive and/or string things. The attraction of SMR is tuned smeared drone stuff. But it is so freaking big. I think I have talked myself out of SMR and Rings until after I have the Plonk.
I have a Loquelic Iteritas on the way. So I will be getting rid of the Spectrum, SVVCF, Tides, RCD/Expander, and Plague Bearer soon.

Now I have moved into looking at Clouds or Morphagene. But I have outboard effects out the ass and a a few samplers/loop pedals.
It's time to run stuff through stomp boxes and back in to the system.

So, maybe some more utilities and a nice mixer/stereo/matrix/panning something with the leftover 18hp. I have some Logic/Utilities covered with the Maths and Cold Mac. Do you see anything I may be missing and don't know yet? I forgot Pam's is here now, so I can take out the Quad Atten. I guess I'll figure it out in the coming months.

I also figured I would generally just stick to ambient/drone of the darker variety kind of things with this box. I'll be focusing more on trying to learn how to use all my shit and record it for the foreseeable future.

[Ruiner]

Just got this bad boy in finally!

[kbit]

Those buttons are so goody that I never bothered to check out what that thing does.
#shallow

Still kind of looking at the Rings and SMR.
I do have a Plonk coming at some point. I'm really trying to hold off until I get that. The plan is to use Plonk for percussive and/or string things. The attraction of SMR is tuned smeared drone stuff. But it is so freaking big. I think I have talked myself out of SMR and Rings until after I have the Plonk.
I have a Loquelic Iteritas on the way. So I will be getting rid of the Spectrum, SVVCF, Tides, RCD/Expander, and Plague Bearer soon.

Now I have moved into looking at Clouds or Morphagene. But I have outboard effects out the ass and a a few samplers/loop pedals.
It's time to run stuff through stomp boxes and back in to the system.

So, maybe some more utilities and a nice mixer/stereo/matrix/panning something with the leftover 18hp. I have some Logic/Utilities covered with the Maths and Cold Mac. Do you see anything I may be missing and don't know yet? I forgot Pam's is here now, so I can take out the Quad Atten. I guess I'll figure it out in the coming months.

I also figured I would generally just stick to ambient/drone of the darker variety kind of things with this box. I'll be focusing more on trying to learn how to use all my shit and record it for the foreseeable future.

Don take out the Quadratt! Especially for drone stuff you can use it for mixing and fading in/out modulation so easily.

[Ruiner]

Those buttons are so goody that I never bothered to check out what that thing does.
#shallow

Yes, i agree, they're very goody.

[kbit]

Goofy*
/fail