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modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:09 pm
by stripes
i have been bitten by the bug. i love synthesizers... always have. i have a lot of them... but nothing modular. and now it's time.

i am scratching my head, try to quickly learn the ins and outs of all of it. i want to make mostly ambient stuff/"natural sounds: (birds, woodwind esque, wind etc..)

i really like this guy's videos:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0TTWcGhOzg[/youtube]

i took a lot of cues from that guys suitcase and came up with this as a starting point for me :

Image

basically i just need some help figuring out if
1) this is a totally illogical rack and i won't be able to do anything with it
2) if i can use that CVpal to hook it up to the korg SQ1 and also a USB keyboard controller
3)... a little embarassed by this one but... where exactly does the output of the whole thing come from? where do i put a plug to go into a preamp to record??

:facepalm:

plz send help

also i am so in love with this but understand that i will never have that many modules...
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcb-xv174GM[/youtube]

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:14 pm
by Strange Tales
1. No VCAs
2. No reason for two of the same exact oscillator unless you're ultra tied to that one. I'd rather get a Dixie II in there.
3. CVPal is going to be impossible to find because they're not made anymore and I barely see the standalone version like ever.
4. The Maths is going to be forced into an Envelope Generator because there isn't one.
5. No LFOs. You're going to be missing out on the best parts of cv modulation on the Clouds and Rings.

The output can come out from the Clouds just fine I believe.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:19 pm
by stripes
Strange Tales wrote:1. No VCAs
2. No reason for two of the same exact oscillator unless you're ultra tied to that one. I'd rather get a Dixie II in there.
3. CVPal is going to be impossible to find because they're not made anymore and I barely see the standalone version like ever.
4. The Maths is going to be forced into an Envelope Generator because there isn't one.
5. No LFOs. You're going to be missing out on the best parts of cv modulation on the Clouds and Rings.

The output can come out from the Clouds just fine I believe.
k so i need to add a VCA and some sort of ASDR? and LFO?

i wanted to build the modular around sine wave oscillators because i don't have any other synth with a sine wave oscillator :idk:

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:22 pm
by space6oy
two of the same oscillator can be friendly though. having two is definitely better than just one. :thumb:
clouds does have audio outs.
http://mutable-instruments.net/modules/ ... ifications

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:24 pm
by spacelordmother
stripes wrote:i really like this guy's videos:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0TTWcGhOzg[/youtube]]
Nothing to add except r beny/austinthecairns (his handle on instagram) is awesome. I'm not into a lot of the modular sounds I hear, but he just nails it every time.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:24 pm
by Strange Tales
stripes wrote:k so i need to add a VCA and some sort of ASDR? and LFO?

i wanted to build the modular around sine wave oscillators because i don't have any other synth with a sine wave oscillator :idk:
Any utility VCO is going to have a sine output so thats the least worries. I'd go for the smallest that gives you the best bang for your buck. Dixie II is so my suggestion personally.

VCAs are mundo important. You can animate LFOs a lot more, and sculpt sound as you please with a ADSR. I recommend the Intellijel uVCA II because yet again, it's the best bang for your buck. Thing is ace.

There are a million ADSRs in the world. Honestly just go through modular grid and pick which one interests you the most. I don't know if you'll want anything more than just a basic ADSR though. My Blue Lantern one has held me over just fine until I upgrade to something bigger/better.

Same for LFOs. Just try and find something that you like. You can go for simple, or you can get the Xaoc Batumi which is the Cadillac of LFOs and what everyone will suggest because holy shit that thing rules.

If you're looking to save space with utility shit, look at the new Erica Synths Pico line. Everything is 3HP and it's absolutely ace stuff.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:25 pm
by space6oy
honestly if i was jumping in for the first time i'd just roll w/ a kit. MFB kraftzwerg is how i started.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:29 pm
by D.o.S.
I like this thread because it's sort of where I was at a few months ago.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:36 pm
by stripes
space6oy wrote:honestly if i was jumping in for the first time i'd just roll w/ a kit. MFB kraftzwerg is how i started.
i've thought about... really want to do it for myself tho u know :lol: i know i am so noob but i want to learn

is this closer?
Image

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:39 pm
by space6oy
:lol: already growing... :omg:

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:46 pm
by Strange Tales
If you're going to a bigger rack I'd definitely just go through modulargrid and find what modules you like most. I know when I did my first rack I did like a month of research at first on every single module possible.

I still think you're going to want some sort of multi LFO like a Batumi or A-147-2. If you're expanding another row I'd get a Mutable Instruments Kinks as well for other shit.

I'd switch the VCAs out for something with both exponential and linear abilities. I'm a real fucking stickler about that for no reason at all though, so use discretion on that.

Also, if you're expanding, look at getting a dedicated output module. There's a million of them so just go through em all and find what fits yr needs most.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:48 pm
by D.o.S.
One thing that I grappled with that doesn't get addressed by the modular nerds unless you prod them: you say you want 'natural' sounds, which is why you've got Clouds and Rings (because you watched those killer demos on the youtube), but you should really be thinking about what sort of initial sound sources you want as well as how you're going to mangle them: Oscillators and the like don't sound the same, so it's worth digging around to find 'the one' that you'll be happiest with as a starting point.

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:58 pm
by lumena
great choices. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
:hello:

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 3:30 pm
by stripes
just got my first module :) came up used on muff wiggler so I jumped on it
a 4ms SMR... the start of something... here we go :P

Re: modular nerds plz come to me aid

Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 3:32 pm
by stripes
image.jpeg
starting to close in on a final rack... that I will slowly build lol