A while back I made an executive decision regarding my modular collection. I decided that I wanted the setup to be as portable as possible. The problem with that is that the year prior, I had bought a TASCAM DP-24SD. Yep, I had all my modules’ audio outs going to a full-sized mixer. I even had a 16-channel submixer in a 1U rack. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I had managed to fill every input.
So I picked up the WMD Performance Mixer, just after they decided to cease manufacturing. I loved how I could do effect send and return, lots of out options, cue, and it had plenty of channels. Not as many as the Tascam, of course, but I really don’t need that many.
I sold the DP-24SD, and that left me in a quandary as to how to record my glorious synth grooves that nobody understands but me. I picked up a DP-006 for a really good deal and that seemed fine, except that it’s very cumbersome to use. You have to record to it, then before exporting a song via USB, you have to master it, which takes as long as playing it. Here’s my shitty opinion. If you’re recording on a dated, sub-$100 digital recorder, you probably don’t need on-board mastering.
I used it, frustrated a few times, then realized, holy fuck, I still have a DR-07 that I used to use to record live concerts. Dug it out, recorded a session, straight to MP3, and it transferred over with ease and sounded great. Nice to breath life into that old thing. Other advantages: While the DP-006 inputs are 1/4″ and required adapters to come out of the WMD Performance Mixer, the DR-07’s line in is 1/8″ stereo and I can go direct with no adapters!
I’ve been mucking around with synthesizers and sound for decades. Still, when I broke out of semimodular into full modular, there was still a missing piece of the puzzle.
The first modules I got were somewhat complete, with a gate or trigger in and audio outs, sometimes both left and right. It wasn’t until I got my first “pure oscillator” style module, which happened to be Castor & Pollux, that I scratched my head, realizing I had descended into the next level of the rabbit hole of synthesizer deconstruction. The module had no gate in, just CV controls for pitch and PWM. There are audio outs for Castor, Pollux, and Mix, and outs for the different waves. So I had to quickly learn how to shape sound in the modular world.
I learned that what I was looking for was an ADSR and a VCA. The ADSR shapes the envelope, and that envelope goes into the CV level control of the VCA alongside the audio, and shapes the audio to match the selected ADSR.
Being (a) a beginner, (b) cheap, and (c) simple, I quickly settled on a combined module, the WMD ADSRVCA. It’s got a gate in, audio in, audio out to make the simplest connection with the least patching. Patch audio to IN, patch a gate signal to GATE, and OUT to my mixer, and bam. I have tamed my Castor & Pollux. I can shape the sound with the ADSR knobs.
I quickly realized I would need more of these. First of all, there are two signals in Castor & Pollux. I’ll want to shape both of them, perhaps differently.
Holy crap, this is going to be expensive and take up a lot of space.
Next I latched on the Doepfer A142-2, a dual env-controlled VCA. Most of the benefits of the ADSRVCA, but for two channels, and with the added flexibility that both can be triggered by single gate. And for not much more HP. LOVE IT.
Also, it keeps me from the complication of buying separate ADSRs and VCAs and patching them together. LOL, I save money on patch cables, right?
Well, it works. And it works great. But to be honest, the A142-2 doesn’t shape with as much granularity as the ADSRVCA. I’m spoiled now, because the ADSRVCA is the first, and how is anything going to live up to that.
To me, the whole envelope thing is one of the most confusing aspects of getting started in modular. Not every oscillator module has a gate in. Hell, they don’t even all have a CV-controllable level into which you could pipe an ADSR in. Us newer modular folks are definitely spoiled, because so many of them are usable as standalone modules with gate and already-shaped sounds that we get used to that, and it’s almost a surprise when you get something like the 4ms ensemble and go “shit, I need another envelope or two.”
You quickly find that it gets complicated and expensive to add more. There don’t seem to be any good, dense solutions available. I’m looking at the After Later QARV next.
Module
ADSR/VCA channels
HP
Price
Notes
WMD ADSRVCA
1
6
160?
Discontinued
Doepfer A142-2
2
8
120 used
After Later QARV
4
20
224
The main complaint about the QARV seems to be knob density vs playability. This is how schizophrenic we are in modular. We want rack density, but then it makes it hard to fit our fat fingers in there and twiddle the knobs. Also we blow up our power supplies.
On the one hand, I’m sad that WMD shut down. If they hadn’t, those ADSRVCAs might be more affordable and I could just get more of those. On the other hand, I think quality ADSR/VCA combos are a relatively untapped market, and the hardware person that gets it right could make TENS OF DOLLARS.
I’m still new at this. While I’m technically aware that I can detangle envelopes from VCAs and use them to shape other things, I haven’t run into a real use case for that yet. Until then, I’ll keep twiddling and blowing my kids’ inheritance on pieces of synths, eventually resulting in a $20,000 synth setup that sounds almost as good as a $3,000 commercial synth.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Update: There is also a somewhat tempting option by BASTL, the SKIS II, a dual ADSR VCA in a 5HP footprint. The downside? The only knobs are for Decay. Interestingly, it looks like it can be switched between linear or exponential decay, and between gate and trigger mode, by jumpers on the back.
The HP is right (5), and the price is right ($118).
UPDATE: I picked up a BASTL Skis II. It arrived today, and it works just fine for what I’m doing with it. I piped the two outputs from 4ms Ensemble into the two inputs on BASTL, then took two channels from Pamela’s New Workout, each at 8x with RSKIP set to 59, set the decay up around 2:00, and the signals offset and fade into each other quite nicely. Plus I got the BASTL for just $100.
Having more than two enclosures full of Eurorack stuff can be challenging at times. I’ve rearranged several times trying to account for optimal patching convenience. But one of the issues is that I have the WMD Performance Mixer, and it’s rather large, so it simply can’t sit in the same enclosure as a lot of the things that need to patch into it.
So I started shopping for rack plumber modules (modules that extend a number of jacks over a small distance semi-permanently). I looked at a bunch, and none of them scratched the itch perfectly. I wanted a lot of jacks, and I didn’t want it to take up a lot of space. I noticed I couldn’t seem to find any 1U versions with high port density.
So I took the knowledge I’ve picked up over the last few years of designing PCBs with DC540, ran a couple of things by some more experienced folks, and designed my own 16-jack pair of 1U rack plumber modules (PulpLogic format, because that’s what I have). They take advantage of shielded ethernet patch cables to pipe two sets of eight signals via RJ45 to a matching unit elsewhere (for me, it’s another rack — for someone else, it might be to the far reaches of a much more complex permanent enclosure).
I can’t put them up for sale, because on a whim I added a poem about communication and signals, and that poem’s probably copyrighted. But the satisfaction of having an idea, putting it in KiCad, refining it, ordering parts, fixing fitment issues and then seeing it do its job in the rack is pretty priceless. (The RJ45 hole was just shy of a perfect fit, so I had to use a tungsten carbide grinding dremel bit to shave off a little bit of the edges so that it would nicely slip over the jacks.). It’s not fancy or complex (no power, no microcontroller, just signal paths), but it serves my particular utilitarian needs very well, and I’m pretty stoked about it. Also, I got five sets for what would effectively be the price of one set retail. And it has my face on it. LOL.
I printed a bunch of these today. Dual purpose, really. The intended purpose is to solve the “tangled filament” issue, where loose filament on the spool backs up when not under tension, and crosses under another row, and when being fed, it sometimes catches and stops feeding. If you don’t catch it, it will fuck up a print for sure.
Dragon clips
They’re called dragon clips, and they clip to the side of the spool, and have a smaller clip into which the filament clips snugly, keeping it taut when not feeding the printer.
Dragon clip in use
But when I printed this, I had an additional use in mind. My UV LED strips around my music lab tend to fall away from the wall mirrors they’re attached to as the adhesive backing fails over time. The strain of cables pulling on them tends to amplify the problem.
I was really hoping these clips would fit behind the mirror and hold the LED strips in place, and it looks like they’re going to work fine for that purpose.
Well, I can’t complain. That was a super quick delivery.
I ordered both of these things three days ago at 2:30AM.
Let’s start with the Eurorack frame from Synthrotek. For just over $30, you get top and bottom rails with channels for the included M3 Eurorack square nuts (50ish I think?), and a pair of rack ears that screw into the ends of the rails with self-tapping 10-24 machine screws. Considering that the cheapest comparable size unpowered Eurorack skiff is probably the Moog 60HP for $90, and I already have a place to rack it, I think I got a good deal.
Now, onto the Behringer CP1A Eurorack power supply. Most everywhere I looked in the US, this unit sells for over $100. However, gear4music in the UK sold it to me for $58 + like $12 shipping, and unlike China, it arrived on my doorstep in three days via DHL.
I’ve held a so-so opinion of Behringer for years due to shitty audio gear I’ve owned. Feature-poor and muddy sound. But I talked to a synth addict colleague of mine, and he says they’re making a lot of serious moves into synth territory, and becoming a respected name. And I thought, “Well, I can’t go wrong with a simple power supply, right?”
I was pleasantly surprised with the packaging, first of all. Some thought went into the internal packaging and foam design. That’s always a good sign.
Then I noticed the power supply. It came with a brick-style transformer which takes in 100-240V AC and outputs 13V DC in a standard barrel connector, but the power connector from the wall to the brick was UK AC to relatively ubiquitous C8. If I wasn’t an electronics hoarder who recently rearranged all of my power cables, I’d be in a bit of a quandary there. But of course I have a standard ungrounded US AC power to C8 cable. Not a problem at all.
The unit has two sockets for bus connectors in the rear, and they were kind enough to include two flying bus ribbon cables in the box. There’s a good chance this unit will power two racks rather than just the one I intended it for. Time will tell. Looks nice, takes up very little space, and has an on-off switch. I’m pleased. Now we wait for the modules to start arriving.
And I’m excited for how it fits into the overall plan, too…. Muahahahahahaha.
So within the last year, I saw the Moog Subharmonicon demos, and decided that this is something I really really wanted to experience for myself. Then, per my standard response, I went all in, obtaining the Subharmonicon, then the DFAM, then the Mother32. “But wait,” you’re thinking, “that’s not modular, that’s semimodular!” Yeah. I know. Believe me, I know. But it’s close enough to have given me the bug.
I started looking at modular setups. Going fully modular can be really, really expensive. Anything beyond a minimal setup starts at maybe $1000 and goes way, way, way up from there. It’s difficult to imagine how people afford some of the rigs they’ve put together.
But recently, Winterbloom opened up preorders for a module I’ve been watching the progress on — the Castor & Pollux module. I like it because (a) it’s unique — I don’t think there’s another module like it; (b) it has functionality I think I’ll truly enjoy, rather than just utilitarian modules that you simply have to buy if you go fully modular; and (c) it’s open — I can decide to use the ins, outs and knobs for different functionality than originally intended, and it’s DESIGNED to be that way. So I’m excited about it, and placed a preorder. Oh, and (d) it’s fucking beautiful, visually.
Here’s the difficulty. I don’t have ANY Eurorack modular gear yet, and at the very least I will need a housing and power. So I weighed my options. I could go with a Moog 60HP case that will aesthetically match the three Moog semimodulars I have now — about $90 for the case, plus the cost of a power distribution module for it. I could shell out hundreds for a powered or unpowered Eurorack skiff. I think most of them are drastically overpriced for what they are.
What I settled on was a DIY solution, which isn’t TRUE DIY, but also happens to be the best budget solution out there for getting started in Eurorack.
Years ago, I built a DIY Ikea 19″ rack. I probably posted about it here. It’s 6U of rack connected to an Ikea side table. I recently retired it and offered it to my friends, and nobody took me up on it. Good thing. When I started looking for 19″-rack compatible Eurorack housings, I found that Synthrotek offers one for just over $30. An 84HP 3U rack with ears, compatible with 19″ racks, for just $35. And then I found that Behringer offers a decent power module for Eurorack (the CP1A) which can be found for well under $100, including flying bus board and a wall wart to power it. So I get to recycle my DIY Ikea rack and start filling it with Eurorack modules as the whim hits me.
I also decided that I can’t have a Eurorack with only power and Castor & Pollux. I needed something else to round it out. So I went with another module kit that I’ve had my eye on for a while. I need a source of “randomness” that I can use with any of my semi-modular gear, because it suits my style of synthesis. So I ordered a “Sauce of Unce,” inspired by Buchla’s Source of Uncertainty. I’ll have to assemble it myself, including soldering components, but it’s worth it.
I may ditch my most recent effects pedal as well, the Source Audio Collider, in favor of a Eurorack reverb unit. Pedals take up unnecessary surface space if they’re on the desk, and you can’t see them or work them easily if they’re on the floor. I like the Collider a lot, but the available Eurorack reverbs almost had me make the jump to modular when I was making that decision. Fortunately, when you buy the good shit, it holds its value.
It’s a slippery slope, but for better or worse, I’m on it.
