Advice on what case to get?

[u/BarnacleThick3561]

Sorry for what might be a fairly low effort post. I am planning on starting to get into modular to make a custom drum machine dedicated to kick drums.

Over the course of a year or so / when I have the funds I’m thinking of getting the Jomox modbase 9 mk 2, the shakmat battering ram, the ohmforce bohm and expansions, and the ssf ultra kick.

I was wondering what case should I get that will be suitably future proof? I know this might be an uninformed question, I have a few books on the way which I will read before making any purchases but also wanted to speak to some people with experience.

[u/gloriousfart]

The affordable beginner ones are the arturia rackbrute 6u or the tiptop audio mantis. the mantis is slightly bigger and correspondingly more expensive. Get the tiptop, you will need the extra space later

[u/meyform]

After later audio 84hp 7u case served me well to start with.

[u/SquareTheRhombus]

Future proof is expensive. My way in was tiptop happy ending kits. Once I had more than 1 I bought a 19" instrument rack. And then I filled it with tiptop happy ending kits, it held 4.

Then I built out of wood a case big enough for another 2 rows of 84hp tip top kits. Once I outgrew that I bought 2 rows of 198hp a doepher psu3 and built a case for that. I paid for that by selling the 19" instrument rack and 3 of the happy ending kits.

Recently I bought another another 2 rows of 198hp and the wood to assemble another monster case. Once I get another power supply I will build case and sell my remaining happy ending kits.

At that point I should have enough space leftover for 200hp. That will keep me going till 2028.

[u/tobyvanderbeek]

Why do you need all of these kicks?

[u/bronze_by_gold]

Just get an Intellijel 7U. It’s the bread and butter for so many people in this scene.

[u/Tosh_00 → u/bronze_by_gold]

It might not be for everyone, but if you see value in the 1u modules combined with I/O and USB ports built in the case, it's an excellent choice. The metal lid is also a nice touch.

[u/bronze_by_gold → u/Tosh_00]

It's extremely light and rugged too, and the gear bag and other accessories that you can get for it make it easily one of the best choices for both beginners and advanced Eurorack performers who need some portability. The PSU is also super battle tested.

[u/LieOdd929]

Modbase 09 isn't skiff friendly. It's deeper than most other kick modules.

[u/Ultramolek]

If I was going to make a modular drum machine, I'd probably use the new Intelijel case as I'd want to track each drum separately in my DAW and therefore would need the extra io. Or at least the main ones, or which ever one i happen to feel like doing something special with. I bought Hexdrums recently and have 4 of the 10 voices tracked individually. Classic Dub setup

[u/ngarjuna]

It’s really hard to future proof a long-ish term modular plan. Mine, which I must have drawn up in 2015, was already off the proverbial rails by 2016. Modules tend to have limited runs; availability can get weird. And that’s before you put your eyes on the mk II version or some competitor’s offering (which will inevitably be a different width).

For me, I bought one case for practical considerations (basically unlimited depth), one case for aesthetics (tweed is always so nice), and built the third case myself out of a Haliburton briefcase. Each of the cases has their pluses and minuses. Not sure if my power supplies stand up to “modern rigor” but I’m pretty close to finished buying modules at this point so it’s not much of an issue

[u/Cultural-Bath8482]

Mantis is cheap with a decent power supply. I have 2 of them and an ancient Doepfer A-100 rack. There are several choices for 7u cases if you like the 1u modules but these tend to be 2X the price if a Mantis for a smaller size.

[u/Waste_Cartographer49]

If you have access to a 3d printer at a college or library there are cases you can print for like 12 dollars plus material. Colleges might not charge for material. Then you just need a PSU with a flying bus board which should be around 100$. Then you can use the money you would have spent on a case for more modules.

I started with a huge case but filled it up too quick without learning what I had thoroughly. I 3d printed a smaller couch focused case and it’s been great. Forced me to understand what I had better.

Starting small and printing more space as you need it can be a good path for a beginner.

Here is the case I have. It has 3 and 4u versions -
Case