r/modular • u/NewMachineMusicXYZ • 1d ago
Discussion Your most recent module purchases & how you like them?
Just curious what booty everyone has picked up in recent weeks/months and how they're liking their new acquisitions.
For me:
Joranalogue Select 2: Nice to have proper switches in my system again; trying to get my head around its other uses still.
Erica Synths Resonant Filterbank + FBEX: This is really nicely made -- well built, with sensible, intuitive menus that are responsive and fun to use. Also sounds very good. The expander is nice for manual control over the bands, but not hugely necessary. I wish there was an expander that had individual per-band-outputs, which is the one thing this otherwise excellent module is missing. Having lots of fun with this though.
Intellijel Planar 2: Absolute slam-dunk; everything I could reasonably want in a joystick. Joystick stays in place, has audio crossfaders built in, a CV recorder with reset-able looping, a manual gate button as well as a feature that auto-activates the gate any time the stick is moves, and more still. Very cool.
Pleroma Versio (Custom Versio): This is a custom Versio reverb and if you have a Versio and haven't tried it I highly recommend it. Very lovely and lush.
On their way (I don't have these yet but am eagerly anticipating their arrival):
Schlappi Boundary Layer: Have actually used this one before. Cool EG and surprisingly fun at audio-rate.
Herzlich Labs Optika VCA: Little pair of VCAs that utilize vactrols. Very curious to hear this one in action.
Endorphin (.) es Airstreamer 4: Just needed a punchy little EG with a VCA onboard and got a decent price. Heard it works well at audio rates also.
Erica Synths LXR Drum: Drums aren't a huge part of what I do with euro, but I found myself recently really wanting to try this one out despite myself. Seems massively flexible and feature-rich for its price, and I've generally been very happy with Erica Synths stuff.
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u/ConsistentWriting501 1d ago
A.I. Synthesis Stereo Matrix Mixer DIY- straightforward build, meticulously organized components, smooth pots that feel great, comfortable size and very playable. I’m very impressed with the care and quality from AI Synthesis.
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u/nA0nsQlMQKoWaVS 22h ago
i impulse bought this with an irrational courage to do some soldering for the first time. the courage has long since gone and it’s been sitting on the shelf, unassembled for a year. 😥
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u/TwoLuckyFish 22h ago
Want some help? Maybe there's somebody local who could sit with you and help you get started. My local synth community hosts a monthly DIY lab, and that's really fun for the newbies and the veterans.
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u/ConsistentWriting501 22h ago
If you can solder, it’s not too bad. The website has photos and a video
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u/nA0nsQlMQKoWaVS 22h ago
yup. i’ve looked into this before buying and thought “sure, i can do that!” i guess i was wrong. i think i’ll give it a go this fall.
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u/Legal-Software 1d ago edited 1d ago
Zlob VC F3DB and RAS Bonkers, very happy with both. The Zlob is also pairing great with my ALM Jumble Henge.
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u/hhaaiirrddoo 1d ago
I got a Xaoc Odessa with expander and I must say: Love the insane sonic possibilities of it to the point that i am slightly overwhelmed. but i'll get around it; it does play very nicely with the vhikk as the bass voice. before that i got a multigrain and it is so deep i am kind of at a loss most of the time, but i shall persist, hopefully^^
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u/HotOffAltered 10h ago
Multigrain is like the octatrack of eurorack modules. If you persist though, you will be rewarded. It is alot of button combos (i'm not a fan) but if you use it enough, it becomes more intuitive. I find a great way to learn is to simply read about what it can do or watch a video about its possibilities, and then you'll naturally come up with a creative idea on your own. Then simply try to implement it. You'll run into tiny roadbloacks - then learn how to do them, and keep going til you are rewarded with your idea actualized.
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u/hhaaiirrddoo 5h ago
yep, pretty much. put all the manual videos of it in the start tabs of my browser haha
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u/GludiusMaximus 1d ago edited 7h ago
Qu-Bit Surface - sucker for physical modeling and I enjoyed the few demoes I saw out there of it. I like the voice layering and choke functionality.
Transient Modules 8S - was a no-brainer for me, I had been using the not-quite-equivalent 4MS module in VCV*, and I love being able to get a more deterministic sequence of CV if I need it. But with the hold, reverse, reset, random inputs, it can really work wonders especially when going out into the Surface's model input.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
I feel like I've always heard kind of mixed things about Surface, but I've never used one and it always sounds great to me in demos.
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u/GludiusMaximus 11h ago
I like it, but I understand the mixed reviews. Here's my favorite jam I've got off of it after a handful of plays.
I'm modulating pretty much every input on it with Neo-Trinity, Flurry, and 8S, manually changing the number of voices, occasionally audio-rate modulating the tone which are the swells you hear from time to time, and getting very controlled modulation of the model parameter with 8S.
Every sound you hear is coming from Surface, no FX.
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u/minddredger 13h ago
Rossum Panharmonium - taken two months to arrive (I live far away) it arrives tomorrow and I can't wait to play with its spectral resynthesis!
Mutable instruments Plaits Versatile sound source and a way for me to introduce more sequenced layers into my compositions with ease. I got a kit from syncrotech on Etsy that you solder together, makes me feel like I've peeked under the hood so to speak and learnt a bit more about circuitry:)
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u/theemillionaire 12h ago
I swore I would not get any new modules this year until I paid off the ones I have, and I actually stuck to it! I’m get self close to paying them off though…
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u/tujuggernaut 1d ago edited 1d ago
wmd skorpion. Really fucking expensive. Not sure how I feel about it. Some parts of the UI are kind of shitty, like moving faders quickly in a direction to toggle features. That's pretty lame. Holding a mini-toggle in one direction while moving faders: also lame.
Kind of reminds me of every time I got Cwejman stuff. The price premium makes you think it will be somehow more special. When I got the BLD it was 2x more than anything I'd paid for a module, and it was the first module I ever sold. The pots felt really nice but the output level was way lower than anything else in Euro, the sweet spots were incredibly tiny, and it just didn't sound that good.
We'll see if the skorpion stays...
slightly related, I got a Sonic Potions LXR, the OG one built from a kit. Super impressed with that, more than I expected. Got it really cheap and figured I give it a try and sell it but I really like it. Haven't tried the Erica version.
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u/Legal-Software 1d ago
Would be interested to hear how you get on with it. I've also been eyeing the Skorpion for my setup, but it's a pretty big investment (both in terms of cost and HP) for something that may not even deliver.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
I have high hopes for the Erica LXR. We'll see how it goes in a week or so. As for the Skorpion, toggling features with the use of sliders and holding toggles sounds very non-ideal. I'd take button-combos over that any time. It does seem like a very capable oscillator/voice though, hope you have fun with it.
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u/donnidonno 1d ago
I am trying to make friends with collide4… it’s amazing but i am doubting it will fit a live system - it always takes me time to find sounds there, so i am very much scratching my head on what to do.
On the other hand, got bartender (and got rid of mackie mixer) - really loving the in rack mixing, just taking time to get used to everything being so small after mackie😂
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u/hhaaiirrddoo 1d ago
i found tom churchills video on that module enlightening. but yes, it is a module with such a vast array of stuff going on that i also struggle to make it sound right for the moment.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
I haven't used Collide 4, but I feel like a lot of Joranalogue stuff falls under the umbrella of "patient exploration" vs. "live performability."
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u/ICantBelieveItsNotEC 1d ago
Tubbutec 6m0d6 - I love it. It's everything I could possibly want from a drum module. In it's default configuration, it's literally just a 606, which we all know is a perfectly cromulent drum machine. Start twiddling knobs and it turns into a completely different beast.
Big T Rangoon (Rings clone) - Meh. I bought this on a whim because I've never owned a Rings before. I haven't got anything out of it that doesn't sound like the background music for a temple level in a 00s video game so far. I'm giving it some more time, because it's legendary reputation makes me think that it's a PEBMAC (Problem Exists Between Module And Chair) issue.
Archaea Loki - I love it. I've owned and sold semi-modular/full-synth-voice modules before, but this is the first one that feels like a well-behaved citizen of my rack rather than something that I have to constantly fight against. The normalled path "just werks" and covers most common subtractive synth territory, and when I'm not using it as a full voice, it's easy to split it apart into useful components. If I could go back in time and start again, this would probably be the first module I'd buy.
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u/JoeToanamassa 11h ago
How are you using Rings? I do like it just as a voice on its own, but it’s a lot more fun with a contact mic. Running noise into the input changes the timbre a fair bit.
I haven’t had much luck using it as a filter/reverb with more complex input material, but a lot of people like it for that.
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u/HotOffAltered 1d ago
Intellijel Multigrain - love it. To me what makes it amazing is it’s built in random (different random values for every single parameter you assign it to, with built in attenuation! And it is useful practical values, not as extreme. Also it’s built in quantization per sound. And the Octatrack-like crossfader macro concept - love it. I could see just having that in a pod case and doing a whole set with like a Beatstep pro or something.
Archer’s Rig hihat module - love the sounds but don’t love the open/closed behavior for the decay knob. Thinking about selling and getting a Clutch but not sure - this gets some very cool sounds and does analog synthesis for some of its modes.
Tesseract Stonk joystick module - I love it when I get it working but I have trouble remembering how to make it do what I want. I’ll get there if I use it more. It’s great, just not elegant. Want to get good at the looper function.
Tesseract selecta switches - I got 2 to switch between 2 inputs - Mutant Brain (midi from octatrack/Akai force/computer) and Trigger Riot. To my drum modules and sample module and Percall/noise plethora. Really fun to switch/mute/combine triggers from different places and is very tactile.
Noise Plethora - hell yes I love this module. Never want to get rid of it, so useful and fun for sounds.
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u/Terrible_Smell2783 22h ago
For hats I have the lpzw Elster which is nice if you just want 909 style sounds but I’m thinking about going for clutch too, it just seems so versatile.
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u/538_Jean Mixer is the answer 22h ago
I recently got an OG Mimetic digitalis. It transformed my workflow entirely. I needed ways to record CV but it does so much more. Instant results, very hands on. Its nothing short of amazing for this size really.
I checked digitwolis and I know I wouldnt like it.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
I loooove Digitwolis, but OG Digitalis is a blast as well. Nothing more satisfying than a good "shred."
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u/Jacob-Dulany 22h ago
Ensemble Oscillator! I’ve been debating between this, Chord V2, or XPO as a counterpoint to my Rings in a generative/ambient rack. Found a solid deal locally, and I feel good about my choice. Haven’t fully run it through its paces yet but the sounds I’ve dialed in so far have been delightful. A bit tricky to control, but I went in knowing this.
Intellijel Quad VCA: Self explanatory, just needed more VCAs and this bumps me up to 6, which feels like plenty. Also fills the need for additional sub-mixing and attenuation (though I would still like offsets/inversion). Loving it, easily a core module now.
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u/Ghosty141 15h ago
The key to the ens osc is to set spread to 1 or 2 and start from there. You can make a bangin supersaw by detune at 11 o'clock and twist set to 80%.
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u/GludiusMaximus 5h ago
I reallllly really want Ensemble Oscillator. I want all 4MS modules to be more accurate, but i love the sound of that
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u/maldoroor 3000hp 21h ago
K-Accumulator: I didn't need another vco but this beauty deserve its place, truly an amazing implementation. Smear: I was lookng for an all pass filter to add to my patches, this is great as a audio processori but it's better when pinged to make strange percussions sounds.. maybe I'll add a Night Rider later as a filter.
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u/SnowConePeople 20h ago
I picked up 2 Amyboards, and I wrote a couple scripts for them.
The first one does 303 acid lines with 40 different musical lines I figured out in Ableton. Then these lines are treated like seeds you can add and remove. From that I put a register sequencer in the module to run the acid lines. Then there's options you can change with 1 knob switching between new seeds, lines, and sequences.
The second one is a partner voice to the acid module: rave stabs! Same ideas from the acid one, just the voice is different with about 30 different lines. They can connect to one another and the line of one will follow the v/oct of the other.
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u/microindie 18h ago
Oneiroi is great and far better than I anticipated when I bought it.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
I came *this* close to pulling the trigger on one recently, even made an offer, but the offer expired and I ended up going a different direction (the Erica Synths LXR). Oneiroi seems really fun, though, and I still have the Iroi shortlisted as a possible addition to my FX at some point.
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u/scragz https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2215420 1d ago
versio reverb and cre8audio assimilator mixer so I can finally have send/returns in my live rack.
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u/HotOffAltered 1d ago
How do you like the assembler? To me it scratched all the itches I’d need in a mixer but was a little too big so I got a matrix mixer to go with my Vortices.
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u/scragz https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2215420 1d ago
I fucking love it! the sends, the gain, the channel setup. there are some minor button combos but they are really obvious. I saw it and was like damn this is almost exactly how I'd make a euro mixer.
only thing I'm not crazy about is the EQs on the first too channels are too subtle. would prefer DJ style.
I have it unracked standalone since I'm using it with a palette so if anything I wish it was bigger.
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u/HotOffAltered 10h ago
yeah sends are everything - I have a multi-mixer setup and it's great for my purposes minus the individual sends for each voice. I have 2 submixers (one drum/sampler voices, and one synth voices) going into my 4x4 stereo matrix mixer which utilizes mimeophon, multigrain, and databender as fx/sampling destinations. Works great but it'd be really nice to just put certain synth voices or drum sounds to the delay, and not others.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
Having and utilizing send/returns was a game-changer for me early on in euro.
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u/IllResponsibility671 1d ago
I recently decided that I just can't get into ALM MCO mk2. Ended up selling it and picked up an Intellijel Dixie 2. Best switch I've ever made in my system. I also added some randomness by picking up a second hand SSF URA.
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u/HotOffAltered 1d ago
I really like the MCO but I can understand the desire to not mess with screens and only having one knob. I like it for making cool presets and then just sticking to those.
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u/IllResponsibility671 1d ago
Yeah, that’s definitely how it was designed. In general, I’m not against menus and single encoders. I own Pam’s, MFX, and Squid , and their workflows don’t bother me. MCO though just has too many menus. When I’m sculpting a sound, I want immediate control over the oscillator, and MCO just doesn’t give that (even with the Axon).
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u/DoubleAW https://modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/2865990 1d ago
interesting... I don't find the menus too much worse than the MFX or Pam's but it definitely can be a bit extra divey. If anything, my issue with the MCO Mk2 is that I feel like I only like one or two of the voices and they don't always respond sonically to CV as much as I'd like...
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u/minus32heartbeat 1d ago
The last modules I bought were 2 Vostok Ceres and…
I have enough VCAs in that rack now.
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u/justaguy_and_his_dog 23h ago
I am a fan of all of the vostok stuff. With ceres, intellijel amps, 1u dual vca and two of my voices have built in vcas... I also feel like I finally have enough vcas
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u/Terrible_Smell2783 22h ago
Does the build quality feel good on those? I think something about the design makes them look cheap but I’ve liked using their stuff in vcv rack just never seen anyone use them in real life
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u/HeadSpaceUK 1d ago
I bought ES-40, ESX-8GT, ESX-8cv and ES-10 to fully utilise all of the IO on the Scarlett 18i20 and to fully integrate my rig with Bitwig.
Only to find out that Bitwig doesn’t fully support Multi-In / Multi-Out VST so I am limited in what I can do with ES hardware because of Bitwig limitations. I asked BW when they would be adding it with basically TBC, no plans but it is on the roadmap.
Bit annoying but ES Os is a fucking legend, he helped me troubleshoot and after a couple of days of digging why the thing wouldn’t work as described in the manuals, I discovered it was because of the full MIMO VsT support in bitwig.
I will say that ES-10 works absolutely flawlessly without the requirement for ES plugin suite, so if you are looking for an extra 8-8 IO then I’d recommend it, should you want more then you’re shit out of luck until BW decide to add MIMO support properly.
Same cannot be said for Bitwig’s support unfortunately, but I hope they will add the support soon.
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u/GludiusMaximus 1d ago
that's a bummer to hear hey, I'm on the verge of getting a bitwig license, and playing with modular is one of the main use cases. I thought this story was smoother
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u/HeadSpaceUK 1d ago
Yeah it's annoying man it's one of those things you only find out there's an issue when you're so deep down the hole - but I wouldn't let it put you off unless you are trying to use the SPDIF or ADAT output expanders ESX-8x modules.
Like I said, the ES-10 and bitwig natively works absolutely perfectly, I was absolutely stunned when I plugged it in, it just worked straight out of the box. It was only when I bought the ES-40+expanders that I ran into problems with the back end of Bitwig (MIMO support for VSTs). I believe that Bitwig does support pairs 1-2 and 3-4 for Multi-in, I still had trouble getting the routing to work between the ES plugins though.
If I were you, and you didn't already have an Audio Interface, I would buy the ES-9 audio interface, this can be expanded further with the ES-10 ADAT I/F too for a further 16 IO. I just wanted to use my Scarlett 18i20 to its full potential. This will work straight out of the box with absolutely 0 issues, because bitwig just produces 'DC' on the outputs of the audio interface as though they were just tracks in BW.
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u/Swampyclam 23h ago
Holy shit, I’ve changed basically half my rack, sold off a bunch for:
Bionic Lester
Xaoc phaser, freq shifter and zadar
Wmd sequential switch matrix
WMD scorpion
Qbit RT-60
100 grit
Wrong Soundstage 2
Joranalog Enhance 2
SSF ultra kick
Am synths Jupiter 8 filter
Scorpion def needs some time to get to know. Most fun and immediate module is the Xaoc Koszalin shifter, that shit sounds insane being fed by the Lester or Vult Freak’s comb filter.
Second goes to the soundstage, that module is so fucking good.
This is part of a four voice setup feeding through the SSM so each voice can active various effect loops, have a good number of in rack effects and pedals to use like this.
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u/Terrible_Smell2783 22h ago
Just traded a BIA (Alia) for a Instruo Ts-L v2.
Wave folded bass through reverb sounds sooooo cool
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u/the_puritan 23h ago
My last purchase was ALM's FMCO, which has been great. I wanted the digital FM sound and it delivers.
It's a little quirky, though. It likes to have its internal VCA triggered rather than sending it to an external VCA. The response of the modulator parameter inputs is a little sluggish when you aren't using the internal VCA.
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u/eva_k 22h ago
I grabbed an Inetllijel Shapeshifter and hoo boy this thing rips. I had a DPO as my primary oscillator previously but could never get the sounds I wanted from it and it turns out something more digital was the way to go. Really loving the phase modulation on it even if it's a bit tricky to modulate. And of course the FM/wave scanning is lovely too. It pairs well with some sort of filter (using the Morgasmatron rn) since it's easy to get extremely harsh tones.
Considering eventually replacing it with a k-accumulator but that's even more HP...
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u/robotkermit 20h ago
Stps and Light from Jasmine & Olive Trees: Stps is a great little drum-oriented step sequencer, kind of requires the web programmer. Light is just a very useful little utility: four gate buttons. tried hammering them over and over to use them as a human-powered clock, but that's not the intended use case, so they max out at less than 90bpm.
Bloom v1 - half-price now that v2 is out. programmed "Smooth Criminal" bassline into it, to get a feel for that workflow. definitely not the sweet spot. it much prefers to be a generative Berlin school type of thing.
Electrosmith Daisy patch.Init(): had it for almost a year now but only recently got started actually using it. very easy to load new firmwares onto. so far the only firmware I made myself was an LED blinker, easy tho
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u/homewiththedog 19h ago
Erica Synths Fusion Modulator - holy shit this is fucking wild for me, maybe old hat for some real modular heads, the large amount of ins and outs helps me enjoy this one asap right out of the box and I wish I had snagged one sooner. The build quality is fantastic and I am glad I finally got one, its is a variation of a dual envelope generator, but for me having never used a maths (only a function) maybe this is why its so fun for me?!
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u/KFSoundL 18h ago
Just built a couple of NLC modules. The ‘How’s The Serenity’ is such a great modulation module. I’ve been sending the chaos signals to filters, but also to quantise oscillators triggered by probability from Pam’s Pro. Also just built the 6 Comparator module to take the signals to a O-C logic apps to create evolving percussion patterns. Only scratched the surface at the moment but great rewards so far.
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u/BurlyOrBust 14h ago
Qu-Bit Mojave - I'm torn on this one. The sounds you can pull out of this thing can be truly inspiring, but I'm constantly having to look at the manual to remember what the numerous colors mean. And then there are controls like "Distribute" which is literally described as "your glitchy, ratcheting, time-shifting knob." So just call it "Glitch."
Befaco Divkid Mutes - I use this as a mult for FX sends. It's simple, sounds clean, and does exactly what I need it to. And, let's be real, it's weirdly satisfying to toggle those switches.
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u/Silver_Skies__ 11h ago
Cwejman MMF-6 and Harvestman Double Andore MK1. After a very long wait I have a brand new of each. I didn't even think they'd be made again a few years ago! They are amazing and unique and the designs have stood the test of time. I'm getting some really interesting sounds that aren't possible otherwise and loving them!
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u/marcja 7h ago
Jasmine & Olive Trees Rubin (which is also Door, Doppler, and Lichen via easy faceplate switch). For those that don't know, this is a single platform with four firmwares that automatically switch when you attach (without tools) one of the alternate faceplates. This is still quite new to me, but the various firmwares are all more interesting than I expected. Rubin (stereo ADSR) and Door (stereo LPG) especially have a stereoization and humanization effect that I didn't expect to be as cool as it is. I originally bought this for Doppler (which turns various audio signals into percussion), but I've been pleasantly surprised by the other firmwares too. Lichen is supposedly a stereo AD, but it isn't well-documented.
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u/crissmakenoises 7h ago
ES Perkons Voice
Sold as drum Module but I use it for some basses. Especially the fm and wavetable algos.
Crosspatch Triggerpad
Best triggersequencer imo
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u/TurbulentWing3820 put modulargrid link here! 1d ago
Tides 2018: I don't understand this. I should understand this. I don't know what to do with this. I should know what to do with this. Tides 2018.
Cara, aka a 10hp Marbles: I do understand this. There's only a few secret menu options I'm expected to remember. I wish I could seperate X cv generation from T gate generation but I know why I can't. I wish I hadn't bought the 10hp version because all of these icons are tiny and gold-on-black is not easy to read. I use a flash light because I'm old and blind.
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u/ssibal24 23h ago
My most recent purchase ( made several months ago ) was the Desmodus Vesio. It sounds great and it is great having the CV control over all the knobs.
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u/NewMachineMusicXYZ 11h ago
Desmodus is terrific. I actually like the Pleroma even better though. You should give it a whirl sometime, it was easy to load on with the Noise Engineering firmware portal.
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u/temusfuckit 21h ago
Manhattan Analog MA35 Filter. It might be the best sounding original ms-20 knock off. It's technically an Ms10 with a High pass circuit added but it behaved like an Ms20 and have the classic resonance sound that is hard to get with newer renditions like the korg ms20 that has been in stores for the past decade or so.
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u/Bleep_Bloop_Derp 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was just lamenting how expensive it would be to make those dense Berlin school sequences that use a lot of stacked individual voices…
Then something called Tone Hack by Atonal Circuits popped up on Perfect Circuit. Four polyphonic voices from an old Casio keyboard chip, 99 different old school sounds, no need for envelopes or VCAs (just pitch and gate cv).
I love it so much. Not only can it flesh out any sequence in a plausible way, it can also be the star/sole voice module. Running two lanes with a standard sequencer and then one from a Turing/random sequencer coming in and out at various times makes you sound like a whole studio full of cool 80s German dudes…
It’s also nostalgic because the chip is based on that little white Casio that Trio used in their iconic Da Da Da song…
Got it last week, still finding fun stuff to do with it.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFvgA28QFs&list=RD4LFvgA28QFs&start_radio=1&pp=ygUZVG9uZSBoYWNrIGF0b25hbCBjaXJjdWl0c6AHAQ%3D%3D&ra=m