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Modular Madness Megathread


Metrosonus

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those speakers any good? them seem to be pushing them where finer PC parts are sold

Scenic, yea I'm going to go that route with the love seat. I have a major bug up my rear for everything having to "feel" right. I dunno why.

got a synth question for you though. Can you think of any small form factor synth, rack, or even eurorack module (maybe an oscillator) that will give me a grungy bass sound like the Akai synths have? It's a very cutris-ey sound, but I don't really heard it in other comparable synths like the matrix100, dw8000 etc.

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Quote Originally Posted by Metrosonus View Post
got a synth question for you though. Can you think of any small form factor synth, rack, or even eurorack module (maybe an oscillator) that will give me a grungy bass sound like the Akai synths have? It's a very cutris-ey sound, but I don't really heard it in other comparable synths like the matrix100, dw8000 etc.
hummmm, i'm not sure. i spent some time with Michael Blue's AX80 when it was at STGs, and i didn't consider it all that grungy - in fact in order to facilitate this i used a distortion pedal with it for a bassline. however, some of the editing buttons were not working correctly at that time, and that affected my ability to crossmod the oscillators among other things - so there was probably a good bit i overlooked. i uploaded the track to my opentape, it is the one titled 'rachel' -

http://www.directactiontapes.com/streaming/

all the synth noises in there are AX80, the pads are relatively unprocessed but the bass is being run through a distortion unit. you can hear the clean bass sound at the beginning. the other sounds IMHO were nothing spectacular, the sounds you hear panned right and left could really have just as easily (and probably more convincingly) have been made by a juno. these are edited presets i believe as i was unable to figure out how to INIT a patch, and didn't want to overwrite anything important.

i think the 80 sounds different than the 60 by quite a bit, i had a ladyfriend who used the 60 for ambient and she was able to get some pretty dirty sounds out of the thing. she also had no concept of gain stage or proper recording levels so that may have had something to do with it. but my own in depth experience is only with the 80.

i don't know of anything analog + grungy on it's own that's small and poly, really. perhaps the ESQM from ensoniq, or a similar rack from them if you don't mind more of a hybrid type synth. i think that thing sounds real grungy. there are certainly plenty of grungier osc options in euro format, but poly is an issue.

i don't think i've ever seen a picture of your modulus. direct me to one if i have somehow missed it
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Quote Originally Posted by Metrosonus

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got a synth question for you though. Can you think of any small form factor synth, rack, or even eurorack module (maybe an oscillator) that will give me a grungy bass sound like the Akai synths have? It's a very cutris-ey sound, but I don't really heard it in other comparable synths like the matrix100, dw8000 etc.

 

DSI Mono Evolver?
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Scenic, maybe i'm asking the wrong way or about the wrong thing icon_lol.gif i've many things about the lack of bass.. is it something about the curtis chips? The sound I like could have very well been in the programming rather than the oscillators.

There's a certain buzzy bllllllllllLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhh sound I like. Think of something like off of the Flash Gordon soundtrack, in the more ambient scenes, sound wise.

What do you think of the tiptop oscillators? I like em.. anyone make a CEM filter?

As far as that goes, I have a small collection of modules that are sitting boxed up. sacrilege I know. I was half thinking too I could get something comparable in my Euro that i've been neglecting.
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i don't know of any CEM filters, there are some VCAs from doepfer with CEM chips therein. some CEMs were a lot of functions in one chip, so the resulting module would probably be pretty big. here's a CEM oscillator, don't know the production status: http://www.emulatorarchive.com/AM/AM...40/am3340.html

i like the z3000, it has a whole lot of features. probably most similar to the .com oscillator in sound, but it's got some very nice functions. the included waveshaper for the sine and triangle outputs is a very nice touch. i like the slew of features available, but find myself just wanting more oscillators in general - so the z3000 may get swapped out for a bank of 3 Pittsburgh oscillators soon. fewer features, but they have the saw-core features i need the most and sound great, i like the overall raw tone moreso than the z3000. very little difference though, both great oscillators.

are you waiting on a case for your modulus? i'm sure you're aware of the options, but i'm sure suit could hook you up with the guy that did my case if you wanted something custom. he does fantastic work, my case looks great.

there needs to be a modular synth thread. so often the discussions are just tucked into other threads. i feel bad making new threads about modulars because such a small percentage of readers would actually care, but there are a few of us and muff just gets super busy sometimes. perhaps an uberthread is the key.

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Im doing a suit case.. suit CAsE. but however, the cases of which you speak are very cool too. very nice work. thumb.gif

Yea we should have an official mega thread.

But in your opinion, there's little difference between the matrix 6/1000 and akai stuff? I'm guess there in'st cause it's all based off of CEM. Maybe I just heard something I liked in a demo that was more programming. it had that neat rough 80's octave bass sound to it.

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Modulars are fantastic machines, and arguably the closest to playing a "real" instrument for an electronic musician. Digital / VA have their places, but there's nothing like analog and current flowing through circuits to express yourself on an electronic device.

The other night I was watching "Assault on precinct 13" (the original version) and was very inspired, after watching the movie I actually had to hook up the Dot.com and try to replicate the patches icon_lol.gif

Now if I could only afford the new Macbeth Mk1 oscillators, I would be a happy camper cry.gif They really sound like late 1960s Moog VCOs to me!!

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Ken makes some FANTASTIC modules, but those VCOs are not going to give you the massive pile of guff actual 1960s RA Moog VCOs will.

the RA Moog 901 is a coelacanth, and the Macbeth is a killer whale. they are both fabulous creatures but have almost nothing in common.

my advice to my Floridian friend is to get some facetime with modular stuff. you will walk into the room with preconceived notions which will be abolished after a good 12 hours with this stuff.

also you need to give up any hope you have of a "small" footprint. screw it. you're going to get into this stuff, realise it's the bee's knees, and then all of a sudden you realise you're in debt up to your eyballs and you're looking at pictures of Hans Zimmer's studio and thinking "well that's not quite so out of line now that i think about it."

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Well, my northern reticulated friend, I have to start small before I move up to furniture sized appratai.

however no doubt in due time, it will turn into something I can no longer control and that becomes a wanton threat to greater mankind and can only be stopped by a radioactive Godzilla with head mounted leazer beams.

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Quote Originally Posted by Suit & Tie Guy

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also you need to give up any hope you have of a "small" footprint. screw it. you're going to get into this stuff, realise it's the bee's knees, and then all of a sudden you realise you're in debt up to your eyballs and you're looking at pictures of Hans Zimmer's studio and thinking "well that's not quite so out of line now that i think about it."

 

Eurorack and the current "make it smaller HP, dammit" trend at least saves *some* space. I actually think that the two three-row cases I have are *gasp* somewhat portable. Especially considering what a 5U system would look like. eek.gif
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Personally I built mine into a small wardrobe, modulars are a lot less trouble when treated as furniture. icon_lol.gif Easier to keep clean as well, less risk of accidental damage, and easier on the noggin when you don;t feel like using it for a week or two... stop all those knobs and patch ports from looking at you wink.gif

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I had a dot.com and had it built up to 2 VCO's, etc plus STG's Post Lawsuit Low Pass Filter, add a little delay and it is the Bees Knees(which I don't understand because I don't think bees have knees). Which I eventually sold because my studio is located between the kitchen and the living room with no wall, so whenever you walked by all you could see were all these cables running in/out. My wife is very tolerant and supportive of my hobby but it made the room look messy, so........ebay!
I don't think my mild OCD helped because the cables hanging everywhere made me a bit edgy.

I love Ken's stuff, I also flirted with getting this but the price was too high. http://cwejman.net/s1mk2.htm I love some of the audio demos in here.

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Quote Originally Posted by Metrosonus

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speaking of, and no one has made a HAL module yet? one big red eye following you around the room? maybe you could make the eye a nifty XY controller or a fancy doo dad for a multipules panel..

 

with retina recognition so it would only work for you.
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