Experiences and mistakes made from building a big modular

[Per]

So, it is about to be finished soon. It is now a 127 module eurorack synthesizer, with 18 VCOs and 13 complete voices with VCF, VCA and envelope generators. It took me three years to build and did cost the same as, for example, a Japanese motorcycle. I think it is a wonderful piece of music machine that I plan to use for the rest of my life. There are still some modules that I wait for, the Doepfer Dynamic VCO and the Live Wire Chaos Computer, but I will only add one 3 HU rack, then I will not allow it to grew any further.
If any of you also want to build a big modular, there are some experiences and mistakes I have done that maybe you can learn from and avoid.
1 Eurorac/Frack Rack/DIY: I have spent a fortune on pure rack hardware. The whole rig is 3 x 24 HU in size, and just the money spent on all the Doepfer 6 HU racks is about USD 4 000 or EUR 3 000. I had no idea from the beginning that it would grow to this size, thought that each rack should be the last. By that time, the nice DIY kits from Doepfer was not yet on the market. If I would start again, I would base it on Frack Rack and Doepfer DIY parts. And If you go for Doepfer or AS racks, never buy the 3 HU version. Buy a 6 HU and fill it with blank plates is necessary.
2. Sound, price and company: From the start, I did choose Doepfer. They were reasonable in price, and compact. After some time, I added modules from Analogue Systems, Metasonix, Plan B, Live Wire, Blacet, Wiard and other companies.
I still see Doepfer as fantastic when it comes to CV production and processing: Versatile, effective and logic. I love their Buchla clone “Quantized/Stored Random Voltages” and their polarizing mixer that actually is a complete CV processor. The quad Envelope Generator and quad LFO is much bang for the bucks. The A-155 sequencer offers a lot of possibilities that is hard to find elsewhere, and so on.
But when it comes to VCOs and filters, other manufacturer do a better job. I have in my rig some Doepfer filters that I hardly use because it´s lack of personality. There are three Doepfer filters that in my taste are really good: The Vactrol Low Pass Gate (I have three of them), the Korg MS 20 Clone “Xtreme filter” and their Vactrol VCF. But generally, the AS, Metasonix and Cwejman filters is far superior.
The same goes for the VCOs. The Doepfer VCOs are rock stable in tuning, but has a fuzzy and one-dimensional sound compared to its competitors.
So, if I had known then what I know now, I had used only a few Doepfer filters in the rig. Instead I have gone for Analogue Systems and other companies. And my dream VCO bank would have a bunch of Cyndustries Zeroschillator (I only have two now) and Plan B (1 in my rig) with some cheap Doepfer A-110 just for the octave switch, instead of the battery of six A-110 I have now.
3 Big is not always beautiful: When I planned my first live performance for many years, I understood that my modular was too big to move in its present condition. I needed some sort of cases, but getting the regular rock ´n roll standard cases for a total of 73 HU of racks was a too big expense. And even with proper casing, it is quite a process to move such a big gear. I am planning a sort of DIY casing, but have no idea yet. If I had started with a good plan of what I should do with the machine, I would have kept it smaller and would not end up with this problem.
There are some multi function modules from for example Plan B and Blacet that can bring down the total size without losing functions. But when I started the project, Plan B was not on the market and I had not understood how easy it is to buy Blacet gear direct from the US.
4 Build from use and need, not ideas: One reason that the modular did become this big is the fact that I discovered things on the way: I did prefer the Low Pass Gate to the common VCA, so I bought more of them. I needed to expand the sonic tools, so I got wave shapers, and a frequency shifter.
There are other things I bought because of an idea: I wanted to convert MIDI to CV, but also CV to MIDI, as a part of the whole project. I wanted to integrate a CV Delay in the modular, and I wanted to have a fixed filter module, because it was a part of the classic Moog modular. So I did get an AS Fixed Filter, an AS Sampler/Delay and a Doepfer CV to MIDI interface. But in the end, they are in use only on very rare occasions.
5 Do not underestimate the boring modules: From the start, I had no idea how many multiple jacks, mixers and VCAs that actually is needed to build a good patch. One favorite is the AS CV Buffer, a module that is necessary if you want to feed three or more VCOs with the same CV and want them to stay in tune. Even clock pulses can need buffering in complex patches. And I mention again the Doepfer polarized mixer, which also can act as bias generator.
6 Hold focus on the purpose: Unlike other gear, a modular of this type is a unique tool that you create for your own personal need. My idea of building it was to integrate it with the Clavia G2, and use the virtual CVs in the G2 to control real modules.
I build my music on independent monophonic voices, most of them driven by random sources. And the modular should be able to do the things that I was doing in the G2. In that aspect, the modular is a success.
I soon found out that create and process CV in the real modular was more fun than in the G2. Now nearly half of my modular is CV area. Keeping stuck to the original idea would have kept down size and cost, but I would have on the other hand missed what I now see as the heart of modular synthesizing.
In searching for the perfect filter, I did buy 11 different sorts of VCFs. I can´t say that any of them gave me a big kick, except the smooth Doepfer LPG. Later I realized that the reason was that I was tired of the subtractive synthesize, and used FM or Karplus Strong to get what I wanted. To get the ultimate filter did become a fixed idea, which could not be fulfilled as I did not have any passion in filtering anymore.
7. Physical layout: I really don´t know how many times I have rebuilt the modular, by moving modules and whole racks. It is a question of logic, of ergonomic, of physical aspects (how many long patch cords have I left now?) and a matter of taste. My solution right now is to keep most of the CV in the the right stack. The middle stack has VCOs on top, then audio processing, VCFs, Envelope Generators and LFOs. The stack on the left is the leftover: Some more VCOs, delay, reverb, the MIDI-CV interface, the VCA bank and some other modules.
It means that all internal CV goes from left to right. All sound goes from top to bottom. All external CV from the G2 goes from right to left.
But still it is not an ideal solution. On the other hand, in three more years, maybe I have found the perfect layout
And I am sure that I will have a lot of fun on the way.
Pictures of the modular, and some music can be found elsewhere on electro-music.com and on http://www.myspace.com/ratstudiossoutheast
Per Wikstrom

[Sound]

Thanks, I'm just starting.
My project is about 8 x 3 HU.
Interesting to read you.

Tack.

Òscar.

[REwire]

Very interesting notes. I've gone through much of the same but I am sticking to 4 6U cases and one 3U Analogue Solutions case for now. I also constantly redesign things and order the same way.

When it comes to utility modules, have you looked at ASolutions stuff? Their MX61 Mixer is amazing with 6 inputs if you don't need knobs. And the MX224 CV buffer has two ins and 5 outs. The little 3U ASolutions case I have too is seriously functional and has Doepfer and Asys power connectors.

You seem to like vactrol modules. Have you tried the Plan-B Dual LP Gate? I compared it to the Doepfer ones and they have no ring or depth to them. Peter picks the vactrols that make sounds punch like nothing else. His LP Vactrol Filter I find excellent to since he added the res switch. It reminds me of a TB filter a bit.

As far as Oscs go, sorry you have too many A110's; the new Livewire osc is supposed to be amazing and I love the RS-95 and Plan-B and Cwejman VCO2RM. For filters my fav is the Frequensteiner. I dumped all the Doepfer filters I had.

Have you had trouble mixing ASys stuff and Doepfer in cases? Dealing with all the space separations that make it hard to fit one last module in when other gaps mess things up? Custom cases help this by not forcing you to match their holes.

Good luck! Dan

[Per]

I was on my way buying the plan B LPG but in the end I bought more Doepfer units instead. But there is still some space left in the VCA rack, maybe I´ll give it a try.
And mixing AS and Doepfer is a mess. Not only the unwanted spaces, but I had trouble to use Doepfer gear in my AS rack, resulting in magic smoke release. Maybe I did something wrong, but I avoid it after that. But connecting AS in Doepfer rack has been without problems, except the unwanted slots in the front.
I guess I could sell some filters 2nd hand and buy some new, but there is quite a small market i Stockholm, Sweden where I live. During some time I bought every AS and Doepfer module that where for sale here. And I always met the same guy, that where selling his instrument module for module... But I may give Frequensteiner a chance.
I have a Doepfer Maq 16/3 sequencer in my modular that I may try to sell, I dont like the interface of it, menue interfaces give me some sort of itch and headache. It will release some space.
I have the same taste as you, both Plan B, Cwejman and AS VCOs are great. But my AS VCOs has a tendency of going out of tune. If you can afford it, the Cyndustries Zeroscillator is a wonderful sonic tool, that needs no filtering at all.
When it comes to mixing, I have one simple solution: The five VCAs and three LPGs is constantly connected to a mixer with patch cords of different colours. The mixer has four sends that can go to external hardware processors, or back into the modular through a preamp. To me that is a quick and easy way.
There is one thing that I forgot to mention in my note that I have seen: The analogue mist factor.
It works like this: After patching, say, six or seven different voices, the sound picture is so crowded that it is hard to put anything more in it. The analogue sounds are so fat and demanding, that the 16 or 32 voice music you make in digital world is nearly impossible to create. So even if I can get up to 13 voices out of my modular, I never reach that level.
And that is one reason, among others, to stop the expansion of my modular.
Per

[elemental]

Thanks for that, interesting insights!

Both from Per and REWire.

I have a new 6U ASol case which is about to get the last modules to fill it out... already thinking about how to expand it! Thinking of going for a Blacet rack next.... although theres still a few Plan B modules I'd like to get my hands on, esp the Vactrol filter.

The amount of money u can spend on this stuff is silly, but as Per pointed out, people that are into motorcycles/cars, even classical/jazz musicians with top class instruments, can easily spend similar money on their gear.

But soon I have to take some time off work to get on with music = less money = no new toys! But already I am finding new sounds to use.. so its just about restraint and using what u got when the cash flow gets tight!

Cheers

[Per]

I saw an ad today, selling a Roland 100 system (the one constructed in green metal with vinyl sides) for 48 000 SEK, that means over 5 000 EUR or 7 000 USD. And it was a small one, with one mono synth, one slave unit, a mixer and a sequencer.
I once owned a system of twice that size, but sold it because the VCOs constantly drifted out of tune as the circuits go warmer and warmer. Besides, it quite easy to hit the ceiling of what sounds are possible to get from it.
In comparison to the price level of that kind of gear, new modules is a bargain.
And no one asks a guitarist why he uses an expensive hand made guitar, or a violinist why he don´t skip his valuable instrument for a sampler.
If the tide not turns, many of the modules on the market will be the last breed. Some modules, like the one from Metasonix and Wiard, relies on the passion and ideas of one single man, soldering the units one by one. Other modules are depending on remaining stocks of integrated circuits that no longer are in production. So if not the demand rise quickly, the available modules will be fewer and fewer in the future.
On the other hand, I am lucky enough to run a company (music production, televison, books) that allows me to buy gear from untaxed money. Otherwise, it had become a much smaller system
Per

[lesser]

Wow... thanks for the insight.. currently building a smallish blacet/wiard/metalbox/homebrew system and was, like you, planning on creating much of the cv from digital sources (Reaktor) to save money... As you note, its not nearly so much fun to use the computer this way --- i mean, going outside the computer is one of the reasons for the modular in the first place... Plus anyone who wants to mess around with your setup will also have to learn how to use the digital side as well.. sigh... onward and awkward...

[Kwote]

cool thread. i like seeing things go overboard!

[Peake]

[BananaPlug]

Per, your comments ring true! My obsession is manifest a bit differently, half the size of your "Japanese motor cycle" and composed mostly of older Serge gear that I've had for some time. This summer I branched out into Modcan(A), Cynthia, Blacet, PlanB, AS and Doepfer. Small amounts of each but still an adventure. Anything that came with mini plugs has banana plugs now. I'm also working (verrrry slowwwly) on a list of DIY projects.

My main objectives were to open up new sonic territory and to be able to have a couple more voices going in complex patches. At first I was reluctant to duplicate anything I already had but I like the idea of coming up with a quasi-portable subset of the system so I am duplicating some functionality since you can't break out individual Serge modules from their panels. The sub-system will probably be the TKB, one other Serge panel, the Modcan/Cynthia rack, and 2 of the Frack/Euro racks.

Rack frames: I really don't understand why Euro rack frames cost so much when the Blacet Frack rack is a fraction of the price. The Modcan chassis is expensive too but those Euro racks are produced in much greater volume. All my DIY plans are aimed at Frack rack for this reason.

Boring modules and CV processing in general: Roughly half of my modules are CV processing gear and I still run out of the boring stuff (CV mixer/scalers, VCAs etc.).

The perfect filter. Yeah, well that's one of those holy grail things. Two nice ones I added this summer are Modcan's clone of the Moog 904 ladder LPF, quite fat and rubbery (have not compared it to the other clones) and the MOTM 440 OTA low pass (I bought the board and made a Frac Rack panel for it). The 440 has a lot of flavor, lots of air and edge for a low pass. For non-filtered sounds it is helpful to have oscillators from multiple manufacturers. They do sound different and each maker has different ideas about modulation, VC wave shape, etc. Mix em up.

Layout: Sound production and mixing in the middle with CV stuff above and below. It all meanders towards a VC mixer near the middle.

Patch cords: Pomona banana patch cords last forever.

With this gear binge behind me I have to second what Elemental said: "so its just about restraint and using what u got when the cash flow gets tight!" There is always a patch you haven't tried yet.

[Per]

I confess: I am a module addict. It is a question of time before I order some Harvestman modules. And Plan B has a note quantiser module that looks extremely attractive. Just one more rack, only one...
Per

[jackastro]

Thanks for all the advice guys. This is a great thread.

[jkn]

Wow - nice post. Some very good advice.

I'm very happy with my small 22 space dotcom system. I thought very seriously about buying Doepfer - and ultimately decided I like the size of the dotcom for my hands vs. the smaller Doepfer form factor. Of course - that means my dotcom takes up nearly twice as much room as a similarly equiped eurorack.

[morbius]

I too heard a lot of complaints about Doepher's smallness, esp. for big fingers. I have 156-U Synthesizers.com in portable and studio cabinets. I stopped at nine osc.s (not counting the two ZO's I had)... mainly because more would be a waste... at least for me. I almost never have them all patched and running at once... unless I'm running lots of modulations too. Eighteen oscillators?... I gotta wonder about voltage drop and pitch issues, unless that was addressed from the getgo.

Modular real estate is an issue to be planned for. Start off buying what you know you are really gonna need... and get extras later. Build on a firm and stable foundation, then add the 'bells-n-whistle' modules later.


~Morbius~

[amnesia]

I seem to be in the same area as Banana plug..I have a 4 panel Serge that I adore and have an 8 panel eurosystem with doepfer,livewire,plan b, Ken STone and Harvestman to come...

The only things i have too many of are filters I dont really love any as much as my 2 Serge filters.

Mosy of my sueo is banana jacked too bu i have kept some mini jack so it feels like a Buchla