Mind you 'boutique' is basically used as shorthand for 'not Doepfer' isnt it. I dont know why but there actually seems to be more churn from the 'limited number of boutique modules' versus the 'one more crate of doepfer' guys. I actually like the fact that Doepfer is so cheap you can just throw in another ADSR and LFO instead of constantly looking for that new perfect flavour-of-the-week all-in-one all-singing all-dancing whatever.aMUSEd wrote:From the Doepfer minimal system let's break it down to see what is really needed and what could be substituted or added to at a later point - to me the great thing about this is one can add stuff gradually once a base system is created.[/quote
Ive pretty much kept my A100 intact, and added to it. I got mine second-hand and for what I paid, I suspect it'd be impossible to build a 'boutique' system with equivalent flexibility.
Think of it as a distortion module1 x VC Waveform-Processor A-116 (not sure what this is?)
1x Ring Modulator A-114 (here I would like something more interesting)
I kinda like the A114, and RingMods in general so Ive kept this and Ive also got a ModDeMod in my Euro system.
2x ADSR thomann A-140 (can you get more complex envelopes in modules?)
There are more complex behaving envelopes out there; however there's not much that's as cheap as the Doepfers, and I kinda think its more flexible in the long term to just have more EGs.
Granted Ive also got an MCV24 and an expert sleepers module.
1 x Audio-Divider A-115 (I assume this is a routing utility?)
Nope; its a sorta crude octaver, basically.
1 x Dual-S&H A-148
1 x Trigger-Teiler A-160 (not sure what this is either)
1 x Trigger-Sequencer A-161
1 x Dual Slew Limiter A-170
The A160 is a clock divider; ie it slows down a clocked input. Its tied to the A-161, and between the two of them, they can be used for all sorts of interesting retriggering/sequencing stuff.
What is certainly missing from this list are effects - I would want to add bitcrushers, delays, reverbs etc
The A115 and A116 will let you do a lot of stuff in the distortion/waveshaping area, and the A148 can be pressed into service as a sample-rate type bitcrusher.
A lot of effects modules arent as VC-able as I'd like, though, so personally, although I have a few delay/reverb type solutions (spring, TipTop A5000, some BBDs) I find myself sending stuff via an effects loop
as frequently, so I'd suggest that as an option.
.
Wouldnt say no to a free Z-DSP, of course, but right I'm more interested in something like the QuBit Nebulae which can run custom Csound patches. Its basically a Raspberry Pi welded to an arduino and some electrickery glue, but isnt outwith the realms of doing on a DIY basis.
On the other hand is there anything that is not really needed?
Im sure some people looking at the basic A100 would want to skip some of the less familiar types of modules but its actually these that flesh the flexibility of the A100 out into more experimental territory. The approach to using a Doepfer is a little bit more oriented around 'support' modules instead of 'all-in-one' modules.
(edited to fix broken quotes)