Mother 32 plus ES -3 /Reaktor Blocks

[horizon2horizon]

I am a complete newbie and need help!

I have a Mother 32 and want to expand the sounds I can get. At some point I will get an extra oscillator for the M32 to thicken the sound and put it in another Moog 60 hp case. I know I could then expand further into Eurorack by buying more modules but I understand that it is possible to connect the M32 to Reaktor and use Reaktor blocks to modify sounds.

I have a Babyface Pro and know this is not DC coupled so I will need an ES 3 to send CV .

My questions are:
What can I actually do with Reaktor Blocks linked to my Mother 32?

Will this process elimate the need to buy some extra hardware modules and do things in software instead?

Will I still need to buy hardware modules because there are certain things you can't do in software?

Many thanks!

[os]

>> What can I actually do with Reaktor Blocks linked to my Mother 32?

You have software control over anything with a CV input. Software, being software, is pretty limitless in possibilities.

>> Will this process elimate the need to buy some extra hardware modules and do things in software instead?

Yes.

>> Will I still need to buy hardware modules because there are certain things you can't do in software?

There is nothing you can't do in software. You may just prefer how it sounds in hardware, or you may prefer to have the physical interface of the hardware in front of you.

[os]

By the way learningmodular.com are creating a course specifically about expanding a modular based on the Mother-32: https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7aGTQhB-7 ... ingmodular

[VariKusBrainZ]

Don't forget to factor in a power supply, bus board etc.
The Moog case is just a fancy biscuit tin.

[horizon2horizon]

Just to be super clear. I am trying to understand exactly how I would use an ES3 to send CV.
The mother 32 only has one oscillator.
Can I send an oscillator from Reaktor to the M 32 so I had two oscillators?

[os]

Yes.

[horizon2horizon]

And the only way to do that is to use a dc coupled audio interface like the es3?

[os]

No, if you're just sending audio (e.g. an oscillator) you don't need DC-coupling.

However the ES-3 will give you a Eurorack-level signal, which a regular audio interface may not.

I'm assuming here that the Mother-32 has somewhere to plug an external oscillator into, which may or may not be the case.

[horizon2horizon]

Yes. The mother has an input for audio in on the patch bay

[horizon2horizon]

How do I get the audio from Reaktor? I have a baby face pro

[os]

Either out of the main audio outputs, the headphone outputs, or via something connected by ADAT.

[ericj23]

My RME interface has a dc coupled headphone output - so you can use that with reactor blocks to generate cv's. I am not sure if that applies for the babyface pro though.

[horizon2horizon]

Either out of the main audio outputs, the headphone outputs, or via something connected by ADAT.

How do I know if the voltages from the baby face won't blow the mother 32?

[os]

Eurorack runs on ±12V. Audio outputs from interfaces are usually around ±4V, so way less. If you were bothered you could work it out from the specs, or just ask RME, but in practice I've never heard of this being a problem, for any audio interface or module.

It does seem like the ES-3 is a very good fit for your setup, since you don't really have any spare analogue i/o on the Babyface.