What physical layout do you like for your modular?
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 15513 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
I'm specifically looking for discussions on workflow. I have some modular stuff that is rack mounted and I don't want to get rid of (some of) it. I also have some Behringer 80hp synths that I want to include but I don't see the point in taking up 80hp of a modular case. I also have a very small but growing slowly collection of eurorack stuff.
In the past I've found that too much verticality gets tedious. I also don't like racks that go all the way to the floor.
I'm trying to think "big picture" in terms of laying out my modular/semi-modular gear in terms of workflow. At the moment I'm thinking that going with desktop racks, either commercial or home-made, and buying rack-mount friendly modular cases is the best approach. I'm thinking roughly 3*10u, maybe 3*12u, all side by side with enough left open at the bottom to slide my deeper groovebox like tools underneath.
I'm looking for input from those of you who both, move your gear around to get workflow, and actually make music. I have friends whose advice is useless because, even though they have a lot of gear, their hobby isn't making music with it, it's talking about and collecting eurorack.
In the past I've found that too much verticality gets tedious. I also don't like racks that go all the way to the floor.
I'm trying to think "big picture" in terms of laying out my modular/semi-modular gear in terms of workflow. At the moment I'm thinking that going with desktop racks, either commercial or home-made, and buying rack-mount friendly modular cases is the best approach. I'm thinking roughly 3*10u, maybe 3*12u, all side by side with enough left open at the bottom to slide my deeper groovebox like tools underneath.
I'm looking for input from those of you who both, move your gear around to get workflow, and actually make music. I have friends whose advice is useless because, even though they have a lot of gear, their hobby isn't making music with it, it's talking about and collecting eurorack.
- KVRAF
- 7337 posts since 9 Jan, 2003 from Saint Louis MO
I make a ton of music with mine.
My strict rules are:
- I have to be able to reach everything while sitting at my DAW.
- it all has to be ready to patch at a moment's notice, no shuffling modules around.
I have a MDLRCASE 12Ux144 "Studio Series" case, the kind where each row is at a different angle to create a sort of curve. Prior to that, I had a 3U 84HP rack with TipTop Z-ears and rails (in a cheap, open desktop rack stand), plus a Mantis.
I prefer having everything in one case instead of patching between cases.
If I were going to choose again, I'd probably pick an almost-vertical 12U case, because with the curved style, the top row is further back and it's more of a reach. But it's not too bad, and the case design does create a natural place in front of it for my 0-Ctrl and Strega on small slanted stands. And my case has some custom pyrography by my wife, so I'm not going to be replacing it anytime soon.
My strict rules are:
- I have to be able to reach everything while sitting at my DAW.
- it all has to be ready to patch at a moment's notice, no shuffling modules around.
I have a MDLRCASE 12Ux144 "Studio Series" case, the kind where each row is at a different angle to create a sort of curve. Prior to that, I had a 3U 84HP rack with TipTop Z-ears and rails (in a cheap, open desktop rack stand), plus a Mantis.
I prefer having everything in one case instead of patching between cases.
If I were going to choose again, I'd probably pick an almost-vertical 12U case, because with the curved style, the top row is further back and it's more of a reach. But it's not too bad, and the case design does create a natural place in front of it for my 0-Ctrl and Strega on small slanted stands. And my case has some custom pyrography by my wife, so I'm not going to be replacing it anytime soon.
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- addled muppet weed
- 105768 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
horizontal, two rows.
due to "issues" reaching up, or bending down, too much, bloody hurts.
spreading it out horizontal means i need to move a bit to patch it, but wheely chairs will help. also long bloody cables
need to lift up the lower bits in the set up at the minute, but dont have the other cupboard the same size as the ones im using, here, yet.
due to "issues" reaching up, or bending down, too much, bloody hurts.
spreading it out horizontal means i need to move a bit to patch it, but wheely chairs will help. also long bloody cables
need to lift up the lower bits in the set up at the minute, but dont have the other cupboard the same size as the ones im using, here, yet.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 15513 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
Yes, I have some modules that aren't cased, because I don't like them. Maybe I'll change my mind later.
I can see that, but, it forces you to invest big or shuffle. I also already have stuff that won't be in the case and so I'm leaning more towards the modular approach. I'm not going to go with open back though. That's a recipe for a dangling cord disaster or snagging cables on something. It's happened.I have a MDLRCASE 12Ux144 "Studio Series" case, the kind where each row is at a different angle to create a sort of curve. Prior to that, I had a 3U 84HP rack with TipTop Z-ears and rails (in a cheap, open desktop rack stand), plus a Mantis.
I prefer having everything in one case instead of patching between cases.
That's my sense and my limited experience working with stuff like that. I guess I'm leaning towards just making my own racks. I can start with what I have. I get the sense that perhaps a much slighter bend might work better? I'm thinking 4u at a slight angle with 6-12u behind it at a much steeper angle or even vertical. What I don't like about those desk cases is how far the front protrudes. That's where I put the tabletop synths and I don't like those out all of the time. I guess that's a little different from your POV. I'm thinking of just having cubby underneath the modular to push them back into when I'm not using them.If I were going to choose again, I'd probably pick an almost-vertical 12U case, because with the curved style, the top row is further back and it's more of a reach.
Well, I won't be getting any of that.But it's not too bad, and the case design does create a natural place in front of it for my 0-Ctrl and Strega on small slanted stands. And my case has some custom pyrography by my wife, so I'm not going to be replacing it anytime soon.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 15513 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
Well, I don't have any specific health issues relating to reaching, but I find it tedious enough that I won't do much patching when stuff is too high up. That's why I'm thinking of at least three racks horizontally.vurt wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:21 pm horizontal, two rows.
due to "issues" reaching up, or bending down, too much, bloody hurts.
spreading it out horizontal means i need to move a bit to patch it, but wheely chairs will help. also long bloody cables
need to lift up the lower bits in the set up at the minute, but dont have the other cupboard the same size as the ones im using, here, yet.
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- addled muppet weed
- 105768 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
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- KVRist
- 397 posts since 3 Feb, 2017
I like to work in a square format.It's visually pleasing and motivating to start working and it's easy to categorize my modules left to right and up and down. Patching feels more logic to me in a square matrix and it's easier to keep things focused and organized. I personally use 2x MDLR 12U/126 HP. I love the quality and moving around/traveling with them is easy.
- KVRAF
- 12352 posts since 7 May, 2006 from Southern California
vurt and foosnark bring up some of the key points for me as well. Ergonomy is probably as important as what's actually in the case... and everyone has different considerations when it comes to ergonomics.
If I'm working with a large modular system, I tend to prefer it all to be vertical, with the exception of any control surfaces. I try to limit vertical height to eye level when I'm standing, since I don't want to reach up too much. I also try to limit the horizontal width to my arm span.
If I'm working with a more contained setup or if I'm using modular alongside a drum machine or something, I might lay things flat on a table or on the ground (sitting on a pile of gym mats). However I'm working, it's really important that all of the stuff that I'm using is at arms reach and mostly on the same plane (if I need to move my head too much to see the state of a parameter, LED, display element, etc., that's no good).
I used to patch between cases a lot more but it was mostly out of necessity. Now I avoid cross patching between instruments when I can but it's kinda necessitated creating separate 'work stations' and I know that's not practical for everyone. I still work with several different modular systems, I just don't frequently patch between them.
I also find that having things set up so that I'm ready to record at a moment's notice is important for productivity. Since my day job takes up a lot of my time, I compartmentalize my studio time and I try to avoid doing any kind of maintenance tasks during my creative time. This frequently means that if I have a choice between repatching things or finding a way to do what I want with the configuration in front of me, I work with what's in front of me.
If I'm working with a large modular system, I tend to prefer it all to be vertical, with the exception of any control surfaces. I try to limit vertical height to eye level when I'm standing, since I don't want to reach up too much. I also try to limit the horizontal width to my arm span.
If I'm working with a more contained setup or if I'm using modular alongside a drum machine or something, I might lay things flat on a table or on the ground (sitting on a pile of gym mats). However I'm working, it's really important that all of the stuff that I'm using is at arms reach and mostly on the same plane (if I need to move my head too much to see the state of a parameter, LED, display element, etc., that's no good).
I used to patch between cases a lot more but it was mostly out of necessity. Now I avoid cross patching between instruments when I can but it's kinda necessitated creating separate 'work stations' and I know that's not practical for everyone. I still work with several different modular systems, I just don't frequently patch between them.
I also find that having things set up so that I'm ready to record at a moment's notice is important for productivity. Since my day job takes up a lot of my time, I compartmentalize my studio time and I try to avoid doing any kind of maintenance tasks during my creative time. This frequently means that if I have a choice between repatching things or finding a way to do what I want with the configuration in front of me, I work with what's in front of me.
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- KVRAF
- 1583 posts since 15 Aug, 2001 from montreal, canada
I usually have either the keystep pro, moog matriarch, pulsar-23 or the 3 make noise tabletops in front of an Arturia rackbrute 6u (acts more like a complement to the individual devices mentioned). I tend to use smaller setups and just use that as oppose to too many stuff in front of me. The rackbrute has an expert-sleepers es-9 so it is the actual gateway to the laptop.
Stuck in Aperture Laboratories for a 2nd time!
- KVRAF
- 7337 posts since 9 Jan, 2003 from Saint Louis MO
When I had an open rack, I stuck my audio interface on the top 1U of it, which helped prevent things from falling in. I eventually also made some wooden sides and a back for it, to have someplace to stick a busboard because I was getting annoyed by flying bus cables. It wasn't completely enclosed, and there's no way I would have taken it outside my studio for a meet or gig or anything, but at least it had a little protection.ghettosynth wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:09 pm I'm not going to go with open back though. That's a recipe for a dangling cord disaster or snagging cables on something. It's happened.
Which brings up the other disadvantage of a big case -- it's not going anywhere. Too bulky and awkward to move, and not enough protection to travel with anyway.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 15513 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
Yeah, I've done this before as well. I'm leaning heavily towards making my own case at this point. I'm thinking of ordering two of the Behringer happy ending clones to get started. I'm not a fan of sliding nuts, but, they are much better for converting frac-rack to pseudo eurorack. I can use them to work out the details of more complete enclosure(s) and then just order the tip-top rails to complete that.foosnark wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:37 pmWhen I had an open rack, I stuck my audio interface on the top 1U of it, which helped prevent things from falling in. I eventually also made some wooden sides and a back for it, to have someplace to stick a busboard because I was getting annoyed by flying bus cables. It wasn't completely enclosed, and there's no way I would have taken it outside my studio for a meet or gig or anything, but at least it had a little protection.ghettosynth wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:09 pm I'm not going to go with open back though. That's a recipe for a dangling cord disaster or snagging cables on something. It's happened.
I also don't like flying bus cables but, AFAIK, the Synthrotek filtered bus is the only assembled bus that I can buy at a reasonable price? What did you end up using? I don't actually need power supplies, as such, I have them or could easily make them all night and all day long, over and over and over and over again. I also think that they are stupidly overpriced from the various eurorack manufacturers.
This brings up another advantage of standard racks though. You can use some rack gear in between your euroracks along with your modular gear. I have some rack mount gear that can be used for processing and I want those knobs in the mix. It's relatively easy to build an adapter "module" with 1/8" jacks to bring it in without modifying the gear. For the worthless stuff, it's probably less work to just put some 1/8" jacks on the front and call it a day.
Which brings up the other disadvantage of a big case -- it's not going anywhere. Too bulky and awkward to move, and not enough protection to travel with anyway.
I don't care if it can be easily moved TBH. My days of patching in front of people are long over, as in decades long over. If I'm going out to Jam it's going to be with my Force and maybe Traktor. If it's going to be experimental, that's what Reaktor/Max are for.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 15513 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
You have a lot of gear. Well, I do too, but, you have a lot of gear that you use. I've gone almost all ITB and my modular gear is probably used a bit differently than those really into it. I don't like the long cables for patching across instruments, and, I take what someone else said above about working in a square, I can see that. I'll probably still group my stuff this way and try to constrain modules I use together in a single rack.justin3am wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:21 pm I used to patch between cases a lot more but it was mostly out of necessity. Now I avoid cross patching between instruments when I can but it's kinda necessitated creating separate 'work stations' and I know that's not practical for everyone. I still work with several different modular systems, I just don't frequently patch between them.
That said, I want just one small wall in a very small space to be the home for all of my modular. I'm not setting up "multiple instruments" per se.
Last edited by ghettosynth on Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- KVRAF
- 12352 posts since 7 May, 2006 from Southern California
I also like using rack furniture for my modular. I have my most of my Serge Modular installed in slanted 10U cases like this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ack-spaces
I don't remember paying that much though! I figure, you could build something like that out of plywood and stain it for like $50.
I then expanded the two 10u slant racks with 8U racks that sit on top. I bolted them all together, so they won't be moving anywhere.
That's kinda my preferred configuration. They are deep enough that my PSUs can live inside without any worry about cables falling back into the works.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ack-spaces
I don't remember paying that much though! I figure, you could build something like that out of plywood and stain it for like $50.
I then expanded the two 10u slant racks with 8U racks that sit on top. I bolted them all together, so they won't be moving anywhere.
That's kinda my preferred configuration. They are deep enough that my PSUs can live inside without any worry about cables falling back into the works.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 15513 posts since 13 Oct, 2009
That's the right idea, but hell's going to freeze over and host the winter olympics before I pay $300+ for some boxes with some rails. I also like having them a little deeper, but they don't have to be full rack deep for me. Yeah, I've found a workable bus board and so I think I'm all in on the diy.justin3am wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:53 pm I also like using rack furniture for my modular. I have my most of my Serge Modular installed in slanted 10U cases like this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ack-spaces
I don't remember paying that much though! I figure, you could build something like that out of plywood and stain it for like $50.
- KVRAF
- 7337 posts since 9 Jan, 2003 from Saint Louis MO
I had one Synthrotek filtered busboard, before I decided not to do business with them anymore for unrelated reasons.ghettosynth wrote: ↑Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:11 pm I also don't like flying bus cables but, AFAIK, the Synthrotek filtered bus is the only assembled bus that I can buy at a reasonable price? What did you end up using?
Then a Genus Modu LIBB. A bit pricey but I thought I was investing in a better, bigger future case but then I got one that was powered anyway. Sold it for almost what I paid though.