11 ms·

Mutable Instruments' Eurorack Modules

201 points by krig 7y ago

franky47 7y ago
Because they are open-source, those modules have been ported to VCV Rack [1], a virtual instrument aimed at recreating the Eurorack experience in digital audio workstations. Obviously, using a mouse/trackpad is not the same as tweaking real knobs, but it's much cheaper. [1] https://vcvrack.com/ https://vcvrack.com/
- fit2rule 7y ago
  VCVRack is one of the all-time greatest pieces of synth software, ever. The sheer number of modules you can install, out of the box, for free, is astonishing. Its also pretty neat that a lot of hardware manufacturers use VCVRack as both a prototyping system as well as a promotion mechanism. I've introduce a lot of people to Eurorack by way of VCVRack - usually they play with it for a few weeks, and before I know it, they've got a new hardware rig set up in the living room .. Pretty great time to be a synth nerd. (See also: Behringer.)
  - InitialLastName 7y ago
    The longer you ignore Behringer, the longer a thriving community of module builders can exist. Cheap ripoff modules sound great (no pun intended) but provide one more angle to screw the little guy.
    - fit2rule 7y ago
      Start your synth life with a cheap Behringer Neutron, add a few modules here and there - and before you know, you've got a wall of synths, and not all of them will be Behringer. They open the doors for kids to get started, at a cheap price, and it means way more people on the market than otherwise. Some of us remember when synth manufacturers could get away with gouging their customers - not any more!
  - prsy 7y ago
    Classic drug dealer move, the first hit's free. I would have probably passed on a Chronoblob2 before, but damnit now I want one.
- tekstar 7y ago
  They are also at the core of Spectrum Synthesizer bundle for iOS, which is a free set of AUv3 instruments. https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/spectrum-synthesizer-bundle/id1467384251 https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/spectrum-synthesizer-bundle/id... (I am the creator of Spectrum)
  - squeaky-clean 7y ago
    Followed this link to download and saw you're the same author of the Modes app! Thank you for making my distings usable, haha.
- chillingeffect 7y ago
  at least a few of them have been ported to Axoloti as well [1] [1] http://axoloti.com http://axoloti.com
- filoeleven 7y ago
  > Obviously, using a mouse/trackpad is not the same as tweaking real knobs, but it's much cheaper. I’m interested to see what the availability of cheap VR does here. With today’s room scale VR, using knobs and sliders in a 3D space is feasible. Being able to develop spatial memory, even without tactile feedback, makes for a compelling alternative to using a mouse and screen. Once VR/AR gets tactile feedback like this glove[0], it gets even closer to parity with hardware. If the module controls in VCV Rack are standard components (button, knob, slider, etc.) then it should be pretty simple to translate them into 3D controls. Though I guess buttons may not work as well as switches, I haven’t encountered them in VR yet. Anyway, with those component mappings in place, any VCV module should be displayable in a virtual rack with no extra effort—it’s just a procedural UI change, generated from the existing 2D layout, that doesn’t impact the audio engine at all. [0] https://youtu.be/OK2y4Z5IkZ0 https://youtu.be/OK2y4Z5IkZ0
  - pmoriarty 7y ago
    I'm not as excited to see traditional interfaces cloned in VR space because the lack of tactile feedback in VR really hampers such interfaces (it's really annoying to have to look down at your hands and the knobs you're turning or the switches you're pushing to make sure you've got the right one, etc). What's much more interesting to me are exploration of innovative interfaces. For example, with full-body tracking you could map body parts to different synth parameters or algorithm parameters and then allow the user to make music by dancing. The sky is really the limit in terms of what body/head/arm tracking and VR can allow you to do with innovative interface design.
    - Nition 7y ago
      One of the better examples of that I've seen was actually back in 2012, done with a couple of Kinects[1]. Although it's still not much more than the equivalent of pressing a few buttons and sliders and it's obviously highly pre-programmed. There's the Hot Hand[2]; the bassist is using one in [3]. There's still a lot more that could be done. [1] "The V Motion Project" https://vimeo.com/45417241 https://vimeo.com/45417241 [2] https://www.sourceaudio.net/hot-hand.html https://www.sourceaudio.net/hot-hand.html [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuunY8BTqNs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuunY8BTqNs
fit2rule 7y ago
Émilie Gillet (founder of MI) has done so much for the modular synthesiser world - she has pushed the state of the art pretty far forward, and now making all the designs available pretty much means that we are going to see some great progress beyond the current scene .. I wonder if there is a F/OSS award that she could be recommended for? Its one thing to release software for free, but to also do it for hardware designs is amazing ..
- tekstar 7y ago
  She released the designs years ago and her influence on the scene has been growing for years. Having a well engineered production example makes all the difference for people learning how to make electronic music devices
- jacquesm 7y ago
  You could recommend her but I would suggest not doing so without her approval.
  - Tomte 7y ago
    Don't award committees usually contact potential awardees before announcing the award publically or even before drawing up a shortlist? I don't know, but it would seem to be wise.
cousin_it 7y ago
Magical stuff. There are software versions available for free, usable in VCV Rack which is also free. I've been playing with it on and off for the last year. It blows my mind that 1) someone would just give this stuff away 2) more people aren't jumping on the bandwagon of physically based modular synths. These things can make some of the most pleasant musical sounds I've ever heard. Check out the YouTube channels "Lightbath" or "ann annie" for examples. Sadly, Émilie Gillet (the person behind Mutable Instruments) recently announced that she's stopping development of new modules, because being a known person who's visibly trans is just too much, and she's looking for the next niche to disappear in.
- H1Supreme 7y ago
  > more people aren't jumping on the bandwagon of physically based modular synths. I've been building a (eurorack) modular modular for a little over 10 years now. It's seriously blown up in subsequent years. After not buying anything for 5 years or so, I just recently started my second case. The amount of modules available has probably doubled since then. I suspect some of the barrier to entry is the price. Especially when you have a lot of options in the $500 and under monosynth category. But, once you eclipse that initial hurdle, the sky's the limit.
  - louthy 7y ago
    Modular is seriously addictive, my setup [1] has probably plateaued for now, but I reckon it'll probably still grown from here. What I love about the modular world (as a producer and someone who loves sound design aspect) is the fact that it's very much a cottage industry, and some suitably ambitious individual can build a quirky new module and get it out into the world in a way that would be much harder if they were building a full synth (or something of similar complexity). I think the ecosystem in general is much more willing to try stuff out too. Most modules aren't that expensive, although collectively they do become that, but most hold their value pretty well, so it's pretty easy to cycle modules in and out of the case to keep things interesting [1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/duibbqzcgucussy/mod.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/duibbqzcgucussy/mod.jpg?dl=0
trollied 7y ago
The PCBs are open source too. I purchased 6 from https://www.amazingsynth.com https://www.amazingsynth.com and couldn't be happier. It's good fun trying to do surface mount soldering!
vile_wretch 7y ago
I've been building MI modules for a while. Émilie is such a boon to the SDIY community. Not only does she design incredible modules and release the entire design for free but she also actively encourages modification and improvements buy offering a complete development VM. It was pretty much expected whenever a new module was released that people would get right to work designing 'µ' versions of the modules that use less space on a rack or in some cases "double" versions of modules.
recursinging 7y ago
If I might just gush here. The work made available here by Émilie has been just so damn valuable to me over the last few years. From simple but effective circuit design, to very efficient and easy to follow DSP code. I would never have fallen so deep into the eurorack rabbit hole without it. Whatever it is she ends up doing now, I hope she shares it with the world the same way she did with MI!
- sigy 7y ago
  I hope so too. Émilie's work has been my primary inspiration in learning more about digital signal processing. The Mutable Instruments body of work is a tremendous gift. Thank you so much, Émilie!
jpm_sd 7y ago
This is so cool! If, like me, you were wondering "what is this, exactly?" see: https://mutable-instruments.net/ https://mutable-instruments.net/
mellavora 7y ago
Been into modular for just over 2 years. If you want to emulate it in software, the csound language is your friend. https://csound.com/ https://csound.com/ "Csound is a sound and music computing system which was originally developed by Barry Vercoe in 1985 at MIT Media Lab." I prefer to do things in hardware rather than software because after staring at a computer monitor all day long professionally, it is the last thing I want to do when I get home. I much prefer twisting knobs and patching cables. Also, one philosophical interest in Eurorack is as an alternative model of computation. You've totally given up the Von Neumann architecture, but you can still do some amazing computations. Sums, integrals, differentials, chaotic functions, ... point is, this is another way physical Eurorack is an alternative to "software" (where software seems to assume a Von Neumann system to run it on...) Cost is an issue. It is hard to be serious about the hobby for less than $1500. You are welcome to dispute that point with me by discussing all the cheaper options available or talking about resale value, but given that most modules cost north of $100 it doesn't take long. And building modules from scratch (which I've done, just a stash of chips, resistors, and caps and a blank proto board, working off a hand-drawn circuit diagram) can save a few bucks but the time cost gets very high.
- billfruit 7y ago
  Csound looks good, but I find that predefined instruments are hard to find, and not catalogued in a central place in the internet. Also doing drum tracks seems not so easy, none of the example csound music I have heard has drum tracks.
  - severak_cz 7y ago
    because Csound is not for that. Think about Csound opcodes as about electric parts - you got some oscillators, VCAs etc and it's up to you to build synth. See this collection for examples http://iainmccurdy.org/csound.html http://iainmccurdy.org/csound.html or check out Cabbage (https://cabbageaudio.com/ https://cabbageaudio.com/) which allows you to develop VST plugins with it.
- PaulDavisThe1st 7y ago
  VCV Rack is much more appropriate if your goal is to "emulate [modular] in software". CSound is a wonderfully cool piece of software. It's not an effective way for people who want to do in software what they do with hardware modular: obtain modules, put them in a rack, and connect them up. Finally, eurorack has nothing to say about computer architecture,in the context of digital computers. It's an analog synthesis system, which means that it's an analog computer (even if some of the internals are digital). I really recommend you check out VCV Rack. It is a deeply amazing piece of software, both in terms of its concept, but also the way that its author has created an ecosystem for modules and modules authors.
squeaky-clean 7y ago
Using a Mutable Instrument module is a fun way to code your own Eurorack ideas if you're like me and bad at the hardware/DIY part. Everything is open, even the bootloader, and there's a neat process where it converts the compiled program into an audio stream that the module then listens to (when turned on in recovery mode). And it's even easier to go back to stock firmware. There's also the well-known-ish alternative "Parasite" firmwares by mqtthiqs which is fun to look through and really fun to play with in a module. [0, 1] I don't know if these are available in a software-only form like VCV. Mutable also isn't the only manufacturer releasing open-source modules. 4ms has a few, the DLD [2] is a delay I've been playing with reprogramming lately (almost 3 minutes of memory! stereo!). Rebel Technology releases their stuff under GPL [3]. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. I wish Make Noise would open-source their digital stuff... [0] https://github.com/mqtthiqs/parasites https://github.com/mqtthiqs/parasites [1] https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/clouds.html https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/clouds.html [2] https://github.com/4ms/DLD https://github.com/4ms/DLD [3] https://github.com/pingdynasty/CLK https://github.com/pingdynasty/CLK
dimal 7y ago
Interesting contrast with TipTop, who makes modules which are derivatives of other devices (808 and 909 drum modules), but they patented Stack Cables (even though stackable banana cables were already a thing), and has sued to prevent other companies from also making stackable cables.
- deusofnull 7y ago
  TipTop is a bad actor / goes against the ethos of many others in the eurorack space IMO. I have their mantis case, was my first eurorack case, and while it's good I do dislike that i use theirs. the modularity and interoperability (and the implied open source culture) of eurorack philosophy should extend to the companies that make these products. so often they dont. makes me think of unix philosophy and how tech companies dont follow that philosophy either.
- eliasbagley 7y ago
  I have mixed feelings about TipTop. On one hand, I really like their modules, and when one of the buttons on my Circadian Rhythm sequencer died, they sent me another for just the cost of shipping. On the other hand, I broke one of my TipTop modules by accidentally plugging the power in backwards (they should really add reverse power protection), and the identifiers on the chips are all scratched off, so I have no way of identifying the chip I fried in order to replace it. Mind you this is a module cloned from a Roland 909, so it's not even like this is an original design.
monkeynotes 7y ago
The Plaits oscillator has been ported to the Korg Logue SDK too: https://github.com/peterall/eurorack-prologue https://github.com/peterall/eurorack-prologue
- brianobush 7y ago
  and is available in the Arturia Microfreak. https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/overview https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/...
jdkee 7y ago
I built a Mutable 6-voice Ambika synthesizer about five years ago with the SMR voice cards. It is a magical synth and an easy build. You can get DIY kits from TubeOhm. https://www.tubeohm.com/tubika.html https://www.tubeohm.com/tubika.html
visualphoenix 7y ago
Aah Eurorack... I first found out about this scene when a friend started making modules in his spare time and then eventually left the game development industry to found Noise Engineering[0] It’s definitely cool the MI stuff is open source! [0] https://www.noiseengineering.us/ https://www.noiseengineering.us/
FutureSpec 7y ago
Mutable Instruments did a great thing open sourcing their hardware and software. I own a couple of MI clones from Momo Modular. Eurorack is an incredible hobby.
deluxeroyale 7y ago
73-75.com Makes some really nice DIY kits and clones
Readywater 7y ago
These guys are wonderful. I built their shruthi mono synth kit a few years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites.

201 points by krig 7y ago

Because they are open-source, those modules have been ported to VCV Rack [1], a virtual instrument aimed at recreating the Eurorack experience in digital audio workstations. Obviously, using a mouse/trackpad is not the same as tweaking real knobs, but it's much cheaper. [1] https://vcvrack.com/ https://vcvrack.com/

fit2rule 7y ago
VCVRack is one of the all-time greatest pieces of synth software, ever. The sheer number of modules you can install, out of the box, for free, is astonishing. Its also pretty neat that a lot of hardware manufacturers use VCVRack as both a prototyping system as well as a promotion mechanism. I've introduce a lot of people to Eurorack by way of VCVRack - usually they play with it for a few weeks, and before I know it, they've got a new hardware rig set up in the living room .. Pretty great time to be a synth nerd. (See also: Behringer.)
- InitialLastName 7y ago
  The longer you ignore Behringer, the longer a thriving community of module builders can exist. Cheap ripoff modules sound great (no pun intended) but provide one more angle to screw the little guy.
  - fit2rule 7y ago
    Start your synth life with a cheap Behringer Neutron, add a few modules here and there - and before you know, you've got a wall of synths, and not all of them will be Behringer. They open the doors for kids to get started, at a cheap price, and it means way more people on the market than otherwise. Some of us remember when synth manufacturers could get away with gouging their customers - not any more!
- prsy 7y ago
  Classic drug dealer move, the first hit's free. I would have probably passed on a Chronoblob2 before, but damnit now I want one.
tekstar 7y ago
They are also at the core of Spectrum Synthesizer bundle for iOS, which is a free set of AUv3 instruments. https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/spectrum-synthesizer-bundle/id1467384251 https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/spectrum-synthesizer-bundle/id... (I am the creator of Spectrum)
- squeaky-clean 7y ago
  Followed this link to download and saw you're the same author of the Modes app! Thank you for making my distings usable, haha.
chillingeffect 7y ago
at least a few of them have been ported to Axoloti as well [1] [1] http://axoloti.com http://axoloti.com
filoeleven 7y ago
> Obviously, using a mouse/trackpad is not the same as tweaking real knobs, but it's much cheaper. I’m interested to see what the availability of cheap VR does here. With today’s room scale VR, using knobs and sliders in a 3D space is feasible. Being able to develop spatial memory, even without tactile feedback, makes for a compelling alternative to using a mouse and screen. Once VR/AR gets tactile feedback like this glove[0], it gets even closer to parity with hardware. If the module controls in VCV Rack are standard components (button, knob, slider, etc.) then it should be pretty simple to translate them into 3D controls. Though I guess buttons may not work as well as switches, I haven’t encountered them in VR yet. Anyway, with those component mappings in place, any VCV module should be displayable in a virtual rack with no extra effort—it’s just a procedural UI change, generated from the existing 2D layout, that doesn’t impact the audio engine at all. [0] https://youtu.be/OK2y4Z5IkZ0 https://youtu.be/OK2y4Z5IkZ0
- pmoriarty 7y ago
  I'm not as excited to see traditional interfaces cloned in VR space because the lack of tactile feedback in VR really hampers such interfaces (it's really annoying to have to look down at your hands and the knobs you're turning or the switches you're pushing to make sure you've got the right one, etc). What's much more interesting to me are exploration of innovative interfaces. For example, with full-body tracking you could map body parts to different synth parameters or algorithm parameters and then allow the user to make music by dancing. The sky is really the limit in terms of what body/head/arm tracking and VR can allow you to do with innovative interface design.
  - Nition 7y ago
    One of the better examples of that I've seen was actually back in 2012, done with a couple of Kinects[1]. Although it's still not much more than the equivalent of pressing a few buttons and sliders and it's obviously highly pre-programmed. There's the Hot Hand[2]; the bassist is using one in [3]. There's still a lot more that could be done. [1] "The V Motion Project" https://vimeo.com/45417241 https://vimeo.com/45417241 [2] https://www.sourceaudio.net/hot-hand.html https://www.sourceaudio.net/hot-hand.html [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuunY8BTqNs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuunY8BTqNs

fit2rule 7y ago

Émilie Gillet (founder of MI) has done so much for the modular synthesiser world - she has pushed the state of the art pretty far forward, and now making all the designs available pretty much means that we are going to see some great progress beyond the current scene .. I wonder if there is a F/OSS award that she could be recommended for? Its one thing to release software for free, but to also do it for hardware designs is amazing ..

tekstar 7y ago
She released the designs years ago and her influence on the scene has been growing for years. Having a well engineered production example makes all the difference for people learning how to make electronic music devices
jacquesm 7y ago
You could recommend her but I would suggest not doing so without her approval.
- Tomte 7y ago
  Don't award committees usually contact potential awardees before announcing the award publically or even before drawing up a shortlist? I don't know, but it would seem to be wise.

cousin_it 7y ago

Magical stuff. There are software versions available for free, usable in VCV Rack which is also free. I've been playing with it on and off for the last year. It blows my mind that 1) someone would just give this stuff away 2) more people aren't jumping on the bandwagon of physically based modular synths. These things can make some of the most pleasant musical sounds I've ever heard. Check out the YouTube channels "Lightbath" or "ann annie" for examples. Sadly, Émilie Gillet (the person behind Mutable Instruments) recently announced that she's stopping development of new modules, because being a known person who's visibly trans is just too much, and she's looking for the next niche to disappear in.

H1Supreme 7y ago
> more people aren't jumping on the bandwagon of physically based modular synths. I've been building a (eurorack) modular modular for a little over 10 years now. It's seriously blown up in subsequent years. After not buying anything for 5 years or so, I just recently started my second case. The amount of modules available has probably doubled since then. I suspect some of the barrier to entry is the price. Especially when you have a lot of options in the $500 and under monosynth category. But, once you eclipse that initial hurdle, the sky's the limit.
- louthy 7y ago
  Modular is seriously addictive, my setup [1] has probably plateaued for now, but I reckon it'll probably still grown from here. What I love about the modular world (as a producer and someone who loves sound design aspect) is the fact that it's very much a cottage industry, and some suitably ambitious individual can build a quirky new module and get it out into the world in a way that would be much harder if they were building a full synth (or something of similar complexity). I think the ecosystem in general is much more willing to try stuff out too. Most modules aren't that expensive, although collectively they do become that, but most hold their value pretty well, so it's pretty easy to cycle modules in and out of the case to keep things interesting [1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/duibbqzcgucussy/mod.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/duibbqzcgucussy/mod.jpg?dl=0

trollied 7y ago

The PCBs are open source too. I purchased 6 from https://www.amazingsynth.com https://www.amazingsynth.com and couldn't be happier. It's good fun trying to do surface mount soldering!

vile_wretch 7y ago

I've been building MI modules for a while. Émilie is such a boon to the SDIY community. Not only does she design incredible modules and release the entire design for free but she also actively encourages modification and improvements buy offering a complete development VM. It was pretty much expected whenever a new module was released that people would get right to work designing 'µ' versions of the modules that use less space on a rack or in some cases "double" versions of modules.

recursinging 7y ago

If I might just gush here. The work made available here by Émilie has been just so damn valuable to me over the last few years. From simple but effective circuit design, to very efficient and easy to follow DSP code. I would never have fallen so deep into the eurorack rabbit hole without it. Whatever it is she ends up doing now, I hope she shares it with the world the same way she did with MI!

sigy 7y ago
I hope so too. Émilie's work has been my primary inspiration in learning more about digital signal processing. The Mutable Instruments body of work is a tremendous gift. Thank you so much, Émilie!

jpm_sd 7y ago

This is so cool! If, like me, you were wondering "what is this, exactly?" see: https://mutable-instruments.net/ https://mutable-instruments.net/

mellavora 7y ago

Been into modular for just over 2 years. If you want to emulate it in software, the csound language is your friend. https://csound.com/ https://csound.com/ "Csound is a sound and music computing system which was originally developed by Barry Vercoe in 1985 at MIT Media Lab." I prefer to do things in hardware rather than software because after staring at a computer monitor all day long professionally, it is the last thing I want to do when I get home. I much prefer twisting knobs and patching cables. Also, one philosophical interest in Eurorack is as an alternative model of computation. You've totally given up the Von Neumann architecture, but you can still do some amazing computations. Sums, integrals, differentials, chaotic functions, ... point is, this is another way physical Eurorack is an alternative to "software" (where software seems to assume a Von Neumann system to run it on...) Cost is an issue. It is hard to be serious about the hobby for less than $1500. You are welcome to dispute that point with me by discussing all the cheaper options available or talking about resale value, but given that most modules cost north of $100 it doesn't take long. And building modules from scratch (which I've done, just a stash of chips, resistors, and caps and a blank proto board, working off a hand-drawn circuit diagram) can save a few bucks but the time cost gets very high.

billfruit 7y ago
Csound looks good, but I find that predefined instruments are hard to find, and not catalogued in a central place in the internet. Also doing drum tracks seems not so easy, none of the example csound music I have heard has drum tracks.
- severak_cz 7y ago
  because Csound is not for that. Think about Csound opcodes as about electric parts - you got some oscillators, VCAs etc and it's up to you to build synth. See this collection for examples http://iainmccurdy.org/csound.html http://iainmccurdy.org/csound.html or check out Cabbage (https://cabbageaudio.com/ https://cabbageaudio.com/) which allows you to develop VST plugins with it.
PaulDavisThe1st 7y ago
VCV Rack is much more appropriate if your goal is to "emulate [modular] in software". CSound is a wonderfully cool piece of software. It's not an effective way for people who want to do in software what they do with hardware modular: obtain modules, put them in a rack, and connect them up. Finally, eurorack has nothing to say about computer architecture,in the context of digital computers. It's an analog synthesis system, which means that it's an analog computer (even if some of the internals are digital). I really recommend you check out VCV Rack. It is a deeply amazing piece of software, both in terms of its concept, but also the way that its author has created an ecosystem for modules and modules authors.

squeaky-clean 7y ago

Using a Mutable Instrument module is a fun way to code your own Eurorack ideas if you're like me and bad at the hardware/DIY part. Everything is open, even the bootloader, and there's a neat process where it converts the compiled program into an audio stream that the module then listens to (when turned on in recovery mode). And it's even easier to go back to stock firmware. There's also the well-known-ish alternative "Parasite" firmwares by mqtthiqs which is fun to look through and really fun to play with in a module. [0, 1] I don't know if these are available in a software-only form like VCV. Mutable also isn't the only manufacturer releasing open-source modules. 4ms has a few, the DLD [2] is a delay I've been playing with reprogramming lately (almost 3 minutes of memory! stereo!). Rebel Technology releases their stuff under GPL [3]. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. I wish Make Noise would open-source their digital stuff... [0] https://github.com/mqtthiqs/parasites https://github.com/mqtthiqs/parasites [1] https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/clouds.html https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/clouds.html [2] https://github.com/4ms/DLD https://github.com/4ms/DLD [3] https://github.com/pingdynasty/CLK https://github.com/pingdynasty/CLK

dimal 7y ago

Interesting contrast with TipTop, who makes modules which are derivatives of other devices (808 and 909 drum modules), but they patented Stack Cables (even though stackable banana cables were already a thing), and has sued to prevent other companies from also making stackable cables.

deusofnull 7y ago
TipTop is a bad actor / goes against the ethos of many others in the eurorack space IMO. I have their mantis case, was my first eurorack case, and while it's good I do dislike that i use theirs. the modularity and interoperability (and the implied open source culture) of eurorack philosophy should extend to the companies that make these products. so often they dont. makes me think of unix philosophy and how tech companies dont follow that philosophy either.
eliasbagley 7y ago
I have mixed feelings about TipTop. On one hand, I really like their modules, and when one of the buttons on my Circadian Rhythm sequencer died, they sent me another for just the cost of shipping. On the other hand, I broke one of my TipTop modules by accidentally plugging the power in backwards (they should really add reverse power protection), and the identifiers on the chips are all scratched off, so I have no way of identifying the chip I fried in order to replace it. Mind you this is a module cloned from a Roland 909, so it's not even like this is an original design.

monkeynotes 7y ago

The Plaits oscillator has been ported to the Korg Logue SDK too: https://github.com/peterall/eurorack-prologue https://github.com/peterall/eurorack-prologue

brianobush 7y ago
and is available in the Arturia Microfreak. https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/overview https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microfreak/...

jdkee 7y ago

I built a Mutable 6-voice Ambika synthesizer about five years ago with the SMR voice cards. It is a magical synth and an easy build. You can get DIY kits from TubeOhm. https://www.tubeohm.com/tubika.html https://www.tubeohm.com/tubika.html

visualphoenix 7y ago

Aah Eurorack... I first found out about this scene when a friend started making modules in his spare time and then eventually left the game development industry to found Noise Engineering[0] It’s definitely cool the MI stuff is open source! [0] https://www.noiseengineering.us/ https://www.noiseengineering.us/

FutureSpec 7y ago

Mutable Instruments did a great thing open sourcing their hardware and software. I own a couple of MI clones from Momo Modular. Eurorack is an incredible hobby.

deluxeroyale 7y ago

73-75.com Makes some really nice DIY kits and clones

Readywater 7y ago

These guys are wonderful. I built their shruthi mono synth kit a few years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites.