Portable Eurorack Case DIY Project, Part One

My old Doepfer G6 rack w. power supply 2

Sometimes new ideas don’t come from buying something shiny and new, but from simply looking around at what’s already there.

As I’ve been planning to create more content for the blog, I realized I needed a smaller, more portable setup to complement my ‘main’ Eurorack modular. Something I could easily pick up, move to the living room or outside, and experiment with whenever inspiration hits.

This weekend, I wasn’t able to go out much because of too much pain, so I decided to finally tackle a project that had been waiting in the corner for far too long: transforming my old, clunky Doepfer G6 rack (2 × 84HP) into a more portable case.

Yes, I know... there are already plenty of companies making beautiful cases ( Casefromthelake, 2egress, and so on). But this G6 had been lying around for ages, unsold, unused. And since I love recycling whenever I can... most of my art projects are made from reclaimed or leftover materials. It only felt natural to give it a second life.

From 84HP to 126 HP wide

I started dismantling the old rack, stripping it of its rails and panels.
My original plan was modest: one row, 126HP wide. 

But, like most of my projects, the idea grew while I was working on it. I cut one rail in half, connected it to another with a piece of threaded rod, and suddenly I had the width I wanted.

At first, I thought this would be enough for a small experimental rig. But then the big question came: where would I put the power supply? That’s when I noticed I could reuse a few more rails from the back. Why stop at one row when I could make it two?
So instead of downsizing, I ended up with a larger, more flexible case; two rows high, 1 x 126HP plus one 42HP wide = 168HP in total, while still recycling almost everything.

Connection of the rails,
side-view

The prototype front panel is now almost finished. The wooden top is in place, and I’m considering putting the whole thing at an angle for easy access. That part will probably be a story for another blogpost.

 
If I can find some nice wooden panels, the build should be finished in a few days. Maybe I’ll even paint this plywood case with a water-based color, but honestly, I already love the raw look it has now.

Sometimes staying home leads to unexpected creations, and I’m already looking forward to experimenting with this new recycled setup.

Almost finished front of the new portable case prototype

Soon after the last picture, I realized I’d made things harder for myself. Of course the power supply should go in the bottom row, so the top stays nice and deep for my modules.

...To be continued....

Check out my other modular case inspiration blogposts HERE

PatchPierre Studio Update Spring 2025

Hi everyone.... it's me again
This last year i re-located my studio (hopefully for the last time) , rewired and updated everything, and it looks like i am almost ready to record some stuff again.
For personal use and for the blog of course :)

It's been 15 years since I first started posting here...
This year i will return to posting on a more regular basis.

By taking one day off from regular work every week, I can focus more on making music, little DIY projects and keeping you all updated in the blog.

Recently I found out that there are still around 10.000 pageviews per month over the last half year without even posting anything here... 

My blog-archive (of over 600 blogposts) still seems to be valuable to readers, and I still get many positive reactions.

In the last weeks I checked if the links on the blog are still alive and repaired them where necessary. 

It's a work in progress i guess... Let me know when you find any dead links.

My TB-303 has a new best friend, the Dtronics DT-303

I only bought a few new Eurorack modules and some other equipment in the last years that i haven't written about  yet, and I do have my eye on a few other Eurorack modules that I will order and write about soon.

Oh and I need a case... 

I also hope to catch-up with all the Doepfer modules that were released over the last 5 years. 

My journey continues and I hope it can inspire more people to make even more inspiring music.

I will also maintain showcasing new video's I find on YouTube that I find interesting enough for you to read. 

There are a lot of upcoming new content creators out there that use some extra exposure... 

and/or there are some very good older ones that can explain stuff much better than I can :) 

My new studio-setup is now almost completed and has been expanded with an Arturia Beatstep Pro, Roland Boutique VP03 and an Akai MPC Touch sampler.
A perfect setup for the late 80s Electrofunk Hiphop and early Techno stuff that I like to do...

My main live setup

The main live set-up is basically 808/909drums

from the Novation Drumstation, sequenced by a
BeatStepPro that also controls 2 A-100 System patterns and SYNCs the TB-303.

The VC and Gate out from the TB go back into the Eurorack and create a doubled 303 voice.

The new Roland VP-03 Vocoder is great to create those old school electro-robot vibes and has some real nice strings with easy adjustable attack- and release-sliders.

The Elektron MachineDrum is in SYNC with the rest and provides extra percussion with easy hands-on tone control during a performance.

To me this is perfect for creating stuff on the fly and for working out quick ideas.

My MPC (not in the picture) is rapidly turning from 'just a sampler' with cool VST instruments and effects into a full DAW with the latest 3.5 Public Beta update that came out last week.... but it's not available for my MPC (Touch) (yet)

The Cubase 14pro demo-version that i am testing at the moment feels very close to the new workflow on the MPC, so i might upgrade to a new MPC for everything, as soon as they announce new hardware and they get their software fixed. This new software was not ready for release in my humble opinion ;) 

You can expect new blogposts pretty soon I guess. 
I hope you will look forward to it as much as I do and perhaps you will show some support by re-tweeting/re-posting what you like most.... Thanks in advance! xxx

Pierre / PatchPierre / NetPierre

The Benjolin Explained by The Tuesday Night Machines

Felix (The Tuesday Night Machines) uploaded a cool demo in which he explains Rob Hordijk's Benjolin module.

But first some info about the Benjolin, gathered from various sources;

" A darling of the DIY synth community for years now, Rob Hordijk's benjolin circuit is really like no other synth/noisemaker out there.

The Benjolin is the smaller sibling of Rob's now legendary Blippoo Box, the subject of his 2009 article in Leonardo Music Journal (Vol. 9). 

Both the Blippoo Box and the Benjolin emerged from Rob's attempts to design a circuit that was, as he puts it, "bent by design". 

 As such both modules function according to the basic principles of Chaos theory, where short to long sputtering patterns spontaneously alter themselves over time, at times gradually and at times quite suddenly, morphing into new pattern doublings and bifurcations. 

 The result is two incredibly unique instruments that function in a sense autonomously or can "play themselves" if you like.

Klangbau Koln Benjolin by Rob Hordijk

Both the Blippoo Box and the Benjolin are based around similar "chaotic cores," which in the the case of the benjolin, is comprised of two vcos and a unique circuit designed by Rob, which he calls a Rungler. 

 The Rungler is basically an 8 step shift register that takes its serial input from the squarewave of one oscillator and its clock input from the other. 

 The digital outputs of the shift register are than put through a primitive digital to analogue converter to create stepped voltage patterns, which are then wired back into the oscillators.

The effect of this arrangement is to create a complex interference pattern that gives the Benjolin its unique, aleatoric character."*

Rob Hordijk's Benjolin as a Eurorack module,(This version is made by made by Klangbau Köln) consists of two VCOs, a VCF, the famous "Rungler" and an audio mixer, which can mix the classic PWM sound with the dry VCO waveforms for added fatness. 

The VCOs can cross-modulate each other, VCO2's triangle wave can control the filter cutoff (if no external cutoff CV signal is plugged in) and the Rungler CV can of course modulate everything too. It's a complex instrument, which doesn't necessarily need any other modules to be enjoyed.

Outputs:
- Rungler CV
- OSC1 Triangle
- OSC1 Pulse
- OSC2 Triangle
- OSC2 Pulse
- Audio Mixer (VCO1 + VCO2 + PWM)
Inputs
- OSC1 Frequency CV
- OSC2 Frequency CV
- Filter Cutoff CV
A switch lets the Rungler run free, or locks its current pattern.

Video: The BENJOLIN Explained (w/ sound demo) #TTNM

" Wanna know more about this BENJOLIN instrument thing? Then watch this video demo! ... and subscribe:http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
Chaos, noise, drones and sweet music, all from one device!

The Benjolin is an instrument designed by Rob Hordijk and built and modified by a lot of DIYers, as well as some synth manufacturers. I explain the Benjolin's basics with a Klangbau Köln Benjolin Eurorack module. Don't worry though, you will easily understand all other versions as well, after watching this video.
The cool thing about the Benjolin is, that it has some amazing feedback loops built in, which can be used to modulate the sound to the Moon and back ... well, some people say "to Hell and back" ... you decide. There is also the famous Rungler circuit of Rob Hordijk, which generates random, looping or evolving CV sequences via a shift register design (similar to the Turing Machine Eurorack module).
It's tons of fun!

Some links:
https://www.facebook.com/rob.hordijk (Rob Hordijk on Facebook)
http://www.klangbauköln.de (Klangbau website)
http://nightmachines.tv/noiserack (Noise Rack video diary series with the Benjolin and others)

Got questions or comments? Go ahead and post them below! I try to reply to all of them :)
Thanks for watching! Check out my channel for more Synthesizer Music and Tutorials:
http://nightmachines.tv/youtube
Filmed with a Canon EOS 550D (Rebel t2i).
If you've read this far, post a comment with the words "rungle all night long" in it :D

LINKS / SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://nightmachines.tv
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Flixxx (@Flixxx)
Ello: http://ello.co/nightmachines
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nightmachines
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tuesdaynightmach...
Bandcamp: http://nightmachines.bandcamp.com
My other YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/flx04part2 "

Rob's Benjolin design is also available as a Eurorack modular module by Epoch Modular

Sources: http://www.modulargrid.net/e/klangbau-koeln-benjolin-rob-hordijk

* via http://www.epochmodular.net/benjolin.html

500th PatchPierre Post

I never thought that this would happen when I started this blog to be honest, but my 500th PatchPierre post is a fact now... after almost 4½ years of blogging I finally reached this magic number.

Thank you all again for the support, especially

Dieter Doepfer, Raul Pena, Felix (TTNM), Tony Steventon, Matrixsynth Jones, Oliver Chesler, Intellijel, DivKid, Jon Adams, Marc Weerts, Steve Harmon, Malekko, ModularGrid, Eliazerk, techno-id.com and everyone who I forgot...

Via one of my other projects BrickPierre

First I would like to share a few PatchPierre numbers with you about the PatchPierre universe:
- PatchPierre blog has reached over 310.000 pageviews in 4½ year.
- an average of around 18.000 - 20.000  pageviews per month lately, and this number is still climbing.
- Over 3.200 people follow PatchPierre on Twitter

- Over 150 people already like PatchPierre on Facebook 
- Almost 350 people follow me on Soundcloud 

- Patchpierre.Net welcomed visitors from 144 countries so far

The most popular PatchPierre posts:

DIY Modular Case Ideas Jan 1, 2012, 

150th PatchPierre Post Dec 11, 2011, 

100th PatchPierre Post May 22, 2011, 

New Doepfer A-100 Case A-100PB Announced Oct 18, 2013, 

Vactrol Basics Feb 21, 2011, 

Finding new topics is getting harder as i have already reviewed most of the Doepfer modules i own, but i hope i can keep the blog interesting enough in the future with an even wider range of eurorack related posts.
If you have any suggestions / questions etc... feel free to contact me.

- Donations (big or small) are still welcome via PayPal
(info at http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/p/patchpierre-donors.html)
Donations will keep PatchPierre ad-free

Sadly I am having technical difficulties in my studio, so I am not able to record new demos / tracks at the moment, and besides that I am a bit too busy with my own work so I can't write much 'original'content, but that will all return after the summer...

Thank you so much again for all the support and the positive feedback.  PP

Build a Modular Synth in seven months! by @ScorbieUK

Scorbie built an impressive modular in just 7 months, and in this video he shows the result.

Almost 25 minutes of modular goodness...

Video: Build a Modular Synth in seven months!

" After seeing the modular documentary I Dream Of Wires, I decided back in September of 2013 I wanted to get one.

After months of obsessing and invaluable help from a few friends and people in the modular underworld, my first case is just about complete.
Even building my own now!
Rick Holt of Frequency Central & Rickard Steffensen from Sweden have been incredibly patient and supportive and I will forever be grateful.
Made a couple really good friends.
Visit frequencycentral.co.uk and look up Steffensen on Muffwiggler.com.
Small manufacturers who's modules are better than most of the well known makes out there.

In the case:
Frequency Central: System X VCO, Waverider DVCO, Electro Cardiogram Filter, Vogue Filter, Multipoles, Waverunner LFO, Continuum Phase Shifter, Trans Europa, Raging Bull* & System X S&H/Noise* (* DIY build soon).
Steffensen: Oscillarp (X2) and Envelarp ADSR (based on ARP2600).
Doepfer: A140 ADSR, A180 Multiples, A147 VCLFO, A106 Xtreme Filter, A138 Mixer.
Oakley Classic VCA, Tiptop Z3000, Make Noise Maths, Pittsburg MIDI2 and a few more bits to build including 4 ARP Odyssey VCOs and an ARP2600 12db LPF.
I've DIY'd all of the Frequency Central and Steffensen modules in the case. About two rows worth.
Didn't know how to solder seven months ago, let alone understand a schematic or what a resistor was. :)

Midlife crisis. Yep. And it f*cking rules!"

Uploaded by scorbie

Also check out Scorbie.com

Doepfer A-127 BOM Filter Breakout Module Announced

Doepfer finally announced a few new modules for this year.
The first one is an expander-module for the A-127 Triple Voltage Controlled Resonance Filter, which has always been my favorite Doepfer filter...

Basically they took advantage of all the filter outputs that were already available in the original A-127 module, but not made available on the frontpanel.

I wrote about how i made my own A-127-expansion-board a few years ago in this blog, but this official board takes it to the next level, with even one more filter and separate audio outputs.

A-127 BOM Filter
Breakout Module

" For early summer 2014 the A-127 breakout module is planned.

This expansion module offers these new functions:
- additional notch filter for each sub-unit
- separate outputs for lowpass, highpass, bandpass and notch for each sub-unit
- separate audio input with attenuator for each sub-unit

The breakout module allows the separate use of each of the three A-127 filters.
In addition the filters can be patched parallel or serial.
Especially the serial connection of three notches generates very complex phasing-like structures.
For parallel filter connection the existing mixer of the main module may be used or an external mixer.
For serial connection the filters are patched in the desired sequence at the breakout module.
A jumper is used to define the filter type for each sub-unit for the mix unit of the main module.

Remark:
The breakout module can be used without modification only in combination with the new version of the A-127 (pcb printing "Version 4").
Only the new version has the expansion connector available, that is required to connect the breakout module.
It's also possible to combine the breakout module with older versions of the A-127 (versions 1, 2 and 3) but in this case soldering is required to connect the breakout module to the main module (soldering 4 wires to each filter unit).

We will publish corresponding modification instructions as soon as the breakout module will be available."

You can still find my own A-127 DIY-expander blogposts via http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/2010/12/modifications-ii-127-triple-resonance.html

Source: http://www.doepfer.de/a127.htm

The new Doepfer modules will be shown at #MusikMesse in the booth of their distributor Alex4 in hall 5.1, booth nr. C54

Update May 23 2014: " The A-127 BOM is already in production and should be available July 2014."

ADDAC210 Open Heart Surgery, Thoughts and FreqTalk Dreams

ADDAC210 Open Heart Surgery - Eurorack & Arduino Development Board

I'm still stoked about last weeks' ADDAC210 specifications announcement that i just had to write an extra blogpost about it.
At least 5 people already decided to pre-order this new Eurorack and Arduino Development Board, so the module will definitely be taken into production by ADDAC, a Portuguese company that has produced many more other innovative modules (100s Series!)over the last couple of years.

Although the idea is not completely new (see BeavisBoard), this is the first time that it is integrated in a 36HP wide Eurorack module with pre-mounted knobs, switches and mini-jacks.
Reading the comments about the ADDAC210 all over the web, the overall thought of most people seems to be "what can i do with it?"

The BeavisBoard-website has some nice examples that will also be interesting for synth-enthusiasts, but possibilities are almost limitless...

If you're a Eurorack fan, into synth DIY, and familiar with breadboards you instantly see this as an exciting and challenging module.

This must be the ultimate way to design, create and prototype your wildest synth ideas... and it will make bread-boarding so much easier!

The ADDAC210 comes with a 1 meter flat-cable and four 5.5cm. stands, so you can also keep it on your desk outside of your Eurorack while you are working on it.

The breadboards will be screwed to the front panel to allow "pre-patched" breadboards to be interchanged too. 

The knobs and the inputs on the bottom of the module will make designing new Eurorack synths/controllers feel very intuitive.

Now you can start experimenting, you will only have to get your hands on a (classic) cool (synth)-chips or other small electronics and then you can have so much fun with this... 

Expand your project on this breadboard by adding adding your favorite filter circuits and stuff... so exciting...

This module will bring Eurorack-patching to a micro-level with tiny jumper wires, resistors, diodes, microchips and more.

I'm already looking forward to the first creative online video examples...

A few random ideas:

Random spare parts

- experiment with your old chips that were always somewhere hidden on the bottom of your DIY-case

(maybe leftovers from other (old) synths, or old radio-parts)

- You can easily create a great fuzz using a single transistor and diode.

- With an added Arduino shield/board there are multiple sequencing/ timing / mathemetical- related functions that would be possible... (and even sampling !)

- How cool would it be to install various sensors on it? Adding a light-sensor/photo-resistor can turn this into a theremin-like module... but also think of a pressure-, heat-, or... lets say a humidity-sensor or Anemometer (a device used for measuring wind speed (vid)? It might sound weird now, but who knows what voltages you can use and what effect it can have on sound...

- Try to build your own Brian May treble booster; a single medium-gain transistor with low-value caps on the input boost the treble part of the signal. The original used a BC182L transistor but the 2N5087 works just the same. This circuit is very close to the original Dallas Rangemaster. (via the BeavisAudio-site)

- My ultimate wet dream would be (re-)creating something like the FreqTalk (see below) or some kind of Flame Talking Synth-clone (and HERE) with the use of one or two Magnevation SpeakJet (or other) speech-chips.
The FreqTalk is based on an Arduino board and 2 SpeakJet chips and I have a feeling that the ADDAC210 will make a speech synthesis synth like this possible, and probably quite easy too IMO.

Video 1: FreqTalk Introduction

" Narrated introduction to the FreqTalk synthesizer."

Video 2: FreqTalk freestyle demo

" FreqTalk synth playing through AdrenaLinn effects.Cameo appearance by E-Mu PX-7 drum machine.
(c) 2010 Andy Hutson"

In the comments Andy writes:
"... the SpeakJets basically cover 3 octaves (B0 to B3), but since the tuning is integer-based, and musical tuning isn't, many of the notes are slightly sharp or flat, but it's close enough for techno, so to speak. The chips are worth getting...they're a lot of fun to play with in Arduino applications. Easy serial communications, minimal wiring required."

"... It took several weeks of evenings, but I didn't keep track of all the hours. Thankfully for the new model, most of the code was a direct cut-n-paste, and I just have to add code to drive the sequencers and LCD screen. Hope to have it done and new videos posted before the end of the year.
"... I don't see mass producing these anytime soon, but the thought has crossed my mind. If I find the time, I'll post news on this channel. Currently, I am working on a new model...same sounds, but better interface, with an LCD screen and built-in step sequencer... SpeakJet chips are basically triggered via serial messages, but in conjunction with an Arduino, you can wire them up to accept almost any kind of signal to trigger them."

Videos uploaded and comments by lamatronix

I understand that you do have to have a bit of knowledge about electronics and probably about Arduino programming, but this module is ideal for anyone who wants to start realizing their own Eurorack synth or controller.
Still a great module for enthusiastic beginners...
Feel free to leave your ideas/suggestions below in the comments! (I might add more of them to this blogpost later)

Find my earlier ADDAC210 blogpost (with full specifications) at http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/2014/02/addac210-open-heart-surgery-announced.html
Also keep an eye on the ADDAC210 Open Heart Surgery-thread on MuffWiggler  for the latest updates.

ADDAC210 website: http://www.addacsystem.com/product/addac200-series/addac210

DIY Eurorack MIDI-to-CV Converter by Stereoping

Today i discovered Stereoping and its interesting line of products.

Stereoping was founded by Gregor Zoll.
Since his graduate to a graphics designer he is selfemployed in 3D-computeranimation, programming and development of computergames.
As a sideline he always made lots of music and repaired, altered and – in the end – developed lots of musical equipment like drumcomputers and synthesizers.

Stereoping MIDI-to-CV
Converter

As his ideas got more concrete and his developments got more professional through the years, he started a business in 2013 for the development and worldwide shipping of innovative diy-assembly kits for musical devices.

If this business will develop as he hopes, his goal will be to offer complete out-of-the-box products in some years...

Stereoping produces 'DIY assembly kits for making magical music' and will be opening a webshop in early 2014, where he will be selling some of the products shown on their site.

Some modules will also be available as a DIY-kit...

They also have a special Eurorack section on their site with interesting stuff.

The latest product is this Eurorack MIDI CV Interface, a basic MIDI-to-CV converter which is really not that innovative, but still a good piece of work IMO.

I like the plain and simple design of the panels, and I'm looking forward to seeing more modules coming from this new company.

Video: Demo for my DIY Eurorack Module 'Midi CV Interface'

" Short and musically quite boring demo of the features of my Eurorack diy Midi-CV-Interface. In case you dont know: such an interface lets you integrate the analogue module system into the digital midi production set. It has - besides Pitch-CV and Gate - simultaeneous outputs for velocity and 2 controllers. It can learn the midichannel (and remember it) and be set to single trigger (held notes will not send another gate) or multiple trigger. It also has a potentiometer to set the glidetime (portamento). A switch lets select if all notes should be glided or just held notes.The latter gives kind of temporary glide like on the tb303. It also has 5 Volt outputs for midiclock and sequencer-start/stop (both not features in this video). More technical info on my homepage. Sorry for the bad video quality, forgot to disable manual focus."

Uploaded by stereoping

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stereoping

Let me show you my rack... by @Flixxx

Felix from Germany (@Flixxx) was asked to make a video of the Eurorack gear that he uses to make his music and videos.

Here's his narrated studio-tour...

Don't forget to check out the other links below the video for more interesting stuff.

Video: Let me show you my rack ...

" I was asked to show my Eurorack. Here you go.

Please show me your's and subscribe for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
If you have any questions, post them as a comment below :) Thanks for watching!

____MY EURORACK MODULAR SYNTH ON MODULARGRID.COM:
http://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/vi...
____MY WHOLE SETUP EXPLAINED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7yb2r...
____MY OTHER EURORACK VIDEOS:
Doepfer Clock Divider as Sub-Oscillator:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5FnhF...
Make Noise Function as Sub-Oscillator:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKtQ-_...
Turing Machine as VCO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoNGHV...
Circuit Abbey Invy as Waveshaper:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCr5xn...
Intellijel uVCF as Saw Wave Oscillators:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e92Yi...
____LeBEAT GRAPHIC DESIGN (who painted my case):
http://lebeat.de/

____TIMECODES FOR EACH MODULE:

1:03 Doepfer A-160 Clock Divider & A-161 Clock Sequencer
1:31 Rebel Technologies Stoicheia
1:54 Doepfer A-162 Dual Trigger Delay
2:02 DIY OR Gate based on Doepfer DIY Page (http://www.doepfer.de/DIY/a100_diy.htm)
2:29 Doepfer A-151 Quad Sequential Switch
2:50 Doepfer A-180 Passive Multiples
3:07 Make Noise Function
3:25 Doepfer A-142-4 Quad Decay
3:36 Doepfer A-132-2 Dual Lin/Exp VCA
3:46 Doepfer A-132-4 Quad Exp VCA
3:58 Doepfer A-138 Exp Mixer
4:13 Din Sync Modseq
4:39 Music Thing Turing Machine & Pulses Expander
5:06 Doepfer A-175 Dual Voltage Inverter
5:17 Circuit Abbey Invy Attenuverter
5:37 Intellijel uScale Quantizer
5:50 Intellijel Dixie I VCO
6:09 Noise Engineering Ataraxic Translatron VCO
6:28 Intellijel uVCF
6:46 Doepfer A-125 Voltage Controlled Phase Shifter (Phaser)
6:55 Flame FX6
7:07 Flight of Harmony Plague Bearer v4
7:22 Flight of Harmony The Sound of Shadows Delay
7:45 Manhatten Analog mix
7:58 DIY Quad CV/Gate Generator
8:29 DIY Switch It/Push It
8:53 Doepfer A-183-1 Dual Attenuator
9:07 The Voice Of Saturn VCF
9:27 MFB OSC-02 Triple VCO
9:48 Monotron Blind Panel
9:57 Koma Kommander
10:23 Anyware Tinysizer Modular Synth

____MORE LINKS:
SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
GET MY ELECTRONIC MUSIC AT BANDCAMP:
http://nightmachines.bandcamp.com
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/Flixxx
MY OTHER YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/flx04part2 "

Doepfer A-100LC3 Low-Cost Case Announced

Quite fast after they released their A-100BP case, Doepfer has now announced another new case to house your eurorack modules.

This time it is a low-cost case that will probably be available from the end of 2013.

Doepfer A-100LC3 low-cost case front view

The A-100LC3 is the "small brother" of the low cost case A-100LC6 (and A-100LC9).

It is very similar to the A-100LC6 but offers only one row with 84 HP for installation of modules. 

The A-100LC3 is equipped with one power supply (1200mA) and one bus board. 

Because of the limited space the power supply of the DIY-Kit #1 with an external transformer is used (same as for the DIY-Kit #1). 

Doepfer A-100LC3 low-cost case

On the left side of the case the connector for the external transformer is located.

The external transformer is not shown in the above pictures. 

The outside dimensions in mm are about 445 (width) x 160 (depth) x 150 (height). 

The price of the A-100LC3 will be around Euro 180-200 (including external power supply for 230 or 115V AC, without modules).

One of the benefits of having the connector on the side of the module IMO is that it can also be used on its back, as some kind of (high) skiff, but I wouldn't look up strange if Doepfer soon announces a skiff or another case...

Source: Doepfer website

Random Video: DIY Acrylic Modular Syntheziser

This video comes from Jonas Karlsson via the Doepfer A-100 Analog Modular Facebook page.

It features himself, building and installing modules into his DIY acrylic Eurorack-case.

It even has some nice music...

Video: DIY Acrylic Modular Syntheziser

" DIY Building a Eurorack modular synthesizer case of acrylic and Doepfer DIY kit 1.
Stills and video, Music is made with Doepfer A-111-5 Mini synthesizer voice,
Make Noise Phonogene Sequenced with Make Noise René

And a Korg Monotron delay "

Uploaded by miip999

Zyntetix at Bandcamp

250th PatchPierre Post

Whooohooo...
Okay, it might seem a bit unnecessary to write a celebratory blogpost every 50th post, but it does feel like another milestone again.

I am happy to say the blog is still going strong after a relatively bad year for me personally, and glad that working on new blog-posts kept/keeps me distracted from all the negativity surrounding that.
Thank you so much again for all the support and the positive feedback.

I would like to share a few PatchPierre numbers with you about the PatchPierre universe:

- PatchPierre blog will reach the 75.000 pageviews this month, in a little over 2½ year.
- an average of around 5.000 pageviews per month lately, and this number is still climbing.
- Almost 1.100 people follow PatchPierre on Twitter

- Patchpierre.Net welcomed visitors from 126 countries


Top 10 countries  /  Pageviews

United States               17483

Netherlands                 10184

Germany                      6566

United Kingdom            5961

Russia                          4338

France                          2634

Italy                             1604

Canada                          806

Slovenia                         796

Ukraine                          522

Top 10 most visited posts                                               Date published

150th PatchPierre Post                                                     Dec 11, 2011

DIY Modular Case Ideas                                                     Jan 1, 2012

100th PatchPierre Post                                                    May 22, 2011

Vactrol Basics                                                                  Feb 21, 2011

Dark Energy II Announced                                                 Feb 7, 2012

MusikMesse 2012 Dark Energy II and A-157 News and ... Mar 24, 2012

50th PatchPierre Post                                                        Dec 7, 2010

Florian Schneider - Electronic Poem                                 Feb 19, 2012

200th PatchPierre Post                                                     May 6, 2012

CEM chips in Doepfer Modules                                        Feb 28, 2012

- Also more than 10.000 people downloaded and installed my free PatchPierre Mobile - Nokia app
  (more info at http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/search/label/Apps)
- Almost 15.000 views of my YouTube videos at http://www.youtube.com/netpierretv (subscribe!)

- I could use more likes on my Facebook page
- and donations (big or small) are still welcome via PayPal

  (info at http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/p/patchpierre-donors.html)

Donations will keep PatchPierre ad-free

Finding new topics is getting harder as i have already reviewed most of the Doepfer modules i own, but i hope i can keep the blog interesting enough in the future with a wider range of eurorack related posts.

If you have any suggestions / questions etc... feel free to contact me.

Thanks again for the support, regular posting returns this thursday with the start of a completely new Doepfer tutorial video series by Raul Pena!

DIY Modular Case Ideas

There are many ways to house your (eurorack) modular synth, i wrote about the pre-manufactured options from Doepfer earlier, find that post HERE, but of course you can also try to build you own case.
There are many ways to make your own A-100/Eurorack case if you start out with just the basic rails and busboard, and you can make it as cheap or expensive as you can.

Check out a few ideas;
Wooden cabinets and side-panels are still very popular amongst (modular) synth enthusiasts.
These simple case standards for the pre-manufactured LC9 cases are very simple, and can be sooo useful
http://synthesizerart.blogspot.com/2011/10/dual-doepfer-lc9-case-stand-v1-design.html Also check out the other great modular pictures on his site.
Matthew Goike (@Goiks) also has some nice wooden cabinets on display and for sale on his website: http://www.goike.com/node/5

...or do what Stretta did (or rather what his brother did), make a high-end wood/brushed aluminium cabinet with integrated LED-lights and some kind of ingenious integrated cable-tree-hanger-thingy.

Stretta's Modular cabinet, made out of wood and brushed aluminium

...with an eye for detail

On his blog he writes: "The basic criteria was to widen the six row monster base/monster case combination another rack width, creating a triple-wide configuration that is easy to reach across. The width of such a configuration is about the same a standard piano keyboard. The curved design brings the top row dow to a more reachable height. The foot print of the system isn't much wider than my previous configuration." ,and
" The 1512 gets its name from the amount of hp it houses. To put this in perspective, the 1512 puts 54U of rack space, all within an arms reach."
Find more pictures of this cabinet HERE
(pictures by stretta.com )

Tony's Modular Toolcase

Tony Steventon's 'Modular in a Toolbox' case is also a very nice idea.
I personally like it's portability, plus the fact that you can travel with it without having to unpatch your whole system because the lid covers and protects all your patch-cables nicely.

Find his step-by-step building instructions at http://synovatron.blogspot.com/2011/11/modular-in-tool-case.html

Last but not least i find these custom side-panels for Dark Energy very cool. If you are handy, you could make something like this for your Dark Energy, Dark Time or Dark Matter, or try to find a pair of these on eBay.
Find more of these custom-made wooden side-panels at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI1KuWWAP8c

Special Designs

Don't go calling or emailing Doepfer right away,
but if DIY-ing is not your thing you might find this next thing interesting:

" In principle Doepfer is able to make special designs, but most customers underestimate the time and consequently the costs for a special design.
Normally there are three steps for a custom design:

Development of the hardware (provided that none of their existing hardware products can be used), development of the software (provided that the design includes a microcontroller) and design of the mechanics (e.g. controls, housing, provided that the customers is not able to built his own case).

The hardware and software design is carried out at Doepfer, i.e. design of the schematics, PCB layout and software.
All mechanical parts of the design - i.e. PCB manufacturing, housing, treatement of the housing like drilling holes, milling slits, varnishing, printing and so on - is carried out by other companies specialized in such things.
Doepfer has no mechanical working place in their company.
The main problem for a special design is that all nonrecurring costs - i.e. design of schematics, pcb layout, programming the software, initial charges for the pcb manufacture, case/housing production and silk-screen printing - have to be payed by one customer only.

Even for a small design these nonrecurring costs reach the few thousands Euro range.
Normally these charges are divided by the number of devices that are manufactured (a few hundred or thousands as a rule).
Please keep in mind all these notes if you ask for a special design.
If you are willing to pay for all these steps of work they might make a quotation for you. "

from the Doepfer FAQ page

Most Wanted V - A-100TKB Touch Sensor Keyboard

Perhaps best known for their non-moving touch sensor keyboards were the Electric Dream Plant Wasp and Gnat ( and the Electronic Music Studios EMS Synthi A * ) synthesizers that were produced during the late seventies/ the early eighties.
Doepfer's Touch Sensor Keyboard was announced a loooong time ago.

There have been many prototypes of this , and there have been many suggestions and discussions, but still there is no final design or release-date in sight.

Prototype #1

The first prototype (2005?) was a sequencer + keyboard all-in-one version, that looked like the original Sherman Filterbank, but with a keyboard with metal plates in front of it.
For their second prototype (2007), Doepfer decided to drop the sequencer, to give the buyers the chance to buy their own sequencer ( if they needed one ). This prototype is still my favorite, with it's 25 metal keys... simple and plain.

Prototype #2

In the first two versions of the TKB the hum noise inducted by the sourrounding mains was used as working principle, but they found that this principle did not work perfect in all cases (changing mains intensity, different mains frequencies 50/60Hz, indoor/outdoor, problems with increasing humidity and some problems more).

The Latest prototype, shown at NAMM 2010, was equipped with 16 uniform metal plates. Here is where Doepfer went for another approach, now with capacitive sensing pads.

Still, this was a prototype, and i bet Doepfer got a lot of feedback, but probably not enough (or maybe even too much) to make a final production-model.

From the Doepfer site: 

" The number, shape and dimensions of the pads can be adjusted to the customers wishes but we will be able to manufacture only one or maybe two versions (e.g. one with a keyboard layout like version 1 and 2 and another with a non-keyboard layout like version 3).

Prototype #3

In any case it is planned to separate the control until (i.e. the potentiometers, sockets, LEDs and so on) from the touch section. The touch section could be like a module (i.e. assembled like a module to the frame) or a separate box with a cable that leads to the control module (or external control box for stand-alone applications).

As an option we think about a pressure sensor below the keys that measures the pressure applied to the metal plates. The touch keyboard will be probably equipped with outputs for Gate, CV1 (pitch), CV2 (pressure) and Midi.
Due to the nature of the keyboard velocity measurement is not possible and even the Midi output is monophonic only.
Suitable supports to mount the keyboard case into a 19" rack at different positions and angles are planned for the touch version of the keyboard (not possible for the normal version as the width is more than 19"). We also think about a DIY version of the TKB, i.e. only an electronics without the metal plates that can be used to connect any metal plates that have to be added by the user. "

More detailed info on the whole TKB project HERE

* Thanks Marc

Modifying the A-124 Wasp Filter for self-oscillation

Out of the box the A-124 Wasp filter can not go into self oscillation, in contrast to most of the other filters in the A-100 system.
Lucky for us modifying the module for self-oscillation is quite easy;
Doepfer's DIY page tells us that;

"Soldering a 10k resistor in parallel to R13 (27k) leads to self-oscillation of the filter at the max. resonance setting of the resonance control."

Locating the R13 resistor was perhaps the most difficult part of the job. Because the resistors are all soldered on the PCB very tightly it is hard to read what the printing on the board says about the mounted resistors... but i found it!

Locating the R13 resistor

R13 is located in the gap between IC1 (CD4069) and IC2 (i.e. the upper CA3080, close to C4/100pF). See picture above.

I did have a few spare parts lying around, including a 10k resistor. Soldering in parallel in this case was very simple. I did this on the backside of the PCB.

After locating the correct resistor you can simply solder the new resistor on the other side of it. Not much can go wrong.

Just be aware that your soldering-iron doesn't overheat or burn your resistor.

I read mixed reviews of this modification, but you have to remind yourself that the A-124 itself acts kinda unpredictable in the first place, due to the design that "abuses" digital inverters as analog operational amplifiers leading to distortions and other "dirty" effects.

A post-modification audio demo by Madrayken ( Dene Carter ) can be found HERE

 WaspPostMod by Madrayken 

Racks, Cases and Monsterbases

In the beginning it was easy; you only had a few choices:
You could either buy a 3-unit high rack (A-100G3), a 6-unit high rack (A-100G6) or the 6-unit high suitcase version (A-100P6) from Doepfer to mount and organize all your A-100 modules.
Nowadays you can choose from a huge variety of other housings from Doepfer, from 32HP width miniature-cases up to 168HP monster-cases.
You can even make your own cases/cabinets with the low-cost DIY-kits containing rails, a power supply and bus-boards.

The most economic versions nowadays are the low-cost plain wood cases (A-100LC6/LC9) ,which cost about 35% less than the metal and standard suitcase versions.
If that is not your thing you can always go for the monster-cases;
Twice the usable width of a 'normal' rack, but finished with a black or grey finish in a flightcase-look are available in many different shapes and sizes.
There's even a monster-base that fits under these cases, with 2 rows of 168HP width, one with horizontal alignment and a second with a 45 degrees inclined row.

- note from the Doepfer-site: " ...the 12U monster cases are a bit difficult to handle by one person only "

I recently ordered my 4th metal G6 case because i already owned three of them that are filled up to the max. I already have some loose modules lying around that i would love to have back in my system again.
Budget-wise i wanted to go for the LC9-version(s), but then i had to re-arrange the rest of my system too, to give it a same look. Too much work for now.

For my next expansion i am considering building myself a cabinet, using 5 or 6 A-100DIY1 kits . 

That is probably by far the most in-expensive way. If i sell my G6-cases second-hand, i will probably even have some money left to buy me an extra module or two. We'll see...