Best/worst modules

Per

There are now and then "what shoud I buy" questions on this forum. But once when you have it, then the truth is there. Here is my worst buy/best buy list:

Best buy:
1. Doepfer A-149 Source of Uncertainty (great module, musically useful CVs)
2.MFB DSC-01 (three DCOs in one cheap package)
3. Cwejman RM-25 (great ring modulator, can do DC, great sine VCO)
4. Doepfer A-138c Polarized Mixer (a good CV processor at low price)
5. Zerooscillator (expensive, but a great sound and a wonderful module)

Worst buy:
1. Doepfer A-115 Audio divider (never use it. And it can not take DC, meaning clock pulses either).
2. Analogue Systems RS-210 Fixed Filterbank (OK, they had a similar in the old Moog system. But it is boring.)
3. Metalbox Wave Multiplier (Ok for processing sine/triangle waves, but too subtile for me).
3. Cwejman VM-1 voice module (Ok, is sounds good, but how fun is it with a hardwired mono synth module in a modular?)
4. Doepfer A-167 Analog Comparator (I understand what it does, but find no good use for it.)
5. Analogue Systems RS-50 Shaper/Trig/DC Shifter (How often do you really need to make a trig signal out of a gate?)

Many of the worst modules is 2nd hand, and afterwards, I understand why they sold them. Now they live in my modular, as I find it hard to sell parts and diminish the metal machine.

So, what is your best/worst list?
Per

dugernaut · Joined: Jul 24, 2009 Posts: 50 Location: New Jersey

Nice questions. Sorry its so late in responding.

OK - So I'm the first responder. I don't have first hand experience with anu of the modules you mention, but I konw analog synth well enough to understand the applications and outputs of them.

Agreed:
A Fixed Filter Bank is really nothing more than a display of knobs. Much more can be accomplished with two or three parametric filters in usually less space.

RIP - MFB DSC-01. Too bad. Would have liked to hear one.

Almost any sort of randomness, such as Source of Uncertainty, is valuable in creating subtile - dare I say 'organic' - changes in texture. I love expression in the dynamics of an individual sound - too often lost these days.

TOSSUP:
Cwejman VM-1 voice module - Yeah, OK its a one Osc voice module. Not a big deal. What's important is that its a voice. Read that again and smile. Yeah, it should have had at least two oscillators, but the Eurorack formfactor and 1/8" jacks notwithstanding, this is the basis of a, duh, VOICE! You can get specialized voice modules, ie, drums, but this is a synth voice with synth voice flexibility.

DISAGREE:
MetalBox/Ken Stone Wave Multiplier - AWESOME! Nuff said! I don't understand your views and reviews here. Please elaborate.

Analog Comparators - Really specialized, but when you need them, there's nothing else that will do the job. Same holds true for other digital/analog logic functions such as AND/OR/XOR/NOT, etc. You need them sometimes.

I can't comment on the rest of those modules, but hopefully someone else can chime in.

Rykhaard · Joined: Sep 02, 2007 Posts: 1290 Location: Canada

kkissinger · Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 6:16 am Post subject:

I like the Thomas Henry MPS -- though I swapped a few resistor values to get more "punch" out of it. Without an MPS, I'd have to tie up a lot of discreet modules -- nearly 1/3 of my synthesizer -- to do simple beat sounds. As an efficient and effective way to make percussion sounds the MPS is great. To get the maximum benefit from multiple MPSs, one would need gate sequencers and/or clock dividers.

I can't say enough good things about the Klee Sequencer -- really a nice addition.

Another great workhorse module is the Paia MIDI-to-CV converter. It was an easy build and works precisely.

The only module I own that isn't that great is the Aries Output and Power module. The output amplifiers are so noisy that I never use them -- thus its only useful function is an on-off power switch. My plan is to keep the panel but build new, clean, output amps with balanced outputs.

Danno Gee Ray · Joined: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 1351 Location: Telford, PA USA

Kevin,

Could you share the details of the MPS reisistor mods you made?

Thanks,

Dan

kkissinger · Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 3:32 pm Post subject:

Danno Gee Ray · Joined: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 1351 Location: Telford, PA USA

Thank you.

amsonx · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 3:44 am Post subject:

i'm new to the modular world so at this time i dont speak about bad buy but for the a-149 1 and his companion a-149 2 i can tell . wonderful.

davep · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:00 pm Post subject:

I had a MOTM Triple Resonant Filter for a while and it seemed like a great module on paper, but I found that it really wasn't very versatile. A bit of a one-trick-pony. I tried some tricks to coax a wider variety of timbres out of it, like patching in some feedback loops in an attempt to increase the resonance (which is FIXED - no variable control for this!) but all I got was uncontrolled high pitched squeaks. Pretty limited modulation capabilities too, unless you want to hack at it to do some mods.

So I replaced it with Rob Hordijk's Dual Phaser module.

Best. Phaser. Ever.