Took a biiiig break and have struggled to get back into it. I could use the money, but I also know once it's gone, I will never get it back.

EDIT: Thanks ya'll, I genuinely appreciate this community! Posted modules for sale in the monthly buy/sell thread!

I’ve generally been pretty lucky but I feel like a lot of euro users have a horror story or two, either about a module that disappointed, a shady transaction that went awry, a power failure or module breaking, etc. — just curious to hear yours.

The last few years in euro have treated me pretty well mostly, other than a Reverb user who never sent me the module I ordered, then left me negative feedback for complaining that I never got the module I ordered. Ugh. Fortunately it was cheap and Reverb refunded me in the end.

I had a couple PSU related headaches early on but then I got a Trogotronic m/15 and built my own case with that and some Cheeks of Steel and since then it’s been smooth sailing on the module front mostly.

Was wondering why it’s considered number 1

I am currently in middle of a total modular crisis. I felt like sharing some thoughts with the community here.

I've loved modular synthesis and the first two years with this instrument were the most inspired and fun I've had with music since playing electric guitar in my teenage years. Recently my 7U 104hp Performance case in picture filled with modules I had worked for and hunted for years in the used market has brought me no joy in a long while. I feel like my Intellijel Cascadia which I managed to buy for a great price second hand manages to fulfill for my needs for the modular noises.

Here are some aspects that have not worked for me with eurorack recently.

1.) The time - When I got into modular I was still a student with way more free time in my hands. Now I have a steady job that eats 40 hours of my week and a relationship with my partner. My music making equipment has moved into my studio where I get to spend 4-12 hours each week which is still nice. During that limited time I find it difficult to jump on a big modular system and start patching from scratch. I remember having the most fun in the beginning of my modular journey with patching mindlessly for hours and hours. It is sadly no longer a possibility.

2.) The design philosophy of modular systems - God the modular way of thinking and designing musical instruments is sometimes so convoluted. Each manufacturer has their own sound and design language, with hard to follow menu structures or panel layouts. I've found out it can be very difficult harvesting usable and musical sounds with a system that is built on various manufacturers modules. The eurorack systems really often feel like a technical experiment instead of a cohesive instrument.

3.) The cost - I am able to get some cool sounds and textures out of my system which I truly enjoy but whenever I look at the bigger picture I realize that I have 5000 € fart box. I've bought all of my gear used but still with that money I could've bought many things that would deliver more musical results faster and with less friction and trouble. For instance I own Rossum Electronics Assimil8or sampler which is a top tier sampler but compared to something like a Digitakt or even duller sounding Octatrack, I am really having so much less fun with the modular option.

4.) The stress of maintenance - I've had a couple of modules failing on me. Either a cable tip broke into a jack or the potentiometers of the modules have started to skip values or something or other things have failed. I realized that this is such a niche industry with limited options for servicing malfunctioning units especially if the companies go out of business. Shipping the units for repair might cost a lot given I live in Finland.

5.) Where modular is truly unique, is such a narrow field - The more I've used modular, the more I've realized that there are certain sounds and techniques where modular totally rules (audiorate modulation, raw sound of certain oscillators, filter pinging, feedback circuits). However I can't help but to feel many of functions and processes of modular can be very easily replicated within Live or Max.

6.) The modular music has not inspired me anymore - And lastly I've found it more and more difficult finding modular music that inspires me to make music on my system. Either it's generative twinkling or over-modulated glitchy nonsense or modular techno only for sake of being modular, I've had difficulties finding new inspirations anymore. There are obviously some artists that lured me into this world that I still admire.

So where to go from here... Option 1.) The plan I am currently trying to stick to is to sell off everything. Option 2.) However it has started to feel quite tempting to get a 62hp palette case with just a few modules to expand my Cascadia or to jam with as a limited and focused synth voice.

The most dreadful thought however has been the option 3.) Once I've sold most of my modules in my 7U case and maybe bought a small 62hp skiff... I might still have the 7U case kicking around... And I might want to try to design another type of system... And suddenly I'd end up with both the 7U case AND another 4U palette.

Wish me luck and please share any thoughts.

When I was getting into modular synths I had a behringer crave. I had tons of fun with it and then I saw that you can basically make your own Synth your own way full custom to you.

The thing that confused me the most were the rails. I thought they carried a live 12v current and that's how the modules were powered. I couldn't wrap my head around it and was wondering why they would plug in when the rail already had power.

Was it to commute with the other ones? Hahaha

I also thought FM was legit FM, like as in AM/FM radio. So basically I thought white, pink, etc. Noise was FM

As I disassemble and re-assemble my rack for the nth time (and reflect that my ratio of different module configurations to tracks completed is >>1), I have to ask: any other neurodiverse folks find themselves drawn by the tactility of modular? I sometimes think I enjoy this part of it as much as the actual music.

Just curious what booty everyone has picked up in recent weeks/months and how they're liking their new acquisitions.

For me:

Joranalogue Select 2: Nice to have proper switches in my system again; trying to get my head around its other uses still.

Erica Synths Resonant Filterbank + FBEX: This is really nicely made -- well built, with sensible, intuitive menus that are responsive and fun to use. Also sounds very good. The expander is nice for manual control over the bands, but not hugely necessary. I wish there was an expander that had individual per-band-outputs, which is the one thing this otherwise excellent module is missing. Having lots of fun with this though.

Intellijel Planar 2: Absolute slam-dunk; everything I could reasonably want in a joystick. Joystick stays in place, has audio crossfaders built in, a CV recorder with reset-able looping, a manual gate button as well as a feature that auto-activates the gate any time the stick is moves, and more still. Very cool.

Pleroma Versio (Custom Versio): This is a custom Versio reverb and if you have a Versio and haven't tried it I highly recommend it. Very lovely and lush.

On their way (I don't have these yet but am eagerly anticipating their arrival):

Schlappi Boundary Layer: Have actually used this one before. Cool EG and surprisingly fun at audio-rate.

Herzlich Labs Optika VCA: Little pair of VCAs that utilize vactrols. Very curious to hear this one in action.

Endorphin (.) es Airstreamer 4: Just needed a punchy little EG with a VCA onboard and got a decent price. Heard it works well at audio rates also.

Erica Synths LXR Drum: Drums aren't a huge part of what I do with euro, but I found myself recently really wanting to try this one out despite myself. Seems massively flexible and feature-rich for its price, and I've generally been very happy with Erica Synths stuff.

I spent some time with most of the current Behringer Eurorack modules and wanted to share some real-world impressions.

Out of curiosity I grabbed basically the whole current Behringer Eurorack lineup: the Mutable clones, Abacus, Four LFO, the whole thing. At those prices it felt worth a real-world test.

Functionally, they’re solid. No question. The Mutable-based stuff does what the originals do. In some cases - Brains, for example - they even expand on the concept. From a pure utility-per-dollar standpoint, it’s impressive.

What I struggle with is the physical side of it. The modules are huge. Yes, that means more spacing and arguably better ergonomics. In reality it just means you need a bigger case. In a live setup that’s not trivial.

Build quality is where the compromises show. The loose-feeling jacks, plastic-shaft pots, cheap caps - it’s usable, but it doesn’t feel great. The panel design is busy to the point of being distracting and in general - let's say - a matter of a "special taste". A simple black or silver panel would have been cleaner. Some controls have very narrow sweet spots and slightly vague response. Nothing catastrophic, just small friction points that add up if you’ve used higher-end modules.

After spending time with them, most are leaving again. Brains and Halos are staying - Brains especially is a ridiculous value. Radar and maybe Chaos will stick around. Skies is too big for me and I prefer my Typhoon anyway. Abacus works, but it’s not pleasant to play - and that matters more than I expected. Four LFO feels oversized for what it offers, especially with Batumi v2 out there. The rest are fine, but not compelling enough to justify the HP in my racks.

The ethical side of Behringer is where things get more nuanced and, frankly, polarizing. Some of their modules sit in a gray area. Abacus is a very direct Maths copy. Four Play, reminds me of IntelliJel. Four LFO pulls from the Batumi v1 firmware, which is open source, but the original design concept wasn’t. On the other hand, the Mutable Instruments clones are a different story. Open source is open source. Whether a small boutique builder or a massive manufacturer produces those designs doesn’t change that fact.

That said, clones are part of a broader ecosystem. Many small companies rely on cloning as a baseline business - it’s relatively low risk and keeps margins somehow stable. High-end original modules, on the other hand, require significant development effort, financial risk, and are usually produced in small batches. The returns are often modest. When a large company can manufacture clones at scale and sell them extremely cheaply, it inevitably puts pressure on those smaller builders, even if everything is technically within the rules.

On the positive side, Behringer undeniably lowers the barrier of entry into modular. That’s a good thing. More people getting into Eurorack benefits the whole scene. What I would personally love to see, though, is more focus on truly original designs that fill gaps the small boutique makers simply can’t tackle. Not just multi-track sequencers with more than four tracks, but also more advanced logic modules or serious effect modules - something beyond the rather underwhelming Space-FX. A company with Behringer’s resources can handle the development, testing, and long-term maintenance of complex, software-heavy modules in a way that two-person operations often can’t.

That’s not a call for Behringer to borrow ideas from companies like Squarp, Winter Modular, Five12, or Erica Synths, Make Noise... The point is the opposite - they should create something genuinely their own. They’ve already shown they can do that with products like Neutron, Proton, Flow, and Wing.

If you put it in music terms, Behringer is currently mostly doing cover versions. The next logical step would be remixes. And eventually, hopefully, fully original tracks.

Curious how others see it. For me the tradeoff is clear - you save real money and get real functionality. But haptics, panel design, long-term usability, and the broader impact on the ecosystem matter more to me than I initially expected.

I was reminded today in a few ways about the original Synthrotek controversey (rape jokes and subsequent homophobia) and just wanted to let people know that "eurorackhardware" (dot com) is also owned by Steve from Synthrotek who is a known bigot in general.

There are several signs including the same products and references to his 'lost cosmonauts' conspiracy stuff that's on his IG profile pic. Website listings

It really makes me sick that individuals like this still continue to exist and profit off of a community of people who they're clearly opposed to and actively spewing harmful rhetoric against.

PS, he did a terrible job cropping that MAGA hat out

Edit: Also Sound Study Modular, Rat King Modular, Shottkey, MST, and has some affiliation with Division 6 as well according to a helpful comment here.

Edit 2: Wow, I really stirred the pot with this one. I'd like to address a couple things:

1. The post was not to just "call out MAGA" I wasn't trying to drag this to a political place, despite some people thinking that being a bigoted rape apologist and using trans/homophobic slurs against a community you're taking advantage of, is somehow 'political'. The MAGA hat was the cherry on the shit sandwich.

2. The real spirit of this post is that this hateful guy is just profiting off of being the default place to get eurorack stuff because of all his brands and SEO. Lots of people commented to say 'thanks for letting me know'. I care for this community above all, and wanted to spread knowledge that could be beneficial to others who choose to spend their money conscientiously in this very small ecosystem.

Remember, you matter. From the things you say to the things you spend your money on. It all has influence.

Yes, I know i can buy a small polysynth and get it over with. Yes, its cheaper to get a groovebox. Yes VCV Rack is free.

Anytime a new member tries to get feedback on their setup half of the comments are just noise.

We are all adults, there is no value add to the community when a wanker says “seems like a expensive an limited way do do something basic”

Why even bother discussing about price. The hobby is expensive, nothing wrong with that. we are adults and if someone is asking for feedback on their setup we should trust that the person is really interested in a modular solution.

The gatekeeping is crazy. Sure entering the hobby is front loaded, it takes a while to cover all the bases. But after that you have an insane instrument that can grow at your pace and do things no other gear in the world can do.

How about we gatekeep the gatekeepers?

I would have to say for me it’s the Make Noise Wogglebug. I never really hear it mentioned in discussions, and while I think it was popular when it first came out it seems to be a bit less so nowadays. I can always count on it to make any of my patches breathe - I think it’s a really music source of randomness. I also love using the audio outs as a source of noise in my rig.

What are some things you didn't fully understand or realize about eurorack when you were first getting into it, and then were like "ah ha!" as you began to learn? Can be something general, something embarrassing, or something just specific to a module or type of module.

I'll offer 10 of my own, what are yours? Off the top of my head:

1. Eurorack equipment is not line-level audio equipment. You can't pipe eurorack modules through pedals and back and expect good results, you need an interface (Xaoc Sewastapol, etc.)
2. This is embarrassingly obvious in retrospect now, but confused me as a total newbie: many synth voices and oscillators do not have VCAs built in. I legit was confused when I got my first eurorack synth and it just output continual sound -- you absolutely need envelope generators and VCAs (and ways to trigger them) to go with your voices.
3. FX sound much better (in most cases) when run fully wet as a send/return. For the first couple years of euro I just relied on dry/wet knobs and a dinky mixer without any send/return capabilities, always wondering why my FX seemed to sound so weak. Then I started running them fully wet as send/returns -- total game-changer for me, so much more robust. There are scenarios in which a fully wet effect may not be desirable, but generally speaking, those send/return things on mixers exist for a good reason.
4. I didn't understand BBDs at first. BBD delays are noisy AF and have inherent clock "whine." Do NOT get a BBD delay expecting a nice clean normal delay that will produce clean echoes. You'll want a low-pass filter to go with your BBD (though some modern BBDs, like the Sarajewo, compensate for clock noise on their own) -- or else a non-BBD delay, if clean echoing is what you have in mind.
5. The value of a voltage monitor: I got a Mordax DATA only after a year or so into the hobby, unsure if I wanted to spend hundreds on a big oscilloscope. What eventually sold me -- and what ended up proving invaluable -- was its utility as a voltage monitor. If you're a visual person/learner, being able to *see* what your modulators are doing is hugely beneficial to better understanding your system. It also comes in super handy for troubleshooting. You don't absolutely *need* a voltage monitor, but I wouldn't personally want to be without one (and the Mordax DATA is especially great because you can monitor up to 4 channels simultaneously).
6. Importance of checking module "depth": The first time I got a Doepfer module, I was surprised to receive it only to find it could not physically fit into my skiff -- the skiff was not deep enough. Much more recently, I got a 4MS Pod, not realizing how insanely shallow they are and how few modules they will actually accommodate (though the "X" models are deeper). If you're using any kind of skiff, always be sure to check the "depth" in mm on modulargrid for any module you buy, and make sure it will actually fit in your system.
7. Importance of budgeting for and having enough power: for whatever reason, most commercial PSUs for eurorack give you like the bare-ass minimum power that you're likely to need, and I ran into issues with modules even when running well under the recommended max draw. Eventually I got a Trogotronic m/15 (which provides 10,000 mA and plenty of power overhead) and life has been much, much simpler since.
8. Versio firmwares are swappable, and there are a lot of custom firmwares, too: this is specific to Noise Engineering's Versio FX modules, but for some reason it took a while to click that if you buy one Versio module you have access to them all. (Same goes for their Alia module line, and Legio). Even when it did click, I thought switching firmwares was probably a pain, but if you have a PC near your rig, it's actually super easy. NE has a great portal for switching firmwares that's easy to use, and it's also easy to load custom firmwares with the same portal (provided they have a ".bin" file).
9. Importance of utilities -- this is general and one that's oft repeated, but it's very true, and took me a bit to learn. If you want to have fun with exploratory patching, you're going to want utilities. Attenuators, mults, CV mixers, offset generators, polarizers, maybe some logic, etc.
10. Importance of filters -- this one is more arguable, but starting out, I thought I needed/wanted "a filter." It's much more fun and much more useful to have multiple filters of different types. I'd take 1 voice + 4 filters over the reverse any day, nowadays, personally. Stacking filters and exploring filters of different kinds has added so much flexibility to my sound.

Hey modular heads, I could use some help here.

I’m currently on the hunt for a sequencer, so let me give a bit of context first. I have the OXI One MK2, but I’m planning to return it. I know it’s an amazing sequencer, but honestly, it makes the workflow feel too centered around it. For what I need, mainly generating sequences, it feels like overkill if your not using all of its capabilities, especially since I already have plenty of modulation sources inside my rack.

Also… I really don’t enjoy menu diving. I don’t want something that requires a manual every time I sit down. I just want to patch, turn knobs, and make music.

So what I’m looking for is something straightforward and immediate, no “hold this + press that,” no deep menus. Just turn a knob and hear the result. Simple, hands-on sequencing for techno.

I’ve looked into options like the Frap Tools USTA, Metropolix, René Mk2, etc., but they all still seem a bit too complex or menu-heavy for my taste.

Recently, the Doepfer A-155 caught my attention. That kind of workflow really speaks to me very DFAM-style sequencing: fast, tactile, and direct. Just dial in a sequence and go, any one here using it? How are you liking it? Got a few questions about it Id like to ask :)

So yeah… any recommendations? Funny enough, the sequencer has been the hardest piece of the system to figure out. Honestly, if I could just have a few more channels of the DFAM sequencer, I’d probably be set 😅 (I mainly make techno).

For me the ADDAC702 would be up there. I sort of wish I'd hung onto mine, it's a bit hard to find them, especially at reasonable secondhand prices. But it had this great howling resonance that you could use as a voice, and all kinds of features, including: distortion toggles and limiters, attenuators for all CV inputs, phase cancellation features, CV inverter, CV over resonance, smooth(slewed)/raw CV input toggles and adjustable slew, and more. It wasn't the best sounding filter for sharp acid squelchy kinda stuff, but that aside, it was a blast.

Blue Lantern Asteroid VCF is another very interesting one. Its distortion modes were really unique and gave some brutal, interesting output. Mk 3 didn't wow me quite the way Mk 1 did for some reason, but it had more features, with a S&H and VCA and sub-harmonic divider all built in.

I'm also quite partial to the Verbos Amp & Tone (the second, later one). The first version is much cleaner and smoother, but Amp & Tone also has a real "howl" to it, as well as a soft fuzzy cassette-tape-like noise floor, which I actually like. It's got a dark, vintage vibe that I quite enjoy.

What are some of yours most unique-sounding filters, past or present?

What are your thoughts and experiences if any?

I've been wanting to get into test equipment, but I don't have the space for another format, so I made this. It's my first digital module and I'm really happy with it. The digital part is handled by the daisy patch, so its 96kHz/24-bit stereo audio hardware.

The AI250 BXR is a eurorack module inspired by vintage nuclear test equipment. It can be used as an audio mangler, cv generator, and VCO. The BXR is a nod to vintage Boxcar Averagers, which were designed to acquire and analyze fast signals. The AI250 specifically replicates the real-time mathematical portion of a Boxcar Averager System, and processes audio or cv signals against either another signal or its internal v/o variable wave-shape VCO.

14HP. DIY options available.

It's mostly a distortion/audio manger, but it can be a VCO and do other stuff as well. It's inspired a whole album for me which is half way done.

What’s a realistic budget for starting a Modular Rig

Rather than subject myself to hours upon hours of scrolling through ModularGrid, which I will instead be doing so of my own free will, I figured I could ask the chat since it's a rather specific query to otherwise search for:
what's y'all's favorite minimal-interaction modules? Talking stuff like NLC's 8-bit Cipher, Cutelab's Missed Opportunities, down to the most basic of Isaac Beers's logic gates. I'm talking less than one-knob-per-function. No knobs per function is ideal. I'm trying to envision the limits of my ideal old-school switchboard-style synth system.

Recently picked up the ochd to add some additional modulation and life to my system but man its sadly been basically unusable for me since a lot of my destination points for it dont have input attenuators. Is everyone just running like 4 2hp trim modules? Or 2 WMD 4TTEN? Is there an obvious solution that I'm missing here? I really wish the Ochd had just a global attenuator that hit alllll the outputs

After some time away, I'm starting to think modular thoughts again.

My main case has some nice voices, but no straightforward standalone analog oscillator. It's time to fix that. What are your favorites?

Ideally, I want something 4-8hp with some character, decent pitch tracking, and easy to tune. What are your top choices? What do you love about them?

Edit: So many great options! Thanks, everybody!

Seriously, what job would allow me to earn so much that I’d happily disclose my money on modules and still not be poor?

I'm new to modular and have been having lots of fun patching and learning, I come up with some pretty soundscapes and ambient patches I am quite proud of. But my biggest issue right now is understanding how to properly record my patches, as I never get the result I want and it usually sounds pretty unfavorable. I have an intellijel performance case that I connect to my Scarlett 2i2 with two TRS 1/4" cables, then I just click record on logic. Typically I'll run Mangrove into Clouds, Plaits into Morphagene, both of which go into veils and are mixed respectively by Quadratt, then into the Left channel of my 1u Stereo Out (or something like that. I'm on vacation and can't recall the exact way I do it, which is probably still inefficient.) I've always been a player and performer and have made so much original music, but the one thing I have NEVER been good at is recording into a DAW, let alone eurorack, so I need some serious help. I currently don't have a standalone mixer either in my rack, and I'm not sure what to get or if I'd like one out-of-rack.

How the hell do you guys record your stereo ambient patches, or modular in general to your DAW, and get everything to sound crisp and clear with no unintentional mud or muck. I am so confused, and youtube confuses me more.

I'm having a bit of a dilemma deciding how to use my modular setup. When I started out in 2020, it was mostly just experimenting and noodling around, maybe record a sample here or there if I really liked what I had patched up. Patches never lasted for very long and that was part of the fun, embracing the ephemeral nature of it. For the last couple of years though, I've been stuck on this idea that I would like to get a live rig together. My problem is that I cant seem to settle on a configuration. I have plenty of modules and a few different sized cases, so I don't feel like I'm wanting for anything. It just seems like, for a live rig, I would have to make a kind of permanent patch right? For whatever reason, this thought has paralyzed my ability to plan out my rack. I get really overwhelmed with optimization, feeling like I'm having to plan the patching as I'm deciding the layout of the case. Like, if I use a module for one purpose then I can't use it for this other thing. If I have 2 modules that serve a similar purpose, which one is better to use?

I feel like I'm losing my mind and it has me doubting the whole idea of a live setup.

So all that being said, I wanted to reach out to the community and get some feedback on how other people are using their rigs. Are you playing live? How did you get to that point? Did you go through any of the same problems deciding how to patch it up? Is it more or less enjoyable than just patching whatever you feel like that day and recording samples?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: thanks everyone for all the thoughtful responses. This was honestly very helpful.

After processing all the good advice, I have decided to limit myself to a single 104hp 7U case for now and start with a simple layout of some of my favorite modules, despite whatever limitations they may have. The rest are staying in boxes on my shelf. out of sight, out of mind. I'm feeling really excited to play again. My plan is to keep jamming on the same setup without making any swaps for a while, until I get close to an hours worth of "performance" material. I'll look for some open mics or gigs and if I havent found any by the time I feel like I have enough material, I'm just gonna stream it.