Go (semi-) modular

Is Euroracking your ticket to a laptop-free life?

> Building a full Eurorack setup is one of the best ways to go fully out of the box. By their nature, modular rigs are hugely flexible – you can effectively build it to do whatever you need it to. By adding whatever combination of sequencers, sound generators, effects and utilities you desire, it’s possible to create modular rigs easily capable of letting you compose and perform full tracks, albums or live shows.

Doing so can be prohibitively expensive though; while individual modules are often reasonably priced, once you start adding and expanding your system, it won’t be long before you run up a serious credit card bill.

There are now a few easier and more affordable routes into the Eurorack world though. Both Moog’s Mother-32 and Arturia’s new MiniBrute 2/2S are semi-modular synths designed to interface with larger Eurorack systems. To this end, both companies also offer racks that can attach to these synths that will house – and in Arturia’s case, power – additional modules. Moog offer two and three tier racks designed to house additional Mother-32s or Moog recent DFAM drum synth (see this issue’s reviews), which can also be expanded to play home to Eurorack modules. Arturia’s RackBrute range, meanwhile, are powered Eurorack cases that attach to the MiniBrutes to create a fully integrated system.

There are pros and cons to using each as the basis of a small system. Both instruments have well-equipped patch bays and sequencers that can easily be used to drive external gear. For our money, the MiniBrute 2S is the most flexible and capable, thanks to its excellent four-track sequencer which can output voltages, LFOs and envelopes alongside note and gate signals. The combination of Moog’s Mother-32 and DFAM beatmaker is a powerful one though, and you’d be hard pushed to find a better self-contained setup for gritty techno or industrial sounds.