MM killed my GAS for other digital modules

General
1

Anyone else feel like that?

I was thinking yesterday i should perhaps get the BEFACO Oneiroi, seems like a fun module. Then i started reading up, its 100% digital. I was hoping maybe the filter is analog or the saturation, but sadly no.
My interest plummeted “why not spend it on another MM instead, build your own Oneiroi?”

In the recent week i sold off a lot of digital modules, ones i can instead have on the MM, obviously i had to purchase the CV/Audio extension module though.
Now I have the funds for a second Metamodule.

In a way it gets slightly paradoxal. Does it even make sense buying a second one, or am only really tricking myself while i am on a path to a full VCV Rack workflow? How about getting 3? Haha, i hope you see my point.

One should not underestimate the workflow/interface of stand-alone digital modules though, of course, it plays a role. You are not getting the 1:1 experience of Plaits by having Plaits on the MM, etc. But i think its easy enough to work around it or perhaps even sometimes improve upon it via MIDI.

Anyone with 2 or more MM’s? Happy with your purchase or do you feel you are spending too much time in VCV Rack now?

2

this happened to be when I got the Percussa SSP, I made a video about it,

at around 11:30 I start talking about, how I could offset the cost, module replacement, then talk about why its not a 1:1 experience… so its not a panacea.
much of this holds true for the MM.

overtime, what I found was it reduce the number of modules generally I wanted to buy for eurorack, though in fairness, that was already a bit in decline.
as you say, most new digital modules, I second guessed I could use the SSP instead.
(esp, as I can create my own modules… I nearly bought Rene, but instead coded my own)

I think MI Beads and MM were the only two digital modules I bought since?

Beads, yeah the MI UI is just excellent, I kept Rings, Plaits and even Elements (despite the size), they epitomise why non-multifunctional modules always can have a role - they are playful.

MM, I bought for the VCV side, I thought it’d be interesting to see some of the desktop modules ported, (also to try the editing on the desktop then transfer approach) and its not disappointed.

The flexibility these modules brings is amazing,
But I totally agree the one ‘downside’ is the loss of immediacy in patching, and also 1:1 UI - these should not be underplayed (and often is by ‘fans’ when they first get them)

for me, the trick has to been to offset this ‘downside’ on the likes of the MM (and SSP/XMX), by using external controllers - things like the Erae Touch and the Electra One. these allow me to and the tactile nature back to these modules - at least from the ‘performance side.
( I try to treat patches then as a black box dsp, and the external surface makes an ‘instrument’)

yeah, external controllers don’t help the ‘patch creation’, and honestly, every now and then I get tired of that, and revert back to using more the hands-on module side of my eurorack. but shortly after, Im back !

would I get 2 MMs , probably not - ok, partly because I have other similar modules, partly due to above.

but mainly because, I think variety is important…frankly, 2 of any module, is rarely, twice as useful :wink: … so, if I wanted another multi functional module, (I keep eyeing up the disting-nt)

that said, these modules excel in a function per HP realm, if I was setting up a live performance case and it needed to be portable, then for sure Id consider it.

then again, Id possibly consider just using a laptop in that case…
I’ll admit thats the other ‘is this right for me?’ doubt I have occasionally - sometimes, I feel my macbook could do all of this much better, so a macbook + ES9 is stupidly powerful.
(thats the cool side about the SSP, it has 24 channel USB audio / CV IO)

3

yep! after over a year, still happy using mainly only 2 mms. haven’t ‘cheated’ w other modules yet haha. ok was maybe thinking about the xmx for a bit last year, before sampling came along on the mm.. but not anymore.

been a lot of fun cooking up whole live sets with just these 2: mixing generative ambient patches back forth between them. or controlling one mm with the other- so many live patching possibilities! or running a mic or guitar through an fx patch on one mm, then using the 2nd mm as a poly synth playable via midi keyboard (running that back through a reverb on the 1st mm). using one or both as sample loop players. srsly endless ideas to explore. having leaned on a laptop on stage for over 25 years (and become quite bored of that), the mms have been a refreshingly nice change of scenery that have actually helped me feel jazzed again about doing live improv performances.

i also have loved how lightweight/portable the rig is with only 2 mms and a 4hp mixer. so easy on the back.

but that all said i have spent A TON of time in vcv as well as testing on/maintaining these 2 mms (which honestly i have, for the most part, enjoyed the challenge of) with all that in mind, i don’t think most people should get 2 unless they 1.) already have a grip on that it will be more work/challenge to deal with a 2nd one and 2.) already have several really serious, sustainable ideas floating around in their heads of how they’d want to be using both.

or maybe scrap that advice and just get a 2nd one anyway for hell sake since this is eurorack and one can just reverb.com it: sell, buy, sell buy ad infinitum until there’s no more food on the table :sweat_smile:

1 Like
4

Ive a couple of xmx, developed my own alt firmware for it :slight_smile:

I don’t use them much as I have their big brother mainly as recorders ( a really cool feature of the ssp/xmx).

But, I also really need to dig into the ‘firmware’ and see if I can get the usb audio interface working….that would be really useful in my main rack.

(like the MM, I keep my SSP in separate small skiffs, as I find patching more comfortable in these rather than at my main rack… but Ive one XMX in the main rack, as a utility module, mainly the recorder :slight_smile: )

5

The SPP certainly seems cool, too expensive for me.

Yeah i think i might end up with two. I think its super convenient in usage and with the ability now to make my own modules it’s just on another level completely. I think the later is maaaybe sometimes swaying me away from eurorack hardware altogether a bit… i am sometimes thinking how much power is actually possible on just a PC instead, and i could leave the restraints of the MM completely. But i think it could be one of those things that would instead just bore me, sometimes restrains are what keeps things interesting and fun + i like fiddling with hardware too much i think :smiley:

6

I love my MM, but I recently decided to pair it with a Disting NT (got a nice discount at Synth East last month). It’s a different ecosystem, with its own benefits (polyphony! direct lua scripting!, Usb audio!) , oh and also has a Oneiroi port, and, just last week, a MI Beads - inspired plugin (with pitch - quantisation) … Each have their own strengths, but mostly lets you benefit from developments in two open-source software ecosystems at same time (vs. having two of the same).

7

The only Disting I haven’t owned is the NT. I think i am a bit burned out on them, even though the NT seems great.
Cool that is has Oneiroi!
I could probably port it to MM.. kind of weird to do perhaps? Because I see that BEFACO has it for sale for VCV but it’s also under GPL 3.0 which would allow me to make a port, so i could render their own port useless. I could even sell it (not that i would).

8

I have seriously thought about getting an NT to sit next to my MM. Mainly because the NT has audio interface capabilities that the MM lacks. I do a lot of stuff using an iPad for audio generation. I currently use Percussa SSP as an audio interface and a modifier (lots of filters and VCAs etc.) . The NT would be small and do a lot of the same sort of things. It also has a great complement of modules and effects built in. It is quite a bit easier to program than the SSP is (if I got an NT I would probably try and sell the SSP). I decided not to get it though because I’m just not into programming bunches of separate modules much anymore. And get enough programming on the MM fill the void of things I need to do.

1 Like
9

I think there’s immense amounts of possibility with owning 2 metamodules and a DJ mixer - even the ginko DJ mixer module. I haven’t used this setup yet, but I’m convinced it’s a fantastic compact solution for performing. You could crosspatch clocks between the two units and juggle between them, or do smooth transitions for ambient. That’s something you couldn’t do with VCV alone for instance.

10

Lots of clever ideas here but I could also totally imagine having one MM that was permanently set up as a multi-fx module and another for everything else.

1 Like
11

Since you asked…

As great as MM is, there are plenty of things (many more than I can afford or have room for!) I would buy before a second one.

1 Like
12

There are some on my mind, but actually not too many… Collide 4 seems interesting, been eyeing that one for a while.

I also have my eyes on some additional sequencer, like the OXI ONE mk2… not sure yet. i have tried it in the past with Pyramid and it was just never utilized… i think i might just repeat the mistake, or maybe i like the workflow better and i will use it a ton!

13

Sorry to go OT, but Oxi One mk2 is awesome. I’ve only had it a few weeks but love it. Previously using Vector- it’s great too but I find I enjoy using One even more.

1 Like
14

Also a big Oxi One mk2 fan. Works great with the Meta.

1 Like
15

Interesting and encouraging to hear :slight_smile:

16

i’ve been on board the the MM train since it was released. It has not diminished my GAS for other digital modules. Like others here, I also have a Disting NT which is a good companion to the MM as it has very different capabilities and workflow to the MM. The Disting NT shines with its polyphonic and multi sample playback capabilities. While I love my MM, I have no desire to have two. The only module I have two of in my rig are Versios.

1 Like
17

The plan for me is now:

A Mac Mini M1 + ES-9 + VCV Rack.

I think that will be pretty powerful. I found both a Mac and a ES-9 used, so a pretty affordable solution.

The Mac will not be the main computer, i have everything connected to a PC, the Mac will basically be an additional modular synth.