Finished, finally!

Today I received two new modules from Synthesizers.com: a Q107A State Variable Filter and a Q127 Fixed Filter Bank. With these modules, my MU system is now complete. I don't really plan to expand it any further.

Here is a picture of both filters:

Many people complain that the Q127 lacks resonance at each band, and that the overall gain is a bit low. My first impressions sort of confirm these opinions, but once I fed back the output of the FFB into itself (using a mixer), I get all kinds of whistling resonances and plenty of gain. I don't have any experience with other FFBs (particularly, with inductor-based FFBs), so I cannot compare.

The Q107A is a good all-around filter. I plan to set this one to hard clipping and leave my other Q107 with soft clipping. The hard clipping setting on the Q107 makes it scream like crazy.

Earlier this year I also bought two multi-function modules: a Q155 Curver (waveshaping, inverter, slope detector and VCA), and a Q157 SH++ (noise source, LFO, sample & hold, slew limiter). Last year, I bought an STG Soundlabs Mankato Filter and an STG Mixer. These are pretty much the only modules I've bought in the past 4 or 5 years, since I moved my system to a slightly bigger cabinet which gave me 10 extra spaces. This is how the full system looks like:

I've placed some cheap rack effect boxes between the cabinets: Alesis Midiverb II, Lexicon MPX-100 and Zoom RFX-1000. The Alesis is used via the patchbay, and the others are connected to the aux send/returns of a Mackie 1202 VLZ mixer.


Finally, I've also added some dedicated effect boxes to the eurorack system: a Line6 DL4 delay and a TC Electronic Nova Reverb, connected in series. These are great for ambient/spacey sounds.

I consider both systems finished and I hope to spend the next few years exploring their possibilities.