So, of course, after making a massive dent in my investment portfolio this year on a move cross country and the usual things that go along with that, I thought it would also be a great idea to get into the wonderful world of hardware synths…3 Elektron boxes later……(don’t worry, 2 were used).
Well, a week with my Anushri and i’m totally in love with Mutable Instruments. Curse you, Olivier! I need money to LIVE. But I don’t eat much when i’m tweaking oscillators, filters and envelopes (unless my girlfriend reminds me that human beings need to eat). So that saves money! I’m just MAD for running my Machinedrum into the input on the Anushri, or CV sequencing it with the Analog 4. But, why did I have to fall in love with two synth companies in the same year! WHY There’s only so much me to go around!
So, of course, I have been obsessively researching modular racks for the past 6 months or so, and I figured the Anushri would satiate the lust, because….knobs….and then I make the mistake of looking at the MI Braids and my heart broke a little. You know, the way that your heart breaks when you meet a beautiful woman and you know your life has just changed forever. So, thanks for making the format decision for me, guys. It was occupying too much space in my head.
Now, the idea that I could CV sequence Braids (or other stuff running through her) with the A4 brings me to the verge of tears. “You’re all dirt and grime,” I always say to myself. “You live in the lower octaves, and if your FM is turned down, it’s by accident- you speak to the fuzz filter on the Anushri like it can talk back (well, it kinda can- right folks??). You’re no good for NOBODY!” And then, Braids came along and offered me a way out- a way into the light and out of all this analog grime I’ve been wallowing around in. Oh, sure, she can get dirty when the time is right, but she picks her spots very well- like when she breaks out her Waldorfian wavetables (MEEEOW!).
ALL KIDDING IS NOW ASIDE
All you wonderful MI community members and engineer have so graciously welcomed me in here, and honestly, I hope this company can maintain this level of customer service and this high a caliber of customers when it becomes a (NERD) household name by the end of the year. Which, if we’re all being honest here: MI + higher levels of prefab production= success. It’s very simple math. Metasonix, Doepfer (two companies I’d heard of before the hardware lust got out of control, just from being a big music fan), and now, Mutable Instruments. Mark it down, it’s happening.
So, I will ask again (and, my god, I didn’t mean to write this much!) for help from the ever-wise MI Community: what would be the best way to start in on this new money pit I’ve set my heart on? I’m assuming I shouldn’t fight it and just get Braids and Ripples (she wouldn’t be happy alone). Both, to me, seem like a lot of kit for the money. The things that have kept me away from pulling the trigger on a modular setup are, (a) modules that serve many purposes well are obscenely expensive; (b) the volume of modules is overwhelming and the differences in quality seem to be a matter of taste (not always money); © I don’t have any firsthand experience with the companies; (d) when you have too many modules doing too many different things, it just looks like a giant tangle of wires that’s a massive eyesore. Most modules don’t feel…meticulous…in the way MI’s synths do. I don’t want pure utility out of my “toys” (“So this is a BPF with 2 knobs and a switch- yay?”). I want something unique and expressive. If it is possible to make something expressive, I trust MI to do it better than I’m capable of imagining on my own.
After that, I’m assuming I’ll need a lowpass or two. And probably a mixer/audio processor (I love running other sources into synths and just watching the fireworks- or just micing up the compressor on my fridge and running that in…). A digital OSC is just what the doctor ordered for those activities! What would be good options for these?
What kit/enclosure is the best value for the money that will house everything I need? Also, if we’re being honest here, I’m not the type of person who could just throw together a little Eurorack and be satisfied (but who is? Wouldn’t care to meet that person). So room for growth is a consideration. If you’re kind, you won’t leave me with too much empty space in the rack (I’ll lose sleep over it).
Thanks again!
