
Mutable Instruments' Eurorack Modules - krig
https://github.com/pichenettes/eurorack
======
cousin_it
Magical stuff. There are software versions available for free, usable in VCV
Rack which is also free. I've been playing with it on and off for the last
year. It blows my mind that 1) someone would just give this stuff away 2) more
people aren't jumping on the bandwagon of physically based modular synths.
These things can make some of the most pleasant musical sounds I've ever
heard. Check out the YouTube channels "Lightbath" or "ann annie" for examples.

Sadly, Émilie Gillet (the person behind Mutable Instruments) recently
announced that she's stopping development of new modules, because being a
known person who's visibly trans is just too much, and she's looking for the
next niche to disappear in.

~~~
6581
> more people aren't jumping on the bandwagon of physically based modular
> synths.

It’s expensive, takes a lot of space and does nothing that you can’t do in
software. The UI/UX of hardware modules might be better, but that’s a trade-
off I’ve personally grown to accept.

~~~
InitialLastName
> does nothing that you can’t do in software

I can't turn knobs on my computer, and the blinking LEDs are underwhelming.

~~~
kennywinker
I love modular, so don’t take this as an attack - but a $50 midi controller
has a lot of knobs you can turn :)

~~~
pmoriarty
MIDI controllers and a computer can definitely have their own advantages and
can nicely compliment stand-alone hardware nicely.

But stand-alone hardware has some advantage of its own over a MIDI setup.

Well designed stand-alone hardware modules can turn on instantly, you don't
have to keep their software up to date, you don't have to do any performance
tuning on them or muck around with latency, they don't have to compete with
other software running on your computer as software synths do, I can be pretty
sure that barring hardware failure they'll still work exactly the same way 5
or 10 years down the line, etc.

In sum, stand-alone hardware offers me a lot of reliability, consistency,
convenience, and performance that's often hard to match with a computer and
MIDI controllers.

Of course, a computer and MIDI controllers have their own advantages and
conveniences, like being able to save settings, having a virtually unlimited
amount of functionality by using various software packages or writing your
own, allowing the user to change or choose their preferred UI, etc.

So they're really not the same. It's best to have both!

~~~
klodolph
The line is blurring a bit. Back in the 1990s, hardware modules booted
directly from ROM. These days, you’ve basically got a whole computer inside
which boots like other modern computers, i.e., slower than it should.

There are also some good examples of software stability. Having used Logic and
Reason since the early 2000s, you can see all the care that they’ve taken in
never removing anything, and only adding new things.

~~~
PaulDavisThe1st
That's good, but it's not as good as:

    
    
      cd Rack
      git checkout version-of-February-22-2020
    

That's the extra insurance that open source buys you: instead of relying on
the proprietary software maker to do the right thing, you ensure that you can
always (1) actually run the version you had way back on Feb 22 2020.

(1) yeah, I know things are not quite that simple.

~~~
klodolph
My experience is that the Linux audio APIs have been so volatile that I often
can’t run older audio software, even when I have access to the source code.

I have actually composed and recorded music with open-source software, but the
cost of doing so was very high, so I switched to proprietary software. Even
worse, the open-source software for various reasons has had interoperability
problems—you can’t export in standard formats, or that kind of thing. With
proprietary software, I was less tied down, since I could export data from one
program to another and continue working.

So I’m slowly working on converting the old songs I wrote with open-source
tools into standard formats.

~~~
PaulDavisThe1st
The ALSA API (the fundamental device driver layer) hasn't changed in any
significant way in more than 20 years. There was one trivial change that might
require a 1 line change in a program that happened to use that particular
call, but not all Linux audio apps did so.

I don't know what you mean by "cannot export in standard formats", unless
you're referring to something like AAF.

AAF is a closed-source proprietary standard for "session files" that
fundamentally relies on utterly closed Microsoft APIs. There are some
incomplete open source implementations that use a GNU efffort to reimplement
those APIs but AAF is also the prime example of design-by-committee. I will
never put time into trying to support AAF. Note also that AAF support is
missing in major DAWs and users need to rely on 3rd party translators such as
Chicken Systems AATranslator (RIP).

If you're referring to standard formats for audio files (WAV, AIFF, CAF and
more), then I really don't know what you're thinking of.I cannot think of any
open source audio project that has problems with exporting to "standard
formats".

~~~
klodolph
ALSA may not have changed, but programs variously have used ALSA, ESD, JACK,
OSS, PulseAudio, and aRts. Depending on your hardware, some of these options
have been variously unusable at points--too many developers assume that you
have a hardware mixer, for example, which is true for standard PC audio output
but not true for any pro interface I have ever used (even the dirt cheap
ones). At various points, I ended up with audio that only worked with
exclusive access. I tolerated it for a while but now I consider it a
dealbreaker.

I'm 100% willing to pay Apple to make this problem go away for me. Core Audio
is an _amazing_ API.

For cannot export in standard formats--talking about MusicXML. Until a couple
of years ago I also had problems listening to music on my Linux system; I
think it was because of some patent licensing issue.

~~~
PaulDavisThe1st
All of the above APIs except ALSA run on top of ALSA, except OSS which was
deprecated more than 20 years ago. The CoreAudio API has changed just as much
in that time period.. there are huge chunks of the CoreAudio API that existed
back in 1999 that no longer work or even exist.

Also, note you can't use the audio APIs from macOS "classic" on macOS/OS X
(and never could - Apple banned it from the start, so every single audio app
that existed for macs pre OS X had to have its audio I/O completely rewritten.
Apple didn't pay for this - 3rd party developers did).

I write pro-audio/music creation software for a living, and I can assure you
that from this perspective, CoreAudio is definitely not an amazing API. That's
without even taking into account the differences between CoreAudio on iOS and
macOS.

The only Linux distributions that had problems playing patent-protected
formats over the last 20 years were the ones that stuck to a strictly libre
software policy. If you picked one of them (e.g. Debian), it's hardly Linux'
fault that you chose a distribution one of whose raison d'etre's was to
exclude any non-free formats of any kind. I used RedHat starting in 1997 and
it never had a problem playing mp3 files.

------
mellavora
Been into modular for just over 2 years. If you want to emulate it in
software, the csound language is your friend.

[https://csound.com/](https://csound.com/)

"Csound is a sound and music computing system which was originally developed
by Barry Vercoe in 1985 at MIT Media Lab."

I prefer to do things in hardware rather than software because after staring
at a computer monitor all day long professionally, it is the last thing I want
to do when I get home. I much prefer twisting knobs and patching cables.

Also, one philosophical interest in Eurorack is as an alternative model of
computation. You've totally given up the Von Neumann architecture, but you can
still do some amazing computations. Sums, integrals, differentials, chaotic
functions, ...

point is, this is another way physical Eurorack is an alternative to
"software" (where software seems to assume a Von Neumann system to run it
on...)

Cost is an issue. It is hard to be serious about the hobby for less than
$1500. You are welcome to dispute that point with me by discussing all the
cheaper options available or talking about resale value, but given that most
modules cost north of $100 it doesn't take long.

And building modules from scratch (which I've done, just a stash of chips,
resistors, and caps and a blank proto board, working off a hand-drawn circuit
diagram) can save a few bucks but the time cost gets very high.

~~~
PaulDavisThe1st
VCV Rack is much more appropriate if your goal is to "emulate [modular] in
software".

CSound is a wonderfully cool piece of software. It's not an effective way for
people who want to do in software what they do with hardware modular: obtain
modules, put them in a rack, and connect them up.

Finally, eurorack has nothing to say about computer architecture,in the
context of digital computers. It's an analog synthesis system, which means
that it's an analog computer (even if some of the internals are digital).

I really recommend you check out VCV Rack. It is a deeply amazing piece of
software, both in terms of its concept, but also the way that its author has
created an ecosystem for modules and modules authors.

~~~
mellavora
VCVrack does look like some seriously cool software, thanks for the link.

"Finally, eurorack has nothing to say about computer architecture,in the
context of digital computers. It's an analog computer."

That kind of is what it says about architecture. Analog vs digital.

When I'm hooking up a clock on my synth I can't help but think of a system
clock on a CPU. A digital computer computes an integral using a series of
discrete-time operations on binary representations of floating points. My
synth computes integrals using an op-amp and and RC circuit applied to a
voltage source, and sometimes calls them "filters".

So I have these sorts of thoughts in the back of my head, different mental
pictures of how the system is doing the math.

Plus other thoughts-- what is the purpose of the "computer". Kraftwerk "I am
the operator of my pocket calculator" viewing a calculator's primary function
as a musical instrument...

Isn't that saying something about computer architecture?

I/O differences.

etc.

Just fun to contemplate

------
vile_wretch
I've been building MI modules for a while. Émilie is such a boon to the SDIY
community. Not only does she design incredible modules and release the entire
design for free but she also actively encourages modification and improvements
buy offering a complete development VM.

It was pretty much expected whenever a new module was released that people
would get right to work designing 'µ' versions of the modules that use less
space on a rack or in some cases "double" versions of modules.

------
recursinging
If I might just gush here. The work made available here by Émilie has been
just so damn valuable to me over the last few years. From simple but effective
circuit design, to very efficient and easy to follow DSP code. I would never
have fallen so deep into the eurorack rabbit hole without it. Whatever it is
she ends up doing now, I hope she shares it with the world the same way she
did with MI!

~~~
sigy
I hope so too. Émilie's work has been my primary inspiration in learning more
about digital signal processing. The Mutable Instruments body of work is a
tremendous gift. Thank you so much, Émilie!

------
franky47
Because they are open-source, those modules have been ported to VCV Rack [1],
a virtual instrument aimed at recreating the Eurorack experience in digital
audio workstations. Obviously, using a mouse/trackpad is not the same as
tweaking real knobs, but it's much cheaper.

[1] [https://vcvrack.com/](https://vcvrack.com/)

~~~
fit2rule
VCVRack is one of the all-time greatest pieces of synth software, ever. The
sheer number of modules you can install, out of the box, for free, is
astonishing.

Its also pretty neat that a lot of hardware manufacturers use VCVRack as both
a prototyping system as well as a promotion mechanism. I've introduce a lot of
people to Eurorack by way of VCVRack - usually they play with it for a few
weeks, and before I know it, they've got a new hardware rig set up in the
living room ..

Pretty great time to be a synth nerd. (See also: Behringer.)

~~~
InitialLastName
The longer you ignore Behringer, the longer a thriving community of module
builders can exist. Cheap ripoff modules sound great (no pun intended) but
provide one more angle to screw the little guy.

~~~
fit2rule
Start your synth life with a cheap Behringer Neutron, add a few modules here
and there - and before you know, you've got a wall of synths, and not all of
them will be Behringer.

They open the doors for kids to get started, at a cheap price, and it means
way more people on the market than otherwise. Some of us remember when synth
manufacturers could get away with gouging their customers - not any more!

------
fit2rule
Émilie Gillet (founder of MI) has done so much for the modular synthesiser
world - she has pushed the state of the art pretty far forward, and now making
all the designs available pretty much means that we are going to see some
great progress beyond the current scene .. I wonder if there is a F/OSS award
that she could be recommended for? Its one thing to release software for free,
but to also do it for hardware designs is amazing ..

~~~
jacquesm
You could recommend her but I would suggest not doing so without her approval.

~~~
Tomte
Don't award committees usually contact potential awardees before announcing
the award publically or even before drawing up a shortlist?

I don't know, but it would seem to be wise.

------
squeaky-clean
Using a Mutable Instrument module is a fun way to code your own Eurorack ideas
if you're like me and bad at the hardware/DIY part. Everything is open, even
the bootloader, and there's a neat process where it converts the compiled
program into an audio stream that the module then listens to (when turned on
in recovery mode). And it's even easier to go back to stock firmware.

There's also the well-known-ish alternative "Parasite" firmwares by mqtthiqs
which is fun to look through and really fun to play with in a module. [0, 1] I
don't know if these are available in a software-only form like VCV.

Mutable also isn't the only manufacturer releasing open-source modules. 4ms
has a few, the DLD [2] is a delay I've been playing with reprogramming lately
(almost 3 minutes of memory! stereo!). Rebel Technology releases their stuff
under GPL [3]. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. I wish Make Noise would
open-source their digital stuff...

[0]
[https://github.com/mqtthiqs/parasites](https://github.com/mqtthiqs/parasites)

[1]
[https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/clouds.html](https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/clouds.html)

[2] [https://github.com/4ms/DLD](https://github.com/4ms/DLD)

[3] [https://github.com/pingdynasty/CLK](https://github.com/pingdynasty/CLK)

------
jpm_sd
This is so cool!

If, like me, you were wondering "what is this, exactly?" see:

[https://mutable-instruments.net/](https://mutable-instruments.net/)

------
trollied
The PCBs are open source too.

I purchased 6 from
[https://www.amazingsynth.com](https://www.amazingsynth.com) and couldn't be
happier. It's good fun trying to do surface mount soldering!

------
visualphoenix
Aah Eurorack... I first found out about this scene when a friend started
making modules in his spare time and then eventually left the game development
industry to found Noise Engineering[0]

It’s definitely cool the MI stuff is open source!

[0] [https://www.noiseengineering.us/](https://www.noiseengineering.us/)

------
FutureSpec
Mutable Instruments did a great thing open sourcing their hardware and
software. I own a couple of MI clones from Momo Modular. Eurorack is an
incredible hobby.

------
dimal
Interesting contrast with TipTop, who makes modules which are derivatives of
other devices (808 and 909 drum modules), but they patented Stack Cables (even
though stackable banana cables were already a thing), and has sued to prevent
other companies from also making stackable cables.

~~~
deusofnull
TipTop is a bad actor / goes against the ethos of many others in the eurorack
space IMO. I have their mantis case, was my first eurorack case, and while
it's good I do dislike that i use theirs.

the modularity and interoperability (and the implied open source culture) of
eurorack philosophy should extend to the companies that make these products.
so often they dont. makes me think of unix philosophy and how tech companies
dont follow that philosophy either.

------
jdkee
I built a Mutable 6-voice Ambika synthesizer about five years ago with the SMR
voice cards. It is a magical synth and an easy build. You can get DIY kits
from TubeOhm.

[https://www.tubeohm.com/tubika.html](https://www.tubeohm.com/tubika.html)

------
monkeynotes
The Plaits oscillator has been ported to the Korg Logue SDK too:
[https://github.com/peterall/eurorack-
prologue](https://github.com/peterall/eurorack-prologue)

~~~
brianobush
and is available in the Arturia Microfreak.

[https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-
synths/microfreak/...](https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-
synths/microfreak/overview)

------
Readywater
These guys are wonderful. I built their shruthi mono synth kit a few years
ago, and it’s still one of my favorites.

------
deluxeroyale
73-75.com Makes some really nice DIY kits and clones

