Is 5U A Dying Format?

[ooga booga]

And if you listen carefully, you can hear the sea...

[ooga booga]

Got an email today mentioning this one that I really liked...

MUrican

i gotta say, i almost did crying laughing at this.

muSonics marketing remarked "GREAT retcon."

if you are confused by my behaviour, never forget i'm the guy who claimed this documentary was about how Mankato Filters were actually made. RIP DJ Frown Town:

That was awesome!

[cornutt]

Merica is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cancellariidae, the nutmeg snails.

I always wondered where nutmeg comes from. Now someone needs to build a delay module and name it the Nutmeg Snail.

[ooga booga]

MU is a dying format:

[Cfp]

[Mark11Audio]

[kindredlost]

... sadly after nearly 4 decades of playing and owning a variety of the large 5U format modulars, my time may be coming to an end. I've just lost all interest, my modular sits in a corner of my bedroom underneath a large blanket, "un-used, un-powered, uninterested." a $50k+ door stop...

Maybe you might consider changing your signature.

[mamonu]

... sadly after nearly 4 decades of playing and owning a variety of the large 5U format modulars, my time may be coming to an end. I've just lost all interest, my modular sits in a corner of my bedroom underneath a large blanket, "un-used, un-powered, uninterested." a $50k+ door stop...

Could this be a case with making music in general perhaps and not a 5U problem per-se?

[JohnLRice]

... sadly after nearly 4 decades of playing and owning a variety of the large 5U format modulars, my time may be coming to an end. I've just lost all interest, my modular sits in a corner of my bedroom underneath a large blanket, "un-used, un-powered, uninterested." a $50k+ door stop...

I can only speak for myself obviously, but I suspect for many of us in varying degrees the "thrill of the chase" is sometimes more interesting/attractive/fun/easy than using the final result for its intended purpose? The required creative and technical aspects of learning an instrument, composing, performing, recording audio, creating videos, promoting, selling, etc. are generally much the same regardless of what instrument is in question, be it a drum set, a flute, a guitar, a harp, or a modular synth and the required creative and technical aspects of researching, planning, and implementing the construction of a modular synth are mostly quite different. It can often feel like everything is making sense as we run full speed through a challenging and fun dry land obstacle course as we build our systems, only to hit an infinite body of water at the end of construction and most of the thought processes and skills built up over months or years suddenly need to mostly be put aside and new thought processes and skills need to be turned on and honed. It can be disorientating, disappointing to reach a high point and then have to start over with something different, and even a little scary?

I often question my own motives, because once my 5U portable system intended for live and studio use became so large that it was impractical to take out live (even though it was intentionally designed in independent road cases so just one or more could be used as needed) and physically ran out of room in the studio, I had the idea to create a new smaller single case 5U system intended for live use only. While that was a somewhat reasonable idea, I didn't stop there, and kept building more and more small standalone systems, adding Eurorack, custom modifying modules and cases, and even rearranging the studio so I could make room to expand the big 5U studio system. I currently have nine 5u systems from tiny to huge and eight eurorack systems from tiny to medium.

If I would have stopped long ago at just the one reasonably large and capable 9 road case 5U system (and also stopped with the equally endless and unnecessary percussion instrument and pro audio acquisitions and reconfigurations) I could have put that time, energy, and money into writing, recording, performing, and putting out albums etc.
But at least I have really enjoyed myself along the way!

[Dr. Sketch-n-Etch]

John, you are an acquisition artist. It's a thing.

[deecalk1]

[Micronians]

HAHAHA ^

[JohnLRice]

John, you are an acquisition artist. It's a thing.

"You gots sum gears? I GOTS YER MONIES!"

[Mark11Audio]

[Mark11Audio]

[KSS]

you may be onto something...

It was naming them Mike, Buzz and Neil! We haven't been back to the moon in a long time either.

More seriously, MW member cbm went through a long non-synth period too.
He's back -but mostly in a new format- and may have personal insight of value to you?

[Mark11Audio]

you may be onto something...

It was naming them Mike, Buzz and Neil! We haven't been back to the moon in a long time either.

More seriously, MW member cbm went through a long non-synth period too.
He's back -but mostly in a new format- and may have personal insight of value to you?

I think it's even more than that... I've been "copying" everyone else, and failing to find my "own identity." The last two days that has changed, I took out a pair of the cabinets and chopped down from [4] and re-assembled from the CP row up a layout similar to a Moog IIIC which I am familiar with, as it just worked for me... I have also eliminated ALL of the custom switches and routing behind the scenes and just went for "straight forward" old school patching. Success is mine!!! I have found my old sound/tone I had been looking for, for the past 8 years !!! I just had to simplify things...

I've also stopped the "name game" it's now just Cabinet "A" and Cabinet "B" LOL

scratch that, I may rename them "M1" & "M2" that covers all of my bases, "Mark's / Moon / Moog / Modular"

I am likely going to be posting many of my modules for sale soon... and possibly both of the other pair of HZ cabinets... I am likely going to swap out all of my sequencing modules for the .com Q960/962's... the just work better for "me."

Here it is: clean and tight... and sounding GREAT!

[JohnLRice]

[folpon]

My two favorite things about 5U/American Format:

-The size makes it feel like I can "play" oscillator fine tuning knobs as instruments.
-Everything is visually coherent, and usually the same color.

(I don't presume to say these characteristics are universally important; I'm just saying that they're things I personally like.)

Alternatively, my two least favorite things:

-No stackable cables/ reliance on mults.
-The cases are pretty expensive.

Also the single thing I'm personally most excited for in all of modularland right now is the new MuSonics stuff.

Just a random nobody's 2c, I suppose.

[KSS]

I've also stopped the "name game" it's now just Cabinet "A" and Cabinet "B" LOL

Armstrong and Buzz, still together! Poor Mike. Collins, who proclaining himself the most alone person ever in human history* as he transited the far side of the moon in the CM ca. 1969.

Perhaps Mike can be the CP rows. In support of A and B above..

scratch that, I may rename them "M1" & "M2" that covers all of my bases, "Mark's / Moon / Moog / Modular"

Or go with M0 and M1 so you have four combinations!

Here it is: clean and tight... and sounding GREAT!

More seriously, so glad to hear that you've found your way back! Houston, We -no longer- have a problem!

*From his book, Carrying The Fire. Arguably one of the best of the books written by Apollo astronauts.

[Mark11Audio]

My two favorite things about 5U/American Format:

-The size makes it feel like I can "play" oscillator fine tuning knobs as instruments.

Look at the top row of my latest photo and the Bode 1630 Frequency Shifter.... that's a KNOB !!!!! Feels soooo good in the hand... yeah, you're right !!!

-Everything is visually coherent, and usually the same color.

(I don't presume to say these characteristics are universally important; I'm just saying that they're things I personally like.)

Alternatively, my two least favorite things:

-No stackable cables/ reliance on mults.

I grew up on the 5U/Merican Format, so I never experienced "stackable" cables... they have never existed in my world... so a non-starter issue...
-The cases are pretty expensive.

Agreed 100%, my latest cabs were in excess of 2000€ each shipped from Berlin to the USA... I only know of one other person as crazy as me to pay that amount for an enclosure w/PSU. His initials are HZ, but he has more money than me...

Also the single thing I'm personally most excited for in all of modularland right now is the new MuSonics stuff.

Just a random nobody's 2c, I suppose.

[Mark11Audio]

I've also stopped the "name game" it's now just Cabinet "A" and Cabinet "B" LOL

Armstrong and Buzz, still together! Poor Mike. Collins, who proclaining himself the most alone person ever in human history* as he transited the far side of the moon in the CM ca. 1969.

Perhaps Mike can be the CP rows. In support of A and B above..

scratch that, I may rename them "M1" & "M2" that covers all of my bases, "Mark's / Moon / Moog / Modular"

Or go with M0 and M1 so you have four combinations!

Here it is: clean and tight... and sounding GREAT!

More seriously, so glad to hear that you've found your way back! Houston, We -no longer- have a problem!

*From his book, Carrying The Fire. Arguably one of the best of the books written by Apollo astronauts.

ok, since were having a little fun with this, I need to make a few corrections: First, you are a whole system behind on the naming convention, "Apollo 11" was my 6 cabinet Moon system... pieced out and sold off back in 2019... and originally looked like this:

The latest version and [4] cabinets were called "Rigel" after the solar system... each cab was named 11, 9, 7, 5... I like "odd" numbers... again, no longer named that, and it looked like this just a few month's ago:

It was really just too much, and I mean that in a way that I needed to still solve some minor back plane wiring issues with some of the custom routing... it obviously works, because Hans is touring with a similar system... anyways, I just needed to get back to basics first... and now that I have the "sound" I have been looking for, (I knew Gerhard's Synth-Werk clone modules were capable)... I just needed to go back to my 1980's roots and patch the old way... and that's what I needed to "spark" that desire to get things working again... now I may or may not add back some of the custom stuff since I already own it... but I may also just sell one of the cabinet and some of the extra modules...

I am waiting to hear back from Gerhard as well on acquiring [4] of the Moog clone CP3A-H modules... I am changing things a little bit at a time... and keeping the core of things "working" as I go...

But the frustration was just killing all creativity... I had to change "something" and in a big way...

stay tuned...

[ramAustralia]

One reason the Moog and Bode modules look consistent is that Dr. Robert Moog and Dr. Harold Bode knew each other and both worked together as Adjunct Professors of Electrical Engineering at SUNY/Buffalo during (at least) the 1970's. They also used many of the same contractors and suppliers.
I studied under them in my mid-teens. I have fond memories of the Studio Moog 55++ series although they were a bear to keep working and in tune.

Now few people have the studio space for a system so physically large. Back then real-estate (and utilities) were cheap and electronics expensive, now it is reversed.

[J3RK]

you may be onto something...

It was naming them Mike, Buzz and Neil! We haven't been back to the moon in a long time either.

More seriously, MW member cbm went through a long non-synth period too.
He's back -but mostly in a new format- and may have personal insight of value to you?

I think it's even more than that... I've been "copying" everyone else, and failing to find my "own identity." The last two days that has changed, I took out a pair of the cabinets and chopped down from [4] and re-assembled from the CP row up a layout similar to a Moog IIIC which I am familiar with, as it just worked for me... I have also eliminated ALL of the custom switches and routing behind the scenes and just went for "straight forward" old school patching. Success is mine!!! I have found my old sound/tone I had been looking for, for the past 8 years !!! I just had to simplify things...

I've also stopped the "name game" it's now just Cabinet "A" and Cabinet "B" LOL

scratch that, I may rename them "M1" & "M2" that covers all of my bases, "Mark's / Moon / Moog / Modular"

I am likely going to be posting many of my modules for sale soon... and possibly both of the other pair of HZ cabinets... I am likely going to swap out all of my sequencing modules for the .com Q960/962's... the just work better for "me."

Here it is: clean and tight... and sounding GREAT!

2023-05-15 13.55.39.jpg

Sometimes simplicity (in relative terms of course) and a concise approach is better than all of the variety in the world. Maybe not in every case, but in many it is.

IMO it's what one can get out of an instrument rather than what the instrument is capable of overall. For example, I'd rather use something like a Digitakt creatively and try to squeeze more out of it, than use something like an Octatrack that does everything, but is less immediate. (rough analogy) I make much better music, and have a lot more fun doing it when I have precisely what I need to do it, and not much more.

There are others that have wonderful output from walls and walls of synths and modules too. Everyone has an approach that works for them. Glad you found yours!

[JRamella]

I can only speak for myself obviously, but I suspect for many of us in varying degrees the "thrill of the chase" is sometimes more interesting/attractive/fun/easy than using the final result for its intended purpose? The required creative and technical aspects of learning an instrument, composing, performing, recording audio, creating videos, promoting, selling, etc. are generally much the same regardless of what
If I would have stopped long ago at just the one reasonably large and capable 9 road case 5U system (and also stopped with the equally endless and unnecessary percussion instrument and pro audio acquisitions and reconfigurations) I could have put that time, energy, and money into writing, recording, performing, and putting out albums etc.
But at least I have really enjoyed myself along the way!

One part you left out, is that YOU are an inspiration for others. I look at pics of your portable setups, to me, they look like works of art. Impeccable design and construction. I used your portable mixer-case as a blueprint for my building of 2 portable cases. Yours are art… mine are merely functional. But I’ve taken them places and everywhere I go, folks are just amazed when they look at it. I always give them your name and tell them to check out your posts for more information.

You have a LOT more impact than you realize.