The CHEAP UTILITIES ARMS RACE

VCV Rack
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HIGHLY recommend the Malstrom Arkan if you can find one (pretty small manufacturer, but there have been regular batches for a while). 8hp dual polarizer, unbelievably flexible, with at least one feature that AFAIK is unique in hardware (exponential response to CV, so you can get a wide zero point, unlike almost all other polarizers). This makes it ideal for controlling polarization of an analog signal from Rack-generated CV (via e.g. Expert Sleepers), which can come in very handy.

There’s a good Monotrail Tech Talk on it.

Joranalogue Select 2 is easy to find and good for Rack interop as well. Extremely multipurpose, two identical channels in 6HP.

Black Noise Dual Combinator is an interesting alternative to the Joranalogue Add 2 (caveat: for audio). Add 2 operates at either unity or average (jumperable per section). The “combinator” manages attenuation based on how much is plugged in, which can be more convenient in some cases. It also comes in a 1U configuration.

On that note, especially for a small utility setup, you might consider getting an Intellijel 62HP Palette. The 1U row may make up for the missing 22hp and you get two mults and some ports built in. (Or just go for the 104HP Palette and have some room to grow plus more built-in utilities).

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That Arkan looks great. I shall keep an eye out for that. The reason I suggested the 321 instead of the MIA as an attenuverter is that the MIA has a non-existent zero point.

The 321 is also super useful for converting between 5v and 10v pp. A Joranalogue Bias 2 or Big T Shifty are good alternatives for that too.

That Black Noise module is useful and I might add it to my collection. Since he changed his panels to B&G, the prices have gone up a bit. My Black Noise ‘exploded Maths’:

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I suggested the ADD2 it because it is a precision adder, though I almost always use it as an averager. I have an Intellijel 2hp mixer configured for unity. I much prefer the A-185-2 as an adder/octave switcher.

Another clever module in the mixer category is the Making Sound Machines Multiplikand, which is a cheap and simple kit, and is both a buffered mult and a mixer.

Another smart cheap module that I have only just built and am still getting my head around is the Doboz Prizma II. Two very powerful 16 step sequencers in 6hp. Super easy build.

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