The Rack Pack

The Rack Pack is back after a slow summer, minus Stu. Mark recaps Bloop Groop's Culture Night special in Dublin with Arturia, where he built a modular system from an empty case in front of a live audience. Jonas reports from Knobcon and the first EMIXX West in Denver, and recounts his run in with the law for playing synths. Plus: Swells vs. Desmodus Versio, the Plinky, Noise Engineering's 23 new Legio firmwares, Radio Music Mk II, Soma Enigma, the Sidekick, and the dangers of going to lunch with Jeffy.Modular On the Spot LA: https://motsla.comDublin Bloop Groop: https://www.bloopgroop.com/EMIXX West: https://www.emixx.org/EMIXXWESTKnobCon: https://www.knobcon.com/

Welcome to episode 06 of The Rack Pack 🎛 Today we've got Ali Modular in the house and we're talking everything Esu's Trifecta – the new triple FX engine from Ali the Architect and Chris Roberts.In this episode, we break past the 1 hour mark for the first time and talk about:Ali and Chris' separate and unique avenues into modular synthesisthe trials and tribulation of learning to develop a modulehow Ali and Chris linked up for Ali Modular (skills that complement)modbap workflows, where does the MPC sit in a hybrid studiolearning about Esu, the trickster god of the Yorubainspiration for Esu's panel design (custom printed aluminum)effects algorithms, Marvel naming, and the arch nemesis to Magnetohow Ali and Chris decided to build a triple FX engine as their first modulethe importance of being excited about your own projectsEsu's Trifecta specifics, what exactly it is and what it does (and why it took us 30 minutes to get to this topic)tips & tricks: clock / duck inputs, targeting bypass with CV, and FX chatwhat does "architecture" mean in the context of module developmentAli's DSP learning curve, the joys of having a mentor when learning a skillusing your musical ear to dial in algorithm sound and behavioron the flip side, learn how to do things right first before relying on your earthe mod matrix vs. live playing, how do you balance depth vs. immediacy (changing presets w/ CV)the importance of beta testersmodule design, sliders to knobs, and the minutia of UX designAli performing in Europe, feeling the love for modbapwhat's next for Ali Modular (Ogun Orisha!)going from prototype to production, what does that look like with Electrosmiththe importance of processes and applying them to future effortskeeping Esu's Trifecta fresh, new algorithms, and minimum viable productsother single and multi-effect eurorack modules Ali / Chris are fans ofmaking a multi-effect that isn't overwhelmingly complexgetting started with modbap style production (MPC, Elektron, and modular synthesis)the benefits of having a multi-effects engine in a smaller setupcongratulations to Ali Modular on their first module releaseIf you thought hearing five voices was confusing enough, let's see how things work with seven 😅Esu's Trifecta LinksPre-order: https://alimodular.com/Esu's Feature Overview: Esu's Trifecta  Feature Overview  ModularGrid: https://modulargrid.net/e/other-unkno...Ali the Architect LinksInsta: https://www.instagram.com/ali.the.architect/Bandcamp: https://alithearchitect.bandcamp.com/Chris Roberts LinksInsta: https://www.instagram.com/cpr2323/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/cpr2323Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/cprA8 Manager: https://cpr2323.github.io/a8manager/Squid Manager: https://cpr2323.github.io/squidmanager/Show LinksEsu: The Misunderstood God of the Yoruba Religion: https://artsandculture.google.com/sto...The Last Emperor - Secret Wars Pt. 1:    • The Last Emperor   Secret Wars part 1  Electrosmith: https://electro-smith.com/

In this episode The Rack Pack welcomes our very first guest, the one and only Patrick "POB" O'Brien! POB is a modular artist, community builder, educator, and demo artist extraordinaire. In this conversation, POB shares his musical journey from his initial experiences with trumpet and piano to his leap into modular synthesis, explaining how he integrates technical know-how with improvisation in his performances. We delve into the creation and growth of Modular on the Spot and Modular on the Mall, two significant community-building initiatives. POB also discusses his role as the marketing manager at Noise Engineering, shares insights into his patching philosophy, and recounts amusing anecdotes, including meeting his doppelgänger, comedian Jim Gaffigan. Where to find POB online: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pobnrg/YouTube: https://youtube.com/patrickobrienBandcamp: https://pobnrg.bandcamp.comSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0RQmaZ03GoGVCxnYmtZmwsNoise Engineering: https://noiseengineering.us

Superbooth 2025 is wrapped and we're covering everything that happened in Berlin. SynthDad was on the ground at FEZ-Berlin and gives us the full report on this year's show - the atmosphere, attendance, and how it compared to previous years. The main focus is the gear announcements. 56 new Eurorack modules were revealed at the show, along with significant hardware releases including the Frap Tools Magnolia 8-voice analog synth, Neuzeit DROP MIDI controller, and Intellijel Jellymix desktop mixer. We also dig into some trends that emerged from the show - manufacturers expanding beyond Eurorack into standalone products, the push toward larger modules, and rising prices across the board. The episode wraps with each host's pick for their most interesting announcement from Superbooth 2025. For a complete visual breakdown of all the new Eurorack modules announced at the show, check out Oscidigi's breakdown on Modular Bias – Superbooth 2025 Eurorack Roundup: https://www.modularbias.com/modular-bias/superbooth-2025-eurorack-roundup/ Show ResourcesSuperbooth: https://superbooth.com/SynthDad's Superbooth25 Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM2S51N5iwwManufacturersClank: https://www.clank.eu/Frap Tools: https://frap.tools/Intellijel: https://intellijel.com/Neuzeit Instruments: https://www.neuzeit-instruments.com/WMD: https://wmdevices.com/