Dntel

This was my first modular gear. I think half the reason I bought it was because I thought it was cool that it had a pin matrix and it closed up like a suitcase. For the first few years, it was pretty frustrating—I'd usually spend a long time trying to remember how to get it to make sound, do one (usually noisy) overdub, and then put it away for a few months. It's embarrassing how long it took me to start getting my head around the way the modular stuff works, but this was a great introductory piece to learn on. It's got all the basic modules you need built into one unit: three oscillators, two LFOs, two envelopes, a filter, sequencer, VCA, ring modulator… I've since expanded my modular set-up quite a bit, but the Vostok still integrates in really well and gets used regularly.

One of my favorite Eurorack Modules. I love gear that can be unpredictable, and I depend on accidents to provide a lot of my favorite song moments, so this gets used a lot. As the name suggests, it generates melodic patterns based on a few parameter knobs and switches. Once I have a song going, I'll sit with this and slowly turn knobs and flick switches until it starts playing something that fits with the song. With some patience, it'll usually come up with something that I would have never come up with on my own. A lot of the melodies on Human Voice originated here.