tldr;
This is the best, price attractive entry point into modular:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NiftyBundle--cre8-audio-niftybundle-eurorack-case-with-modules-and-cables
I’ve been interested in getting started in modular gear for quite a while now. I love analog gear and working with physical instruments with knobs and sliders and switches you can touch and mess with, and a couple years back I decided to get a Moog Mother 32, in order to kinda get my feet wet and decide if modular was the way to go for me.
The Mother 32 served as a nice way to kinda dip my toes into modular without the cost of setting up an initial modular system from scratch. It could be played on its own, and yet could be patched around and patched into other devices as I expanded my tool set.
I absolutely LOVED the Mother 32, but its only shortcoming was that, having purchased the Mother 32, I still was without a case and psu and such with which I could expand my modular set up. I was basically in the same spot. I had tasted modular, but I still didn’t have something I can build upon. The cost of getting the case and PSU are pricey on their own, which was one of the main roadblocks to starting a modular system for me, was still there.
Recently, I’ve been starting to think more seriously about starting a modular set up, and the cost of starting such a system. Then, in a modular marketplace here on Facebook, I found a really rather nice find, with maybe not EVERYTHING you’d need in a modular system, but came with some key modules and utilities, and, on its own still was usable despite missing some primary oscillators and envelopes, all with a case with power an plenty of room to expand. But what really caught my eye wasn’t the set of modules necessarily, but the asking price for the case and modules. With the case and everything that came with it, while not a complete modular system, was certainly a nice starting point, and was at a value of around 60% of MAP, with everything in great condition.
I recognized the value of this offer… but the price was still a high figure. A good chunk of change that I really didn’t want to drop, all at once. But the deal was so good, it was hard to ignore. Suddenly, getting a starter modular system that I could incorporate with what I already have didn’t seem out of reach without dropping at least a grand or two. I began dissecting the value of every option of every module, and every bit of gear included in the seller’s offer. Then, I began looking at other ways I could get started with something similar. The case with a power suppler is always an expensive part of getting started. Everything I found was around $300+ just to get a powered case. Then there was the matter of actually getting the signal somewhere where you can use it (mixers, outs), then actually having something you can use to make sound or process sound from somewhere else, and it was looking like I’d be spending at least $700 or so for a very basic setup.
Then, I came across the Cre8audio NiftyBundle.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/NiftyBundle--cre8-audio-niftybundle-eurorack-case-with-modules-and-cables
An 80hp powered box (1500mA +12V/500mA -12v, 500mA +5V), with audio out, and midi to cv. And this is a BOX, not like the tip top happy endings kit that, while a nice basic no frills start, is leaving your modules uncovered, exposed to dust and the environment, people sneezing, an unfortunate spill or splatter of someone’s drink.
But, that’s not what caught my eye.
For $270, they include not just the case with power and connectivity, the throw in a Cre8audio Chipz module (dual oscillator with lfo) AND a Cre8audio Cellz (sequencer/control interface).
This had the value of the Facebook seller’s offer, but at a lower price point that wasn’t going to carve out a fat piece of my savings, while being able to have a basic functioning modular setup (sequencer + oscillators) that I could interface with a midi keyboard or my DAW, AND use with my mother 32. AND AT FREAKING $270!!! Something that anyway I was trying to divvy up, was going to be at least around $700+, for $270. Amazing!
Needless to say, I just pulled the trigger on one, and am not feeling pangs of regret over having to neglect car repairs or other important expenses over having a modular synth/workstation.
So, for anyone who is looking to get started in modular, but has been discouraged because of the high cost of entry, check out this very affordable way of getting into modular with a basic functioning system for a very nice intro price, that can be expanded as you delve deeper into modular synthesis.