After a successful return to in-person live performance in October, I’ve been planning out a new travel/gigging/live performance modular case. The two main goals is that it legally fit into more airplane overhead luggage spaces, and that it interfaces nicely with a laptop computer to help fill out my orchestrations and allow multitrack recording. Some details of the first of those goals is in the main article below. But I’ve also been busy posting articles and videos, and I want to share those as well:
- featured article: Building a new case to carry the maximum number of modules without it getting rejected by a large number of airlines.
- Alias Zone updates: A new composition and performance that premiered and SoundMiT, and a documentary about Indigenous Americans and their relationship to the land that features snippets of several Alias Zone tracks both old and new.
- Learning Modular updates: Another past Alias Zone performance on the Learning Modular YouTube channel; an interview and breakdown of that piece on GEOSynth’s Synth Show; my Learning Modular Conversations with Todd Barton, and the public release of an article on maximizing power and minimizing noise in a portable modular system.
- Patreon updates: The index for my latest “Ask Me Anything” Zoom session – Australian Edition, and a detailed breakdown of how I created my latest piece – plus the module swaps I made to pull it off.
- upcoming events: Lots of things in the air….
Designing a New Travel Case
Three years ago, I started putting together a portable modular case that I could fly with to go jam with other people. The main motivation behind it was that my close friend and favorite bassist Lachlan Westfall was “putting the band back together” for a major birthday. I used to handle percussion and ambience duties in that band roughly 20 years ago, with my setup back then centered around using a Sequential Studio 440 (which I designed, and did a good deal of the firmware coding for), later replaced with Ableton Live running on a laptop.
Since I use primarily modular synths these days, I needed to design a new performance system around using modules. I started with a 12U x 104hp case built out of English “pippy oak” by Ross Lamond, stuffed it with mostly percussion modules, trigger pattern generators, effects, and a WMD Performance Mixer, and added what I hoped would be enough “melodic” modules to allow me to add a bass line or arpeggio, and maybe allow me to play solo if I wished. Click here to see the original version of it on ModularGrid, and click here to see the near-final version of it. An image of both versions side-by-side is below; it’s amazing to look back on it now and see how much more dense it has become. (Side note: I replaced the 1010music Bitbox inside early versions of the case with their Blackbox outside of the case.)
As much as I loved this case, it did have a few problems:
- It was heavy.
- It was slightly too long for the overhead storage restrictions of many US airlines.
- It was a bit limited in the melodic area – especially when I started composing fuller, long form pieces as Alias Zone that also incorporate polyphonic synths.
So … I have decided to completely re-build my travel case, with those issues in mind.
The first challenge is finding a size that will fit in the overhead storage for a large number of airlines. Technically, the modular synth is a musical instrument, and most airlines will make special accommodations for those traveling with their instruments (especially in the US), but I want to minimize hassles and misunderstandings at the airport while trying to board a plane.
I researched the luggage restrictions for a wide variety of airlines (click here for a particularly good list), and after being overwhelmed by the lack of standardization, came to the conclusion that 21.5 x 14 x 9 inches (55 x 36 x 23 cm) would fit inside the requirements of most of the airlines I might be traveling on. Keep in mind that not just the case itself has to fit inside those restrictions, but also the handles, latches, hinges, and feet – which can easily add an inch or so (2-3 cm) to the overall size of a case.
For width, that means I need to shrink from 104 hp to something closer to 94 hp, depending on what material the case is made out of. But the good news is that for depth, I can expand from 12U to 14U and use 1U tiles to help make up for some of the modules I would have to remove to meet the narrower size.
At first, I shopped around to see if I could buy a case of this size that was already built. I was particularly excited about the MDLR Eurorack travel cases, as they are 94 hp wide, and made out of light weight materials – including cut-down rails, to save weight. However, even though MDLR does a 12U case (modules in the top and bottom), and a 7U case (two 3U rows plus a 1U row), due to the way they make their lids, they say they are unable to make a 14U case in this line (7U in the top and bottom).
Therefore, I am having local woodworker/luthier/furniture maker Jason Fink make me a custom wood case that fits the target dimensions. By slimming down the wood panels for the sides to 1/2” (13 mm), and 1/4” (6 mm) for the top and bottom, if I keep the same dimensions as my current Lamond case for module depth (~2.8” or 71mm) and knobs/cables (2” or 51mm), and be careful about what handles I used, I can fit 14U x 94 hp into those dimensions. (Weight is its own issue: Just the modules alone with no case would be over the weight limit for some airlines. That’s where I’ll have to fall back on the “it’s a musical instrument” argument…)
On the outside, I am using spring-loaded padded handles for the sides (you need a handle on the side to be able to slide the case long-ways in and out of an overhead compartment), and a slim speaker cabinet handle for the front instead of the traditional, thick suitcase-style handles. Thick plastic corners will both protect it, and make sure it slides easily in and out the overhead compartment (I will also have rubber feet for the bottom, for when sitting on a table). I’m still working out what will be the best hinge for the back (probably a low profile piano hinge), as well as minor details like corner braces.
Inside, I am using custom cut-to-length, low profile (lightweight), black anodized rails plus threaded strips from Modular Synth Lab. I am also using Konstant Lab BoardPWR “no HP” power supplies, as they will easily fit under the 1U row which tend to be shallow modules, leaving maximum depth for the 3U modules. My good friend Trovarsi is having a near-identical case built, and she’s using Konstant Lab Filtered Bus Boards in hers, while I’m using Genus Modu LIBBs in mine as I intend to also use it for studio work. Both of those boards have right-angle power connectors, which keep a low profile and save space for deeper modules.
If you want Jason to build a similar case for you, contact me and I’ll put you in touch – but keep in mind that all of this does not come cheap. Including shipping and taxes, the rails for one of these cases costs around $335 USD, the power system is over $800, and the other hardware around $80. And that does not include wood, labor, and the excellent finishing work that Jason does, as well as installing the power system. The hardwood I selected for my case – ambrosia maple with a 1U bloodwood stripe (the image at the top of this post) – cost me around $170 (note that there is a lot of waste in custom woodworking); Trovarsi is using a more sensible, lighter and less expensive wood, but is having a black “tough coat” finish applied to her case.
As for the modules and everything else: I have already started documenting the process of moving to a hybrid modular+laptop system for my Learning Modular Patreon subscribers, and hopefully by sometime early 2022 you will start to see it appear when I play gigs.
Alias Zone Updates
I released a new song and accompanying video in November: Iceland (above). I initially performed this piece in front of a live audience at the Albuquerque Press Club in October. This was my first public outing since the pandemic started, and the first attempt at combining polysynths (Waldorf Iridium, plus samples of the Vector Synth) with my normal live performance case. I was happy enough with how it went that I re-recorded it in the studio where I could take advantage of more of my polysynths (the Iridium was layered with a Korg Wavestation SR, while I played the Vector Synth “live” by the Five12 Vector Sequencer and layered it with the ASM Hydrasynth Desktop), and I created a video at the same time that was premiered at SoundMiT 2021. This experience is what confirmed for me that I should go “full hybrid” modular+laptop for my live performance system.
November also saw the release of the excellent documentary However Wide the Sky about the relationship Indigenous Americans have to the land as well as their sense of place – plus their efforts to get that land back from the US government. In addition to an excellent acoustic multi-instrumental soundtrack by Gary Medina Cook, several Alias Zone tracks both old and new (as well as tracks by others) were woven throughout the show. This documentary can currently be streamed for free from our New Mexico Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate, and it is time well spent: It is visually gorgeous while also being very educational, and it moves along at a fine pace with the hour ending before you know it.
Learning Modular Updates
My latest works appear first on my Alias Zone YouTube channel first; later they are re-posted to my Learning Modular channel. The piece Shipwrecked (above) was recently added to the Learning Modular channel, and was also the subject of much of my discussion with Jamie Morden’s Synth Show (below), where we broke down several of the individual sources in that track:
It was a fun, wide-ranging discussion also that dove into my history as well as my overall philosophy of how I use modular synthesizers.
Also, my second “Ask Me Anything” session for my Learning Modular Patreon subscribers has been made public on the Learning Modular YouTube channel, under the name Learning Modular Conversations. This one was with composer and 4U aficionado Todd Barton, where we discussed our relative approaches to patching, improvisation, performance, and composition, as well as other subjects:
(If you want to be part of the live Q&A audience for the next – and possibly last – Learning Modular Conversations with DJ CherishTheLuv on December 12, join the Learning Modular Patreon channel at any level.)
Finally, as part of building a new travel case, I’ve been talking with fellow users about modular power, and overall strategies for lowering the noise level in a Eurorack system. Click here for a Learning Modular Patreon post I just made public that dove into how I optimized my previous case.
Patreon Updates
In November, I had a fun, extended “Ask Me Anything” session with Steve Turner and his Australian Control Voltage (AU-CV) user group. Our main focus was on processing acoustic sounds through the modular synth, including breaking down a few different patch examples in detail. We also talked a lot more about what got me into synthesizers, as well as other subjects. The playback with linked index can be found here, and is available to all subscriber levels.
I also created a lengthy post that broke down my latest track Iceland in great detail, describing both the patch and performance details for each of the sounds and how they were introduced during the piece. Click here for that breakdown; it is available to +5v and above subscribers.
Accompanying the above performance, I wrote the “final” My Gigging Case installment, detailing its final configuration to perform Iceland, and explaining the various modules swaps compared to before the pandemic.
This series will now morph into a new Going Hybrid Live series. Its first installment was in October, where I shared the board mix of the initial live performance of Iceland and described the changes I had made to my gigging case to perform this piece.
On December 12, I will be running my fifth (and final?) Ask Me Anything for my Learning Modular Patreon subscribers, this time with co-host DJ CherishTheLuv. In addition to taking questions from the live attendees, we will be talking about how to put more of yourself into your modular performances, and ideas about how to make a career in music. Subscribers should look for the registration invite to that event going out soon.
I also updated the index; it was a couple of months behind – sorry.
Upcoming Events
I am in a bit of limbo right now: I tentatively have performances planned for January, February, March, April, and two in June, but I’m unable to tell you about any of them right now. Keep an eye on this space in future newsletters; I will also post notice of all performances on both the Alias Zone and Learning Modular Facebook pages.
If you are a Learning Modular Patreon subscriber, the next “Ask Me Anything” will be December 12 with co-host DJ CherishTheLuv. Registration information will go out soon. I’m pausing this series at the start of 2022; although I have a lot of fun doing them, I’m not sure the world needs yet another streaming electronic music/modular online show – this is something we’ll talk about in next month’s newsletter.
Wishing you all the very best of holiday seasons, however you choose to celebrate it –
Chris
Hi Chris,
I have been experimenting with a small Intellijel 4u travel palette case to build a portable carry on modular performance rig. So far, it is working out quite well for me with Endorphin.es Ground control as the main sequencer and Queen of Pentacles for drums/samples and Acid Rain Chainsaw as the main polyphonic type voice. I added a few 1u support modules for modulation and utilities as well as a small Befaco STMix for mixer duty. It is more challenging to build a travel modular case that does all these things well compared to the luxury of a monster studio case. For a small recorder/mixer, I am using 1010 Music Bluebox which is great for modular in small space and can record live performances.