Kilpatrick has his own module format.
Announced last year. Almost totally ignored, except for one thread on Muff’s forum, containing much whining.
Kilpatrick is doing what all the others should have done from the beginning, goddammit:
* No power cables, the modules plug directly into a power backplane. Easy to install.
* Captive mounting screws that don’t fall out and get lost. With socket heads.
* 15v rails with ample current capacity. Each module has its own local regulation.
* Separate analog and digital grounds.
* Banana jacks, color coded.
* A consistent single 4U panel size. Sized for human hands. No Euro micro-panel weirdness.
And his prices are reasonable, which is nothing short of miraculous. About one-third of what Buchla charges for roughly the same capabilities.
He needs to aggressively market this, and just as important, he must encourage third parties to make compatible modules. Or it will fail. That would be very sad. Too much of the modular market is a garbage pit of stupid, repetitive, and cheap.
Now I’m really pissed off. Kept my mouth shut before, but no longer. Look at the little bastards, earlier in that thread, nitpicking and naysaying, despite having never actually seen or tried any of it. Muff, I keep telling you that your forum is too tolerant of trolls and idiots, and this is a perfect example.
Thanks for the mini writeup about the Kilpatrick Format! I think you’ve nailed the most important aspects of why I chose to go in my own direction… it’s the format that I wanted after spending a few years with Eurorack and other DIY stuff.
But don’t worry… despite lack of market popularity, the system isn’t going anywhere. I prefer to release modules at a calm pace, and build them in small numbers by hand. The sales numbers don’t matter to me on this project.
It’s nice to design what feels like exactly the right things, the right size, with the right features. It doesn’t bother me that others nit-pick really… they’re free to use any one of the other formats. 🙂 This is the one that works for me.
I quite enjoy the two differing ways of expressing one’s point of view.
Good luck with the format, Andrew. It looks fantastic.
pot/kettle/black
instead of whining on here, why don’t you post and become part of the positive half of the community on muffs?
as for kilpatrick, i’m seriously considering it, looks like a fantastic format.
Well, there was a bit if whining at the beginning (mainly about format choice, but that is just an individuals personal concept of how they see a modular and not a criticism) but plenty of positives too. I am very positive about this format from the design, concept and the few videos posted and would love a system especially as I am not a big fan of mixed systems. Eurorack is really not my thing ergonomically. Being in Europe that means added shipping and import but I think it looks like a gorgeous format and I will purchase if I can. That is the real support a system needs, not just saying how great it is.
And anyone building any new system should be prepared for both positive and negative feedback.
I also don’t see why it will fail if others don’t use the same format. Serge is unique, Buchla is unique for example and the guys who make the Fenix have no problem selling what they build.
But anyway, I agree that publicity would help for sure.
And I like muffs. I find it reasonably civil if I am honest.
David
It looks very promising, however at this stage it is very difficult to commit in a system with so many modules missing (compared to the euro)
Of course no one expects to have the same variety and choices (which is not always a bad thing) but still i feel many basic modules are missing.
And then there is the whole vat, and custom taxes for as who reside in europe….
Now who’s whining?
Concerning missing modules, he says “The next few modules will include: voltage-controllable ADSR, multi-mode filter, a special kind of digital oscillator, and more!”
Tbh, with those, this is certainly a very complete system. The glut of euro rack modules is not what interests me.
The only thing stopping me is money!
Interesting to see the format and how it evolves…
@admin: it’s not wining , it’s a legit observation.
It depends on what one wants from a modular. If one wants to design complicated structures, in the tradition of electroacoustic composition for example, there are a lot of modules missing.
Or are you confusing me with the Gregg guy ?