Despite my having been involved in Eurorack for a number of years, there are still some important points that mystify me about the system and the community. Often I look at forum threads in which Eurorack users are looking for specific modules or features and I wonder, why would anyone want that? I recently figured out something I think sheds light on the situation: Eurorack is not actually a synthesizer format! READ MORE

Eurorack ribbon cables are a perennial source of confusion for newbies to the format, and destroying a module by power misconnection has become almost a rite of passage. Many modules, including the ones I sell, include reverse voltage protection to prevent the worst of such mistakes. But rather than write yet another tutorial that expands the simple admonition of "red stripe down" into thousands of words, I'd like to look at some details of the cable assemblies themselves. Have you ever really looked closely at one? READ MORE

As human beings we're quite familiar with the idea of things wearing out with use. If you hang a piece of clothing up in a closet and seldom wear it, then unless something happens like moths eating it, you can take it out years later and it'll still be good - whereas if you're wearing it every single day and washing it frequently, it may show visible damage and no longer be as good after just a few weeks. Many things in our world are like that, and we naturally expect electronic equipment to be included. Many synth users have, consciously or unconsciously, the idea that for each module there's an hour meter ticking away somewhere, like a car's odometer, measuring the time until the module will die or need servicing, in terms of the number of hours power is applied. READ MORE

Here's a little project I put together to solve a specific problem: checking power cables for shorts. I made it using the parts I had on hand, and if you build one yourself you may well end up wanting to make changes, so I'm not going to prepare a complete set of documentation or sell kits or anything. I don't think it's going to be popular enough for selling them to be profitable. But if, like me, you're in a position of needing to check a lot of power cables, you might find these notes useful in designing your own tester. READ MORE