Hello!.
I just wanted to see what you lot tend to us your 301’s for and if you tend to leave it with a particular patch loaded or do you tend to try new things out all the time?
Just curious!
Thanks
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In the patch I have been working on lately, all 4 channels of the ER-301 are working and doing different things.
CH 1: Mono synth voice based on the aliased saw + ladder filter
CH 2: Live looper
CH 3: Clocked delay + reverb (used on an effects send)
CH 4: Sample player (hihat mostly, but also a couple of random perc sample players)
I’m at about 65% CPU with this setup
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One common (and simple) task I use the ER-301 for is to record my modular sessions without having to turn on my computer or samplers (using 2 tracks of the 6 track recorder).
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I also tend to use it to record my sessions, normally as a four channels recorder: 2 mono or 1 stereo, plus the stereo out from the Erbe-Verb, to later mix them in Logic. Normally I use the 4 audio channels IN for that purpose, and get the signals out from the ER-301 to Rosie, to make sure I’m listening to what it’s actually recording. That’s mainly because when I started with the ER-301, quite a few times I forgot something or made a mistake, and ended recording something quite different to what I was hearing. Also, when using stackables to mult the final outputs, quite often I was getting pops and signal loss when knocking a cable with my hand (not the ER-301 fault).
I also like to use it to remix and play in the modular tracks that I’ve been working on Logic. I normally sent them from the ER-301 to the QMMF-4, not because the ER-301 filters are not good enough, but because I love the Cwejmann. Unfortunately, in those cases I do have to mult the final result back to the ER-301, to record, so I need to be careful with those stackables.
I feel a bit bad about my ER-301, knowing it can do so much more, but those are the main reasons why I bought it.
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Usually a combination of live looper (controlled via walk) and granular things with some additional tools that are needed in the patch. I don’t have a preset that I start out with, I’m currently still building everything from scratch. I should really start building more of a library of custom units, as I’m often building a similar thing again and again in multiple sessions.
edit: Oh, and FM synthesis. Lots of FM synthesis.
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One is used primarily as a drum machine - it excels at this, perfect for my needs! There are so many ways to use it as a drum machine too: single shots, sliced loops, sample chains and of course synthesis - they all work really well. Usually I have effects in the drum machine too! Also perfect for looping the output back into itself for sampling and mangling. There are also innumerable ways to route triggers, create ratchets, use logic, - it really is endless!
In the other one I also do a lot of FM synthesis, and I am really really looking forward to the fully fledged wave table synth!
In short - one is a ridiculously awesome drum machine, the other is an equally awesome synth/sampler.
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lately i run one looper, and that same buffer is using also a grains and a lower octave of the same loop, all coming in and out. but also, i use it for drums, recording my stuff, remixing (like you do in the octatrack), oscillators,fm stuff.
i switch it up everytime.
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as sampler mostly, waiting for the looper to become more settle…
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Lots of field recordings and drums. Oh, and grains all day 
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I mainly use it to play and process field and speech recordings in all ways. Slicing, shifting, mangling it in various kinds, up to the tiniest grain. Sometimes for effects also like delay and reverb.
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I’m using my ER-301 mostly like @leverkusen to process and play field recordings…but I also use it when I run out of external VCA or ADSR…and as an effects processor with the wonderful Trash Tape and Ultraviolet patches from @scttcmpbll and @rbeny respectively…and as an external input using the new preamp gain function so I can bring external audio up to modular levels e.g. to get audio from IOS devices to modular without having to wade through the file transfer process…and as a mono>>stereo simulator…and as a mixer and patching hub…
It really is the centre of my modular and there is not a patch where I do not use it.
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I love this thread… 
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Usually OUT1 and OUT2 are mono outputs which use sound sources or samplers that go somewhere else in the system; OUT3 and OUT4 are a stereo pair in which I put mixer channels for the four IN inputs and additional sound sources and delays, and from there I go to the main out. It’s become the hub of my system.
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I’m stuck with stereo channels for some reason. 1&2, 3&4 linked. I’m collecting 2-6 (mostly stereo) sources there for equalization, reverb, sometimes (when my cognitive capacity allows) looping, sending two stereo channels directly to the mixer. playing back field recordings (sliced, filtered, modulated, mangled).
might try to make 1 & 2 mono and utilize some more differentiated looping/sampling/synthesis action. I’m quite stuck in the mindset of having some stereo movement on every channel.
I have to say, this module makes so much possible within my modular. I always used to end up with a variety of sources, tried to find the perfect mixer for my needs, trying several. It all finally works within the 301.
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lately i been using it for percussion sampling, either chopping up drum breaks or triggering on hit samples.
and then i usually use another channel for processing external audio coming in, usually a couple seconds into a looper buffer and then load that buffer into the manual grain or stretch modes.
I’m using it a the heart of my small system.
In the studio it is mainly for “offline sound design” tasks (sample processing / grains, recording and chopping other modules).
Last week, i got to use that system live for the first time, in an electroacoustic improvisational project. The flexibility is a pure bliss. It was quite fast to set up six different “sound units”, crossfade between those (thanks to @Joe bump scanner explanation) and get expressive control of the sound. The interface makes it easy to try lots of things in a short time. Gives fernweh towards unknown sonic territories.
Now I received my teletype this weekend and can’t wait to have some time to implement various ideas and use the grid+tt+301 in a live manner again.
As I´m quite inexperienced with samplers, I’ve been experimenting with different kind of configurations varying from drum machines to polyphonic sampler patches, and speech manipulation etc. I bought the Vermona midi to cv module to be able to play polyphonically with a midi keyboard, using samplers and the built in oscillators as sound source.
The thing that has surprised me very very positively is the 6-track recorder, and the ease of recording what you´re doing with without any hazzle. Obviously the 301 becomes the center of any setup easily, and at this point its essential to me for making music spontaneously.
I´m clearly leaning more towards the audio applications, instead of using the utilitary aspects of it.
For the last month or so I haven’t had the time to experiment with it or read this forum as much as I´d like to and therefore I´m not quite sure what kind of possible improvements have been suggested regarding the looper department. The only thing I find myself missing is the possibility to use the looper like a traditional looper-pedal, meaning that it would be possible to just punch in and out without having to determine or assign the buffer beforehand. Sorry if this is already fully addressed in some other thread. 
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right now, i am working on an er301 setup, that is supposed to be a good starting point
for most of my workflows:
- all audio ins to the 301 are handled in global chains containing custom units
acting as global channelstrips each with
linVCA/fixed HPF/Ladder LPF/limter 1:invsqrt/limiter 2:hard
(so far, only the master out of a modular mixer is feeding audio to
inputs 1+2.) - four global chains for clock/trigger/gate ins
- stereochain on outs 1+2 (as master-out to audio interface): custom unit for mixing
global audio in chains/master limiter1:invsqrt/master limiter2:hard - stereochain on outs 3+4 (sends to dedicated stereo channel on modular mixer):
(returning via master outs of mixer to ER301-ins 1+2) with a custom unit
containing sampleplayer-in-mixer/ladderHPF/ladderLPF/linVCA/limiter: invsqr.
(17% cpu so far)
Here is a recording which
is less of an elaborate piece but rather an experimental session in order to
test the interplay of the modular mixer and the ER301 with the before
mentioned setup:
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i have spent just a couple hours with the newly arrived 301 but i’ll use it this saturday for a live performance.
channels 1&2 linked will be used for a simple 3x sample players patch with some filtering and fx (freeverb and delay) driven by grids in euclidean mode.
channel 3 will be used for a simple phase modulated sine vco full voice.
channel 4 will be used as looper (still undecided but i think i’ll go the easy way with a pedal looper)
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I’m using mine for a performance on Saturday night also!
In one quicksave slot I have a couple of standalone synth voices driven by a turing machine, a kind of supersaw voice I’m controlling with a manual controller (Digitakt), and a sample player fed into a vocoder (along with one of the synth voices). I have another quicksave slot with Ultraviolet loaded up, along with the vocoder sources.
This module is amazing. And inspiring. And fun.
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