At the 2015 Summer NAMM Show, Pittsburgh Modular was showing their Patch Box Eurorack enclosure. They describe the Patch Box as ‘an epic shift in the definition of what a modular can be.’
That sounds a little hyperbolic – until you consider that the Patch Box opens up the Euro world to an audience exponentially larger than the traditional synth audience.
Here’s Pittsburgh Modular’s Richard Nikol introducing the Patch Box:
The first part of this video is an overview of the Patch Box. The second digs into details with a few sample Patch Box systems and showing how they can be used.
Note that, while the systems that Nikol had on hand at Summer NAMM were tailored to guitar players, they can be configured with any Eurorack module that you like, as long as the module is physically compatible with the depth available.
Features:
- 100% Eurorack Modular Format Compatible
- Available Width for Modules: 213mm (42hp)
- Heavy Duty Steel Case Construction
- Available Depth for Modules: 42mm
- 9 Sliding Square Nuts Per Rail Supports Up To 9 Modules
- 20 (4-40 Size) Black Panel Screws Included
- True Bypass Foot Switch
- Dual, Assignable A/B Foot Switches
- Patchable High Quality Pre-Amp with Overdrive
- Patchable Output Level Attenuator
- Dual, Assignable Expression Pedal Inputs
- Patchable Passive Multiple Signal Splitter
- Output Jack Controlled On/Off Switch
- Powered Bus Board supplies +12v / -12v / +5v
- Custom Powered Bus Board with 6 Keyed Power Headers
- Eurorack Bus Compatible Bus Board
- Rear Mounted 2.1mm DC Power Jack
- 15VAC 2.6A DC Universal Power Adapter
The Patch Box is available for US $349. See the Pittsburgh Modular site for more info.
$350 for an empty box??!! Good luck selling that to a guitarist. You guys must not know any.
Ain’t exactly empty- did you read the above?
And yeah, guitarists never spend large sums of money on gear…
As a guitarist, I’ve seen the boutique pedal fad ebb and flow. I find this box very interesting.
Ronny, are you saying Pittsburgh Modular is trying to pull a “reface”?
I love that pulling a reface has become a term.
Alright, then look at the features list and prove that you can make something with just as many features with that kind of build quality for less. For people who want to fill this with their expensive modules and use it for years to come, $350 is a bargain.
I don’t think they are trying to sell this to a guitarist with a collection of Boss pedals.
All the guitarists I know have their share of expensive guitars and boutique effects pedals, and I can see some of them being into this.
I can imagine some of my Euro synth buddies getting one of these, too, for handling effects live. $350 is chump change in the modular world.
I really like this product idea. So simple but not done before. It would be cool to see guitar players doing something new and interesting with all the modular gear out there.
This will sell more to synth players than guitarist I feel.
I wouldn’t call it an epic shift. There are other manufacturers who are trying to bridge the gap between modular/eurorack and the guitar world. Dreadbox comes to mind, for example. But it does look like a great pedal, and the price seems about right as well.
If Richard was a little more deft he would have included other modules in those rather than just show his own. These would be great with a Z-DSP or Geiger counter! If he truly wants to be the ‘game changer’ he would recognize that to include ALL of euro would be the smartest approach.
He does mention that you could put other companies modules in there, it’s euro so anything should work.
But he probably doesn’t want to spend his money on other companies modules! 🙂
I really like this conceptually and want it to work, but (Dear Pittsburgh) you’ve missed a trick on the UI. Guitarists hate cables. Really, this is important, in that respect we’re not like modularists. Why? Cables are synonymous with restricted movement and plugging cables in slows just you down – playing guitar is a very impulsive habit, primarily because you just pick it up and hit a chord, lovely.
All that shit at work just ebbs away and you didn’t have to wait for your Mac to boot up first. Yeah, yeah, I know you don’t need a computer for modular, but that line wouldn’t have worked as well otherwise.
All you have done is try to impose your language on guitarists, despite the fact there are many cool upsides to your product.
You’ll sell shit loads and retire on your yacht and when I’m sober in the morning I’ll buy every model. Ditch the cables but keep the knobs, they’re great. We love knobs…. is it ok to say that? I feel liberated.
In summary: it’s brilliant, but make it again, only for guitarists this time.
Urgento
XXX
Dude you’re being pretty harsh. This is not intended to be as ubiquitous as a Boss Overdrive pedal.
Guitarists who don’t like wires ought to rethink their position if they plan to enter the Eurorack world.
If you don’t like wires, you might be missing the point of modular synths.
lol, I find it funny everyone who thinks pittsburgh modular is “missing the point”
if there were no wires on the interface, then it wouldn’t work with other modules
and then it might aswell not be modular
they don’t need to show it with other people’s modules, it’s pretty obvious this will work with other eurorack gear
this product is the only option when it comes to this specific idea, if it were anything else, then there would be no option
how can you love this conceptually but want it to be anything else
I don’t go to tesla and say “hey I love your car conceptually, but I think you’ve missed the trick, people don’t want electric cars. you’d make so much money and retire if you just stopped trying to impose your language onto us gas guzzlers”
I love this idea, I play synths as my primary and guitar as secondary instrument. There are many great effects in eurorack that would be wonderful to use on guitar. I’m thinking especially the more unique delays, resonators, wavefolders, the Mutable Instruments stuff, flangers phasers filter and LFOS all doing a number on your guitar. Very cool for those inclined. This plus my Analog 4 for programmable CV means partial presets for Eurorack effects on my guitar. Most modules I’m interested are around the price of quality boutique pedas anyways.
guitar players love strings. synth players love knobs.
synth players would not want to buy a synth controlled by strings. see?
What are you talking about? I know of loads of modular users whose primary acoustic instrument is strung.
I play a little bass guitar, I love running through my other gear, it’s nice to get physical with the oscillators. This product looks very attractive to me, whereas I don’t want to commit to a large and expensive modular rig.
The demo video at Summer NAMM might have been a bit ackward, but it shows that, while the guys at Pittsburg Modular may not be able to pay $100K to Eddie Van Halen to perform a flashy demo with their new box, the engineer in the demo at least showed some passion about what he was doing.
This foot switch/patch rack seems to be a quality bit of kit, even for the stiff sum of $349 (not including your choice of Eurorack synth modules). Fully populated with modules and interconnected with jumpers, this box will look very cool on stage. And under the control of an ace guitarist, this box probably has great sound modulation potential.
Who knows, maybe Eddie Van Halen will actually end up buying one of these on his own and adding it to his already-considerable effects rack?
Morello would know just what to do with that rig. I’d love to see him demo it with an array of modules.
So let me get this straight, they are selling a box for 350.00 to allow a guitarist to purchase their 350.00 DM-2 clone? So right there 700.00 when you could just buy a DM-2…
Because a DM-2 is the same as every Eurorack module in the world…..genius level insight, you are making your mom proud.
The idea of stomping on hundreds of pounds worth of modular is a little daunting. Perhaps there needs to be more clearance between the stomp switches and the modules. Maybe one of those protector bar thingies would help?
I just think it’s a bit much to expect people not to go all stampy on the wrong bit; I mean we’re talking about guitarists here, geez.