I have a dilemma with my Eurorack cases. As I grow my collection of Eurorack modules, I have to sort them into difference cases. Currently, I have eight cases, pictured. The smallest is 3U by 48hp; the largest 9U by 104hp. The problem is that I seem to be employing at least three different principles, sometimes conflicting, to decide how to organize everything.

Self-contained instrument

The three cases on the right are more or less organized as independent instruments. The one in front is the IFM Mocante case. It contains four touch-controlled modules (Mocante, Mr. Grassi, Unknown Pleasures, and Ears), plus a mixer and two effects.

The middle case collects all the other Ieaskul F. Mobenthey modules, together with some mixing, I/O, and effects.

The rear case contains the three modules of Folktek Mescaline, plus a number of other Eurorack modules.

The drawback of this principle is that sometimes I’d like to include a module or two from these cases in a patch with other cases.

Main case

The largest case I call the ‘Big Euro Box‘. Its problem is that it isn’t big enough! I’m continually swapping in new modules and having to decide which ones to move to some other case, or to put temporarily in storage.

The main case holds the modules I use most frequently, such as the Mordax Data, the L-1 Stereo Mixer, my favorite oscillators, and plenty of VCAs, envelope generators and mixers, plus my current favorite effects.

Specialized case

I wrote about these before. The 48hp case currently holds pulse dividers, logic and switches. I put a nice collection of modulator modules in a 4ms Pod 64 case. The Pod 64 Modulators case can be a little instrument, but by itself it is quite limited.

The specialized case idea works pretty well to augment the Big Euro Box, but has the slight drawback of having to be separately powered and then grounded to the other cases.

Leftover cases

This has two meanings. Cases for leftover modules that don’t fit in the other three categories, as well as leftover cases themselves. These kind of unhappy compromises are a result, primarily, of not being able to sell used cases. The two I’m referring to are both Pittsburgh Modular Cell 90 cases, that I’ve upgraded with good power supplies. Some of my favorite modules live in these two cases, simply because they can’t fit into the Big Euro Box.

This is not to mention the roughly 100hp of modules that are currently living in boxes in a drawer. Some I’ve tried to sell, but many I will keep.

Is there a solution?

If I wanted to swing for a very large studio case, it would partly solve the problem. Such as case would replace the Big Euro Box (would I call it the Enormous Euro Box?) and the Cell 90s. It would have to be 312 + 180 = 492hp, which is a darned big case. It would probably need to be custom built. And then I’d have three leftover cases to deal with. I’d still have the special purpose cases and the self-contained instrument cases. What stops me is the cost and the problem of hard-to-sell leftover cases.

Well, this could be considered a nice problem to have, all things considered.