Eurorack Knob Idea

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Haptic feel and resistance

  • Several commenters focus on “feel”: the prototype appears low-friction, which they worry would make fast, precise performance moves difficult.
  • Strong interest in digitally adjustable physical resistance and endstops; robotics-style “impedance control” is mentioned as a way to emulate springs/friction with low-latency BLDC control that feels analog.
  • Others say they just want a good, fixed mechanical feel; simple friction-based drag is seen as sufficient for many use cases.

Alternative implementations and variants

  • References to prior “smart knob” projects (motorized haptics, displays) and axial-flux PCB BLDC motors to shrink things further.
  • Multiple alternative designs suggested:
    • A powered knob that outputs a constant CV.
    • Using TRS jacks or a mechanical shaft behind the jack instead of hall sensors.
    • Knobs with embedded electronics (accelerometer + battery) that plug into standard jacks.
    • Knobs that include their own jack, or magnetic “wand” knobs placed over hall sensors on the panel.
  • Concerns about proprietary knobs, durability of using jacks as bearings, and the extra 3V requirement.

Compactness vs usability in Eurorack

  • The main benefit is seen as panel density; some rack photos illustrate why every mm² matters.
  • Critics argue this “solves a symptom”: the real issue is overly miniaturized, menu-driven modules instead of larger, more immediately playable ones.
  • Many prefer traditional designs where each jack has an associated knob acting as attenuator/attenuverter, even if that makes modules large (e.g., “Maths”-style designs).

Knob/jack interaction patterns

  • Discussion of common patterns: jack+attenuator, jack+offset, attenuverter, and “attenurandomizer” combos that pack lots of behavior into one control.
  • Some see the removable-knob concept as less useful than these established patterns, especially since the proposed system doesn’t preserve knob position when removed.

Modular culture and philosophy

  • Long subthread on Eurorack as tinkering vs “actually playing”: many embrace it as sound design, experimentation, or “noodling” rather than song production.
  • Others compare modular to software environments (VCV Rack, Kontakt, Max/Cycling ’74), weighing hardware’s tactile immediacy and constraints against software’s cost and flexibility.
  • Ephemerality of patches (hard to recreate exactly) is framed by some as a feature, not a bug—part of the appeal of analog modular as a transient, performative tool.