I would buy them yes, especially the 1U utility modules.
+1 absolutely. Just got the Metropolix in my stealth case. Like others its one of very few non-black modules. Would buy a black panel in an instant.
Wow you are missing out on some great modules for the sake of their colour!
I definitely am! D: but it’s also fun and interesting as a constraint, and hopefully over time if there are more folks voting for dark panels with their dollars, manufacturers will offer both.
I’ve been able to get some 1u black panels and 1u black modules for my Stealth, but the silver is a barrier for me getting the regular Intellijel modules. If that door is opened I’d certainly bring more Intellijel modules into the system.
Honestly never knew people cared what colour their modules are. Eye-opener.
Yes, it almost exclusively seems to be “people who only want black modules”, as well. Like, there doesn’t seem to be similar noise from the silver camp.
I would be that way IF! Silver wasn’t the lazy way out. “Oh, uh, it’s got a scratch-proof aluminum panel. It’s significantly stronger than PCB” Great. Could you at least decorate it a little? NGL, some days I love the down-to-earth aesthetic of the Intellijel panels, some days I want my synth to have just as much character visually as it does sonically.
One angle where Intellijel is a clear winner on this topic, for me is that if you built a system over a decade, you can still finish it with the same colour you started. (Some other brands too)
@Alastair yea! love reading all the different synthie perspectives Me, I’m climbing through the windows for the best functional (and hp) fit, over colour.
@Steve-the-player: Regarding preferences, I also enjoy both simple and chaotic styles on different days.
But in contrast to the actual printed design, the precision cut aluminium material panels (in my understanding) are far from the lazy option. When getting it done domestically became prohibitive, manufacturers started switching materials. Intellijel sought out a more distant fabricator who was still acheiving the necessary aluminium cutting precision for a non-domestic module brand.
Final thought, the aesthetic appeal of black is not lost on me, but is somewhat negated by how much (more) dust my black modules reveal. What you don’t see in the truly seductive IG clips. In any case, I consider my vacuum part of my “gear list” so that’s not a deal-breaker.
Seriously, my request to manufacturers: just don’t lose colours/materials you offered in the past simply because it’s more legwork / quality control.
Is it because people want their modulars to look like unified instruments I wonder. Like, say a Moog modular or a System 100 sort of vibe.
I hesitated to post in here since it feels like a slightly controversial/judgment-inducing topic, but I’m just gonna do it.
It hasn’t been an all-or-nothing, black-and-white (silver) thing for me, but I have been strongly favoring modules with silver panels. There haven’t been any exceptions so far, but I’m guessing there will be in the future. I’m really interested in the Morphagene, for example, and though there’s an aftermarket silver panel, I actually think I’m gonna keep it black when I get it. I feel like I want to stay true to the Make Noise aesthetic with that one.
That said, I have been thinking about getting a small black palette for my black modules in the future.
I am diagnosed OCD so that has a lot to do with it.
Lastly, there are sooo many options out there with modular. It may seem like a “superficial” constraint, but constraints are needed in a hobby like this where the options constantly seem endless.
Black panels would be a-ok for me! Ofc they don’t change the sound, but all black always seems to beckon to me more. Maybe something to do with my early encounters with an original system 55/IIIc…
I’d love the option of black panels! I have 2 systems, large and small. The small happens to be all black and is outgrowing it’s case - I’d love to get a stealth Palette and be able to get black 1U panels. My larger system happens to be moving slowly towards more black panels, so black 3U would be great too.
I really love module makers who give you a choice between black/white/silver when you buy a module and also make just the front panels in the “other” color(s) available so you can switch depending on what your current setup is.
Saw this guy post in the modular subreddit. He has a few black 1u panels for intellijel.
Just FYI.
for me that’s definitely part of it. and so if I’m then choosing which color way to go with, I prefer black/dark to silver/light.
fwiw I do also still prefer the bits of color for text and labels and whatnot, so it’s not a monochrome zealotry. thus if the intellijel gang finally does one day release first-party black panels, I do hope they retain the colored labels as they are very useful within the visual design language.
Yeah, I mean the look/vibe of a Moog system or a Buchla, Mutable, etc… they all have a particular aesthetic and vibe - which, for me gives some kind of esoteric flavor to the whole thing. It’s similar to how our sense of taste is symbiotic with smell - if we didn’t have noses, things would taste quite a bit different…
I come from a visual art/design background, so the appearance of the ‘Spaceship’ has something to do with how I’m inspired to make sounds. I mean, I can’t imagine being inspired to make pretty, floaty, rainbow music on an Erica System, for instance… though of course it can be done…
I get that–I’ve mostly tried to do that too (originally even went for the same style of knobs, which I’ve relaxed). I like to shoot for having things the same color, and preferably aluminum so it feels like one instrument. The idea of having a quilt-like set of wildly different designs always seemed like it would be distracting to me. I got a nice black pcb panel for PNW from Mork Modules, but unfortunately it looks like it’s not possible to swap panels on the PEXP-1 (if anyone knows how/ where to get one, please lemme know). Big fan of XAOC’s black panels, and just ordered some for my newly acquired Moskwa/ Ostankino!