Elements by Mutable Instruments

I guess this is a good example focusing on the modules we already have. Elements was introduced 9 years ago on DivKid's channel and Red Means Recording did an excellent panel walkthrough about 3 years ago. It's discontinued since Mutable closed shop 'due to success and different life goals' but Mutable never left the Eurorack landscape. In fact they're still the most adopted, expanded and cloned modules around. I'll be using both Elements and After Later's ATOM in this video, which is a smaller alternative with the exact same firmware.

After nine years, i think it's time for a refreshment because even today in 2025 it's one of the coolest modules ever made, and nothing better came along. I also realized I never made a feature video for it.

[gerardovitale]

Really great video... I also believe Emile made the history of electronic music and I'm glad there are other people recognizing her work.

[christinewebster]

Thank you so much, it is one of the best videos on the subject, i got Elements in my rack from the begining i use it in conjunction with a Wogglebug and Clouds. Pure bliss. Ten years later all still in place. And infinite possibilities.

[andrewnancarrow]

Best quote from the video- “if you want to develop your creativity, make sure you have too many variables and no control over your patch.”
My eurorack mantra for sure

[JohnBlobaum]

This is an absolutely superb video!! Too much time and effort is spent, in all of the arts, attempting to duplicate what was already been created. It is FAR SIMPLER to be creative and do the original and all the videos found here provide a stimulus to be creative!! Thanks!

[ChrisMills-AmbientSpace]

Thank you for the reminder to jump into VCV Rack and make some music with Elements today. There are some lovely sounds in there! Happy New Year!

[wadehathawaymusic]

Oh man, thanks for the video. I have the 'atom' module and it really is a gem. Between the original firmware and the later ones this thing just rocks. I sometimes match this with 'marbles' or actually more often with my SIG÷ and just jam through endless soundscapes of resonator/modeler bliss. Lay down a thick creamy drone and this module compliments it perfectly with wild movement. Love the module! Happy New Year all!

[synkrotron]

thank you so much for doing this video on Elements

I tried a so called "deep dive" livestream back in 2023 where I went through the manual, even though by this time I had owned Elements for over five years... it sucks big time and the fact that the livestream was plagued with total dropouts was probably karma haha

lately, Elements is one of my main "go to" modules for adding colour to my drones

to that end I send a constant voltage to the gate input and then "perform" Elements by manually turning the Bow and Blow knobs (not so much the strike)

once the drone is going I can either manually control the other parameters or use LFO to modulate them, or sometimes both, especially Brightness

for wild stuff I'll reach for Geometry

and, finally, I have noise from my Doepfer A-118 routed into the FM input (if I have one complaint about Elements it would be not having CV on the FM depth, although you can achieve the same by running the noise into a VCA first)

I do cover this in a more successful video of mine where I go into more detail of how I create my drones using my modular system


anyway, great video... I will add a link to this and give it a mention in my livestream this morning

cheers,

andy

[tmcat]

I have an Atom and am building Toil Modular's version currently. I kind of feel it's a huge secret that the WM8731 is now obsolete. I'm currently trying to source some so I can build Rings or Clouds or any of their clones in the future.

[Bojonatanjarpehag]

Glad i bought one a couple of years ago. NICE tone!

[beansharicots]

I love your demo's I never feel like you're hawking anything, yet my GAS levels increase everytime.

[frankscherbarth]

I love these videos where you explore classics in depth. I never had the idea providing the trigger in with a Constanze voltage...and you are right about Emilie...❤❤❤

[Ellende]

Elements has it own very distinctive sound, very different from Rings. Is it just me or does Atom sound a bit different compared to Elements? Less harsh?

[VoidVison]

Thanks! I didn't use my Elements for years, and now i spent an perfect time with it and realize how powerful is the module!

[cassildaandcarcosa]

Great video. Elements is a great module.

[VirtualModular]

Awesome video. I've always found Elements slightly harsh sounding, but will definitely keep exploring it.
Good to see you mentioned the VCV version too, I recently helped beta test a polyphonic Rings clone from the Sanguine Mutants collection, and the developer is thinking of doing a poly Elements too at some point. That would be immense!

[johncuba]

Thanks for the inspiration - I have just ordered a clone of TLM Audio called “MODAX”. In mid-January I'll get the BONKERS MODULE from Raw Analogue Sounds/Bulgaria, which I've been longing for, and I think the two will complement each other extremely well in terms of special feedback patching in combination with the papomi module.

[afcyewtoob]

Fab video. Your comment about writing a book reminded how much i would love to have all the Mutable manuals in a nicely bound little volume. TBC I already have nearly all the modules and their manuals, but it could be such a nice "final product" for the collective exploration of modular possibilities that MI was.

[scottymac]

Absolutely agree that Ms. Gillet is a genius. And so kind to release the source code so broke folk like me can use her great work in VCV.

[ChainsawCoffee]

Yes, we should adore what we already have! Have we really dug into the depths of what is within our arm's reach?

[KenSwanson-pi]

Thanks, man .. recalling when I first obtained Rings .. "oooh no, what did I do?" feeling .. and then one day, someone mentioning the fine tuning pot, on Rings .. and, happy day! my pitch conflicts, were over. Rings (or Elements, I'm sure) has that second voice, to go along with something like Beads, or the like .. that is very appealing. Rings/Elements .. often is Asian-like .. as in a Koto, which was one of my favorite keyboard synth settings (D-50), from years ago.