ADDAC System 111 (2018–2023)

Name: ADDAC System 111
Brand: ADDAC System

A no-nonsense Eurorack .WAV player that trades frills for rock-solid playback and real-time control. Good for field recordings, glitches, and sample-based mayhem.

Overview

Put a microSD card in the ADDAC System 111 and your modular rig can play back sound from the outside world. It's a full .WAV player built for Eurorack, designed to drop raw audio into your patch with surgical precision. Playback starts immediately, with no stutter and no buffering. The sound is dry and digital, clear enough to cut through even the densest patches. It isn't trying to be warm or analog-voiced. It's a delivery system, and it does its job with zero fuss.

The 111 was conceived as a direct response to feedback on the earlier ADDAC101. It strips away the experimental edges and focuses on reliability and usability. The 101 felt like a prototype begging for firmware tweaks. The 111 is a mature, purpose-built module. It supports standard .WAV files up to 24-bit/48kHz, plays mono or stereo, and gives you hands-on control over playback direction, speed, and triggering. No menus, no screens, no hidden functions. Just knobs, CV inputs, and trigger jacks.

It slots into the ADDAC ecosystem as the practical sibling to their more esoteric digital modules. It's not as flashy as the ADDAC903 Laser Beam Synthesizer, not as niche as the ADDAC504 Morse Code Generator, but arguably more useful day to day. It's the module you reach for when you need a dog bark at 3:17 in a live set, a reversed piano chord that syncs to your sequencer, or a burst of radio static timed to a kick drum. It doesn't generate sound. It plays back what you give it.

Specifications

Manufacturer	ADDAC System
Production Years	2018–2023
Module Type	Digital .WAV Player
Form Factor	Eurorack
HP	12
Depth (mm)	35
Power Consumption +12V	120mA
Power Consumption -12V	20mA
Audio File Format	.WAV (mono or stereo)
Sample Rate Support	Up to 48kHz
Bit Depth Support	Up to 24-bit
Storage Medium	MicroSD card (up to 32GB)
Playback Modes	One-shot, loop, reverse, speed control
Trigger Inputs	Play, Reverse, Speed CV
CV Inputs	Speed (1V/oct), Trigger
Audio Outputs	Stereo (2 x 3.5mm jacks)
Trigger Outputs	End of file, Playback status
Front Panel Controls	File select (A–H), Playback speed, Reverse switch, Loop switch
Expansion Support	ADDAC111B for file recall via triggers

Key Features

Direct File Access with Physical Controls

No scrolling, no encoders, no shift functions—just eight labeled positions (A through H) you can trigger or select manually. Drop eight .WAV files onto your microSD card, name them 000a.wav through 000h.wav, and they map directly to the front panel. It’s stupidly simple, and that’s the point. In a format where some modules require firmware updates just to change a waveform, the 111’s immediacy is refreshing. You’re not programming; you’re performing. The tactile switches give a satisfying click, and the LED indicators confirm playback status at a glance, even in dimly lit setups.

CV-Controlled Playback Speed with Real-Time Reversal

The speed knob isn't the only way to set speed. There's also a full 1V/oct input, so you can modulate playback rate with any standard sequencer or LFO. Patch in a decaying envelope and the sample slows down like a dying tape machine. Run a quantized sequencer into it and it pitches up in chromatic steps. The reverse function is a toggle you can automate, so you can flip audio on the fly. Combine that with the loop switch and you've got a miniature granular processor without the CPU load. It won't do clouds or morphing, but it will give you stutter, tape wobble, and rhythmic inversion with zero latency.

Designed for Expansion: The 111B Module

The ADDAC111B expansion module turns the 111 into a triggerable sample player, letting you fire files A through H via individual gate inputs. Assign a different drum hit to each file and sequence them from a Grid or Turing Machine, and the 111B does it without MIDI or computer intervention. It's not multitimbral in the synth sense, but it's polyphonic in practice, as long as you don't try to play overlapping files. The module plays one at a time, with priority given to the lowest alphabetical file if multiple triggers arrive simultaneously.

Historical Context

The ADDAC System 111 arrived in 2018, when Eurorack was deep into its digital renaissance. Modules like the Mutable Instruments Clouds had proven that complex audio processing could live in a 3U panel, but many digital samplers were still either overly complex or limited to short buffers. The 111 did one thing well: it played full-length .WAV files with minimal setup. It wasn't the first sample player in Eurorack, but it was among the first to treat the microSD card as a core part of the workflow and not a novelty.

The Elektron Digitakt (a standalone powerhouse) and the Critter & Guitari Organelle (a touchscreen-based sampler) both offered more features, but both required leaving the rack. The 111 kept everything in the modular paradigm of patch cables, triggers and CV, which made it a favorite among purists. It also benefited from ADDAC's Lisbon-based design philosophy: hybrid instruments that bridge analog warmth and digital precision. It was not as sonically characterful as the later ADDAC714 Vintage Clip, but it excelled in utility, and became a go-to for live performers and sound designers who needed reliability over coloration.

Collectibility & Value

The ADDAC System 111 is not a rare module, but it's no longer in production as of 2023, having been quietly phased out in favor of newer digital offerings. Used units regularly appear on Reverb and eBay, with prices ranging from $220 to $280 depending on condition. Units with the matching 111B expansion can fetch $350 or more, especially if sold as a pair with documentation and original packaging.

Failures are uncommon but not unheard of. The microSD card slot is the most vulnerable part. Repeated insertions can loosen the connector and cause read errors. Some users report corrupted files if the card is removed during playback, though that's more user error than design flaw. The module runs cool and has no known power-related weaknesses, but like all ADDAC gear, it benefits from a clean, regulated power supply. If you're buying used, test all eight file positions and verify that CV speed modulation works across the full range.

Don't expect analog warmth or tape-like degradation. The 111 delivers clean, uncolored digital audio. If you want grit, you'll need to pair it with something like the ADDAC714 Vintage Clip or a tube preamp. That's a design choice, not a flaw. It's most valuable in setups where timing precision and file fidelity matter, such as live electronic acts, experimental composers, and anyone tired of syncing samples via MIDI clock.