ADDAC System 111 (2018–2023)
A no-nonsense Eurorack .WAV player that trades frills for rock-solid playback and real-time control—perfect for field recordings, glitches, and sample-based mayhem.
Overview
Slap a microSD card into the ADDAC System 111 and suddenly your modular rig can breathe in the outside world. This isn’t some toy sampler with looped sine waves—it’s a full .WAV player built for Eurorack, designed to drop raw audio into your patch with surgical precision. You can hear the difference the moment it fires up: no stutter, no buffering, just immediate playback with a dry, digital clarity that cuts through even the densest patches. It’s not trying to be warm or analog-voiced; it’s a delivery system, and it does its job with zero fuss.
Conceived as a direct response to feedback on the earlier ADDAC101, the 111 strips away the experimental edges and focuses on reliability and usability. Where the 101 felt like a prototype begging for firmware tweaks, the 111 lands as 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. If you’ve ever tried to sync a sample to a modular tempo using a finicky plugin or external device, the 111 feels like liberation.
It slots neatly into the ADDAC ecosystem as the practical sibling to their more esoteric digital modules. Not as flashy as the ADDAC903 Laser Beam Synthesizer, not as niche as the ADDAC504 Morse Code Generator, but arguably more useful on a day-to-day basis. It’s the module you reach for when you need a dog bark at 3:17 in a live set, or 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 unleashes 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 just for setting tempo—it’s a full 1V/oct input, meaning you can modulate playback rate with any standard sequencer or LFO. Want a sample to slow down like a dying tape machine? Patch in a decaying envelope. Need it to pitch up in chromatic steps? Run a quantized sequencer into it. And the reverse function isn’t a one-shot effect—it’s a toggle you can automate, letting you 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. This is where the 111 stops being a playback box and starts becoming a true instrument. Imagine assigning a different drum hit to each file and sequencing them from a Grid or Turing Machine—the 111B makes it possible 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, a time 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 carved a niche by doing one thing well: playing 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 not as a novelty but as a core part of the workflow.
It stood in contrast to modules like the Elektron Digitakt (a standalone powerhouse) or the Critter & Guitari Organelle (a touchscreen-based sampler), both of which offered more features but required leaving the rack. The 111 kept everything in the modular paradigm—patch cables, triggers, CV—making it a favorite among purists. It also benefited from ADDAC’s Lisbon-based design philosophy: hybrid instruments that bridge analog warmth and digital precision. While not as sonically characterful as the later ADDAC714 Vintage Clip, the 111 excelled in utility, becoming 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 component—repeated insertions can loosen the connector, leading to read errors. Some users report issues with corrupted files if the card is removed during playback, though this is more a user error than a 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’re after grit, you’ll need to pair it with something like the ADDAC714 Vintage Clip or a tube preamp. But that’s not a flaw; it’s a design choice. The 111 is a scalpel, not a sledgehammer. It’s most valuable in setups where timing precision and file fidelity matter—live electronic acts, experimental composers, and anyone tired of syncing samples via MIDI clock.
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