ADDAC System ADDAC111B (2018–present)

A silent partner in your rack that turns file browsing into musical performance—one trigger, one instant recall, eight sonic doors

Overview

Plug in a Micro SD card full of gritty field recordings, warped synth stabs, or sampled vinyl crackle, and the ADDAC111B doesn’t just play them back—it lets you perform them. Not the main event, never the star, but the quiet enabler that makes the ADDAC111 Ultra .WAV Player feel like a real instrument. This isn’t a standalone module; it’s a backstage pass, a utility upgrade that transforms passive playback into active sequencing. Where the ADDAC111 gives you manual file navigation and CV-based file selection across up to 72 clips, the 111B cuts through the noise and says: “Want to trigger the first eight with precision? Here’s how.” It’s the difference between flipping through a notebook and having eight labeled buttons on your desk—each one launching a different world with a single pulse.

The ADDAC111B slots directly onto the back of the ADDAC111, no bus power needed, no ribbon cable tangle. It’s a physical marriage—clean, compact, and utterly dependent on its host. Without the 111, the 111B is a dead circuit board. But together? They become a performance-oriented sampler module that feels more like a vintage drum machine than a modern digital player. The trigger inputs for files A through H are front-panel mounted, each one responding to a rising gate or trigger signal. If multiple triggers arrive at once—say, a burst from a malfunctioning sequencer or a dense clock matrix—the module follows a strict hierarchy: A wins, then B, all the way down to H. No chaos, no overlap, just clean priority logic that keeps your performance intact even when the patch goes sideways.

What’s striking isn’t what it adds, but what it removes: hesitation. No more fiddling with skip buttons mid-set. No CV mapping gymnastics to land on a specific sample. The 111B hands you deterministic control, the kind you’d expect from a Roland TR-808’s individual drum triggers. And while it doesn’t let you play multiple samples at once—this isn’t a polyphonic sampler—it ensures that when you call a sample, it answers. Fast. Silent. On time. That immediacy is rare in Eurorack, where even digital modules often buffer or lag. Here, the response is nearly instantaneous, making it ideal for live sets where timing is everything.

Specifications

Key Features

Instant Sample Recall via Trigger

The entire reason the 111B exists is to answer a simple question: “Can I trigger my most-used samples like drum hits?” The answer is yes—and emphatically so. Each of the first eight files on your SD card (named A.WAV through H.WAV) gets its own dedicated trigger input. Send a gate, get a sample. No scanning, no CV scaling, no waiting. This turns the ADDAC111 from a looper with sample playback into something closer to an 8-pad sampler. It’s not flashy, but in a live context, that speed and reliability are gold. Need to drop a vocal hit on beat four? Assign it to file D, patch a clock divider, and it lands every time. No drift, no latency, no guesswork.

Priority-Based Trigger Handling

Real-world patches are messy. Clocks misfire. Sequencers glitch. Gates pile up. The 111B doesn’t panic—it prioritizes. If triggers for files B, E, and F all arrive simultaneously, the module defaults to B, the highest in the chain. This isn’t random, and it’s not first-come-first-served; it’s a hardwired hierarchy that ensures consistency. That kind of deterministic behavior is rare in modular, where “race conditions” can create unpredictable results. Here, the design choice eliminates ambiguity. It means you can patch multiple sources into the trigger inputs—say, a random gate generator and a manual trigger button—and know exactly which one wins if they fire together. It’s not flexible, but it’s dependable, and in performance, dependability beats flexibility every time.

Seamless Physical Integration

The 111B doesn’t live on the front panel like a standard module. It mounts directly to the back of the ADDAC111, sharing the same 16 HP width and adding only minimal depth. There’s no additional power draw from the bus because it draws power through the backplane connection. This isn’t just clever engineering—it’s a statement about modularity. Instead of cluttering your rack with another module, ADDAC chose to expand functionality through integration. The result is a cleaner setup, fewer cables, and no wasted space. It’s a refreshingly anti-bloat approach in a format where “more modules” often means “more chaos.”

Historical Context

The ADDAC111B arrived in 2018 as an expansion to the ADDAC111 Ultra .WAV Player, which itself was an evolution of the earlier ADDAC101. At the time, Eurorack was deep in a digital renaissance—modules like the Mutable Instruments Clouds and Hologram Electronics’ Binarc were redefining what sampling could mean in a modular context. But many of these modules prioritized texture and manipulation over immediacy. The ADDAC111 series took a different path: it embraced simplicity, reliability, and performance-oriented design. The 111B doubled down on that philosophy by making sample selection feel more like playing an instrument than programming a computer.

It wasn’t trying to compete with high-end granular processors or multi-sample players. Instead, it filled a niche: the musician who wanted to integrate short, impactful samples into their live set without the overhead of a full sampler or computer. Think of it as the modular equivalent of a SP-404’s one-shot pads, but stripped down to the essentials. In an era where Eurorack modules were becoming increasingly complex, the 111B was a quiet reminder that sometimes, the most powerful tools are the ones that get out of your way.

ADDAC System, based in Portugal, has always leaned into this ethos—functional, no-nonsense modules with a focus on real-world usability. The 111B isn’t a flashy product. It doesn’t have a screen, no MIDI, no USB. But it solves a real problem for performers: how to make sample playback feel immediate and tactile. In that sense, it’s part of a broader trend in the late 2010s where boutique manufacturers began focusing on workflow as much as sound design. The 111B may not make a sound of its own, but it enables a kind of musical expression that the base 111 module alone couldn’t deliver.

Collectibility & Value

The ADDAC111B isn’t a standalone product, and that shapes its collectibility. It doesn’t show up on lists of “must-have” Eurorack modules because it can’t function without the ADDAC111. But for owners of the 111, it’s often seen as an essential upgrade—so much so that used 111+111B pairs frequently sell together. On the secondhand market, the 111B alone typically trades between €80 and €120, depending on condition and whether it includes a custom panel. When bundled with the 111, the pair can fetch €350–€450, especially if both modules have matching custom faceplates.

Failures are rare, but when they happen, they’re usually tied to the host module. The 111B has no firmware of its own—it relies entirely on the ADDAC111’s firmware (version E0 or later recommended). If the 111 isn’t updated, the 111B may not function correctly. Additionally, SD card issues are the most common source of user frustration: cards not formatted in FAT16, files not named correctly (A.WAV through 9.WAV only), or hidden system files left by macOS or Windows that trigger the ERROR LED. These aren’t hardware flaws, but they can make the system appear broken when it’s just picky about file hygiene.

Before buying, verify that the ADDAC111 is present and functional. Test the trigger inputs with a simple gate source—any delay or missed triggers could indicate a connection issue. Also check for bent pins on the backplane connector; since the 111B plugs directly into the 111, rough handling can damage the interface. Custom panels add visual appeal but don’t affect performance—though they do increase resale value, especially in rarer colors like gold or silver gray.

Maintenance is minimal. There are no moving parts, no trim pots to adjust, no user-serviceable components. If it works, it’ll likely keep working. But because it’s an expansion module, it’s often overlooked in rack maintenance. Dust buildup on the backplane pins can cause intermittent connection issues, so a quick compressed air blow every few years is wise. Overall, the 111B is one of the most reliable utility expansions in Eurorack—not because it’s flashy, but because it does one thing, does it well, and stays out of the way.

eBay Listings

As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.

Related Models

• ADDAC System 712 Vintage Pre
• ADDAC System 712
• ADDAC System 800X
• ADDAC System 801
• ADDAC System 802
• 4ms Ping
• ADC 27
• 2hp LPG V2
• ALM AXON-2
• AMS DMX 2000