> Since I try to use the A-100 more and more as a live instrument I know what
> you mean. The other side is, that it is very easy to build such modules on
> your own.

Just because something is easy for some people to DIY doesn't mean it has
no value as an idea for a module. The simplest things are often overlooked in
the areas of design, playability, and ergonomics.

If a simple manual gate pushbutton is so easy to build, why not get creative
and come up with a more complex module with several buttons that can
output more complex, musically useful triggers (rapid-fire strings of triggers,
simple envelopes, a percussive transient, etc.). Or how about a row of
pressure sensitive buttons that output a gate as well as a pressure signal. I
could go on and on with different useful ways to configure a manual gate
module. The impulse behind the request for a manual gate is the desire for
more and better manual control not simply to stick a couple of buttons and
jacks onto a front panel.

The preliminary design offered on the Doepfer site offers a simple and
predictable two gate, two toggle layout. Certainly a useful module but not
really showing any sensitivity to the underlying problem of how to make a
Doepfer modular more of a playable instrument. For example, why is the
knob at the bottom where presumably you would want to rest your hand while
playing

I say this all not to be overly critical but hopefully in a constructive spirit.