Modular Madness Megathread

[DJ RAZZ]

I find this hobby, and it is a separate hobby, so fascinating.

Is it the memory of a past art being kept alive, a certain quality of sound and flexibility as pertained to a genre of music that is desired or being achieved, the look of the unit/units, the sound, the genuiness and authenticity of owning and playing a modular, is just fun, all the above, or something else?

Back in the day keyboardists had no choice if they wanted synth sounds. I do not want to start a political battle here because the levels are like an onion and I too love analog like the next guy, think it is needed at all times in keyboard music or any music with keyboard in it. Just curious and intrigued.

[mate_stubb]

For me it is the physical and tactile pleasure I get by mentally zoning in on sound, and by the act of patching and tweaking, take it some place else unexpected. You build sounds and tear them back down again, always surprised by where you end up.

Yeah, a lot of it is glops and bug noises. Huzzah!

[donaldcrunk]

 

Originally Posted by DJ RAZZ

I find this hobby, and it is a separate hobby, so fascinating.

Is it the memory of a past art being kept alive, a certain quality of sound and flexibility as pertained to a genre of music that is desired or being achieved, the look of the unit/units, the sound, the genuiness and authenticity of owning and playing a modular, is just fun, all the above, or something else?

Back in the day keyboardists had no choice if they wanted synth sounds. I do not want to start a political battle here because the levels are like an onion and I too love analog like the next guy, think it is needed at all times in keyboard music or any music with keyboard in it. Just curious and intrigued.

 

to me it boils down being able to own your own custom synthesizer, with the components YOU want in it, and being able to arrange those components however you want. that's the practical aspect.

but there is the visceral aspect, of being able to really interact with the sounds you're creating immediately - modification happens just as fast as you can make the decision, there are no menus (usually...ahem 250e) , and you can modify patterns in real time in a way you can't with like a groovebox or something.

lastly, the zone aspect - sometimes it's just fun to strike out on a voyage. set yourself up some constraints or criteria or something, and just start patching and see where you end up. every modular owner has spent time doing this i hope - it's my favorite part about owning one. you learn so much about not only your instrument but about creating sound and even damn math sometimes. the whole process, however you want to go about it, is just flat out fun.

you're right that it's a whole different thing than fixed architecture poly or monosynths, but i don't know that it's a whole different hobby. it's just another musical instrument. and you get to design it!

[DJ RAZZ]

Very cool!

[Gribs]

I'm with scenicsquare and mate_stubb. Patching a modular really is a unique experience, and I get into a weird zone where all of a sudden it is two hours later and my wife is yelling at me to come to the table for dinner and can't I hear her (no because I have closed-ear Beyerdynamic headphones on).

Also modern modular synthesizers are as high or low tech as you want.

I still owe you guys a picture, and I haven't recorded much. Here is a patch I recorded a while ago that was more a demo of the Flight of Harmony "Sound of Shadows" delay and the kind of interesting sounds you can get out of it starting with just a simple eight note scale with a sine wave VCO. It is a long recording of the same boring sequence over and over again, but the point is to hear a bunch of the weird delay effects you can get out of the SOS module:

http://soundcloud.com/gribs/sos-experiment-01

In response to a recent thread on MW (muffwiggler.com forum) I started to just hit record when I am patching. I have a hard time figuring out when a patch might be interesting to anyone else but me though.

[soundwave106]

 

Originally Posted by DJ RAZZ

Is it the memory of a past art being kept alive, a certain quality of sound and flexibility as pertained to a genre of music that is desired or being achieved, the look of the unit/units, the sound, the genuiness and authenticity of owning and playing a modular, is just fun, all the above, or something else?

 

Due to the inherent flexibility and the lack of forced quantization for inputs, a physical modular synth seems naturally able to create non-tonal sounds, such as FX, noise, or other things. I think this is one thing they do better than anything software or fixed hardware based.

For the rest, well, it's more the immediacy and exploring different ways of doing things. I admittedly have used my modular less than I like (damn time constraints), but here's a more tonal example made in part with my Eurorack modular (along with two A6 pads). It's old school space music in clip form, but it gave me a chance to try playing with a ribbon control instead of using keys (and using a modular for twinkly random sequences, something which it also does rather well)...

[Gribs]

 

Originally Posted by Paolo Di Nicolantonio

How about posting demos of modular patches we make? Here's a semi-'70s-soundtrack-style patch on my beloved dot.com - four oscillators + sequencer going through the Q150 Moog-style filter.... I the Q150

 

That was nice and chewy.

[donaldcrunk]

DJ, i'm glad you asked this now because it's probably a good idea to kind of outline the whole concept of a modular synthesizer to those who might be looking on the outside in.

so maybe a few helpful links are in order -

wikipedia defines a modular synth as :

"a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires (patch cords) to create a so-called patch. Every output generates a signal

[DJ RAZZ]

 

Originally Posted by scenicsquare

DJ, i'm glad you asked this now because it's probably a good idea to kind of outline the whole concept of a modular synthesizer to those who might be looking on the outside in.

so maybe a few helpful links are in order -

wikipedia defines a modular synth as :

"a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires (patch cords) to create a so-called patch. Every output generates a signal

[donaldcrunk]

paolo's video gave me the inspiration for tonight's video - this patch features the z3000 oscillator being MIDI controlled via the Flame Clockwork's CV convertor and korg MS2000 as MIDI controller only. the Malekko Noisering running at a very high rate provides the trashy percussion hit, and the Cyclebox provides the secondary static sequence under control of the STG Graphic Sequencer. The percussion hits are sequenced by the STG Trigger Sequencer - you can see me having a good time changing the pattern length of that module in the video.

both oscillators are routed into the .MIX, and then into the Harvestman Polyvoks filter (which sounds properly creamy in this video i think). the beginning is looped with the help of an akai headrush. ya'll know how i roll.

the Clockwork is also routed to the trigger in of the Digitech RDS 7.6, which is fed audio by the microphone you see on the screen. car keys, monotron, yelping noises, everything is immediately quantized to tempo that goes into this mic. whee.

the video is a VHS tape i found on a curb the other day.

that's bout it. enjoy all the mistakes towards the end. it's really hard to tweak this modular and play keyboard at the same time, i'm really used to having both hands on the modular. can't wait to get some sort of touch-controller for the modular cabinet.

 

 

i'm truly sorry i don't have better camera equipment guys, it doesn't do the gear justice and that is one thing in dire need of upgrade. i'm using the built in macbook pro camera now, and it makes a real demo video completely impossible. it is what it is. at least the audio is up to snuff.

[ElectricPuppy]

And Scenic brings the madness! Nice work, sir.

[xpander]

let's see some pics of your modulars as well, i'm not sure who has what on here anymore.

[DJ RAZZ]

If everyone wants to show their pictures that would be great! I do realize that some have already submitted photos.

[Gribs]

Here is a silly patch with some Analog Delay Fun

Here is the patch on my modular:

[donaldcrunk]

here's the progress of my euro over the last year or so - in chronological order

this is the current layout:

[DJ RAZZ]

 

Originally Posted by scenicsquare

here's the progress of my euro over the last year or so - in chronological order

this is the current layout:

 

OMG that is so far beyond my understanding. I might as well be looking at a physics equation. I assume you have to wire everything in the back your self.

[mate_stubb]

NoiseRing is awesome. I want to try a Wogglebug and Rene.

[xpander]

gribs & scenicsquare: these pics are the goods!

[Gribs]

 

Originally Posted by DJ RAZZ

OMG that is so far beyond my understanding. I might as well be looking at a physics equation. I assume you have to wire everything in the back your self.

 

All that you do is connect the modules to a power supply (in most cases). There are a couple of different power connectors that are standard for Eurorack gear, and the modules come with a power cable attached with a female connector at the end for connecting to a male on a bus board. You can buy bus boards from various vendors that have places to connect the overall power supply and rows of male connectors for attaching the modules. Patching together the various modules is usually done on the front via the various input jacks that you see there on scenicsquare's photos using patch cables. Eurorack format like scenic's (and mine) uses mini jacks. Doepfer's power bus also has traces in the jack that connect a common gate and control voltage together. For Doepfer (and some other) modules, this can be used to provide voltage control signals for gate and pitch from something like at midi-to-control voltage conversion module.

Edit: Here is a good article (in English) from Doepfer.

scenicsquare, that is an awesome case. I tip my proverbial hat to you sir! I wish that I had a wood shop and the necessary skills to put design and build my own wooden enclosure. Did you use Vector rails? I have tried to figure out how people attach those to the sides of their cases as in your case - it appears to be screws of some kind - but it has never been clear to me whether you have to tap the ends of the rails or whether you just drive in the screws.

[Gribs]

 

Originally Posted by mate_stubb

NoiseRing is awesome. I want to try a Wogglebug and Rene.

 

The Wogglebug is fun (you can see mine in the pic - bottom case). I want a Noisering too. The other random source I want is the newish ADDAC501 Complex Random. First I need a new case though.

[Metrosonus]

scenic, how do you like suits sequencer? do you need something to start and stop it with?

[soundwave106]

 

Originally Posted by Metrosonus

scenic, how do you like suits sequencer? do you need something to start and stop it with?

 

You either need an external clock source, or you can get the time buffer module to use din sync. (Even an LFO works as a clock source.) There's an input for the incremental steps clock, and an input for a clock to reset the sequencer to the first step if you want (probably most useful in one shot mode, but possibly useful for semi-randomness and other things too.).

[donaldcrunk]

 

Originally Posted by Gribs

scenicsquare, that is an awesome case. I tip my proverbial hat to you sir! I wish that I had a wood shop and the necessary skills to put design and build my own wooden enclosure. Did you use Vector rails? I have tried to figure out how people attach those to the sides of their cases as in your case - it appears to be screws of some kind - but it has never been clear to me whether you have to tap the ends of the rails or whether you just drive in the screws.

 

thanks! while i do dabble in woodworking, i'm not this precise. this case was built by my and suit's pal Nath Hahn of Hahn Amplifiers, and he did a great job. i bought the power supply off ebay (it's a power one), and suit provided some of his distro boards for the power inside. i'll take some pics of the inside next time i have the back off at, i don't think ive ever done that.

the rails are vectors, and they are drilled and tapped in the center (if the rail is viewed end-on)- so you can just long use a machine screw on each end. they are the sliding nut type, which is aggravating if you're moving your modules around a lot. i don't really, so it hasn't bugged me too much (except this latest time i did it - there was a lot of swearing that time). obviously i'd _prefer_ the schroff type rails that are drilled with one hole per HP, but the vectors are fine for this case.

 

Originally Posted by Metrosonus

scenic, how do you like suits sequencer? do you need something to start and stop it with?

 

all my clocking is taken care of by the Flame Clockwork at the bottom left. this is a pretty cool module for what i do, it provides 3 streams of clocks set to whatever division you specify, as well as the ability to interrupt that stream manually (using the gate knob) and then RECORD those knob movements as 2 bar phrases. it's like param lock, but for clocks only. it's a hard module to explain without one here in front of me, but there's some good demos on youtube.

so all that to say that most of my clocks to the Graphic & Trigger Sequencers are taken care of by the Clockwork, usually being logicated by the Intellijel Flip Flop (which allows me to inject more rhythmic strangeness into the clock signal if i want - via the j/k toggle inputs). the Flip Flop also turns the gate signals that the clockwork spits out into more digestible triggers for the STG stuff.

the stage one input does indeed reset your sequence to the beginning. it's fantastic in conjunction with a clock divider - you can let the sequence advance for 8 steps, let it loop back to the beginning and go for two more steps, then hit the Stage One input with a pulse and it will reset back to the beginning the next time it gets a clock - giving you essentially a 10 step sequence, rather than the 8 steps the Graphic is obviously capable of. it's just another way to add variation to the sequences.

it was important to me to devote a lot of space in the cabinet to sequencing and logic, as i was a pretty big Numerology user for a long time before being a modular user. i wanted a way to do all the goofy sequences i did in numerology in real life, so as a result my modular will continue to balance a little bit more towards control/event modules than sound/processing modules - though the goal is to keep it as balanced as i can.

the design of the case itself was just my desire to have an all in one putney-like instrument, that could be self contained and used for all manner of tasks around the studio - processing, control over external devices, and whatever genre of music i happen to demand from it that week. the way the modules slope is all buchla, of course.

that format is probably my logical end-game in modular synthesizers. i promised myself i will not purchase one until i am 30 though, this gives me a few years to really milk the {censored} out of this euro system. we'll see how that goes

[mate_stubb]

Originally Posted by scenicsquare

the way the modules slope is all buchla, of course.

that format is probably my logical end-game in modular synthesizers. i promised myself i will not purchase one until i am 30 though

That's kind of my holy grail right now too. It lights up so beautifully after dark, and the geblinken factor is high.

[xpander]

now's a good time to post a pic of my modular! i recorded extensively with allen strange's buchla 200 back in the late 90s (when there was *zero* modular scene) so never bothered with any other format. i'm not a fan of the weird buchla fetishisation that's grown over the past couple years, though. i need to start taking uglier photos.

here's a video i made after putting in the Polyphonic FM Tuner, this is actually the current setup, but i do have another boat with a couple modules in it.