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Real hardware modular in rack with software UI


Milos

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Imagine this: real hardware modular in a single 19" rack(like g2 engine) with built in discrete components and all the patch saving and patch-chord handling to do with dedicated software with the look of real modular.Of course it would be monophonic ,but delicious

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Funnest Part of the Modular is physically patching it, so I think Korg had the right idea with it's MS-20 USB Controller is more of what I'd want.

 

So maybe a wall modular, that has the Nord G2 Dials and Displays and 1/4 inputs, and you can reconfigure it with the software and then you do the actual patching on the wall.

 

 

Of course, it would be out of site money wise....

 

 

 

Dave

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as someone whose worked extensively over the years with modulars- while it is certainly fun and rewarding- it is much more time-consuming and 'wasteful'- in that often I found myself working on one sound but in a moment of inspiration patched a new sound that was amazing but 'off-topic' for the session at-hand- so I recorded snippets and tried to write down a patch sheet- but sure enough I could never get that sound back again later- so it was lost other than my few recordings- not to mention always runningout of patch cables! arrrggh!

 

all that losing of good sounds and time wasted on just making one sound really is a drag- so the functionality of being able to SAVE patches in software has basically made my modular sessions 100X more fruitful and fun- for one thing because of the annoyance of losing patches I often restrained myslelf when tweaking- avoiding making too eloborate of patches with feedback and weird routings because it was almost impossible to get them back in the future- I would tend to just tweak one type of patch set-up to avoid the hassle of losing the current patch forever- in software I am totally unfettered and can let my imagination and emotion run free-

 

these days I would only use a few hardware modules to augment/interface with a software system- it's just too painful to lose all that time and all those cool sounds I could never quite find again-

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Originally posted by setAI

all that losing of good sounds and time wasted on just making one sound really is a drag- so the functionality of being able to SAVE patches in software has basically made my modular sessions 100X more fruitful and fun- for one thing because of the annoyance of losing patches I often restrained myslelf when tweaking- avoiding making too eloborate of patches with feedback and weird routings because it was almost impossible to get them back in the future- I would tend to just tweak one type of patch set-up to avoid the hassle of losing the current patch forever- in software I am totally unfettered and can let my imagination and emotion run free-


these days I would only use a few hardware modules to augment/interface with a software system- it's just too painful to lose all that time and all those cool sounds I could never quite find again-

 

Dude, you completely just made sold me on the Nord Modular, man, damn you damn you! That sounds like a great way to work, and while I love analog synths, I was always reluctant to plunge into modulars for just that reason.

 

 

:thu: Good work! Would you go G1 or G2? haha

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Originally posted by Milos

Imagine this: real hardware modular in a single 19" rack(like g2 engine) with built in discrete components and all the patch saving and patch-chord handling to do with dedicated software with the look of real modular.Of course it would be monophonic ,but delicious

 

 

As far as the 'look of a real modular', you're tlaking about just the software looking like a modular , not the hardware, correct?

 

setAI, using hardware is no problem if you have a software editor. With software, it can get a little tedious to be using a mouse. I think you have to have a controller keyboard or knob box to use software to it's potential.

 

You also, made a case for me not to buy a modular setup. I was thinking about getting into modulars and just record the sounds into a sampler when I find something I like, but you made it sound worse and a killer in the literal sense for making music.

 

Does anyone know if there are Nord Modular setups for any controller keyboards (like CME,Novation,etc)? It would make the Nord G1 or G2 easier to edit through a hardware controller rather than a mouse and the computer.

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Originally posted by HuskerDude

synapse.jpg
They only made 8 of them, but you can use one of these if you want modular patch memory. It's pretty amazing, I use it all the time. It's constantly hooked up to the Analogue Systems modular.

I saw one at Analogue Haven. I didn't realize it was that rare!

 

Can use patch one source to multiple destinations? Multiple sources to one desitination? How many patch storages are there? Or how many sources/destinations anyhow?

 

Gads I thought about building something like this ages ago but I thought that the market was taken care of by this device that I saw at Shawn's place.

 

huskerdude if you could also let me know what you like and dislike about it I would appreciate it.

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Originally posted by urbanscallywag

The idea is awesome but implementation is difficult. Lots of multiplexers for routing this to that and the other thing.

 

 

What are you referring to?

 

On the Nord Modular side, they don't have the modular sound and feel to them, being that they aren't true hardware modulars. The sounds are cool, but I don't think you can compare the Nord Modulars to a real one.

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Originally posted by stikygum



What are you referring to?


On the Nord Modular side, they don't have the modular sound and feel to them, being that they aren't true hardware modulars. The sounds are cool, but I don't think you can compare the Nord Modulars to a real one.

Well the internal routing inside of this box. If you have 3 envelope generators and 5 LFOs and 4 filters and 4 VCOs and...you get the point.

 

You need a "virtual patchcord" inside the rack, which is why I mentioned multiplexing.

 

Is that clearer? :)

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Aha, That's a good point. I wonder why they didn't make more of these things. You would think that studios with modulars, and I know there are a lot of high end studio that have modulars, would easily justify the desire for this box.

 

I don't own a modular, although I've been looking for the day when I'll be able to start building one, and I would find this thing invaluable. Just like setAI suggested, modulars can really hamper your workflow, which I would hate. I would have to specifically have days planned out to do nothing but modular work (involving sampling sounds and trying to record them since you can't sounds) and seperate that from days of making music. I guess that would be part of the process. Still saving modular sounds is the best idea, well since modulars. :p

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Originally posted by urbanscallywag

I saw one at Analogue Haven. I didn't realize it was that rare!


Can use patch one source to multiple destinations? Multiple sources to one desitination? How many patch storages are there? Or how many sources/destinations anyhow?


Gads I thought about building something like this ages ago but I thought that the market was taken care of by this device that I saw at Shawn's place.


huskerdude if you could also let me know what you like and dislike about it I would appreciate it.

 

The 8 number is actually from Shawn, and he can be a bit of a sales guy at times (;)), but I believe there are only a handful. We bought the one at Analogue Haven, I believe.

You can mult things within the Synapse, it works very much like a pin matrix, but you can store it.

I'm actually not sure how many patches you can save within the box, we back everything up and save it via the midi connections. Just dump it in the Logic folder with the rest of the project.

I can't really think of anything practical that I would add to it, it does what it does really well.

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Originally posted by setAI

as someone whose worked extensively over the years with modulars- while it is certainly fun and rewarding- it is much more time-consuming and 'wasteful'- in that often I found myself working on one sound but in a moment of inspiration patched a new sound that was amazing but 'off-topic' for the session at-hand- so I recorded snippets and tried to write down a patch sheet- but sure enough I could never get that sound back again later- so it was lost other than my few recordings- not to mention always runningout of patch cables! arrrggh!


etc. etc.


 

 

setAI, I got to say it, I like your style. I am now, at this moment, your nodding lackey. Please defile my hopes with true ability so I can return to my cold, patrinizing, complacent view of the opinions of others.

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That's one of the things I like so much about modulars. You know even as you're building the sound that this is the one and only time you're going to get that particular sound. Even with something like the Synapse, you have a million and one knobs that are going to get bumped and moved and fiddled with between the time you save your patch and the time you reload it.

It introduces a level of spontanaety and uniqueness into the often boring, repetitive synth programming process. You will never have some lame, boring preset to fall back on, you have to make the best use of the sound you have at that second or you'll lose it.

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2 things:

 

first, this concept has been in my "idea file" for a little while now. If I can make it happen, I will.

 

second, I spent part of this afternoon making a beautiful feedback patch using one of each moogerfooger and a cp-251. Dear lord was it some lovely spacenoize. In today's context, it pleased me in some way to know that the patch would never exist in quite that way again... it was just a beautiful and unique moment, a passing electromagnetic perturbation which I alone witnessed.

 

oh wait, a third thing: Patch memory is damn handy. I just got a Nord modular (with 8 DSP chips!) this week and am loving it so far... :D

 

Cheers

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