Modular Synthesis.

[Sceiron]

This is a thread for the discussion of modular synthesis.

 

Tricks and Tips are encouraged.

 

If you own a system please tell what it consists of.

 

If you plan on building a system, share your plans.

 

thanks.

[Yoozer]

One little red box with 3 knobs . Buy it, because it'll be the best $300 you'll ever spend.

[TheProteus]

I'm currently designing my own modular system, which incorporates the best of both analog and digital systems. Basically, there's a collection of both analog and digital modules. The analog modules are digitally controlled via the front panel, but have full analog sound generation circuitry, and the digital modules are DSP based.

 

Here's a quick screen capture of part of the module collage:

 

 

The board I'm working on currently is an AudioTerrain filter module, which is an analog parametric filter. It consists of a lowpass, a highpass, and 14 bandpass filters. Each has a preset cutoff frequency, Q, and bandwidth (for the bandpass filters). You can store these presets in the module, then control the mix of up to 3 filters by using an X, Y, and Z control voltage.

 

Other than that, the usual smattering of analog modules is planned. We'll see how the whole thing wires together in time.

[Learning67]

http://www.the-gas-station.com

 

check out the modular synth thread there. those guys know their stuff inside and out. You might be able to find links to some of their music there too, all of them are very creative and talented. They also fight/argue alot. Im not sure how kind they would be to newbies. Its a little wierd at times...and since some of them troll this site, be forwarned.

 

http://modularsynth.com/

 

this is a good site for links to modular companies

dont afraid to assemble the stuff yourself from kits. It isnt that hard and the manufacturers all write good directions.

 

I have a good sized MOTM (24 modules) system that Ive barely touched in 2-3 months because Ive been playing lots and lots of piano instead.

 

Do you have a system? Are you planning one?

Wiard is probably the most interesting stuff, but its pricey (and then someone would say that you get lots of bang for your buck...but at around $500 a module, its too expensive for a broke musician)

Modcon is great

Look at blacet

 

I love MOTM, but it comes with its own debates and arguments.

 

THey're all good instruments. It comes down to subjective issues. Unfourtunately, the modular community seems way to invested in which companies some individuals think are good and which some hate.

 

Personally, I prefer the sound of my MOTM through its 440 filter to my minimoog, when played in a minimoog style patch. Hmmm...maybe Ill go power up the beast and play synth all day instead of piano. I havnt touched my q-rack in a few months either.

[Learning67]

TheProteous--

 

are you basing your filter idea on an existing product? It sounds like an interesting idea, good luck with it.

[Jimmyzegg]

Originally posted by Yoozer One little red box with 3 knobs . Buy it, because it'll be the best $300 you'll ever spend.

 

I just did, and I have to agree. For the price, there is NOTHING better, IMO.

[Is.]

 

Originally posted by NightChildren I kinda want to stick with quarter inch jacks.

 

 

*cough*banana*cough*.

[girevik]

Originally posted by Yoozer One little red box with 3 knobs . Buy it, because it'll be the best $300 you'll ever spend.

 

My friend last night made a good point about the Nord Micromodular:

 

You can screw around with freely mixing audio and logic routings and not have to worry about frying anything. You can try all sorts of stuff in the Nord Modular environment that could actually damage physical modular analog synth components.

 

-g

[Yoozer]

Originally posted by Is. *cough*banana*cough*.

 

I thought Analog vs. Digital and Mac vs. PC were already far-fetched.

 

 

:D

[TheProteus]

 

Originally posted by Learning67 TheProteous-- are you basing your filter idea on an existing product? It sounds like an interesting idea, good luck with it.

 

 

It is an interesting idea, but only one company has developed it thus far, and not with the flexibility that they really should have. I'm basing it on another product, but the other design is purely digital, and only has presets for the parametric filter instead of letting the user define the frequency curves themselves.

[TheProteus]

 

Originally posted by NightChildren I am planning on starting a modular. What is used to power the modules? I hope you do not need 20 outlets to power 20 modules. I have considered starting with Ken MacBeth's M5. (semi-modular) There is many things that could be added to that. I kinda want to stick with quarter inch jacks.

 

 

You don't need 20 outlets. Most modular systems have a power supply that powers up to a certain number of modules, with its own line input. In most cases, you'll only need one power supply.

 

I also prefer 1/4" jacks, because I've had bad luck with 1/8" (too flimsy) and banana jacks (too much of a pain getting external audio in and out without buying your own patch/mult panel). You'd do good to start with something like a MOTM or even Roger Arrick modular. MOTM is some of the cleanest stuff out there (good or bad, depending on your opinion), and Roger Arrick has done a decent Moog type modular that's not too expensive.

[cheptronics]

Originally posted by girevik You can screw around with freely mixing audio and logic routings and not have to worry about frying anything. You can try all sorts of stuff in the Nord Modular environment that could actually damage physical modular analog synth components.

 

that's right

it's even precised in a little paragrapher of the user manual that ends with : "feel free to experiment !"

 

the idea is quite simple : every non-dangerous connection between the modules is allowed (you can directly route a logical output to an audio input, for example)

 

I leanrt synthesis with a Nord Micro Modular about six years ago, and I still think it's a great machine, because it has its own sound (it's not an emulation), it's very portable, and it's easy to use. I also like the minimal concept (two inputs, two outputs, three knobs, one switch, and limited DSP power). I know lots of very different musicians who use a Micro Modular.

It's digital, so today a computer is more performant, but still bigger

 

the Doepfer A-100 looks like another good modular system (it's quite cheap, both analogue and digital depending on the modules, and there are lots of interesting modules that are quite difficult to find elsewhere)

 

 

one question NightChildren : for which reason are you interested in a modular system ?

[Jeez]

Originally posted by Yoozer One little red box with 3 knobs . Buy it, because it'll be the best $300 you'll ever spend.

Ooh I don't know, Max/MSP comes pretty close...

 

Forever,

 

 

 

 

Kim.

[ChetSinger]

Originally posted by NightChildren I kinda want to stick with quarter inch jacks.

I like the larger units, because you can get your fingers in there among the wires.

 

In quarter-inch-jack world, the best bang for the buck may be www.synthesizers.com. MOTM has a slightly better build quality, and more filter types, but is quite a bit more expensive.

 

Chet

[spectralab]

Nightchildren, one thing you will want to keep in mind if you plan to stick to 1/4"-based modular manufacturers: your options will pretty much be Macbeth, Technosaurus, Synthesizers.com and MOTM, IIRC... and I guess Encore as well... so just be sure to research what those companies offer and make sure that they have modules to fit your needs before you become too steadfast about the 1/4" rule...

 

I am about to start a banana-jack-based modular system myself. I went with bananas because for what I want to do, and with the exception of Wiard, the most interesting offerings to me are all from manufacturers who use(d) banana format: Modcan, Cyndustries, Serge, Buchla and the Synton Fenix.

 

my plans are as follows: I am buying a Synton Fenix, and I will be building a small Modcan/Cyndustires system around that.

 

from Cyndustries I will be getting an 8D case, a Medium power supply, a Studio pack of banana cables, and the following modules: Gate Sequencer, Gated Compator, Octal Inverting Attenuator, 2x Super Psycho LFO, Quad Low Pass Gates, Twin Wasp Filter, Synthacon filter

 

from Modcan I will start with the Interface and Dual X-Fade modules, and soon also add a 904a Lowpass, 4075 Lowpass, Frequency Shifter, Miniwave and either a VC Flanger or Super Delay. that will fill up the 8D case.

 

here's an article with more detail on the Fenix

 

cheers!

[AgtOrange]

Nobody's mentioning Doepfer. Is it a brand to avoid, or is it just fairly unknown?

 

I've been looking at putting together a filter bank with modules and I had been looking closely at Doepfer. Should I rethink this?

[clusterchord]

i'm planning to get into modulars for awhile now, but some vintage keyboard always turns up and sets this plan back a bit.

 

anyway, my immediate plan is to start building a MOTM -compatible analog Multi-FX system made from OAKLEY modules. I'll be placing them into my SKB 6U rack together w pwr supply. considering the cost of a nice 2vco 2filt 2env 2lfo system that i'd like, i decided to start slowly with processing modules that can immediately be put to good use on other signals, and than add the tone generating stuff later with time (vco and midi-cv...).

i'm about to order a dual ch 4-stage phase shifter (OTA type like EHX small stone, or OXYGENE if you will). Later i'll add a dbl SuperLadder filter (a multimode trasnistor ladder, sounds fantastic). i'll buy them half-assembled and i get to design my own frontplate with SCHAEFFER fronpanel designer.

 

I find MOTM/OAKLEY and MODCAN stuff are of highest quality, but i prefer the sound of the former. To me it sounds closest to old moog Tomita and Carlos stuff. Many different filters, all high-end.

 

also, i plan adding a BLACET input amp/env follower and ringmod - best on the market. i still havent decided how to interface; am i going to use adapters or attach Blacet pcb onto MOTM sized face-plates with 1/4"...

 

Synthesizers.com doesnt have feature-rich modules, so its cheaper price can be deceiving because sometimes you need two modules for things motm or blacet do in a single one. also i'm put of by small module selection compared to others.

 

DOEPFER has bang-for-the-buck factor , and its CEM and SSM chip based filters look great, but people have contradictive opinions here, altough negative seem to prevail; they say their modules are noisy, develop grounding and contact problems, 1/8 inch jacks falling apart etc. overall it's "you get what you pay for".

I wouldnt mind all this if i had heard a really nice demo of doepfer that would blow me away, but instead all i heard was really crappy sounds and worst demos in history of MI (you've heard them, with vocoder babling). otoh MOTM, OAKLEY and .COM demos, man ... its heaven, its fat, its warm.

 

Does anyone know of a product that will power 20 Doepfer modules?

 

you dont have to buy theirs, i found a +/-12V and +5V non-switiching powersupply in a local electronics parts store - all you need is to calculate the total pwr consumption and get the appropriate model. just dont buy standard PC pwr (they use switching that somehow gets into your audio signal, even being arround 30 to 50 kHz)

 

i found the +/-15 V pwr for motm also. only things i'll be buying other than modules is pwr distribution from Oakley and rack rails from MOTM.

[cheptronics]

Originally posted by Jeez Ooh I don't know, Max/MSP comes pretty close... Forever, Kim.

what about Pure Data or Scilab under Linux (which are free) ?

 

but it's still difficult to find a complete digital audio computer for less than 300 $

[cheptronics]

Originally posted by NightChildren I need analog. I find alot of enjoyment in using patch cables to find my sound. It is much more logical than a mod. matrix. (for me) I have looked pretty close at the Doepfer units. A decision will be made after the price of the M5 is released. Right now I am using some effects that take CV control. My 777 is also in on the madness. I find great fun in experimenting with CV. I think that a modular unit (real analog) is the end of the line in music for me.

Actually I think that such modular synth has to be analog. We all know that analog devices sound different than digital ones, and it looks like modular synths are the ultimate (and historically the first) analog synths.

 

I agree a digital hardware modular synth would be quite pointless today, with the exception to the Micro Modular which is interesting because of its very small size (so you can bring it everywhere).

 

I think that most digital hardware synths are good, but they don't use the possibilities allowed by the digital technologies. For them the only thing that is specifically digital is this save/load presets thing.

You will hardly find a digital hardware synth that can deal accurately with micro-time domain, with granular synthesis or with FFT processes (phase vocoders, cross synthesis, morphings or complex filters). These things are almost impossible to imagine with analog technologies, especially in realtime. But to work with them you will need a computer. Conversely, contemporary digital hardware synthesis focuses on analog simulation, so better buy the original (especially if the price is the same).

 

 

About this "end of the line in music", be careful, you often outpass these limits

But of course a modular synth remains interesting ! Will you use it for live concerts too ?

[Jeez]

Originally posted by cheptronics what about Pure Data or Scilab under Linux (which are free) ? but it's still difficult to find a complete digital audio computer for less than 300 $

 

Not if you're cheap.

 

Forever,

 

 

 

 

Kim.

[keanu reeves]

 

Originally posted by NightChildren Wiard is from here as well. The idea of staying very local is cool. But, IMO some of the Doepfer modules seem cooler.

 

 

i was just wondering why you think doepfer is cooler than wiard?

 

you keep on bringing up your worries of how you will power your modules. every company should have a PSU available that will power their modules -- and modules of other compatible companies.

 

i double and even tripple most of what spectralab said above. if i were to build a modular it would go either banana jack or 1/8th" jack. -- more interesting companies

[Sceiron]

From what I have seen, the Doepfer modules just seem more intresting, and there also seems to be more of them.

 

The only Wiard thing that seems intresting to me is the Woggle Bug.

 

There are 5 or 6 MOTM units that I like.

 

There are 20 Doepfer modules that I like. There modules justseems the most intresting to me.

 

There are 3 Analogue Systems modules that I would like to try.

 

Synthesiser.com has 8-9 products that would make cool sounds, I bet.

 

Most of these companies do make power supplies, but I have not seen one for Doepfer. I did not know they were universal.

 

I have beem doing a bit of research.

 

I am not TOTALLY against banana plugs, but everything else here is quarter inch. I want ease of interaction with other units.

 

Really, I have no clue what the final results will be.

 

Thanks to everyone for the imformative posts. There really are alot of options that could be done.

[keanu reeves]

 

Originally posted by NightChildren From what I have seen, the Doepfer modules just seem more intresting, and there also seems to be more of them.

 

 

ahh yes. sure there are only 6 wiard modules. consider that each wiard module will do the work of 3 or more modules of most other modular companies.

 

i have also heard things about doepfers build quality being a little sub-par. but yeah they do have a LOT of modules to pick from and many interesting modules. and i, myself, would probably pick up a few doepfer modules if i went with analog solutions, blacet, and doepfer fracrack.

 

i wont say anymore because i dont have any personal experience with any modular company. only heresay and research.

[AfroRouge]

I guess I don't quite understand why a hard and fast decision to go 1/4", 1/8" or banana needs to be made at all, since converters are out there and stocking different patch cables really isn't that big a pain in the ass compared to some of the other issues with modulars. This seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

One day I'll build a modular, one day . . .

[Analog Kid]

I'll try to read it and comment at work or later.