Analog modulars vs. semi-modulars

[Guest kokeboka]

So I've been saving up for a while, taken up a Summer job and sold some gear, with the prospect of assembling a small modular system. What I first found appealing about analog modulars was the immediacy of having all the controls/connections physically laid out for you to see and tweak, and the possibility to mix and match different flavors of modules and routing (the possibility to patch, say, an analogue SEM, Moog, MS20 or WASP filter soundalikes as needed). Eventually, with enough modules addressing logic functions, sequencing, waveshaping and exoteric modulation, a modular system could produce unique analog soundscapes, and be a lot more enjoyable and natural to use than a mouse and a keyboard.

 

I've used this site to plan for a functional system. I soon realised that even the most skeleton crew of a eurorack modular (MIDI to CV, 2x VCO, 1x VCF, 2x Envelope, 1x LFO, 1x Multiple, 1x VCA, 1x mixer, 1x casing), using only the low-cost Doepfer modules, would easily go upwards of 2000USD. Without more modules and better existing ones, it would be underwhelming to part with so much money, I'd soon have to invest more to get the kind of results I want from it - and money's tight.

 

If I'm after a beast of an analog synth with routing flexibility in that price range, I could instead get a semi-modular like a Tereshkova or a Telemark: a lot more thrown in, integration, and with better quality filters. It does void the possibility to improve upon with more modules, but it's an appealing alternative given the amount of investment needed to assemble a modular system that can be as functional and musical.

 

So what are your thoughts? Are modulars too steep of an investment, are semi-modulars a good solution of compromise?

[zkom]

I started with a Doepfer Dark Energy and expanded from there. Dark Energy has MIDI and USB to CV/Gate conversion, VCO, VCF (LP), VCA, 2xLFO and Envelope. You can input external audio, CVs for VCO F, VCO PW, VCF F, VCA and Gate. From outputs you get LFO 1, Envelope and Audio and several CVs. So it's pretty solid starting point.

 

So for example when I needed a second VCO I bought Doepfer A-110 VCO and A-132-3 DVCA modules and just connected the new VCO to Dark Energy's CV1 which outputs the same CV as Dark Energy uses for it's own VCOs frequency. Then the new VCO output through DVCA (for sound level control) back to Dark Energy. So now I have 2xVCO.

 

I also bought a bunch of other modules and housed them in the Doepfer Mini-Cases. So, now I have a modular system of Dark Energy + 10 Doepfer A-100 modules in three Mini-Cases. And I can also connect other effects, drum machines etc to the system if I needed.

[th555]

The suitcase thing is pure goodness.

I don't have a lot of experience with analogue gear, but it seems to me that a semimodular capable of handling external midi/cv is flexible enough.

[BCM]

if you want immediate results (and it sounds like you do) go for a semi-modular...

 

likelihood is if you go for a full modular system and buy it all at the same time etc you will need to spend the first week assembling/setting it up then a few more weeks getting the thing to make the sort of noises you want.

 

most people (with limited budgets) tend to build up their modular systems very gradually over a few months and this way they really get to grips with each module and how it all works together etc

[kakapo]

I like my dark energy, but annoyingly there's no direct out from the vco, and one can't be modded in*, which limits its usefulness integrating it with other modular gear. Yes you can open up the filter but then you lose the filter. The new minibrute would be a similar starting point, though I think you only get pitch and gate out, though maybe(?) easier to mod.

 

Pittsburgh modular have announced a 'synth voice module' which looks like it would be a really great starting point. Good price too. I'm half considering getting a complete makenoise system when they supposedly come out, but if I was starting off modular more modestly I'd go for this and expert sleepers.

 

http://m.matrixsynth.com/2012/06/pittsburgh-synthesizer-cell-one.html

 

Cwejman VM1 is a more expensive option for a voice module.

 

*some time ago I erroneously stated on here that the DE wasn't a synth on a chip and had a separate vco curtis chip after I opened it up and had a look. Absolute bollocks, not sure what I was looking at. Hence no way to mod vco out.

[Guest kokeboka]

Pittsburgh modular have announced a 'synth voice module' which looks like it would be a really great starting point. Good price too. I'm half considering getting a complete makenoise system when they supposedly come out, but if I was starting off modular more modestly I'd go for this and expert sleepers.

 

Pittsburgh Modular are supposedly 2 months away from launching a new version of their basic system, Foundation - their site says it should go for the same price of version 1.0 (1700 USD):

 

 

It looks appealing for a starting point of a larger system, but I'm remaining cautiously optimistic until I see it retail here in Europe. I couldn't find references on their website to that voice module, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for it - Cwejman is too steep for me.

 

By now I must've scoured the websites of dozens of eurorack modules manufacturers - what other good semi-modulars are out there, aside from Analogue Solutions?

[Plarkreluke Banloboh]

If I was starting I'd probably get a 32hp mini-case with the new 22hp Pittsburgh 'Cell One' voice module, the newly revised 6hp Intellijel uScale for quantisation & a 4hp uStep for sequencing. If you used the LFO from the Cell One into the uScale for arpeggios that would give you a complete voice with sequencing in a highly portable package for about $900US.

[BCM]

what other good semi-modulars are out there, aside from Analogue Solutions?

 

MFB Dominion X:

 

 

 

 

MFB Kraftzwerg:

 

 

 

 

Future Retro XS:

 

 

 

 

Oberheim SEM Patch Panel:

 

 

 

 

MEM PALette V2:

 

[kakapo]

 

Pittsburgh Modular are supposedly 2 months away from launching a new version of their basic system, Foundation - their site says it should go for the same price of version 1.0 (1700 USD):

 

 

It looks appealing for a starting point of a larger system, but I'm remaining cautiously optimistic until I see it retail here in Europe.

 

Not that I would turn one down, but that will likely be €1,700 for a fairly traditional 2 osc monosynth, albeit one with lots of patch points. If you want to expand with more esoteric modules or sequencing, it's the cost of another case and modules on top. Pretty soon you're in Cwejman S1 territory price wise.

[Guest Hanratty]

U-He Ace is less than $100 and looks similar. Is all the money being spent to avoid a computer os is there other benefits? I think Ace is really cool.

[BCM]

are you serious? there are untold discussions on hardware vs software and the arguments for and against each are incredibly well known... don't understand why this should be any different for hardware or software modular systems.

[ryancolecreate]

just get a netbook with Reason innit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest ryanmcallister]

ya like i can totally do all of this with Reaktor...

[Guest kokeboka]

U-He Ace is less than $100 and looks similar. Is all the money being spent to avoid a computer os is there other benefits? I think Ace is really cool.

 

You can easily find a good deal of routing flexibility in the realm of vsts, but the flexibility is only part of the reason why I'm considering going for a modular system. A piece of software can't emulate the feeling you get from physically tweaking things, the gratification you get from assembling a real instrument with the parts you handpicked - above all else, I expect this to be fun and enjoyable, and to give me a different approach to making music. The analog sound is an added bonus.

 

In any case, I don't want to go too far down the analogue vs digital road. I could get Reaktor and a massive upgrade to my PC for a lighter price tag and that's all good, but it's not what I'm looking for. I've almost always used software, now I want something different and inspiring.

[th555]

Won't a digital synthesizer give you the same experience? Things like a Nord rack? And are there still some good analog/digital hybrids being made?

[awepittance]

after owning a decent sized doepfer system and arp 2600 for several years i can say with confidence that i've already gotten my modular synth bug fix taken care of, right now i'm much more productive using my G2, reaktor and other semi modular devices. Not being able to save patches kinda sucks.

 

anyone here in the market to buy an arp2600 with moog filter?

 

 

one of the things i always wanted to try with my modular setup which i never got around to was a Volta or some kind of really fleshed out MIDI - CV module that has a ridiculous amount of CC - voltage patches on it

 

being able to automate my modular synth in depth with midi would be really fun, but still a bitch to setup

[BCM]

i go through phases in terms of hardware or software.... at the moment i'm still just using my computer for everything, but this is after a good few years using a totally hardware based setup, and before that computer again and before that hardware...

 

it's all good - at the moment i'm well into the more immediate and efficient nature using one tool for everything (ie my mac), but i know i'll get (what's left) of my hardware out of the cupboard in time and be well into that process again.

[Guest Hanratty]

I'm sure having a real modular setup would be amazing, but for me music is and will always be a hobby and until I get rich I could not justify the cost of it.

 

Do you guys know of any current artists releasing music made with modular synths? I can think of Keith Fullerton Whitman and that's about it.

[futureimage]

Step into modular land just so you can buy my modules

 

On a more serious note, it depends what you're after. If you want portability, then a semi-modular system is probably much better. However, semi-modulars typically get expanded upon with a modular system months after, so if I were you I'd just take the plunge and go straight into building up a modular system. They can definitely be made portable to a degree (suitcase, etc.). Also, Doepfer aren't the only company out there making affordable modules (honestly, please check my link above, Sound on Sound said my gear's affordable so I guess...) so you CAN get very high quality gear for £not-so-much. However, I've been happy overall with my Doepfer gear. There are a few quirks here and there (the quad envelope I bought is a little buggy, and the first batch of the A-143-4 quad VCO modules have the switches the wrong way round, but they're easy to fix if you have a soldering iron and basic knowledge in electronics (which I'd hope any synthesist/audio engineer would have)) but in the long run it's good gear, and to be fair it doesn't sound of "poor quality" - sound quality is totally up to the user.

 

P.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpFVcy6hX0E&feature=plcp

[Guest kokeboka]

Won't a digital synthesizer give you the same experience? Things like a Nord rack? And are there still some good analog/digital hybrids being made?

 

I've checked out the Nord Rack, the Monomachine and the Virus - they seem like great pieces of gear, but they sound too silky and tidy to me. I'd also venture to say they sound uncharacteristic as well, but I guess that comes down to a matter of taste and suitability. I don't have a thing against hybrids, I just haven't heard any sound clips/tried any hybrid or VA that jumps at me like an MS20 does.

 

I actually first started considering analog modulars and semi-modulars after revisiting an old Mr Oizo album; the MS20 is all over it and it sounds awesome. I've tried one at a friend's studio last year, and its possibilities seemed endless. Getting an actual MS20 would be mad money for an old and possibly unreliable machine, so a modern modular or semi-modular seem like solid options. A semi-modular would provide an all-in-one solution, a modular would allow me to eventually add other filter types and more oscillators. I doubt I'll have the need, the money and the actual space to aim for a large modular system, even in the long run.

 

 

Do you guys know of any current artists releasing music made with modular synths?

 

Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, RDJ, LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead, Tortoise.... Deadmau5 I'm certain I've seen Clark toying with a modular somewhere, but I'm not 100% sure of this.

[futureimage]

Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, RDJ, LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead, Tortoise.... Deadmau5 I'm certain I've seen Clark toying with a modular somewhere, but I'm not 100% sure of this.

Clark used a small Eurorack system in the Iradelphic webcast :)

 

Your point about the MS20 - I don't think it would necessarily be unreliable if you bought one in decent condition, but most of the MS20 (or its sound at least) can be replicated in the Eurorack world - there's plenty of MS20 VCF clones out there

 

Also, you say you won't ever have/need a large modular system..... Give it a few years and it'll be a different story. Trust me.

[soundwave]

ever thought of the Nord Modulars?

 

the G1 has the warmer sound but the G2 has an amazing set of features beyond almost anything else although I found it a little sterile sound wise

[awepittance]

the G2 has left me a far far more happy and satisfied man than my arp 2600 or doepfer modular system ever did. They just cant compete, maybe if you absolutely require analog sound, but the nord is pretty goddam capable of achieving analog like and seriously bassy tones. It has 4 slots for a different polyphonic modular synth in each one

 

so yeah for around $1k you can get a G2 that will obliterate any analog modular system for the same, double or even triple that price.

 

If i bought another analog modular i'd probably get an oberhiem expander simply because of the polyphony. One of the things that bugs me the most about analog modulars is actually setting up a true duovoice or polyphonic setup would take an insane amount of money. Its just not economically feasible. The arp2600 would be one of the best synths ever made if it was not monophonic.

 

but maybe it's just me, im very much over and beyond being fixated on some kind of analog warmth, right now im looking more for precision power and convenience. analog modulars cover the 'power' side of things, but fail miserably with the other 2 (unless you go for a buchla 200e)

 

also if you are a clever enough producer you don't have to own a single piece of analog synth gear to achieve a warm, dirty or gritty mr oizo like sound. There are plenty of digital ways to achieve it nowadays with software that sound extremely convincing. I run into a lot of producers who think analog will automatically make them sound better, most of the time it just makes the music they could potentially be making sound more bland and limited in scope

[sweepstakes]

I have a Micro Modular. Sometimes it drives me nuts that it only has 3 knobs and I can't edit it without a computer. Other times I look at the back of it and I get a gear boner thinking about how much modular power is crammed into that tiny red box. One thing I know for sure is it sounds awesome as shit and in that regard, at least, it's all the analog I want or need. It's cool because it feels very precise and science-y, but it also sounds warm and sometimes fat, as mentioned earlier.

 

Sometimes I want to upgrade to a G1, G2, Lead or Monomachine for more immediacy and/or polyphony. But I don't really need to get any of those, and if I did, I probably couldn't put my rig in my backpack anymore.

[Guest Diao]

If you want immediate results, I would suggest a semi-modular. Modulars are great fun and all, but can be annoying at times when you have a great idea and just want to bang out a track. When I've got a tune brewing in my head I always reach for my hardwired synths first. The modular is more a tool for experimenting, for me. When I have, say, a sound in my head I can't pull off on a traditional subtractive synth, it's good to know I have the modular where I won't run into the limitations of my other hardwired synths. But the majority of my music is made using good ol' synths and samplers.

 

Just remember, modulars do not increase workflow for music making (99% of the time). If you have trouble focusing on making music and get sidetracked dicking around making didgeridoo noises that sound like they are coming from an aliens ass, it will only get worse with a modular.