Now despite the title, I know modular setups are definitely capable of aping normal analog synths and such set ups are maybe beside the point of what modular gear is capable of but....
I'm finding it hard to find decent demos & examples of modular set-ups that don't just make Dr Who sounds, exotic blips or screeching that sends my wife running out of the room.
I like the idea of building a set-up that doesn't necessarily copy my Minibrute/SEM/Slim Phatty, but creates a synth with a similar signal path yet a different sound and flexibility to go all Dr Who in the future.
To modular fiends this probably sounds ridiculous, but if any one has any links to examples of modular making more normal synth sounds, I'd be very grateful.
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Last edited by allthegear.net; 10th February 2013 at 10:08 AM..
Reason: Update
The lack of demos is probably because most people go modular to get away from the limited architecture of pre-patched synths and the palette of sounds that comes along with them. That's really the whole point. This doesn't mean, though, that modulars aren't capable of standard synth sounds. They are!
Good examples would be the early works of Tomita and Carlos. Both used Moog modulars extensively, producing very musical sounds in tonal arrangements and compositions. Many people are put off by modulars because they assume they're only suited for avant-garde music or "bug noises" which simply isn't true. Any well designed modular system will have the necessary modules to produce basic sounds (VCO>VCF>VCA). The reverse, however, is not always true, which is why avant-gardists and bug noise composers prefer modulars over pre-patched synths.
most people i know use their modular systems as drum machines and leave the polyphonic sttuff and bass lines to vintage specialists..
however.. you can do any sound with a modulart system.. but you need 6 oscilators, 6 filters and 6 vca /env combos to just patch the most minimal juno sound
Thanks Maison. I'm in that place where the avant-garde aspect does put me off a little but at the same time I know that's pigeon holing modular as a whole. If there were more normal vids perhaps more people would jump in - and then go crazy after taking the leap :-)
I'll check out the Tomita & Carlos stuff, thanks for that. Also, Deadmau5, love him or hate him, has a few interesting modular based videos on YouTube - one particular on getting started.
however.. you can do any sound with a modulart system.. but you need 6 oscilators, 6 filters and 6 vca /env combos to just patch the most minimal juno sound
I like the idea of building a set-up that doesn't necessarily copy my Minibrute/SEM/Slim Phatty, but creates a synth with a similar signal path yet a different sound and flexibility to go all Dr Who in the future.
Your question makes definitely sense.
The answer is a resounding YES.
I have been using a doepfer modular for some time, just for emulating a "normal" vintage monosynth.
I used its extensive modulation capabilities so that I had - e.g. ("exempli gratia", not "envelope generator"),
a red noise source modulate BY A FEW CENTS:
filter cutoff
osc sinc
lfo freq
filter eg amount
then, a low, slow lfo modulated the same parameters
In the end, a very simple "1970s fusion solo" patch had a fluctuating, alive sound.
Another trick: I sometimes patched a sine wave OSC directly into the amp, without any filtering, but with some pitch modulation (again, noise slowly modulating the modulation) and used a amp eg
nasty lead sound. drown in reverb, duet with a sax... "weather report" galore
So, using a modular for "normal" [sounds] is viable and useful.
Maybe an off-the-wall suggestion, but you might want to take a look at the U-He ACE plugin. It's a virtual small modular system -- playing around with it and studying the included patches might give you an idea of how to proceed. (It's also a great plugin to have around and the price is a bargain.)
I'd recommend a OPEN (really modular, even in construction) system
I used a very basic doepfer a100 with some added multis, plus a watchamacallit quasi-ARP-post-lawsuit filter.
Have sold it serveral months ago, can't remember now. I probably posted the layout somewhere.
IMHO: Get as many MULTIPLE, ATTENUATOR, LFO and EG modules as possible. Get a serious noise/ramdom generator. Make that two.
If you want "normal" sounds [rather than the "cosmic choatic out of tune unaudible frequency digital oscillator", with bright lettering in fancy gothic-spaceship fonts],
"MODULATION" is the second keyword,
after
"FILTER".
Get a multimode filter, a good "moog", a good "obie",
and plenty of sources to add MOVEMENT.
There' you will get something a voyager can't produce, but still "basic", "straight", "singing"
@Rimwolf - The ACE idea is nice. I'm a long term Reason user and there's some new Rack Extensions based on modular stuff (more so than the built in CV patching) that I might play with too.
As others have said, a modular synth can definitely do "normal" sounds, and by "normal" I mean classic analog synth sounds: basses, leads, bells, flutes, brass, strings. When I built my first modular, I based its specs on the Minimoog, and only after that I went for the crazier stuff.
Here are some tracks where I use mostly "normal" sounds (but also weirder sounds):
@kraku & @shadowfac....bingo, that's what I'm talking about :-) Modular generating tonal stuff as opposed to esoteric blips (which still have their place of course).
there are many people who use modular to make regular "fixed architecture synth" sounds. it's very easy to do, but it's a waste of a modular.
here's one of my favorites:
as for Juno style sound sounds (or any other polysynth), it doesn't really make sense to do on modular because it's too expensive and impractical. modular is better suited to monosynth style patches. but you can make basic multi-voice spread sounds using an E340 Cloud Generator (super saw also). it can do 2, 4, and 8 voice spreads using saw and sine. you can also use modules like the Flame Chord Machine which let's you generate 4-note chord CV.
Spending an obscene amount of money on a huge modular only to make insect noise symphonies recorded on mobile phone does seem remarkably popular.
A lot of modular folks like doing atonal stuff so you do get a lot of demos like that.
However, the whole point of modular is you can do what you want. They are capable of any sound you can dial into them. You decide the sort of sounds you want.
If you wire up a modular like a standard subtractive synth you'll get what sounds like a subtractive synth. You can then start wiring it up differently and you can add in different modules for different possibilities. You need to experiment to see what works but that's half the fun of it.
I'm just interested in sonic possibilities of modular. I'm not the least bit interested in avant-gard or atonal music.
I'm currently working on a modular demo track which is decidedly tonal.
This is my (still growing!) system. The range of sounds it can do boggles the mind but it is entirely for tonal music:
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@bouzoukijoe1 Great sounds in that Doepfer sequence :-).
I partly agree that creating a fixed architecture is a waste but at the same time each to their own.
I do think though that perhaps more folks would get into modular if they saw it can be more accessible sound wise and some of the examples here have definitely helped me see a side to it that would be of more interest to me, in the initial stages at least any way.
For me, once I've nailed that, it'll be bonkers weirdness all the way.
there are many people who use modular to make regular "fixed architecture synth" sounds. it's very easy to do, but it's a waste of a modular.
Nah, it's just a tool.
It's a waste to spend a fortune on a modular and only use it for one thing (abstract).
Modular is the heart of my studio. So it gets used for simple synth bass, for housey synth chords, filtering a drum part, and for creating crazy fx and atmospheres.
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