Post
by ryryoftokyo » Tue Dec 15, 2015 4:32 am
I own a modular for several reasons:
1) I control EVERYTHING. No company dictates how I use the pieces. Remember the crazy c**p you could get up to with Legos as a kid? Yeah. That, but with sound. The other night I was using my dotcom state variable filter, sending out four filter curves at once with the resonance all the way up AS AN LFO that was being sent to a VCO that was sending out five waveforms at once to modulate four other VCOs in an incredible way. You cannot get that anywhere else.
2) My system contains five VCOs, an Instrument Interface (for bass, other synths, etc), three mixers, a clipper/rectifier unit, three filters, a spring reverb, four EGs, two passive Mults, three active mults two MIDI interfaces, two 8 step sequencers (one of which is a ratcheting), three VCAs, a noise gen, a phaser, a ring modulator, and many other various things like dedicated LFOs, sample and hold, attenuators, etc. This is my dream synth. I built it. I will continue to build it.
3) Despite what people say about modular being "so complicated and overwhelming", its actually much easier once you figure out how to make a basic patch. That's right, I said it. Its easier than operating my Blofeld, Bass Station 2, DX7, Poly 61, etc.
I don't think modular represents a departure from sampler culture at all. In fact, I've never wanted a sampler more than I have now. I have a modular that makes crazyness that I can't get anywhere else and would be a nightmare to try and patch live. I think a sampler helps out in a big way. I would wager that many other modular folks feel the same.
As for the whole psuedo spiritual BS that informs the decision making of so many synth players and guitar pedal snobs ($400 for a Boss Slow Gear? Really?), it is inevitable across all forms of music making. There is just the opposite that says "oh, modular is nothing but beep boop bleep whrrrr bzzzzz sounds" and then there are those that think they are so "patched in" to the sound creation process that are just as bad. Stupid is stupid and it exists everywhere.
MU Modular (Moog, Dotcom, STG, Analog Systems, and Moon modules), MS20 (x2), Microbrute, Electribes (EA-1, EMX), microKorg, AN1x, Nord Lead 2x, Blofeld, Alpha Juno 2, DX7, JX8P, Poly 61 (x2), Split 8, TR-505, Monotron Delay, Ace Tone FR-3, Paia Fatman