Back in 2018, I wandered into this forum and did that thing, "I like modular synthesizers! They're really neato and also I like turtles!!!@! What should I buy?!" Several of you gave solid advice. It was pretty great. I went off for a year or so to learn everything I could in any way possible, including building oscillators from scratch. Thanks for a push in the right direction.
During that time, I worked on my modular rack. It went through several iterations and 'growth spurts.' I formed a solid game plan and stuck to it, mostly.
Here's where I'm at.
Breaking it down with a color-coded version at http://www.climbhigher.net/image/mowse-modular.jpg and starting from the bottom row:
Red, oscillators and other sound sources.
Orange, filters and effects.
Yellow, utilities and modulation sources, animation.
Green, pre-output effects/utilities and output.
Purple, portable playground and 4th row supplement. Things rotate in and out (e.g. Rene for Mimetic Digitalis and lots of modulation sources)
On the side are two Moog Mother 32’s, an Arturia Keystep, and a handful of modules that move in and out of that top row. Everything is routed into a Scarlett audio interface and Logic Pro X for EQ and recording.
What's next? A proper case with unified power and cabling, but these individual 104hp skiffs were a great way to build slowly.
The layout feels right. Everything I need is where I want it. I sit down, flip a few switches and get right to patching.
A little while back, I created a Discord server where friends get together and jam. Everybody takes a turn and shares a new patch. We’re hanging out, having fun, and learning from each other. It’s pretty great.
For those just diving into this, here are things I learned:
- Slow your roll! Take your time. Learn first, buy second. Learn, learn, learn!
- Have a plan. Stick with it, but it’s cool to wander a bit.
- You’re probably not using that module to the fullest extent. See #1.
- Find friends, get together, make noise. You’ll have fun and learn tons.
- Win the lottery, because you’re probably going to ignore #1 - #3.
Here’s one from last night, just a little fun with Rossum Electro-Music Trident and a Mother 32 with Plaits setting a bass tone in the background. Simple sequences with lots of modulation is where I feel most at home. Hope you dig it.
Again, thanks for all of the solid advice given in 2018.