Brilliant caution to newbies. I recommend the book Patch & Tweak as well as using the free software VCV Rack before spending a penny on modular gear. For me, I learned subtractive synthesis on Moog Sub 37 which I still own and love and moved into DAWs with Ableton Push and software VSTs then Elektron gear for live performances. Now been using those and west coast Make Noise 0-coast to experiment with patching. Several years later since then, I am looking into building a basic modular rig for sound exploration and creating weird background sounds to supplement my studio.