The Modular Synthesizer Thread

[ffcal]

I didn't fully appreciate the access I had to Moog and ARP gear when I was a student, probably because I was more caught up in understanding the analog fundamentals then.  Oddly enough, I often found myself bringing in my Korg MS-20 into the EM studio to record because I spent more time programming it and was more comfortable with it.  The ARP 2500 made very cool sounds, but the oscillators tended to sound reedy and thin to me.  The Moog sound was much fatter, of course, but the monster Moog was much harder for me to program (and I tended to run out of cables!).  I did make liberal use of the Otari two-track machines for tape delay, though.   :)

Sorry, Julio, no transcripts from my Subotnick interview.  I was only a student!

Forrest

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Came across this today....really good quiet ambient, for a modular.   Love the secret agent man brief case 8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0TTWcGhOzg

[Scott M2]

I have been staring at them for 20 minutes imagining the sound.  The Moog speak is interesting....Clamp trig, clamp point, rectangular which would be square wave or is this something unique to Moogs and is really a rectangle in shape.  Strong & weak sync.....who would dare to put the word "weak" on a product electronic or not, today, though it describes what it does it perfectly.

The 921A....Oscillator Driver.... 8), What is it?  Rectangle LFO, yet there are only inputs no outs.  Is it internally wired?

Re- the 921A, as Loren said, is wired to the 921Bs at the back of the modules. In the larger Moog systems you'll find three 921Bs attached to each 921A. I think it's meant save patching into each individual oscillator to save multiples and wires.

And because they were pretty much the first, the "common" nomenclature was not standardized yet. Yes, the "rectangular" wave is commonly called a "pulse" wave now and with the Width knob at 12 o'clock it's a square wave. The Minimoog had some unique naming too. Emphasis for Resonance (Q) on the VCF and the Envelopes were called Contours. On the Modulars they were called Envelope Generators but instead of the now-common ADSR layout they used T1 (Time1), T2, T3, Esus or effectively ADRS. They also used the uncommon "S-Trigger" instead of an incoming voltage to trigger them. It made it easy to use an simple external switch to trigger them.

Here's a photo of my 911 Envelopes (which I also build LEDs into) and a less common 911A Dual Trigger Delay to which I added a 1/4" jack with a voltage to S-trigger converter and a switch to bypass the delays - which add a tiny delay even at their lowest setting. I use an MPU-101 MIDI to CV converter which uses voltage triggers, so the converter is always used. It's also handy for triggering from an LFO. (This is kind of fun revisiting little mods made decades ago - which I just take for granted now.)

[Scott M2]

Last year the Obsolete Components label (which is all about the old hardware) asked if I had an ambient track which featured my Moog on it for a chilled compilation they were assembling. I didn't, but decided to make one with the Moog as the only sound source plus copious use of my Eventide H9. It was named ADRS as the envelopes were a significant factor in its creation - and now you'll get the joke Julio. ;)

https://obsoletecomponents.bandcamp.com/track/adrs

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Fascinating look into your Moog Model 15, Scott......I understand now when you said you have a relationship with this instrument and a very long one.
Im quite happy staring at Oscillators, Envelopes et el, but then I need to get a life....no this is my life ;D

Theres all sorts of unique modular speak appearing on eurorack modules......Air, Span, Quality, Influence, Texture, Structure, just glanced over at the modular and read these off.  However there is still something unique about the Moog language and it was created alone though Buchla's modular was being created around the same time on the other coast.

Gorgeous track Scott...love the way you took this powerful monophonic instrument and created so much deep space, textures and delicate timbres.

Im enjoying how the Modular thread is becoming more personal and historic and not just a gear fest.

[LNerell]

I picked up one of these last week:



So far it seems pretty cool.

[Scott M2]

Loren, I was in the Moog Audio store in Toronto where they have a very good collection of Euro for sale. The staff are always screwing around in the modular section, which is great because they can speak with more knowlege about them. Some great sonics attracted my ears and I went over to enquire. It was this module generating the main sound and it's always been in my imaginary eurorack system ever since.  ;D  8)

[LNerell]

Yeah I saw one really cheap on ebay, so I went out to Noisebug for something else and while there did some playing around with the waldorf while in the shop. That's when I knew I had to have it, it does some pretty interesting things. Now I need to go back to Noisebug and purchase some other modules they had that I also tested out and now can't live without.  ;D

[LNerell]

I'm doing a show in a few weeks (I mentioned it over in my thread in the Forum members projects). I thought I would share with you what I plan to use in my modular. Here's a rendering from modulargrid of what I will have in the system:



I haven't started on any patches yet, that will come this weekend.

[Scott M2]

With all that, you won't need visuals Loren!

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Been away on vacation and stayed off the net intentionally...

Its encouraging that you both have good things to say about the Waldorf NW1 wavetable module as I have disliked every demo I have heard and that may speak more about the demos than the module.  I have the iPad app Nave which as I understand the nw1 is related.  I liked using Nave but it was very brittle in sound which seems to carry over into the nw1, again these is based on net demos so.....it would seem this module really needs to be experienced in the flesh from what you are both saying.  Always been a waldorf wavetable fan so Im interested.

Loren, any chance your live set will be recorded?

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Heres a podcast and poor quality unfortunately with Mark Verbos talking about all things random with emphasis on Don Buchla's genius and how it arrives into the new Verbos Random Sampling module. Some interesting history.  Its long and demanding but well worth the headache, but then I love randomness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I2PfWKT_aY

[jkn]

I get a little excited every time I look in this thread.   :o

[ffcal]

I get a little excited every time I look in this thread.   :o

Yes, I'm getting some vicarious enjoyment out of it, too.  Makes me wants to plug patch cords into things.   ;)

[APK]

It made me buy Reaktor 6 for the Blocks modules.

[LNerell]

quote author=Julio Di Benedetto link=topic=8473.msg50744#msg50744 date=1465939283]
Heres a podcast and poor quality unfortunately with Mark Verbos talking about all things random with emphasis on Don Buchla's genius and how it arrives into the new Verbos Random Sampling module. [/quote]

I already have Doepfer's A-149-1 and A-149-2 which is basically the top part of the Verbos module. Here's a video of how it works

https://youtu.be/l59lAQ0ihmI

[Julio Di Benedetto]

What you may ask does an Akai APC 40 Mk2 Ableton controller have to do with modulars...well nothing, but for me it does because each on of those colored soft buttons represents a patch or part of a patch.

I saw Morton Subotnik talking on a video about how he uses Ableton live and a few controllers for his live performance.  What this meant was that he could have a small Buchla system and use Ableton to record, process and send back out into the live system while performing.... at least thats my understanding of it.  This idea appealed to me to expand the system without adding more modules and use the daw in a live and spontaneous manner. This has completely opened up Live for me in very new way.

I dont use the APC with the computer, that is, it's connected but located as part of the modular system.  As a patch evolves its sections are recorded into Live.  The patch is dismantled and a new one created as a continuation or the first patch. Then this patch is recorded and spread across the controller.  This patch is taken down and a new......you see the pattern.  I have 10 channels coming out of the system so technically I can have 10 separate events (not voices) happening simultaneously.

I had wanted to only produce/perform music from the modular with just the modular and its limitations and keep it "alive" and spontaneous as was expressed with the "Modular Musings" thread, so this maybe a compromise if one could call it that but Im hoping the music will be that much more.
         

[LNerell]

Interesting, I wonder it that would work with Mainstage instead of Live?   :o

BTW here is a pic of me from my live show last week, with my modular as you can see:

[LNerell]

Here are a couple of other shots of modulars that were at the show.

This one is actually the synth I first learned synthesis on 35 years ago:

It's the moog 35 that Long Beach City College owns. It sat in a storage room for over 20 years not being used (I almost bought this thing off of them at an auction in 1987, but they pulled it out before the auction ended). Two math professor heard about it, the music department gave it to them, they sent it back to moog who refurbished it to this condition. Nice to see it in use again after all these years.

This is my friend Rychards modular synth, he likes LED lights  ;D



This guy named Matt brought his smallish system, it does a lot for it's size:



Lastly a closer picture of my system:

[Julio Di Benedetto]

Fantastic pictures Loren....how did the performance go?

It seems the mixer is a focal point for you...could you explain the performance process and how each part of your setup interacted.  Im very interested in what is involved in a modular performance and making it all come together in a live situation. 

Was a recording made?

Questions, questions, questions.