Modular? Monomachine? Something else?

The Lounge Other Gear
#71

I have heard from a few sources that the biggest customers for Eurorack are Lawyers and Doctors. It’s a midlife crisis thing for a lot of people I think, I am constantly baffled by the number of large systems being bought and sold by people who have zero musical output. Perhaps it makes them feel powerful to sit in front of a load of controls and lights.

I was at Dutch Modular Fest a few weeks ago and a guy was playing a really great set with laser lissajous displays. This being a very visual set, I found it really interesting. What really disappointed me was that next to this performer, Colin Benders was setting up with his monsterous system. This is no fault of Colin’s but 90% of the crowd stopped watching the lasers and were just staring at the massive system being set up. Fetishists.

If you really want to get into modular, start with a Nord Modular, Reaktor, Max MSP or a fixed system like a Serge, 5U or Semi Modular. You have to work with what you have that way.

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#72

In response to some of the people here, I understand what needs to go into a modular synth (to a decent degree, not totally blind about it), more so looking at what would give me the greatest versatility to manipulate sound at the synthesis level. I did a bunch of research on everything and did end up getting a Nord modular (just waiting for it to arrive now). I felt the Monomachine was too similar to what I already had and the Nord appears to have so much potential (not that the Monomachine doesn’t). Some day I’ll get a Monomachine and Machinedrum because I fucking love Elektron products now. I’ve long toyed with the idea of diving into modular synthesizers (such as eurorack) but in talking to people it reaffirmed that yeah I’ll probably just always feel that I need one more thing to do whatever it is that I want to do. I’ve always found that I make the coolest stuff when I really limit myself and try to pump out some crazy shit. Some of my favorite music I made with a shitty tape deck, delay pedal, mixer, and a cheap Yamaha keyboard from the 80s. I used to mdss with chuck and qutecsound (spelling?) and I really should get back into using computers. I was toying with ableton live quite a bit the last year or two trying to get into it but i found it so very boring coming from using samplers 8 track and sequencers. Maybe if I pick up some cheap control surfaces. Some day I’ll find my workflow again. Used to be sampler based but I kinda grew out of that what with having such repetitive loops and have long been trying to work more towards long-form synthesis work that is transforming constantly.

I really appreciate everyone’s input here so very much. Everyone’s responses were well thought out, kind, and helpful. :smiley:

Got a suggestion from someone else to try reaktor, and max//msp has interested me for a while. I definitely take a lot of inspiration from Autechre but I wouldn’t say that I do or want to make music like theirs. My background is also heavily influenced by punk, industrial, and noise as well.

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#73

5 posts were split to a new topic: Flame wars on modulars

#76

Lol. It’s like never saying the “q” word in a hospital in case you jinx it. Never say that people are being nice in a thread.

Also, thanks for all your help Bradley. I’ve read a little bit about people saying they could use Max with the Nord modular so potentially in my future. Regardless, I loved the wide open possibilities with being able to program my own sounds from scratch and also used to do a fair bit of computer programming when I was younger.

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#78

Right right right, like simple macros, or a randomizer, or a simple function generators, yesssssss. Do you use max for live, or just regular ol’ max//msp? I’m not familiar with the environments, and a while ago when I looked at the cycling '74 website I was a bit confused about what I should be looking into (obviously personal preference, but).

#82

I just wanted to say that although I’m in my mid-life, I’m no doctor or lawyer :joy:

Heck, I even finish tracks with the rack sometimes:

Semi-modulars are great, don’t hesitate. System1m, 0coast, Neutron, mother32… plenty of choices. Also, if it happens that you don’t like noodles, it will be easier to sell semi-modulars than seperate modules.

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#83

Oh wow, that’s super cool! Thank you!

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#85

I’m not sure whether to strip this off into a new discussion… But this thread has me interested in those 90’s Nords again. Rack 1, 2, 2X, or a G1 modular. Just as I’m seeing them around a price point that is doable for me.

But having a Monomachine (and A4, Digitone, and Modor NF-1m), is there anything about the Nords I’m particularly missing? (Besides maybe their polyphony)

I sometimes think “oh an easy multi-timbral would be nice to use with Octatrack” but I effectively have that in my Elektron synths anyways.

I sometimes think a Nord Modular G1 rack or Micro Modular would be fun (our local synth shop owner was selling a micro modular recently and I’m starting to regret not getting it)… But I have ‘blank page syndrome’ as it is when I sit in front of Reaktor (even when using Blocks) and Max (even when using BEAP) and have always feared I’d have the same feeling trying to make patches on the Nord Modular. I hear some cool sounds being made on the G1 modulars, but I think I could make most of them on Monomachine and/or friends… right?

Is this just a fresh round of GAS I’m going through? I think I’ve got that range fairly well covered. Especially with the NF-1m there to be my general-purpose “proudly digital” VA-style-with-FM poly. But there were a lot of recommendations of the 90’s Nords in this thread, so I thought I’d see how they might stack up against my library.

#87

I wouldn’t exactly call my stuff glitchy but hopefully this should give you a good idea of some of the varied sounds you can get out of a MnM.

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#88

Extremely late to the party (might even have missed it totally… :joy::joy::joy:).

Coming from a guitarist perspective. And as a owner of Nord Modular G2 Engine and OT among other gear. I’d say that both are such deep level that any of them will outlive you rather than other way around. Once your experience/knowledge level are at a certain point. You’ll realize that you can never fully explore them without finding new ways to approach things.

Modular (digital with computer editor) gives you a radical freedom in exploring without so much of a risk of burning modules up (as in a real analog modular system) because of a faulty connection somewhere. Not fun seing $$$ being burned because you didn’t have your thoughts clear at the moment. Anyway a system thinking will be needed if you want to get creative and make music. Or at least an idea of a system you’d like to implement.

Sampler (i e OT) is in a way a more of an audio perspective (samples) instead of modules. And given the limitations within the box you really have to imagine/explore your way around. However the system thinking approach are needed there as well.

Anyone feeling that they missed the train of either Nord Modular G1/G2. Can choose to go computer with many software options aviable, however there might be quite some amount of peripheral units needed to get a functional system (audio interface, controllers). However, if you’d like an more possible set-n-forget system (like Nord Modular G1/G2). One recommendation would be to look into the Axoloti board. You will need to get/make an enclosure for it. But on the other hand you are fully able to make it resemble an Nord Modular Micro both in size and controllers (but more advance possibilities in it in comparision). Somewhat like as if the Nord Modular Micro would have been released recently.

Lots of inspiration from Nord Modular among others. But you can setup and use it without computer if you want to. And it can be a host for usb midi controllers. Some limitations/bugs for sure. But that were/is in both Nord Modular and OT too.

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