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Modular synths are very cool, but it's a bit like a swimming pool: it's great when someone close to you deals with the grind so you can just enjoy it.
I talked myself out investing in modulars because I know I'll never have the patience to deal with the wires when all I want is to play. Big respect for those who can do it!
Once you can start to visualize the voltage flow in your brain its so much fun to deal with the cables.
Yeah. Having a model of the signal flow in your mind and being creative with the structure is half the fun of synthesizers for me. And even if you don't comprehend everything in the moment, happy accidents are a big part of the fun.
Some modular performers like Keith Fullerton Whitman have a very dynamic approach to patching. I've seen shows where he was aggressively re-patching throughout the performance and hot-swapping connections on the fly. I'm talking several patches in a minute. It wasn't subtle, either. It was a nice contrast to many performers who tend to design their system as a fixed structure and then play from there.
No shame in that. I find modulars a bit too expansive for my taste. It sounds like you'd benefit from a more traditional hardware synth where the signal flow is mostly locked down.
For around $1200 USD you can put together the “dark easel” of a Make Noise Strega, 0-Coast, 0-Ctrl off Reverb. That plus a little oscilloscope/tuner like the Korg NTS-2 and you’re set.
https://youtu.be/SofDTfm1QKUsi=On2kh85cCa5rgRmA
https://youtu.be/gO9qlVr6-HA?si=FltmhE1xiqPYmKNB
VCV Rack?
Its a software emulation of hardware modular. It good fun to noodle about with. Does provide a good experience of modular.
For me, the "wires" are the play! I go into VCV rack when the intention-oriented workflows in a DAW like Ableton feel too much "on the rails". The large exploration space of a virtual modular setup is tedious if you're trying to do a straightforward DAW task but wonderful if you are itching to have something unexpected and inspiring thrown at you within the action space of one or two knob or wiring changes.
The Easel has internal wiring that minimizes excessive wiring needs
Some people have more or less fixed-patch instruments which might be up your alley. Definitely not that type myself (things are always changing and getting swapped in and out), but there are a lot of fun ways to use them.
Tiptop Audio has a collaboration with Buchla where they're making eurorack versions of most of the classic models. Some would be very good starter modules. https://tiptopaudio.com/buchla/
I own non-modular synths, but I have never owned modular voltage-controlled hardware. However, I have had a lot of fun playing with Bespoke Synth. It has a much lower barrier to entry than VCV Rack imho.
If you are wondering what everyone is talking about in this thread, please check it out:
https://github.com/BespokeSynth/BespokeSynth
That's funny because I find VCV much "easier" but perhaps it's because I'm not composing so much as noodling and texture-spelunking.
I do like bespoke and think its great, but it feels a bit janky to me (though it's been like a year since I tried).
It's fun to think about all the various ways people can implement such tools. I'd recommend bespoke for those who want a bit of a different modular system than just a skeuomorphic approach that copies Eurorack design.
I have a probably ~$20k modular rack. It's a lot of fun to experiment with, but the fact that you don't have patch save/recall really slashes the utility.
Doing everything in a DAW is the most practical from a "business" standpoint, but it's way less amenable to creative exploration. You really have to know what you want already.
The practical compromise that works best for me is a well-designed hardware realtime synth. You have access to a small fraction of the design space of modular, but a higher fraction of the accessible design space sounds good, and you of course have patch save/recall.
Recently what I've been doing is creating modular patches, driving them with MIDI, and recording the output into my Elektron Tonverk using their on-device multisample recording. You can record samples at a bunch of different pitch/velocity pairs and save them into a multisample file.
You might find some joy in tossing an octatrack towards the end of your chain. It pairs really nicely with modular
The Buchla Easel is semimodular and has preset cards and a memory recall card
I ordered the Buchla easel briefcase
This is an amazing resource, whether you're into hardware modular synths or virtual ones like VCV Rack and Cardinal. Read, learn, enjoy, and play.
P.S. I'll always remember first discovering Suzanne Ciani while watching 321 Contact as a child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJiTDhOTamo
if someone wanted to get into this kinda stuff and keep it under $600 USD, is there an entryway path or is not worth it at that level?
VCV Rack, hands down.