3 Ways to Get Started with Modular Synthesizers

hey everyone I'm Sarah Bell Reed and today I'm going to be talking about how to get started with modular synthesis [Music] [Music] so this is by far the most common topic that I get asked about how do I get started with modular synths what gear should I buy first where can I learn more about this topic and so on now I know how confusing and how intimidating the world of modular synthesis can feel when you're just getting started there are a million options out there there are tons of new words and new acronyms to figure out so I just want to start off by saying that if you are feeling kind of overwhelmed by the whole thing and kind of unsure about where to begin you're not alone it took me years to finally get started with modular synthesis after I first got interested in it it's really normal to feel that way whenever you're jumping into something that's brand new but also really important to know that you are more than capable of figuring it out and hopefully this video will help to simplify and demystify some of your first steps so in this video today I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on three three different ways that you can get started with modular synthesis even if you are a complete beginner I'm going to talk about starting with a virtual synth software like vcv rack and then I'll talk about getting started using semi-modular synths and finally I'll share some tips for putting together your first Euro rack system all right let's get started whenever someone asks me what modules they should buy first I always hesitate to give a specific answer because there are truly so many awesome and totally valid directions that you can go there really isn't one best first modular synth setup in large part it depends what your specific musical goals are and what you want out of a synthesizer so the first thing that I would recommend for you is to just give that a little bit of thought you can ask yourself what's my goal with working with a modular synthesizer what kind of music do I want to make being able to answer those questions will really help you focus in on the right instrument for yourself now it's also common that when you're just getting started you don't actually know what kind of music you want to make or maybe you want to keep your options open because you're not 100 sure what's even out there and what's even possible in the world of modular synthesis that's super normal and it's the reason why my top recommendation for people who are getting started is to start with a virtual synth that runs on your computer like vcv rack vcv rack is a software program that emulates the workflow of a eurorack modular synthesizer there is an awesome free version that you can download to get started with that contains a library of thousands of free modules ranging from all kinds of sound sources to cool effects and processors to sequencers and other control modules and Beyond [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] I'm a big fan of starting with vcv rack because it's free you can learn the foundations of synthesis and modular signal flow before having to buy anything and through doing that you can also discover for yourself what your specific musical goals are and preferences are by essentially trying out any number of different workflows inside of vcv rack and seeing what really resonates with you the other big reason why I love vcv rack for beginners is that there's no way to break anything or to hook anything up backwards because it's all virtual now while breaking modules by patching them incorrectly is very uncommon it is possible to damage things by hooking up power supplies backwards for example and so on so even though it is unlikely I realize that this can cause some added stress around getting started for some people speaking from personal experience fear of breaking a module was a really big reason why I was so hesitant and so nervous early on when I was learning modular but with vcv rack if you try to patch an output to an output for example it just won't allow you to make the connection so it's a great way to learn the basics to get comfortable with patching and modular signal flow and to alleviate some of that initial concern that you might have around breaking things if you want to try out vcv rack on your own there's a link below where you can download it for free I have also put together a free mini course called your first modular synth patch that will walk you step by step through getting started with vcv rack creating sound and building your first couple of patches completely from scratch this class will only take you a couple of hours to go through and it is completely free to sign up for so I'll leave a link to that below as well oh and one more quick note here sometimes when I recommend vcv rack to folks they say that even though it looks and sounds great they don't want to have to use a computer mouse or a computer keyboard in order to make music I completely understand this and generally I feel the same way whenever I'm using vcv rack for my own music making I typically focus on using either an external audio source for control like this [Laughter] foreign [Music] [Music] or using an external MIDI controller that has physical knobs and sliders for control like this foreign [Music] foreign [Music] so it's important to remember that it is still very possible to interact with vcv rack in a physically engaging way but of course some of you may want to jump straight into the world of hardware and I can't blame you so let's talk about that next okay my second recommendation for those of you who want to jump straight in with Hardware from the beginning is to start with a semi-modular synth so let me quickly explain what semi-modular means a typical modular synth is made up of numerous modules these modules each have a more or less specific role or function so for example here this module is an oscillator this one is a filter these two modules can function as lfos or envelopes so in other words they can help to provide shape and modulation and movement this one is a VCA which helps control the loudness of the sound and finally here we have an output so all of these modules are individual components that despite living inside of the same enclosure are not connected together by default you need to manually connect them using patch cables now a semi-modular synth on the other hand like this one contains multiple different components all behind a single panel for example this one has an oscillator and a filter it has a couple modulation sources as we saw before an LFO and an envelope it has a VCA but the key difference between a semi-modular and fully modular synth is that semi-modular synths have what are referred to as normally connected or normaled signal paths so that means that these core components are all connected together behind the panel by default in some way often so that you can start making sound without needing to use any patch cables semi-modular synths are a great option for folks who are just getting started because they'll often contain a good sampling of important synthesis tools and functions which will give you access to a really wide range of sounds but because they're semi-modular it will all come pre-assembled for you and you won't need to Source each individual module case and power supply on its own for many folks this process can be super daunting in and of itself researching what case you need what modules you want it can be a really overwhelming process when you're new to this and of course because everything comes in a single unit that is assembled by one manufacturer semi-modular synths are often much more affordable than the equivalent set of tools and features in a fully modular form the normal signal flow in a semi-modular synth can make it easier to get started making music while you learn how everything works but that said the cool thing about semi-modulars is that they are also patchable just like a fully modular synth so once you're feeling comfortable with the idea of patching you can use patch cables to override the default signal flow inside the synth giving you access to a huge range of Sonic possibilities there are a lot of great semi-modular synths out there but the one that I often recommend for beginners is the Moog Mavis it's quite affordable compared to many other options out there and despite its small form factor it has all of the essential synthesis tools that you need in order to make some really cool sounds foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] all right and if you do decide to jump in with a Moog Mavis I have a full step-by-step course called discover modular synthesis with Moog Mavis to help you get deep with this instrument the class starts off with an introduction to modular synthesis a complete overview of Mavis and how it works and then it dives into a whole bunch of more advanced and unusual approaches to sound design using mavis's patchbay we get into everything from classic synth leads and bass lines to more experimental Sci-Fi Sounds and Ambient sound worlds chaotic patches and everything in between you'll find a link to join the class in the description below this video and of course there are lots of other options out there for semi-modular synths that sound great and are similarly flexible to Mavis for example if you're interested in slightly more experimental sound design and workflow you might want to check out the make noise ocost or if you're looking for something more keyboard oriented you could check out the pwm malevolent or the arturia mini brute once again I'll leave links to all of these in the description below so that you can check them out one final note is that sometimes people feel like semi-modular synths are just stepping stones toward getting to a fully modular system but that doesn't have to be the case there are tons of really awesome semi-modular synths out there that are just great instruments all on their own I have a couple in my own collection that I use all of the time and I truly love now if you ever do want to expand your setup everything is generally compatible between modular and semi-modular synths so it's easy to do that but it's important to realize that there's no reason why you need to get a modular synthesizer if you find that working with a semi-modular synth makes you feel creatively excited and inspired all right so as I mentioned earlier my top recommendations for folks just getting started with modular synthesis are a to start virtual with vcv rack or B to go with a semi-modular synth in order to get started with Hardware in a compact relatively affordable way that said I know that some of you may want to jump straight into the eurorack world and to build out a hardware modular synthesizer so I want to offer you a few tips and a few things to consider to help you plan out your first Euro rack system my first recommendation is to start small focusing on just a couple of modules at first and really going deep into them will help to reduce the feelings of overwhelm that so many people experience when they're getting started and it will help you form a much deeper foundation and a much deeper connection to your instrument most eurorack modules do way more than meets the eye so while it may feel like you need three or four oscillators or a whole bunch of lfos in order to make an expressive system you'd be surprised what you can achieve with just a few modules and some thoughtful patching when it comes to choosing your first module there are a lot of different approaches that you can take and again there really is no absolute right or wrong thing to do here that said it can perhaps be most rewarding to start with a flexible Sound Source so a flexible Sound Source is something like a complex oscillator or a sampler the goal here is simply to find a Sound Source that can play multiple roles within your setup something that can perhaps be textural and noisy sometimes and melodic other times or can achieve whatever kind of Sonic range it is that you want to be able to access in your your music making so here in this little synth I have two really flexible sound sources the make noise XPO stereo Prismatic oscillator and the make noise morphogene the XPO can access a wide range of really beautiful stereo effects and timbres from slowly evolving drones all the way to more chaotic and noisy sounds and the morphy gene allows you to chop up and manipulate samples in a lot of really interesting ways my third piece of advice is to grow slowly and to let your instrument grow along with your musical needs so when you're first getting started you may not have a super clear picture of every type of module that you need in your system but the more that you explore and play the more your musical needs will solidify one of the awesome things about modular synths is that each one is different and what works for one person may look entirely different for someone else so by building your systems slowly and by really taking time to get to know what each module does before you get another one you'll end up making decisions that really support your music making rather than ending up with a whole bunch of modules and tools that you don't really feel particularly inspired by my fourth tip is to balance control sources with audio sources it's really tempting to fill up your system with awesome audio sources but control voltage and modulation is really where a synth comes to life control voltage is how we shape and move our sounds it's how we add articulation to gestures and Nuance into our patches similar to finding a flexible sound generator I recommend looking for a control source that can give you a variety of different functions and stemming from that is my final tip which is to consider interaction how do you want to interact with your instrument do you want to be super Hands-On to play a keyboard or a joystick or a midi controller all of these different modes of interaction and many many more are possible and they're all going to have a big impact on your relationship to the synthesizer one thing that can be helpful especially if you want to keep your modular synth set up small is to offload control to an external device one of my personal favorite controllers is the make noise o control because it can function as a touch keyboard controller or as a sequencer and it gives you a lot of options for real-time interaction with the speed intensity Direction and timing of the sequence the other modules that I have here in this system are the ikarie filter this is a really interesting stereo filter made by bastel I like using this module not only to filter audio as you traditionally would but also as part of more complicated feedback based patches I'll share a demo in just a moment that will showcase using this module in that way I also have the make noise optimix which is a dual low pass gate low pass gates are kind of like vcas and low-pass filters combined into one so this allows me to manipulate the overall color of the sound the loudness and also to create articulation and finally I have the duranolog transmit 2 or tx2 and this is just a simple stereo output that allows me to get the sound from my modular out into my computer or my speakers and for those of you who are curious I have all of these modules inside of a 4ms pod case the Pod cases are great options for small travel sized cases and intelligel also makes some great small case options called palette cases I'll leave links to both of these below if you're curious to check them out alright cool so let's hear what this synth can sound like when it's patched up oh [Music] foreign [Music] okay so for all of you out there who are already familiar with modular synthesis you might take a look at this system and think but hang on where are all the envelopes where are the lfos where are the vcas and while conventional wisdom suggests that a well-balanced instrument needs to have all of these different classic synth functions it's just not true in every situation I've seen modular synths that have eight filters in them and it's a great sounding instrument I've seen synths with no oscillators at all that also sound great it all depends on what your specific musical goals are now along those lines this little synth here isn't something that I've put together just for this video I perform all the time with this exact setup and I find it to be really rewarding and a really fun instrument to play I'm a big fan of small modular synth setups not just for beginners but in general I really believe that small setups Focus you creatively and force you to try things and experiment in ways that you might not otherwise of course some people can feel limited by such a small setup but I think it's also important to remember that a modular synth doesn't have to comprise the entirety of your setup I personally use this little modular system in combination with my laptop with pedals sometimes with my trumpet and it's great and super fun alright so just to recap these tips for those of you who want to dive straight into building a modular system number one is to start small second choose a flexible Sound Source number three is to let your musical needs drive your growth and your gear acquisition number four is to balance control sources with audio sources and number five is to consider how you might want to interact with your instrument by way of an external controller or sequencer regardless the route that you choose when getting into the world of modular synthesis I have one more educational resource to share with you which is my online course and coaching program learning sound and synthesis this is a very in-depth course that walks to step by step through everything you need in order to make music with modular synthesizers unlike the Mavis class which is focused specifically on working with the Moog Mavis learning sound and synthesis teaches Universal synthesis Concepts and techniques that you can apply to any synth that you choose to work with virtual or Hardware this class gets deep into the history of synthesis into sound and Acoustics methods for composing and performing with synths and of course it covers modular synthesis Concepts and techniques from beginner through to Advanced learning sound and synthesis also includes access to an amazing community of folks who are excited to help out and to learn along with you learning sound and synthesis opens for enrollment two times per year and the first cohort of 2023 is open for enrollment until February 23rd you can go to sound and synthesis.com to enroll or to join the wait list for the next round so to wrap up this video I just want to say again that if you are feeling intimidated or overwhelmed by getting started with modular synthesis it's totally normal you're not alone and you are more than capable of figuring it out when I was first learning modular I remember feeling like there was no way I was smart enough for synthesis honestly I felt like I just wasn't techy enough so I really held myself back for a really long time but if making music with synths is something that you want to do you can do it just a final reminder that you don't need to start with any gear or any hardware at all vcv rack is a great free option for getting started and honestly I still use it all the time also don't forget that my free mini course is linked below to help you take your first steps with confidence all right so I hope you found this video helpful as always thank you so much for watching and for listening and I'll see you next time

Channel: Sarah Belle Reid

Views: 47,692

Keywords: sarah belle reid, sarah reid, trumpet, electronics

Id: MtyhO0RhjSs

Length: 25min 12sec (1512 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 17 2023