#31

@rbxbx what’s the current status of the micro modular editor? i’ve had a micro for years and almost never pulled it out-- but i should take a look if there’s a working editor.

#32

@tehn – it’s a great machine once you get it up and running, which can be admittedly fiddly. But it’s basically rock solid after that.

I simply run the windows editor inside of a virtualized windows environment. In this case I’m using parallels, but virtualbox would work as well I’m sure (if you’ve not already purchased parallels/vmware).

I run the app in windows 95/98 compatibility mode which seems to help.

The editor itself is super light weight so even if you have a tiny VM you should be fine.

It can be particular about your midi interface as well. There are lists of working ones on the emusic forums somewhere, I use an old midisport 4x4 which chugs along merrily.

There’s an OSX editor that someone wrote in java but I could never get it working and I already had the windows VM around for certain audio software anyway.

#33

I’d add to the list KarmaFX Synth Modular, the u-he modulars (Bazille, Beatzille, ACE), and Madrona’s Aalto.

I’d love to add Vaz Modular, but it’s windows-only, and effectively dead as of last year. Using it was really how I learned to work with a modular synth, much more than from using Audiomulch or Reaktor, as it was really effective at categorizing modules/functions and for understanding a CV signal flow.

1 Like
#34

OSCillot for Max4Live?

1 Like
#35

It works perfectly with wine now (didn’t always) so no need for a vm even.

1 Like
#36

This is good to know!

#37

Glitchmachines Quadrant and NI Molekular. Though they aren’t as robust as some of the programs you listed they definitely have a modular design, especially Quadrant with its patching.
Also Propellerhead’s Reason if I am not mistaken, the GUIs for their stock VSTs are designed like a giant rack that you can patch together.

1 Like
#38

a small shout out here for Axoloti… in the vain of nord modular , but only costs 65 euros, is open source hardware and software. http://www.axoloti.com

its easy to patch, and contains some tutorials, examples etc … it also has an active community for patching, and creating new objects, as well as hardware integration. also new version has a patch/object library. see http://community.axoloti.com , so a good/cheap way to learn modular synthesis on a digital hardware platform. (imho)

(Im an active contributor to axoloti and a keen fan :slight_smile: but in no way connected financially etc)

4 Likes
#39

I had forgotten about Quadrant. The patching reminds me a bit of the way Aalto works. Also really need to try Molekular as I’ve been spending more time with effects lately. (Does it come with Komplete?)

Always meant to look into Reason but it hasn’t happened yet.

Axoloti looks like the bee’s knees.

#40

Reason is only really modular in the way any studio is modular.

It uses the metaphor of patching for IO from rack gear - audio in and out - and it also uses a metaphor of what it calls “CV” and “Gate” for what is really “pitched/control data” and “rhythmic data”. Sometimes, there are direct patch points to particular controls of a synthesizer… but that’s about it. Of course, as a DAW, it also has automation, which you could argue is a kind of CV control - but patching the LFO of a Thor into the Filter of a Subtractor is pretty much impossible, if I remember rightly (versions of Reason I’ve used heavily: 2, 4 - and then a bit of 6, when they moved to the mixing desk metaphor).

Of course, I do really like Reason’s mixing desk metaphor, which it follows through on. But it feels more like a studio with lots of patchbays than anything that resembles modular synthesis, to me.

3 Likes
#41

I found a video which I think is a very good break down of a modular synthesizer

2 Likes
#42

I’m a copyright lawyer in real life. I’d be happy to try to do some research if anyone has copies of the books that they could scan the front-matter of…

#43

Just heard in this interview that Curtis Roads and @trickyflemming are working on Foundations of Modular Synthesis, which will undoubtedly be required reading once released.

10 Likes
#44

Hah! I was just listening to this with the morning coffee. We’re in the early stages, but I’m very excited for it.

8 Likes
#45

Awesome - looking forward to it! When you say “in the early stages”, have you got a ball park idea of when we might expect it?

#46

Oh man, very exciting! Looking forward to this one!

#47

I don’t suppose you’ll need “beta-testers” for the book? :wink:

#48

Oh wow, that’s really great news!

#49

There’s now a nice Eurorack 101 on the intellijel site:

2 Likes
#50

I’m new to modular synths and found reading about them to be more helpful than youtube videos. In some videos unfamiliar terminology is thrown around and I have to look up a lot of it while watching the videos. So far I’ve found these two articles blogs/helpful.
https://www.keithmcmillen.com/category/blog/tutorials/simple-synthesis/page/2/
https://www.synthesizers.com/begin.html