There’s no doubt that the whole concept of modular synthesis has had a significant resurgence in recent years. It is, of course, nothing new – Bob Moog was developing modular synthesisers in the mid-1960s. In the past five or so years though, modular rigs have started popping up in studios, at clubnights and on stage more and more.
Part of the reason behind this is probably accessibility – with the rise of Eurorack and increasing volume of brands getting in on the modular game, patchable synths are cheaper and easier to get hold of than they used to be.
With the power of modern computers, software modular setups are a serious reality these days too. Plugins such as Bitwig Studio, Phase Plant and Massive X allow elements to be rearranged and routed in ways that computers simply couldn’t handle ten years ago.
Basically, there’s never been a better time to go modular, and we’ve created a bumper cover feature to help you get going. We hope you enjoy!
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Interviews
Lost Souls Of Saturn – Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa talk the sci-fi and synths behind their analogue-powered collaborative project
Stephen Morris – The drummer and programmer behind New Order and Joy Division’s driving rhythms on classic hardware, iconic tracks and modern modular
Efterklang – The genre-bending Scandinavians on reworking Baroque instrumentation on the excellent new LP
The Track: Josh Butler – The UK house producer breaks down groovy tech-inflected track Right Time on video
Classic Album – The master of tongue-in-cheek beats revisits his debut album The Amazing Adventures Of DJ Yoda
Technique
Go modular! – Unleash the power of modular synthesis in hardware and software
Producer’s Guide – Get to grips with NI’s epic new synth Massive X
Explainer – Breaking down the many uses of sidechaining
Modular Monthly – Left field percussion with WMD’s Chimera drum synth
Reviews
IK Multimedia UNO Drum
Korg Volca Nubass
Roundup: Pitchshifter Plugins
SSL SiX mixer
Elektron Digitone Keys
Focusrite Scarlett 3rd Gen
And more!
Samples
Studio Noise – We take ‘unwanted’ studio noise and turn it into something inspirational, from guitar feedback loops to outboard hiss FX.
Clone Wars – Classic sounds via our army of hardware clones, emulations and ‘tributes’. Guaranteed as good (or better) than the real thing!
Access the FM sample archive: Download the ‘Archive’ packs and get over 12GB of loops, hits and instruments from our back catalogue of high-quality and royalty-free samples. From vintage synths and drum machines to esoteric instruments and FX – think of it as our best of. All the samples you need to create great music!
