Lets see some studio pics

[Mushy Mushy]

"I hoard modulars for no use at all"

Even if that is true and somebody wants to do that then it's not wrong. People are free to spend their time and money as they choose fit.

For example many many people love gardening but I couldn't think of anything more brain numbing but if they enjoy it then good for them.

[VariKusBrainZ]

I sample it, I play it, I experiment, I have fun figuring out the logic involved behind an idea and getting sent down an avenue I didn't see. Sorry, to me it's obvious what you can do with a modular, same as with any instrument really.

Some of the methodology and sound choice I read earlier in the thread seems more like the musical equivalent of an admin job completing forms and trying to fit the office into a handbag.

[IncarnateX]

Sorry, to me it's obvious what you can do with a modular

Well, I can think of a few things to using common sense only but that does not confirm whether I am right. Further, I do not know about the wide range of modules and what each of them do. I guess that there are a lot of different functions apart from those few I can think of from classical synths. So specifics are not redundant to me.

[VariKusBrainZ]

Sorry, to me it's obvious what you can do with a modular

Well, I can think of a few things to using common sense only but that does not confirm whether I am right. Further, I do not know about the wide range of modules and what each of them do. I guess that there are a lot of different functions apart from those few I can think of from classical synths. So specifics are not redundant to me.

Youve pointed out another plus of modular, build a synth personal to you

There are so many modules and as a result 'infinite' patching possibilities if were talking about the whole Eurorack universe. Plus you can integrate none Eurorack stuff just as you would in a normal studio such as a rack effect patched into the audio chain and the modular CV patched to the effects CV/pedal in.

Anyone who has any interest would have watched the vids on YouTube

[Mushy Mushy]

Anyone who has any interest would have watched the vids on YouTube

I have a very strong interest and have watched many a YouTube video however I have now stopped doing so in order to not accidentally fall down the rabbit hole

[IncarnateX]

Yeah, since I am prone to GAS, I like modulars at a distance too. Elektrons could be a door right into it and I do not dare to get that close. I am not more interested apart from the info needed to know what guys/gals around here make of it.

[Mushy Mushy]

Yeah, since I am prone to GAS, I like modulars at a distance too. Elektrons could be a door right into it and I do dare to get that close. I am not more interested than the info needed for knowing what guys/gals around here make of it.

That's the beauty of it. Not one single person in the world has the same modular set-up* so what you build is yours and yours alone. If you don't need a filter but 25 envelopes then that's possible, if you need a 10 oscillators also possible. The flexibility is literally infinite.


*I'm excluding people with only a handful of modules of course.

[vurt]

I sample it, I play it, I experiment, I have fun figuring out the logic involved behind an idea and getting sent down an avenue I didn't see. Sorry, to me it's obvious what you can do with a modular, same as with any instrument really.

Some of the methodology and sound choice I read earlier in the thread seems more like the musical equivalent of an admin job completing forms and trying to fit the office into a handbag.

i think some people focus on the word modular and forget the synthesizer bit.
if id posted my guitar and pedal board no one would wonder how it all works to make music. it doesn't have presets and is fairly patchable. as you say, gets used in a similar manner. samples or full track takes or just switching pedals around, adding more and noodling for the fun of it.

[justin3am]

Well, last time I asked here, got no explanation. I somehow suspect the only possible answer was "I hoard modulars for no use at all"

I have had so many people ask me to justify owning/using a modular over the last 10 years. I have just given up. It doesn't matter that I make a decent second income creating sounds with it... it's still a sign of eccentricity or stunted maturity to most people. But it's fine, my family was critical of my decision to pursue a career in music technology and I've always been met with at least some skepticism when I share my music with others, why should my choice of tools be any different.

So yeah, I get defensive about it and I'd rather not discuss that shit in a thread that is ostensibly a place to share pictures of our studios... the places where we can all express our creativity, however we choose.

Does it really matter to you that I struggle with anxiety and it's easier for me to interact with devices than people? Does it matter that I spend every moment that I'm not otherwise occupied, working in my studio?

No, I'm just sad human who hoards modular for no use at all.

None of that is your fault. Ultimately, I shouldn't take it personally. I should just keep doing my thing and not worry about what anyone else says. But it can be hard.

[donkey tugger]

forget the sinthesiser

I try me best.

[BONES]

if id posted my guitar and pedal board no one would wonder how it all works to make music.

The difference to me is that you expect guitars to sound pretty much the same all the time, or to go through a very narrow range of options - some pedals on, others off - so the expectation is very different. With a modular, like any synth (only moreso), the expectation is that you can make a huge range of completely different timbres and that used to have me agonising over whether to keep playing with a sound I might have made weeks ago on my Mono/Poly and not been brave enough to change, or move on and and accept I'll probably never get that sound back again. I found that incredibly frustrating to the point I eventually stopped using it in favour of measurably lesser synths that were easy to re-program, like the Axxe, Delta and SH-101. They didn't necessarily sound anywhere near as good but at least I could use them with a high degree of confidence that the songs would sound similar every time. That was easily my biggest frustration in the early days, more so even than the 90 minutes it used to take to set everything up with CV+Gate.

I get the attraction - nutting out a problem in SynthEdit used to give me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction but, ultimately, I'd always press save so I could go back to it later. To me, the pleasure/satisfaction of modulars would be just as great in software, wouldn't it? And you eliminate the downsides.

I have had so many people ask me to justify owning/using a modular over the last 10 years.

Are you sure that's what they're doing? Maybe they are just trying to take an interest in what you are up to? Certainly when I asked vurt, I was genuinely curious, not looking to put him on the spot. (I wouldn't have bothered asking too many others but he's a lot more level headed than most people around here so I thought I might get some useful insight.)

[vurt]

me? level headed?
you tryna ruin my rep?!

im out n about at the min, ill respond properly when im at the pc, as your detail above gives me some context.

[justin3am]

I have had so many people ask me to justify owning/using a modular over the last 10 years.

Are you sure that's what they're doing? Maybe they are just trying to take an interest in what you are up to? Certainly when I asked vurt, I was genuinely curious, not looking to put him on the spot. (I wouldn't have bothered asking too many others but he's a lot more level headed than most people around here so I thought I might get some useful insight.)

I was speaking to a specific line of questioning. I have no problem having a discussion. I've responded to a number of your questions about modular use in this thread and others. While your questions are often pointed, I understand where you are coming from, as a person who is trying to get things done. I have actually enjoyed our past interactions.

On the other hand, when someone asks the same question more than once without actually engaging or listening to my answer, or when someone suggests that I'm just engaging in conspicuous consumption... I don't think those are sincere attempts at fostering a discussion. I'm not saying anyone has approached that level of acrimony in this thread but I have gotten those kinds of questions. It gets old.

Regarding your comments about using your Mono/Poly, I used to work that way a bit. And it was annoying to leave a patch in a state, for several days, so that I could keep working on MIDI parts until I had the perfect composition/arrangement. Now, if I work on something melodic, I setup a very basic patch until I have finished composing, and afterward I work on sound design so that it fits the mood of the piece. But more often, I just experiment with sounds and record as much as possible. I then go through those recordings to find the bits that fit what I'm trying to do. In other cases, I set a goal of putting together multiple patches (I can get about 8 individual voices from my modular) within a single day and record a performance with that setup in a single take. That's what most of my synth videos are.

When I'm doing modular stuff for clients, they are often just looking for weird sound effects, so I present them with a bunch of different recordings that meet their requirements and they choose the sounds they want or give me more feedback to help me get the sound they are looking for.

[vurt]

if id posted my guitar and pedal board no one would wonder how it all works to make music.

The difference to me is that you expect guitars to sound pretty much the same all the time, or to go through a very narrow range of options - some pedals on, others off - so the expectation is very different.

well, normally yes, guitars are often used for fairly basic sounds, clean or gain, with maybe a little modulation or delay/verb...
but there are many guitarists who use the guitar and pedals to make soundscapes, that often could be mistaken for synths. theres a lot more choice these days too, for me personally, i like to blend the two, very rarely does my guitar sound like the average guitar band (which is why i don't get invited to join bands anymore...)

With a modular, like any synth (only moreso), the expectation is that you can make a huge range of completely different timbres and that used to have me agonising over whether to keep playing with a sound I might have made weeks ago on my Mono/Poly and not been brave enough to change, or move on and and accept I'll probably never get that sound back again. I found that incredibly frustrating to the point I eventually stopped using it in favour of measurably lesser synths that were easy to re-program, like the Axxe, Delta and SH-101. They didn't necessarily sound anywhere near as good but at least I could use them with a high degree of confidence that the songs would sound similar every time. That was easily my biggest frustration in the early days, more so even than the 90 minutes it used to take to set everything up with CV+Gate.

the modular rarely gets used for the more "organised" pieces, maybe ill add a few fx sounds over a track recorded entirely in sw or with the hw va's i have here too.
i use it more for just the sheer enjoyment of playing, knowing full well ill never get the "exact" sound, is part of the fun for me. like each piece is a single moment in time.

I get the attraction - nutting out a problem in SynthEdit used to give me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction but, ultimately, I'd always press save so I could go back to it later. To me, the pleasure/satisfaction of modulars would be just as great in software, wouldn't it? And you eliminate the downsides.

i use both, but each have their own attractions and i don't see the fact i cant save as a downside, i see it as part of its charm.
its quite freeing, knowing its a one time deal. and it pushes you to get the most out of a limited set of modules, in software its too easy to add another this or that...

I have had so many people ask me to justify owning/using a modular over the last 10 years.

Are you sure that's what they're doing? Maybe they are just trying to take an interest in what you are up to? Certainly when I asked vurt, I was genuinely curious, not looking to put him on the spot. (I wouldn't have bothered asking too many others but he's a lot more level headed than most people around here so I thought I might get some useful insight.)

well, quite often its not even people asking us to justify, its just downright rudeness.
as an example, there was recently a thread in instruments where woggle asked "what will a modular offer me?"
cue 14 pages, where at least once on each page the following 3 comments would all be made "an empty wallet", "wasted time" and "the ability to make expensive fart noises". sometimes more than once on each page...

aside from anything, he was specifically asking about a software modular.
but that's just one thread, it does happen a lot.

maybe had you asked in a slightly less "bones" way or, if it hadn't come after so much other shite like the above, youd have got a conversation.

hope that helps a little.

[ghettosynth]

The question then becomes why? What's the point of creating "something cool"? i.e. Where does that lead to?

It leads to a recording! The point is to enjoy the process and sometimes, to make some extra income.

This is the only reason that I bother with this stuff, even to the point that my style evolves to reflect the processes that I enjoy the most. When it become tedious (for me, I suspect that some of the things that I enjoy doing others would find tedious) I move on to something else.