Modal Electronics file for insolvency. Maybe? Sort of?

[SHall1000]

https://synthanatomy.com/2023/09/briti ... lvent.html

The Modal website is still up but the support page is down.

Just updated the firmware on my Cobalt8M with the app and backed up some of the newer preset banks but to download the original factory presets you seem to need a Dropbox password.

[EvilDragon]

https://www.gearnews.com/is-modal-elect ... unfounded/

[SHall1000]

Here’s hoping it is just a restructuring. Was looking at the new Carbon8 with interest.
Strange the support page is down.

Thread title edited.

[muki]

filing history:
https://find-and-update.company-informa ... ng-history

[db3]

Surprised to see Modal at at NAMM. Must be some plan for post administration.

https://sonicstate.com/news/2024/01/26/ ... -carbon-8/

[egbert101]

Bit of a shame I guess. Sad for those who bought their products recently.

[BONES]

Why? They should work for a while. Those people probably feel lucky they got hold of them while they could.

[cryophonik]

Here’s hoping it is just a restructuring.

That's what it sounds like, so hopefully it all works out for the company, employees, and their customers. I've never owned a Modal synth, but they've always looked pretty enticing. If they get new models out soon, I may just have to pick one up.

[SHall1000]

I have an Argon 8 and a Cobalt 8 modules. I really like the form factor. They are compact but the UI is accessible and powerful. I like that interface on both is almost identical making them easier to learn. They do sound different, one being wavetable and the other VA based but it could be argued they don’t sound different enough to justify both. It will be interesting to see what the Carbon 8 brings.

I did panic momentarily when I saw the news that Modal might fold with them being digital synths but if support for the app disappears I will only lose the ability to back up and recall presets as I don’t use it to edit them. There are 500 patch slots on the synth anyway.

Of course you couldn’t load firmware updates but if Modal disappear there wouldn’t be any anyway.

[Old Norse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCkwp9Et_Hc

[egbert101]

Sadly I find nothing remarkable about the sound of the Argon/Carbon synths. I suspect that is why they didn't sell well enough.

[KBSoundSmith]

Sadly I find nothing remarkable about the sound of the Argon/Carbon synths. I suspect that is why they didn't sell well enough.

Well, I don't disagree that they aren't earth-shattering synthesis engines. But frankly, I'm not coming across any synths pretty much anywhere that strike me as new, novel, or amazingly innovative. I think with these Modal synths, you get straightforward synths with good physical hardware that also serve as class-compliant MIDI controllers. They may not be the most interesting engines, but the total package is solid.

I don't think the problem Modal had was that they couldn't sell them, I suspect that they were undercharging for the physical build quality. Compare them to similarly priced synths from Korg, Roland, etc -- same price, you get all-plastic construction for synth engines that are perhaps only a hair more interesting than the engines in the Modals. But Modal, being as small of a company as it is, was offering a more physically robust product at a price point where larger companies (with the benefit of economics of scale in manufacturing) are sending out lesser physical quality. I don't see how Modal was going to be profitable like that. Their new Carbon8 is estimating to go for around 1100, where the Argon/Cobalt go for roughly 800. Maybe they got the hint.

[SHall1000]

Interesting analysis. I paid about £400 each for my Argon and Cobalt modules and frankly at the time there was little that could compete for the price. Not only with build quality but being 8 voice polyphonic and the keyboard versions have Fatar full size keybeds. Although the sound may not be “ remarkable”, the specs with varied oscillators, range of filter types and reorder-able effects makes them very flexible.
I guess the nearest, VST in a box, competition is probably the Minifreak or the Hydrasynth explorer. I can’t comment as to whether they sound any more interesting than the Modals.

[KBSoundSmith]

Interesting analysis. I paid about £400 each for my Argon and Cobalt modules and frankly at the time there was little that could compete for the price. Not only with build quality but being 8 voice polyphonic and the keyboard versions have Fatar full size keybeds. Although the sound may not be “ remarkable”, the specs with varied oscillators, range of filter types and reorder-able effects makes them very flexible.
I guess the nearest, VST in a box, competition is probably the Minifreak or the Hydrasynth explorer. I can’t comment as to whether they sound any more interesting than the Modals.

Yeah can't say I know enough about either to fairly comment. Hydrasynth definitely has a deeper synthesis engine, but for me, the price I got my Argon for was simply too good to pass up, and I liked the physical build more (and honestly, while the synth engine is simpler, it's pretty close to knob-per-function; I'm content having more complex synths in software). Plus, I don't know how much polyaftertouch on the HS would really be something I use -- I like the idea of it, but I think in practice I wouldn't use it a ton. Aftertouch in general makes me feel like I'm abusing my equipment, it often feels gross to use.

Speaking of keyboards/physical interaction, the Fatar on the Modal keyboard definitely is nice; and the Modal synths are also MPE compatible. I personally don't have an MPE controller, but I don't know how many other HW synths out there are actually implementing MPE yet, so perhaps that may be of interest to some.