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So, yesterday I began my great foray into modular synthesis. For a good part of the last 4 years, I have been going back and fourth on whether or not I should start collecting a modular synthesizer. It can be a very expensive quest, but In doing some research between the number of DIY kits available out there, and some of the more affordable pieces I have found it could be a financial possibility if I were to make it a project. This would no doubt mean that I would probably end up not even hearing a sound for many months, lol, BUT it will get me on my way.
A very good friend of mine likes to argue, in a predictable and true-to-self fashion, that there is simply no need for hardware synthesizers these days; with all of the software options available, and the amount of DSP made available even by something like the iPad, modeled soft-synths have come along way, and are doing a great job of replicating the sound.
To be honest, I would agree with this opinion but only to a certain extent. As a sound designer I am constantly looking for new sounds. One of the beautiful things about soft-synths is that the come with a wide variety of patches - pre-made sounds that are ready to go. Usually, there is at least one patch that is a step in the right direction - it allows me to tweak / mutate / effect / convolve etc - and get the sound I am looking for. What the soft-synth doesn’t do, however, is allow me to think up new way’s to make sound. If the great inventors of our time had the “encyclopedia-inventica” on hand - how much innovation would there be? On one hand, you could argue that one of said great inventors might invent faster and more efficiently - they have a number of “blueprints” with which to start their creation. On the other - you might assert the notion that this acts as a training wheel, and actually hinders the inventive process - you aren’t innovating anymore - simply modifying, personalizing. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
I have done a couple workshops over the years, and the thing I find the most common among people entering the realm of electronic music production is their innability to see past the abstract user interface - a techno-pop landscape covered in glyphs. Most software developers, contrary to what they think, suppose a certain amount of synthesis know-how on behalf of the user. For example:
Now,i have never tried Oresus, and I am sure it is fantastic. This example is not meant to poke fun at plugin, as much as to illustrate the issue.
If we look at the plugin there are number of things, that to me anyway, are slightly abstract for the “beginner user”. “S&H”, “Mod-Matrix”, “Complex OSC II”. These are all terms that many techno-makers would understand, but not the n00b, necessarily.
Beyond, not understanding what they do / are / mean, they give the user no real understanding of what is happening to the sound wave you are toying with, as it is being mangled. Which I feel is very important. How can you adjust Ring Mod, FM, ADSR etc, if you have no idea what they are actually doing to the signal? It becomes a game of fiddle the nob and see what it is does - without understanding how it works, which unlocks the features true potential.
Some of these points explain why I really enjoy Absynth from native instruments.
The major difference between the previous example, and Absynth, is the modular approach. First you oscillate a wave form, then you modulate it, then you filter it, then you waveshape it, then you effect it. It’s this step-by-step process that, IMO, is what brings out the innovation in synthesis. This goes double for individuals, arguably such as myself, who do not understand synthesis to the extent of which the makers of plugins do.
Alright, so - I think I have made my point that going modular will help me grow as a sound designer. Surely you must be asking: “Are all the sound effects you make synthetic?” The answer is “Hell No!!”
But I do use insert-effects fairly regularily. The interesting thing about insert effects is that for the most part - they all come down to a few different key components - modulation, filtering, and delay. Obviously these ingredients don’t make every effect, and certainly, not every effect uses all these ingredients but they are generally the lowest common denominator for audio effects.
By having a modular rig, you have all of these elements in their purest form, and so again you make yourself vulnerable to discovering new way’s to use these effects. Will I be doing all analog effects outside of protools, NO! But, I would gladly allow myself to learn new way’s to use old tricks. Going back to the simple vs abstract comparison - in software - a vocoder is a piece of code that makes you sound like a robot when you hit the VOCODE button. However in the modular realm, it is a series of individual effects working together in a specific way, a formula that results in a certain patch. What if I took that patch and put it inline with another synth patch I had - now I have a vocoded laser beam. What if I replaced the synth tone, with some sound effects out of pro tools? The possibilities are endless, to be cliche - but it is true. It’s exciting to think of what I will learn / discover, and how it might change my take on sound design. ;)
But mostly, I am just in it for the blinky lights:
