WHY I don't use MODULAR Synths

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WHY I don't use MODULAR Synths

Music Used: Cjbeards - Fire and Thunder

Hey everybody in this video we are going to talk about why I don’t use modular synths and probably never will. We will shed a light on the add1ctive nature of Eurorack, why buying modules is - more often than not - pure and unadulterated consumerism instead of a unique way of artistic expression, we will work on coping strategies for a modular-free life and try to establish a world record for the largest collection of modular memes to ever be featured in a YouTube video.

00:00 Introduction
00:31 History of Modular Synthesizers
02:40 Chapter 1: Cost
03:32 Chapter 2: Time
04:29 Chapter 3: Style
05:06 Chapter 4: Eurorack Add1ction
05:49 Chapter 5: Doepfer MS-404
06:21 Döpfer MS-404 Jam
07:14 Chapter 6: The Real Reason Why I don't Use Modular

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Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs:
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[JJTFishing]

My small modular set up is like having a band mate that occasionally comes up with amazing ideas. Then goes back to burping and farting in the corner of the room.

[Jon-BEDM]

To be fair, a train hobby requires tracks.

[OffLicenceStella]

I couldn't imagine spending $250 on a single module, when I could be getting a single Teenage Engineering choir doll instead.

[ADHDville]

I’ve just come out of cancer surgery and you have put a huge smile on my face. 🙏 Thank you.

[chrisallen]

Went down into my basement to "just add a couple modules to the system". Looked up an hour and a half later, elbow deep in cables and wires in the middle of a complete re-work of my system.
Thought to myself "Oh, this is how car people must feel working on cars. I get it now."
My wife wondered where I had gone.
10/10, no regrets for me, but understandably not for everybody. Thanks for the meme collection ;)

[b]

eurorack: the subcategory of electronic music gear with more manufacturers than users.

[boriscat]

Maybe I have too many eurorack modules. But at least I don't have 25 years of VSTs that don't run on a modern Mac.

[calsynth]

As a super handsome modular manufacturer with at least 4 1/2 videos on how to play New Order bass lines under my belt, I can assure you that Eurorack modules can sound incredibly musical. As long as you bang them together at the correct angle and velocity

[jeffb]

The brilliance of your video is you get twice the views because I watch it once and then I have to watch it a second time pausing at each of the quick succession of memes.

[thisisnev]

Since I spent years not making music with my prefab synths, I found the transition to modular irresistible.

[pbbbht]

I can't do ANYTHING with my modular stuff on a crunch. But when I want to just go explore, holy crap it really shines.

[van_daddy_z]

I've had more fun making music with my modular the past three years than I've had making electronic music for over twenty years. Every time I make music with it, I get the same joy and excitement I had when I first started making music with a Roland JS30 and a 4-track. There's a level of discovery and immediacy I miss in other hardware instruments. It's not for everyone. Unlike most, I actually sequence my modular from my computer and only use modular sequencers to modify my midi once transformed to CV, and I feel this make it more useful for actually producing tracks than just making dumb bleep bloop loops (which are still fun but not productive). By the way, I was a complete skeptic before I got started thinking " no one makes good music with modular "but IMO most people don't use it in the right way.

[instantknut]

Eurorack is like a soothing aquarium with exotic fish, but without the risk of the fish dying because you haven't fed them!

[motoroverflow]

Love the MS-404. It's funny, the person I bought it from 20 years ago said "It has no good sounds in it, " and reduced the agreed on price to $100, despite me trying to talk him back into our original, higher, price. It is simply amazing how potent fleeting "uncoolness of the moment" effects have on human perception and behavior.

[ColinBenders]

Definitely not the confidence boost I expected today 😘

[officialloner]

It’s funny that I at one time couldn’t get my head wrapped around how to program a synthesizer, I relied on presets. However, when I watched tutorials on how modular synths work I started to get it. I think having a synth broken down to modules helped me understand what each section of the synth did

[GordiyStarukh]

Thank you! This was hilarious pack of memes😂😂😂need to watch it one more time 👀

[RegularTetragon]

Any time I want to get into modular I boot up VCVRack, get grossed out, and return to my Deluge

[juliusdobos]

Completely agree. Reason #7: poor relative productivity.
I wrote an article series about this many years ago (Analog vs. Digital Synthesizers – Part 2: Soft Synths, Modular Synths, Emulations, Noise Machines), arriving to similar conclusions.