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Learning About Modular Synthesis

November 2024

WHEN I SET REASON ASIDE, I did not totally walk away from the idea of making music, although my definition of “making music” got a little looser. I was listening to more experimental artists — people who stretched the idea of what constituted music. It ran the gamut from ambient drones to chaotic noise. Many of these musicians were using modular synthesizers: big racks of mysterious devices full of knobs and switches and a knotted mesh of cables connecting them all together. They were intriguing. I started learning about the various modules, what they did and how they interacted with each other. Connecting modules together was similar to how Reason’s devices were connected, but while Reason’s synthesizer instruments are fully functioning devices on their own, modular synthesis typically requires connecting a few modules together to get any sound at all. A group of modules connected together in a particular way to achieve a particular result was called a “patch.” One other fact became apparent, modular synthesizers weren’t exactly cheap.

Then, I discovered software applications for creating virtual modular synthesizers. The most interesting one to me was VCV Rack. I’ll admit that its price was a significant factor. It was free.

VCV Rack comes with a suite of basic modules, so it’s ready to use out-of-the-box. VCV Rack’s creator also open-sourced the code for the application, which the third-party developer community embaced. There are now well over 3,000 additional modules, most of them free of charge. Many are also clones of real hardware modules, giving folks a chance to experiment with fully functioning virtual modules before purchasing the hardware versions. Some of my favorite module developers are listed below. Though it’s sold commercially with extra goodies included, a fully functioning version of VCV Rack is still offered for free. VCV also sells premium modules to help support the Rack project.

I’ve by no means mastered modular synthesis. Unless I lose interest altogether (or develop dementia 😬), I’ll probably be figuring it out for the rest of my life. I’ve uploaded a few random VCV Rack items to Soundcloud, but nothing too notable, yet. Perhaps more will appear soon.