We’ve started …
Eurorack, or modular synths in other words, involves building your own synthesizer! With knowledge of the technology, you can imagine anything you want. And so began the addictive adventure for me. Well… some people buy LEGO, others buy EURORACK. It’s not that different!
Both products are suitable for all ages. With a bit of technical affinity, you can go a long way and quickly produce beautiful sounds from your self-built synthesizer. I started with an oscillator, a filter, a utility module (Maths by Make Noise), and a reverb. It’s a myth that Eurorack is inherently expensive. If you approach it wisely, you don’t buy too much at once and still manage well.
In a custom-made lesson plan, I’d love to tell you more about it; about the building blocks you need, which module to buy first, which one later, etc. The (soon-to-be-available) course ‘Customized Eurorack’ is a great start. Contact me for more information.
in the studio
Patch it!
With Eurorack, you can enjoy ‘patching’ and sending signals from one module to another. The term comes from English: ‘to patch something’ literally means ‘to fill up a hole.’ Patch cables with 3.5mm plugs are available in lengths ranging from approximately 5cm to as long as 350cm.
Do yourself a favor: make sure to have a collection of cables, both short and longer ones. The distance between two modules is not always the determining factor for which length to use. Maintaining an overview in your modular system plays a significant role in creating a patch. So, if cables are too tight, operating the modules can become challenging. Sometimes, it’s better to patch with a detour from A to B.
White, black, gray, blue, yellow, orange, red, purple, … the choices are abundant! Some users prefer to work with color coding. For example, you can give all VCO signals a blue color, all LFOs the color yellow, and other signals green or red. Personally, I would say: try it out before going all-in; you might suddenly discover that you don’t like working with certain colors because, for instance, you can’t remember them. Not every brain works the same way in this regard.
Tip for the patch cables: as I recently wrote in an article, the cables from Polarnoise are very pleasant. A great assortment, good quality patch cables, swift delivery, and all at a very reasonable price. The company is located in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. Well done, Polarnoise!
Recordings
When playing with Eurorack, you’ll discover what are known as ‘sweet spots’—those moments when you say, “wow!… this sounds amazing!” So, you need to take immediate action: make sure to record it. There are many ways to do this. I use a digital mixer with an SD card to record everything I do. Then, I can use fragments later and edit them on the computer (DAW).
You’ve probably heard stories from musicians who, when revisiting previously recorded sessions, suddenly found the inspiration to create a completely new album. So, hit RECORD and ensure everything is captured!
* One disadvantage of Eurorack is that if you unplug the patch cables, you won’t easily recreate the hidden sound. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! 🙂
Eurorack LIVE recording
Modular/DAW
Soon, I’ll show and share more, including how you can combine modular synths with your computer’s DAW. Ableton, Bitwig, Logic—syncing a DAW with Eurorack is quite straightforward, provided you purchase the right module for it. But then, you’ve got something special!
~ Cyril