joining the modular club

[Tony Scharf]

On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 9:59 AM, Andrew Tarpinian <evildead at nyc.rr.com> wrote:
>
> Do you guys have any thoughts on what a good cost effective way is to enter this world? As in not dropping 2k+ right off the bat? Is it a simple pre-built base system? Building from scratch via used modules?
>
> I'm asking for a friend...
>

Start with one of these:
http://www.analoguehaven.com/tiptopaudio/happyendingkit/

That gives you 80hp in a 3u rack or desktop form factor that you can
put some modules in to start with.   The cheapest way to get started
is by following the Muffwiggler forum for sale section and pick up
things second hand (I usually check a couple weeks there before I give
up and buy new).  Doepfer modules are a good place to start since they
are inexpensive and sound pretty darn good (buy them second hand for
sure - they come up often and loose a lot of value if you decide to
sell later).  As you fill up, get a second happy ending kit.

As far as figuring out what you need, I would suggest designing a
monophonic voice architecture that you would find interesting to play
with.  Use something like the Minimoog or some other mono synth as a
template if you like.

Another way to start is to use something you already have as your
sound source, and buy processing modules first and then add audio rate
sound sources later. The monomachine is supposedly great for this, as
you can use something like the Doepfer A119 to bring the audio in and
derive a gate signal for the envelopes (or get a MIDI module to handle
this).  My EMX1 and PEK both get fed into the modular regularly.  Its
absolutely brilliant.

Oh, and have at least one good outboard FX processor to run it
through.  All that analog fatness can sound like a broken doorbell
without the right FX chain to pump it up (again...monomachine would
probably be great at this).

One thing to be aware of when interfacing gear:  Modulars work at much
higher signal levels than standard gear.  You should use modules
specifically designed for interfacing (particularly on outputs from
the modular) to prevent blowing anything up.  I use the Doepfer A119
for input and a Pittsburgh Modular Outs for output.