I have only one suggestion (except of course the removal of some multiples as previously mentioned): a Disting mk4. Small, cheap, easy to use, and perfect for a Xmas tree ;)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@gumbo23, @farkas, @Broken-Form: +1 on the Synthesis Technology E352 Cloud Terrarium.
But this fundamental remark: ambient music cannot be defined by an instrument but by the use one makes of it.
Brahms and Debussy used the same violin in their orchestra, but their music is so different... The use of a DX7 by Brian Eno is not the same by Jean-Michel Jarre. And Plaits will serve ambient as well as techno.
Focusing on the choice of a module too often distracts from the problem of creativity. I am not immune to this either. And the question comes up again every time you power up your modular ;)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
It is the one that has in stock the product you are looking for and that you did not find anywhere else.
My own best memories are: Signal Sounds (wonderful Jason), Escape From Noise, and Modularsquare... :)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Soundmachines actually offers good modules for control (LS1lightstrip, LP1lightplane, Arches, etc.). There are many others from many brands (including Intellijel, Make Noise, Doepfer, WMD, Verbos, Pittsburgh, Xodes...). But we must not forget that owning several pianos will never replace our work for the mastery of only one of these instruments.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Marbles is an extraordinary module. I can't think of an equivalent, it is like no other. I often work in this way of randomization. Marbles is a sun king.
To complete, some modules to consider for a small rack: Rnd Step, Ochd; one can also think of Nano Rand, Quantum Rainbow, and some Doepfer modules including the A-118-2.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@nickgreenberg = Keystep :)
@farkas = Laptopstand :)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Short answer: I totally agree with @Lugia. Many other connoisseurs (including modular dealers...) have the same view.
Longer answer: my own and personal strategy, from the beginning, was little or no modules dedicated to drums. First, I was already well equipped (old TR-707, DrumBrute Impact, ADX-1, Volca Drum, Volca Sample, and now a brand new RD-6 :)
And by selecting for my modular Nebulae which incorporates a one-shot polyphonic sample player (within its alternate instruments), Disting mk4, Rings (great percs module too), and last but not least BIA, I was ready to achieve a whole bunch of drum sounds. Plus, more recently, I even added Plaits, LIP, and One. I think I'm a spoiled modularist, right?
However, I must admit that I am tempted today to conclude with two small 2hp modules: Kick and Hat only. Just for some modular techno sessions.
There is no conclusion here that is suitable for everyone.
I just wanted a modular instrument that was quite sound design (and random or stochastic) oriented.
It's all a matter of artistic direction and budget.
But I remain firmly convinced that a 808 or a 909, a Mini Pops or an Oberheim DMX, belong to a different animal species. They are like birds; you have to leave them alone, and not put them in sort of cages/cases :))
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
The Eurorack 1U landscape is developing at the moment. Convenient for travel. I'm starting to think about a standalone setup only based on this format.
Endorphin.es is coming. Mosaic, and Intellijel of course, have a great offer. Etc. And Xodes (XO) has created a series of format changers. They allow using 1U modules in a 3U case by creating 1U rows. Perfect for combining with some Picos or 2hps, for example.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Intellijel Audio I/O > (patchbay >) DAW or Digitakt
works also in reverse
other hardware > Intellijel Audio I/O > modular mangling
-- happygolucky
A little simpler, less space, less expensive... 4ms Listen IO. (Tested and approved for 2 years and a half :))
Plus: Erica Synths Midi to Clock V2 (seems great), or Intellijel uMidi... There are so many solutions.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Ah ah ah... reading all the advice here, it's enough to make you dizzy... and that's normal, everyone is trying to help you, and I myself will bring you another advice (at the end).
Modular is actually 'a long and winding road'... not a motorway.
You have to take your time.
Because anyway, a lot of time will pass before you stabilize a set-up that you will really master and be (at least temporarily) happy with.
Time:
The modular path is really long and impossible to program completely by advance.
But this is also one of its attractions.
‘A splendid time is guaranteed for all’ (Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite).
So here is my advice (of the day), and of course just an example of what is possible: a 'simple' module like the E352 (the best choice, believe me, I got one :)) means days and days of exploration, learning and pleasure!
So you start with that one, and with all the bare necessities around.
Take time and pleasure. Well, E352 is around 600€ / 700$...
You'll start to learn and love it step by step. Modular is a love story with your instrument too.
And you'll start to know step by step by yourself what you (two) really need else and in the end.
Bonus: the pleasure of receiving a package from time to time with that new module you've been longing for...
When you enter a bakery, do you remember you reason with yourself ;)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
+1 on @troux suggestion: FX Aid.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Concerning the music, one could think that it is rather abstract: but the title of the piece "Solitaire ou Solidaire" already evokes a very concrete subject. We can hear the importance (and the excellent management) of space in the mixing, and a stretching of time in the composition (the use of silences is crucial). It is a music that illustrates a reflection... there is a lot of questioning with all these spaces. The theme of the guitar (an instrument here perfectly integrated with the synthetic sounds) is a double note... almost the shape of a question mark, and one that never finds a resolution. From my point of view, this is not abstract music. It's like theme music, almost figurative music!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Fordidden Planet is a very good filter module. I think I remember @Lugia using it and being happy with it. You have to ask him... :) For my part I use several filters including Overseer which would be perfect for a DJ / House work. Other comment: Plaits is a wonderful module to start a modular and will stay in your rack until the end of the road... So, have a good trip!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
I discovered a possibility of extension to the M303 that might interest you with MI Warps + Soundmachines LS1lightstrip... see the Mylar Melodies video below.
Note the final budget, but you apparently will get a true enlargement of the 303 spirit. It’s very surprising...
For my part, I almost opted for the Behringer TD-3 simply, as I had indeed done with the RD-6. But, from my point of view, if drum machines (like mixers) are more obvious and tactile in a traditional desk solution, I have preferred 2 basic modules to combine with other tools I already have (like Optomix, modDemix, Synchrodyne, Bloom...). That's an inexpensive solution and takes little space too (6HP): Pico VCO2 + VCF1!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Congratulations Farkas!
This is a great track and thanks for sharing it.
This piece is quite satisfactory as it is here.
Yes, why not introduce some drums... eventually...
But by adopting an opposite and more minimalist approach, one could also imagine concentrating on the essential. Perhaps wishing to minimize the introduction and conclusion pads (with for example an Eq a little more tightened towards the mediums, a volume just a bit less high, even a very light bit crushing).
The main sequence is very charismatic in itself! This is the main character, the hero, the one on whom all the attention is going to be focused, and therefore the light and the contrasts can be further maximized. This is all very subjective, of course.
This sequence has a beautiful dynamic, a full and almost carnal sound, a dense and silky grain (there is deep black, then all the nuances... until flashes of light; the AJH Vcos ?). The whole is carried by balanced melodic variations, with neither too many nor too few gaps (in my opinion). This sequence is neither too repetitive, nor too scattered. Like a life form with its own coherence, like the wandering of a black bear, with its distanced, disillusioned, but powerful and wild look.
The more distant or external sounds that surround it remain in their proper proportion, like a slight reaction of the environment that does not interfere with the freedom of movement and expression of the main role. A living environment that knows how to remain discreet. Music is an ecosystem.
The sequence is also the 'Unique Artistic Proposition' (in analogy with the USP of marketing, 'Unique Selling Proposition'). It is the one that triggers the adoption, the favor for the track. Her departure at 11:25 is a success: surprise, the animal has disappeared... we are left alone in its natural environment, and it has run away.
BTW, it's interesting to mention the Berlin influences in this track. But if I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to say loud and clear that this music (like most of your work) is ‘Ohio School’, or ‘Erie School’, as you like :))
You're American (ok, Ohio, Midwest), but Germans (or French like me) can't be in your place. Nor the other way around. Globalization hasn't gone that far yet... thankfully. I feel more the vast spaces of North America (and maybe the Appalachian region) than the streets of Berlin in this track.
I'm currently enjoying Johno Wells' work a lot, for example : he's so Southern California... and among the giants: Kraftwerk, so German, and Pierre Henry, Eliane Radiguet or Jean-michel Jarre, so French.
You, you are yourself. And it's perfect like that.
So, long live the Ohio School!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
It is a very interesting question and, as often, there is no universal answer: hence all the pleasure and interest of the modular synthesizer.
In my case, on about fifty modules, I use only 3 small modules strictly dedicated to effects: 2hp Verb, Pico DSP and Happy Nerding FX Aid (4hp version). I have to add the Monsoon (a Clouds clone with the Parasites firmware) reverb and the possibility to use sometimes the Disting mk4.
Why? Because I try to preserve as much as possible the nature, the transients and the texture of the sounds: the quality of the sound sources in a modular was from the beginning, and actually stays for me the main attraction next to the possibilities of CV of course...
So my most frequent use of effects remains the positioning in the mix, as one would use commonly a filter for example.
On the other hand, when I think of 'effect', I more often associate it with a deeper mutation of the sound such as the granularization of a Nebulae, or the metamorphosis by a Morphagene.
Pushing to the extreme, I would say that it is the whole modular that I conceive as a special effect for the sound: just like cinema is not theater and could even be viewed as a special effect versus the theater! (Think about Georges Méliès).
My philosophy of modular is not to try to reproduce what traditional synthesizers would do. In the same way that a sampler should not try to imitate an acoustic instrument just because it could.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
The LB5 is a cleverly designed (with a beautifully finish!) module dedicated to logic functions. It allows very creative patching. I own one and no other of my modules can replace it. The Disting mk4 is a good Swiss army knife, it allows more or less to temporarily compensate for the absence of this or that functionality. Currently, for example, I use its delays a lot... while waiting to buy a true delay module like the Chronoblob.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Curiously, no one mentions Dfam. It's an amazing machine, solo or in conjunction with a modular.
Here, a performance among dozens of others on YT.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
When I hear 5HP, I think Xodes LB5. Great logic module!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Excellent video, nice performance. The track is very pleasant to listen to. Ambient and space music can easily become boring. Here, it is not the case. Polygogo and Panharmonium are definitely on my list.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Sunny and funny! Thanks for sharing.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
"Oh, just one more thing" :) Don't part with your Drumbrute Impact if you master it well, it will be still useful for a long time to come. Think about Rample, Plonk, Chimera, Basimilus or ADDAC100 series (some DIY kits) in your rack instead. Look for CV control. Have a nice trip!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
It's funny how modularists share this taste for Star Trek. I don’t escape it either... There is a Communicator (a nice toy version) preciously placed between my Mother-32 and my 0-Coast... :))
Artificial Singularity is a good ambient track. Congratulations!
I especially like the density and the smoothness of the pads. The depth of the mix and the spacialization too.
The length may seem daring and we too often hesitate to produce on such a dimension. But the theme lends itself well.
Great, see you on the bridge!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
‘I feel like I’m heading in about 20 different directions at once while trying to plan, so would love some feedback, constructive criticism and advice…’
This is a common situation and also very logical. You can't and shouldn't try to plan everything. As for a trip, you leave by defining a few essential places to visit, but it is then, on the spot, that you will discover the interest or the desire to visit others. Otherwise the process is too mental and, indeed, you can go crazy imagining 20 directions at once!
That said, in your list I see at least two that you will never be disappointed with: Maths and Disting mk4. They are not the most exotic modules, but they are like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower... pretty much unmissable.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
The day when oil prices will be discussed here, it will be necessary to think about changing the name of the site...
@ANTONIVS nice rack, even if the weather gets a little bad ;)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
‘(...) I'm going to extend my rack to another 3U of space’.
Honestly, investing directly in another RackBrute 6U would be wiser... Then a few suggestions:
Dirty textures: NE Viol Ruina ?
Melodic: Stochastic Inspiration Generator ?
Noisy: EI Liquid Glitcher ?
Enjoy your trip! :)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
tELHARMONIC from Make Noise - Coded by Tom Erbe.
2015-2021.
‘The goal with the tELHARMONIC was to present three historically important pioneering electronic music tone generation techniques less often implemented within the modular synthesizer: Additive Harmonic synthesis, inspired by Thaddeus Cahill's original Telharmonium [1897]; Noise synthesis, inspired by James Tenney’s 1961, early computer music piece "Analog 1: Noise Study;” Phase Modulation synthesis, inspired by early commercial digital synthesis from the 1980's.’ (Extract from Make Noise tELHARMONIC manual).
‘O why? O why? Sign O’ The Times’
Prince - 1958-2016.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
A virtuosity at the service of an instrument in its own right, modular synth. One can also discover an extraordinary piece by the same composer 'Compression Music (part 5)' on Vimeo, YouTube, or SoundCloud. Bravo and respect, Sir!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
First I would remove the DFAM from the rack to recover 60HP!
And I would choose a good Quad Vca: not only for attenuation...
Then it depends on the music or sounds you want to produce.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
That reminds me of a track I published this year. Rings is definitely a great module.
I used Batumi (sine) for cv in the Quad Vca. This brought some shades.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
It is amusing to note that, so far, the subject seems intriguing without eliciting any comments or reflections on it. Yet several bridges link the world of modular to that of artificial intelligence applied to music :
I still have this beautiful reflection by Brian Eno on the subject of computers and sequencers that comes to mind, and which, I think, applies equally to these two worlds:
"The great benefit of computer sequencers is that they remove the issue of skill, and replace it with the issue of judgement.
With Cubase or Photoshop, anybody can actually do anything, and you can make stuff that sounds very much like stuff you’d hear on the radio, or looks very much like anything you see in magazines.
So the question becomes not whether you can do it or not, because any drudge can do it if they’re prepared to sit in front of the computer for a few days, the question then is, "Of all the things you can now do, which do you choose to do?".
I read in this Forum dozens of topics related to the choice of modules or the correct configuration of a setup. I am not saying that these questions are not interesting, on the contrary. I notice that the best answers, and by the best of us (I don't quote names, we'll recognize them) refer us most often to this same question from Eno: "Of all the things you can now do, which do you choose to do?
Is there any musician here for a comment, or even an answer to the initial question?
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
An amusing but legitimate question...
Mutable Instruments: sober, almost zen, well-proportioned and ergonomic. Like their manual by the way.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Av3ry. Not really modular, just some 'next-door neighbour'... :)
What do you think of this? As a musician, and particularly as a modular musician, what is your opinion or feeling?
'Av3ry is an AI program and a virtual persona, who is composing music, communicating with people and learning from interactions. The main component is the on-demand conversation and art generation of the bot. (...)' - Audiobulb Records.
More information here: http://av3ry.net
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@farkas
It is an excellent initiative to have described the concept that guides your music and video production.
Thank you already for that.
Moreover, I think this line is particularly coherent and brilliant.
Happy man. So many creations lack that support of reason that opens the doors to creative expression.
And the result here is (still) very, very good.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
You're right. Cv modulation brings life to patches. May I suggest to you those two well thought and affordable modules: Ochd (LFOs) and Rnd Step (S&Hs) by DivKid.
We only have 2 hands. They give us 14 more within 8hp :))
Among my first sparks for modular (and a new form of collaboration) there was this jam session. I felt in love with modular because I saw the ideal complement to my traditional synths and opportunities for live improvisations jams. Berlin school is great for that. Enjoy:
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
It all depends on your musical goals.
Random and quantizing was important for me, so I first got Marbles (quantized random), then Bloom (opposite way).
And after a while, deeper 'ADN cooking' with URA plus Rnd Step, and... (the winner is :) ADDAC207, the solid choice.
It took me several months to discover (YouTube and forums), buy (Money, desperately a big key: 'That's What I Want', 'It's a gas', etc.), and learn (Manuals). And I'm still learning, and still resolutely don't want any traditional sequencer in my modular.
We must choose tools for the music we want to listen to.
So truly, which kind of music do you plan to ear from yourself?
The answer will be there. I'm not saying anything new...
PS: l use µMidi for Midi clock. Perfect.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@baltergeist
The aesthetic dimension is important. Regardless of the standards we have, our pleasure is visual too.
For example, please take a look at this page: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-beautiful-electric-guitar-ever-made, some are stunning. And you could easily find the same thing for pianos or harpsichords...
@sacguy71
Welcome in our 'wacky' universe, sacguy71. And yep, modular is fun. From the very beginning, and at each stage of our endless learning.
I saw your 'First patch Doepfer A100 Basic System' on YouTube too... a historical document!
A two notes primal loop caught out in a nearly total darkness :) Lovely.
I should have shoot my own first patch too... One thousand regrets.
Please keep yours forever!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@Moanerette
Many thanks for entrusting these feelings and words to us.
You're nearly talking of your instrument in the same way as one talks about somebody he or she loves. I share the same kind of relation with some of my instruments: my modular, my piano, and I should say my whole home studio. It's like a second family, born 40 years ago.
There is no shame or loss when a violinist talk this way about his violin, particularly about some great or rare instruments. And I think a modular setup is to become as unique, special and personal (even private). The level of customization makes the rarity. Just as everyone is unique.
Although, fortunately (if I may say so), they have not the rarity and the price of the 'Vieuxtemps' Guarneri violin (you can take a look at this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vieuxtemps_Guarneri), but our 'modest' modulars are for most of us unique and quite pricey...
Price of love? Surely for the sounds and the musics we can make with them.
Anyway, in the end we are very lucky willing victims, because we are definitely music lovers, not only technicians. Aren't we?
Please watch this video: the violinist Joshua Bell is talking about his instrument.
You will find the same feelings. It's even amazing to hear him saying the same words we use, and the same experience we share with our modular.
About the DFAM: it's a mighty and innovative synth!
I was more impressed by this module (or semi) than by the M32. DFAM is a world in itself. But I still tend to play it sometimes in a too much traditional way. You know, the first reflex to use it as an ordinary drum machine...
And here, thanks again to your post, you've chosen a right and nice word '...integrating... (my DFAM and rack)'. It's another answer to that thread. The pleasure of 'patching': ok, this freedom is tremendous. But beyond, 'integrating' is a better word because a more accurate point of view. I mean for producing an organic and living ensemble starting from solitary and inert pieces.
Creating life, that's all we looking for. And for this culmination, love is the key.
Will you publish the fruit of that night of love?
I would sincerely be pleased to hear it.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Nice tribute to Florian Schneider.
Discovering your works published in Bancamp, a special mention for 'Kapital'.
Do you know the Mode Machines ADX-1? It is not a modular drum but an analogue drum expander. I finally got one and I think it could fit with your style. Wonderful tones and a lot of modulations in the box.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Love this!
Minimalist, essential, no decorating superfluous kind of stucco melodies around.
This track (and the birds in the video) reminds me an 'old thing' I did a few years ago.
May I introduce to you the glorious and glitchy 'Vorwerk Chicken'!
No modular at that time.
Btw, DFAM and Basimilus involved in your 'Trees And' I suppose?
Cheers!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@defragmenteur
@GarfieldModular
...and Hi again Everybody!
'You can never have enough'. I don't know when and were it appears for the first time on the modular planet (apparently talking about Vcas), but it has always sounded to me like a vacuous statement or worst, an advertising slogan: 'You can never have enough' clamps, guarantees, smoked salmon, or whatever!.. And curiously, this has met a great success in this community.
This is quite funny because at the same time it is proclaimed loud and clear in music making that 'Less is more'...
Shall we eventually hear 'You can never ever get enough less for more'?
Sort of Woody Allen assertion :)
Well, I use OCHD for a few months, and had the chance to receive last week the brand new RND STEP by DivKid and SSF (a random module in the same vein as OCHD).
We all know that DivKid is an excellent reviewer. But he is also a very clever and a rather visionary man. Obviously, Ben has understood a lot of fundamental modularist requirements. Less Hps, reasonable price (though RND STEP is a bit more expensive than OCHD and Mutes), the need for easy to use but strong modulation tools, and of course a well-known and appreciated signature.
We can notice that he didn't choose to begin with innovative oscillators or samplers, no more with delays or reverbs. He worked on simple but proper tools that BRINGS LIFE... 'To bring life': another common expression, but this time, a really major concern in modular music. Because bringing life is exactly in the DNA of modular synthesis and a permanent quest of every modularist.
Nearly 10000 Eurorack modules according to ModularGrid...
Probably enough, and we should need more DivKids to 'Clean up the mess!' ;)
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Low-level night flight over the sea. Thanks for this journey!
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Interesting thread!
And thanks to Chaos215bar2 (what a lovely name :) for having posted his comment and making rise the subject again.
'...I'll pause videos just to stop and work out what's going on (and look at what modules they're using), and videos with cables going offscreen the whole time are a big turn off for me...' (chaos215bar2).
Same method... and print screens, and notes :))
Ok, I need to think a bit before returning with something useful here... See you soon.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
Ambient has become such a wide concept nowadays... But the importance of space (by means of depth and panning) seems to remain quite constant. So, if this can help, two remarks:
Beyond uBurst/Clouds and some Disting algorithms (Btw I do approve Defragmenteur), it seems to lack of reverb/delay, or some more sophisticated fx here. Do you plan to use any pedals (blueSky, Afterneath, etc.) or other external fx?
How do you mix? External gear? Software? So about panning: same questions... But a little stereo mixer inside the rack (I personally use a Doepfer A-138s including for control signals) could be a convenient submixer in any way.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
I do use a lot of BlackMarket cables: inexpensive, wide range of colors, easy to plug, never had a problem.
On the other hand Tiptop stackables: great quality, some helpful long length (up to 350cm), but regularly a bit hard to plug/unplug.
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@baltergeist
You're right. We have to be both. And I must admit that the concluding question was a bit provocative.
As if I'd stopped playing in the middle of the field, asking 'Hey! What the mess, where is the goal?' And beyond: 'What's our craft? What are we living for? Music, sounds or instruments and techniques?'
Modulargrid and the module I will order next month (an ADDAC 207) are surely amazing tools. But this thread was done to evoke the reasons for our common passion: our common interest for the chairs, not the planers.
Music lovers: we all know it's tough to talk about love sometimes :)
So, thanks for your remark, baltergeist.
@Lugia
George Szell, the Cleveland Orchestra and Rudolf Serkin in the Brahm's 1st Piano Concerto... Oh bliss!
Sincerely pleased to discuss with a connoisseur of classical music and a true modular expert at the same time.
'...such a musically-rich period...'
Same opinion, but with a little shade: I tend to compare the current period with the Middle-Ages followed by the Renaissance: development of polyphony, beginning of modern music notation, plethora of instruments, and a QUEST FOR A NEW WORLD...
'...most music we hear now technically IS "electronic" by default...'
I totally agree with you. And it's a too neglected observation. Many musical genres are indebted to the invention of 'Recording'. Jazz music is partly a children of this decisive technical turning point. And Sergent Pepper himself said that he still confirms this point of view :)
Modularists benefit from the same intake.
We are the Modularists Lonely Hearts Club Band, looking for Lucy...
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
A simply factual observation: this thread, 'What do you love (or prefer) about modular', totals at that moment 252 views and 9 participants (and thanks to them, 16 posts).
252 views, 9 participants.
3 or 4 percent...
Is modularist community overwhelmingly a nation of music lovers or technicians?
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@Lugia
Very interesting real life examples of those everlasting questions about art and technical means: 'Should I retain or break the common rules?', 'Should I use or dismiss instruments and tools I could use?'
History of art, and music in particular, abounds with great examples: the use of a keyboard (an harpsichord at that time) as a soloist in a concerto, traditionally limited to a role of continuo instrument (JS Bach was the first to dare it), the integration of vocal soloists and a chorus in a historically instrumental form (Beethoven symphony No 9), the use of vinyl discs, tape recorders and sampling techniques (Pierre Schaeffer creating musique concrète), etc.
"Don’t be ashamed of your own ideas. Most musicians get applauded for sounding like someone else.
People try something out that they think is exciting, and everyone looks a little unsure. Then they play an old James Brown riff and everyone’s saying: ’Wow! That’s what we want!’
Most of the time musicians are being encouraged to sound recognizable. What I’m doing [as a producer] is encouraging them at the points when they’re not."
[ Brian Eno ]
@baltergeist
And YES, baltergeist, THAT'S REALLY FUN! :))
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
@fredeke
'...an Appolo cockpit...'
Same feeling. The first time I had this sensation was in the late 80's, in my little studio built around an Atari 1024 (with C-Lab Notator... forebear of Logic pro) and all those lights of Midi devices around. Feeling as an astronaut, alone in his capsule, living a sort of sonic space oddity :))
'On ne devrait jamais quitter Montauban' (Fernand Naudin).
