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Introduce yourself

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SynthesizerNZ
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Introduce yourself

Unread post by SynthesizerNZ »

There are so many enthusiastic modular synthesists that I think it’s important to create a space for you to share a little more about who you are and what brought you to modular synthesis.

Some questions you may answer to get your thoughts flowing:
  • Who are you?
  • Where did your synthesizer story start?
  • What kind of modular system are you planning?
  • What's your favourite module or, if you're completely new to modular, what module are you planning to buy first?

Welcome and don't forget to post a photo of your rack!

Note: make sure you use proper punctuation and paragraphs to increase the readability of your posts - no need to try to win the Pulitzer Prize, but a big block of text is just unreadable. To make a new paragraph, leave a blank space between the paragraphs.

Once you’ve introduced yourself, simply click the submit button at the bottom to post your thread. Other Members will see your thread, you’ll be welcomed by them and you’ll get some tips to get started.

So don’t be a lurker and get started by introducing yourself by clicking here. :lol:

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drxcm
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by drxcm »

Hi, I'm here!

Bought my fist synth in 1994 and fell into the abyss since then.
I have Eurorack and 5U and love modular. Always wanted a vintage Buchla but it's never going to happen.
My favourite module is difficult to pin down, but my Modcan Quad LFO is a total modulation powerhouse that I will never sell. It was one of my first eurorack modules about 8 years ago.

Glad to be a part of this community and happy to help where I can

Stu

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Robin
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by Robin »

Hi team,

Just a quick introduction from my side, my name is Robin. I'm a synthesizer enthusiast performing under the name Vōlc in New Zealand.

My journey with synthesizers has been a long one that started out with soft synths. I was young and it was the most affordable way to get into making crazy sounds. It was only a matter of time to get hooked on modular synthesis, even though it's an expensive hobby, it's worth it! ;)

My modular rig carries a lot of Mutable Instruments, Intellijel and MakeNoise gear at the moment. It's ever changing and I change it to what I feel like making. My styles mainly lie with ambient, cinematic and sound design for my samples. I'll make sure to share a couple of sample packs for your digitakts and OP-1s here on the forum as well.

Favourite, that's a good question. I have some great modules in my rack and recently acquired a Mutable Instruments Beads. It's surprisingly complex.
Other notable mentions are my Make Noise Mimeophon and Intellijel Korgasmatron. Not modular but definitely worth mentioning is my Polyend Tracker that I love to use for sequencing.

Here's a picture of my rack a couple of months ago, let me know your thoughts.
IMG_0372 2 (1).JPG
IMG_0372 2 (1).JPG (451.38 KiB) Viewed 5879 times
IMG_9967 2 (1).JPG
IMG_9967 2 (1).JPG (516.12 KiB) Viewed 5879 times

And a short track I made recently named Organix:

Enthusiastic synthesist performing under the name Vōlc. Follow me on YouTube or BandCamp.

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hardout
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by hardout »

Kia ora koutou,

Big thanks to those setting this up. I've never gone hard on a forum before but this just might be the one.

Wellington>Palmy>Melbourne>Wellington>Porirua. Been making music without much theory for getting on a decade, basically just wanting to muck with gear that looks interesting and I've been seeking out any music to listen to that isn't mundane for double that.

I got my hands on an old Ensoniq ASRX when working at student radio and getting into some 'harsh noise' stuff/ talked a lot of shit with and jammed a little with a mate in Melb/ got one of the prototype deluges off Rohan /got a https://mess.foundation/ membership / then eventually tipped over the edge into modular with a trip to Five G in Tokyo.

Want the system to just continue to be a bunch of impulse purchases. Maybe a little more DIY stuff in future but scratching my head on whether the power supply can do much more right now??? Been a bit sad from learning what everything does and how to tame it more, trying to go back to 'happy accident' patching as much as possible.

Image

Right now writing this I think the Noise Reap VCF 2164 or Pittsburgh Envelope are the ones I enjoy mucking with the most.

OOSH
8-) Just one module away from recording that masterpiece 8-)
https://jakehardout.bandcamp.com/

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Robin
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by Robin »

That signature is great, 'just one module away from recording that masterpiece'. :lol:

I got an old version (Mark I) of Tides as well, did you load the parasites firmware with the two-drunks and two-bumps? It's amazing and turns the module into an absolute powerhouse.

You can find the firmware here: https://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites/tides.html

Little bit of a description from the website for those interested:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two Drunks
A random walk, also called a Drunkard's walk, is a stochastic process (a system that evolves randomly over time) that consists in repeatedly making small steps in random directions in a given space. Imagine a drunkard wandering in a city, taking a random direction at each crossing. Will (s)he ever make it back home?

Two-drunks is a dual random walk simulator. Each walk is timed by an independent clock featuring a form of randomness: one—Channel 1—is jittery, with control over the amount of jitter (from steady to completely random); the other—Channel 2—simulates a random biased coin toss, with control over the bias (from always ticking to ticking once every very long while). The Low and High outputs emit these clocks, respectively. They are both derived from the same main clock; the Frequency knob sets the frequency of this main clock.

Two Bumps (My personal favourite)

A harmonic generator (also called an additive synthesis engine) produces its timbre by summing sinusoids of multiple frequencies (harmonics). Theoretically, all timbres can be reproduced this way, by choosing the right amplitude for each sine.

Two-bumps is a harmonic generator that sums 16 harmonics. The timbre is shaped by choosing two "center frequencies", (with the Shape and Slope knobs) which select the loudest harmonics, and a "width", which is the amount of harmonics adjacent to the two centers that will also ring (the Smoothness knob, from fully CCW to noon). Additionally, you can have the exact mirror of what I just described. The bumps then become potholes: all harmonics ring by default and you are selecting the quietest harmonics, digging a notch of varying width in the spectrum (this is selected by the Smoothness knob, from noon to fully CW).

Enthusiastic synthesist performing under the name Vōlc. Follow me on YouTube or BandCamp.

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orbist
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by orbist »

Greetings all,

Musical journey started in early 90s getting into trance and techno and buying vinyl, got my first decks in 91 and did some DJ gigs in early 90s around Scotland playing deep minimal techno.

Migrated into dabbling with music making back with Cakewalk, Rebirth and then a few rack modules, bass station etc. JP8000 first proper synth in about 98.

Definitely a fan of the early Roland sounds. Have collect a lot of the years, sold a bunch, bought a bunch.

Got a dreadbox Lil erebus and taught myself to solder, source parts etc and slipped into euro rack that way. Now have 24U of 104hp that's always changing.

Enjoy building some bigger stuff now, Nava, DIN Sync RE stuff, 303,909 and got the 808 on its way. Recently jumped into SMD and building a bit of Mutable stuff. Even just managed the JSI progue.

Music wise, still making minimal techno, progressive trance and ambient. All just as a hobby.

Barry

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alanp
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by alanp »

Hi. My name is Alan, and I have never paid for a commercial eurorack module.

I may have bought some kits... and PCB/panel combos... and had PCBs made... and bought PCBs from guys on forums...
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http://alanp.info
Solder junkie

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Robin
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by Robin »

alanp wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:24 am Hi. My name is Alan, and I have never paid for a commercial eurorack module.

I may have bought some kits... and PCB/panel combos... and had PCBs made... and bought PCBs from guys on forums...
Welcome Alan! Is that a replica of a Buchla Easel Command on top of your rack?
Enthusiastic synthesist performing under the name Vōlc. Follow me on YouTube or BandCamp.

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alanp
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by alanp »

It's a replica of a 70s Easel, which has a few minor differences from the Command. I'm working on a touch keyboard to go with it... mostly haven't finished it because I don't want to deal with fretwire between the keys :blush:
http://alanp.info
Solder junkie

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hardout
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Re: Introduce yourself

Unread post by hardout »

Robin wrote: Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:17 pm I got an old version (Mark I) of Tides as well, did you load the parasites firmware with the two-drunks and two-bumps? It's amazing and turns the module into an absolute powerhouse.
Thanks for this! It was loaded when I first got my hands on it by the previous user who noted their love for it too. I went back to the original as I was still pretty fresh and had got very lost but now is the time with this better understanding of its possibilities!

Great to hear some decent music being made too, thanks for linking yours in your intro.
8-) Just one module away from recording that masterpiece 8-)
https://jakehardout.bandcamp.com/

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