Modular Synths

Modular synths are one of the most inspiring tools available to electronic musicians today: synthesizers that you can assemble yourself from core components, building an instrument specifically meant for your music and your workflow. These core components, called modules, each perform an individual function. Some generate sound, some process sound, and some provide a way to control other modules.

At Perfect Circuit we specialize in the Eurorack format of modular synthesizers, a standard developed by Dieter Doepfer in order to provide musicians easy and affordable access to the techniques from the large analog synths of yesteryear: Moog, Buchla, ARP, and Serge systems, and many more. Since then, Eurorack has grown considerably—now offering a wide range of unique sonic opportunities.

Now, manufacturers like Verbos Electronics and Random*Source focus on adapting classic analog designs for use in modern music. Others, like Noise Engineering, Industrial Music Electronics, or Mutable Instruments, work in the digital realm to bring new techniques to the world of hardware. Others like Rossum Electro-Music and Make Noise work in both domains to make instruments that strike an uncanny balance between analog and digital, opening new worlds of expression.

Through some combination of these modules, a mess of patch cables, and a healthy does of experimentation, many musicians have found their own unique voices: and perhaps you will find yours there, too.