Are you modular-curious? But are you a bit intimidated by the “some – okay, a lot of assembly required” nature of creating sounds from scratch on a modular synth? And do you prefer the safety of your computer screen over racks of gear with dangling patch cords and exposed power busses (at least while starting out)?

For those who want to dip a toe into the modular waters without fear of it getting bit off by some unknown creature, I created a “your first patch” video as part of my Learning Modular Synthesis: Arturia Modular V course on Lynda.com.

This movie leads you step-by-step through creating a typical East Coast subtractive synthesis voice in the Arturia Modular V software, checking your progress each step of the way. I explain the basic synthesis concepts as I go, as well as how to interconnect the modules both using this software with its virtual patch cables as well as how you might do it on a “real” modular synthesizer such as the original Moog modular systems this software is based on. Whenever possible, I have the Modular V software, a video inset of my keyboard controller, and both waveform and harmonic spectrum displays of the output visible on screen all at the same time, so you can connect what the fingers are doing to what the ears are hearing:

 

If you want to follow along, Arturia has made free demo version of the software available.

If that has whetted your interest in the rest of the course, below is the introductory video that discusses what will be covered. Viewing the entire course requires a Lynda.com or LinkedIn Learning subscription. If you’re not already a subscriber, sign up using the URL lynda.com/trial/chrismeyer and you will be able to view the entire course – as well as the nearly 300 other music & audio courses available – for up to 10 days before your credit card is charged. Cancel before then if you don’t find it useful; if you do, a single month only costs $35, going down to $25/month if you sign up for an entire year.