If you’re new to modular synthesizers, they can be a bit daunting initially: How the heck do you even get a sound out of them? And what’s the starting point to recreate what you’re used to from your other synths? If you’re a beginner, this under 10 minute video is your first step on the ladder to learning how to use your modular synth.
This is the story of the one that got away: a rare Buchla Model 248-1602 Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator as well as set of other rare and unusual modules. I acquired it ~30 years ago, but let it go ~20 years ago. Fortunately, now it’s going to end up in some excellent hands.
Ratcheting is a Berlin School sequencing technique where an individual note in a sequence has its envelopes retriggered multiple times, usually at a musical subdivision of the sequence’s tempo – such as playing 1/32 notes in the middle of an 1/8 note sequence – to create a roll. Although used since the 70s, not everyone knows how to create a ratcheting patch on their modular. In this article I demonstrate creating and performing several typical ratcheting patches.
The thought process that went into building a compact yet comprehensive starting modular synth system for my Learn Modular Synthesis course that covered a wide range of both East and West Coast techniques.
