One of the primary reasons to make the move from pre-configured synthesizers to patchable modular synthesis is the ability to create your own instrument – be it to pick and choose your favorite flavors of synth building blocks, to expand it in ways you prefer, or to explore new signal paths and configurations. A common question is: Where do you start? Keeping in mind there’s no single right answer (and very few wrong ones), here are a few different approaches and their potential trade-offs.
Before I got involved with modern modular synthesizers, I worked in the video and film industry. Before that, I designed synths, samplers, software, and digital audio recorders for the likes of Sequential, Digidesign, and Roland. The one I’m probably best known for is my involvement with the Sequential Prophet VS, as for creating what is now known as Vector Synthesis. Here is the story of their birth. Earlier versions are floating around the internet; this one is more complete, and with (hopefully) fewer typos.
