Oh and glad that you enjoyed southern Iceland :) If you go north, east or northwest then you see the complete opposite of the south. Lots of mountains and twisty roads.
Another excellent instalment. I’ve been guilty of buying for the sake of buying, and it was actually one of Phil’s live performances that helped me in realising exactly what I want to do with modular. Great work Alex, and cheers Phil!
Brief aside - I've definitely used my modular in indie-pop / pop / synch productions. Mostly I've used it when I want very tight 16th note pulsing bass lines, which it's perfect for. The Furthrrrr Generator thru a lo pass gate in this context especially sounds really rich and organic and sits well in a mix. Also works great as an OTB FX send, erbe verb is fantastic for drum processing to give mixes character (provided you feed it a clock so you get the cool delay/verb thing going), not to mention any of the various sampling and chopping possibilities with W/, Morphagene, etc.!
Thanks for the wonderful podcasts, you are nailing it. Can I bug you to put more links into your about section of sets/albums that are mentioned. It's hard to write down notes while driving :)
Fascinating interview, I've been messing around with analogue and hardware for around 30yrs. My oldest brother gave me a mac 2 years ago, which i now use as my main sequencer, but up until that point i just used an MPC60ii and an MPC2000xl connected to a Kenton Pro2000ii and a kenton pro2. I'm not interested in playing modular live myself, but would MPC units be looked down upon by the modular-cast. btw, loved you're DFAM jam, bought one myself after seeing that, really freed up some modules which i can now use for other purposes.
Nice! Great podcast, really nice to have a musician for this one (not that I didn't enjoy the others, but this gives another perspective), kudos to both of you! A "box" to develop performances / tracks has always been my vision for my own modular setup - it's getting there, but there have been some blind alleys and no doubt more to come :D
A great talk chaps, excellent questions that get right down to 'why' indeed do we do this (bleep), and why are people apparently so intrigued as both performers and listeners_ I see it as very post-digital phenomena.
'The limited sonic palette of guitar, bass, and drums.' Yep, as a long-time bass player now novice eurorack enthusiast, this in spades. Also, his Lyra8 album is awesome.
1:01:00 I'm curious/interested to know how Ebcidic writes those small 'score' cards; what his intentions are (e.g. how to write the score with the symbols on the card). If you know, I'm interested! Thank you Mylar and cheers! Great interview as always.
Ethan Sage the main intention was/is to give a super quick visual aid to what element is meant to be played at any point - a cheat sheet if you will - I just came up with as simple a notation as possible that gave me that reminder
ebcidic, I appreciate the explanation of the cards basic function, but I was wanting to know more about the symbols you used on the card itself. What do the filled-in triangles/trapezoids tell you specifically? And the lined triangles/trapezoids? Why is the card numbered G0 through H5? What do these symbols tell you specifically when you’re performing? Do they tell you to move knobs/cables? What symbol tells you to do what? Cheers, Ethan
It's pretty simple really - the numbering relates to the ER101 snapshots, the triangles/trapezoids just show when a musical element is to be played on each channel (solid shows no overlapping elements & dashed shows overlapping parts) and the text tells me what the musical element is as a reminder.
23:30 Pico SEQ randomize button FTW :) 99% of the time it gives you a useable sequence (quantized to scales) it's like moving the dial on a turing to 12.. waiting for a loop you like then locking it.... except on the SEQ it happens instantly. (it will keep the notes within a set octave range also). I can't big up the pico seq enough, there's more functionality in 3hp than some sequencers can manage in 20 :)
Thanks guys, that was a fascinating and enlightening discussion for a dweeb like me who has a room full of synths and samplers and yet wants to get into Modular. Job well done.
Hey, just to throw in our own product (terrible advertising) .. I have tried to make a module for the more rapid changes, precise drops etc. you talked about. Called SCHLEUßIG. If you happen to be at the Superbooth come over and I’ll demonstrate it.
Mylar - I appreciate that you started the podcast by chatting about the realities of making a living from modular music. It’s quite depressing looking at 99% money making electronic music artists (even those featured on Future Music channel etc). They just bang out a tune after a tune using Logic or Fruity Loops, sylenth and a bunch of presets. Do you know any modular producers/performers who do make a (decent) livng out of it?
It seems that a lot of modular performances are really meant for the artist her-/himself ("it more interesting for me/better flow/engaging/etc"_ or other artists who are into the technicals. Different genres, different people and their musical preferences of course - but it seems that keeping focus on the audience and entertaining them (a basic job of a DJ) that is really behind any financial success (nobody buys music anymore - hence giging). Also, there was a great point in the podcast made about the "drops" or buildups. Structure, harmonies, melodies, arrangement seems like it's crucial in an engaging performance (for the audience). Playing only the good parts and arranging them well seems quite a challenge in a modular setup.
Cool we finally get to see the man behind the modular synths! Mylar are you the skinny dude with glasses and the hipster beard on the left in the video? I have a friend who looks EXACTLY LIKE you dude who has a large Eurorack setup.
Another Great Talk! I'm based in Shanghai so we don't have a very active modular community here yet. There is however, a great deal of electronic music and electronic music venues... I've been having a similar issue at "shows". I think what bothers me is that the house will be PACKED and everyone is facing the DJ who is rocking out just as if he has an electric guitar in his/her hands and is ripping a solo with a killer indie band. The people respond when he "turns a knob" (I know it's not doing anything) or brings in a drop as if the DJ is actually PLAYING the music live. After thinking about it... I can't really fault anyone. I mean if the DJ is being and amazing showman and the audience is digging it and having a good time who am I to say what's what. I guess it's just a matter of finding the right audience and being confident in what I'm playing. Gonna be a journey.
I'm in Chengdu and the alternative scene is small but healthy. There's live electronica happening almost every week. Small venues, small but dedicated followers.
Yeah that’s it exactly. I think as much as I might try to deny it to myself, Phil is absolutely right that an audience largely won’t be understanding what you’re doing, and that there is absolutely no difference in terms of MUSIC to an improvised show as there is to one with a laptop. I do feel if an audience can see the equipment, and compare changes in sound to movement of your hand, they do realise you are actually making it happen - just the same as watching someone play guitar. But your point is spot on that if an audience is happy, they’re happy, irrespective of how it was achieved. I’m just trying to make my system as infallibly funky as I can.
At large festivals or venues modular is simply not worth the effort, unless it's your "thing" and that's what you want to use. Sam applies to the eternal vinyl/controller argument, if people come to dance, you could play a pocket mp3 player and as long as you read the people, they'll love it. Using modular at gigs makes sense with small, interested crowds. At our nights we set up in a semicircle and encourage the public to come close and get personal with the performers. Often a small camera is set up to project the performers actions onto the screen. People wobble and dance and appreciate the fact that the music is actually created live. At the end it's beer and question time and usually there's a genuine interest in finding out how that magic happens.
Just started watching now and when you mentioned E2-E4 it made me think about my pal Christian's book about Manuel Göttsching which you might be interested in, well worth a read: manuelgottsching.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/deep-distance-manuel-gottsching-book.html?m=1
I’ve had a few rough performances improvising with a bunch of step sequencers and the audience definitely did not care that I was doing it that way. Seems like you’ve been stewing on this for a while now
Interesting discussion. You lost me a little over the criticism of people who come to modular starting with a subtractive synth. Keep in mind you guys are veterans and know your way around modular. Most people wading into modular want to start with something they know. It isn't like newbies can go to Modular Grid and click the "Give Me Some Awesome Shit" button. I started out with a basic subtractive modular setup and expanded it from there. I don't regret that approach one bit. I still use those modules...a lot. But what started out as a modest set up has morphed into 12U @ 104hp and all sorts of wacky shit in it. Now I know that some you modular PhD types have tons more...but it really isn't as much about accumulating a massive amount of modules as it is what you can do with what you have. A great musician can create compelling music even with modest tools. You have to learn the ropes first before you can set your sights higher. And building a modular system can get pretty costly in a hurry. When I started I planned to spend about $2,000. That was almost $8,000 ago. This shit isn't free. Lol.
And indeed guess what, I built a subtractive voice for the very first modular setup I had! The point is to comment that it’s worth considering what other architectures might truly give you something sonically different to your existing synths (and it being 2018, you probably have an analogue synth). If I started from scratch I might suggest it’s worth building a sequencing system with no voices in it at all for example...
PS. In a world with £120 analog synths, VCV rack, and ten thousand plugins, I don’t honestly know if I’d recommend investing in a modular to a person who doesn’t even really yet understand how a synth works.
I started with Subtractive synths "in the box". I think the first one I ever used was actually called "Subtractor" in Reason. I just COULD NOT get my head around it. It wasn't until I bought the ROLAND JD-XA and could actually touch knobs and sliders that it clicked. Now I'm a full on addict! :)
That's a fair point. Eurorack modular offered me two things that I felt were compelling: form factor and variety. What I have in 12U 104hp of space could fill a small room with synths and other gear. That was of enormous importance to me because the space I have available is somewhat limited.
Nice one. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Watched Phil play at the Leeds modular meet last year. Very good indeed!
His Serious Lies / Minor Truths EP has been on repeat for the past 2 months.
Great podcast as always!!
Oh and glad that you enjoyed southern Iceland :)
If you go north, east or northwest then you see the complete opposite of the south.
Lots of mountains and twisty roads.
Another excellent instalment. I’ve been guilty of buying for the sake of buying, and it was actually one of Phil’s live performances that helped me in realising exactly what I want to do with modular. Great work Alex, and cheers Phil!
Another absolutely informative and inspiring conversation. Love the content from start to finish. Hands down , my favorite series. Keep bleepin!
Brief aside - I've definitely used my modular in indie-pop / pop / synch productions. Mostly I've used it when I want very tight 16th note pulsing bass lines, which it's perfect for. The Furthrrrr Generator thru a lo pass gate in this context especially sounds really rich and organic and sits well in a mix. Also works great as an OTB FX send, erbe verb is fantastic for drum processing to give mixes character (provided you feed it a clock so you get the cool delay/verb thing going), not to mention any of the various sampling and chopping possibilities with W/, Morphagene, etc.!
modular also gets used in movie scoring a lot ^^
Thanks for the wonderful podcasts, you are nailing it. Can I bug you to put more links into your about section of sets/albums that are mentioned. It's hard to write down notes while driving :)
chockfullofthat a few more links for you: drberndthoffmann.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-light antirecords.bandcamp.com/album/whorl
thank you!
revelatory. exactly what I needed to hear. Several thumbs up. Ace, even.
Is this guy still around? I just discovered him. Hes my favorite modular artist, but haven't seen much new stuff
Favorite podcast so far.....keeping it real!
Interesting vid, thank you.
Nice Neumann nearfields.
Fascinating interview, I've been messing around with analogue and hardware for around 30yrs. My oldest brother gave me a mac 2 years ago, which i now use as my main sequencer, but up until that point i just used an MPC60ii and an MPC2000xl connected to a Kenton Pro2000ii and a kenton pro2. I'm not interested in playing modular live myself, but would MPC units be looked down upon by the modular-cast.
btw, loved you're DFAM jam, bought one myself after seeing that, really freed up some modules which i can now use for other purposes.
🆒👊🏼💪🏻
Nice!... really enjoy this one great conversation
Nice! Great podcast, really nice to have a musician for this one (not that I didn't enjoy the others, but this gives another perspective), kudos to both of you! A "box" to develop performances / tracks has always been my vision for my own modular setup - it's getting there, but there have been some blind alleys and no doubt more to come :D
A great talk chaps, excellent questions that get right down to 'why' indeed do we do this (bleep), and why are people apparently so intrigued as both performers and listeners_ I see it as very post-digital phenomena.
Cheers Paul!
Top interview, enjoyed that, cheers fellas.
'The limited sonic palette of guitar, bass, and drums.' Yep, as a long-time bass player now novice eurorack enthusiast, this in spades. Also, his Lyra8 album is awesome.
Really enjoying these podcasts. Nice one!
1:01:00
I'm curious/interested to know how Ebcidic writes those small 'score' cards; what his intentions are (e.g. how to write the score with the symbols on the card). If you know, I'm interested!
Thank you Mylar and cheers! Great interview as always.
Ethan Sage the main intention was/is to give a super quick visual aid to what element is meant to be played at any point - a cheat sheet if you will - I just came up with as simple a notation as possible that gave me that reminder
ebcidic, I appreciate the explanation of the cards basic function, but I was wanting to know more about the symbols you used on the card itself. What do the filled-in triangles/trapezoids tell you specifically? And the lined triangles/trapezoids? Why is the card numbered G0 through H5?
What do these symbols tell you specifically when you’re performing?
Do they tell you to move knobs/cables?
What symbol tells you to do what?
Cheers,
Ethan
It's pretty simple really - the numbering relates to the ER101 snapshots, the triangles/trapezoids just show when a musical element is to be played on each channel (solid shows no overlapping elements & dashed shows overlapping parts) and the text tells me what the musical element is as a reminder.
ebcidic Thank you! (:
23:30 Pico SEQ randomize button FTW :) 99% of the time it gives you a useable sequence (quantized to scales)
it's like moving the dial on a turing to 12.. waiting for a loop you like then locking it.... except on the SEQ it happens instantly.
(it will keep the notes within a set octave range also).
I can't big up the pico seq enough, there's more functionality in 3hp than some sequencers can manage in 20 :)
Thanks guys, that was a fascinating and enlightening discussion for a dweeb like me who has a room full of synths and samplers and yet wants to get into Modular. Job well done.
This ep and your others won’t play on iTunes. It says download error. I love your shit!!!
Gotta love surgeon always looked forward to resident sets at HOG long live brum techno =)
interesting discussion and insights. Thanks!
Hey, just to throw in our own product (terrible advertising) .. I have tried to make a module for the more rapid changes, precise drops etc. you talked about. Called SCHLEUßIG. If you happen to be at the Superbooth come over and I’ll demonstrate it.
Mylar - I appreciate that you started the podcast by chatting about the realities of making a living from modular music. It’s quite depressing looking at 99% money making electronic music artists (even those featured on Future Music channel etc). They just bang out a tune after a tune using Logic or Fruity Loops, sylenth and a bunch of presets. Do you know any modular producers/performers who do make a (decent) livng out of it?
Not many no, Colin Benders, Steevio, Ansome, Blawan, Surgeon? And most of those names also DJ (probably for more than playing live at the right event)
It seems that a lot of modular performances are really meant for the artist her-/himself ("it more interesting for me/better flow/engaging/etc"_ or other artists who are into the technicals. Different genres, different people and their musical preferences of course - but it seems that keeping focus on the audience and entertaining them (a basic job of a DJ) that is really behind any financial success (nobody buys music anymore - hence giging). Also, there was a great point in the podcast made about the "drops" or buildups. Structure, harmonies, melodies, arrangement seems like it's crucial in an engaging performance (for the audience). Playing only the good parts and arranging them well seems quite a challenge in a modular setup.
It's not full-on pop, but the closest that comes to mind is "Buchla and Singing" by Reed & Caroline. Definitely worth a listen.
You should come to Wisconsin and we could take a drive on lake Michigan. It's as surreal as it gets.
Cool we finally get to see the man behind the modular synths! Mylar are you the skinny dude with glasses and the hipster beard on the left in the video? I have a friend who looks EXACTLY LIKE you dude who has a large Eurorack setup.
"I forget a lot of what I have done"- this is why a sampler is mandatory to record cool sounding tracks guys!
great talk. thank you!
Love the show!
Another Great Talk! I'm based in Shanghai so we don't have a very active modular community here yet. There is however, a great deal of electronic music and electronic music venues... I've been having a similar issue at "shows". I think what bothers me is that the house will be PACKED and everyone is facing the DJ who is rocking out just as if he has an electric guitar in his/her hands and is ripping a solo with a killer indie band. The people respond when he "turns a knob" (I know it's not doing anything) or brings in a drop as if the DJ is actually PLAYING the music live. After thinking about it... I can't really fault anyone. I mean if the DJ is being and amazing showman and the audience is digging it and having a good time who am I to say what's what. I guess it's just a matter of finding the right audience and being confident in what I'm playing. Gonna be a journey.
I'm in Chengdu and the alternative scene is small but healthy.
There's live electronica happening almost every week. Small venues, small but dedicated followers.
Played live modular set last night at NUSpace.
Yeah that’s it exactly. I think as much as I might try to deny it to myself, Phil is absolutely right that an audience largely won’t be understanding what you’re doing, and that there is absolutely no difference in terms of MUSIC to an improvised show as there is to one with a laptop. I do feel if an audience can see the equipment, and compare changes in sound to movement of your hand, they do realise you are actually making it happen - just the same as watching someone play guitar. But your point is spot on that if an audience is happy, they’re happy, irrespective of how it was achieved. I’m just trying to make my system as infallibly funky as I can.
At large festivals or venues modular is simply not worth the effort, unless it's your "thing" and that's what you want to use.
Sam applies to the eternal vinyl/controller argument, if people come to dance, you could play a pocket mp3 player and as long as you read the people, they'll love it.
Using modular at gigs makes sense with small, interested crowds.
At our nights we set up in a semicircle and encourage the public to come close and get personal with the performers. Often a small camera is set up to project the performers actions onto the screen. People wobble and dance and appreciate the fact that the music is actually created live.
At the end it's beer and question time and usually there's a genuine interest in finding out how that magic happens.
Iq Nill man, I love Chengdu! I actually get over there a few times a year. What’s your wechat? I’m “mikeandmic” if you want to add me.
Enjoyed the podcast thoroughly. Quick question: what is said at 34:45? Appreciated!
I can't find this etude e 4 track. Anyone know where it's listen-to-able?
Let me help you here th-cam.com/video/ys0HyevZpQg/w-d-xo.html
Damn umlauts.
Great pod!
Erm...pop music on a modular? Anyone remember "I feel love" (Moog 3C)? Or perhaps "Dare" (Roland System 700, System 100m, System 100)...
Andrew Brooks Truedat!
Just started watching now and when you mentioned E2-E4 it made me think about my pal Christian's book about Manuel Göttsching which you might be interested in, well worth a read: manuelgottsching.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/deep-distance-manuel-gottsching-book.html?m=1
Who is that dr they talking about ?
Haha, a surgeon you mean?
@@mylarmelodies hahaha!!! No …. dr burton hofman something
i need those data modules
I’ve had a few rough performances improvising with a bunch of step sequencers and the audience definitely did not care that I was doing it that way. Seems like you’ve been stewing on this for a while now
Great interview! Try to snag Colin Benders for a chat!
knurkas Ooh would love that
Interesting discussion. You lost me a little over the criticism of people who come to modular starting with a subtractive synth. Keep in mind you guys are veterans and know your way around modular. Most people wading into modular want to start with something they know. It isn't like newbies can go to Modular Grid and click the "Give Me Some Awesome Shit" button. I started out with a basic subtractive modular setup and expanded it from there. I don't regret that approach one bit. I still use those modules...a lot. But what started out as a modest set up has morphed into 12U @ 104hp and all sorts of wacky shit in it. Now I know that some you modular PhD types have tons more...but it really isn't as much about accumulating a massive amount of modules as it is what you can do with what you have. A great musician can create compelling music even with modest tools. You have to learn the ropes first before you can set your sights higher. And building a modular system can get pretty costly in a hurry. When I started I planned to spend about $2,000. That was almost $8,000 ago. This shit isn't free. Lol.
And indeed guess what, I built a subtractive voice for the very first modular setup I had! The point is to comment that it’s worth considering what other architectures might truly give you something sonically different to your existing synths (and it being 2018, you probably have an analogue synth). If I started from scratch I might suggest it’s worth building a sequencing system with no voices in it at all for example...
PS. In a world with £120 analog synths, VCV rack, and ten thousand plugins, I don’t honestly know if I’d recommend investing in a modular to a person who doesn’t even really yet understand how a synth works.
I started with Subtractive synths "in the box". I think the first one I ever used was actually called "Subtractor" in Reason. I just COULD NOT get my head around it. It wasn't until I bought the ROLAND JD-XA and could actually touch knobs and sliders that it clicked. Now I'm a full on addict! :)
That's a fair point. Eurorack modular offered me two things that I felt were compelling: form factor and variety. What I have in 12U 104hp of space could fill a small room with synths and other gear. That was of enormous importance to me because the space I have available is somewhat limited.
38:02 I’m guilty :(
There’s a Model 1 casually resting on the table...just saying..
Find the companion vid and you can see it working
MFB Seq-03 has as many cv or gates as there are outputs. Terrible manual though.