Incredible DIY Modular Synth
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ค. 2024
- David Cranmer, aka Nervous Squirrel, builds amazing musical instruments, including alpaca sound systems, a Theremin in a badger and one of the biggest modular synthesizers in the world. In our exclusive video interview, Dave shows us how everything from Geiger counters to the Game Of Life can play a part in modular synthesis - and explains how anyone can master the skills needed to build their own synth modules.
For more information about Nervous Squirrel's creations see:
www.nervoussquirrel.com
Instagram @nervoussquirreldotcom
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:37 - The 'Badgermin' - Badger Theramin
02:35 - Space Debris Sonification Machine
04:07 - DIY Modular Synth Intro
06:35 - Synth Modules & Overall Layout
10:58 - Closer Look At A Synth Module
12:22 - Benefits of DIY Modular & Making Modifications
14:31 - Conway's Game Of Life Logic Module
15:39 - Modulating Parameters In 3D Space
16:33 - Geiger Counter Module
19:19 - Vintage Oscilloscope Module
19:41 - Sculptures
20:10 - Alpaca Sound System
21:30 - 'Cluckminster Fuller' - A Giant Chicken On Wheels
22:47 - How Did The Project Start?
24:58 - First Modules To Build
27:25 - Is It As Complicated As It Looks?
29:54 - Outro
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When I was 15 I built my own modular synth from scratch. Nothing like this massive beast, more like one twentieth of Dave Cranmer's amazing creation. It worked and I played it in my band (mostly hard wired like a mini Moog, because it's too hard to change modular patches on the fly ). I remember spending hours every day getting lost in making new sounds, much to the dismay of my school teachers. One teacher caught me drawing synth patches in accounting class, and told me I would never amount to anything in my life and I would fail his class. Well he was right about one thing, I did fail his class and was proud of it haha. I went on to study physics and electronics at university because of the fascination I'd developed for sound and synthesizers and eventually made my own business designing electronics at 24. I can really understand this guy's passion for what he does, and people like him enrich this world with their creativity and innovation. Brilliant work !!
Inspiring. 👍
I wish I could have a modular as a 15 year old
Yes I love this huge synth, that looks like what Wendy would have learned for back in 1968 ! I was lucky enough to attend a lecture at age 13 ? by Vladimir Ussachevksy (also a teacher of W Carlos, who was instrumental in the development of the RCA Mk I & Ii at Colombia Princeton Music Labs, and after soon started building oscillators from transistor caps and resistors with the occasional inductor. My Career has been mostly as an electronic tech for now almost 60 years! Yes ! Kudo's to You and Your homemade synth ....in the band VERY COOL ! ! ! !!!!
Well done!
The mystery behind the global shortage of jack sockets and potentiometers is finally solved.
ROFLMFAO!!!😹
The title of this upload does not do justice to the creativity explored in this video!!! Glad I finally clicked on it. I think I would watch a feature length documentary about this man.
12:50 Oh nice, he built one of my Triple Vactrol Resonators as well! (Third module left of the Scope-Module, the one with the 3 flashing LEDs)
I never thought I would hear the sentence “wrestling the topography of a badger” in my life
The basic idea of a modular synthesizer is this "Think of a sound, analyse the sound and pick it apart to work out how the sound is made, and then go make the sound", the definition of the word "Synthesis" succinctly describes what a synthesizer is and what it does..."Synthesis....the combining of parts into a connected whole", a synthesizer therefore combines parts of a sound into a connected whole.
4:08 I could gaze at that modular wall all day
big props to whoever playing the "walking in the air" theme from "The Snowman" on those electric owls. True deep cut
That is Dr. Katherine Angel playing The Snowman - full video here: th-cam.com/video/1BFY_Y04qcY/w-d-xo.html
This guy is at the bottom of the rabbit hole.
... and realizes it's only just the entrance 😜
BBbbbRRrrrAAaaHHhh!!!👹 NO SHIT!!!😹
I nearly bought that Badgermin.
I know where he's coming from! "If you're building one, why not build two." Exactly! I'd have many questions for him. How does he make the panels? And especially, now that this huge wall is full, where does the next wall go? Besides having the money and the time, you need a large room!
😎👍
Lets all just stop an appreciate "Walking in the air" on the owl synth.
This guy is incredible, very creative and very humble. Bravo !
was worth a second viewing...amazing designs..so creative...
Fascinating. Can't avoid to deeply admire people that DO things and actually USE them to ACCOMPLISH something. We had more people like these in the past. We need them back. By the way, loved the crazy bird sculptures made out of steel tanks or whatever... Show more pics of them. The synth is absolutely gorgeous.
Glad you liked the steel tank sculptures! Photos of them here: www.nervoussquirrel.com/synth_creatures
@@thenervoussquirrel Wow... And I thought these were sculptures, silly me. Simply amazing. Thanks!
Beautiful machines, particularly those modules. I've got my own homemade modular - about 84 HP of home-brew and home-built Eurorack that I've built into a recycled telephoto lens carrying case over the last year and a half -but the range and scope of these devices are astonishing. (I also didn't spend nearly as much time on keeping the aesthetics consistent, and my oscilloscope only has a cheap little OLED display. 😀)
This is great. Thanks for profiling this guy.
Damn I want a conways game of life module!! And I'm not ot surprised at all that Nervous Squirrel has built one
Awesome stuff.
coolest man on the planet!
Imagine how awesome would be that Geiger counter module with enriched uranium.
This is awesome
This man is a genius. What an interesting video.
I love your Avant Hard poster. Such a great album.
Absolutely - love that album...
Hah, goals! I started DIYing my wall too, but since I have smaller hands I went Eurorack. It's going to take me a tad longer I guess 😂
Awesome vid and a real nice homage to the late, great Ray Wilson of MFOS and a mention re: Ken Stone of CatGirlSynths
There was a time in the mid 70's to 80's where modular synths lost all value, overtaken by the Digital revolution ("Presets!") but
it was discovered that using Control Voltage to manipulate sound and make music was a pretty excellent design approach after all and Modular synths are back 100-fold... In the last decade available modules have gone from many hundred to many thousands. It's exciting to see the growth
@xPump Ray Wilson was such an inspiration and nice guy... Ken Stone also helped a lot when the project started. It is exciting to see all the new modules, driven I think partly by PCBs getting easier and cheaper to design and order...
Ken Stone and Juergen Haible... now THAT's some real name dropping. BTW, are those dotcom cab's?
@davidryle These cabinets are homemade, but the dotcom ones are really nice...
This should have 10 million hits
That would be one hit per knob
The text message module and the Bob module. LOL.
This would make a fantastic episode of Tom Scott 2.
Sure would've been nice to hear him PLAY something on it.
Fabricators are fascinating
So awesome! 🙌💖🙌 I "think" I've seen this video before but I hadn't "liked" it yet so maybe it was posted on another channel or something?
Cluckminster Fuller LOL Famous for Spaceship Mother Egg?!
❤️
This man exists on a different plane
nice video
I believe this is the first time I have heard anyone use the words "topography of a badger".
i like how theres only one sound segment i found while clicking through and it goes like bleepy bloop
How much and is it portable?
And think of the money you'd save by not having to paper that wall
Yes! Not only is this utterly brilliant, but I get to be 'that guy' in the comments and say "you do realise you could have just got a laptop and VCV Rack?" 😃
Seriously though, I have so many questions. What's the longest patch cable you need? How much power does it draw? Can I plug a guitar into it? 👌
@Virtual Modular There are 28 no. 3.5m patch cables hung on the back of the studio door, and strategically placed multiple modules, so only 2 no. cables needed to go from top left to bottom right of the system. Power use is negligible - the LEDs draw the most current. Actually the valve oscilloscope probably uses the most power. Yes, you can plug a guitar into it.
@@thenervoussquirrel awesome, thanks. I've learnt modular purely using software and would love to have a go on the real thing. I don't have the space for something like this (plus I'd be divorced, haha!) but it's really impressive. A follow up video demonstrating some more of the sounds it can make would be good too.
@@VirtualModular Look Mum No Computer paid Dave a visit a while back, worth checking that vid.
@@kennethmaclean9357 thanks, I'll have a look for that 👍
The string controllers? Wow.
I want to move to your town, become your acolyte, learn weird and wonderful skills, and most of all, learn how to convert the raw pulp of imagination into odd-beautiful, useful works of art that exist!
My wife's on a mini break atm and I was just wondering to myself if I'd get away with doing something similar in our lounge? Probably not.
Start small, gradually increase over time, your wife will get used to it being there.
Wires....wires......wires.....so many wires.
I'd be frightened of knotting myself to it, then being attacked by a huge pointy beaked bird on wheels.....Aaaarrrggghhh
Thank goodness......it was all a dream ..or was it ? 🤔
Let's hope and pray that it never gains sentience!
0:44 The Snowman! th-cam.com/video/upH1QZU4Z0Y/w-d-xo.html
and how does it sound???
:o
Dream setup. 😍
But the missus immediately reminded me: “this is what divorce looks like”.
I’m going to miss her dearly…
En français : mieux : th-cam.com/video/Ceafhu9_vro/w-d-xo.html
“Fart Box” though
How much would you say you invested in this in today's money?
Simultaneously extremely impressive, mad and utterly pointless. But no multiples, or did I miss something?
@baward There are six multiples modules - see between the letter R in "Incredible" and U in "modular" in the TH-cam title screen for one example.
All that stuff and yet he can't pronounce Moog correctly.
exaggeratedly nonsense!
Absolutely brilliant and inspiring. What an artist!! What a legend….gob smacked >>>> JPMusic from Aotearoa NZ