Exploring Modular Synths - Beginner's Mind - Episode 1 - Using a CV Keyboard (Arturia Keystep)

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This series is for beginners specifically, and this is the second episode in the Beginner's Mind series. Watch Episode 0 first if you haven't already. This episode shows how to set up a simple modular synth with a CV (control voltage) keyboard. In this case, I use the Arturia Keystep.
** Patreon Info**
/ modularlanding
For those interested, I also have an experimental album made entirely of live, improvised modular performances made with my set-up available here:
modularlanding.bandcamp.com/
I also do non-modular music:
www.brendanoz.com/
Thank you for your interest!

Пікірлер: 83

  • @bex--
    @bex--5 жыл бұрын

    Not only did I learn about the keystep, but i finally know what stops the oscillator from buzzing constantly. A VCA is next on my list.

  • @Boris_Chang
    @Boris_Chang Жыл бұрын

    And thus the subtle distinction between keyboardist who plays piano, organ, and of course synthesizers with MIDI keyboards, and a synthesist who uses multiple controllers (touch pads, ribbons, and of course an ebony-and-ivory keyboard-probably with cv outs. I am of the latter stripe. I will never win a Chopin piano competition. I am fascinated with sound design using modular synthesizers, but have so-so keyboard skills.

  • @dystopianvisions
    @dystopianvisions7 жыл бұрын

    it's great to see your channel growing!

  • @Larry30102
    @Larry301022 жыл бұрын

    As a relative newbie to modular this was most helpful. Great tutorial on hooking up the gear and showing the potential of modular. Many thanks!

  • @theweekendrecordist9040
    @theweekendrecordist90405 жыл бұрын

    Thanks a lot, im a beginner and i was here to learn about the keystep but I also learned a whole lot more about CVs! Thank you!

  • @brianreilly6545
    @brianreilly65456 жыл бұрын

    Hey big thx for these two beginner videos. Huge help and explained perfectly! 👍🏼

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    6 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words! I hope to make more when I have time.

  • @Fatal_Jinx
    @Fatal_Jinx4 жыл бұрын

    This was the most helpful vid I’ve found on modular. Thank you 🙏

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the kind comment!

  • @peterpwn4311
    @peterpwn43112 жыл бұрын

    dear sir, it was just the video i needed, thank you for your kind work, appreciated !

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for the kind comment!

  • @wackenthaljef
    @wackenthaljef6 жыл бұрын

    i needed such an explanation..tks a loooot!

  • @wajobu
    @wajobu5 жыл бұрын

    This is an excellent and clear explanation--thanks!

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @alexandrosroussos
    @alexandrosroussos9 ай бұрын

    Very nice video, finally removed my confusion on that when trying to start a patch on miRack ! Liked/subbed.

  • @thecyrussales
    @thecyrussales Жыл бұрын

    Top tier content right here!

  • @yvngd88
    @yvngd886 жыл бұрын

    Keep doing these videos i love them

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    6 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, I really appreciate that. It encourages me to make more. I just need to find time and also ideas for new videos!

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    4 жыл бұрын

    @Papas Heaven Wow, thank you!I hope to do more soon.

  • @ys521wow
    @ys521wow5 жыл бұрын

    You r my time saver, thank you so much!!!

  • @seek4truth
    @seek4truth3 жыл бұрын

    Best beginners video thanks a lot

  • @LayneNguyen
    @LayneNguyen2 жыл бұрын

    This is very helpful! Thanksf or posting this.

  • @riamiwovideos
    @riamiwovideos6 жыл бұрын

    nice exploring :)

  • @christopherrusch
    @christopherrusch3 жыл бұрын

    thank you so much for this video

  • @raavenstark5905
    @raavenstark59057 жыл бұрын

    Really great ! I want do the same, it's so fascinating *__* Thanks for this channel!

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    7 жыл бұрын

    Great. You will have a blast, I am sure. It's hard to describe how fun this is :-)

  • @rayderrich
    @rayderrich5 ай бұрын

    Enjoyed -> subscribed.

  • @stefanhansen5882
    @stefanhansen58823 жыл бұрын

    This was awesome! I think I will get the Keystep and the Behringer Neutron to begin my adventures in modular.

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    3 жыл бұрын

    Awesome choices! The Keystep is very useful, and the Neutron has a really lovely sound -- very smooth and tons of possibilities. I think they're both super high-value buys.

  • @stefanhansen5882

    @stefanhansen5882

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@ModularLanding Glad to hear!

  • @24nikita
    @24nikita4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Loopop.

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    4 жыл бұрын

    I'm not Loopop! Although I love his videos.

  • @WizardBalls29
    @WizardBalls294 ай бұрын

    trying to wrap my head around this .. looking at different doepfer VCA's and all i see are cv ins and outs no control ?? i do see an input that says selected not sure where to plug the gate from the keystep on those ones so i can play it

  • @edwardkenworthy7013
    @edwardkenworthy70133 жыл бұрын

    Useful video. thank you. As an aside, Clouds didn't add anything in the first ~13 minutes except noise to obscure the points you were making though, would have been better without.

  • @SpiritMoleculeManiacPsychoPro
    @SpiritMoleculeManiacPsychoPro5 жыл бұрын

    yes i enjoyed watching lot , would like some stuff with the stillson hammer mk2

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks. I removed the Stillson Hammer mk2 though -- I'm selling it -- so I'm sorry that I can't do a demo of it for you. I find the Rene more fun as a sequencer.

  • @SpiritMoleculeManiacPsychoPro

    @SpiritMoleculeManiacPsychoPro

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@ModularLanding well i thought also if i add another sequencer .. great videos

  • @consbeats7894
    @consbeats78943 жыл бұрын

    Im so cheap, i gonna sample this kakaka Great video !

  • @jdssurf
    @jdssurf3 жыл бұрын

    What controller would I want to pair with the keystep I already have to record and make beats on multiple tracks with a euro rack like yours.............something under a few hundred bucks for now

  • @scottm8685
    @scottm86854 жыл бұрын

    Your videos are absolutely awesome. Extremely educational. Do you mind if I share them in my facebook group, Love Your Keyboardist?

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much for the kind words. And yes of course please share them anywhere! That sounds like a great FB group!

  • @kekdonalds8127
    @kekdonalds81275 жыл бұрын

    Is a patch cable the same as a cinch cable? 😅

  • @lazeavlad
    @lazeavlad5 жыл бұрын

    so i m at start with electronic music and i m sry for sounding noobie but on the far right up the patches are used just for the sound to go in your speakers? and if i have an arturia beatstep pro that s connected to the pc and from the pc i have my earphones do i need the far right top module anymore? aaand what modules do i need to start the basic thing besides the oscilator?

  • @brendan3518

    @brendan3518

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yes, that's correct. The last set of cables connects the modular to a pair of powered monitor speakers. You do not need the top right module, but you may need some way of attenuating your signal (making it weaker) since modular signals are very loud. Besides an oscillator, you may want a VCA (amplifier/attenuator to weaken your signal and change volume), LFO's (for modulation), a filter, and you already have a sequencer in the beatstep pro.

  • @yorganyog
    @yorganyog3 жыл бұрын

    Nice video. Thank you. One question. If I just connect CV from The keyboard, without VCA and gate, the note is continuous. If I press that keyboard twice in the same note, nothing happens right?

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    3 жыл бұрын

    yep, that's right

  • @thelibraryofmusiclandria7731
    @thelibraryofmusiclandria77316 жыл бұрын

    When you re-route your mod out from the keystep, are the 2 LFO outs still actively altering your sound when you adjust your mod wheel?

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    6 жыл бұрын

    Buddy Hale what segment of the video are you referring to? I believe the answer is yes depending on what moment you’re asking about. For example when I plugged the mod wheel CV out from the Keystep into the frequency input of the Batumi (which is generating LFO’s that go into the Dixie oscillator) then from that point on the mod wheel changes the speed of the LFO as if I were pushing that slider up and down on the Batumi. So the LFO is still on and active, we are just changing its speed.

  • @xorthontech
    @xorthontech3 жыл бұрын

    How do you hook up the keystep gate to Mutable Instruments Plaits or Braids since they have a built in vca ( I Think!). Would you send the gate to the trigger input?

  • @xorthontech

    @xorthontech

    3 жыл бұрын

    I have several seperate vca modules. Would I have to patch the gate to the vca then the vca too plaits or braids somehow?

  • @catswalkfdingdang1553
    @catswalkfdingdang15536 жыл бұрын

    Hi there, I have a korg MS20. Would I be able to hook modular synths into it? It already has two oscillators and a keyboard so wouldn't that be possible? Really enjoying learning about modular synths, these videos have helped me a lot. Thanks!

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    6 жыл бұрын

    Yes but it uses a different voltage, so you'll need some kind of voltage converter. www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/944212-korg-ms20-modular-gear-pain.html

  • @jacksonkerr2095
    @jacksonkerr20953 жыл бұрын

    Awesome sound! I have a question- If I get a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter, can I use a keyboard which has 1/4" outputs? Or do I need a keyboard with just the 1/8" outputs to hook directly to my synth?

  • @jacksonkerr2095

    @jacksonkerr2095

    3 жыл бұрын

    I have a Mikrostation keyboard which I'm looking to connect to my synth.

  • @TripleTSingt

    @TripleTSingt

    2 жыл бұрын

    you need a keyboard with a VC Out or Pitch Out, which are 1V/Oct. And these are always 1/8". Most likely your keyboard has 1/4" audio outputs which will not help you. There are keyboards with MIDI Out, which you can use with a MIDI to CV module to control your eurorack gear.

  • @jacksonkerr2095

    @jacksonkerr2095

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TripleTSingt Sorry for the late reply, thank you! It looks like I may have to invest in something more specifically geared toward Eurorack. I appreciate your input.

  • @imakestuff1994
    @imakestuff19943 жыл бұрын

    if your vca has a cv in, will that work as the control port on your optimix?

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    3 жыл бұрын

    It depends on the module, but generally yes, it should.

  • @PulledPurk
    @PulledPurk5 жыл бұрын

    In order to make it polyphonic would you have to add multiple oscillators?

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yep, that's right. However, note that in modular almost anything can be made to go fast enough to "become" an oscillator and then used in that way. In another video, I show using the Batumi (LFO's) as an oscillator, using the Echophon delay to be an oscillator, and you could do the same with envelops. You can use Maths as a set of oscillators. You can use a filter as a sound source and play it, etc., etc. So you don't have to necessarily buy more oscillators (VCO's) to have more voices.

  • @PulledPurk

    @PulledPurk

    5 жыл бұрын

    That's awesome, thanks! I'm just getting started. I don't have a synth yet. I just ordered speakers.

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    5 жыл бұрын

    Cool. You're in for some fun times!

  • @imakestuff1994
    @imakestuff19943 жыл бұрын

    can you use a Envelope generator instead of a vac in this set up

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    3 жыл бұрын

    You could send an envelope generator into the VCA to shape the VCA -- that will give the VCA an envelope that allows you to set attack, decay, sustain, release (ADSR), giving you more control.

  • @imakestuff1994

    @imakestuff1994

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@ModularLanding thx!

  • @wallywutsizface6346
    @wallywutsizface63464 жыл бұрын

    How would you do more than one voice?

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    4 жыл бұрын

    You would use multiple oscillators. Do you mean multiple voices controlled by a single keyboard or controlled by different sources?

  • @FunkTree
    @FunkTree7 жыл бұрын

    Oh, you've changed to black Arturia:) it used to be white in your older videos:)

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    7 жыл бұрын

    Yes you're very observant!

  • @avsystem3142
    @avsystem31422 жыл бұрын

    Rather than buying a specialized keyboard with CV outputs it would make more sense to use an existing MIDI keyboard and instead install a MIDI (USB and/or DIN) to CV Eurorack module. There are many of them on the market. Many have additional functions, e.g., clock, gate, etc., that you might want in your modular rack anyway.

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    2 жыл бұрын

    If you already have a MIDI keyboard then this is indeed a good option, albeit more expensive, as most of the MIDI to CV modules are $350+. For what it is (both a MIDI and CV keyboard) the Arturia is still a really great value. It's also quite portable, which is nice.

  • @NeonArtifact

    @NeonArtifact

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ModularLanding what about the korg sq-1? I am using it with my keystep. Not sure what the best synth would be for using the 2 cv and gate inputs to drive external gear. I only have a volca keys and korg nts-1 at the moment. Any idea how to set up the pitch cv and mod outputs from keystep? Thx so much

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@NeonArtifact the Keystep and Korg SQ1 are awesome for controlling modular synths or anything that can take CV input. The Volcas are awesome but aren’t really modular synths so they don’t have true CV inputs. Most small synths dont. So you’d be looking for a synth like the Moog Mother 32 or the Make Noise 0-Coast or Moog Grandmother or Matriarch, or the Behringer Neutron. These are all fantastic semimodular synths that can be used with the CV controllers you have, and can be linked together with other modular gear!

  • @imakestuff1994
    @imakestuff19943 жыл бұрын

    I mean VCA

  • @RobinPM100
    @RobinPM1005 жыл бұрын

    the problem of modular synths are that they are hard to listen to 😁 ear bending sounds 🤣 don't expect modular songs to be played on the radio 😁

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    5 жыл бұрын

    Modular does have the power to make ear-bending sounds, often more easily than commercially constructed synthesizers that are kind of "tamed" by the manufacturer to sound good all the time. But modular synths can be tamed in the same way, and can sound just as beautiful as conventional synths. Check out Ann Annie's channel for beautiful modular music. Also my recent video "Sheep sheep sheep."

  • @RobinPM100

    @RobinPM100

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@ModularLanding Yeah, that one in Sheep Sheep video sounds better - but you know, it is still far from classic synth sound I like. I am composing music myself and I use only soft-synths made by U-HE, Hive, Diva and Bazille mostly. Listen to my cover of James Bond song - All time high - everything there are sounds from U-HE soft synths (with the exception of the beat of course) - and as you can hear, the sounds are very pleasent to listen to :-) I can´t imagine you can achieve these sounds with modular :-) kzread.info/dash/bejne/hap_lKiOgpS6iLQ.html

  • @ModularLanding

    @ModularLanding

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@RobinPM100 Very nice track -- I listened to it. You can certainly create those sounds with modular. It's just that most people wouldn't use modular to create sounds like that, because they can be created easily with soft synths or standard (non-modular) synths. A lot of the sounds you're using are FM style synthesis sounds. These can of course also be created in modular. Modular just means that the parts of the synthesizer are not pre-patched.

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