Are Modular Synths a Waste of Money? kzread.info/dash/bejne/doOBx4-nZM_gnqQ.html

@ksager123

6 ай бұрын

Yes

Their internet comments are noise shows to 10 people. Their musical accomplishments include "Soliciting Sex" in A Minor. To paraphrase: They dont play their equipment to hear music; They play music to hear their equipment. ...Thanks for the vids!

Have to agree on that one for sure, because I remember you took me to a modular synth show at Philamoca and i believe there were like 10 of us there. It was dope tho! -Sean

Regarding the 8:14 ish part about not being able to reproduce the music you made between different systems. Once you learn and know what you’re doing with modules you can recreate your patches fairly effortlessly, just like you’re referring to using different keyboards, or playing different guitars. I think a lot of inexperienced people get hung up on the idea that what we create on modular can’t ever be made again. My experience is if you sit and practice intentional patching you can easily create similar “songs” on any system. 🥊😮👍

Dude I’m with you. I use modular all the time (moog system 55). And I get sounds I can’t get from more traditional analog synths. But, congratulations you poked the bear. The bear being the Liberal Eurorack Intelligentsia. It’s like a Morris Minor collectors club. I’ll use anything to reach my creative goals, and I don’t self debate on what gear I “should” be using. In my band DDAS we get letters from Germany saying “that’s a digital sound at 7:04”. Like it’s anyone’s Buisness but mine. And I howl at all the KZread videos of some showing off a really complex patch of 32 discrete modules to make the sound of a paper clip falling into a food blender.

@EclipseSound

6 ай бұрын

Yes, Dawless setup and modular system users tend to adopt communist views. And that means they are 'intelligentsia' only in their delusion-driven minds

@hommesolairedivin

4 ай бұрын

You're absolutely right, it's superiority complex mixed with delusion. Like it's some kind of esoteric-philosophical experience... Please guys you just want to look cool making noises, music on very rare occasions but mostly blip bloop fart noises.

Great Video! I never dug modular. Love creating easy accessible presets too much. Nice job addressing your haters. 👍 subscribed

As a modular enthusiast, I thought your first video was very tasteful and real. You saw what it offered as a whole and the benefits did not outweigh the drawbacks. Haters gonna hate and don't let the negative comments hurt you.

Modular System - i would only want one for wall-decor.

lol it is truly capricorn season

They really seem to look down on noise music. That's just kind of weird.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

I knew people would disagree with various things that I said...but disputing that modular has a niche audience was a little surprising.

You made it Sam!!! You have haters! And to all you haters, Sam is super smart nice guy, so nanny nanny boo boo on you.

@TheAntibozo

6 ай бұрын

And not dumb at all.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

haha well some sectors of the internet are touchier than others. People are really attached to their opinions about gear. Some big gear KZreadrs have even quit from all the backlash and trolling.

I know for me that modular would encourage my tendency to focus on collecting gear over making music. Not that I'm not doing that anyway, but it's a Pandora's box that I don't want to open. I'm sure that's true for lots of other folks too but you have to give people the benefit of the doubt. And even if it is just a money pit of a collecting hobby, that's also fine. Now I'm going to Reverb and look at guitar pedals I'll probably never use.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

That's a good point about how it's fine even if it's just a collecting hobby.

Love it, next episode “analog is bs”. Keep it controversial ;).

Modular or Keyboard, both are great, cause we use the hands, which keeps the brain working. A labtop and clicking around, isnt inspiring for me. ❤ Even people who make music with tapeloops and effectpedals are inspiring, and most important in music, they enjoy their time😊

Ha ha. Sorry for the negativity you got. I found your previous video consisted of constructive criticism that I personally took very well... In this video I mainly agree with the argument about *not* mentioning a certain manufacturer starting w/ the letter "B". We can never be critical in a constructive manner that people on the 'net accept, now can we? Good luck w/ your channel and have fun noodling and/or making music. :)

You have a high level facility on the keyboard from what I have seen. Getting involved in modular is fun, interesting and can create some great music. Is it going to make you a better musician? Not in my experience. Sure it can make you great at sound design. However, I have wasted a whole lot of time that could have been spent at increasing my keyboard skills and knowledge as a composer. In some ways it has derailed me.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

Very interesting that you feel like it's derailed you. Never too late to pivot though! and what you've learned will benefit your future musical endeavors.

@mattuskamusic

6 ай бұрын

@@SamGutman I just found a great piano teacher. Going to have my skills back before too long. I stopped playing when I was 20. It’s a real struggle as an adult to get those skills back.

I think you still have a very basic understanding of modular: I can understand saying that for what YOU wanted to do , the return on investment was little to none and the tech itself wouldn't accommodate your modality of use when it comes to synths. (Presets don't really exist apart from VERY complex module configs) This said tho, I still believe you don't get what modular synthesis actually is. Starting from the "missing keyboard" thing, like no (?). I use a keyboard with mine and I don't get your comment at all. Its literally the same as a desktop module synth like there are many of, just modular uses separate cv and gate cables instead of midi... Its not that obscure dude, most keyboards on the market can support CV/GATE connectivity. Another mischaracterization is the fact that modular only is about blips and blops and attracts a niece crowd, no it doesn't, experimental music does. You can play orchestral samples, techno, lush pads as well ad percussions, nobody says you HAVE to make noise. I have a modular I built for scores and most of the time you'd be hard pressed to distinguish it's sound from an SH-101 or a Moog, other than some unusual pan modulation for example, THAT is what modular is about, OPTIONS. Also my full system will cost less than most of the gear in your studio. No hate but it would have been better to just go " I don't really have a deep grasp of sound design and don't feel the need to have more controls over the parameters making my sounds" in the original video and I think people would have understood you clearly :)

Definitely kicked the hornets nest with that one….I like your videos and agree that modular is expensive and niche. But I think not wanting to get into modular unless you can get a large system is not the ideal route. Especially with you being a more trained musician the way you use modular synths would probably be a lot different from other modular users. If you start with a cheap semi modular and slowly build out your system around it (if you find yourself increasingly interested in it) you’ll end up spending much less money and making a system that far better serves your interests and workflows. Not to talk you into modular! Lol seems like you have made up your mind but buying a make noise shared system or Erica synths techno system as your first foray into modular would be in advisable to the the least

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

That's true. Me needing to get a large system or nothing is not the ideal route. I actually did get a semi-modular as my main solution to this problem. I didn't get into it in the video, but in 2017 I bought an Arturia Matrixbrute so that I could still learn about routing and sound design without breaking the bank.

U rock bro

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

Ay thanks Gary!

Oh, first, sorry you got beat up Sam. Second, a music community having strong opinions and over reacting? No Way!!! (have you ever met Prog fans???) I appreciate you expressing your point of view and think you set the level of expectation and your experience very clearly. I know twice as much after watching the video so, .02%? These things are going to happen and from this vid, looks like you've taken it in stride and provided good reasons and explanations. Thanks.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

Haha ya know I actually have spent a LOT of time in the old school prog world. I don't mind the negative comments actually...it's entertaining.

Manufactured drama and clickbait sells, I guess. Also you don't get the point for some of the arguments. You have a ton of very expensive keyboards. Why not just get a single good one each for synth and piano play. It would a be a ton cheaper. A very valid point in my opinion and makes the whole modular costs a lot argument kind of pointless. I would say that just buying a new expensive keyboard does a lot less for creativity than buying a new expensive module that actually produces interesting variations in sounds. Pretty much every common synth and sound can be flawlessly emulated on a computer.

Gosh ! I watched this video first, I found the arguments quite compelling, I went to the original video and heard that the 1st phrase was sooo clear about the fact that it is your "personal journey" in this matter ! Of course, one can have his opinion on the "clickbait title" and the fact that is could be a bit reductive for newbies. Personally I did not watch it because it felt too catchy, but I understand also, youtube is not only a friendly place, you gotta make a livin' sometimes ;) Okay guys, you're offended ! So what ? Just try to understand the real point of view expressed, which is interesting at the least. And honestly, every serious keyboardist knows that you can't have a large variety of sounds for a few bucks with analog in general and with modular in particular (oops, trolls are coming again...). The subject is not that much of a controversy. Please continue to make honest review without self-censorship, it would be a waste ! And to be clear : I love also all kind of synth ! And I ignore stupid people that try to make me say otherwise while not take the time to understand. When you don't like a video, just ignore it and KZread will make it less visible, don't attack people that work hard to product some cool content. Trolls are useless and boring (and I will not defend myself against angry comments).

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

It's ok, I didn't mind the trolls. I actually find negative comments very entertaining. I do agree that maybe the original video was a bit reductive.

Five K is cheap when it also comes with an entire personality. Own a few smaller eurorack cases but can’t handle euro-bros.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

haha and yet I still do wish I could do it. I was drooling over some videos of the Buchla Music easel just today.

If people per se would be making music there would be no need for releasing new instruments every week. Modular crowd knows this better than anyone on the planet. Modular stuff sells like hot dogs nowadays. So actually it's both - people make music and gear make music too. Hand in hand and there's no way around it.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

Modular stuff sells hot dogs as in it sells really well or really poorly? Either way I like that expression.

@djkanyon

6 ай бұрын

@@SamGutman haha prolly both depending on a region

@djkanyon

6 ай бұрын

i meant it sells like crazy even in my neck of the woods. Back in a day small VCO\VCA\OSC etc.boxes was nowhere to be found and now every music marketplace have eurorack and buchla stuff.

It's about you and your preferences. Period. Mod synth are attractive to those into raw electronics and the pure experience of manipulation. It really answers the need of collecting gear in a purposeful way. Avoids midi and gets you into raw sound. Has nothing to do with what is better or worse.

@SamGutman

6 ай бұрын

truth.

Yeah the comments were right, sorry bro.

@paulhermansen6196

Ай бұрын

You're very sympathetic tho, I subscribed!

Stop

I guess, you just want to gain audience. One comment from me to help you out. I think there is enough hate in the world. Do you want to be part of the hate? But yeah, to up your YT game, you have to be controversial. What about that? "Behringer is better than Make Noise!" HAHAHAAAAAHHAAAA. Expect some threatening mails coming in and a lot of clicks.