Do VSTs Make The Cut?

[egbert101]

<delete>

[fluffy_little_something]

This is a point that's really hit home for me over this year. Software and hardware that makes wild-ass noises with bizarre methods is kind of fun for a while but it doesn't have staying power. Waverazor, Atmegatron, Kastle, Synchrodyne... all sold or sitting idle.

My favorite synths (modules, effects, whatever) tend to be the ones that can get dirty and/or weird in precisely the amount I want them to, but start from a clean and musical base.



Ignoring "mainstream" because I don't care about that at all -- there is nothing inherently unmusical about Eurorack; it's all in what you do with it.

I look at it this way: do I need something like Eurorack in order to make musical sounds? I suppose it depends on the genre, but for all the sounds I like and need, modular / Eurorack synths would be total overkill and a waste of money. And due to the rack format, I would not even benefit from the fun factor of a classic synth with built-in keyboard and wheels.

[AnX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD_uBLfysz0

How the f**k can anyone work with that mess!

[justin3am]

I would struggle to do this with anything other than my eurorack modular:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXg-aeATWzo

It's not just the sounds themselves but how each thing influences the others. The guitar is triggering an envelope follower which has an impact on the sequencers and the effects on the drums. One of the sequencers is clocking a random modulation source which controls the effects on the guitars.

What I consider musical may be very different from what others feel is musical. :despair:

Some other examples

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Alessandro Cortini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ155KLFoQM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89IY3Ss2Mk
Steevio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY8lR7Hkjyw

[himalaya]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD_uBLfysz0

How the f**k can anyone work with that mess!

Right?

Basically....a system like that should be regarded as a sculpture made out of cables, which just happens to make some cool noises.


...but it's a sculpture....

[fluffy_little_something]

I would struggle to do this with anything other than my eurorack modular:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXg-aeATWzo

It's not just the sounds themselves but how each thing influences the others. The guitar is triggering an envelope follower which has an impact on the sequencers and the effects on the drums. One of the sequencers is clocking a random modulation source which controls the effects on the guitars.

What I consider musical may be very different from what others feel is musical. :despair:

Indeed, I don't find that musical, I would have to force myself to listen to it for more than a minute.
To the non-technical listener what sounds interesting and unique to you is just weird music, or not even music. It doesn't make me cry, it doesn't make me dance, it is just there - makes me wonder what the purpose of music is...

[justin3am]

I look at it this way: do I need something like Eurorack in order to make musical sounds? I suppose it depends on the genre, but for all the sounds I like and need, modular / Eurorack synths would be total overkill and a waste of money. And due to the rack format, I would not even benefit from the fun factor of a classic synth with built-in keyboard and wheels.

But that is just personal preference... and no one says that you can't play a modular from a keyboard (in fact Waldorf makes a eurorack frame with a built-in keyboard), it's just that the format is expanding quickly so many people are exploring other ways to interact with their synths. It's an open environment, not just one instrument. You can choose to use a modular however you like. Or if you don't like it, you don't have to use one.

[justin3am]

Indeed, I don't find that musical, I would have to force myself to listen to it for more than a minute.
To the non-technical listener what sounds interesting and unique to you is just weird music, or not even music. It doesn't make me cry, it doesn't make me dance, it is just there - makes me wonder what the purpose of music is...

The purpose is my own enjoyment. It's very satisfying to get something like this recorded in one take. It requires a lot of planning and fore-thought. It's less an emotional exercise, than an intellectual one. But I would still say it's musical, as far as I'm concerned. Well, I guess it's easier to contrast it with stuff that I have done which I consider to be less musical than that example... but even then, I'd still say all sorts of sound experiments are valid musical expressions. Whether you agree is a matter of opinion.

[fluffy_little_something]

Well, it doesn't have to be a keyboard, I do like some early synth guitar playing, Pat Metheny for instance. It sounded musical to me.

[S0lo]

I think the heart of good Eurorack music is a powerful sequencer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RNB1Hh_7sY

[fluffy_little_something]

The purpose is my own enjoyment. It's very satisfying to get something like this recorded in one take. It requires a lot of planning and fore-thought. It's less an emotional exercise, than an intellectual one. But I would still say it's musical, as far as I'm concerned. Well, I guess it's easier to contrast it with stuff that I have done which I consider to be less musical than that example... but even then, I'd still say all sorts of sound experiments are valid musical expressions. Whether you agree is a matter of opinion.

From a technical perspective, it might be challenging, no doubt...

[martinjuenke]

All has already been written here:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 5&t=494493

[Woodgardens]

There must be a way in the middle. Lately I picked up the guitar again.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qMdf1onDkxA


However, I want to make this style sound more like techno

[foosnark]

Do you (a list of users) have a list of modular videos that aren't just the stereotype blips and blops? Not something that glitch 1.3 random does for free, but actual musical sounds that makes you think: "Wow, i can't do that with regular methods"?

To me, modular is a regular method. And it's occurred to me lately how silly the phrase "bleeps and bloops" is when nobody actually does that. Some people are really into their generative patches and random stuff but that represents a pretty small portion of the music I hear people make.

Frankly there's a bit more techno than I like in the modular world


Not videos, but a few things I've done with modular recently:

http://starthief.net/mp3/2017/Starthief-189-A_Doubt.mp3 (Rings, Freez, E352)

http://starthief.net/mp3/2017/Starthief-198-Uluunna.mp3 (Three Sisters filter self-resonating, Microbrute, and Hertz Donut through Rings)

http://starthief.net/mp3/2017/Starthief-210-Rail.mp3 (Rings, Function, feedback, no effects added)

http://starthief.net/mp3/2017/Starthief-213-Twinned.mp3 (Mysteron, Rings, Hertz Donut, E352, and Thorn)


And three of my favorite modular albums:

https://nathanmoody.bandcamp.com/album/tudes-i-blue-box

https://datachi.bandcamp.com/album/system

https://soundcloud.com/robertaikiaubrey ... o-orb-reel

[spunkmuffin]

I find modular disturbingly tempting.