Midweek Modular: Buchla Friends, Gardens and Synth Dusters

31 Jan by Robin Vincent |

3,2 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 4 Minutes

Midweek Modular · Source: Gearnews

Previous Next

This week we saw Resonant Gardens, Harmonic Oscillators, Plectrums, Quasars and something to keep your synths nice and clean.

With the NAMM show and the unexpected Buchla and Friends event just past, there have been a few bits of modular we’ve already talked about. In case you missed it check out the 4MS Catalyst Sequencer and Catalyst Controller modules that do some interesting morphing as you scan through modulations with the crossfader. Read more about them here.

Catalyst Audio found a bunker full of old tubes from Soviet-era fighter jets to build a range of module called the MIG Series. Read more about them here.

Then we have a strong vibe of positivity from Buchla in the form of a huge party it threw for itself. It invited all the other modular firms who couldn’t afford a booth at NAMM. Buchla is pushing ahead with reissuing all the 200 Series modules via a new Source of Uncertainty Store, while at the same time continuing to release Eurorack modules with Tiptop Audio.

Midweek Modular

Hiding in the corners of the Buchla & Friends event and elsewhere, we did find some other juicy bits and pieces.

Folktek Resonant Garden

Folktek is one of those boutique brands that produce beautiful and aspirational pieces of modular art. However, they always seem to be unobtainable and I’ve never known anyone who had any of it. Well, Folktek were at NAMM, and the good news is that under new management, it will be building on the artistic vision of founder Arius Blaze and taking things forward. The result should be that Folktek products will hopefully become more available.

This new hope is epitomised in the very Instagram-friendly flagship product, the Resonant Garden. The Resonant Garden is an interactive, electro-acoustic resonating instrument. It contains three effects engines and a whole bunch of sensors to detect touch throughout the front panel. Effects can be interacted with via the gold plates or the intriguing strands that sway and twang about. Each effects engine has seven algorithms, so you can discover all sorts of sonic adventures by getting your fingers in there.

While the Resonant Garden is not new, its availability certainly is. And this revitalised Folktek will be bringing a lot of new modules along soon.

Folktek website.

New Systems Instruments

New Systems Instruments had three new modules to show at the Buchla & Friends party. The first is a Triphase Oscillator, which offers three phases of sawtooth waveforms through a bipolar mixer. This results in some rather sumptuous and very modulatable super-saw sounds.

The Harmonic Shift Oscillator is looking at the space between harmonics and pushing them apart. It uses FM synthesis ideas to push things around but avoids negative frequencies to keep things unexpectedly melodic.

Finally, the Inertia Function Generator simulates movement by generating curves from input stimuli. It can generate envelopes and LFOs, become a slew limiter, a percussive sound generator and a resonant filter.

New Systems Instruments website.

Null Modular cases and dusters

Null Modular makes a range of flat-pack Eurorack cases made from recyclable materials. They are available in 40 HP and 80 HP sizes and look suitably natural and pleasing. It also had some cool flip up/down stands, 3D printed from plant-based biodegradable materials.

But the coolest thing of the lot was the range of Synth Dusters. These are brushes housed in a bunch of characters that you can customise and tweak to be your perfect, dust-conscious companion. Love it.

Null Modular website.

Prism Circuits

We don’t often cover Serge format modular, so it’s great to see something new happen in this space. Serge uses the 4U standard and is slightly larger than Eurorack, which definitely brings some advantages.

Prism Circuits showed the Quasar Modular System that was inspired by the circuits made by Serge Tcherepnin in the 1970s. It looks amazing and quite baffling but the idea is produce an affordable and accessible synthesizer that could be customised to suit the musician. The idea is that you design a complete faceplate which is the front end for all the individual module circuits that live behind. It’s a very interesting and focused approach to modular.

The Quasar system features two panels and is a fixed system designed for improvisation and live performance. It’s full of cryptic symbols designed by Serge to help you navigate your way around – once you understand it. Fascinating.

Prism Circuits website.

Morphor Plectrum

Morphor likes to mess around with BBD delay chips. Last year, they released the AP-1, which they called the Analogue Plectrum that used Karplus Strong to produce plucked sounds. This year they have a new version simply called the Plectrum.

Plectrum is a fully analogue module based on a 124-stage Bucket Brigade Delay chip for producing those Karplus-Strong plucked sounds. This time, it has CV-controlled feedback to push the sustain of the notes into self-oscillation, giving it far more places to go.

Morphor also had an eight-voice Ensemble chorus effect and other modules coming along including a VCO, VCA, ADSR and LFO.