Loudest's Top 5 Modular Synths of NAMM 2018

What's old is new again, literally! NAMM 2018 was proof that the modular synth world is back and staying for good. Old school artists have been into these for years, but due to the advancement of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) and plugins, the modular synth seemed destined for extinction. Fortunately, a lot of artists have brought back this messy little magical machines back into the limelight! Brands such as Doepfer, Vermona, Strymon, Eowave, Frap Tools and Endorphin, were flanked by the likes of Pittsburgh Modular, Intellijel, Erica Synths and Malekko Heavy Industry with the unfortunate absence of Make Noise. We have zeroed down to our Top 5 Modular Synths from this year's edition of NAMM, so keep scrolling down to see who made it to the list!

1. Pittsburgh Modular Microvolt 3900

Well, it's not precisely Modular, it's Semi-modular. But Pittsburgh Modular's Microvolt 3900 draws an obvious comparison with Make Noise’s 0-Coast. Just like it's counterpart, the Microvolt 3900 wants to be experimented with! It has an analogue oscillator pre-tuned to play nice with MIDI controllers. Wave folding offers an array of interesting harmonics. A mixer lets you blend waveforms along with an external input which also has a gain knob and distortion possibilities. The sine wave output has a halfway rectifier switch for even more harmonics. The “Binary” filter is a state-variable filter with two resonance modes to switch between butter and grime and not to forget - the Dynamic VCA which is a VCA and Low-Pass Gate in one unit. It has two modes, one as a standard VCA and the other is LPG mode where you can start plucking your sounds. It is all pre-patched, so you can start playing with it right out of the box apart from the 39 patch sockets to get you right into the signal and control path. The bottom half is all about modulation. A full ADSR envelope sits next to a function generator which can self-cycle and a dual LFO with Sample&Hold. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peenHKAvcII[/embedyt]   It will be available from April onwards for $629

2. Strymon Magneto

Interstellar Space Machine. "Create expansive soundscapes and evolving, otherworldly tones. Add layers upon layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity within an enveloping stereo field. Infuse your rack with vintage warmth and retrofuturistic soul."

That's how their website defines it, and they are still under-stating the capabilities of this humble module. Inspired by the use of El Capiston by synthesists at the end of their sequence chain, Magneto is a stereo multi-head tape delay that also functions as a looper, phrase sampler, vintage spring reverb unit, phase-aligned clock multiplier, chaotic oscillator, zero latency sub-oscillator and a few more things. (Whew!) [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHuHBdrdiDo[/embedyt]   This is Strymon's first foray in the modular market and needless to say - it is extremely promising! It is available in stores for $599

3. Doepfer Polyphonic

The king and creator of Eurorack modular came out rolling with big guns this year, focusing on bringing polyphony to Eurorack with five new modules: a Quad VCO, Quad VCF, Quad VCADSR, Octal VCAm and a Polyphonic MIDI/CV/Gate Interface. Bringing proper analogue polyphony to what has primarily been a monophonic format is not to be taken lightly. Altogether, these modules are going to eat up a fair amount of HP in your modular system. But after hearing the results, it feels like exciting new territory. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFFVuWP8ZxQ[/embedyt]   Prices vary for these modules.

4. Vermona Cross-Point Switch and Virtual Patch Manager

Now after going through this list and wondering about all the beautiful patches you would want to construct, we have this unique module lined up for you. This new addition by Vermona is a 16x16 cross-point switch that essentially functions as a patch manager. There are 256 analogue switches which can be programmed and stored; settings can be changed or recalled and re-routed by pressing a button or sending a CV trigger. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diEezIiaEMY[/embedyt]   Still in prototype form but sounds exciting for the world of modular synths and how it can make life simpler for live performances

5. Moog DFAM

Alright, we went for another Semi-modular synth, but, this is Moog's latest addition to its already fantastic line of synths. And it's a drum synthesiser based on the Mother-32. And it has a 24-point patch-bay that allows it to be patched internally or another module. And it also has an internal sequencer with eight steps, a white noise generator and two wide-range analogue oscillators (with hard sync and FM cross-modulation) to provide a vast amount of variation and quick transitions between sound types. And it stands for Drummer from Another Mother. You see where we are going with this? [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wdFyN_yy7Q[/embedyt]   Available for $599 This was NAMM's most significant year to date. With so many new modules and synthesisers, the future for synthesists looks promising. Which one did you like the most from this year's edition of NAMM?