DIGITAL MODULAR SYNTHESIS

In the second instalment in our exploration of modern modular sound design, we submerge ourselves in a sea of zeroes and ones using Seaweed Audio’s free synth...

Fathom CM’s FM and wavetable features explored

If you’ve hesitated to take the plunge into modular synthesis due to an association with all things analogue, you’ll be surprised to learn that the modern modular scene offers some decidedly digital options.

While the modular renaissance got its start with oldschool analogue systems from the likes of Technosaurus and Analogue Solutions, it quickly became a hotbed of exciting, experimental sound design and compositional tools thanks to the maverick third-party manufacturers that adopted the most popular new formats, most specifically the so-called Eurorack systems first popularised by Doepfer.

Companies such as Mutable Instruments and Tiptop Audio aren’t content merely to clone the subtractive sounds of yore, providing users with the option to add more modern techniques such as granular synthesis and sample manipulation to their rigs.

Software developers were well ahead of the pack, with graphical modular patching environments such as Pure Data, Max/MSP, and Kyma having sprung forth from the very bleeding edge of digital music research and technology. Such environments have more in common with computer languages than they do grandad’s old Moog. However, with many originating in the hallowed halls of academia, they are often accompanied by a rather steep learning curve.

Most musicians simply want to get in and get going, and have demanded a friendlier environment in which to make their noise. For that reason, products such as Fathom CM provide an inviting middle ground that combines the accessibility of a hardware-style interface with the deeper patching power of a software environment.

Over the next few pages, we’re going to show you how you can exploit the more advanced – and decidedly nonanalogue – features of Fathom CM to create some forwardthinking patches that draw on the most exciting methods of digital sound creation.