Patching pointers
PRESET PARADE
As we pointed out many (many!) pages back, Cherry Audio have provided a massive collection of custom presets suitable for all styles of music. There are even more available for purchase (and for free) in the Cherry Audio store. You can buy them right from within the program itself. Some of the patches are basic, while others are exercises in complexity. They also serve as terrific examples of what can be done even with a modest collection of modules. Don’t just play the presets, study the patches! Take a hard look at what modules have been put into play and how they are patched together.
THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY
As we’ve discussed, the first fixed-signal path synths resemble a single modular patch. If you want, say, a Minimoog, all you need do is call up a trio of oscillators, noise generator, 24dB filter, mixer, envelopes and an amplifier, and patch them together in the order described by the original. As a matter of fact, recreating the functionality and signal routings of classic instruments is one of the best ways to learn how to use your modular system, so go on, build your own collection of classic synths!
THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY, REDUX
Of course, mastery over a craft isn’t just about collecting (or creating) the right tools for the job – one must then master their use. Every painter learns to imitate the masters by mixing the right pigments and mediums, but the real adventure begins when you start laying paint to canvas. This is the same for synthesis. Once you’ve created your palette and collected your brushes, you’ll need to start working on your tone colours. You too can imitate the masters by trying to recreate the sounds used by your favourite artists. Whether you’re into Emerson or Autechre, it’s one of the best ways to learn!
TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE
We’ve already suggested looking to that unobtainable dream synth for inspiration, but you shouldn’t overlook the many, many modular synths on the market. Many manufacturers of such synths (Synthesizers. com comes to mind) provide patch examples on their websites to help you use the instruments they sell – but there’s no reason you can’t cobble together those patches using the Voltage Modular Nucleus. If you don’t have access to the exact same modules, all the better – it just means that you’ll put your own special spin on the patch in question. Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t sound the same – it might still be useful with a tweak or two.
THE CALL OF NATURE
Once you’ve thoroughly dissected your favourite synthesiser, electronic artist or preset patch, it can behoove you to look beyond the obvious sources of inspiration. The sounds of the natural world provided some of the first sources of inspiration for pioneering electronic artists. It’s easy enough to make a synth bass, but how close can you come to a human voice? What modules would you use to imitate water dripping into a pool in a darkened cave? How about the call of a crow and the rustle of leaves in the trees? If you can evoke these sounds with an analogue synth, you will have achieved true modular mastery.
BOOK SMART
In the past, would-be synth wizards had few options when it came to gathering information about their chosen instruments. If you were lucky, the manual for the instrument might contain a few example patches. The Minimoog’s manual had quite a few, as did those for both ARP’s 2600 and Odyssey. In fact ARP’s manuals became something of a how-to guide for synthesists just starting out. One of the best sets of patch examples could be found in the manual for Sequential Circuits
Prophet-5, though, as it charted all of the necessary parameter settings used to create the many factory presets.
Today, manuals such as these can be found online at sites such as archive.org/details/ synthmanuals. We encourage you to seek them out and apply their contents to your own modular ministrations.