Get started with Eurorack

With the modular revolution well and truly here, we take a look at the history of modular synths from Moog and Buchla to Doepfer and beyond

So before we dive in face first, what is a modular synth? Well it’s a synthesizer whose components come as individual modules allowing the user to define the functions and layouts of the system and then define the signal paths for both audio and modulation through patching.

The first available modular systems were designed in parallel by the R.A. Moog Co (on the east coast of the US) and by Buchla (on the west coast of the US) in 1963. Who made ‘the first’ modular synth is a debated topic with both Bob Moog and Don Buchla often citing the other as the first to get there. It’s likely we’ll never have a definitive answer but both Moog and Buchla were developing their own modular systems at the same time.

Move forward 32 years and we see Eurorack brought to life by Doepfer in 1995 with the release of ten modules and a system that defined the Eurorack standards. Eurorack modules are 3U high (U is rack units also used to measure rackbased synths and studio processors) and module widths are measured in HP (standing for horizontal pitch).

So why choose a Eurorack set-up? That’s a simple one… ease of entry and the vast range of options to build your own instrument/device to suit your exact needs. The format has been expanded not only by Doepfer but by a huge range of companies releasing modules ranging from the cheap and cheerful to esoteric and unique. Eurorack offers a platform that can pull ideas from not just Moog and Buchla but also Serge and EMS, a range of digital synthesis methods, modern DSP technologies and more.