Virtual modular systems
Softube’s Modular is the newest of the trio. Six Doepfer modules are included, all of which are designed to look and work exactly like their hardware counterparts—and the VCO modules certainly do their name justice. Additionally, there are a host of Softube’s own utility modules, the Heartbeat Drum synth modules, Softube’s new TSAR and TSAR-1 Reverbs, and more modules set to be included. Last year saw the addition of an officially licensed 4ms Spectral Multiband Resonator and Pingable Envelope Generator, as well as the Buchla 259e oscillator, which also was given its blessing by Buchla’s current design team.
Step-by-step patching tutorials are included, as well as a set of performance knobs that allow you to freely assign them to any control on any module, creating a set of macros quite handy for performance or live use. It also contains a ROLI module to interface with the expanded playability of the ROLI Seaboard range. 400 presets come as standard. By default, the plugin opens with an empty case, which is a step towards pushing the user to start from scratch and find their own sounds. The UI is very workable despite the complexity inherent in cables running everywhere. Hovering over the cables brings them back to sight, but for the most part, they remain hidden, making adjusting parameters less awkward than in the real-world counterpart.
Now in its third iteration, Arturia’s Modular V is based on emulating a vintage Moog modular synthesiser, with specific emphasis being paid to recreating the 24dB/oct low-pass filter. It takes a more fixed approach to which modules are included, as opposed to the tabula rasa take from Softube and Blocks. The selection of modules is more limited, but those that are included are the building blocks of most modular synths: nine oscillator modules, two LFOs, a 24-step sequencer, six envelopes, and two VCAs.
Patching sounds within the Modular V is also expedited by being able to right-click and select the modulation source from a menu (as opposed to manually dragging a cable over), with adjustable depth via an outer ring, as described below. The preset manager that Arturia bundle with the Modular V makes finding sounds an expedient process with the use of tags and authors. Another added boon is the Modular’s ability to resize the GUI.
Native Instruments’ Reaktor was one of the first pieces of software to allow modular patching capability. The introduction of Blocks, pre-programmed module chains aimed at experimental sound design and sequencing, increased Reaktor’s playability many fold. The scope of modules available in Blocks is vast, but they range from analogue emulation to digital skronk and everything in between. Starting with Blocks is easy as there is already a gigantic user library and community to draw patches and knowledge from. Another boon is the ability to separate the patching and modules into separate windows. Blocks can also use ‘modules’ from other NI instruments for added familiarity.