Modular Monthly

Many of us use controllers to control our gear – let’s try it in modular

Controllers for software are great, breaking out key components of synthesis onto something tangible. Many get into hardware synths and modular synths to further push the physical control and performative nature of making sounds and performing with synthesis.

So why would a hardware modular format need them? Well, it’s simple… for control! A modular synth is a collection of modules often in a franken-synth style with different company modules and a whole range of different functions dotted around a sea of patch cables and different interfaces. Having modules specifically focused on control and performance help us interact, making the format feel more like an instrument, giving us human gestural control that’s hard to mimic by just patching raw voltages and utilities.

Synthwerks is a Eurorack company that focuses specifically on making controller-based modules, offering us pressure (real force sensing pressure, not capacitance based technology like other so-called ‘pressure’ controllers), arcade buttons, big faders and knobs aplenty. Having used Eurorack controller modules in the past, we love putting together a custom case to create our own instrument – a system that is built entirely to serve the user in performing and interacting with other modules. We’ll focus on the FSR-4 and PGM-4x4 modules to give us four pressure/force sensing pads to perform with, that also address an additional 16 voltages to control a whole array of parameters in our Eurorack system.