The Patchwork: Modular Synths
From intimidating walls of knobs and wires to a vibrant, creative community, the modular synthesizer has a history as rich and complex as the sounds it produces. It's a story of innovation, artistic rebellion, and a quiet renaissance that brought a once-niche technology back into the hands of musicians everywhere.
The Dawn of Voltage Control: The '60s
The true story of the modular synth begins in the mid-1960s with two key figures working on opposite coasts of the United States: Robert Moog and Don Buchla. Both were building instruments that departed from the traditional, fixed-architecture electronic devices of the time. Their core innovation was "voltage control," a revolutionary concept that used varying electrical voltages to control sound parameters like pitch, loudness, and timbre. This allowed for an unprecedented level of real-time manipulation and sonic creativity.
On the East Coast, Robert Moog, a physicist and engineer, worked closely with composers to create a system of interconnected modules. His Moog synthesizers, with their signature voltage-controlled oscillators, filters, and amplifiers, were designed to be musical instruments that could be played with a traditional keyboard. This familiar interface helped make them more accessible to musicians. Moog's breakthrough was popularised by Wendy Carlos's 1968 album Switched-On Bach, which proved that these machines could produce serious, expressive music, not just abstract noise.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Don Buchla was creating instruments for the avant-garde scene of San Francisco. His "Buchla boxes" were less concerned with recreating traditional sounds and more focused on creating new ones. Buchla often eschewed the keyboard in favour of more experimental controllers like touch-sensitive plates, reflecting a different philosophy of music creation. His systems were embraced by a more experimental community, including Morton Subotnick, who used a Buchla synth to create the groundbreaking album Silver Apples of the Moon in 1967. This album was one of the first electronic music pieces commissioned by a record label.
The Golden Age and the Rise of the Integrated Synth
As the 1970s dawned, modular synths became iconic tools for a new generation of musicians. Progressive rock bands like Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer used them to craft otherworldly soundscapes and complex textures that simply weren't possible with other instruments. The sheer size, cost, and complexity of these systems, however, meant they were primarily found in professional studios or on the largest concert stages.
This era also saw the emergence of other major players. Alan Pearlman’s ARP synthesizers offered a popular alternative to Moog's systems, while the UK's Electronic Music Studios (EMS) created the VCS 3, famous for its innovative pin-matrix patching system—a clever alternative to the "spaghetti" of patch cables that often tangled on other modulars.
However, the very complexity and expense that made modular synths so powerful also led to their temporary decline. The release of integrated, pre-wired synthesizers like the iconic Minimoog, and later, the advent of digital synthesis in the 1980s, offered musicians more affordable, portable, and reliable instruments with built-in memory for saving sounds. Modulars, with their tendency to drift out of tune and require a full repatching for every new sound, faded from the mainstream.
The Quiet Renaissance: From DIY to Eurorack
For a while, modular synthesis was a niche pursuit, kept alive by dedicated enthusiasts, universities, and small-scale manufacturers like Serge and Paia. These communities maintained the DIY spirit of the early days, building their own modules and sharing their knowledge.
But in the 1990s, a quiet revolution began to take hold. Dieter Doepfer, a German engineer, introduced the A-100 system in 1995. Crucially, he developed a new, smaller physical standard for the modules and their power supplies, which he named Eurorack.
This new format was more compact and affordable than the older, larger systems, and Doepfer published the specifications openly. This move was a game-changer. It allowed a huge number of other manufacturers to design and produce their own modules, all of which could work together in a single case. This collaborative, open-source spirit ignited a creative explosion that echoes the early days of personal computing.
Suddenly, a new generation of musicians could build a bespoke instrument, module by module, choosing from a massive array of different sounds and functions. The internet fostered a global community of builders and users, sharing ideas, patches, and knowledge. The once-intimidating modular synth was now a modular ecosystem, accessible to hobbyists and professionals alike.
Today, the modular synth scene is thriving. Eurorack is the dominant format, with hundreds of companies offering thousands of modules, from faithful recreations of vintage circuits to wildly experimental digital sound processors. The modular synth is no longer a relic of the past, but a living, breathing instrument that represents the ultimate in sonic exploration and personal expression.