Make Mine Modular

Aug 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Gino Robair

           
 

A GUIDE TO USING ANALOG SYNTHS FOR AUDIO PROCESSING

Photo: Geary Yelton

Relegated to the technological tar pits when inexpensive digital synths hit the scene in the '80s, analog synths are now being used by savvy sound artists for more than just creating phat bass lines and screaming leads. Modular synthesizers add color and attitude to your DAW tracks that can be difficult to get with plug-ins, while offering a wider array of effects and parameter control than stompboxes.

For example, one of Brian Eno's sonic secret weapons has always been the unique filtering capabilities of his EMS Synthi. Many of today's top artists — Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Tortoise, to name just three — are using analog modules to process audio in unusual and complex ways. Unlike a preconfigured mono synth, a modular instrument allows you to assemble a highly personalized system that fits your needs.

Bonus Material

Bonus Material: A Moment With John McEntire

Read About the Resurgence of the Modular DSynthesizer

Find Out How to Select and Build Your Own Modular Analog Synth System

Although a hardware system requires a greater investment than its software counterpart, you certainly don't have to take out a second mortgage on the house to build one. A number of companies produce modules, and in most cases they are very affordable.

In this article, I'll explain what it takes to set up a system for the personal studio. But I'll start with the basic approach of running your DAW tracks through a stompbox so you can see the limitations.

Brute-Force Effects

Processing recorded tracks with guitar effects is fairly common in the studio. However, the level of real-time control you have over most pedals is limited to a couple of parameters. Other drawbacks to using guitar stompboxes to process your tracks include poor signal-to-noise performance and a limited number of available effects types.

Some pedals, such as the Moogerfooger line from Moog Music, include CV inputs that let you use one or more expression pedals to control parameters. But, again, you are limited to only a few simultaneous real-time controls — two feet and two hands. (The Moogerfooger MP-201 and CP-251 nudge Moog Music's pedal line closer to a modular synth system by providing additional control options, such as LFOs and sample and hold, among other features.)

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FIG. 1: In my studio, Eurorack modules from various manufacturers play well together (see Web Clip 1).

Although manufacturers such as DigiTech and Line 6 make digital guitar processors that let you stack and reorganize effects without the hassle of a huge pedalboard, the algorithms used in those processors are still fairly limited and are based on models of traditional pedal configurations. In addition, you usually get only a foot pedal or two for immediate parameter control.

The easiest way to process a DAW track through a stompbox is to simply plug into the effect's input and see what comes out the other end. However, patching a prerecorded track from your digital interface at line-level into a guitar pedal doesn't guarantee a clean signal at the pedal's output. Many guitar pedals expect to receive high-impedance, instrument-level signals from a passive electric guitar or bass pickup, and a line-level signal can prove overwhelming to many stompboxes.

EM contributor Eli Crews, who runs New, Improved Recording, handles the job with the John Cuniberti-designed Reamp. It accepts a balanced XLR and ¼-inch, +4dB input, and supplies an unbalanced output that is closer to what a stompbox wants to see. Simply plug the Reamp's output into the stompbox, and then connect the stompbox's output to a direct box to get a balanced signal that matches the level your DAW's interface expects. Of course, you can also feed the stompbox's output into a guitar or bass amp and, with a mic plugged into your DAW interface, add some amp and room tone to your processed signal. (Visit reamp.com/applications.html for more interesting ways to process signals.)

Crews notes that some modern effects pedals are designed to accept line-level signals. But if your vintage phaser is distorting (in an unpleasant way) when you run your prerecorded string tracks through it, the above setup will help you get cleaner results.

But what if you also want to synchronize your effects processing to the beat while occasionally adding another effect using a random pattern? That's where synth modules come in handy. Let's look at what is involved in selecting a starter system for processing audio.