'Sounds From The Modular' Sample Collection [©2012 Loopmasters]

YouTube Published on Aug 21, 2012 by Mike Hulme

"For all the release info, and to buy online, head to the Loopmasters website: http://www.loopmasters.com

Here's a little vid I threw together for my 'Sounds From The Modular' sample collection, relased on Loopmasters 24th August 2012.

After almost a year of recording, production, planning & roadblocks, it's finally being unleashed!

What I had in mind when I started 'Sounds From The Modular' was to offer people an insight in to world of modular synthesis, and give people who might not have experienced some the analogue goodness capable of being created a chance to use these samples in their productions.

One of the key reasons I wanted to explore modular synthesis, aside from the obvious analogue quality to the sounds and gear lust, was that I wanted to break away from the conventional way I'd been producing electronic music with the Virus B and various soft synths, and I wanted to get more hands-on, more interactive, with what I do.

By mid-2011 I had completed the 6u modular. I found myself coming up with unique sounds and textures each time I tweaked away. For me, without doubt, this change in my musical tool kit has opened more doors creatively. It's an inspiring way of working, and my hope is that these sounds will inspire others too, both in their productions and also to explore the modular industry too. Although its popularity seems to be growing each year, the modular synthesis world is a fairly small community of manufacturers and users. By doing this project I hope to help that growth and show people the potential this approach to producing sounds can offer.

Each sound was recorded @ 44.1 kHz, 24 bit using an RME Multiface: mostly direct from the VCA output on the modular to input on the RME, sometimes via guitar pedals, a valve compressor or the Mackie desk. I tried throughout the project to maintain the highest quality possible. I went through each recording, treating the top and tail of each sound to ensure the zero cross points were all correct and all the loops have been exported from Ableton at 128bpm. Most of the sounds have a 'dry' version, without compression, effects or whatever was done to the sounds to make the 'wet' versions.

Kit list:

EURORACK MODULAR
Analogue Systems: RS-95e, RS-380
Bubblesound: uLFO (with customised voice chip & tracking upgrades)
Wiard/Malekko: Oscillator, Boogie Filter
Tiptop Audio: z2040
Intellijel: uFold, Quad Invert
Doepfer: A-101-2 Low Pass Gate, A-138b & A-138c Mixers (OP Amp upgrades: OP484FPZ & LM4562NA), A-143-2 Quad ADSR, A183-1 Dual Attenuator, A-132-3 Dual VCA (CEM3360 chip).
Makenoise: MATHS, ModDemix
Kenton: Solo USB

OUTBOARD GEAR
Analogue Solutions Telemark
TL Audio C-5021 Valve Compressor (with custom valve upgrade)
Dbx 266XL compressor/gate
Mackie 1604VLZ Pro
RME Multiface
Guitar pedals: Electro Harmonix: Deluxe Memory Man, Small Stone Nano & Stereo Poly Chorus, Malekko: Spring Chicken, Blackout Effectors: Musket Fuzz v2, Boss: DS-1, WMD: Geiger Counter.

Released by: Loopmasters
Release date: Aug 24, 2012"