This is Takazudo Modular Highlights vol.14 (distributed December 11, 2024).
This is an archive of the newsletter sent through our Mercari Shops. While we call it an archive, the Mercari newsletter has various limitations, so this is an optimized article for the web.
Here are the contents of Vol.14.
This is Takazudo Modular Highlights vol.14 (distributed December 16, 2024).
We're still in the middle of the sale, so here are some recommended products. Just 2 more days — until December 18 at 00:00!
Today's sale picks are these two modules from ADDAC System:
- ADDAC System: ADDAC106 T-Noiseworks
- ADDAC System: ADDAC104 VC T-Networks
I personally enjoy playing with these two modules regularly, so I'm recommending them. One produces hissing noise sounds, and the other produces resonant popping sounds. (Apologies for the limited vocabulary.)
ADDAC System: ADDAC106 T-Noiseworks
This might be a very specific story, but I used to listen a lot to tracks by a techno artist called Anderson Noise. He had a track called Playback. I heard it as the last track in a DJ mix, and there was a really impactful moment for me — during the break, white noise would slowly build up, getting louder and louder, then fade away. At that moment, I felt something like: "Wow! Noise can be this good. Even just by itself!"
If you're curious, please look up this track called Playback on YouTube.
When I tried T-Noiseworks, it immediately reminded me of that Anderson Noise experience. Very much so. I think it's a module that lets you enjoy that feeling of "noise is great!"
Also, before I got into modular synths, I spent a long time doing DTM (desktop music production) trying to make techno tracks. Looking back, I don't think I would have thought to do anything creative with noise back then. The fact that I now feel motivated to experiment with noise is something I believe the modular synthesizer format itself inspires in me.
The module itself starts to feel like it's saying: "Hey, I'm an instrument that just makes noise. Do what you want with it!" I hope you'll try feeding it CV sequences, LFOs, envelopes, and all sorts of signals to enjoy what noise can do.
ADDAC System: ADDAC104 VC T-Networks
The other one, VC T-Networks, produces sounds like resonance bursts — similar to TR-808 kick-like sounds. Like T-Noiseworks, this might be a sound you wouldn't seek out unless you had a module specifically dedicated to it. But when you try sequencing these popping sounds with CV, you can create techno-like melodic patterns from it alone, which is surprisingly fun.
What I appreciate about these two modules is that their simplicity makes them psychologically low-barrier to use. Maybe it's just me, but when you have lots of modules, drum machines, and effects all set up, there's sometimes a feeling that you should be utilizing all these features and creating something grand — which can actually be tiring. Don't you ever feel like you've spread yourself too thin?
When you just want to experiment with one or two modules, and you want to add a bit of rhythmic flavor, these two modules are perfect. In my case, I usually create sequences with OXI ONE, and while exploring a module or two, I'll also have T-Noiseworks and VC T-Networks running on the side.
I recently uploaded a session to YouTube titled "Modular noodling 2024/11/25" that primarily features these two modules, so please check it out for a sense of how they sound.
Both modules are also available as DIY kits. While they're a step up in difficulty compared to AI Synthesis kits, they're also good candidates for winter break DIY projects.
Here are links to a few more popular products.
See you next time.
This newsletter was distributed on December 11, 2024.
You can view the newsletter archive list below.