Eurorack

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

I don't know anything about industrial and PE "scenes." I've never attended any gathering or event that would attract something  remotely close to an industrial or PE crowd musicwise. Noise, sure, but industrial and PE? That's more than a niche thing as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not sure I'd be into attending such events to be honest. I have no idea how widespread the use of modular synths is within the industrial and PE scenes but I assume it came with the recent boom of eurorack a few years ago, although I'd make a difference between proper industrial music and PE. Anyway, again, read any conversation about people wanting to make industrial or noise music with modular synths online and you'll see the names that come up the most.

PE and industrial music are indeed, "special interests", but modular synth is an entirely different world, and a much more geekier one at that. The names I mentioned (and that you know) offer kind of "full package" modules that are convenient for the people into such kind of sounds, and I think that's why they're brands everyone into this kind of sounds and who wants to get into eurorack will look up or search to buy modules from. They'll do it for the same reason they bought an MS20 that they'll probably use to 8% of its capabilities. I don't mean that in a bad way, more than modular synth is a hobby whose learning curve is pretty steep and not many people want to spend the time getting into (because they don't care about what an envelope follower, or a sequential switch, or an analog shift register is, and that's OK too, although limiting if you want to learn how to use your instrument better), and it's much easier to buy a module that'll give you an immediate result rather than 3 bland utility modules that'll give the same result soundwise or something close enough when patched together, yet less recognizable.

[HONOR_IS_KING!]

I don't know anything about industrial and PE "scenes." I've never attended any gathering or event that would attract something  remotely close to an industrial or PE crowd musicwise.

Damn fool.

You like deep huh?

[deutscheasphalt]

I don't know anything about industrial and PE "scenes." I've never attended any gathering or event that would attract something  remotely close to an industrial or PE crowd musicwise. Noise, sure, but industrial and PE? That's more than a niche thing as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not sure I'd be into attending such events to be honest. I have no idea how widespread the use of modular synths is within the industrial and PE scenes but I assume it came with the recent boom of eurorack a few years ago, although I'd make a difference between proper industrial music and PE. Anyway, again, read any conversation about people wanting to make industrial or noise music with modular synths online and you'll see the names that come up the most.

I don't think HONOR_IS_KING! was talking about any scenes or events, merely referring to your original statement:

I sure am trying to get away from anything already noise-oriented because when I hear how everyone ends up making the same thing with the powerhouse that is the MS20, it doesn't give me high hopes for modular synths either.

So I will ask you as well: Who are these artists to you that all sound the same? Can you name a few?

Honestly, I think modular synths are amazing to make super gritty or harsh noise, industrial, drone, etc. Some modules are definitely more oriented towards that sound but ultimately it's about how you patch it all and thinking outside the box.

I agree with you that thinking outside the box is fun, but that's why the MS20 was so successful. It is pre-patched so people who normally would have sat in front of separate modules with no idea how to get a sound out of them can play the machine without patching, while people who like to make "their OWN sound" can override pre-patching with their own. You sound like you believe that due to this, there's no way to create something original with the machine and I don't think you really believe that. When your goal is to "think outside the box" then a module or a modular system is just another box. Until you start designing them yourself. You can drive this to the extreme, but at some point making music just turns into a geek-fest.
I have met so many modular people with such a disgusting elitist attitude just because they read a manual and think they're above and beyond and then crumble when asked about things that surpass this 8% capability you mentioned. Almost all of these posers never make any music either, they can't even conceptualize crafting a song, so the smugness they display is probably just a defense mechanism. I'm very big on getting an understanding of what any piece of gear used for creating music does, since it produces more predictable results and essentially saves time. But that's for myself, I would never tell other people how to work.

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

Alright. With modular synths I haven't seen it yet, as, like I say, I don't attend PE or industrial music gigs because the rare ones that happen closest to me are like 6 hours away. I also guess modular synths haven't spread much yet on the current scene. I do see that a lot of people asking about modules to get closer to the sounds we like get referred to the same brands and while I do hope I'm wrong, I can see the same phenomenon happening with eurorack and noise as it did with eurorack and ambient.

Artists that all sound the same? Throbbing bass, screechy high "leads", heavy filtered vocals. We all heard them. Some do it better than others though. I'm also guilty of making some of that stuff.

And I might have come out wrong. I said it before, I personally didnt'gel with the MS20 until I had used eurorack because going slower helped me understand the vastness of its capabilities better. It definitely can do amazing things, don't get me wrong (I love Haus Arafna and what they do with it for instance) but I think most people who use the MS20 within the PE/industrial scene don't push it as much as they could. And I also think they got them because they saw them in some of their favourite bands' setups. Had the Wasp been readily available, we'd all have Wasps. I think it's a context thing in the first place.

And I beg to differ but I believe the whole point of modular synth is to design your system yourself. You can't do that without modules. But there's such a big choice of modules available in eurorack and so many options to do your thing that it's a bit sad to try and stay in the same territory as everyone else. I just wonder whether the people who start in such territory will ever think about treading beyond it because it can only make their music more personal and bring newer music and ideas to the "scene." I'm not saying that in a mean way towards anyone. It's just that yes, modular synths are inherently geeky and elitist if we look at where they come from, where they were first used and how much they cost. And the great thing about eurorack and all the recreation of older classic gear functions as well as newer experimental modules is, in my humble opinion, that it allows everyone to break boundaries. By the way, I don't know how to use an envelope follower nor can use the ASR function the way I'd like on my synth. I've barely scratched the surface of Maths beyond its LFO capabilities and only recently realised why you can't indeed have enough VCAs in your rack. But I know I'd rather make a filter snap with some envelope than buy a ready-made kick module that might not allow me to abuse it as much as I'd like. Different workflows for different people I suppose.

[NaturalOrthodoxy]

Artists that all sound the same? Throbbing bass, screechy high "leads", heavy filtered vocals. We all heard them. Some do it better than others though. I'm also guilty of making some of that stuff.

I'm not shy about confessing that I live for that kinda shit and cannot get enough of it.

However, unless my ears are just untrained (they probably are) those acts don't often sound like they're using modular stuff, with some notable exceptions. I'd genuinely love to hear of some acts making that straightforward aggro PE sound using modular stuff. I know that TCU heavily rely on modular and I'm sure that Puce Mary's newer stuff does too but I'd love to know of some other artists using it in the same way (I think I just tend to assume most acts of this nature are using the MS20 primarily)

[deutscheasphalt]

Artists that all sound the same? Throbbing bass, screechy high "leads", heavy filtered vocals. We all heard them. Some do it better than others though. I'm also guilty of making some of that stuff.

So you won't name any? Interesting...

I'd genuinely love to hear of some acts making that straightforward aggro PE sound using modular stuff. I know that TCU heavily rely on modular and I'm sure that Puce Mary's newer stuff does too but I'd love to know of some other artists using it in the same way (I think I just tend to assume most acts of this nature are using the MS20 primarily)

Right now only some NYC friends come to mind - Compile, G.N.O. & related (not really "aggro", more like meditative PE) and Publica/Única Forma/Calambre (I don't think they have anything out yet though)

[NaturalOrthodoxy]

I'd genuinely love to hear of some acts making that straightforward aggro PE sound using modular stuff. I know that TCU heavily rely on modular and I'm sure that Puce Mary's newer stuff does too but I'd love to know of some other artists using it in the same way (I think I just tend to assume most acts of this nature are using the MS20 primarily)

Right now only some NYC friends come to mind - Compile, G.N.O. & related (not really "aggro", more like meditative PE) and Publica/Única Forma/Calambre (I don't think they have anything out yet though)

Colour me intrigued. Does G.N.O. stand for anything or is the abbreviation the name? Gonna have to look them up.

[deutscheasphalt]

Gnosis Network Occupation - https://www.compileglobal.business

[WCN]

I’ve definitely noticed an increasing amount of people playing and recording with bloop-boxes (in more of a noise context) and that they often are used to produce those terrible squelching chirping fartbox sounds you often get from bad no-input mixer noise. Not suggesting this is inherent to all modular gear, but it’s apparently a pretty streamlined application that many are satisfied with and addicted to spending tons of money on. 

[HONOR_IS_KING!]

Since homey won't answer I'll do a list of artists that I know, feel free to add and chime in:

-Control
-Propergol
-Private Archive
-Subklinik
-High Stress Reaction
-TCU, Koufar, ec

and while we're at it lets talk that harsh noise too:

-Sickness
-Negation

Also interesting to note too how none of these projects sound the same.

[NaturalOrthodoxy]

-Propergol

I did wonder actually, due to some of the sounds from that last Grey Wolves LP that he basically did everything on! That and the track from the Tied To an Abuse comp is my only exposure to Propergol though. will have to check some more stuff out

[HONOR_IS_KING!]

-Propergol

I did wonder actually, due to some of the sounds from that last Grey Wolves LP that he basically did everything on! That and the track from the Tied To an Abuse comp is my only exposure to Propergol though. will have to check some more stuff out

I found out via a story on instagram posted by Ros from Megaptera. Nice rig he has!

[Euro Trash Bazooka]

Maaaa uses some. Altar Of Flies has a modular synth but I don't know how much he uses it anymore.

[PuddysJacket]

Modular is the truth...one is limited by a lack of creativity and not much else.

[Kim V]

Artists that all sound the same? Throbbing bass, screechy high "leads", heavy filtered vocals. We all heard them. Some do it better than others though. I'm also guilty of making some of that stuff.

I'm not shy about confessing that I live for that kinda shit and cannot get enough of it.

so seconded!