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Modular 101
and a bit of synth history.

Modular History really can't be told without a bit of synth history. Let's go there.
This list is a work in progress. If you have something to contribute in a link to an article, YouTube video, google doc--whatever, please let us know.

The History of Synths

Everyone's fave: Mylar Melodies takes us on a journey through the  Theramin, to Bob Moog, Don Buchla, Wendy Carlos, the DX7, FM synthesis, and beyond. 

Alex has to be one of the most likable people in the modern synth scene. This is a fantastic use of your time.

21:41

Bob Moog and Wendy Carlos

This charming window into both these geniuses is something to not miss. 

6:29

How the TRON Music was made

In 1982, Wendy Carlos got her third gig (after Clockwork Orange and The Shining) for the soundtrack for TRON.
Go Wendy!

15:09

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Learning Modular / Chris Meyer

Chris has been an O.G. pillar of our community for years and his courses and YouTube channel are not to be missed. He makes music under the moniker 'Alias Zone'.
Plus he's a super nice guy. 

3 Ways to Get Started with Modular Synthesizers

Sarah Belle Reid is a queen of our scene and also runs a fantastic online course for learning synthesis.
In this video she shares 3 different ways to get started with modular synthesizers—even if you’re a complete beginner. She talks about the advantages of starting with virtual synths, semi-modular synths, and Eurorack modular synths, as well as the differences between each approach so you can choose the best one for yourself.

Her BandCamp discography is also not to be missed.

25:11

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Vangelis: Blade Runner

One of the all-time celebrated classics. The most prominent synthesiser used in the score was the Yamaha CS-80, which can be clearly heard in the opening scenes. Get your WIKI on here.

Discovering Electronic Music

This short film made in 1969 is very dated in every way...but that's also what makes it kinda awesome.

22:21

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VCAS's 101. Clever counterpoints.

Mylar and Monotrail duke it out in these two fantastic videos. Mylar explains why you can never have enough VCA's, and Monotrail shows why you CAN have enough VCA's, and some clever alternatives.

One opinion on the myth of East Coast and West Coast Synthesis.

Moog and Buchla. Two absolute pioneers. Not the only ones, to be sure, but these two videos tell the story from an interesting perspective.
Part 1: 6:07

Part 2: 11:49

Buchla Easel/Moog Grandmother 
East coast vs. West coast Synthesis

It's obviously not a competition, and many synthesists (myself included) think the whole coasts thing is a little silly, but it also contains some very different sounds and interesting history.

26:55

How Don Buchla Pioneered Synthesizers

In the 1960s musician and designer Don Buchla was among the first wave of enthusiasts to imagine and invent the modern synthesizer as we know it today. In their RBMA lectures Buchla and his acolyte Morton Subotnick, alongside fellow designers Bob Moog, Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim, recall these early days while Suzanne Ciani and Joan La Barbara reflect on the futurism of Buchla's unique approach.

6:35

Suzanne Ciani - Waveshaper TV Ep.17

Waveshaper TV interviewed Suzanne Ciani outside of San Francisco, just days ahead of her performance at the Don Buchla Memorial Concerts in April 2017. The interview is supplemented with live footage filmed in Toronto at the Revue Cinema, following a screening of the Suzanne Ciani documentary, A Life In Waves.

19:56

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