what module was your first, and what would you recommend as a first for newbies? what about ppl new to physical modular synthesis but familiar with the concept digitally like thru SynthVR or similar?
i started with a moog mother-32! i bought it used for €500 for my birthday in 2017, but the seller also included a 3 tier rack kit which i sold for €80 so it was more like €420. i don't really know if the m32 is the best option these days, even back then i thought the MSRP (of around €700) was way too much, but to a lot of people it made sense because they were willing to pay that just to get the moog sound in eurorack form. i guess even moog realized that it was expensive and kinda limited because since then they've expanded their line of eurorack synths and they've also started selling cheaper gear like the moog mavis - i'm honestly considering picking one up at some point since it's smaller, has a much more interesting oscillator section with a wavefolder, a full ADSR envelope, and it ditches the sequencer which i never used because it was horribly inefficient to program.
the whole point of eurorack is that you get to design your own instrument with whatever VCOs, VCFs, LFOs, etc you'd like. but since that requires 1. a case, and 2. a lot of individual modules, it's a lot more daunting and also a lot more expensive. semimodular synths all feature a complete synth voice with all of these components routed into eachother, just like a regular synth, but also come with a patchbay so you can change the routing however you want. the m32 is designed to provide as much basic functionality as possible, so it might be a bit limited (only one VCO, only an AD/AR envelope instead of a full ADSR envelope), but the point of it is generally to expand its functionality by pairing it with other eurorack modules. for example, i ended up getting a doepfer VCO module so i could do crossmod/fm/paraphony with the m32's VCO.
some other notable semimodular synths:
- there's plenty of standalone hardware synths on the market that are semimodular and eurorack-compatible, but in a regular synth form factor, so you can't put them inside a rack. stuff like the arturia minibrute 2, or the moog grandmother for instance. this post is talking about rackable semimodular synths though, so these aren't really relevant, but if rackability isn't a concern these might be a very good option!
- i will point out the make noise 0-coast and strega even though make noise doesn't provide any official options of installing them inside a eurorack case. however, some people on the internet have done it, plus their smaller form factor makes them a lot easier to use alongside a eurorack system. make noise generally leans more towards creating synthesizers that follow west coast synthesis. you can get a lot of experimental sounds out of them, but getting there can be a very obtuse process (and make noise's panel design definitely doesn't help with that for a lot of users).
- moog also has the subharmonicon and DFAM but they're a lot more specialized than the m32.
- dreadbox also has a handful of semimodular synths currently available, and they've previously released some now-discontinued ones that might be available used.
- cre8audio east beast and west pest. i don't really know anything about these!!! they came out after i stopped paying attention to new semimodular synths and went full eurorack. they're probably cool!!!
- behringer. i'm just going to mention them because they exist and they do put out a lot of semimodular eurorack-compatible synths, but also uli behringer is quite literally the elon musk of music hardware (which is to say, behringer sucks ass). i'm not going to give them a personal recommendation unless you are really really low on cash to spend, and even then it's better to try and find them used because they do not deserve your money.
i've already written an entire post about eurorack cases so i'm just going to link to it for more info on cases! that being said, pre-built cases exist too, but diy'ing a case is a great option if you're on a tight budget.
as for SynthVR — i mean, i've never used it so i don't know how applicable it is to eurorack. on the other hand, i know VCV Rack has a ton of modules that replicate existing eurorack modules; most notably almost everything by Mutable instruments is on there, though they've stopped manufacturing new modules so if you want the same exact thing you might have to shell out some money to get them used, or buy clones of their modules. VCV is a good way to try out modular synthesis and give you a rough idea of how all the modules you'd want will work together. note that it's a very rough idea; not every module is available in VCV and it can't replicate all the intricacies that actual electronic circuitry has, though it comes close enough for most people!
i recommend that when picking your first module(s), you shouldn't just instantly add every single module you think is cool to your (planned) system. it's better to just go one at a time instead of splurging on a ton of modules at once, as you can't really know how they will interface with eachother until you have them in person! and if you only plan to get modules you think are super cool, you might miss out on the more boring stuff like mults and mixers, which are important to have too. i started out expanding the m32 with a 2hp pluck and MI ears along with some other stuff, but then i quickly realized i didn't even have a way to sequence both the 2hp pluck and the m32 independently inside the rack; nor did i have an output module, which i definitely needed because eurorack signals are loud as fuck.
i think it's important to try and get modules which offer something new, something your system can't already do on its own! the m32 only has a single VCO, so getting a second one is a great way to expand on that. i also already mentioned i really don't like the m32's sequencer, which is why i ended up picking up a ladik 4-seq to give me much more direct control since i can just turn a knob and it changes the entire sequence instead of having to menudive on the m32 to change it there. i ended up getting some sample playback modules so i could play drums on my system too, and i ended up needing a module that was capable of sequencing everything at once, so i picked up a pamela's new workout; on that note, for the longest time i've wanted to get a turing machine to use for generating random sequences, but pnw has this built in too so i ended up never buying one since i'd just be wasting my money on something i already have. anyways, you get the idea.
i have no idea how to end this post but i hope it was informative lol ok bye