Almost all of the modules for the new gigging case are installed now. I'm still waiting on a Plum Audio VASAT CV utility that I forgot to order earlier, and I need to build two custom switch panels. (And I might do a little tweak to the top row's layout.) 64 modules in all, including one blank and the two switch panels. Six distinct melodic voices, three dedicated percussion voices, and a few FX modules that will be looped in from the computer where I do the mixing. And a lot of tricks to switch things quickly during a performance.
After a hiatus this winter, I've started writing new articles for my Patreon channel again, and will give a thorough breakdown of the module selection and patch for this new system. I've learned a lot over the past few years, and this will definitely be my best performance system yet.
“The modular synthesizer is a divine instrument: mere mortals can play it, but only the gods know what sound will come out.”
(Paraphrasing a joke I heard about horn players by our local orchestral conductor. 😇 )
Day One of building up the revamped performance modular system. The last one became quite a rat’s nest inside of power cables crossing back and forth, so I’m making an effort this time to use right-length cables and shortening their paths. Only one reversed connection so far, and fortunately the module was reverse power protected.
I’m waiting on more short cables - plus a 1U utility mixer I forgot to order - to arrive before I can finish it. So in the meantime, I’m going to focus on some custom switch panels I planned out for this system. One will determine in an effects send goes through a Rings clone + the @bastlinstruments Ikarie stereo filter, or just the Ikarie; the other will determine whether the same pitch & gate go to both sides of the @@strymonengineering SuperKar+, or to the two sides independently. All in the name of performer quicker patch changes during live performance.
The final system will have 60 modules + the two custom switch panels in just 14U x 94hp - the unusual width is to fit inside the major US airline carryon size restrictions. (BTW, I believe @mandofink_cases has one more of these built & ready to go; the changes are a more roadworthy black finish instead of polished hardwoods, and Konstant Lab bus boards instead of the Genus Modu LIBBs.)
@wemakebjooks is running an amazing sale on all of their titles - including Patch & Tweak and Synth Gems - for Valentine's day (who said synths weren't romantic?). Go to bjooks.com and use the code MYFUNNYVALENTINE when you check out. The sale ends Monday the 16th, so take advantage of it now!
V/A :: Soul of the Machine: A Celebration of the Life & Legacy of ARP founder Alan R. Pearlman (Projekt)
/reviews/soul-of-the-machine-projekt
#igloomag #reviews
Review by: @donhaugen
"Soul of the Machine transforms Alan R. Pearlman’s centennial into a living, forward-looking testament, revealing how ARP’s visionary instruments didn’t just shape electronic music’s past, but continue to actively define its future."
I’ve decided to extend the Cyber Monday sale on my modular synth courses for another week! Use the coupon code 25BF40off to get 40% of any and all course (and of course, my Basic Concepts course plus the lowest tier of Eurorack Expansion remain free). This deal is only good through December 15. All of my courses - including free Preview movies - can be found at courses.learningmodular.com. (They are also on LinkedIn Learning, if you prefer a subscription model and the other features LinkedIn offers.)
Back in September I performed a 70+ minute set at @chuckvanzyl 's @thegatheringsconcerts in Philadelphia. Roycee Martin recorded the event, which included live versions of two pieces from my Paradise Lost album as well as an intro and three new, unreleased pieces.
I gave The Gatherings permission to release it as a fundraiser for future concerts - and that recording was released today, along with tons of bonus materials including numerous photos and an after-performance interview!
And since it’s Bandcamp Friday, all of the proceeds go straight to The Gatherings. It’s also Name Your Own Price for a limited time, so get your copy today:
/album/the-gatherings-13-september-2025
Speaking of live performances from my September tour, I also played a downtempo set in the Chill Out Room at this year’s Knobcon show. A recording of that performance is available on my own Bandcamp page, also at Name Your Own Price:
/track/the-circles-of-atlantis
As always, thank you for your support - it really is appreciated.
Happy Holidays -
Chris
My latest newsletter is out, and the big news is the next Bob Moog Foundation modular system that I helped put together for them to raffle away as a fundraiser. For as little as a $25 ticket, you could win a system worth over $24k USD, including multiple controllers, a custom case, and top-shelf power. If you miss out on that, second and third prizes are an Expressive E Osmose and their Noisy 2 software. The theme behind this year’s system plus every single component are discussed in this newsletter’s main article.
But that’s not all that’s going on. I have a new video and extended-play single of my Knobcon performance, news of the ARP 100th Anniversary Compilation album, a discount on all of online courses as well as a direct deal for my Chaos Clips, and one final performance of the year which will be very special. All are covered here:
/2025-12-newsletter/
You can copy and paste the links above by visiting Instagram using a normal web browser, or go to my bio and click through the LinkTree to get to all of my newsletters and more.
If you want these newsletters to come straight to your email box rather than hoping Facebook or Instagram shares one of my posts with you, you can sign up for the newsletter here:
/signup
(If you have already signed up and are not receiving the newsletter, check your Junk folder…)
If you want to go beyond my courses or the information in these newsletters, consider joining me and a few hundred of your friends on Patreon - it’s as close as you’re going to get to looking over my shoulder and into my head while I’m working on different challenges. $5/month gets you immediate access to a library of literally hundreds of informative posts as well as new ones each month, while $12/month includes access to my Eurorack-focused online modular synthesis courses. And, there’s a 7-day free trial for the 5v level! Check out the index of roughly 500 posts here to see which ones are available at which support level, including free ones:
/posts/learning-modular-23481757
Thanks again for your support! I really appreciate it.
Like any crazy musician, before thinking about Thanksgiving turkey, first I'm going to record percussive hits and patterns on this wild 28" tall squirrel & snake baffle for our latest bird feeder (and please, no phallus jokes... 🤣)
My Learning Modular site is 10 years old now! Time certainly flies by when you’re busy patching a modular synth. :-)
To celebrate, I wanted to offer you 10…no; that’s way too small of a discount. I want to offer you 40% off of any of my online modular synth courses: Learning Modular Synthesis, Eurorack Expansion, Moog Mother-32, and Arturia Modular-V.
Use the following coupon code for any of those courses: 25BF40off
(Instagram makes links hard to click on. In this case, it’s simple: LearningModular is the name of the site, and just add what you COMmonly would at the end. You can also Google “Learning Modular” and it’s the first site that comes up.)
My courses all assume you are a beginner, so no important piece of information is skipped over; I also assume you want to become really good at this, so I don’t hold back on the practical tips & tricks either. I reinforce the actions you see me take on screen - adding a patch cable, twisting a knob - with immediate sound feedback, plus I often throw in waveform and harmonic spectrum displays so you can understand what’s really happening.
Although I recorded these a few years ago, the beauty of a format like modular is that it is timeless, with no worries about software and OS versions (well, except for the Modular-V course, but the core patching info is still the same). Each course has several free movies for you to preview before you buy; I also offer a money-back guarantee if you try it, find it’s not for you, and ask for a refund in a reasonable amount of time.
But you’re going to have to act fast: These discounts expire during the first week of December, which is just next week.
happy holidays -
Chris
Back when I was chief engineer at Roland R&D LA roughly 35 years ago, some folks in our circle were also in the circle of @hanszimmer 's studio, which meant I got to visit there a few times.
The one time I met Hans in person was when he had just acquired a Kobol synthesizer - the keyboard version - and we geeked out together over its unique (for the time) features like continuously variable waveforms.
Fast forward a few decades, and Behringer cloned the rack-mount semi-modular Kobol Expander. Behringer has not mentioned if they will also clone the Expander II (think of it as an expander for the Expander), so I took on the mental exercise of recreating the Expander II’s functions with affordable Eurorack modules, and wrote it up for my Patreon channel:
/posts/recreating-kobol-142927478
(the easy way is to go to Patreon.com/LearningModular; it's currently the first post on the page)
I decided to make this post free because frankly I’ve been poor at letting everyone know I even have a Patreon channel - and I think more of you should be subscribing to it. 🥹 It includes ~500 articles - many with videos - on a wide variety of electronic music topics; the index is here:
/posts/learning-modular-23481757.
I have a one week free trial for the $5/month tier which gives you access to all of those articles, so check it out and see if you find it useful.
One of my projects this past year has been working on a music compilation in celebration of Alan R Pearlman’s 100th birthday. The 36 tracks on this compilation - old and new (including a remix of my track The Gathering Storm) - all employ ARP synthesizers in prominent ways.
This project was the brainchild of Steve Roach, who asked me to be co-music director for it. Steve also recruited Robert Rich to master it, and Sam Rosenthal of Projekt Records to help it reach a wider audience. Artists on it (aside from Steve and myself) include Martin Gore, John Foxx, Mark Isham, Jeff Rona, Drew Schlesinger + David Torn, Michael Brückner, Craig Padilla, Lisa Bella Donna, Panic Girl, JG Thirlwell, Rupert Greenall, DJ CherishTheLuv, Synsor, Don Slepian, LaMar Mitchell, and many others - with thanks to Dina Pearlman for recruiting many of those artists.
The 36-track compilation is available at name-your-own-price for a limited time on Bandcamp; a 2-CD set with many of the tracks (also sequenced by Steve) is $20 and will be available in a few weeks (pre-order now).
�The link for more info: /album/soul-of-the-machine-a-celebration-of-the-life-legacy-of-arp-founder-alan-r-pearlman-various-artists (or just go to Bandcamp and Search for Alan R - their page will be the top result).
