using the modular in 2025

Anything about the Scope modular synths

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Joey
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using the modular in 2025

Post by Joey »

I was wondering what reasons people have to turn to Scope Modular,now that there are so many other options around.
fra77x2
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by fra77x2 »

I don't use the modular anymore but I originally bought my pulsar2 at 2001 for the modular. I use Scope sdk that is something similar.

For me:

Scope modular works on dsps, this give it its own feel and sound. It's like an instrument. For modular entusiasts I think it is an interesting one. Its like Nord modular. There is a lot of work been done in these devices by a lot of people and they always make sense.

For an example I prefer it to reaktor. Reaktor uses foldover clipping which is nasty sounding, I also don't like the environment of reaktor.
Max msp and pd had horrible intefaces, never liked them

I haven't used other modern modulars ( have seen some never grabbed my interest) but I am actually programming my own ( SAL modular ) for android tablets.

For me scope modular still makes sense in 2025 because it is a versatile sound synthesis device. In scope sdk i create my psy kick bass which is top production level. I use basic atoms to make it but I have spend 10 years of working and studying kick bass production
Last edited by fra77x2 on Wed Jan 29, 2025 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
fra77x2
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by fra77x2 »

https://integraudio.io/10-best-modular-synth-plugin/

I checked now this page. I have seen softtube.

I'm pretty sure all are ok. But I am used to scope sdk myself, and I tend to look down on anything I see. For wavetable and granular stuff scope modular sucks, it has accumulated several bugs in the years but for other synthesis production work I think they beat the other software options mainly because of the dsps and perhaps also cause of better character.

But wait for some other opinions of modular users because I don't know how current versions work and what experience may a new user have
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valis
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by valis »

Use flexor and you will get results that most of those software modular cannot touch because they are not audio rate for their entire signal path (envelopes, modulators and LFO‘s work at a fraction of audio rate).
fra77x2
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by fra77x2 »

What Valis says is not valid. Flexor is a nice extension to scope modular but does not add what he mentions as audio rate for full audio path.

Scope modular uses audio rate for the full audio path in general but also has parameters computed at a a lower rate as it is common for panel elements.

Software modular like reaktor have similarly several different processing modes for different elements mainly distinguished between panel, audio path but also modulation path but it has modules like reaktor core modules that work in full audio rate.

So what seperates scope modular from its software equivelents is not that it processes signals in full audio rate.

In reality similar algorithms or circuits sound similar in all modulars. I don't really use the modular because it sounds better. A sine is a sine.

I use it because of the whole environment.

I had transfered my circuits to reaktor at the past. They sound the same. They sound the same because i use oscilloscopes and i program the same waveforms. So it isn't a miracle. It is common sense.
Xite Knight v2.0
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by Xite Knight v2.0 »

The Flexor Ramp generator in my system goes up to 22.05 kHz. It can be used for different LFO shapes by using the Flexor shapers.
Last edited by Xite Knight v2.0 on Thu Jan 30, 2025 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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valis
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by valis »

fra77x2 wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 11:52 pm What Valis says is not valid. Flexor is a nice extension to scope modular but does not add what he mentions as audio rate for full audio path.

Scope modular uses audio rate for the full audio path in general but also has parameters computed at a a lower rate as it is common for panel elements.

Software modular like reaktor have similarly several different processing modes for different elements mainly distinguished between panel, audio path but also modulation path but it has modules like reaktor core modules that work in full audio rate.

So what seperates scope modular from its software equivelents is not that it processes signals in full audio rate.

In reality similar algorithms or circuits sound similar in all modulars. I don't really use the modular because it sounds better. A sine is a sine.

I use it because of the whole environment.

I had transfered my circuits to reaktor at the past. They sound the same. They sound the same because i use oscilloscopes and i program the same waveforms. So it isn't a miracle. It is common sense.
What? Flexor was not built with the SDK, it was built by Assaf (I was helping him at the time, before Atom and Hubird came online to help too) using very simple adders within the SDK because the provided atoms (SDK atoms, not forum user) did not function at audiorate for the modulation path. Have you not tried Flexor? You can verify this quite easily, use modulators as an audio source.

And yes, it's almost always the case that implementations for audio use do not use audiorate for different non-audio path elements, but this was specifically why Flexor was built in the first place. Feel free to tackle that however you want, but you will be incorrect in challenging this.

I haven't gotten a financial return from Flexor sales in over a decade, and yet still recommend it.
fra77x2
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by fra77x2 »

Is your name Cirley? Are you serious? I think you have some misconseptions. I had flexor. Nothing special about except it was good.
Perhaps it was build with dp and made his own atoms but this is unrelated to audio rate of modulation. The modulation can be in audio rate in general. Most modules are.
Last edited by fra77x2 on Thu Jan 30, 2025 2:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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valis
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by valis »

I love your adversarial tone, but it was not 'made his own atoms' it was simply adders, packed into structures, to replace existing atoms that were not audiorate. You can verify this yourself by using modulators in flexor as audiorate path devices. Flexor 1/1.5 was ONLY this outside of a few osc & filter models that assaf felt were lacking in Modular 3 at the time.

Disagree all you want, but I helped build it and used the SDK then so i saw the structures. Always game to meet online as we have discussed and learn what you know in the SDK as well, as it's been since the mid 00's since I built anything. But that isn't the same as saying I didn't know what we built at the time. I did the GUI work and directly touched (and saw) the structures! And helped validate the results.
fra77x2
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by fra77x2 »

Now what Valis is saying is that flexor provided some modules like adsr with audio rate modulation for the times. And in general all the modules had modulation inputs working in audio rate. This was a nice approach but added nothing really missing in the first place. Modulating envelope times in audio rate does not make something special. Modulating velocity in audio rate is just plain stupid.

The modular in general for all important signals like frequency amplitude, filter etc works in full audio rate. Envelopes was its weak point perhaps but they are not bad either.
fra77x2
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by fra77x2 »

Valis i just try to make things clear for people that may be interested. I know you have a lot of exp
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valis
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by valis »

fra77x2 wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2025 1:54 am Valis i just try to make things clear for people that may be interested. I know you have a lot of exp
I appreciate all of your input here over the years, including now. But let's be careful when we address what the other person knows, I know you have a lot of experience and am still willing to have you show me around the SDK again someday. I'm not sure what the utility will be without Scope 8 coming to market for any tangible income (making devices) but for having fun, I'm certainly game to learn to make better use of my resources again. It's been close to 20 years since I was in the SDK and I'm sure it's changed quite a bit since then, and again I was largely using the GUI functions and only looked over the rest by digging into packed elements and analyzing the output as we worked.
fra77x2 wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2025 1:53 am Now what Valis is saying is that flexor provided some modules like adsr with audio rate modulation for the times. And in general all the modules had modulation inputs working in audio rate. This was a nice approach but added nothing really missing in the first place. Modulating envelope times in audio rate does not make something special. Modulating velocity in audio rate is just plain stupid.

The modular in general for all important signals like frequency amplitude, filter etc works in full audio rate. Envelopes was its weak point perhaps but they are not bad either.
This comes down to taste, there were people at the time who distinctly expressed (including Assaf) that the envelopes were not fast enough for certain transients or use cases (kicks were one, KickMeToo was implemented first in Flexor and then designed directly using the same structures with a simplified UI as the device published under that name). I didn't actually fully understand at the time, but his benchmark comparison was the Moog Modular synth he built for (and while at) Tel Aviv University while mine was just my JD-800, Access Virus and Reaktor etc. He was right, and I can hear the difference now even in the hardware Solaris (which is 96Khz throughout the signal path including modulators and envelopes).
al_bot
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by al_bot »

I still use scope modular because I really like the sound and the environment fits my workflow.

I also enjoy Ksoloti (Axoloti) as well, like a nord modular. Very easy to understand and create patches and lots of examples and modules. You can even build your own hardware interface.

Ksoloti Core
https://ksoloti.github.io/
https://altcircuits.com/products/ksoloti-core-pcb
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Spielraum
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by Spielraum »

I love my Scope Modular DSP farms since day one.
Last edited by Spielraum on Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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LorenOA76
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by LorenOA76 »

The scope system is everything other systems can't provide!
I love the flexibility without limits that you can get and create anything you want using modular!!
I advise you to get Modular 4 & the Spielraum great modules to complete Unique functionality and Power.
Flexor 3 is a must and I must admit that I use the modules a lot!!
You can start your journey by using free devices and after that upgrade to Modular 4 which is very powerful !!
link to free user's devices:
viewtopic.php?t=36381

link to all SR Spielraum STDR modular devices:
https://forums.scopeusers.com/viewtopic.php?t=35961

link to SIC Modular 4:
https://sonic-core.de/modular-iv/

Make music :)

Loren
Sextant
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by Sextant »

All CWM modules are must have too, and work well with Flexor stuff

http://www.cwmodular.org/modular.html
Rafe
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Re: using the modular in 2025

Post by Rafe »

And also BCModular
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