An introduction to Modor, what .. Mordor? No this is not Lord of the Rings.
Modor Music is a small brand that designs and builds innovative digital synthesizers, the builders of the NF-1 synth and the DR-2 drum synth. Modor builds big, hands-on and inspiring creativity machines, aimed to all kinds of electronic music.
Modor Music is based in Belgium. In this video we are having an initial look at the Modor Music NF-1 Polyphonic Synthesizer and the Modor Music DR-2 Drum Machine.
The Modor NF-1 synth is a digital DSP synth somewhat comparable to the classic Virtual Analog synths, but Modor is moving further on from this point. They use the classic structure of VA-synths, with oscillators, filters and effects, with parameters that can be modulated using LFO's and envelopes. But every element has been rethought and reinvented. In a digital way.
The NF-1 has a classic 12dB/oct resonant filter, but they also gave it a versatile formant filter, never seen in hardware before! It does make classic sawtooth waves, but they also included some brand new noisy waveforms!
It has classic chorus and delay effects, but every parameter is editable to give way to special unexpected effect types!
The DR-2 is a 6 instrument digital DSP drum synth, with a built-in 128-step drum sequencer. At first sight, it will feel recognisable in some ways.
There are sounds that will remind you of the good old classic drum machines, and the step sequencer will get you building drum riffs from the first second you touch it.
But Modor uses digital sound synthesis to get beyond the possibilities of a classic drum machine, and the step sequencer does more than just hitting drums. Although it's digital, the DR-2 is not about sampling.
It's a drum synthesizer, like a classic analog drum machine, but it uses digital sound synthesis algorithms instead of analog circuitry. There are no samples in the DR-2, and there's no sample memory. Just like the Modor NF-1, the DR-2 is not build to recreate the classics of the past.
The DR-2 uses digital sound synthesis to innovate drum sounds and rhythms. Many sounds will be recognisable. It is possible to make classic sounding bass drums, snares and rimshots. It's not difficult to program classic floor fillers with the DR-2. But with 12 synthesis parameters per drum, you'll easily find yourself creating your own individual sound.
Marcel Belmans (°1978) is the main designer of Modor's music machines. As a teenager in the 90's, he was already making electronic music.
He was building his own effect gear and tried to build his own software synths. Because he didn't have the money to buy the real stuff, but most important, because it's fun! He studied as a construction engineer, but after working in a few different jobs, he realised he needed to go where his heart is: electronic music.
As a construction engineer, he has broad general math and engineering skills, but never received in-depth training in electronics and digital signal processing (DSP). However, this disadvantage is turned into an advantage. Self-teaching and lots, lots and lots of trial-and-error, often results in things that are different from the typical textbook solutions a highly skilled DSP engineer would come up with.
So, their engineering may be a little unorthodox at times, but at Modor, they only use our ears to judge!
There are a few guidelines and principles they keep in mind at Modor Music whilst designing new stuff and one of them is big, hands-on hardware. Modor really wants their instruments to be hands-on hardware machines. Everything you need regularly is easily accessible on the front panel, and the workflow is easy and clear.
Your creativity and fun won't be interrupted by menu diving or by trying to remember how things were supposed to work. Their machines are inspirational, and provide an excellent opportunity to create your own sounds.
You can find your own Modor Music synthesizer, by clicking here here. Or alternatively, have a look at their modules, by clicking here.
