After we ran the piece on “Modular Synthesizers in the Control Room” by Chris Koltay in Tape Op #165, we decided to have him do a semi-regular review column on the state of the modular world. Here's the first one!
Make Noise [Tape Op #104] is a synthesis purveyor from Asheville, North Carolina, run by Kelly Kelbel and Tony Rolando with a small army of lovely and talented people. From humble beginnings, they've become one of the top modular companies around and a tastemaker, raising the bar for the format several times in the 17 years since its inception. They are experts at harnessing controlled chaos while embracing modular theory in a way that informs the user as creation happens.
I'm going to discuss their Tape & Microsound Music Machine; a set of Eurorack modules set up as a complete synthesizer system in a case with power supply and patch cables. It will instantly add a fourth dimension to your outboard processing landscape, opening doors of sound design you never knew existed. You will never outgrow it. It's infinite. If you can't afford this piece of gear or find the CV (control voltage) processing daunting, Make Noise makes a synthesizer called the 0-COAST. It's hands down the best modular gateway synth and contains nearly all the lessons of control voltage.