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Timeline of Modular Synths outside America

By Rick Jelliffe
May 6, 2007 | Comments: 6

I made up this little chart to keep track of the various makers of modular/patchable analog synths (including modules,kits, PCBs and virtual synths) outside America, especially here in Australia. Pin matrixes are definitely a British/Australian phenomenon.

Please feel free to comment here on others that I have missed. (Not just schematics. though! The chart is people you actually buy something from.)

6 Comments

Rick Jelliffe said:

Updated here in 2009.

April 30, 2009 10:24 AM

Rick Jelliffe said:

Paul: I mean North and South America. (Disclaimer: My mother was born in Canada.) It would be interesting to have a companion chart for them.

One reason I made the chart was to see whether there are national distinctives. The Japanese and British have a requirement for compactness for cost reasons (cost of room space and cost of shipping) which lead the in different directions: the Japanese to smaller units like the 100 and the MS-20 and the British towards pin matrixes. The pin matrix sytnths frequently didn't have ADSR but other systems too.

AFAIK, Modcan fits squarely into the US East Coast tradition.

When Canadians read "America" they think "USA and probably not North America and probably not North and South America", but when the rest of the world write "America" we think "USA and probably North America and possibly North and South America" IYSWIM. We don't use "America" to mean "as distinct from Canada".

May 7, 2007 10:26 PM

Paul Sop said:

Add Modcan! from Canada. Canada is not in Amerika.

May 7, 2007 10:07 AM

Rick Jelliffe said:

Serge and EML are both American. Serge from the West Coast (SF?) and EML from Vernon CT.

May 6, 2007 8:40 PM

REwire said:

EML synths

May 6, 2007 5:17 PM

ad-8 said:

serge ?