Current Modular Synth Manufacturers

• Boards Only
  • Catgirl Synth –
    Ken Stone is widely respected for both his designs
    and his quality of service. Site has a lot of useful SDIY info.
    (Note that some separate companies, namely
    Elby Designs and
    Metalbox,
    provide kits and fully built modules, respectively).

  • Music from Outer Space
    – Ray Wilson offers boards for his famous Sound Lab Mini-Synth, as well
    as tasty VCA, ADSR, and VCO designs
• Kits or Fully Assembled
  • Synthesis
    Technology – home of the Moog-look-inspired
    MOTM line (known to have the highest build quality of all the kits – but
    also the most expensive)

  • Blacet Research – John Blacet’s
    fascinating designs in fracrack format

  • PAiA – economical designs, including
    the MIDI-controlled Fatman and the 9700 series modular (fracrack format),
    which packs lot of functions in each module
• Fully Assembled Only
  • Verbos Electronics –
    Mark Verbos, keeper of the Buchla
    Tech blog, made a name for
    himself repairing Buchla modules. Now he’s making modules of his own design.

  • Analogue
    Systems – British company

  • Buchla and Associates – home of
    the Buchla 200e, an amazing modular synth with patch memory that
    can cost as much as a new car – let the gear lust begin!

  • C.M.S. –
    Phil Cirocco’s
    line
    appears to be made with discrete transistors –
    i.e. you can buy an op amp made with discrete transistors from them, which
    they use in some of their modules. The price, as you might expect, is
    out of this world. The front panel graphics are gorgeous.
    Company also does a lot of servicing of old ARPs.

  • Cyndustries –
    Cynthia Webster’s
    mpdules, along with cables, cases, back issues of Synapse online, and
    other goodies

  • Doepfer – German company (eurorack
    format) – probably the largest variety of modules

  • Modcan Synthesizers –
    many modules with either banana or 1/4″ jacks

  • The
    Unofficial Serge Synthesizer Web Site is actually
    the best source of info on these beasts.

  • Synthesizers.com – one of
    the most economically feasible
    of the fully assembled module manufacturers. Invokes the “classic Moog modular”
    look.

  • The Wiard Synthesizer Company –
    Grant Richter’s weird, wild, and wonderful designs (in fracrack format). Nothing
    else quite like them in modularland.

Who uses what kinds of connectors?

• Banana: Modcan Series A, Cyndustries, Serge
• 1/8″: Blacet, PAiA, Wiard, Doepfer
• 1/4″: MOTM, Synthesizers.com Modcan Series B
• Banana for control, 1/8″ for audio: Buchla