Modulus.002 Polyphonic Synthesizer Now Official, Here Are The Details

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Modulus Music has officially introduced modulus.002. They describe it as ‘the first analogue/digital hybrid polysynth to have been designed, developed, and manufactured in the UK for four decades’.

Here’s what they have to say about the modulus.002:

As an analogue/digital hybrid keyboard synthesiser (using an aftertouch-enabled premium Fatar semi-weighted, five-octave key mechanism), modulus.002 provides 12 discrete voices of polyphony with full multitimbrality if so desired. As such, it features two NCOs (Numerically-Controlled Oscillators) per voice for exceedingly high resolution and stability with wide-reaching waveform selections, together with two sub-oscillators, individually (and uniquely) switchable from a traditional square wave to having the same waveform as the main NCO to effectively produce four oscillators per voice; a Modulus-designed 24dB/octave four- pole transistor ladder filter featuring some very unusual morphing or ‘polesweeping’ effects, enabling ear-opening transitions from 24dB/octave four-pole to 6dB/ octave one-pole filtering and anywhere in between; one LFO per voice as well as a global LFO; wide-ranging modulation options, all accessible directly via the front panel — no navigating convoluted and confusing menus; a pure analogue signal path from the oscillators right the way through to the combined XLR/TRS balanced/unbalanced outputs (with all 12 voices individually available for external processing via a dedicated D-Sub connector); two audio inputs enabling internal audio processing from the VCF onwards… and that’s only scratching the surface. Not literally, of course!

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All voice control parameters are accessible via an intuitive front panel.

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According to Modulus, the modulus.002 brings cloud functionality to a synthesizer for the first time.

The Ethernet port means modulus.002 can be connected to a network to enable updates via the Internet and access to the modulus.cloud means user profile settings, sound patches, sequences, and other content can be easily replicated to a cloud-based server platform to enable rapid resynchronization to another modulus.002, regardless of whether it is owned by the same user or a collaborator at a remote location.

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Features:

  • modulus.002 provides twelve discrete voices of polyphony with full multi-timbrality if desired
  • Two oscillators per voice with two sub oscillators, which can be switched from being either traditional square wave to having the same waveform as the main oscillator – in effect making four oscillators per voice
  • Analogue / digital hybrid architecture uses NCOs for very high resolution, and very stable oscillators. Over 50 different waveforms, ranging from classic analogue sounds to more unique digital shapes
  • modulus designed 24db per octave four pole transistor ladder filter, with some very unusual morphing characteristics or ‘polesweeping’, enabling transition from four pole through bandpass to one pole 6db per octave, or anywhere in between
  • Two LFO’s, one per voice and one global
  • Extensive modulation options, all accessed directly from the front panel – no menu options
  • modulus.002 features a range of sequencing options – a built in 16 Track, 12 row, 32 step sequencer with 16 dedicated step time editing knobs on the front panel and MIDI sync capabilities. Sequences can also be transposed dynamically while running
  • A very highly featured arpeggiator with a wide range of different modes, including modulus ‘hold’ mode, enabling arpeggiator-based sequences to be created
    The modulus Animator, which enables any control parameter on the modulus.002 to be sequenced, enabling very complex filter transisitions, wave form changes and modulation matrix changes to be sequenced
  • 4.3″ screen with wide viewing angle, display is context sensitive where the control parameters of any control knob that is touched by the user, is immediately displayed
  • Twelve ‘quick recall banks’ are accessible directly from the front panel, enabling performing musicians to get rid of their set sheets and build set lists of presets, sequences and animations, all quickly accessible from dedicated front panel buttons. Up to ten banks of quick recalls can be created
  • VCF and VCA envelope generators
  • Four Key Modes – Poyphonic, Monophonic, Unison and Stack
  • FATAR semi-weighted five octave key mechanism with aftertouch
  • All voice control parameters are accessible from front panel, that follows a traditional synthesiser work flow
  • Pure analogue signal path with combined XLR/TRS sockets for balance / unbalanced outputs. Further, each of the twelve outputs can be brought out individually via a dedicated dsub socket
  • Two audio inputs enabling audio processing from the VCF onwards plus external MIDI in and out
  • XY joystick and Sustain and Expression pedal inputs for performance controls – any control parameter can be assigned to any joystick axis (X+, X-, Y+, Y-) by pressing the dedicated front panel selector button
  • Ethernet port to connect your modulus.002 to your network and enable updates via the internet (no more midi sysex dumps) and access to the Modulus cloud features

Here are the official audio demos:

https://soundcloud.com/modulus-music/sets/modulus002-patch-demos

modulus.002 is available to purchase for £2,995.00 GBP (plus VAT) /  €3,795.00 EUR (plus VAT) / $5,200.00 USD (plus local sales tax). See the Modulus Music site for audio demos and more details and the previous Modulus post for a sneak preview video of the modulus.002.

45 thoughts on “Modulus.002 Polyphonic Synthesizer Now Official, Here Are The Details

    1. I’d have to say….Yowza, yowza! $5,000.00 and higher
      Looks so tempting but soooooooooo expensive, I can’t afford it and never will.
      I hope those that can enjoy it.

  1. I quite like the bubbling space age circular panel graphics. Makes the DSI stuff look positively square.
    The 002 looks like it belongs on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

  2. No doubt, it’s fantastic, and I’d love to have it, but I’ll stick to my mixture of affordable analogs, VSTs and creative workarounds. It’s out of my league as I’m just a carer and not someone important like a CEO or banker :hihi:

    1. im right with you there bro all work no pay and a hour in the studio when all is asleep,,
      this synths looks great but micro brute and ms20mini is the best i have

    1. They won’t have cleared a million dollars, they’ll have a million dollars out of which they will have to deduct the cost of building the synth and development costs. So I’m guessing the profit margin is a maximum of 20%, so they’ll maybe have cleared 200,000. But in truth it could be a lot less. It could take them 3years to sell 192 synths, so 200,000 is very small money.

      1. I’m aware that sales numbers are not profits.
        I’m just noting that a tiny number of units would result in people collectively forking over a million of their dollars for this synth.

  3. Really wished this would be somewhere in the same price bracket of the Prophet 12. It’s already a niche, but if they just made the price more affordable, they would make loads more sales. Plus in the reach of more people… 🙁

    1. It would also have to lose lots of features. Want those many features for a fraction of of the price? buy a VA or use a soft synth. Go and check out the inflation on a $4495 Prophet 5 from 1978…. you won’t get any change out of $12,000. And you’re getting WAY more for your money than a Prophet 5…

    1. Though, to be fair, the oscillators are digital, but not in the way we think of digital usually, it’s a variable clock setup, like in the SID chip, so aliasing isn’t a problem and, like the SID, you have the potential for that big chunky sound.

      1. The SID chip is not a variable clock synthesis chip… it has a steady “sample rate” of 1MHz, using phase accumulation oscillators internally… it’s the difference in speed to usual 44.1 or 48KHz that makes it very less aliasing, running at 1MHz.

        I believe that the first Microwaves from Waldorf used variable sample rate though…

  4. Sounds awesome, just one point – if the subs can clone their oscillators, that’s not *really* like having four oscillators (as claimed) unless there’s also some way to mod the phase or detune them… is there a way to do that? Otherwise the timbre would be the same, just with an extra played octave.

    Hope these guys are successful – It sounds great and I really want to see them put out a 007 🙂

    1. I think the point is that instead of the standard divided sine or square, the subs can be an octave-shifted clone. That makes the subs more oscillator-like, although yes, they are always going to be pitched locked to the master oscillator and will always be a clone of the wave (or square).
      If you could detune them freely or choose another wave, then the wouldn’t be subs, and they would eat the voice count. Since the whole point of a sub is to get low-end beef, this scheme seems plenty flexible and offers more than the average sub.

  5. Looks great and I can’t wait to see the reviews of those who have bought this. Open on purchasing one for my studio.

  6. Though it sounds lovely I’m a little put off by a single oscillator per voice. That strikes me as a bit stingy when most lesser synths on the market have 2-4 per voice. Yes, there is the global LFO, and there’s probably looping on the envelopes. But another couple of voice-level LFOs would not be a bad idea, especially at this price point.

    1. At $5200, I concur. At such a price, I’d have to make a long-term creative commitment. I note the choice of Ethernet over USB as an indication that they mean business, but can it give you $5k of it? Possibly, as its clearly a serious instrument in the Solaris category. I don’t mind the “NCO”s a bit. DSI has proven that digital oscillator action of several kinds can sound totally true and as raw as needed, so its down to the general playability. I suspect you could get this thing’s sound pretty readily with a much smaller cash outlay. Either you want to do a major solo thing like Derek Sherinean or you want a superior nerve-center synth to run outboard gear as part of it gig. I find it laughable to think any one synth can do it all, even with intense sampling means onboard. So drool ye at yet another boutique synth whose price could buy a small production rig. I also wonder… is this Fatar action one of the good ones that plays smoothly or another clackmeister? It’d be funny see a $5k synth with another $20 keyboard build.

  7. At the end is still digital.. Sure will be more stable compared to my Andromeda A6.. But i bought it for a lot less and still I think I’ ve in my hands one of the most powerful analog beast ever made.

  8. I would love to have the Modulus and DSI Pro 2. Why do people love this MS-20 crap? It’s not even worth it’s price compared to DSI synths. You can get the Pro2 for 200..300 € more!!!

  9. Ouch! Very very pricey but you only live once! I ordered one, should be here in a few weeks. This synth sounds massive and I can’t wait til it arrives. I’ll be doing an unboxing vid since I still haven’t seen one for the 002.

    Cheers! 🙂

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