Modal Electronics brand was created in Bristol, England, and not so long ago, in 2015. Paul Maddox is the founder. The company became popular thanks to high quality synthesizers and special attention to the details and the sound. After many experiments with the designs Modal Electronics produces completely new multimode musical instruments which have already been approved by professional and famous musicians. The company is conveying research on the radical approach to the developing of the new analog synthesis engine type which would interact with the operating system of the electronic musical instrument.
Now the company is only at the stage of development but has already released some serious products aimed at professionals. The first instrument produced by Modal Electronics was hybrid synthesizer Modulus 002 which combined two synthesis types. The instrument has a 12-voice polyphony and two high-performance oscillators with numeric control (NCO/Numerically Controlled Oscillator) and two sub-oscillators, 4-pole filters with analog morphing function. A lot of attention was paid to a built-in powerful sequencer and arpeggiator which allowed you to get arpeggio of high quality. The instrument featured the keyboard by Fatar – famous Italian company producing keyboards of any type and being one of the major keyboard suppliers on the music market. There was an LCD letting you navigate smoothly and easily through the settings menu. The synthesizer featured an absolutely new Cloud function which allowed connection to the Internet and saving as well as sharing your tracks with other users. This function let you update you synthesizer without using MIDI System Exclusive. Later the series introduced us to another member – 002R synthesizer offering 8 voices of polyphony with the possibility to be expanded up to 12 voices. On the whole the rackmount version has all the same abilities its predecessor did but the format of 002R was designed to fit 19” rack and it’s enclosed into 3U high quality steel housing.
Digitally controlled analog synthesizer 008 was put on the music market following 002. The instrument included a 8-note polyphony and VCF per voice, its unique sound synthesis which had no alternatives among other instruments and an altered approach to the sound modulation (11 sources). The instrument incorporates a 15-mode filter – a unique analog filter ensuring wide sound possibilities range. VCF can process the signal coming from VCO or any external source while sound resonance is being thoroughly processed providing you with even and flowing sound transitions. The instrument comprised a special 5-step envelope generator (DADSR/ Delay, Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release). The semi-weighted keyboard is made by Fatar. 008 synthesizer has a rackmount counterpart called 008R featuring the same functions and capabilities but surely lacking keyboard and offering a stripped down front panel interface.
001 synthesizer is a 2-voice hybrid synthesizer successfully combining digital and analog sound. The synthesizer includes two NCOs, two LFOs, analog 4-pole filter with morphing function ensuring smooth waveform transition; analog amplifier. The quality of the keyboard is top-flight: the synthesizer uses semi-weighted 3-octave Fatar keyboard with aftertouch. Small dimensions of the instrument make it an easily transported unit.
All the released instruments by British brand Modal Electronics feature multimode interface allowing selection and parameter change of the instrument displaying every move and alteration on the screen. At the same time the interface is simple and intuitive offering many knobs. The selected parameters are red backlit.
The company has just appeared on the market but has already proven to be respectable enough to gain popularity all over the world. Thoroughbred British sound, abundance of control knobs and buttons, fine classic design, perfect assembly which are the core points of Modal Electronics to assure you that its products is what you need – any music idea you’ve got on your mind can be implemented.