Lodewijk Vos (LØ): Modular Synthesis as Sonic Storytelling

To understand modular synthesis is to step into a world where the path is never fixed, where every connection is a new constellation. Lodewijk Vos (LØ) draws a vivid contrast between the rigid circuitry of a classic Model D and the open-ended playground of modular. In a fixed-path synth, the signal flows like a river in a concrete channel—oscillators, mixer, filter, envelopes, all predetermined, all predictable.

But modular is a living organism, its veins rerouted at will. Each patch is a fresh map, each cable a new possibility. Want to send noise to the filter’s resonance or fold oscillators into each other’s pitch? Modular lets you sculpt the current, not just ride it. The result is a landscape where even the simplest modules, when intertwined, become complex, breathing machines. This is not just synthesis—it’s sonic architecture, rebuilt from the ground up every time you reach for a patch cable.

Patching is more than a technical act—it’s a ritual of discovery. LØ reveals how modular teaches synthesis at a cellular level, inviting us to experiment, to fail, to stumble into unexpected beauty. Each connection is an invitation to break the rules, to find sounds the module’s creators never imagined.

The deeper you wander, the more the system reveals. A filter transforms into an oscillator; a humble envelope becomes a generator of subharmonics. The Make Noise Maths module stands as a totem of this philosophy—its surface simple, its depths unfathomable. Years in, LØ still uncovers new forms within its circuitry.

This is the true educational value of modular: it rewards curiosity with revelation. The more you patch, the more you learn—not just about the machine, but about the very nature of sound. Here, synthesis is not a destination, but a journey through magnetic resonance and sonic ghosts.

The modular path is paved with both temptation and restraint. LØ is candid about the initial investment: cases and power supplies are the toll gates, but once inside, the journey can be paced. Start small, he advises, perhaps with a semi-modular like the Pittsburgh Lifeforms or Behringer Neutron, or even a hybrid setup with your DAW as a guiding star.

Growth is organic, not frantic. Each new module is a seed that blossoms across your entire rack, unlocking hidden potential in what you already own. LØ’s philosophy is minimalist and adaptive—buy with the intention to sell, embrace the secondhand market, and let your rack evolve with your taste. In this way, modular becomes not a collection, but a living, breathing instrument, shaped by both curiosity and discipline.

In the hands of a storyteller, modular synthesis becomes more than a source of sound—it becomes a tool for narrative. LØ weaves modular into his composing workflow, using it to replace or augment soft synths, thickening arrangements with layers that shimmer and shift. Dedicated sound design days become a ritual: lush pads bloom, textures emerge that no plugin can conjure, and each project is gifted a unique palette.

Sampling is the secret passage through modular’s monophonic walls. By deep-sampling patches into instruments like Steinberg’s Halion, LØ transforms fleeting moments into polyphonic voices, ready to be played and replayed within the DAW. Each project thus acquires its own sonic fingerprint, a signature written in voltage and time.

But modular’s true magic lies in its ability to respond to the world. With tools like the Error Instruments Eraser Head Theremin, even light and movement become compositional forces—imagine a film’s fight scene driving the very texture of the score. Here, modular is not just an instrument, but a partner in storytelling, where music and image dance in magnetic resonance.