Monotrail Tech Talk’s Cheater’s Pad Trick: Lush Sounds from Barebones Modulars

Let’s be honest, most folks reckon modular synths are about as friendly to pads as a BBQ is to tofu. But Monotrail Tech Talk flips the script, showing us how a basic two-oscillator mono voice can pump out pads that sound like they’ve been sunbathing in a reverb-soaked rainforest. The trick? It’s all about a simple duophonic patch—two oscillators, each getting their own sequence, sent through a mixer and low pass filter. No fancy poly modules, no wallet-busting clones, just good old-fashioned patching.

Instead of faffing about with a VCA, Monotrail keeps it raw, letting the oscillators sing straight through the filter. The only real difference from your standard mono setup is that each oscillator gets its own melodic line, creating instant two-note chords. Chuck in a sequencer to gate an envelope on the filter, dial in a slow attack and a splash of reverb, and suddenly you’ve got pads that’ll make your mates think you’ve smuggled in a vintage polysynth. Simple, cheeky, and effective—just how we like it.

Now, if your pads are sounding stiffer than a surfboard in a drought, it’s time to add some movement. Monotrail’s first move is to inject slow, subtle modulation—think LFOs or smooth random voltages—to the pitch or filter. This gives your pads a bit of drift, like a kangaroo bouncing through a field of wildflowers, making each note feel alive and unpredictable.

But why stop there? The real magic happens when you start modulating the modulators. That’s right—use an LFO to mess with another LFO’s speed, or let random voltages chase each other’s tails. Suddenly, your pads start breathing, shifting, and evolving with every bar. If you’ve got modules with wild CV options, now’s the time to let them off the leash. Shape modulation, wavetable sweeps, filter resonance—Monotrail shows it all, layering movement until the sound is as deep as a billabong after a storm.

And here’s the kicker: you don’t need a suitcase full of boutique modules. Even with basic gear, these tricks turn a plain patch into a living, shifting soundscape. The video’s full of clever patch ideas, but trust me, you’ll want to see and hear the subtle changes for yourself—words barely do it justice.

If you want pads with character, you need to get messy—add noise, LFOs, and all sorts of modulation mischief. Monotrail’s not shy about using noise as both a sound source and a modulator. White noise in the mix adds airy texture, while dark noise modulating FM or pitch brings a gritty, unpredictable edge that’s as wild as a dust storm at a desert rave.

Audio-rate modulation is another ace up the sleeve. By routing a sine or saw wave through a VCA and using it to modulate the filter or FM input, you get textures that shimmer, wobble, and shift in ways that’ll make your ears do a double-take. And don’t forget panners, mixers, and bipolar LFOs—these tools let you swing, blend, and mangle your modulations until your pads are dripping with movement and depth.

Once you’ve nailed the basics, Monotrail shows how to scale up your patch for even more sonic mayhem. Add a third oscillator for thicker chords, or send each oscillator through its own filter for lush stereo spreads. Suddenly, what started as a humble duophonic patch turns into a modular monster, capable of pads that’ll fill any dancefloor or open-air rave.

You can sequence each oscillator separately, or let one drone on the root for extra weight. With separate envelopes and filters, each note can have its own shape and length—true modular polyphony, no fancy modules required. The possibilities are as endless as a summer road trip up the coast.

Of course, the real magic’s in the details—how the envelopes interact, how the modulations weave together, and how the whole patch comes alive when you start layering tricks from earlier in the video. If you want to see just how wild and expansive these pads can get, you’ll have to watch Monotrail work his patching magic firsthand.