Signal Sounds Serve Sequencer Gold – Podcast Ep2 Reviewed

Signal Sounds kick things off by laying their sequencer cards on the table, and it’s not just the usual suspects. Tom and Luke aren’t here to worship at the altar of battleship modules – they’re after the weird, the hands-on, and the stuff you can’t do in a DAW. The Moskwa II from Xaoc Devices gets a nod for its rotary interface and deep expander tricks, while the chunky analog Tobinski Sequencer from Dannysound earns respect for its Buchla/Serge-inspired phasing and polymetric mayhem. There’s no love lost for the big all-in-one brains; these two prefer a rack full of focused, tweakable tools.

The chat quickly turns to drum sequencing, with Noise Engineering’s Repetitor family and Making Sound Machines’ Stolperbeats getting the Signal Sounds seal of approval for instant groove and wild swing. The duo also shout out the Make Noise René for its grid-based chaos, and the New Systems Instruments Discrete Map for comparator-driven sequencing that’ll melt your brain if you stare too long. If you want to hear what these modules can really do, you’ll need to check the video – words barely scratch the surface of their rhythmic wizardry.

What makes a sequencer stand out in the modular jungle? For Tom and Luke, it’s all about hands-on control, polymetric madness, and the ability to break free from DAW gridlock. They’re after modules that let you create evolving, off-kilter patterns with minimal fuss – think happy accidents, not menu-diving misery. The Tobinski’s analog approach lets you patch lanes against each other for phasing effects, while the Moskwa II’s expander opens up a world of CV-driven modulation and binary gate trickery. These aren’t just step sequencers; they’re chaos engines for the adventurous patcher.

Drum sequencing gets its own love letter, with the Repetitor modules praised for their quick rhythmic variety and the Stolperbeats for its drunken Dilla swing. The Make Noise René’s grid lets you play snake with your sequences, and the Discrete Map’s threshold-based steps invite you to throw in anything from ramps to random voltages for unpredictable results. If you’re bored of four-on-the-floor, these are the tools to break your patterns wide open.

Signal Sounds don’t just live in the past – they’ve got their eyes on where modular’s heading. The big trend? Multi-algorithm monsters and modules that do it all. From Happy Nerding’s FX Aid to ALM’s MFX and the mighty Disting, it’s a golden age for digital Swiss army knives. The 4MS Meta Module even lets you run VCV Rack patches in hardware, which is as meta as it gets. These multi-function beasts are everywhere, and they’re not slowing down.

But it’s not just about cramming features into a single panel. The lads also spot a shift towards full studio integration: performance mixers, stereo compressors, and multi-track recorders are now living in the rack. You can produce, mix, and master without ever leaving your modular cave – though whether that’s genius or madness is still up for debate. If you want to see these trends in action, the podcast is packed with examples and opinions that’ll have you rethinking your own setup.

Tom and Luke wade into the murky waters of proprietary ecosystems, asking if these closed worlds are the future or just another rabbit hole. Chaos Devices’ Leibniz binary subsystem, Tiptop’s ART polyphony, and Make Noise’s new NUS system all get a mention. The jury’s out on whether these will spark the next modular revolution or just add another barrier to entry for the rest of us. It’s niche within a niche, and not everyone’s keen to buy into a whole new standard just to get a few extra features.

Still, the Signal Sounds crew can’t help but be tempted by Make Noise’s innovations, especially with their track record for shaking things up. They point out that while these ecosystems are designed to play nice together, they don’t lock you out of the wider modular world. The real question: will these systems make modular more powerful, or just more complicated? The debate gets spicy, and if you’re the type who loves a good gear argument, this section is pure gold.

The conversation then pivots to the ever-expanding capabilities of Eurorack – now you can do everything from compression to multi-track recording without ever touching a DAW. Tom and Luke are split on whether this is a blessing or a recipe for stress, but agree that for live performers, having it all in the rack is a serious flex. If you want to hear the full rant, you’ll have to tune in – it’s classic Signal Sounds banter.