Modbap Modular HUE is a new multi-fx processor for Eurorack consisting of four effects made for infusing character and texture in your sounds.
Today, hardware and software designers have so much high-quality technology at their disposal that they are able to develop sound tools that massively exceed the sound quality (not character) of vintage devices. However, this ever-improving quality (crisp digital…) often comes at the expense of one thing, character.
Even if we are in a paradise of good sound, many musicians want to go back to the good old days with instruments or effects that were full of character. Back then, noise, crackling, etc. were completely normal in hardware. Algorithms today are able to emulate these special loving characteristics. Many developers offer this as a plugin. Modbap Modular now brings these characters to Eurorack in a neat 6HP multi-fx module.
Modbap Modular HUE
Hue is a new multi-FX processor module for Eurorack with a slightly different concept. Instead of offering tons of algorithms to the user, the Modbap Modular designer gave the module only 4 effects in a fixed signal chain.
It consists of a drive, DJ-style filter, tape saturation, and lo-fi processor plus a compressor. These effects are carefully selected to add character and texture to the sound. Its goal is to simply color your sound. Modbap says:
The initial concept was born of a debate about the techniques and processes used to make drum machines sound big, bold, and delicious. The sounds that tug at the hearts of boombap, LoFi, and subsequently modbap, enthusiasts are those that have great texture, lush degradation, soft distortion, and big bold strokes of color.
The classic beloved drum machines were often processed with outboard gear, recorded to tape, pressed to vinyl, played in big booming systems, sampled, and resampled and on and on. Ultimately, those are the sounds that become nostalgic and reminiscent of all that we love about classic LoFi boombap production. HUE is our attempt at bringing that vibe into eurorack with a cute little 6hp package
So a kind of instant coloring tool for all kinds of sounds but especially for drum timbres.
Effects
The signal chain starts with the drive allowing you to add juice to your sounds by adding light distortion. You can adjust it with a dedicated knob and shift button. Then, you get a DJ-style filter with a lowpass characteristic to the left and a high pass to the right.
Next, you have a tape effect that infuses that lovely vintage cassette tape saturation in your tracks. Also controllable with a knob and an additional shift button. Fourth and last “effect” is the Lo-Fi processor with bit depth and sample rate controls. Great for infusing the familiar crackles or just to make the signal dirtier. Lastly, there is the final-glue section for your sounds aka a one-knob compressor.
Modbap Modular added CV inputs for the drive, filter, tape saturation, and Lo-Fi processor that opens the door to advanced signal processing tasks.
Another exciting module from Modbap Modular. Okay, this one is a lot simpler than the Trinity drum module, announced back at Knobcon, but no less exciting. I think everyone who wants to give their clean sounds a vintage, dirty timbre has come to the right place. Its slim design also takes up little space, which is very nice. And for friends of big 80s drum sounds (808, 909…), this module is even more tempting.
Modbap Modular HUE is available soon for $299 USD.
More information here: Modbap Modular
I can’t understand why those modules are not stereo by default….
I think because most people work in mono in Eurorack but would be great to see more a “stereo” way