August 2025

I need some help! 

This is not easy to write, but after careful consideration I've decided to turn towards you, the AE Modular community for help in a difficult time in the life of tangible waves and potentially the AE Modular eco-system.

It should be no secret to anyone, who is following current global affairs and the effect these have on the wider synth community and producers of electronic music gear. After a very welcoming high during COVID, the economic reality that most people are now facing make it harder and harder for them to justify investing their money into even an affordable system like AE Modular instead of paying for rent or food. Some synth manufacturers may not immediately feel this downturn because they have been catering for a more well-off clientele who continue to pour their disposable income into high priced gear. But our little community, based around a product built by and for people of little means, has been feeling these pressures for a while now. You can see it in the way the community interactions are fewer than they were in the hay days of 2021-22 and I can definitely see it in the declining sales figures at tangible waves.

Don't understand me wrong, I am still in awe of the amazing support and continuing inspiration from the community and I'm also very impressed by the dedication shown by the growing number of 3rd party manufacturers who are putting their own mark on the AE Modular vision. As I have said many times before, this community is the reason I get out of bed every morning and spend my days in the workshop, creating new modules and pushing out orders as fast as I can.

However these orders have been getting fewer over the last year and since I have transitioned to this business as my main source of income, I have become more concerned about the future of this venture. There are only so many cost cuttings I can make, but when the orders can no longer pay for my means to live I have to find other ways, as I hope you all will understand.

Let me be clear: this is not a swan song for AE Modular!

Although my health has also taken a worse turn since some years, I'm still dedicated to putting all my energy into keeping tangible waves going and AE Modular alive! I just need a bit of help and I hope that someone in the community would be able to assist with a few things:

1. I would need help with marketing to hopefully reach a wider audience for AE Modular beyond the group which is already on board. This would mean helping me with advice on effective social media and other online marketing campaigns.
2. I would like to revamp the tangible waves website to make it more accessible and easier for new visitors to find their way to purchase their first modular synth, while retaining the rich history and wealth of information that is currently there. This would need someone who understands eCommerce and can give me advice on how to re-structure the website.

The above are services for which I could likely find someone on a job board or freelance marketplaces and I may have to turn towards those options. However I would like to see if someone from the AE Modular community would be interested to help out with some of the above jobs and may even be willing to take payment, at least in part, through receiving free modules and/or participation in (hopefully) increased sales revenues.

I have talked to people who specialise in eCommerce and online marketing before, but they didn't "get" the special product we have and the impact it has on people's lives and their art. So I hope that someone from the community, who understands what AE Modular is about might be able to do a much better job.

So, if you are interested and willing to help me out with the above, or even just have some interesting ideas or advice, then please contact me via the usual means, I would be incredibly grateful for your contribution!

About those US Tariffs …

Contrary to the above, I am still dedicated to making modular synths available to anyone and since our friends over in the USA have a bit of a tough time right now with a somewhat volatile government, I decided to help them out a little!

For now, only DHL Express or FedEx express shipping options are available for deliveries to the USA. These are more expensive, but at least they will make sure that “only” a 15% tariff will be applied to the order value instead of the ridiculous $80 flat fee which would otherwise be charged. 

To offset these additional costs for our US customers, they can use the code FCKTRMP at the checkout to receive a special 10% discount! We call this a "Fair Compensation for Kinky Tariff Regulation & Market Penalties" ;-).

New Products

BOB Filter 904A

I have always had a fascination and immense respect for Bob Moog, not just because we share the same first name and that my birthday is just one day later than his (plus a few years!), but I was always in love with the sound and feel of his instruments. So for a long time I have dreamed of making this iconic filter for the AE Modular system. Since the original circuit design is for much higher voltages, I had to find ways to make it work for AE's 5 volt range, but that is now done. The look is an approximation, and I hope that the sound is quite close to the original, but please judge for yourself!

This is a 24dB/octave lowpass filter; but this version additionally offers outputs for taps of each filter stage, offering 18dB, 12dB and 6dB/octave, each with its own sonic qualities. The module has:

• three signal inputs; two of them with attenuators 
• three control voltage inputs, two of them with attenuators
• controls for cutoff and resonance

This module is available in two different versions, one with the classic Moog inspired knobs and front panel and one with classic AE Modular knobs. Which one will you prefer?

​You can now buy this module in our online store!

Third Party Products

Wonkystuff has a new website! Check it out at https://wonkystuff.co.uk/

News and Music from the Community

The Labyrinth from @runningin is an audiovisual journey through ambient soundscapes. Check out the video on Youtube:

Ammasso Globulare in Ercole from @saltatempo is a track utilising the Volca Drum, AE Grunge Filter and BF Synth's Sloth. This is a beautiful track which you should view here:

Third Behaviour by @pt3r is a groovy track featuring a micro DJ scratch thingy, AE Modular and Polyend Tracker:

Noise to fall asleep to by @maydonpoliris is something for people who love, well, noise 🙂 check it out and see if you can actually fall asleept to it. The video is very interesting as well!

​Great Descent by @101 is made with the AE Modular and friends and may I say: it sounds fantastic! Check it out:

cptr003 apogaeum x 327 - shared samples is a new Bandcamp album by @janxcapture. It is a collaboration where they share a sample and take that as the inspiration of their tracks. Very neat idea and great outcome. Please go, listen and buy this album! 
https://cptrrecords.bandcamp.com/album/shared-samples ​

Meetings and Events

While this month's Zoom meeting had fewer members than usually, it was good to have deeper discussions about music making in general and how to use various AE Modules, eg. which module does the best feedback? How to use the DronX? What do you need the Filterbank914 for?

The next meeting is Sunday night September 28th. You can find more details on the forum at https://forum.aemodular.com/board/29/online-meetups​