Berlin‑based designer Uwe George Giegler.
Founder of Rides In The Storm, Berlin‑based Uwe George Giegler is a designer whose precocity is matched only by his talent at circuit building. Having rubbed shoulders with some of Germany’s most revered synth developers throughout his career, Giegler continues apace to create modules that are not only original in design and expertly engineered, but also affordably priced.
On his entry into modular
Back in the early ’80s, I was already designing concepts for modular systems and working with various circuits. Later, I saw Dieter Doepfer’s first modular releases at the Frankfurt Music Fair, where I also met Andreas Schneider. After that, Doepfer modular walls could be found in many other studios in Frankfurt! A little later, I began working with Manfred Fricke, MFB, and we continued to work together until his death. I then founded my own company in 2017 with Frank Kumm: IO Instruments. When Manfred became very ill and then passed away, I founded a second company of my own, Rides In The Storm. I was able to recruit circuit designer Nikolai Dichev, who previously worked for ACL, and later Moritz Goetz, who develops software.
Uwe George Giegler: My focus is on sound and originality; I like to keep track of things, otherwise I lose interest.
On his go‑to modules
Oh, I’m very spontaneous! A lot of modules, especially from small manufacturers, have an idea that I like to look at. My focus is on sound and originality; I like to keep track of things, otherwise I lose interest. I remember hearing a great module — with mini tubes — from a US manufacturer, and I was instantly composing music in my head.
On the story of Rides In The Storm
The name came to me after a visit to a bar. I was still a little tipsy, and ‘Rides In The Storm’ popped into my foggy brain. There are associations with The Doors and the melodious sound of ride cymbals in the wind, which is the actual meaning. First, I created a sound page with all kinds of patterns and sounds for synths and drum machines. But it quickly became clear that I wanted to make my own series of synth modules, with excellent sound quality at affordable prices in a compact footprint.
Little by little, over 25 products have been created to date. Together with Nikolai, we swear by discrete circuits and our own developments, but that also means that the development time is quite long and we need quite a few prototypes before it comes onto the market. Nikolai now lives in Bulgaria, so we visit each other regularly for work meetings. This also brings a certain slow‑down, which I consider urgently necessary in this field. Our next release will be the QSQ sequencer and for next year we’re working on a standalone drum machine, Rhythm Rides.
On the SED‑CSM
The SED‑CSM is killer synth! The sonic possibilities are enormous; the transients, the punch, the definition is great... Four years of development, as well as the necessary perseverance through highs and lows, preceded it. All our experience and sonic ideas have gone into this instrument. We are very proud of it. The synth is versatile, the tuning is stable — thanks to THAT 310 Transistor Arrays — it’s discrete, powerful, compact and affordable. The idea originally came from an employee at Perfect Circuit in Burbank during one of my visits: ‘Why not build a voice synth?’ Well, here we go!
Another great thing about the module is that it can be connected to a second filter, either in series or in parallel; ie. before the VCA and after the internal VCF. Which is really fun.
There was no model for the SED‑CSM; its sound is unique. There weren’t many discrete circuits; most synths work with dedicated chips, like the Curtis. There is one exception here, though: the LFOs are made with 3345 chips, which also work well at audio rate and can be used as additional VCOs.
On the culture of modular
I can’t really presume to talk about it, because there’s everything in there — including the zeitgeist of individualism. But there are also jams here and there, and some people are good at it. It’s a kind of hipster rebirth of the hippie era! In my workshops, I always ask everyone personally what their approach is. There are many answers: playing, contemplation, curiosity, musical interest...
Personally, I like to use modular as an addition in the studio, to make samples and loops, and I still use a groovebox live. But I also get up at night sometimes to try things out. Maybe it means that childhood can be extended, and in fact modular represents eternal life, we just don’t know!