The Algo from RYK Modular is at least two things. It’s an elegant, complex oscillator bank of four sound sources configurable into multiple algorithms of FM timbres, and it’s a beautiful cluster of additive sine waves that are eager to fold and warp. It has so much depth of tonal variation and instant knob‑turning satisfaction that you’ll forget it has a clever approach to FM that you really should pay more attention to. There are reflections of the Vector Wave, which also distract you away from the FM into the additive side of harmonics and vector synthesis.
However, where the Vector Wave leaned into deep‑level FM editing, Algo leans into single(ish) level, one‑knob‑per‑function simplicity that opens us up to vast swathes of tonal exploration. RYK are determined that you should enjoy FM synthesis, and I believe, with Algo, you can.
Algo follows RYK’s stylish aesthetic of deep black panels and red accents. The pin‑prick LEDs from the Night Rider Resonator find themselves here in red and green, pointing out settings and depicting the algorithmic relationship between the oscillators. It’s fair to say that RYK modules stand out in any rack and tend to make everything else look a little bit unimaginative and shabby. Behind the slick exterior we find four through‑zero oscillators, nine FM algorithms, waveshaping, three types of wavefolding, a stereo chorus effect and a stereo output with oscillator panning controls.
4 Oscillators
The four sine‑wave oscillators cut their way across the front panel at 45 degrees. The larger knob handles the frequency, and the smaller knob controls the level. The frequency is quantised to harmonics from the base frequency starting from half a harmonic below, up to 18 above. Each octave doubling is indicated by a lit green LED, and an orange one when you’ve returned to the original base frequency. It really is delightful playing with the harmonics of the four sine waves, pulling in chords, intervals and unisons, guided by your ears and those helpful LEDs. The Detune knob doubles as a stereo chorus, which gives it a nicely unruly juiciness, and if you add a deep reverb and delay effect into the chain, you can have a thoroughly enjoyable ambient time just with this one aspect of the Algo.
Through the holding of a button and turning of a frequency knob, the harmonics can be overridden for fine control or to disconnect an oscillator from the 1V/oct input so it can drone or be used as a fixed‑frequency modulator. Holding another button and turning the level knob pans the oscillator from left to right. These are the few cracks in the one‑knob‑per‑function intention of the front panel, and there are some corresponding annoyances. For instance, if you hold a button and pan an oscillator left, when you release the button, the level drops to zero because that’s the position of the knob.
If sine waves are not your thing, then the Warp knob will push the waveforms through triangle, to sawtooth and what feels like a slightly underwhelming pulse wave. When repurposing the oscillators with algorithms, you can direct the warping to just the carriers or the modulators if you wish. There are three types of wavefolding available on another knob that apply symmetric or asymmetric folding, or soft‑clip folding.
The four oscillators, the organ‑like additive synthesis, the warping into edgier waves, and the overtone‑inducing folding make for a fascinating sound source by itself. You can modulate the levels or the individual frequency, push them into detuning, modulate the waveshaping, and even add vibrato to the overall output. And this is all before we come to the main event — FM.
Algorithmic Configurations
Pressing the red Algorithm button cycles through eight algorithmic configurations (and one empty one) which divides the four oscillators (or operators) into the carriers and modulators of FM synthesis. The array of pin‑prick LEDs makes the connections visually between the oscillators so you can see at a glance how they are affecting one another. Initially, the LED pathways may seem a little cryptic, but you soon get the idea of how one oscillator modulates the other. You then have a number of controls that interact to control the FM synthesizing that’s at play. The key control is the XM knob, which governs the overall amount of cross‑modulation going on. And then every control contributes something to the surprisingly tuneful frequency manipulation and side‑banding of harmonics that can quickly descend into a fabulous range of dissonant clanging and noisy space farts.
I find it really difficult to leave the Algo alone. There’s always something that you feel needs tweaking, and the harmonic nature of the oscillators makes it very pleasing almost every time. It’s very easy to take it from simple streams of beautiful sine waves, into the valley of the shadow of FM and back out again, only to descend into throaty chaos and broken telecommunications before re‑emerging back into sparkles. RYK intended to make an FM module that anyone can use, and I can definitely say that you don’t need to know what any of the algorithms or pretty lights mean to enjoy the heck out of exploring Algo.
£287.50
$449.99