Not just for synthesis, Eurorack can be a versatile addition to the traditional recording setup. We look at what modular can offer and how to use it in the studio.

When Dieter Doepfer designed the A‑100 system in 1995, his priorities were “good sound quality; diversity of modules available; ease of integration into a MIDI system; and, maybe most important of all, affordability”. That system consisted of VCOs, VCAs and VCFs, envelopes, LFOs, and sequencers: circuits that together constituted, well, an analogue synthesizer, believe it or not!

Safe to say, since those nascent days of Eurorack, things have moved on considerably. The subsequent explosion of developers operating in the 3U format has now settled into more of a steady expansion, and while developers continue to produce fine examples of traditional — and non‑traditional — synthesizer circuits like the ones listed above, many have also crossed into the contiguous worlds of effects, sampling, signal processing, interfacing and many more besides. Recent innovations in the realm of digital have had an enormous impact on the Eurorack landscape, with more and more microprocessor‑based modules performing a litany of functions to a superb standard. Here in 2026, the very notion of what a Eurorack system can be is all but unrecognisable compared with what it was in the mid‑1990s. Entire systems can be constructed without an oscillator or filter — indeed without an analogue module — in sight. But those core tenets laid out by Dieter Doepfer have not changed. Sound quality, diversity and affordability are still the name of the game for Eurorack, as is today’s subject: integration.

Of course, the integration we’re talking about extends far beyond MIDI, essential as that is. There are a host of Eurorack modules just begging to open up a new world of hardware in your general studio workflow, or indeed give rise to a brand new one. The usual joke I hear is that Eurorack is a financial rabbit hole; but it would be a disservice not to acknowledge that while it’s certainly on the pricey side, it’s positively budget‑friendly compared to all manner of 19‑inch rack gear or 500‑series modules. At the upper end of the reverb spectrum, for instance, a Strymon StarLab module will set you back around £550$650, but that doesn’t sound so bad when there are 500‑series equivalents that retail for more than twice that price.

In my case (no pun intended) I have a 6U 104HP system that comes with me to every studio session without fail. That system does not have a single module dedicated to synthesizing waveforms; in fact I found myself recently describing it to one engineer simply as a “miniature, portable studio”. When I arrive at a session, I will set up a dedicated pair of input channels on the console for the system mixer’s principle output, a dedicated pair of outputs on the console for two of the mixer’s inputs and leave it that way for the duration of the session. It means that if I — or anybody else — has a particular idea for processing a sound, whether in parallel to recording or after committing a performance to the DAW, I can set up a patch and achieve all manner of results with quite some speed. This could take the form of signal processing, creative effects, resampling, or it could be a conduit to other things in the studio, opening up new ways of accessing what’s already around me.

Instrument, Line, Euro

To best help our Eurorack system and studio setup make friends, the first thing we need to do is make sure they’re seeing eye to eye when it comes to signal strength. Modular level, or Eurorack level, is less hot than professional line level (roughly equivalent to the ‑10dBV semi‑pro standard), but hotter than the level generated by mics, or passive instruments such as electric guitars. There are several ‘line level’ alignment standards in use. The hottest signal you’re likely to encounter is +24dBu, which is about 35V peak to peak — that is, from the extremity of the negative peak to the extremity of the positive peak. Modular level maxes out at 10V pk‑pk (+13dBu), so modulars and analogue consoles can play together, but only with careful management of peak signal levels. The output from a guitar is typically less than 1V pk‑pk, so if you’re planning on plugging an electric guitar straight into your low‑pass filter module like it’s a guitar pedal, you’re likely to be disappointed: either you’ll hear very little or (if you decide to pump up the signal after the fact) you’ll be left with an incredibly loud noise floor. Or both. An impedance mismatch may also rob the signal of high end.

A guitar or other passive instrument will need some sort of help to get it up to a sufficient level, as will microphones, whilst a true line‑level...