Since 2018, Eurorack has been the dominant hardware format for modular synthesizers. The popularity of Eurorack has brought plenty of module options and manufacturers to the market. Companies large and small offer Eurorack modules, and many even supply DIY kits.
When it comes to knowing the brands to look out for in Eurorack, there's a lot to sift through. There are plenty of brands that enter and exit the market within short periods of time. In contrast, others have solidified their position as top companies in this favoured yet niche modular synthesis environment.
In this article, we'll have a look at the top brands that produce Eurorack modules.
The top 11 best Eurorack module synth brands in the world are:
- Mutable Instruments
- Intellijel
- Make Noise
- Cwejman
- Erica Synths
- Doepfer
- ALM Busy Circuits
- Xaoc Devices
- 4ms Company
- Tiptop Audio
- Behringer
Of course, any “best of” list is subjective by nature. I've done my best to make this as objective as possible. I've included not only my own bias but also the opinions of others (in real life, in online forums, and by which brands professionals use). I've also taken into account the number of models and the objective nature of the models in each brand.
We'll get into each of these brands in greater detail to explain why they made this list. I'll also include several module examples for each brand, along with a link to their official website and a bit of the company history.
Related My New Microphone articles:
• Top 11 Benefits Of Learning & Playing Synthesizer
• The Ultimate Synthesizer Buyer’s Guide
• The Ultimate Eurorack Buyer's Guide
Click here to return to My New Microphone's articles on musical equipment brands/manufacturers.
Mutable Instruments
Mutable Instruments is a one-woman show from France and one of the biggest names in the Eurorack community. The company's modules have been staples in Eurorack synths across the world for a long time and remain highly sought-after to this day.
The Eurorack modules from Mutable Instruments are innovative yet easy to understand. There's not a rack in the world that couldn't be improved with a Mutable Instruments module (or several modules).
This brand releases everything with open-source code and has its own forum to support users/builders of Mutable Instruments products. The modules haven't only inspired hours of music but also an entire community of synth builders and experimentalists to build their own units.
Notable Modules:
• Rings (Resonator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Marbles (Random Sampler) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Plaits (Micro-oscillator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Tides (Tidal modular) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Stages (Segment generator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
Mutable Instruments was founded in 2009 by Émilie Gillet in Paris, France. The company is headquartered in Paris to this day.
Official Website: mutable-instruments.net
Intellijel
Intellijel is another highly regarded name in the Eurorack community and has been for a relatively long time.
The Canadian company offers a wide variety of Eurorack modules ranging from must-have utility modules to complex modules with special and unique characteristics. Whether you're looking to add a high-quality basic module to your rack or something to take your sound to unchartered territory, Intellijel will certainly have a solution for you.
Intellijel's manufacturer, Dena Technologies, is located in the same warehouse, allowing everything from design, manufacturing, testing and shipping to happen under the same roof. This relationship has made it possible for Intellijel to maintain boutique-like design experimentation while also being able to supply more modules to the market.
Notable Modules:
• Metropolix (Multi-stage sequencer) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• Noise Random Tools 1U (Utility) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Quad VCA (VCA) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Planar 2 (Modulator joystick) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Cylonix Shapeshifter (Dual complex morphable wavetable digital VCO) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
Intellijel was founded in 2009 by Danjel van Tijn in Vancouver, Canada. The company headquarters is in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Official Website: intellijel.com
Make Noise
Make Noise boasts an impressive line of Eurorack modules that are sure to add new sonic possibilities to your modular synthesizer. The company has been making a name for itself as one of the best Eurorack modular manufacturers since its inception in 2008.
The founder of the company, Tony Rolando, spent time working at Moog Music and brings this expertise to the company to produce some of the world's most outstanding Eurorack modules.
Make Noise is made up of forward-thinking designs that bring fresh and strange ideas to the table to produce some of the greatest, most curious modular synthesizers on the market today.
Notable Modules:
• Maths (Synthesizer) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• QPAS (Quad-core stereo filter) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• STO (VCO) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• DPO (Dual VCO) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Rene Mk2 (Sequencer) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
Make Noise was founded in 2008 by Tony Rolando (a former Moog Music employee) in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, where the company is still headquartered today.
Official Website: makenoisemusic.com
Cwejman
Cwejman first came to be in the 1970s with its development of the Synthra analog synthesizer. It wasn't until 1998 that the brand came out with its second product (the Cwejman Analogue Workbench). Today the company has a solid list of highly sought-after Eurorack modules that have found places in modular synth enthusiasts' racks around the world.
Cwejman does not produce at a large scale, so it can be difficult to find their products on the mass market. The waiting list is long, but if you're willing to wait, the modules are certainly worth it for their superior design and sonic quality.
The company's ergonomic and dispositional modules may be rare, but they are well-known within the Eurorack community as some of the best units available.
Notable modules:
• ADSR-VC2 (Dual envelope generator) (link to check the price at Cwejman)
• CRV-24 (4-band crossover) (link to check the price at Cwejman)
• QVC-4 (Quad vector controller) (link to check the price at Cwejman)
• VCA-4MX (Quad VCA Mixer) (link to check the price at Cwejman)
• VCO-2RM (Dual oscillator) (link to check the price at Cwejman)
Cwejman was originally founded in the 1970s and got into the synth market in 1998. The company is run out of Sweden.
Official Website: cwejman.net
Erica Synths
Erica Synths is a Latvian company made up of visionaries, engineers, and musicians dedicated to producing high-end and inspiring Eurorack modules.
The company has been around since 2014 and has slowly but surely been making a name for itself as a premier Eurorack module manufacturer. With a passion for audio synthesis, Erica Synths continues to put out stimulating modules that offer novel opportunities for new and unique sounds and functions.
As Erica Synths discontinues its older legacy DIY Eurorack projects, it makes them open-source to further develop the collective knowledge and resources of the Eurorack community at large.
Notable Modules:
• Fusion Plasma Drive (Distortion) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Black VCO2 (VCO) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Fusion Ring Modulator V2 (Ring modulator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Pico Drums (Percussion synthesizer) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Black Hole DSP 2 (24 custom effects) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
Erica Synths was founded in 2014 by Girts Ozolinš in Riga, Latvia. The company is still headquartered in Riga today.
Official Website: ericasynths.lv
Doepfer
This list wouldn't be complete without mentioning Doepfer. After all, it was Dieter Doepfer and Doepfer Musikelektronik that invented the Eurorack modular synthesizer format in 1996.
Since then, the German brand has grown its reputation as a great modular synth manufacturer into one of the best Eurorack module producers in the world.
The company's A-100 analog modular system has everything a Eurorack enthusiast could want and more. Drawing on experience from the 1970s and earlier, the Doepfer combines vintage wisdom and modern design to produce some of the world's best Eurorack modules.
Notable Modules:
• A-124 SE (Filter) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• A-140 (Envelope shaper) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• A-149-1 (Qunatized/stored random voltage generator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• A-151 (Quad sequential switch) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• A-185-2 (Precision adder|bus access) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
Doepfer Musikelektronik GmbH was founded in 1977 by Dieter Döpfer in Germany. The company is headquartered in Gräfelfing, Germany.
Official Website: doepfer.de
ALM Busy Circuits
ALM / Busy Circuits is a superb manufacturer of Eurorack modules from the United Kingdom.
The company produces high-end modules emphasizing build quality, attention to detail, ethics, and responsible sourcing. This results in creative and fun modules that inspire original sounds.
In addition to producing some of the best Eurorack modules on the market, ALM / Busy Circuits offers world-class support to the users of its incredible products along with ongoing product update to continuously improve upon some of their best-selling modules.
Notable Modules:
• ALM017 – Pamela's NEW Workout (Master clock and modulator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• ALM022 – Squid Salmple (Sampler) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• ALM023 – mmMidi (MIDI to CV interface) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• ALM027 – Boss Bow Two (Multi-mode switch) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• ALM028 – Pip Slope Mk2 (Envelope generator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
ALM Busy Circuits was founded in 2012 by Matthew Allum in London, United Kingdom, where the company is still headquartered today.
Official Website: busycircuits.com
Xaoc Devices
Xaoc Devices is the premier modular synthesizer company from Poland and is a top manufacturer of Eurorack modules.
The company was founded in 2012 with a passion for sound and electronics. This passion shows in the variety of uncompromising yet affordable modules on the company's product list.
The world-class modules from Xaoc have found their places in racks around the world, giving synth enthusiasts access to endlessly enjoyable and novel sound-making experiences.
Notable Modules:
• Batumi (Quadruple low-frequency oscillator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Belgrad (Dual-peak multi-mode state variable filter) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Zadar (Quadruple envelope generator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Sarajewo (Syncable analog delay line) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Katowice (Stereo variable band isolator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
Xaoc Devices was founded in 2012 by Marcin Łojek in Poland.
Official Website: xaocdevices.com
4ms Company
The 4ms Company has experience in several fields of audio products (and several American cities). Starting as an effects pedal manufacturer and moving into digital hardware, this manufacturer had a ton of experience before jumping into the Eurorack game in 2009.
Related article: Are Hardware Synthesizers Worth The Cost?
This company is on a mission to make music better by designing and building innovative musical instruments. Its modules are cherished around the world for their uniqueness and creative potential.
4ms Company offers DIY kits and publishes many of its designs as open-source projects to help develop the Eurorack community even further.
Try adding a 4ms module to your rack and see why the company is one of the best for yourself!
Notable Modules:
• Rotating Clock Divider (Clock generator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Pingable (Envelope generator) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• QCD (Quad clock distributor) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Dual Looping Delay (Delay) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
• Row Power 45 (Power source) (link to check the price at Perfect Circuit)
4ms Company was originally founded as “3ms” by Dan Green in Chicago, Illinois, in 1996. Af the name change (in 2002) and several moves, 4ms is now headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Official Website: 4mscompany.com
Tiptop Audio
Tiptop Audio brings the spirit of Silicon Valley to the modular synth market. The company offers a variety of Eurorack modules, including an impressive line of drum generators.
The modules from Tiptop are designed with a focus on performance and ergonomics, making them sound great and integrate easily into any Eurorack setup.
These innovative modules are world-class and give Tiptop a definite spot on this list.
Notable Modules:
• MISO (Mix invert scale offset) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• Z-DSP (VC Digital signal processor) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• Circadian Rhythms (Performance sequencer) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• Forbidden Planet (Analog filter) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• TG ONE (Sample player) (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
Tiptop Audio was founded in 2009 by Gur Milstein. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA.
Official Website: tiptopaudio.com
Behringer
Behringer is, as Behringer does, reproducing legendary but discontinued audio equipment from the past. Love it or hate it, Behringer doesn't only bring back some of the world's best synth modules for decades past but also does so in Eurorack format and at a reasonable price.
Behringer's Eurorack modules are based on famous designs and are produced with quality and precision, offering highly sought-after pieces to the masses.
Check out Behringer for yourself when looking for your next Eurorack module and see just how impressive their modules are.
Notable Modules:
• 140 Dual Envelope/LFO (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• 150 Ring Mod/Noise/S&H/LFO (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• 172 Phase-Shifter/Delay/LFO (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• 173 Quad Gate/Multiples (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
• 182 Sequencer (link to check the price at Sweetwater)
Behringer was founded in 1989 by Uli Behringer in Willich, Germany. The company is owned by Music Tribe (also founded and chaired by Uli Behringer), which is based in the British Virgin Islands.
Behringer is also featured in the following My New Microphone articles:
• Top 11 Best Synthesizer Brands In The World
• Top 11 Best Mixing Console Brands For Home Studios
• Top 11 Best DAW Control Surface Brands In The World
• Top 11 Best MIDI Controller Brands In The World
• Top 11 Best Direct Inject Audio Box Brands On The Market
Official Website: behringer.com
Parent Company: Music Tribe
Building your Eurorack system can be overwhelming. For this reason, I've created My New Microphone's Comprehensive Eurorack Buyer's Guide. Check it out for help in determining your next Eurorack purchases.
When buying a synthesizer, it can be challenging to choose the most ideal option within your budget. For this reason, I've created My New Microphone's Comprehensive Synthesizer Buyer's Guide. Check it out for help choosing the best synth for your applications.
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