ADDAC System has designed a modular synth that can be played like a guitarWhat if a modular synth was also a guitar? ADDAC System is answering that question. The Portuguese brand has just announced the Four String Series, which will incorporate physical strings into your Eurorack.
Originating from a desire to incorporate some synth tech into a lap steel guitar, the Four String Series utilises tactile modules and mechanisms to pluck each string. The design allows your Eurorack layout to twang and vibrate the strings from below, with the option to expand and customise as you please.

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The most important attachment of the bunch is the base ADDAC120 Headstock and Bridge module. Developed so that your strings can be elevated high enough to accommodate your modules underneath, it allows string gauges up to 0.055, has four locking tuners and costs €210.
While you can pluck the strings yourself from the top, there’s no reason you can’t leave it all to your synth to do the legwork. An ADDAC124 Plectrums module was designed for exactly that reason; designed with little metal ‘picks’, the module can pluck each string independently. Priced at €280, it can send triggers through buttons or via a MIDI input.

The ADDAC124 Plectrums module has two modes: Pluck mode, which will properly twang a string, and Harmonic mode, if you’re after more of a light string tap.
An ADDAC121 Humbucker module has also been developed to capture string sounds. However, it’s not like a conventional humbucker you’d find on a standard electric guitar. Instead, it uses an ADDAC122 Quadrophonic Pickup configuration, with a pickup for every string, to fully capture your experimental sounds. And it also allows for independent string volume control, for maximum configuration.
Elsewhere, there is a Rotary Exciter, which generates a rotating magnetic field to excite strings that are at the same frequency as the motor rotation speed. Another new module, the Ebow slider, was then developed to create a harness and sliding mechanism, making it possible to produce an Ebow effect on any string.
Credit: ADDAC
Other ways of stimulating your strings include the ADDAC126 Rotary Exciter, which generates a magnetic field that can have an impact on strings at the same frequency as the motor’s rotational speed. The ADDAC127 Ebow Slider also offers a unique Ebow-like effect, thanks to its “harness and sliding” mechanism.
An ADDAC125 Strings Mute module is also available, which can help dampen unwanted vibrations. The company likens its sound to a palm mute, but one that your tech can do without having ‘hands’; the attachment uses a servo motor, raising and lowering a piece of foam to dampen the vibration of your strings.
Credit: ADDAC
Though, if you’re keen to get involved, ADDAC System has also considered those who might prefer to play with a bow. As a result, there’s a nifty Bow Arch Attachment, which can be popped onto your headstock. The attachment essentially raises the two middle strings, which should make it easier to play each string individually while wielding your bow.
Of course, all of this sits most comfortably in the ADDAC120F Strings Frame. Sitting at €360, the custom-built frame is designed specifically for the Four String Series and can comfortably accommodate all of the available modules. The frame also has a dedicated power supply and should serve as a great base if anyone hopes to expand or customise their frame.
The Four Strings Series will begin shipping in July. For more information, head to ADDAC System.
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