Modular Synth Companies
Meet some of the companies shaping the Eurorack world, see where in the world modules are made, and look inside the workshops where they are designed and built.
Eurorack makers around the world
Eurorack started in 1996 with one German company, Doepfer. Today there are hundreds of module makers, from large factories to one-person workshops. This interactive map, compiled by circuitburst and featured on Synthtopia, places Eurorack manufacturers in more than 50 countries, using data from ModularGrid.
How to use it: zoom in and click a pin to see the maker’s name. Use the full-screen button in the corner for the best view. The map was started in 2017, so some makers have since closed and many new ones are missing. Treat it as a snapshot of the scene, not a complete directory. For an up-to-date list of manufacturers, browse ModularGrid.
Which countries have the most makers?
We counted the countries in a large public list of about 600 synth module brands. The numbers are approximate, because brands start, stop and move all the time, but the pattern is clear:
- United States: by far the largest scene, with well over a third of all brands. Many famous names, like Make Noise (Asheville), Pittsburgh Modular and Noise Engineering, are American.
- Germany: the birthplace of Eurorack (Doepfer) and home to makers like Vermona, Koma Elektronik and Verbos Electronics.
- United Kingdom: almost level with Germany, with a strong tradition of small, inventive makers.
- Netherlands: number four in the world, and the highest number of brands per person of any country in the top 12 (roughly 1.5 per million people, about twice the US).
- Canada, France, Australia and Spain follow, with Canada home to Intellijel and Spain to Befaco.
| Country | Brands (approx.) | Per million inhabitants |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 231 | 0.7 |
| Germany | 64 | 0.8 |
| United Kingdom | 62 | 0.9 |
| Netherlands | 27 | 1.5 |
| Canada | 24 | 0.6 |
| France | 24 | 0.4 |
| Australia | 20 | 0.7 |
| Russia | 18 | 0.1 |
Where is the scene most alive?
Counting brands is only half the story. Some places stand out because makers, musicians and shops come together there:
- Berlin, Germany is the meeting point of the global synth world. Every spring it hosts Superbooth, the world’s biggest show for synthesizers and Eurorack (the tenth edition took place in May 2026). Many makers, shops and artists are based in the city.
- The United States has the largest number of makers and big community events such as Knobcon near Chicago. Asheville, North Carolina, home of Make Noise and Moog, is a small city with a big synth history.
- The United Kingdom has a busy community of small makers and meet-ups such as the Brighton Modular Meet.
- Eastern Europe is one of the fastest-growing regions, with internationally known companies such as Erica Synths (Latvia), Bastl Instruments (Czech Republic) and many makers in Poland and Russia.
- The Netherlands and Belgium are small countries with a very dense scene. Add Joranalogue (Belgium), Berlin just a train ride away, and a lively DIY community, and the Low Countries are a great place to be a modular builder. That’s why Melodio is here!
Makers from the Netherlands and Belgium
The Low Countries punch far above their weight. Some makers to know:
| Maker | Based in | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Ginkosynthese | The Hague, NL | Jan Willem Hagenbeek's modules and DIY kits, such as the Sampleslicer and the TEPHRA and MAGMA compressors |
| This Is Not Rocket Science (TINRS) | Amsterdam, NL | Boutique modules, including the Fenix IV, a modern revival of the Dutch Synton Fenix |
| Livestock Electronics | Eindhoven, NL | Modules designed for live performance and playability |
| Tasty Chips Electronics | Utrecht, NL | The GR-1 granular synthesizer and the ECR-1 convolution reverb module |
| Lucid Modular | NL | Modules by Robbert van Zuiden, also known from the live duo RobotPoolParty |
| Rob Hordijk | NL | Designer of the Benjolin and the Blippoo Box, now made by several makers as Eurorack modules and DIY projects |
| SoundForce | NL | Started with hardware controllers for software synths (the SFC series), now also makes Eurorack modules inspired by the Roland Juno, such as the VCA/VCF6 and the 84 HP Voice 84 |
| Error Instruments | NL | Paul Tas's experimental instruments and modules: glitch, noise, circuit-bent sounds and odd drum voices, such as the Liquid Glitcher, Error Drum and Lucifer |
| Joranalogue Audio Design | Belgium | Precision analog modules (see the factory video below) |
| Klavis | Brussels, BE | Compact utility and effect modules such as Twin Waves, Tweakers and Mixwitch |
Inside the factory
Joranalogue Audio Design
Belgian maker of high-precision analog modules with a clean, utilitarian look, designed and manufactured in Belgium. Think Generate 3, Filter 8 and Contour 1, plus Collide 4, made together with Hainbach. This short film by the Sine Community shows how the modules are designed and built.
Erica Synths
Founded in Riga, Latvia by Girts Ozolins, Erica Synths started with DIY kits and now makes everything from Eurorack modules to drum machines, all made in Latvia. Their EDU DIY series with Moritz Klein is ideal for learning how circuits work.
Bastl Instruments
A creative team from Brno, Czech Republic, making Eurorack modules, playful standalone instruments and DIY workshops. Founded by Ondřej Merta and Václav Peloušek. Their video series with Nikol explains patching topics in an easy way.
Watch also: the Cuckoo documentary about Bastl · Bastl Instruments on YouTube
Verbos Electronics
Founded by US techno veteran Mark Verbos and now based in Berlin. Known for musical, Buchla-inspired designs such as the Harmonic Oscillator and Complex Oscillator, with a strong focus on hands-on playability. In this video, Mark explains how ’90s techno led him to building modules.
Vermona
One of Germany’s oldest makers of electronic instruments, with roots in the 1950s. Known for the DRM1 drum machine and a range of analog Eurorack modules, all hand-built in Germany.
Doepfer
The German company that created the Eurorack format with its A-100 system in 1996. Their website is still the reference for the Eurorack standard: panel sizes, power connectors and voltages.
Mutable Instruments
Hugely influential French maker of digital modules such as Plaits, Rings and Clouds, founded by Émilie Gillet. Mutable Instruments stopped making modules in 2022, but its designs are open source and live on in countless DIY versions. Many of these use STM32 chips that you can flash with an ST-Link programmer.
Befaco
A Barcelona-based designers’ collective known for DIY-friendly, open-source modules, DIY kits and hands-on soldering workshops. About Befaco
Open source or closed?
For DIY builders and repairers, open designs are gold: you can study the schematic, fix the module yourself or build your own.
| Maker | What is published |
|---|---|
| Mutable Instruments | Everything: schematics, PCB files and firmware (hardware CC-BY-SA 3.0). See our BOM page. |
| Music Thing Modular | Open-source hardware for its DIY modules |
| Befaco | Open-source hardware for many modules, made for DIY |
| Westlicht PER|FORMER | Open hardware and firmware (non-commercial licence) |
| Erica Synths EDU DIY | Full build documentation for learning |
| Most commercial makers | Closed designs; manuals and sometimes service information only |
Open source does not always mean "free to sell": check the licence. Some, like CC BY-NC-SA, allow building for yourself but not commercial production.
Makers on this page, by type of module
| If you are looking for… | Look at |
|---|---|
| Precision analog utilities and function generators | Joranalogue |
| West Coast and complex oscillators | Verbos Electronics |
| Digital oscillators and effects | Mutable Instruments (and their DIY versions) |
| Drums and percussion | Erica Synths, Vermona, Bastl Instruments |
| Playful, compact modules and utilities | Bastl Instruments, Klavis |
| DIY kits | Befaco, Erica Synths EDU, Ginkosynthese |
| The full basic toolkit at a fair price | Doepfer |
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Jack sockets for Eurorack modules
