Modal began in 2000 as Modulus Electronics, a company established by synth designer and enthusiast Paul Maddox, who was a fan of the PPG Wave synths. Paul set out to build a stripped-down and less expensive version of the Wave 2.2, and his result was the Monowave, a monophonic, rackmount synth with wave scanning in the PPG style, and analog VCF and VCA. Modulus sold 25 Monwaves (all hand-built by Maddox) between 2002 and 2004. Paul also built and sold a line of small "pocket" synths.