Since posting the above, I went down the rabbit hole of learning more about modular before I plop down money to build a rig.
I found a couple good books that I’ve started reading: “Patch & Tweak” and “A Guide to Modular Worlds”. I know about VCV racks and started playing around in Reaktor, but I found this super fun app called “Hexen” for learning modular on Android!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.silicondroid.hexen
I’ve also bought some Bandcamp albums and started listening to the music of artists like Richard Devine (mad scientist) and Lisa Bella Donna (unbelievably amazing)!
Enjoy!