VCVRack virtual modular synthesizer

[hermbot]

I’m excited for MIDI mapping, my MIDI Fighter Twister is ready to go!

[howthenightcame]

Hello everyone, need some help here!! Ever since discovering VCV Rack in @disquiet’s “Disquiet Junto Project 0381: Shared System” I’ve been wondering: can I feed my guitar signal through VCV? For example, here’s the most basic of patches:

I’ve tried removing the first five modules (MDI-CV through SCOPE) and inserting another AUDIO-8 module but - although I can hear my guitar signal - I can’t get it to play nicely with VCV.

Is there a way to do it?

[ceedotgeedot]

I’m not sure if there’s a better way, but this works for me. Guitar is going in the left and coming out the right:

[howthenightcame]

@ceedotgeedot thank you so much!!

your screenshot helped me get the proper audio interface settings selected

[fahmi_m]

Analog tape loops experiment processed to VCV Rack with midi controller :

[slowsounds]

I’ve messed around a bit with VCV using just the standard modules and found it pretty useful although the standard 10 or whatever modules get limiting quite fast. I would actually like to use it more, but looking back into it now though it seems to have exploded with tons of new and user module libraries both free, donation, or purchasable. To be honest, while its nice to have things open and expandable I find this both frustrating and daunting. I don’t code, I don’t want to have to worry about updating or losing libraries over many years/hard drives, so on. Ideally I want a piece of software to exist, work, and not involve me downloading tons of outside packages. Having to navigate all this extra stuff makes me want to run back to AudioMulch. Granted even with something like say Reaktor over years and years of updates an old instrument might break after a certain version and need to be re-built, but sometimes this openness invites more of this chaos… at least to me. Going through all of this is almost like spending all your time DIYing modules rather than working with them when finished to me.

That said, I know some folks love plowing through all this stuff, so can anyone recommend any packages that provide a lot of basic synthesis functions so I don’t have to go through hundreds of them? I don’t really need sampling or lots of crazy algorithmic things. Is there a package or couple of packages that is like the a-100 or Serge shop panels of VCV?

[headphonic]

the update process is actually seemless. You just click the button up top and it updates anything in your collection that needs it.

You could always start with the Audible Instruments pack. That is actually the Mutable Instruments collection, so youd be learning real modules, many of which are the most used/popular on the market. AKA Clouds, Rings ETC.

[slowsounds]

ah ok, it looks like I had to update to a new version. it does make adding things much easier, less time consuming to try something out and delete it to prevent clutter if its useless. cheers.

[chenghiz]

Bogaudio has a ton of basic modules that aren’t covered by the Fundamentals pack, very recommended.

[naxuu]

The free ebook How To Rack (direct PDF link here) was released a few days ago, and appears to be pretty good for beginners getting situated. It includes a rundown of some of the key modules worth knowing about.

You usually can’t go wrong with modules that have been officially ported from the hardware by their original developers or someone authorized to do so. That list is growing and includes Mutable Instruments, Befaco, Grayscale, Erica as of a week or two ago (Black Wavetable VCO, Black Octasource, Pico Drums currently), and - just announced at Andrew Belt’s talk in SF last night - Malekko (Voltage Block, Varigate 4+/8+, and others).

Particularly excited about Voltage Block coming to VCV. You can do something similar to Elektron-style parameter locking with it.

[slowsounds]

yes, thank you! exactly what I’m after.

[thopa]

Great news!
The malekko voltage block is a module i regret having sold.
That random function on all cv outs was ace, great to hear it is being ported to vcv!

[headphonic]

oh man Malekko stuff is coming to vcv!? thats huge.

[echoing]

the most important basic free modules i have found so far are covered by:

AS (bpm clock)
NYSTHI (multitrack recording + tons of other stuff)
Alright Devices (chronoblob and twrex!!)
Audible Instruments (its mutable!)
Stellare Modular (turing machine)
Valley (good reverb module “plateau” and some filters)
Vult (so many filters)
Bog Audio (everything)
Bidoo (everything but i love the acne matrix mixer especially plus they have clones of that one intellijel/roland sequencer).

[eesn]

I’ve ported 19 of my Euro Reakt modules over to VCV already. They are free and open-source.

very much enjoying the Hetrick line - Dust and Crackle especially, also the Shaper.

[eesn]

also worth mentioning Circlefade - a no-frills delay and lfo, clock and random.
quite useful.

[RMBLRX]

I was pretty bummed when I lost use of the mid/side module I was making extensive use of when 1.0 rolled, but I think this will make up for it:

VCV Rack (vcvrack)

I’ve been meaning to really go to town on 1.0, but VCV Rack very quickly becomes a huge timesink for me if I don’t plan accordingly. Does anyone else have this problem? It seems like I have countless patches saved that are just “studies” of modular techniques or even just in making use of particular modules.

[alanza]

I don’t use VCVRack but this sounds like a LARGE chunk of my time with my modular at first.

[kveye]

The thing with pc for me is that it’s a load of options and I’m not forced to commit. So everything is left half baked and in a state “would be nice to try this”
Vcv is good though, even if only for learning in my case

[LLK]

My personnal decision with VCV is to stick with one or two manufacturer for now so I can just at least learn a few tricks and a philosophy to “feel” how far it strays from what I usually know in the realm of non modular synthesis. It’s tough not to be quickly overwhelmed if I don’t think like that so I treat it as magical a “wow how lucky I am to have received these 3 Mutable Instruments module !” software or something like that. Completely agree with you having it all one download away is daunting and leads to half baked stuff if you don’t find a way to tone it down to what a normal brain can handle.