10 ms·

Open source modular synth software lets you create 70s & 80s electronic music

182 points by lnguyen 9y ago

pmoriarty 9y ago
"Digital audio workstations have become increasingly sophisticated, able to emulate with "plug-ins" the capabilities of sought-after analog studio gear of the past. It has taken a bit longer for virtual instruments to meet this same standard, but they may be nearly there." Hardware is much more hands on, with real dials, switches, and other means of physical interaction which screens and mice don't come close to matching. Hardware does exist through which musicians can interact with computers, but it's usually MIDI, which has its own limitations compared to fully analog gear. With hardware you generally don't have to worry about software or OS updates, and the hardware generally continues to "just work" for a long time. A lot of uncommon analog hardware is very unlikely to ever be modeled in software, so the way it reacts when manipulated may never actually be matched in software (even when the potential to do so is in principle there if anyone ever bothered to create a high quality model of it in software). This extends to how it sounds as well, for the same reason. That said, modular synth software like this is still great, and may be the next best thing to using the real thing. It's also a great way to learn and get a taste for what's possible before committing money to buying any hardware.
- timc3 9y ago
  Totally agree.
- TheRealPomax 9y ago
  And importantly, it's a way to get into synths without breaking the bank on "fixed layout" hardware, even if it's supposed to be awesome hardware. If you're on a $10/week allowance, projects like these are fantastic.
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    I concur! As someone who has spent, probably, close to a quarter of a million bucks on synth/audio hardware over the decades, I'm extremely keen on VCV Rack because it lets me design my "perfect" Eurorack setup without any investment, other than the time to get it set up - and more to the point, it lets me experiment with my setup, refining it, without buying a single cable. So once I get my stack configured the way I like it, I'm quite likely to go ahead and switch over to reality and buy all the modules I've used, so I've got it in the real world too. A truly amazing bit of software, and it has also been a very rewarding experience to be an early adopter of this suite, because the progress made so far by the developers is nothing short of astonishing - not to mention the uptake and adoption by a lot of the more cocktail/unique modular designers out there ... many of whom, seem to have taken VCV Rack as their new standard test-bench for working out ideas before hardware prototyping - meaning we have a huge plethora of modules to play with! Anyone interested in synthesisers NEEDS to put a weekend or two worth of effort into learning VCV Rack and creating their own stacks. Its really a very, very valuable bit of software - and its free! And its open source! So, you interested-in-programming-synthesizer-algorithm folks can get started with very, very little fuss, already ..
- cjsuk 9y ago
  Yes. The phrases "menu" and "software update" are what kills all tactile electronic instruments of various kinds. This is the same for electronic test equipment as well. There are so many features crammed in new devices, even if you manage to get enough controls for the basic cases on the front panel, a lot is still hidden in nested menus galore and they aren't necessarily sensible or discoverable or even work properly. This results in semi-religious fighting over which update is the least shit and people refusing to accept updates because they fear them. The outcome, at least with electronics, is that you'll find a lot of 30-40 year old equipment nestling next to the state of the art with a sticker on it "for indication only". This equipment does a lot of the real work while the new stuff is used for validation and traceable measurements only. Due to rapid progress in technology, people cling to the last thing they felt any physical connection with. This will pass in time as the status quo is accepted for younger generations. Fly by wire it is. (I am incidentally a rather large fan of analogue and modular synthesizers and half built one in the late 1990s with 1970's electronic equipment, some of which I still own!)
  - veli_joza 9y ago
    The UX of digital equipment _really_ sucks. At first I thought it was because it was a new technology still in infancy, but things haven't improved since and we are still emulating analog controls. VST interfaces often have static background image (skin) and 'knobs' you control with your mouse. Actual hardware usually features rotary encoder or buttons to navigate the menu system with several layers of depth. This is tedious and hampers creativity. One positive example is Teenage Engineering OP-1, they seem to know what they are doing. I'm currently building digital instruments for android phones and I refuse to add any UI elements until I figure out something that makes sense. Until then the interpreted Lua code is the user interface. I would be very interested in some new UI patterns for touchscreen that take good advantage of interaction between user actions and visual feedback.
    - mathw 9y ago
      It is completely baffling why software synths and routing software etc. feels the need to make itself look like a patch board and have rotary knobs and things. Can't we come up with a set of conventions for software-native synth UIs? Sure the physicality of real knobs and sliders is nice on real hardware, but on a screen - especially non-touch systems - there's no way it's the best option.
timc3 9y ago
Stupid title. It would also let you create 2018 Electronic Music. Been using VCV rack for a bit and its fairly awesome (Usually over MIDI sequenced via BitWig).
- TheRealPomax 9y ago
  That seems an odd complaint? Any music made this year is 2018 music, but what people might not know is that you can faithfully reproduce the sounds of analog synths that largely defined vast swathes of the music landscape of the 70s and 80s. (If you've been active in digital music for a while it's easy to forget how little the general public knows about stuff like this, and a title that goes "did you know you can do X with Y?" is better than a dry factual title)
  - tb303 9y ago
    i'm with timc3 on this one. at this point every dude with a beard and a modular suitcase has a standing gig in the park making gurgly noises for people, and every gamer who watched deadmau5's twitch has a bunch of mutable instruments modules. it's folk music for the 2010s. and the music of the 70s wasn't, for the most part (yes we can point to the exceptions but that misses the point), bleeps and bloops, it was keith wakeman in leather pants. by the 80s these were collecting dust (so that we could buy them for cheap in the 90s!)
djaychela 9y ago
Previous discussion on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766543 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766543
nasredin 9y ago
>Once you’ve created an account and installed it, you can start adding dozens of plug-ins, including various synthesizers, gates, reverbs, compressors, sequencers, keyboards, etc. Sigh.
- rvense 9y ago
  It doesn't require making an account. You can download the main application and a lot of plug-ins (and sources for them) without logging in anywhere.
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    Yeah, you can easily avoid having to make an account, if you just download and compile the plugins yourself. The account just makes it easier for those of us who don't want to fuss with all the compiling and copying-into-the-right-place of the plugins. I do both - I have all the sources for all the public modules I can find (and there are usually about two more added, on average, every day by the community... WOW!) and I build VCV Rack from sources every week or so, just to see the development pace (and what a pace it is!), but I also just go through the web page, use an account, install the free plugins through the Plugin Manager feature, and so on. It helps to compare the two while developing my own plugins. And I have to say that this app is amazing! I've rekindled my love for modular synthesis (been into synths since the 70's) because of this app, and its all I'm taking to my bands jam sessions these days -replacing a suite of digital/DSP synths that I was previously relying on.
    - vortico 9y ago
      Bingo! VCV Rack is built for musicians, not software developers, many who do not know how to unzip a downloaded plugin. This is perfectly fine, because musicians can do many things that I can't. So to make it possible to use for the masses, an account system is best, where it takes two buttons to add and install a plugin. The minority who don't like giving their email address in exchange for this generously-made software can still look at the manifest JSON files to get the binary download link, or compile it themselves.
fractallyte 9y ago
So, the comparison on YouTube is between the VCV Rack and Mutable Instruments Elements, Rings, and Clouds. Mutable's offerings are presented in the Eurorack format, so they have much more 'immediacy' (physical knobs, etc.). But - they're all 'virtual' instruments! We're essentially just reading a comparison between two developers's DSP code. There were no digital modulars in the 70s and 80s, and certainly nothing like the granular synthesis or physical modelling available today. A more meaningful comparison in that context would've been against something like a Roland System 100M or Moog Modular: instruments with real analog electronics.
- rvense 9y ago
  > We're essentially just reading a comparison between two developers's DSP code. It's the same code. The Mutable Instruments modules are all open source.
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    Not just the same code, but in many cases, the same developers! So there is a vested interest in making things match as closely as possible - it sells hardware, after all!
mhd 9y ago
Anyone got a good "full stack" setup for something like this (from midi controller to synth/sequencer/daw software)? I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the modularity and combinations of virtual synthesizers. I'm okay with a "toy setup" as long as it's possible to build upon (i.e. preferrably not something entirely different from what you'd use after you pass the acolyte threshold).
- mmjaa 9y ago
  Hi - there are tons of great VCV patches available here: https://patchstorage.com/platform/vcv-rack https://patchstorage.com/platform/vcv-rack A couple in there might qualify for your "full stack" requirement - or are at least pretty close. I'd be happy to hear you found something - for my needs I've got a 'full stack' consisting of a 4-voice poly VCO/VCA/VCF standard, a little sequencer, and a drum synth - but its not really in a condition where I could share it since I built some of the modules with special configuration from sources... however, if I've wanted to sit down and create a stack from the standard modules for a while, so .. lets see who gets there first! :)
- juliangoldsmith 9y ago
  LMMS would probably fit what you're looking for.
dsego 9y ago
How does this compare to something like Pure Data?
- mmjaa 9y ago
  All the power, none of the hokey GUI. Put simply, this is Pure Data on acid.
  - crunchyave 9y ago
    Ehh, I don't really think that's a good comparison. Pure Data is a visual programming environment/toolkit that gives you a set of low level building blocks from which you can build whatever you want. You can extend it by taking advantage of open source libraries that other people have made, or even code your own in C. VCVrack is open source, but as an end user you're not dealing with the low-level stuff out in the open the same way you would in PD. It's a completed object rather than a set of legos. Having said that, You're right about the GUI. The PD GUI is... primitive, to say the least.
- Nabi 9y ago
  Pure Data is visual programming language, you could essentially build native / vst / mobile apps with it and go more low level eventually. VCV rack is more Eurorack hardware simulator so to speak, musical instrument. Good for reality check before going hardware but you don't create apps with it.
  - TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
    PD does more stuff. The dataflow model takes some getting used to and tends to linger in the background even if you get down to the libpd level. VCV/Eurorack is a simplified rather dated synthesis model for people who don't want to go that low. It's ideal for people who just want to noodle around plugging and unplugging things and turning knobs. I've been sketching ideas for a next-gen synthesis language which is more powerful than PD/sc, keeps some elements of modular thinking, but adds some useful creative extensions. If I'm really lucky I'll find the time to do something with the ideas in the new few years.
nimmen 9y ago
Strangely xodular or automatonism don't get much coverage, I guess that "nice" UI did skyrocket vcv rack
- crunchyave 9y ago
  VCV Rack directly conforms to the visual patterns and usage patterns of Eurorack hardware, so I'd guess that is the main reason that it's so popular relative to those other options. PD is also a bit harder to get going with out of the box, even with packages like Automatonism, impressive though they are. Reaktor 6 had a similar thing happen, lots of people who hadn't used it before were brought into that ecosystem by their "blocks", which also kinda emulate Eurorack.
- vortico 9y ago
  The Fundamental modules included with Rack and all other VCV-branded modules are designed by Grayscale, also responsible for the panel design of a dozen Eurorack manufactures on the market. http://grayscale.info/design-services/ http://grayscale.info/design-services/
EamonnMR 9y ago
Can this be hooked into a DAW like Reason?
- edraferi 9y ago
  From the VCV Rack FAQ [0]: When will VST/AU support be added? VST/AU support will be added with the “VCV Bridge” module in Rack v0.6.0, scheduled for release in late January 2018. Rack itself won’t be a VST/AU plugin because of the major limitations of these formats, but instead you’ll be able to connect Rack to your main DAW by adding the lightweight VST/AU Bridge plugin to as many DAW channels/tracks as you like, which will each connect an equal number of Bridge modules in Rack. This cross-application method allows you to break the mindset of mixing linearly in your DAW and instead use nonlinear methods like cross-modulation between tracks, enveloping audio to control filters and sidechain compressors, etc. The Bridge protocol will be fault tolerant and will not matter which order you open the DAWs. [0] https://vcvrack.com/manual/FAQ.html https://vcvrack.com/manual/FAQ.html
kilon 9y ago
Well software has been able to recreate analog sound sine 1997 when I started working seriously with computer mudic. The problem back then was that in order to make a faithful emulation that would need quite a lot of processing power. But back then I had a 200 mhz Pentium , nowdays I have a 3.4 Quad Core. Modern soft synths sound quality wise can dance around analogy synths , in depth , quality and versatility. Not to exclude the fact that software updates can practically fundamental change the synthesizer or offer amazing new features. The edge for vintage analogue synths was the fact that they offer more hand on control but with the wealth of midi controls that come with a wide array of presets support many software synths its still not much of a good reason to pick a hardware synth. Hence why software has practically monopolised audio synthesis lately. Thor in Reason can easily compete with my Alesis Andromeda A6 , the most powerful non modular analogue to ever exist. When it comes to modular synths, software reign supreme, while hardware users have to battle with the terror of the spaghetti monster. Nowdays going down the hardware synth lane is purely a personal taste choice.
- romaniv 9y ago
  > The edge for vintage analogue synths was the fact that they offer more hand on control but with the wealth of midi controls that come with a wide array of presets support many software synths its still not much of a good reason to pick a hardware synth. There are at least two fundamentally flawed assumptions behind your post. 1. Electronic music isn't just about endless options and capabilities. Endless options give you endless search space to navigate. 2. The idea that generic computers are always better than dedicated hardware is rather archaic, because with modern technology you can integrate powerful computers into dedicated hardware very cheaply. There is a huge difference between using a fully integrated, though-out hardware synthesizer versus using a MIDI controller mapped to some plugin in a DAW. There is a reason thousands of musicians still buy analog gear, VA synths and fully digital FX pedals.
freeflight 9y ago
I wish I would understand even a fraction of the stuff that's going on with software synths. Every couple of years I get this fancy idea of "I'd really like to create some sounds/music", which usually ends up with me aimlessly manipulating digital knobs and switches on some massive UI, creating weird sounds with no real structure and changing all the default settings. The other option being something like FruityLoops, but doing anything in there kinda feels like making "Lego music" due to just slapping together samples. The closest I ever got to creating something like "music" was actually through a game, FRACT OSC, which I think is still really cool. But I guess for most professionals the toolset in there is just very basic and it also suffers from the same "Lego music" feel of just slapping together samples. Then there's stuff like SoundStage VR, which looks quite amazing to tinker around in, but due to a lack of VR setup, it's not something I had a chance to play around with yet. But the basic idea of making music in VR really appeals to me, it's just so cyberpunk and feels like it could be way more approachable, at least compared to something like software synths with their intimidating UI.
- alexilliamson 9y ago
  I get the same fancy idea every now and then. If anyone has been in the same place and gone on to really explore making synth music, I would love to hear it!
- rainbowmverse 9y ago
  A lot of synths are painfully unintuitive because they try (and fail) to replicate hardware synth interfaces. Try Helm (free and open source) or Serum (not free) and you might have more luck. Here's a rough crash course from someone who also struggled to get started: 1: You start out with a wave (sine, saw, pulse, etc). No synth starts out with a pure form of these waves. They all add a little color. Most synths have 2-5 oscillators (they produce the waves), often with each having different controls. 2: The filter constrains the sound. So, for example, if you wanted to make a bassy instrument, you'd filter out most of the high frequencies. The Attack, Sustain, Delay, and Release settings affect length and volume over time. This is what you use to turn waves into plucks, kicks, claps, strings, and anything else you can think of. 3: Most synths have at least 2 LFOs, or low frequency oscillators. You can connect these to different controls across the synth and change the timbre in weird, sometimes unpredictable and amazing ways. With Helm in particular, you click the little helmet by the LFO and drag the little bars on the different controls to change how much the LFO affects it. You'll see a little green bar pop out and move with the LFO. Serum has a separate tab with LFOs and routing to synth controls.
ungzd 9y ago
Looks like they use GUI widgets from Blender, despite Blender GUI is considered non-reusable for other apps. Or maybe they only took look from it.
- vortico 9y ago
  A surprising few have pointed that out! https://bitbucket.org/duangle/oui-blendish/src https://bitbucket.org/duangle/oui-blendish/src
rekado 9y ago
I have been quite content with alsa-modular-synth. It supports loading LADSPA plugins as modules, and with JACK integration it can be connected to other LV2 plugins or effects.
Mizza 9y ago
I've been making modules for VCV Rack and it's super fun and pretty easy! You can check them out here: https://github.com/Miserlou/RJModules https://github.com/Miserlou/RJModules
Kuraj 9y ago
Is there any way I can simulate a MIDI keyboard, since I don't have an actual device?

182 points by lnguyen 9y ago

"Digital audio workstations have become increasingly sophisticated, able to emulate with "plug-ins" the capabilities of sought-after analog studio gear of the past. It has taken a bit longer for virtual instruments to meet this same standard, but they may be nearly there." Hardware is much more hands on, with real dials, switches, and other means of physical interaction which screens and mice don't come close to matching. Hardware does exist through which musicians can interact with computers, but it's usually MIDI, which has its own limitations compared to fully analog gear. With hardware you generally don't have to worry about software or OS updates, and the hardware generally continues to "just work" for a long time. A lot of uncommon analog hardware is very unlikely to ever be modeled in software, so the way it reacts when manipulated may never actually be matched in software (even when the potential to do so is in principle there if anyone ever bothered to create a high quality model of it in software). This extends to how it sounds as well, for the same reason. That said, modular synth software like this is still great, and may be the next best thing to using the real thing. It's also a great way to learn and get a taste for what's possible before committing money to buying any hardware.

timc3 9y ago
Totally agree.
TheRealPomax 9y ago
And importantly, it's a way to get into synths without breaking the bank on "fixed layout" hardware, even if it's supposed to be awesome hardware. If you're on a $10/week allowance, projects like these are fantastic.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  I concur! As someone who has spent, probably, close to a quarter of a million bucks on synth/audio hardware over the decades, I'm extremely keen on VCV Rack because it lets me design my "perfect" Eurorack setup without any investment, other than the time to get it set up - and more to the point, it lets me experiment with my setup, refining it, without buying a single cable. So once I get my stack configured the way I like it, I'm quite likely to go ahead and switch over to reality and buy all the modules I've used, so I've got it in the real world too. A truly amazing bit of software, and it has also been a very rewarding experience to be an early adopter of this suite, because the progress made so far by the developers is nothing short of astonishing - not to mention the uptake and adoption by a lot of the more cocktail/unique modular designers out there ... many of whom, seem to have taken VCV Rack as their new standard test-bench for working out ideas before hardware prototyping - meaning we have a huge plethora of modules to play with! Anyone interested in synthesisers NEEDS to put a weekend or two worth of effort into learning VCV Rack and creating their own stacks. Its really a very, very valuable bit of software - and its free! And its open source! So, you interested-in-programming-synthesizer-algorithm folks can get started with very, very little fuss, already ..
cjsuk 9y ago
Yes. The phrases "menu" and "software update" are what kills all tactile electronic instruments of various kinds. This is the same for electronic test equipment as well. There are so many features crammed in new devices, even if you manage to get enough controls for the basic cases on the front panel, a lot is still hidden in nested menus galore and they aren't necessarily sensible or discoverable or even work properly. This results in semi-religious fighting over which update is the least shit and people refusing to accept updates because they fear them. The outcome, at least with electronics, is that you'll find a lot of 30-40 year old equipment nestling next to the state of the art with a sticker on it "for indication only". This equipment does a lot of the real work while the new stuff is used for validation and traceable measurements only. Due to rapid progress in technology, people cling to the last thing they felt any physical connection with. This will pass in time as the status quo is accepted for younger generations. Fly by wire it is. (I am incidentally a rather large fan of analogue and modular synthesizers and half built one in the late 1990s with 1970's electronic equipment, some of which I still own!)
- veli_joza 9y ago
  The UX of digital equipment _really_ sucks. At first I thought it was because it was a new technology still in infancy, but things haven't improved since and we are still emulating analog controls. VST interfaces often have static background image (skin) and 'knobs' you control with your mouse. Actual hardware usually features rotary encoder or buttons to navigate the menu system with several layers of depth. This is tedious and hampers creativity. One positive example is Teenage Engineering OP-1, they seem to know what they are doing. I'm currently building digital instruments for android phones and I refuse to add any UI elements until I figure out something that makes sense. Until then the interpreted Lua code is the user interface. I would be very interested in some new UI patterns for touchscreen that take good advantage of interaction between user actions and visual feedback.
  - mathw 9y ago
    It is completely baffling why software synths and routing software etc. feels the need to make itself look like a patch board and have rotary knobs and things. Can't we come up with a set of conventions for software-native synth UIs? Sure the physicality of real knobs and sliders is nice on real hardware, but on a screen - especially non-touch systems - there's no way it's the best option.

timc3 9y ago

Stupid title. It would also let you create 2018 Electronic Music. Been using VCV rack for a bit and its fairly awesome (Usually over MIDI sequenced via BitWig).

TheRealPomax 9y ago
That seems an odd complaint? Any music made this year is 2018 music, but what people might not know is that you can faithfully reproduce the sounds of analog synths that largely defined vast swathes of the music landscape of the 70s and 80s. (If you've been active in digital music for a while it's easy to forget how little the general public knows about stuff like this, and a title that goes "did you know you can do X with Y?" is better than a dry factual title)
- tb303 9y ago
  i'm with timc3 on this one. at this point every dude with a beard and a modular suitcase has a standing gig in the park making gurgly noises for people, and every gamer who watched deadmau5's twitch has a bunch of mutable instruments modules. it's folk music for the 2010s. and the music of the 70s wasn't, for the most part (yes we can point to the exceptions but that misses the point), bleeps and bloops, it was keith wakeman in leather pants. by the 80s these were collecting dust (so that we could buy them for cheap in the 90s!)

djaychela 9y ago

Previous discussion on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766543 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766543

nasredin 9y ago

>Once you’ve created an account and installed it, you can start adding dozens of plug-ins, including various synthesizers, gates, reverbs, compressors, sequencers, keyboards, etc. Sigh.

rvense 9y ago
It doesn't require making an account. You can download the main application and a lot of plug-ins (and sources for them) without logging in anywhere.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  Yeah, you can easily avoid having to make an account, if you just download and compile the plugins yourself. The account just makes it easier for those of us who don't want to fuss with all the compiling and copying-into-the-right-place of the plugins. I do both - I have all the sources for all the public modules I can find (and there are usually about two more added, on average, every day by the community... WOW!) and I build VCV Rack from sources every week or so, just to see the development pace (and what a pace it is!), but I also just go through the web page, use an account, install the free plugins through the Plugin Manager feature, and so on. It helps to compare the two while developing my own plugins. And I have to say that this app is amazing! I've rekindled my love for modular synthesis (been into synths since the 70's) because of this app, and its all I'm taking to my bands jam sessions these days -replacing a suite of digital/DSP synths that I was previously relying on.
  - vortico 9y ago
    Bingo! VCV Rack is built for musicians, not software developers, many who do not know how to unzip a downloaded plugin. This is perfectly fine, because musicians can do many things that I can't. So to make it possible to use for the masses, an account system is best, where it takes two buttons to add and install a plugin. The minority who don't like giving their email address in exchange for this generously-made software can still look at the manifest JSON files to get the binary download link, or compile it themselves.

fractallyte 9y ago

So, the comparison on YouTube is between the VCV Rack and Mutable Instruments Elements, Rings, and Clouds. Mutable's offerings are presented in the Eurorack format, so they have much more 'immediacy' (physical knobs, etc.). But - they're all 'virtual' instruments! We're essentially just reading a comparison between two developers's DSP code. There were no digital modulars in the 70s and 80s, and certainly nothing like the granular synthesis or physical modelling available today. A more meaningful comparison in that context would've been against something like a Roland System 100M or Moog Modular: instruments with real analog electronics.

rvense 9y ago
> We're essentially just reading a comparison between two developers's DSP code. It's the same code. The Mutable Instruments modules are all open source.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  Not just the same code, but in many cases, the same developers! So there is a vested interest in making things match as closely as possible - it sells hardware, after all!

mhd 9y ago

Anyone got a good "full stack" setup for something like this (from midi controller to synth/sequencer/daw software)? I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the modularity and combinations of virtual synthesizers. I'm okay with a "toy setup" as long as it's possible to build upon (i.e. preferrably not something entirely different from what you'd use after you pass the acolyte threshold).

mmjaa 9y ago
Hi - there are tons of great VCV patches available here: https://patchstorage.com/platform/vcv-rack https://patchstorage.com/platform/vcv-rack A couple in there might qualify for your "full stack" requirement - or are at least pretty close. I'd be happy to hear you found something - for my needs I've got a 'full stack' consisting of a 4-voice poly VCO/VCA/VCF standard, a little sequencer, and a drum synth - but its not really in a condition where I could share it since I built some of the modules with special configuration from sources... however, if I've wanted to sit down and create a stack from the standard modules for a while, so .. lets see who gets there first! :)
juliangoldsmith 9y ago
LMMS would probably fit what you're looking for.

dsego 9y ago

How does this compare to something like Pure Data?

mmjaa 9y ago
All the power, none of the hokey GUI. Put simply, this is Pure Data on acid.
- crunchyave 9y ago
  Ehh, I don't really think that's a good comparison. Pure Data is a visual programming environment/toolkit that gives you a set of low level building blocks from which you can build whatever you want. You can extend it by taking advantage of open source libraries that other people have made, or even code your own in C. VCVrack is open source, but as an end user you're not dealing with the low-level stuff out in the open the same way you would in PD. It's a completed object rather than a set of legos. Having said that, You're right about the GUI. The PD GUI is... primitive, to say the least.
Nabi 9y ago
Pure Data is visual programming language, you could essentially build native / vst / mobile apps with it and go more low level eventually. VCV rack is more Eurorack hardware simulator so to speak, musical instrument. Good for reality check before going hardware but you don't create apps with it.
- TheOtherHobbes 9y ago
  PD does more stuff. The dataflow model takes some getting used to and tends to linger in the background even if you get down to the libpd level. VCV/Eurorack is a simplified rather dated synthesis model for people who don't want to go that low. It's ideal for people who just want to noodle around plugging and unplugging things and turning knobs. I've been sketching ideas for a next-gen synthesis language which is more powerful than PD/sc, keeps some elements of modular thinking, but adds some useful creative extensions. If I'm really lucky I'll find the time to do something with the ideas in the new few years.

nimmen 9y ago

Strangely xodular or automatonism don't get much coverage, I guess that "nice" UI did skyrocket vcv rack

crunchyave 9y ago
VCV Rack directly conforms to the visual patterns and usage patterns of Eurorack hardware, so I'd guess that is the main reason that it's so popular relative to those other options. PD is also a bit harder to get going with out of the box, even with packages like Automatonism, impressive though they are. Reaktor 6 had a similar thing happen, lots of people who hadn't used it before were brought into that ecosystem by their "blocks", which also kinda emulate Eurorack.
vortico 9y ago
The Fundamental modules included with Rack and all other VCV-branded modules are designed by Grayscale, also responsible for the panel design of a dozen Eurorack manufactures on the market. http://grayscale.info/design-services/ http://grayscale.info/design-services/

EamonnMR 9y ago

Can this be hooked into a DAW like Reason?

edraferi 9y ago
From the VCV Rack FAQ [0]: When will VST/AU support be added? VST/AU support will be added with the “VCV Bridge” module in Rack v0.6.0, scheduled for release in late January 2018. Rack itself won’t be a VST/AU plugin because of the major limitations of these formats, but instead you’ll be able to connect Rack to your main DAW by adding the lightweight VST/AU Bridge plugin to as many DAW channels/tracks as you like, which will each connect an equal number of Bridge modules in Rack. This cross-application method allows you to break the mindset of mixing linearly in your DAW and instead use nonlinear methods like cross-modulation between tracks, enveloping audio to control filters and sidechain compressors, etc. The Bridge protocol will be fault tolerant and will not matter which order you open the DAWs. [0] https://vcvrack.com/manual/FAQ.html https://vcvrack.com/manual/FAQ.html

kilon 9y ago

Well software has been able to recreate analog sound sine 1997 when I started working seriously with computer mudic. The problem back then was that in order to make a faithful emulation that would need quite a lot of processing power. But back then I had a 200 mhz Pentium , nowdays I have a 3.4 Quad Core. Modern soft synths sound quality wise can dance around analogy synths , in depth , quality and versatility. Not to exclude the fact that software updates can practically fundamental change the synthesizer or offer amazing new features. The edge for vintage analogue synths was the fact that they offer more hand on control but with the wealth of midi controls that come with a wide array of presets support many software synths its still not much of a good reason to pick a hardware synth. Hence why software has practically monopolised audio synthesis lately. Thor in Reason can easily compete with my Alesis Andromeda A6 , the most powerful non modular analogue to ever exist. When it comes to modular synths, software reign supreme, while hardware users have to battle with the terror of the spaghetti monster. Nowdays going down the hardware synth lane is purely a personal taste choice.

romaniv 9y ago
> The edge for vintage analogue synths was the fact that they offer more hand on control but with the wealth of midi controls that come with a wide array of presets support many software synths its still not much of a good reason to pick a hardware synth. There are at least two fundamentally flawed assumptions behind your post. 1. Electronic music isn't just about endless options and capabilities. Endless options give you endless search space to navigate. 2. The idea that generic computers are always better than dedicated hardware is rather archaic, because with modern technology you can integrate powerful computers into dedicated hardware very cheaply. There is a huge difference between using a fully integrated, though-out hardware synthesizer versus using a MIDI controller mapped to some plugin in a DAW. There is a reason thousands of musicians still buy analog gear, VA synths and fully digital FX pedals.

freeflight 9y ago

I wish I would understand even a fraction of the stuff that's going on with software synths. Every couple of years I get this fancy idea of "I'd really like to create some sounds/music", which usually ends up with me aimlessly manipulating digital knobs and switches on some massive UI, creating weird sounds with no real structure and changing all the default settings. The other option being something like FruityLoops, but doing anything in there kinda feels like making "Lego music" due to just slapping together samples. The closest I ever got to creating something like "music" was actually through a game, FRACT OSC, which I think is still really cool. But I guess for most professionals the toolset in there is just very basic and it also suffers from the same "Lego music" feel of just slapping together samples. Then there's stuff like SoundStage VR, which looks quite amazing to tinker around in, but due to a lack of VR setup, it's not something I had a chance to play around with yet. But the basic idea of making music in VR really appeals to me, it's just so cyberpunk and feels like it could be way more approachable, at least compared to something like software synths with their intimidating UI.

alexilliamson 9y ago
I get the same fancy idea every now and then. If anyone has been in the same place and gone on to really explore making synth music, I would love to hear it!
rainbowmverse 9y ago
A lot of synths are painfully unintuitive because they try (and fail) to replicate hardware synth interfaces. Try Helm (free and open source) or Serum (not free) and you might have more luck. Here's a rough crash course from someone who also struggled to get started: 1: You start out with a wave (sine, saw, pulse, etc). No synth starts out with a pure form of these waves. They all add a little color. Most synths have 2-5 oscillators (they produce the waves), often with each having different controls. 2: The filter constrains the sound. So, for example, if you wanted to make a bassy instrument, you'd filter out most of the high frequencies. The Attack, Sustain, Delay, and Release settings affect length and volume over time. This is what you use to turn waves into plucks, kicks, claps, strings, and anything else you can think of. 3: Most synths have at least 2 LFOs, or low frequency oscillators. You can connect these to different controls across the synth and change the timbre in weird, sometimes unpredictable and amazing ways. With Helm in particular, you click the little helmet by the LFO and drag the little bars on the different controls to change how much the LFO affects it. You'll see a little green bar pop out and move with the LFO. Serum has a separate tab with LFOs and routing to synth controls.

ungzd 9y ago

Looks like they use GUI widgets from Blender, despite Blender GUI is considered non-reusable for other apps. Or maybe they only took look from it.

vortico 9y ago
A surprising few have pointed that out! https://bitbucket.org/duangle/oui-blendish/src https://bitbucket.org/duangle/oui-blendish/src

rekado 9y ago

I have been quite content with alsa-modular-synth. It supports loading LADSPA plugins as modules, and with JACK integration it can be connected to other LV2 plugins or effects.

Mizza 9y ago

I've been making modules for VCV Rack and it's super fun and pretty easy! You can check them out here: https://github.com/Miserlou/RJModules https://github.com/Miserlou/RJModules

Kuraj 9y ago

Is there any way I can simulate a MIDI keyboard, since I don't have an actual device?