5 ms·

RackNES: NES Module for VCV Rack

104 points by gregsadetsky 3y ago

Minor49er 3y ago
Here's a video showing it in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Cq5xuSC5k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Cq5xuSC5k
- jefurii 3y ago
  Cool!! I was thinking they'd be using Nanoloop (https://nanoloop.com https://nanoloop.com) but TIL that's for GameBoy not NES (I only ever used the Android version).
- chabes 3y ago
  Nice, that’s my video. Thanks for sharing it here. I intend to make a proper screen captured video at some point, if I can find the time. It’s a really fun module. Glad to see it getting some attention on HN.
- werdnapk 3y ago
  Wasn't sure what this project was for at first, but that video is great. Very cool concept.
archarios 3y ago
I love this thanks for sharing
jamesdwilson 3y ago
this is the coolest thing i've seen all week. major props!
tenebrisalietum 3y ago
Additional meaning to the phrase "NES controller."
artieg 3y ago
Closure and Clojure are different, as you say, but, to confuse matters further, ClojureSCRIPT uses the Google Closure compiler.
- colordrops 3y ago
  Wrong post.
myself248 3y ago
It drives me nuts how VCV Rack has such a cool technical architecture, but such an insidious license and community moderation. (You can't even discuss it on the forums, they simply delete the post.) Background: https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-vcv-rack-anymore/ https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-v...
- ace2358 3y ago
  Honestly I tried to read as much of that as I could (starting after the long descriptions of their projects) and I struggled to understand the issue. Is it that the development team of VCV are bad as maintaining the online platform for VCV modules. Does one have to host them there or can they host them elsewhere? I’m confused! Are there no other implementations of the VCV backend that these Modules could run in? I thought there was a fork (cardinal?). I’ve used a bit of VCV (though more of a reaktor and bitwig grid user myself) and had a great time! I have never looked at the online communities though.
  - follower 3y ago
    As I understand it, the prime underlying issue is that the VCV Rack project is licensed, developed & community managed in a way that leaves at least some contributors feeling (at a minimum) unappreciated, unwelcome and/or exploited. The VCV "development team" is a single individual and it seems there are no project governance structures in place to manage risks around accountability. Dissent appears to be suppressed/hidden which leads people to enter the ecosystem/community unaware of pre-existing issues. The VCV project does not accept outside contributions--presumably because this approach enables the developer to use both a GPL3 license (for source releases) and a commercial fee-based license (along with additional proprietary code). The argument with regard to "exploitation" of third party developers is that it is presumed that some non-zero portion of the value which justifies the price of commercially licensed product(s) is due to the wide ecosystem of (mostly uncompensated/volunteer) third party developers who develop modules. Then there are specific problematic actions/events which are described in this section onward: https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-vcv-rack-anymore/#ignoring-red-flags https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-v... With regard to modules/hosting: https://vcvrack.com/manual/PluginLicensing https://vcvrack.com/manual/PluginLicensing As far as I can tell the Cardinal project was not publicly released at the time this post was written thus its existence is not mentioned. Editorializing: My perspective is that it seems the project is intentionally using the GPL license as a tool to create a power imbalance between the main developer & other developers which leads to the usual issues around power dynamics that occur in such situations. (As opposed to using the GPL license to protect the [combined] work produced by a community of developers who work together.) Obviously it is the main developer's "prerogative" to act in this manner but it's reasonable for current or former community members to want to advise prospective community members of the reality of the situation so they're able to decide whether to participate in the VCV Rack community from a position of informed consent. The introductory and concluding sections serve as context & examples of the harm that can occur to talented, passionate & creative individuals who aren't able/permitted to see the power dynamics in play until after they have already invested/participated in the community.
joemi 3y ago
Reminds me of the Ming Mecca modules by Special Stage Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ay74S34XI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ay74S34XI Similar idea, but I think the MM was a bit less focused on emulation and more on interesting control. Also it was a real group of modules. :)
elihu 3y ago
Very nice. I'd love to have a physical version of this: an NES with CV and gate outputs to drive a modular synthesizer, instead of using the onboard sound generator.
- mikelovenotwar 3y ago
  perhaps of interest https://cdm.link/2023/09/4ms-explains-meta-module/ https://cdm.link/2023/09/4ms-explains-meta-module/
- juanuicich 3y ago
  What would drive the CV and gate? It should be fairly easy to implement with a Raspberry Pi and emulation.
  - elihu 3y ago
    The NES has, if I remember right, a triangle oscillator, a square wave oscillator, a noise source, and a digitally-controlled mixer. It might also have a saw wave oscillator too. In place of those, I'm imagining something that takes the instructions for the sound chip (or whatever the NES has) and instead output control voltage using the eurorack modular standard of 1v/octave for pitch, and another control voltage signal that goes from 0 to, say, 5 volts depending on volume that can be fed into the conrol signal on a VCA/mixer. Gate outputs could be similar to the volume outputs, but digital: off when volume is zero, on when volume is non-zero. This could be used to trigger an envelope generator. It might be doable with an R-pi doing all the audio generation digitally. If you want to output real CV to drive a modular synthesizer, though, you'd need some kind of multi-channel precision DAC. Or maybe just a usb-to-midi adapter and a midi-to-cv module.

104 points by gregsadetsky 3y ago

Here's a video showing it in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Cq5xuSC5k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Cq5xuSC5k

jefurii 3y ago
Cool!! I was thinking they'd be using Nanoloop (https://nanoloop.com https://nanoloop.com) but TIL that's for GameBoy not NES (I only ever used the Android version).
chabes 3y ago
Nice, that’s my video. Thanks for sharing it here. I intend to make a proper screen captured video at some point, if I can find the time. It’s a really fun module. Glad to see it getting some attention on HN.
werdnapk 3y ago
Wasn't sure what this project was for at first, but that video is great. Very cool concept.

archarios 3y ago

I love this thanks for sharing

jamesdwilson 3y ago

this is the coolest thing i've seen all week. major props!

tenebrisalietum 3y ago

Additional meaning to the phrase "NES controller."

artieg 3y ago

Closure and Clojure are different, as you say, but, to confuse matters further, ClojureSCRIPT uses the Google Closure compiler.

colordrops 3y ago
Wrong post.

myself248 3y ago

It drives me nuts how VCV Rack has such a cool technical architecture, but such an insidious license and community moderation. (You can't even discuss it on the forums, they simply delete the post.) Background: https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-vcv-rack-anymore/ https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-v...

ace2358 3y ago
Honestly I tried to read as much of that as I could (starting after the long descriptions of their projects) and I struggled to understand the issue. Is it that the development team of VCV are bad as maintaining the online platform for VCV modules. Does one have to host them there or can they host them elsewhere? I’m confused! Are there no other implementations of the VCV backend that these Modules could run in? I thought there was a fork (cardinal?). I’ve used a bit of VCV (though more of a reaktor and bitwig grid user myself) and had a great time! I have never looked at the online communities though.
- follower 3y ago
  As I understand it, the prime underlying issue is that the VCV Rack project is licensed, developed & community managed in a way that leaves at least some contributors feeling (at a minimum) unappreciated, unwelcome and/or exploited. The VCV "development team" is a single individual and it seems there are no project governance structures in place to manage risks around accountability. Dissent appears to be suppressed/hidden which leads people to enter the ecosystem/community unaware of pre-existing issues. The VCV project does not accept outside contributions--presumably because this approach enables the developer to use both a GPL3 license (for source releases) and a commercial fee-based license (along with additional proprietary code). The argument with regard to "exploitation" of third party developers is that it is presumed that some non-zero portion of the value which justifies the price of commercially licensed product(s) is due to the wide ecosystem of (mostly uncompensated/volunteer) third party developers who develop modules. Then there are specific problematic actions/events which are described in this section onward: https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-vcv-rack-anymore/#ignoring-red-flags https://aria.dog/barks/why-i-will-never-create-modules-for-v... With regard to modules/hosting: https://vcvrack.com/manual/PluginLicensing https://vcvrack.com/manual/PluginLicensing As far as I can tell the Cardinal project was not publicly released at the time this post was written thus its existence is not mentioned. Editorializing: My perspective is that it seems the project is intentionally using the GPL license as a tool to create a power imbalance between the main developer & other developers which leads to the usual issues around power dynamics that occur in such situations. (As opposed to using the GPL license to protect the [combined] work produced by a community of developers who work together.) Obviously it is the main developer's "prerogative" to act in this manner but it's reasonable for current or former community members to want to advise prospective community members of the reality of the situation so they're able to decide whether to participate in the VCV Rack community from a position of informed consent. The introductory and concluding sections serve as context & examples of the harm that can occur to talented, passionate & creative individuals who aren't able/permitted to see the power dynamics in play until after they have already invested/participated in the community.

joemi 3y ago

Reminds me of the Ming Mecca modules by Special Stage Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ay74S34XI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ay74S34XI Similar idea, but I think the MM was a bit less focused on emulation and more on interesting control. Also it was a real group of modules. :)

elihu 3y ago

Very nice. I'd love to have a physical version of this: an NES with CV and gate outputs to drive a modular synthesizer, instead of using the onboard sound generator.

mikelovenotwar 3y ago
perhaps of interest https://cdm.link/2023/09/4ms-explains-meta-module/ https://cdm.link/2023/09/4ms-explains-meta-module/
juanuicich 3y ago
What would drive the CV and gate? It should be fairly easy to implement with a Raspberry Pi and emulation.
- elihu 3y ago
  The NES has, if I remember right, a triangle oscillator, a square wave oscillator, a noise source, and a digitally-controlled mixer. It might also have a saw wave oscillator too. In place of those, I'm imagining something that takes the instructions for the sound chip (or whatever the NES has) and instead output control voltage using the eurorack modular standard of 1v/octave for pitch, and another control voltage signal that goes from 0 to, say, 5 volts depending on volume that can be fed into the conrol signal on a VCA/mixer. Gate outputs could be similar to the volume outputs, but digital: off when volume is zero, on when volume is non-zero. This could be used to trigger an envelope generator. It might be doable with an R-pi doing all the audio generation digitally. If you want to output real CV to drive a modular synthesizer, though, you'd need some kind of multi-channel precision DAC. Or maybe just a usb-to-midi adapter and a midi-to-cv module.