Having loads of fun with VCV rack. The workflow is super convenient because I can pop it open any time and work through my AirPods or my AT headphones. It's really easy to explore and there are so many fantastic and free modules to choose from.

Many of these models are digital emulations of real synthesizer modules. For example, the Audible Instruments Modal Synthesizer is a direct emulation of the Mutable Instruments Elements. Some of these emulated modules are no longer in physical prouduction, so that's pretty cool too.

Here is a sample patch that I put together tonight, I'm actually listening to it right now :). There are three main sound sources:

1. An Audible Instruments Macro Oscillator 2 whose morph (brightness) and timbre (chord inversion) and frequency modulation (vibrato) are all being modulated by three LFOs from the AS TriLFO. The oscillator is then patched into a stereo delay module which gives the synth lots of width and additional pitch modulation.

2. Another Macro Oscillator which is being modulated in the same way as the first, but just an octave higher and with all of its LFOs inverted.

3. A BogAudio FM-OP which is being triggered semi-randomly at semi-random pitches by a clock generator. The oscillator is patched into the (wonderful) Valley Plateau Stereo Reverb with some pitch modulation. I am still figuring out how to use clocks, sequencers, atenuverters, and scale quantizers so it's likely I'm doing something really weird with the way I'm triggering notes in the oscillators lol. I also modulated the BPM of the clock generator with one of the slow LFOs for extra melody variation.

All three sound sources are patched into a mixer for easy balancing and panning. Here is a picture of the patch and a sample that I recorded:

I'm really excited to learn new techniques and methods, especially ones incorporating external audio sources and/or MIDI inputs. There's so many possiblities here.

↜ Back to index