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VCV Rack is FOSS (Free, Open-Source Software)
for creating Eurorack modular synthesizer patches.
Synthesizers use electricity to generate sounds.
Modular Synthesizers are assembled from multiple smaller pieces (the eponymous Modules) each of which is responsible for a distinct function: one might generate the waveform, the next might modify it with a volume envelope, a third might add a reverb effect, etc.
Eurorack is a specific approach to modular synthesis, standardizing how modules are linked together.
In essence, your goal with VCV Rack is to load modules onto your rack, then wire them together to create your own modular synthesizer!
1.) Grab the latest version of VCV Rack from VCVRack.com and install it.
2.) Create an account at library.VCVRack.com - yes this is a necessary step, your library of modules you will use to create your patches is managed completely through this site.
3.) Install VCV Rack, run it, and log in to your newly created module library account via the menu Library > Log in
4.) Now all that's left is to start your new patch! File > New , and right-click to view your module library.
See all the pretty modules? You're now ready to start building your first patch!
Patches are groups of modules patched together.
Think of a patch as a snapshot of all the things you currently have laid out in your rack.
Let's start at the very beginning, with a module that generates a waveform. You know what a sine wave looks like, don't you?
It's just a sound wave that oscillates up and down in a nice smooth curve - and in VCV Rack, most of the modules that make sound are labeled Oscillator.
Start a brand new patch, with a completely empty rack.
Right-click, wait for your module library to load, then type "vco" into the search box.
Click on the VCV VCO module to drop it onto your rack.
Not very impressive on its own, is it? Along the bottom of the module, you can see 4 different waveforms that VCO can output: sine, triangle, sawtooth, and square.
One of the important lessons to learn about VCV Rack is that it is 'always on,' it is always 'playing' - even if you can't see or hear anything happening, trust me, that VCO module is currently generating those 4 waveforms, just waiting for you to do something with them.
Don't believe me? You can see it for yourself if you add an Oscilliscope, to visualize the output of the VCO module...
Right-click, type "scope" into the search box, and add the VCV Scope to your rack.
Click and drag the VCO sin output to the Scope In 1 input, and...
Wait. *Why is nothing happening*?
Gotcha!! Nothing is happening because I LIED to you!
Without a properly configured external audio interface module, you will NEVER hear any sound from VCV Rack, and in fact most of the modules won't even function at all!
Sorry about the fake-out, but I think it's an essential first lesson: the external audio interface module is the first thing you should add to any new patch.
We did it wrong here on purpose - hopefully, in the future, you will remember to do it right!
Right-click, type "audio 2" into the search box, and add the VCV Audio 2 to your rack.
This module sends audio from VCV Rack to your computer, so you can hear what your patch sounds like. What audio, you may ask? Why, the audio from your VCO, of course!
You've already wired the VCO sin into the Scope - so let's continue that chain, by wiring the Scope Out 1 output to the Audio L/Mon input.
Now the audio signal has a continuous path to follow: It originates at the VCO, passes through the Scope, and arrives at its destination, the Audio 2.
Finally - we need to tell the Audio 2 where that audio is being sent - click on the drop down menu (currently set to 'no device') and select the proper device.
I hear you asking, "Which is the proper device to select?"
I don't know!
It depends on your setup! If you don't know your own device, that's okay - just click through the options until you find one that works!
In Windows 10, I can hover over the volume icon on my taskbar - the tooltip shows which audio device your computer is currently using to output sound, and chances are you'll want to choose the same in VCV Rack. So in my case, I'm using the WASAPI driver, and my USB Mixer device.
Regardless, you'll know that it works because you'll see the Scope module start displaying the content of the VCO's sinewave signal, and you'll hear the resulting tone playing through your computer speakers! Lovely!
... and that's going to get annoying fast, so let's give ourselves a little more control over the sound.
Amplifiers sometimes make things sound more loud,
but they can also make things sound more not loud!
Open up your module library, search for "VCA" and add the VCV VCA module to your rack.
Instead of routing the sinewave from your VCO directly to the Scope (and onwards to Audio 2) let's pass it through the VCA first. Wire the VCO sine output into the VCA nput, and then wire the VCA output back to the Scope input 1.
Just to review, we have created a signal chain that originates at an oscillator (VCO), passes through an amplifier (VCA), then a visualizer (Scope), and finally ends up at our external audio interface (Audio 2) - and now we can click and drag the yellow volume bar on the VCA down to get away from the sinewave!
Phew, that's better.
...hey, you wanna try something weird?
One sustained note is so boring, don't you think? Let's change the pitch a bit!
Right-click and add the VCV LFO to your rack.
Hey, that looks almost identical to the VCO we've been using to generate our sinewave - what's up with that?
Our VCO generates an audio signal - but the LFO generates a control signal, also known as CV (for Control Voltage.)
Wanna see what the LFO signal looks like? Let's wire it up to our Scope and take a look!
Click and drag the LFO triangle output to the Scope input 2, and hey look, that's a triangle wave alright!
Wanna hear what the LFO signal sounds like? Just wire Audio 2 to Scope's output 2, and...
... nothing.
Hey, look, don't be disappointed, I did try to warn you - the VCO generates an audio signal, the LFO generates a control signal, you can't really hear it, it's too low.
How low? Let's mouseover the two Frequency knobs to find out:
Looks like our VCO is outputting at ~261Hz, while our LFO is outputting at 2Hz. They don't call it a 'Low-Frequency Oscillator' for nothing, eh?
Okay, okay, okay, fine, you really want to hear what it sounds like? Let's have some fun!
First, let's clear away our existing cables - select all the modules, then right-click and choose ''Disconnect cables."
Now we wire back up the VCO, through the VCA, through the Scope, and into the Audio 2's Left input -
Make sure the volume slider on your VCA is turned back up so you can hear the sinewave.
And then in turn we will wire the LFO through the Scope and into the Audio 2's Right input -
Then finally, turn up the LFO frequency until we reach ~261 Hz, and the pitch sounds the same in both ears - the sinewave from the VCO in the left, and the triangle wave from the LFO on the right!
Neat! But that's really not the LFO's intended use - as I mentioned before, the LFO's output is intended to be used as a *control* signal, not an audio signal - so let's use it to control something?
First let's unhook Scope's output 2 from Audio 2's right input, leaving us with just the boring old sinewave.
Still kind of annoyingly loud, isn't it?
What if we could turn the volume up and down periodically - say, in the same way that the LFO triangle's wave moves up and down?
Let's wire the LFO triangle output to our VCA's CV input!
Whoa, that's weird - the volume on the VCA is flickering up and down super fast... almost as if it were moving at ~260 Hz! Hey, isn't that frequency we turned the LFO up to? Let's turn it down to something a little more reasonable...
We can see the triangle wave from the LFO reflected not only in the Scope, but also in the volume meter on the VCA! And the higher the frequency of the LFO, the faster the volume changes!
Let's go crazy and wire the LFO sine output over the the VCO FM input! FM stands for 'Frequency Modulation' - the starting frequency, 261.63 Hz, will be modulated by the incoming signal from the LFO - as the triangle wave moves up and down, it will pull the frequency outputted by the VCO along with it!
... okay, but why doesn't it sound any different?
You may notice that the VCO has a little knob next to the fm input - this controls the strength of the frequency modulation, by percentage. Currently it's set to 0%, so nothing much is happening... let's crank it up to 100%!
Yay! Are your ears bleeding yet? Turn down the volume on the VCA if you need to.
Notice that the yellow volume slider continues to pulse as much as it's able, even if you've turned down the volume available to it. As I mentioned before, VCV Rack is *always running* - there is no way to 'stop' all the sound, without messing with the modules directly. You'll very quickly get used to keeping track of where to turn your volume down when you get tired of listening to your patch!
to be continued
pull quote maybe or callout or clarification or caution
also perhaps this for code
this is shady - maybe a good caption style
could this be a button or chit instead of full width
hello yes so basically i am very smol - for snarky asides? footnotes?
okay now let's try inlining
Eu non picanha aliquip bresaola duis pastrami pork chop culpa cupim
Dolore ham labore aliquip bresaola duis pastrami Andouille chislic tempor salami quis est
Nostrud excepteur tongue jerky enim nulla cow bacon
Cillum in qui ut ullamco duis shankle id venison mollit pancetta frankfurter sausage enim
Swine commodo anim cillum voluptate kielbasa est lorem pig
Non velit sausage do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuaKtIjSY_A
this video link looks better
Bacon ipsum dolor amet shankle minim adipisicing, dolor sint officia sunt in. Rump jerky cupidatat pig reprehenderit. Et nulla alcatra rump nisi picanha. In deserunt alcatra rump, short ribs pork loin boudin dolore strip steak ut cupim pork chislic kevin
Ipsum cow short loin fatback pig, brisket veniam sirloin do. Labore aute doner venison kielbasa ullamco veniam, fatback filet mignon pork loin nostrud ribeye. Duis doner esse beef ribs shankle ground round. Filet mignon frankfurter anim id cow ground round eiusmod beef ribs sed esse nostrud spare ribs irure chuck voluptate.
Construct Manifest
::|CONTENTS
- Getting Started
- Make Some Noise
- Oscillator Module
- Visual Module
- External Audio Interface Module
- Amplifer Module
- Low-Frequency Oscillator Module
- Control Voltage Signals
- Something Else blah blah blah
VCV Rack is FOSS (Free, Open-Source Software)
for creating Eurorack modular synthesizer patches.
Synthesizers use electricity to generate sounds.
Modular Synthesizers are assembled from multiple smaller pieces (the eponymous Modules) each of which is responsible for a distinct function: one might generate the waveform, the next might modify it with a volume envelope, a third might add a reverb effect, etc.
Eurorack is a specific approach to modular synthesis, standardizing how modules are linked together.
In essence, your goal with VCV Rack is to load modules onto your rack, then wire them together to create your own modular synthesizer!
Getting Started
1.) Grab the latest version of VCV Rack from VCVRack.com and install it.
2.) Create an account at library.VCVRack.com - yes this is a necessary step, your library of modules you will use to create your patches is managed completely through this site.
3.) Install VCV Rack, run it, and log in to your newly created module library account via the menu Library > Log in
4.) Now all that's left is to start your new patch! File > New , and right-click to view your module library.
See all the pretty modules? You're now ready to start building your first patch!
Patches are groups of modules patched together.
Think of a patch as a snapshot of all the things you currently have laid out in your rack.
Make Some Noise
Let's start at the very beginning, with a module that generates a waveform. You know what a sine wave looks like, don't you?
It's just a sound wave that oscillates up and down in a nice smooth curve - and in VCV Rack, most of the modules that make sound are labeled Oscillator.
Start a brand new patch, with a completely empty rack.
Oscillator Module
Right-click, wait for your module library to load, then type "vco" into the search box.
Click on the VCV VCO module to drop it onto your rack.
Not very impressive on its own, is it? Along the bottom of the module, you can see 4 different waveforms that VCO can output: sine, triangle, sawtooth, and square.
One of the important lessons to learn about VCV Rack is that it is 'always on,' it is always 'playing' - even if you can't see or hear anything happening, trust me, that VCO module is currently generating those 4 waveforms, just waiting for you to do something with them.
Don't believe me? You can see it for yourself if you add an Oscilliscope, to visualize the output of the VCO module...
Visual Module
Right-click, type "scope" into the search box, and add the VCV Scope to your rack.
Click and drag the VCO sin output to the Scope In 1 input, and...
Wait. *Why is nothing happening*?
Gotcha!! Nothing is happening because I LIED to you!
Without a properly configured external audio interface module, you will NEVER hear any sound from VCV Rack, and in fact most of the modules won't even function at all!
Sorry about the fake-out, but I think it's an essential first lesson: the external audio interface module is the first thing you should add to any new patch.
We did it wrong here on purpose - hopefully, in the future, you will remember to do it right!
External Audio Interface Module
Right-click, type "audio 2" into the search box, and add the VCV Audio 2 to your rack.
This module sends audio from VCV Rack to your computer, so you can hear what your patch sounds like. What audio, you may ask? Why, the audio from your VCO, of course!
You've already wired the VCO sin into the Scope - so let's continue that chain, by wiring the Scope Out 1 output to the Audio L/Mon input.
Now the audio signal has a continuous path to follow: It originates at the VCO, passes through the Scope, and arrives at its destination, the Audio 2.
Finally - we need to tell the Audio 2 where that audio is being sent - click on the drop down menu (currently set to 'no device') and select the proper device.
I hear you asking, "Which is the proper device to select?"
I don't know!
It depends on your setup! If you don't know your own device, that's okay - just click through the options until you find one that works!
In Windows 10, I can hover over the volume icon on my taskbar - the tooltip shows which audio device your computer is currently using to output sound, and chances are you'll want to choose the same in VCV Rack. So in my case, I'm using the WASAPI driver, and my USB Mixer device.
Regardless, you'll know that it works because you'll see the Scope module start displaying the content of the VCO's sinewave signal, and you'll hear the resulting tone playing through your computer speakers! Lovely!
... and that's going to get annoying fast, so let's give ourselves a little more control over the sound.
Amplifer Module
Amplifiers sometimes make things sound more loud,
but they can also make things sound more not loud!
Open up your module library, search for "VCA" and add the VCV VCA module to your rack.
Instead of routing the sinewave from your VCO directly to the Scope (and onwards to Audio 2) let's pass it through the VCA first. Wire the VCO sine output into the VCA nput, and then wire the VCA output back to the Scope input 1.
Just to review, we have created a signal chain that originates at an oscillator (VCO), passes through an amplifier (VCA), then a visualizer (Scope), and finally ends up at our external audio interface (Audio 2) - and now we can click and drag the yellow volume bar on the VCA down to get away from the sinewave!
Phew, that's better.
...hey, you wanna try something weird?
Low-Frequency Oscillator Module
One sustained note is so boring, don't you think? Let's change the pitch a bit!
Right-click and add the VCV LFO to your rack.
Hey, that looks almost identical to the VCO we've been using to generate our sinewave - what's up with that?
Our VCO generates an audio signal - but the LFO generates a control signal, also known as CV (for Control Voltage.)
Wanna see what the LFO signal looks like? Let's wire it up to our Scope and take a look!
Click and drag the LFO triangle output to the Scope input 2, and hey look, that's a triangle wave alright!
Wanna hear what the LFO signal sounds like? Just wire Audio 2 to Scope's output 2, and...
... nothing.
Hey, look, don't be disappointed, I did try to warn you - the VCO generates an audio signal, the LFO generates a control signal, you can't really hear it, it's too low.
How low? Let's mouseover the two Frequency knobs to find out:
Looks like our VCO is outputting at ~261Hz, while our LFO is outputting at 2Hz. They don't call it a 'Low-Frequency Oscillator' for nothing, eh?
Okay, okay, okay, fine, you really want to hear what it sounds like? Let's have some fun!
First, let's clear away our existing cables - select all the modules, then right-click and choose ''Disconnect cables."
Now we wire back up the VCO, through the VCA, through the Scope, and into the Audio 2's Left input -
Make sure the volume slider on your VCA is turned back up so you can hear the sinewave.
And then in turn we will wire the LFO through the Scope and into the Audio 2's Right input -
Then finally, turn up the LFO frequency until we reach ~261 Hz, and the pitch sounds the same in both ears - the sinewave from the VCO in the left, and the triangle wave from the LFO on the right!
Neat! But that's really not the LFO's intended use - as I mentioned before, the LFO's output is intended to be used as a *control* signal, not an audio signal - so let's use it to control something?
Control Voltage Signals
First let's unhook Scope's output 2 from Audio 2's right input, leaving us with just the boring old sinewave.
Still kind of annoyingly loud, isn't it?
What if we could turn the volume up and down periodically - say, in the same way that the LFO triangle's wave moves up and down?
Let's wire the LFO triangle output to our VCA's CV input!
Whoa, that's weird - the volume on the VCA is flickering up and down super fast... almost as if it were moving at ~260 Hz! Hey, isn't that frequency we turned the LFO up to? Let's turn it down to something a little more reasonable...
We can see the triangle wave from the LFO reflected not only in the Scope, but also in the volume meter on the VCA! And the higher the frequency of the LFO, the faster the volume changes!
Let's go crazy and wire the LFO sine output over the the VCO FM input! FM stands for 'Frequency Modulation' - the starting frequency, 261.63 Hz, will be modulated by the incoming signal from the LFO - as the triangle wave moves up and down, it will pull the frequency outputted by the VCO along with it!
... okay, but why doesn't it sound any different?
You may notice that the VCO has a little knob next to the fm input - this controls the strength of the frequency modulation, by percentage. Currently it's set to 0%, so nothing much is happening... let's crank it up to 100%!
Yay! Are your ears bleeding yet? Turn down the volume on the VCA if you need to.
Notice that the yellow volume slider continues to pulse as much as it's able, even if you've turned down the volume available to it. As I mentioned before, VCV Rack is *always running* - there is no way to 'stop' all the sound, without messing with the modules directly. You'll very quickly get used to keeping track of where to turn your volume down when you get tired of listening to your patch!
Something Else blah blah blah
to be continued
pull quote maybe or callout or clarification or caution
also perhaps this for code
this is shady - maybe a good caption style
could this be a button or chit instead of full width
hello yes so basically i am very smol - for snarky asides? footnotes?
xyz.something()[-1]
okay now let's try inlining
Eu non picanha aliquip bresaola duis pastrami pork chop culpa cupim
Dolore ham labore aliquip bresaola duis pastrami Andouille chislic tempor salami quis est
Nostrud excepteur tongue jerky enim nulla cow bacon
Cillum in qui ut ullamco duis shankle id venison mollit pancetta frankfurter sausage enim
Swine commodo anim cillum voluptate kielbasa est lorem pig
Non velit sausage do
Exercitationadipisicing flank pork chop tail capicola
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuaKtIjSY_A
this video link looks better
Bacon ipsum dolor amet shankle minim adipisicing, dolor sint officia sunt in. Rump jerky cupidatat pig reprehenderit. Et nulla alcatra rump nisi picanha. In deserunt alcatra rump, short ribs pork loin boudin dolore strip steak ut cupim pork chislic kevin
Ipsum cow short loin fatback pig, brisket veniam sirloin do. Labore aute doner venison kielbasa ullamco veniam, fatback filet mignon pork loin nostrud ribeye. Duis doner esse beef ribs shankle ground round. Filet mignon frankfurter anim id cow ground round eiusmod beef ribs sed esse nostrud spare ribs irure chuck voluptate.
C A T E G O R I E S
