Rack VS VeeSeeVSTRack

VCV Rack - Modular Synth

> It’s haven’t bought any Modular’s yet but I’m really looking forward to getting into other on the new year.

http://cardinal.kx.studio

https://vcvrack.com/

The former is libre and gratis, runs as a standalone or plugin and in the browser!! and is based on the latter.

Ther former has a libre and gratis standalone version, the plugin version is non-gratis.

A music synthesizer. It's a pathway to learning electronics, music, and the nature of sound. There are cheap kits, cheap synths, lots of kinds of synths, and there are much more complicated and expensive systems you can grow into. You can get software synths also, VCV Rack is a free though complex one:

https://vcvrack.com/

However I'd recommend an inexpensive hardware one with real knobs you can turn, like one of the Korg Volca series:

https://www.korg-volca.com/en/

Recording the sounds can lead into exploring all the concepts and gear involved in recording and mixing music. It's not mutually exclusive with doing other things also, you can play with both synths and computers and being involved with something artistic can add dimensions to and an escape from the nature of classwork/work.

Some other suggestions: gardening, high voltage electronics (with lots of supervision), electronics, photography, movie making, ham radio (gnu radio), show lighting systems (there's more than disco lights, robotics is involved), robotics, acoustic instruments (guitar, piano, flute, drums), sensors (you don't necessarily have to know electronics, get a data logger with built in sensors), weather monitoring/forecasting, hydraulic systems (with supervision), wood working, metal working, 3D printing, bird watching, painting, minibikes/small engines.

What really opened my eyes was the Nord Micromodular; it taught me what I just described. It showed me how limited other synths were - but that limitation was a trade-off because it's much faster to make something on a fixed-structure synth than on a modular, in most cases. Nowadays, you can use https://vcvrack.com/ instead of a small limited box that needs Windows 98 to run the editor on.

Also I would suggest the paid version of VCV rack which works as a VST too ( the free version is just stand alone ) Expecially when experimenting with modular ( believe me, it can save you a fortune whilst you learn what different modules do ) I would also recommend Omri Cohens Youtube channel for learning this too.

There is also VeeSeeVSTRack https://github.com/bsp2/VeeSeeVSTRack

Since some people don’t like the cathedral development style VCV rack uses, I point people to a fork of an older version of VCV rack with two features VCV rack 2 doesn’t have:

* It can run as a VST plugin, so one can use it with their favorite digital audio workstation (DAW)

* The code is BSD licensed

Here is that VST plugin fork: https://github.com/bsp2/VeeSeeVSTRack#downloads

Hete is an old VST port I found. Haven't used it in a while so I don't know if it's stable: https://github.com/bsp2/VeeSeeVSTRack

* The VST fork of VCVrack for a modular synth: https://github.com/bsp2/VeeSeeVSTRack#downloads

I would get a keyboard controller with full sized keys and a 5-pin DIN MIDI out for just over $200, but that can come later.

Again, I prefer the fork at https://github.com/bsp2/VeeSeeVSTRack#downloads because it’s a working VSTi, and because it’s under a BSD (not GPL) license, which has more flexibility in certain circumstances; I remember the arguments around 2001 or 2002 when there were concerns Python’s license was not “GPL compatible”, so I have always found GPL licenses pedantic.

Try vcvrack.com to get a handle on the basic principles.

I set up a drum beat and a pattern on a muted track to control this Eurorack simulator. https://vcvrack.com/

Here's the best way to learn about synthesis. https://vcvrack.com/

Since nobody else has mentioned it, you might want to try VCV Rack. It's a pretty good modular synth in software (bonus, it's free!). You can save and load complete patches, so it scratches that itch to recapture a complex configuration. Lots of good information in its dedicated subreddit.