At Knobcon 2024, being held in the Chicago area Sept 6-8, developer Andrew Belt has announced VCV+, a new subscription option for VCV Rack users that gives you instant access to VCV Rack Pro and a massive library of premium modules.
VCV Rack is a free and open source modular synthesis platform that’s essentially a virtual Eurorack synth that can scale to any size. The base offering is a free download, and commercial modules are available to purchase from a wide variety of developers.
The new VCV+ option doesn’t replace existing purchase options, but it gives you an all-you-can-eat buffet of modular synthesis for $29/month or $19/month if billed annually. It lets also lets you try out a huge range of modules, risk-free, and creates a platform for simple patch sharing with other VCV+ subscribers.VCV+ includes:
VCV Rack Pro: DAW plugin and standalone application.
All VCV-branded modules: VCV Pluck, VCV Drums, VCV Pro, and more.
Official virtual Eurorack modules: Synthesis Technology, ALM Busy Circuits, and more.
Hundreds of premium third-party modules by participating developers.
VCV+ is available now for $29/month, or $19/month billed annually.
*Note: All products and modules remain available for individual sale of lifetime licenses. VCV also now offers a 7-day refund guarantee on purchases.
In this video video, Jimmy Cuadra (Perceptes) offers an introduction to modular synthesis, using the free software modular synthesizer VCV Rack.
The video covers the basics of synthesis, modular synthesis, and a software program, VCV Rack, that lets you explore modular synthesis for free on your computer.
Topics covered:
Synthesis Technology has released a selection of their most popular Eurorack modules in software form for VCV Rack, the open software modular synth platform.
Synthesis Technology’s Paul Schreiber let us know that the four modules are authentic re-creations of the original hardware designs, with accurate DSP models of the analog circuitry and digital firmware optimized for VCV Rack.
Since they are software, the VCV Rack versions can go beyond the original’s capabilities, adding support for VCV Rack’s polyphonic patch cables.
Synthesis Technology VCV Rack modules include:
E340 Cloud Generator – The Synthesis Technology E340 is a super-saw/sine oscillator that’s capable of generating up to 8 waveforms per output. It’s designed to create massive bass and lead voices like the JP-8000 supersaw, thick ambient drones as if played from a slow rotary speaker and more. The module supports VCV Rack’s polyphonic cables, so with 16 voices, you can generate a total of 128 waveforms per output. The module uses the original firmware from the hardware Synthesis Technology E340 module.
E350 Morphing Terrarium – The Synthesis Technology E350 is a wavetable oscillator, with 1D and 2D position modulation, including 3 banks of 64 waveforms. Wavetables are scanned using a glitch-free interpolation algorithm by Synthesis Technology, and the module can operate as an audio-rate VCO or CV-rate LFO. The software module uses the original firmware from the hardware Synthesis Technology E350 module.
E355 Morphing Dual LFO – The Synthesis Technology E355 is a dual wavetable LFO that generates two related waveforms. The LFO1 RATE knob sets the frequency of the first LFO, at the LFO1 OUT port. The MORPH knob sets the wavetable position, modulated by the MORPH CV input and MORPH MOD attenuator. The BANK switch selects which of 3 wavetable banks to load. The second LFO, at the LFO2 OUT port, uses the same frequency, wavetable position (MORPH), and phase as the first LFO, except for the function specified by the LFO2 mode switch. The VCV Rack software module uses the original firmware from the hardware Synthesis Technology E355 module.
E440 Discrete OTA VCF – The Synthesis Technology E440 models the SSM2040 lowpass filter architecture used in the Prophet 5 Rev 2, the Voyetra 8, and others. This software module is based on a virtual analog circuit model of the hardware Synthesis Technology E440 module.
