Yeah, worst plug ever invented. USB-C is pretty great, happy everything is moving to it.
1 Like
Can’t wait for this thing to be released. “early 2024” so I’ve been checking their website like every week. Fingers crossed.
4ms just did update their meta product page … we now have a price tag a release date and some more info about the module specs 
2 Likes
Impressive collection of expanders:
A Wifi expander allows you to wirelessly transfer patches from your computer. Add eight more knobs with the Knob expander, or buttons with the Button expander. A CV/Audio expander adds more high-resolution inputs and outputs, and the Gate In/Out expander adds not only gate jacks but also TRS MIDI and I2C.
2 Likes
Sounds pretty exiting. Especially this bit perked my ears up:
The MetaModule comes with over 160 built-in modules from 4ms Company, Befaco, … All of the included modules are also available on the computer using the free program VCV Rack.
If I’m reading that right it means that 4ms modules are coming to Rack pretty soon. Of course no word on those being free or commercial. Exiting times…
Or opensource (but presumably they are, at least the entirety of the 4ms meta is supposed to be opensource by design, afaik).
1 Like
Oh that’s interesting. Didn’t know their firmware is open source. Hmm…
I really would like to know how powerfull the “Dual-core 800MHz Cortex-A7 plus Cortex-M4 co-processor” is and how big a patch can be,
how many modules can be in a patch, will it be a real fully loaded patch
or more like a single voice or an fx patch?
or a osc plus delay/reverb maybe?
or …
1 Like
Yeah i doubt it will functionally serve as a full patch. I bet its more like a shapeshifting module… who knows though. The cool bit is thinking about all the amazing sequencer type modules and stuff vcv houses.
The demo last year was like ~half a dozen modules? Which imo is fine.
Not like this is running a full OS. Otherwise someone needs to port Cardinal to the Hector 
2 Likes
well, maybe I sound a bit pessimistic …,
but I think at this price I can get a smal laptop/tablet and a midi controller
and this combi would be much more powerfull, or …? (maybe not as cool looking )
Sure, but getting a laptop and a controller and equivalent DC-coupled I/O (not a lot of options) will put you pretty far over US$650, which is about the price of an ES-9 by itself. Of course, the ES-9 does other things and has 14/8 Euro-level analog I/O on board, not 6+2/6, and has its own expansion ecosystem, but if the Meta expander isn’t too expensive then this ends up being pretty competitive with an outboard Rack system + interface and, if they’ve done the interface right, way more convenient.
Lots left to find out, but I’m definitely interested–certainly one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in Eurorack.
Also, per your point above, I think the processor will probably handle a practically unlimited number of sequencing modules/basic modulators/etc. Maybe not that many oscillators or effects. Curious to find out.
4 Likes
Looking pretty good…
7 Likes
Wow, yes it does look really good. The interaction and performance is much better than I anticipated.
I really want to recompile my plugin for it so that I can get some moar cowbell in my hardware eurorack now! (well… once i save up the money to buy one that is… 
)
I am definitely going to try to get my plugin working on this
Limitations As of now, there are the following limitations:
No dynamic drawing using nanovg (NVG draw commands).
Well, I’ll either have to make some significant changes to my code, or wait until they make a solution for this
3 Likes
Awesome!
I’m really happy about the whole thing. I’m probably not going to get one myself, at least not for a while (I’m already in a hybrid configuration in studio and prefer a minimum of digital modules when playing live) but I think they’re going to sell a ton of these and that the effect on the whole Rack ecosystem is going to be VERY positive.
2 Likes
Want.
1 Like
super cool but its not clear when the 4ms modules will be available to vcvrack scene…
maybe the 4ms modules will be only available for the hardware owners?
Even if it is true that 4ms want to make their VCV modules available to Meta owners, I would very much hope and expect that non-Meta owners could still purchase a 4ms commercial plugin to get them as well, if they are not going to be offered in the free library.
All the hardware 4ms modules I have are excellent IMO so I would have no problem paying for VCV versions.
1 Like
Most of the 4ms hardware modules are opensource and available on their Github: 4ms Company · GitHub
One of the 4ms responsibles responded on modwiggler regarding this question last year: https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4028379&sid=3b9ba71d8a6953afb325128f1aaa9de4#p4028379 “We are porting almost all our modules to VCV Rack and will release them for free (including the source code, much of which is already available on our github). They’ll all be for free, and you actually won’t have to even own a Meta Module to use the 4ms VCV Rack modules.”
4 Likes