this would be good too, but entropy dictates that you’d end up with all the modules installed
I’d love to see a module that does what the old LiveCut VST (http://mdsp.smartelectronix.com/livecut/) does. Especially as I can’t use the plugin in the Host module.
Apparently it’s based on the BBCut library for Supercollider (https://github.com/snappizz/BBCut)
I know nothing about coding, but maybe for someone who does know it wouldn’t be too hard to port to a VCV Rack module?
Read the original post/rules. A one sentence description is not a “module idea”. The purpose of this thread is to design and explain hypothetical functionality, ports, knobs, and behavior of a module you would like to have created. By thinking more about your idea, you can filter out bad concepts and untangle your idea into something that doesn’t have any obvious design flaws for those reading them.
Bezier Sequncer: This idea is based of Hive2’s Shape Sequencer, but the basic idea is you have maybe 8 or 16 steps where you can draw Bezier-style curves to define the shape for each step. The vertical axis of the shape represents the voltage, and the horizontal axis represents the entire step length. There is a global input for Clock, Reset, Run, and outputs for CV, Gate, V/Oct. Additionally, allow for the shapes to act as complex envelopes (MSEGs) with a trigger mode/input, or complex LFO’s via a loop mode. Each step should have some kind of gate probability knob for randomization, in addition to an on/off mode. The total step length number should also be able to be modulated. Bonus points of V/Oct can be quantized to scale within the module itself, but ok if not. The idea is this unit could be used to sequence notes, CV, act as an MSEG, LFO, etc.
EDIT Would be nice if there was also a per-step quantize, so the CV output would always reflect the step exactly as drawn, but the V/Oct output could either have smooth (like CV) or quantized [to scale] output. Why per-step? Because you may want quantized and unquantized slides in the same sequence. Example 1: I want to sequence some notes and have 303-style slides, so I keep step quantize off for that step and draw some slides. Example 2: I want a “gliss” type effect as the pitch locks from note to note according to the quantized scale, so I have step quantize on for that step.
3 Likes
Timeline. Just that, a time line for orchestrations etc.
I envision two modules, one the actual time line and the second a timeline client. The whole thing would be a pub/sub bus where the clients listen to the line and can perform only two very simple actions. A signal on the start-output and a signal on the stop-output. On the time line you set an action at the desired time, that action has a message id, say, ‘bassesection’, just type it in and select start or stop. Then add a client that listens to ‘bassection’, again, just type it in.
For the ‘bus’ I envision the use of NNG (scalability protocols) that offers all kind of messaging ways and these can be used inter-, intra-process and on networks, TCP, websockets or even through the ZeroTier ‘vpn’.
Now the fun thing would be to send messages from one rack to an other.
1 Like
Just a note, as soon as you start manipulating the curves in real time you’ll have to fall back to the slowest calculations. With some pre-calculation static splines can be fast.
for the beziers, stay tuned to the nysthi channel… 
4 Likes
Freesound.org streamer simular to the CTAG Strämpler
2 Likes
New suggestion!
Audio Loop Player (REX, ACID, Apple Loops)
A player for formats based on audio files pre-sliced at the transients.
While audio loops are sometimes stigmatized as a creatively bankrupt cheat for talentless producers assembling prefab music, there are too many good ways to use and abuse them creatively in electronic music and hip-hop to list. There is a huge wealth of audio loops in such formats.
Finding accurate documentation for those formats might be a pain. For example, Reason Studios (ex Propellerhead) only allows approved developers to access the format specifications, and only companies can apply to become developers. However, I believe those files are little more than WAV/AIFF files with metadata such as BPM, time signature, slices position, etc., so it might be possible to find the info legally without corporate hoop jumping.
While implementing a clone of Reason’s Dr. Octo Rex in VCV would be a big undertaking, in the context of modular, it makes no sense to provide a built-in filter, ADSR, VCA, LFO… patching and external sequencers are all that’s necessary.
A powerful module would:
- Load at least one of the three common loop formats (there exists tools to convert between them)
- Use the slice information for better time stretching (I will not venture to guess incorrectly the techniques used in those samplers to extract the best sounding stretching possible out of a loop)
- Allow you to play a loop on repeat given a set of reset/run/clock signals, and/or a unipolar ramp
- Allow you to trigger individual slices via CV
- Allow you to pitch shift slices (preferably even while they are already playing, rather than snapshotting on trigger)
- Allow you to reverse slices
- Have an output sending a trig for each slice played, to extract a rhythm from a loop
- Provide multiple stereo outputs
- Allow you to decide whether triggering a slice mutes any previously still playing slice on that output
(Use case for the last two: using individual hits of a drum loop as a makeshift drum kit, mixing each drum on a separate bus, and ensuring that hitting a drum again stops its decay, eg., a playing a closed hi-hat will interrupt the decay of an open hi-hat slice)
I am not really sure what would be the best way to implement various details, such as whether a per-slice programmer would be necessary or not, so I’ll make no suggestion on that front.
1 Like
I would really like a variant of the poly Sum module with two outputs: A sum of the even channels and a sum of the odd channels. It’s a good way to widen the sound, and it currently takes five modules to do this.
Make the name of each idea bold so others can easily reference your idea.
Will be available in Bark v1.2.0…
3 Likes
Apologies, yeah I should have read the original post… Will have a think about it and hopefully come back with a better concept than “do the same as livecut”.
Game Console emulator
Port some of the Open source game consoles for Atari, Nintendo, Sega, and so on, to bring great software and tools for musical and productions to the rack. video games (or part of the video games) in your performance could be great to , saving and loading states through cv , sequencing cvs to give repetitive behavior to a game character and hundred of positivities …
3 Likes
But why? If you want to play video games there is far more appropriate ways to do so.
1 Like
You could send gate signals to activate each button, and send the audio to the rest of your signal chain. Since Rack has a MIDI gamepad driver, a video game emulator would integrate well into the platform.
VCV was going to do a commercial module using the higan emulator, but we cancelled the project due to it having too much technical liability. It would be a better plugin as a third-party open-source project.
4 Likes
I’m not seeing how it would be relevant for making music. Both are 2 very different activities.
3 Likes
computers are not musical instrument or it is , this depends a lot on how traditional you are, in one hand you have software from mario paint composer to lsdj and in other hand you can handle the audio of a videogame using cvs, beside to the visual experience , that is a plus
1 Like
If it is a music orientated video game then sure this would be relevant!
1 Like
even if is not music oriented Coirt, for instance, you can loop the audio of a game sequence (mostly have music) simply loading a game state (game state in game emulation is a moment of the video game that can be loaded ) you can save a number of game states and trigger it in different moment of a song and that is just some of the most basic ideas, what about change the speed of the videogame (some emulator have this feature), different pitches, I m not sure if other features like reverse could be added…
edited this is a sample of simply loop
3 Likes