I was looking back at some old patches… I’ve decided I need to attempt to make more readable patches 
Trialling this new template now to see if it works as a reminder to document the thought process while slinging cables everywhere (actually, I should add the Glue module too, for little labels)
Blamsoft: XFX Distortion Pack (https://blamsoft.com/vcv-rack/xfx-distortion-pack)
XFX Tube
VCV: VCV Pro (https://vcvrack.com/Pro)
Reverb
VCV: VCV Free (https://vcvrack.com/Free)
Merge
Mid/Side
Push
Split
VCV: VCV Core
Audio 2
Surge XT: Surge XT (https://surge-synthesizer.github.io/)
RotarySpeaker
Submarine: Submarine (https://vcvrack.submarine.org.uk)
TD-202
Questionable Modules: Questionable Modules
Greenscreen
MindMeld: MindMeld (https://www.facebook.com/MindMeldModular)
AuxSpanderJr
MixMasterJr
Impromptu: Impromptu
Clocked
Clocked expander
DanT: DanTModules (https://library.vcvrack.com/DanTModules)
Bright Idea
Chromagica
Chromakey
Nonaquant
Count Modula: Count Modula (https://github.com/countmodula/VCVRackPlugins/blob/master/README.md)
Cable Palette
chowdsp: ChowDSP (https://github.com/jatinchowdhury18/ChowDSP-VCV)
Credit
Bogaudio: Bogaudio (https://github.com/bogaudio/BogaudioModules/blob/master/README.md)
LMTR
Befaco: Befaco (https://vcvrack.com/Befaco)
Motion MTR
Alright Devices: Alright Devices
Chronoblob2
These various default patches are fascinating to me because they’re so different than mine. I have no ‘default’ sound generators, processors, LFOs etc. I expect to build the actual noise-making from scratch, and my default patch is the plumbing that makes it work.
Mindmeld Mixmaster is the core. To that I add the Mindmeld Aux Expander for sends & returns. Mindmeld EQMaster gives you 4 band EQ for every channel. Three of the Squinky Labs Comp II 8 channel of compressors. They’re connected to the Poly Inserts on the Mixmaster.
I have an AS Delay Plus Stereo and a VCV Reverb as the default sends effects
Impromptu Clocked to provide clocks.
VCV Compressor (my latest addition) to use on the main outputs.
Nysthi Master Recorder – so I’m always ready capture my nonsense.
RackWindows Console MM – a V1.0 module I tweaked to get into 2.x. The point of it is to inject some low level crosstalk between channels, to emulate hardware analog consoles. I don’t really hear a difference, but it seems a good thing in general.
I will delete things from the template occasionally if they don’t seem necessary. But this, to me, is a minimum working set for mastering. You don’t need EQ and compression on every channel, necessarily, but it’s good to have them available.
There’s two phases of producing a piece:
- lash up noisemakers, and try and make a sound I want to hear.
- tweak the inputs using compression and subtractive EQ to build the mix.
I’ve been making electronic music for 30 years or more, and this setup mirrors what I used to use mixing in the analog domain. I actually made a lot of tracks with an old rack mixer with NO eq, and one rackmount compressor. You can do a lot to make a busy mix hang together by tweaking EQ and compression. But before that, you want to get close to a good mix without them.
As for how it sounds in the end, I think it’s pretty damn good. It’s why I don’t go to the effort to use the Rack Pro VST inside Ableton, because the setup is so clumsy. I really didn’t hear an improvement using the DAW for mixdown, so…
VCV: VCV Pro
VCV: VCV Core
Squinky Labs: Squinky Labs
Rackwindows: Rackwindows
stoermelder: PackOne
NYSTHI: NYSTHI
MindMeld: MindMeld
Impromptu: Impromptu
AS: AS
I have 2500 modules but my template is this:
