Hopefully soon I will be submitting a new plugin version to the library that makes preset loading in the MOAR COWBELL module automatically clear the buffers to prevent unwanted feedback when changing presets.
Since the module has had positive feedback and this update will be focused on the presets, I would like to include some new presets from the community.
If you would like to have a preset for the MOAR COWBELL! module considered, please reply in this thread with your preset.
Including a demo vid or audio sample would be nice too… (but not required).
Once I have the update coded I’ll add a deadline, but for now just assume a couple of weeks.
I also like how the ring is a little longer, if you increase the frequency of the hits the clipping on the tail gives it a nice click sound along with the triangle bell sound.
Thanks, that’s one new preset, a success in my book…
There will be many variations on this I’m sure, but here’s a ding from a Meditation Bowl. Leave a long gap between triggers. A nice long reverb adds length to the tailoff.
Using the module in this test release you should see the Panic button is automatically activated when a preset loads.
If this test build is ok then I’ll leave the submissions open for another week before submitting it to the library (obviously if there are preset submissions posted after that I will still consider them, but I don’t know when the next release will be that could include them).
Excellent, I’m going with the second one because I feel like it has a bit more character, it is almost dissonant but then after awhile it becomes pleasing to the ear, thanks
Update to the patch, I found that the trigger button would not activate manually because the Bogaudio module outputs negative zero, so that is corrected by half rectification, and I added the Scope module to give a little bit of visual help with the Cowbell output…
There’s a wealth of information available on the dynamics of church bells ringing. It all went over my head. So I played it by ear to find something I liked.
In the example rack, rather than patching note CV into the Primary Frequency Input, I patched it into the Oscillators Spread Input. When the note changes there’s an interesting slewing effect as the bell is struck. Not sure what’s causing it but it didn’t matter because I like the effect. I patched each bell through a VCA with a soft attack on the envelope to simulate the diffused sound of a church bell heard over a distance. Of course reverb and delay help too. But the raw sound is good by itself. If you’re tempted to twiddle the filter frequency knob, best to lower the volume before trying it.
I’m well on the way to making a railway crossing warning bell (as heard from on board the passing train), with a slew-limited frequency shift for the doppler effect, and synchronized to a ramp up/ramp down envelope for the VCA. It will be handy for a sound effect in a play next spring.
The new version (v2.4.31) hit the library on Wednesday, so any preset submissions from now on will be considered for future versions of the plugin (whenever that might be).
Of course, set the module parameters to what you want, right click it, and select Preset > Save as
This will create your preset file in the local Rack2 directory (on windows this will be in your user/documents by default) under presets > plugin name > module name and the preset will appear in the User presets section of the right click menu
If you want your preset to be in the VCV Community section, then you will need to attach your preset file to a reply in this thread so that I can test it out, and then if its ok add it in a future version of the plugin when I update it next.
Hello there and friendly greetings…
So, I just updated your modules and MC still gives me odd noises that are not supposed to be heard.
When I use the Bell-Hit preset, for istance, I just got a whistle if I tap the HIT! button.
It is the only preset that gives me a problem.
If it turn the knobs, tho, sooner or later I get skreeches, electric like noises and if I keep on turning them it will always end in a high pitch whistle and I need to delete the module.
I am so utterly sad because I just love MC and also I need it for two patches I am currently working on…
Can you help me out to see if it’s a “me-dumb” problem or what?
The recent update to my plugin has not made any changes to this module. I cannot currently reproduce this on my Win11 PC, the module in general and specifically the Bell-Hit preset work as intended…
What Rack sample rate are you using, and how many Threads?
Does the screech get interrupted if you hit the Panic button?
Are you modulating any parameters?
Essentially this module is two oscillators with FM, ring-mod and some distortion, plus a little filter feedback. Or in other words, yes it is very easy to create screeches and howls when the parameters are in certain positions. That is why the Panic button exists, and it should get activated automatically when you load a preset.
With no modulation, all the presets should be stable and not cause feedback on a hit, but introducing any unattenuated modulation could potentially set any stable patch off. If that happens you would need to reduce any extreme parameter settings and then hit the Panic button, and that should restabilise it.
edit:
I’ve been playing around with it for a bit, and the easiest way (although not the only way, all the parameters interact) to destabilise a patch and create feedback is with a low Filter Frequency, anything around 550 hz or less could potentially introduce a scratchy noise which can then build-up into a feedback howl.
Out of all the presets, Bell-Hit & cosmoproductions - HolyCow! have the lowest Filter Frequency of 541.36 hz, so I would suggest loading the preset, and then slightly raise the Filter Frequency and see if that reduces the screech?
[quote=“dan.tilley, post:18, topic:20480”]
So we need to debug a bit please…[/quote]
Of course!
What OS and Rack version? VCV RACK PRO 2.5.2 on Win11 Pro
What Rack sample rate are you using? 96kHz (2x) (don’t know what that 2x mean but…)
and how many Threads? 8
Does the screech get interrupted if you hit the Panic button? About the preset, yes the screech stop. Any other settings (like the one you see in the picture) it works randomly. For istance, if I use CTRL+I the panic button don’t work. If then I set FILTER WIDHT = 1507Hz and FILTER FREQUENCY = 33100Hz then the panic button work and the module work.
Are you modulating any parameters? Yes of course but after some hours of parameters testing it turns out that it is the FILTER FREQUENCY starting from 450.32 Hz that trigger the high pitch screech. If I increase that value AND NEXT I press the panic button then the module work fine.
I hope this will help… In case ask me something else, I’ll manage to answer at my best
OK, yep, this is the main issue, a lot of the variables involved in the sound generation code are calculated based on the sample rate (and are recalculated when the sample rate changes).
I typically always use a sample rate of 48k and did so during the development of this module, if you use this sample rate then you should find that the Bell-Hit preset works fine.
If you want to use your higher sample rate, then the sensitivity of the Filter Frequency will be increased, on my system at 96k the filter stops being noisy at about ~700hz, but will probably still be unstable if you use unattenuated modulation, so just be careful with that…
Otherwise I don’t consider this a bug or user error, the module just wasn’t designed with higher sample rates in mind, sorry about that, I hope you can find some usable settings for what you want to do.
