There’s a few ways to do it, and I’m exploring them all. One trick is to run your clock with a trigger that also triggers the recording at the exact same time… make sure its the same BPM as your DAW etc and blame it sohuld all line up. T
I am using an ES-8 for this task
over time i developed a reaper template for working with vcv. i usually send stereo audio at 48kHz thru bridge into reaper (my daw), apply fx, and listen to that as i work on the patch.
i’ve tried replicating that into vst host fx within vcv, but i am not satisfied with the performance, and the much longer startup time of patches (which makes switching patches a hassle). so for the time being, i am reverting to using bridge and reaper.
typically i record the incoming signal in reaper, and fx are applied as post fx on the channel. the chain i have developed for my use contains:
- eq, normally just a low cut at 50 Hz and a high cut around 16kHz, while sometimes i add some unwanted frequency taming
- sonic anomaly quadracom, a 4 band mid-side compressor and transient vitalizer
- then a couple of airwindows plugins for some subtle analog-modeled coloring/saturation
- stereo widening with airwindows stereo fx, which can also make the bass mono
- a final stereo compressor which should seldom get hit, just to tame the loud outliers
i send the signal to a second channel with reverb, normally sanford reverb, but sometimes valhalla vintageverb and/or shimmer. i don’t always use this, as plateau gives plenty of lush reverb, so i turn this channel off or on as needed.
on the master channel i have a brickwall limiter, that i turn off after recording, as it should not get hit in the mastering phase. it’s just there to protect my ears, but normally outliers should get caught by the compressors. i also have u-he satin for tape “glue”. it is quite expensive but versatile, and i use it on every track i publish.
and finally there is youlean loudness meter to keep an eye on the final level.
as you can see, the majority of plugins i use are actually free. and even satin could be replaced with one or two of the excellent free airwindows plugins.
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Next version of NYSTHI recorder will have file name and path save option, before trigger. This way you can ARM multiple recorders (with file names all set) if needed, and sync them all to record trigger.
This will make stem recordings in VCV even better:)
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Interesting. That’s so much more than what I would have ever known to do.
Since this post got a like today, I thought I’d give an update, since its out of date.
I now DO use the Host FX module. In my template I have a Master FX chain leading out from the mixer to the Audio and Recorder modules. Currenlty, this consists of the Waves J37 Tape emulator and Waves SSL Compressor.
On the AUX tracks from the Mixer, I’m currently sending to Arturia’s Rev Plate-140 reverb from AUX1 and Echoboy from AUX2.
I still route to Reaper (most of the time) using the Poly outs from Mindmeld’s (amazing) Mixmaster module, through Split to Audio16. This negates the Master FX chain mentioned earlier but its still nice to have.
Sorry for the necromancy. Was interesting to remind myself how I used to use Rack in this context and see how my approach has evolved, for what its worth.
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I click the little grey button, it turens delightfully red, I fiddle the knobs, I unred rhe button, “Untitled-0045634563”, nice, turn every knob all the way to the right, “Untitled-0045634564”, nice*11, and then I does it again.
I am a simple man
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q: What do you do to your tracks after rack?
a: Open it in Audacity, select all, cathedral reverb up to the limit, export
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I apply extreme timestretch, aka Paulstretch, e.g. (first track is from rack, second track is stretched)
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If it’s just a track for my channel I’ll export dry stems into Logic where I’ll do a mix down and add fx.
I then bounce track and reimport it into either Logic or Davinci Farlight for mastering.
All of this assumes that I know what I’m doing of course, which I don’t, but it’s fun to pretend 
I’ll also check for phase issues and adjust loudness (LUFS) for Youtube. Nothing worse than having my track crushed to death by some rampant AI algorithm after I’ve already crushed it half to death because I don’t know what I’m doing!!!
I then post my track to Youtube and watch the like counter like a hawk and wonder why nobody likes me
appart from that strange person who wants to be my YouTube friend.
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Record audio, import to Bitwig, further processing using Bitwig’s modulation, get bored, trash the project.
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