THE CM GUIDE TO VCV RACK PT 3

The next instalment of our modular synth workshop

It’s easy to assume that the current fascination for all things modular is merely an extension of the analogue synthesis revival. To be sure, when Dieter Döpfer kicked around the idea of his new modular format back in 1995, he began with a few familiar analogue modules. This was a reaction against the hardware ROMplers that filled the shelves of the day, and though his Doepfer A-100 series didn’t exactly set the world alight at the time, it did tap into the ennui of electronic musicians who found calling up yet another neatly multisampled nylon guitar patch antithetical to the romantic image of the knob-twiddling synthesist.

It would take over a decade, but Döpfer’s chosen Eurorack format eventually took hold. Yet its popularity was not due to mere nostalgia – electronic musicians are too forwardthinking to fall for that. No, it was the compact size, relative low cost, and the willingness of other manufacturers to adopt the Eurorack format that cemented the format’s popularity.

The modular musician of 2018 knows all too well the limitations of analogue circuitry. Fortunately, there are now all manner of esoteric modules that combine digital processing power with the immediacy of knobs, jacks, and a freely patchable environment.

Over the next few pages, we’ll explore the modern digital side of modular synthesis using the free and open source VCV Rack. Let’s crunch some numbers!