Cherry Audio Voltage Modular
Get your Eurorack-style fix in software with this colourful new plugin
Californian developers Cherry Audio have released Voltage Modular, their new software modular synthesis platform for Mac and PC. Working as a plugin instrument or effect in VST, AU and AAX formats, as well as standalone, this visually rich sound-design environment aims to “address the shortcomings of other virtual modular synth systems”.
Obviously styled after the enduringly in-vogue Eurorack hardware modular format, Voltage Modular uses drag-and-drop for cable routing and module arrangement, and animated visuals to indicate signal flow along cables. There’s no limit to the number of modules a patch can contain, and all processing is performed at the level of individual samples using 64-bit double precision maths for “fantastic sounding audio-rate frequency and amplitude modulation, oscillator sync, insane delay feedback, and more”.
Voltage Modular ships with a total of 84 modules (69 in the Voltage Core bundle and 15 in the bundled Misfit Audio Electro Drums pack) – which includes oscillators and percussion generators, filters, effects, modulators, MIDI processors, a maths module and CV converters – and the built-in shopfront enables access to many more via in-app purchase. The idea is for other developers to be able to build and sell their own modules using Cherry Audio’s Module Designer app.
Currently, the list of third-party contributors comprises just Misfit Audio and PSP Audioware, but with PSP’s contribution including various modules from their awesome N2O multieffects plugin, the store looks to be off to a good start. A sizeable library of fully-realised preset patches is also included, giving newcomers to modular synthesis plenty of starting points. Voltage Modular certainly looks the part, and we’ll find out whether or not the sound is equally impressive in our forthcoming review. You can buy the base Voltage Modular Core + Electro Drums for $200, with individual modules ranging in price from $10-50, and three PSP bundles available for $120, $175 and $295.