Old 02-05-2021, 10:11 PM   #1
Time Waster
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Default Using Modular Systems with REAPER

This is a thread for modular enthusiasts to discuss using modular systems with REAPER. The purpose is to open up discussion around using either hardware modular systems such as Eurorack, ad hoc hardware chains, or modular software systems such as VCV Rack, Reaktor, Voltage Modular etc.

As background, I have recently begun to explore VCV Rack. In my opinion, modular systems are fun, and are a good way to geneate musical ideas, which you might not come up with using more conventional methods. The danger is that it all comes out sounding like 'modular music'

A modular system is kind of a studio or DAW or in itself and using it in conjuction with REAPER has raised some philosophical questions for about how much I should be doing within VCV Rack and what and when to export to REAPER for further processing.

In this thread I would like to hear how others are using, or would like to use modular systems in their music creation:
What are you trying to achieve with your modular system?
Do you use it exclusively, or with other more conventional instrumentation?
Do you use generative methods, and how?
Do you record the entire output from the modular system as a finished work, or output sections for further processing and/or arrangement?
Many other things I haven't thought of, I'm sure.

Please feel free to post links to examples of your work. To start with, here's a link to a sketch for a new track I made using VCV Rack. This is a direct output of a semi-generative patch. I did press a few mute buttons on the mixer to shape the arrangement a bit - https://soundcloud.com/thewastersoft.../s-NzsEPyT0xL0
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Old 02-14-2021, 01:11 PM   #2
maxdembo
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"The A Side of the critically acclaimed Bright Sparks documentary, created in conjunction with the I Monster album of the same name, focuses on US based electronic music pioneers, including Bob Moog, Don Buchla, Alan R Pearlman and Harry Chamberlin.

Includes contributions from Herb Deutsch, Michelle Moog-Koussa, I Monster's Dean Honer & Jarrod Gosling, Adrian Utley, Daniel Miller, Billy Currie, Karl Hyde, Alessandro Cortini, Will Gregory, Dennis P Colin, Alan Pearlman."
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Old 02-15-2021, 07:32 AM   #3
shosty
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Good thread, a topic I am also very interest in exploring since I am currently planning my real rack.

I use VCV Rack for most tracks now. I like to get as much structure done in Rack first and then multitrack record it out of the MindMeld mixer into the NYSTHI multitrack recorder and then import that into Reaper. (if you do this make sure you trigger the record start with the Run output from your clock, not from a trigger to start both like I was doing for a while).

I just find creation in modular to be much more fun and inspiring. Granted, probably 75% of what I make in it is garbage but it has taught me what it is like to just enjoy making sounds and music rather than getting lost in mixing hell, and what does work tends to work really well.

I record some guitar into reaper but also sometimes do this into one of Rack's samplers.

I tend to be disappointed by the drums I make in modular so I often layer them in Reaper.

I love using generative methods but it's a fine line between random and sounding good. Sometimes I use a sequential switch with a sequencer going into a few inputs and a sample & hold going into one input, and the output going into a quantiser or VCO. This gives you some variation, especially if the switch can trigger random outputs. Recently I've been playing a lot with using mixers and VCAs to create interesting CV signals by combining various LFOs and modulating the amount of the signal so you get changing shapes from the sum of the LFOs but also from the fading in/out of some/all.

One generative idea I discovered lately was to use dust or particle noise, very slowly generated (there is a module called Dust I think which is good) to create triggers. The triggers feed sample and hold for pitch information and also to trigger envelopes. As you can imagine the results can be unpredictable and not great but sometimes it works really well. I got the idea of this from the VCV forum, it's not my idea.
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Old 01-29-2022, 03:39 PM   #4
dhalpin
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Hi all!

I've been digging in to VCV more now that it runs inside the DAW (amazing).

I have been having trouble with generative patches missing the "Run" command, and I'm interested about what you said, Shosty, about using the Run signal from the clock. I am using the Start/Stop from the Midi > CV module into Clocked, and also running it to different VCV sequencers. But about half of the time they don't catch the Reaper Start command, so I rewind, and on the second try it works.

Any ideas?
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