Curious about modular synthesis, electronic music, and sound design, but unsure how to get started? I have something for you! Join my free "intro to synthesis" mini course here: www.soundandsynthesis.com/firstpatch2022 PS: You don't need any special gear to do this-just a computer with VCV Rack (which is free to download).
I had a bunch of questions about how you can make acoustics work with modular. Probably searched for answers for about an hour and didn't find a thing. Then this video came up and answered all of my questions!☺ Thank you
I have been contemplating how to go about melding my acoustic/electric related studies with my modular synthesis studies, and this video just blew the hinges off of a massive door in my mind. Thank you, SO much, Sarah! I absolutely love your process and the end product. ☺👍🐈⬛☮☯🎵🎶🎙🎚🎛🎤🪘🥁🪕🎻🎺🎹🎸🪗🎷📻🎧
This is such a good tutorial! I work with guitar a lot in VCV so I'm biased, but can't believe there aren't more people doing this. One day I might get round to making a similar tutorial myself, haven't really got the setup or spare time unfortunately. So many ideas though! Envelope followers are great with filters (basically like an auto-wah), and also for dynamically changing modulation rates so that effects change in response to your playing. The Entrian Follower also has V/oct output so you can play oscillators from your guitar, or any other instrument. Then you can use it as a trigger, and open a VCA so you get a layer of synth sound when you play, or trigger an envelope to decay (I like to stick delay through a filter, so the cutoff slowly decreases after you stop playing - great for a dubby lo-fi effect). And you've got samplers, loopers, granular effects like Clouds...basically endless possibilities. 😃
Inspiring suggestions! I've played around with VCV as an extreme effects board, but I hadn't done much with exploring using my cello as a source of CV yet... I already have some intriguing ideas for incorporating my playing with sequencers. I really love it! Thank you.
thank you for sharing your knowledge and art! I use a moog modular system 15 (original 1974) and now I'm going to try to adapt/experiment your technique with the VCV rack. Hugs from Brasil.
thanks a lot. you are a source of multiple inspiration for the past few days, since i discovered your chanel. today i grabed the 100 year old military bugle that i have around here, to do a first try creating souds the way you do, something i never had imagined. i only used some of the plug ins in my daw, including hainbachs wires, and already i love what this can do... and now i discovered this video and this synth that is highly fascinating. i have an idea what i will spend this night on. thanks again for the inspiration and the music
@@sarahbellereid do you know the late german musician Holger Czukay, from the famous german band can since the late 60ies? he continued to play until old age and he too mixed synth and horn played thourgh synth. to me one of the most important german musicians. th-cam.com/video/Q8DbRJreyk0/w-d-xo.html
What I also like doing is using Pitch to VC/oct converters in my patch to track my violin for controlling a synth, it works really well with a noise gate before and an envelope follower patched into the cv in value for the VCA of the oscillator. It's great because I can have virtually endless sustain and control my attacks on the fly, apply vibrato, glissando, do every sort of cool stuff I would not be able to do with a keyboard.
I do similar things with my Zoia, using onset detector to trig midi note to my synth. I used with a dancer that could then play the synth by dancing next to a contact mic!
Use that envelope follower to control a vca, allowing the audio signal through as a modulation source on its own. Audio rate modulation for a touch more weird in yer sounds! Also, thanks for so many great ideas in this vid.
This is a great introduction to combining the two! I'm currently working on something similar with my custom built 8-string electric guitar which has individual outputs for each string. I'm using the computer both for processing each individual string (for polyphonic waveshaping) as well as extracting various CV's for my Eurorack using both amplitude and spectral envelope followers as well as onset detection. So far I've only been able to extract CV's from the sum of all 8 strings (due to lack of appropriate hardware for more) but I have begun mapping out ways to extract the same CV's including gates individually from all 8 strings along with some ideas for having each string output a tuned voltage as well, kind of like the various Buchla controllers which have freely tunable keys. This could potentially open up for some very expressive patching, especially if what ever events you use the signals from the guitar to trigger in the synth would in turn affect some parameter of the guitar - true two way communication between the two worlds.
@@bohabjames9809 Been experimenting a bit with that and coupled with the accompanying Bass plugin for the lower strings, it does indeed work pretty well. I will however need more hardware outputs to use it with my hardware and I'm a bit back and forth wether I want to use the guitar for pitch control or rather just gestural CV's but thanks for chiming in, always appreciated! 👍
Great video. Love your channel. Very inspiring. I think I need to (finally) buy VCV rack 2. Been on the radar for some time. I want to use it as a plug-in with Reason, which finally has VST3 support. Already using Reason with a small Eurorack case (TipTop Mantis) and the genius that is Expert Sleepers to bring the two together. Keen for the Eurorack explorations to not go too far down the rabbit hole. So expanding the capabilities of the hardware with VCV sounds like a good idea.
Enjoyed this very much - both artistically and technically. I came here because I am trying to learn more about VCV and I also happen to be curious about mixing & utilizing "live" sounds with electronics. This video was a great overview. While I was listening, I was reminded of Wadada Leo Smith and Richard Teitelbaum, both teachers I had while studying music at Bard College in the early 1990s. Once i checked your bio, I was glad to see that you spent time with Wadada too.. Richard just passed away last year but I imagine that he would have dug what you are doing as well! I am interested in your course but don't see a price for it on your website... I hate to get on your waiting list without knowing that but I guess I will for the moment. Best to you and looking forward...
Thanks for the video. Have crossed paths with your music and its cool to see how the sausage is made. Always wondered how you were approaching some of your sound creation.
Fantastic vid! Within VCV, another thing I’d add as suggestions is the NYSTHI library P2V module, which tries to find the fundamental pitch of the incoming tone and pull a 1v/OCT contour from the analysis. You’d mentioned you’d used pitch detection in MAX MSP to control parameters - curious which approach worked best for you? The struggle I’ve had with any such attempts is the latency in the algos to accurately calculate the pitch.
Glad you made this video, it is much much appreciated, and very educative I must admit, I am sure that I will come back to it more then once, in order to recreate some of the ideas you presented here, much obliged. This video is worth of gold I'm tellin' you !!! I am making that wooden box like you have, with strained rubber membrane, coupled with some long protruding strings and a spiral rounded wire taken out of hand mixer for dough(for those clunky sounds) :) all plugged onto piezo pickup microphone. My question for you is, have you tried so far, to use this setup with a some sort of Frequency Shifter, to perhaps yield instant new Dyad/ Triad sounds, to complement that route note from trumpet just an idea
does anyone know how to use vcv cv to midi for older samplers like sp404 or electribe es1? or does it need to have a more in depth, up to date midi interface?
Ok but, how to cover the dry sound of the instrument? I esperiment with sax and its clear sound cover everything elese in the room. Maybe i have to change headphones
Hello and thank you for an inspiring video!! Im a beginner and using vcvrack 2 free and having an issue with the VCO/VCO-1 am/ring setup. Im only hearing the pitch tone from the VCO? could it be related to the editions, vco-1 vs vco? Regards Fredrik
Hey! It’s a bit hard to know without seeing your patch, but if you send me a screenshot of your patch by email I can try to help you figure out what’s going on! support@sarahbellereid.com
I included some links above to some audio interfaces I have used personally and recommend -- they all vary based on number of inputs/outputs as well as some other details, so it depends a bit on your needs. Currently I use a UA Apollo x8, but I used the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and the iConnect for years as well :)
I did everything she did in the video but I can’t get sound from my external instrument to play in VcV rack. I selected the right inputs. Everything looks and acts like it should work but vcv rack won’t find the signal
Curious about modular synthesis, electronic music, and sound design, but unsure how to get started? I have something for you! Join my free "intro to synthesis" mini course here: www.soundandsynthesis.com/firstpatch2022
PS: You don't need any special gear to do this-just a computer with VCV Rack (which is free to download).
Using the audio input as CV to modulate things is absolutely genius! I've just started learning VCV Rack, and this video blew my mind.
Thank the computer geniuses and amazing musicians that make digital modular possible. I am so excited.
I had a bunch of questions about how you can make acoustics work with modular. Probably searched for answers for about an hour and didn't find a thing. Then this video came up and answered all of my questions!☺ Thank you
Happy to hear that you found it helpful!
I have been contemplating how to go about melding my acoustic/electric related studies with my modular synthesis studies, and this video just blew the hinges off of a massive door in my mind. Thank you, SO much, Sarah! I absolutely love your process and the end product. ☺👍🐈⬛☮☯🎵🎶🎙🎚🎛🎤🪘🥁🪕🎻🎺🎹🎸🪗🎷📻🎧
so happy you found it helpful! Happy exploring! :)
As always, your “one or two steps beyond” are giant steps. Fantastic!
I love you using a Trumpet ! Fantastic, a wonderful way to trigger the electronics, and merge into one !
This is such a good tutorial! I work with guitar a lot in VCV so I'm biased, but can't believe there aren't more people doing this. One day I might get round to making a similar tutorial myself, haven't really got the setup or spare time unfortunately. So many ideas though! Envelope followers are great with filters (basically like an auto-wah), and also for dynamically changing modulation rates so that effects change in response to your playing. The Entrian Follower also has V/oct output so you can play oscillators from your guitar, or any other instrument. Then you can use it as a trigger, and open a VCA so you get a layer of synth sound when you play, or trigger an envelope to decay (I like to stick delay through a filter, so the cutoff slowly decreases after you stop playing - great for a dubby lo-fi effect). And you've got samplers, loopers, granular effects like Clouds...basically endless possibilities. 😃
I use my viola, banjo, melodica, glockenspiel... :)
Inspiring suggestions! I've played around with VCV as an extreme effects board, but I hadn't done much with exploring using my cello as a source of CV yet... I already have some intriguing ideas for incorporating my playing with sequencers. I really love it! Thank you.
So Good Evening; I learn your VCV, I do also VCV and I LIKE VERRY MUCH YOUR STYLE.
thank you for sharing your knowledge and art! I use a moog modular system 15 (original 1974) and now I'm going to try to adapt/experiment your technique with the VCV rack. Hugs from Brasil.
This blew my mind. Thank you Sarah !
Really love what you’re doing - so many possibilities and great you’re already very deep into this stuff - awesome 👏🏻
thanks a lot. you are a source of multiple inspiration for the past few days, since i discovered your chanel. today i grabed the 100 year old military bugle that i have around here, to do a first try creating souds the way you do, something i never had imagined. i only used some of the plug ins in my daw, including hainbachs wires, and already i love what this can do... and now i discovered this video and this synth that is highly fascinating. i have an idea what i will spend this night on. thanks again for the inspiration and the music
I'm so happy to hear you found it inspiring and helpful! Wishing you happy explorations ahead :)
@@sarahbellereid do you know the late german musician Holger Czukay, from the famous german band can since the late 60ies? he continued to play until old age and he too mixed synth and horn played thourgh synth. to me one of the most important german musicians. th-cam.com/video/Q8DbRJreyk0/w-d-xo.html
Your training was very inspiring. Thank you
this is really utterly inspiring, sarah! tata!
This is totally genius. Much appreciated, Sarah.
Thank you!
Sounds very good when you can hear the flugel horn too.
Looking forward to watch, what you have prepared for us music lovers
Excellent !! So much good stuff to uncompress on my way 😲
Thank you for this quality tutorial ! Now I can choose my Modulars wisely :)
Very inspiring, thank you!
Thanks for sharing! Great inspiration, I love it!
Love you so much Sarah! such a creative and powerfull mind!
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
What I also like doing is using Pitch to VC/oct converters in my patch to track my violin for controlling a synth, it works really well with a noise gate before and an envelope follower patched into the cv in value for the VCA of the oscillator. It's great because I can have virtually endless sustain and control my attacks on the fly, apply vibrato, glissando, do every sort of cool stuff I would not be able to do with a keyboard.
Excellent Video!
LOVE this!
thank you soo much for sharing your knowledge with us! your videos are so inspiring! please keep doing what you're doing :) greetz from berlin city 🤗
Great sounds. Nice tutorial
Thanks a lot, that was exciting to see/listen to
this is exactly what I needed thank you a lot omg this is so inspiring
happy to hear that! :)
precious video!!
I do similar things with my Zoia, using onset detector to trig midi note to my synth. I used with a dancer that could then play the synth by dancing next to a contact mic!
Thanks, very interesting!
The possibility of this wasn't new for me at all, still very clever and entertaning video and music!
Use that envelope follower to control a vca, allowing the audio signal through as a modulation source on its own. Audio rate modulation for a touch more weird in yer sounds!
Also, thanks for so many great ideas in this vid.
Inspiring! Many thanks for sharing
you're welcome! thanks for watching
This is a great introduction to combining the two! I'm currently working on something similar with my custom built 8-string electric guitar which has individual outputs for each string. I'm using the computer both for processing each individual string (for polyphonic waveshaping) as well as extracting various CV's for my Eurorack using both amplitude and spectral envelope followers as well as onset detection. So far I've only been able to extract CV's from the sum of all 8 strings (due to lack of appropriate hardware for more) but I have begun mapping out ways to extract the same CV's including gates individually from all 8 strings along with some ideas for having each string output a tuned voltage as well, kind of like the various Buchla controllers which have freely tunable keys. This could potentially open up for some very expressive patching, especially if what ever events you use the signals from the guitar to trigger in the synth would in turn affect some parameter of the guitar - true two way communication between the two worlds.
you could use midi guitar 2 to turn your guitar signal into midi. both cv and note on data.
@@bohabjames9809 Been experimenting a bit with that and coupled with the accompanying Bass plugin for the lower strings, it does indeed work pretty well. I will however need more hardware outputs to use it with my hardware and I'm a bit back and forth wether I want to use the guitar for pitch control or rather just gestural CV's but thanks for chiming in, always appreciated! 👍
@@felixahl9 nice best luck to u sounds fun
Great video. Love your channel. Very inspiring. I think I need to (finally) buy VCV rack 2. Been on the radar for some time. I want to use it as a plug-in with Reason, which finally has VST3 support. Already using Reason with a small Eurorack case (TipTop Mantis) and the genius that is Expert Sleepers to bring the two together. Keen for the Eurorack explorations to not go too far down the rabbit hole. So expanding the capabilities of the hardware with VCV sounds like a good idea.
Enjoyed this very much - both artistically and technically. I came here because I am trying to learn more about VCV and I also happen to be curious about mixing & utilizing "live" sounds with electronics. This video was a great overview. While I was listening, I was reminded of Wadada Leo Smith and Richard Teitelbaum, both teachers I had while studying music at Bard College in the early 1990s. Once i checked your bio, I was glad to see that you spent time with Wadada too.. Richard just passed away last year but I imagine that he would have dug what you are doing as well! I am interested in your course but don't see a price for it on your website... I hate to get on your waiting list without knowing that but I guess I will for the moment. Best to you and looking forward...
Thanks for the video. Have crossed paths with your music and its cool to see how the sausage is made. Always wondered how you were approaching some of your sound creation.
u r my hero
Genius!
Fantastic vid! Within VCV, another thing I’d add as suggestions is the NYSTHI library P2V module, which tries to find the fundamental pitch of the incoming tone and pull a 1v/OCT contour from the analysis. You’d mentioned you’d used pitch detection in MAX MSP to control parameters - curious which approach worked best for you? The struggle I’ve had with any such attempts is the latency in the algos to accurately calculate the pitch.
thank you so much! It was a great help to me, I was only left wondering what the function of "unity" is, since I can't find it for vcv 2. Greetings!
Glad you made this video, it is much much appreciated, and very educative I must admit, I am sure that I will come back to it more then once, in order to recreate some of the ideas you presented here, much obliged. This video is worth of gold I'm tellin' you !!! I am making that wooden box like you have, with strained rubber membrane, coupled with some long protruding strings and a spiral rounded wire taken out of hand mixer for dough(for those clunky sounds) :) all plugged onto piezo pickup microphone. My question for you is, have you tried so far, to use this setup with a some sort of Frequency Shifter, to perhaps yield instant new Dyad/ Triad sounds, to complement that route note from trumpet just an idea
Love your videos! Would you consider doing another video on how to record audio from VCV Rack to Reaper?
Nice, hoped you would bring sth. about pitch to voltage (to pitch) i mean really playing a vco pitch to voltage with your acoustic instrument.
very cool
Thanks!
@@sarahbellereid :)
Super
Ur channel is a rarity, in the best way
it would be cool to add some type of predelay, so the synth reacts to the input, but later, more like a call/response
Now that's a great synthesis! Musical curiosity and beauty🎶🎶 unsure about getting into modular...Seems like the gift that keeps on costing!😏😏
does anyone know how to use vcv cv to midi for older samplers like sp404 or electribe es1? or does it need to have a more in depth, up to date midi interface?
Ok but, how to cover the dry sound of the instrument? I esperiment with sax and its clear sound cover everything elese in the room. Maybe i have to change headphones
Wondering if you’ve been inspired by Cosey Fanni Tutti in Throbbing Gristle. She was doing the trumpet thing back in the 70s
How do you avoid latency in such an application?
Hello and thank you for an inspiring video!! Im a beginner and using vcvrack 2 free and having an issue with the VCO/VCO-1 am/ring setup. Im only hearing the pitch tone from the VCO? could it be related to the editions, vco-1 vs vco? Regards Fredrik
Hey! It’s a bit hard to know without seeing your patch, but if you send me a screenshot of your patch by email I can try to help you figure out what’s going on! support@sarahbellereid.com
Hi Sara, thanks for that, its wondefull, its work in VCVRACK2pro?
yes, these techniques will work in VCV2! :)
Couldn't get the wait-list link to work for your seminar
That's strange! If you send me a DM or email me support at sarahbellereid.com I will get you added to the waitlist.
I ask myself, how you programmed the Hydrasynth?
Is there any pitch detection Module in vcv?
Yeah, Nysthi P2V works fairly well. I've used it to make a guitar monosynth patch.
What audio interfaces do you recommend?
I included some links above to some audio interfaces I have used personally and recommend -- they all vary based on number of inputs/outputs as well as some other details, so it depends a bit on your needs. Currently I use a UA Apollo x8, but I used the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and the iConnect for years as well :)
I did everything she did in the video but I can’t get sound from my external instrument to play in VcV rack. I selected the right inputs. Everything looks and acts like it should work but vcv rack won’t find the signal
Btw I’m using the focusrite 18i8
@@SoOkwerd Hi. I had the same thing on a Mac. Go to System Preferences > Securit & Privacy > Privacy > Microphone > and tick the VCV Rack 2.
Very cool - now if I could only get it to play nice with Pro Tools...
Patch please
Great video but I can't really get my head around it in terms of making memorable music.