Table of Contents
VCV Biset
What is it ?
VCV Biset is a VCV Rack plugin.
VCV Rack is a software modular synthesizer. It is made of thousands of modules that you can freely patch to create music / sound design.
A lot of the modules are developed by users themselves. A plugin is simply a set of modules.
Links
What is it made of ?
VCV Biset is made of
- VCO modules - To generate sound (you can see them a bit like synths)
- Sequencing modules - To create sequences (rhythm and notes)
- Sound processing module - To alter your sound (like an effect)
- Utility modules - To ease your creation process
The modules
VCO modules
These modules are VCOs, which means that they generate sound. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Please kill me are both based on phase modulation (frequency modulation cousin). They have an unusual feature that allows you to delay the phase modulation. It means that the signal will feedback itself only after a defined period of time. It adds a lot of movement and makes the timbre different depending on the pitch.
These 2 modules have a special place in my heart cause they are the proof that, sometimes, experimenting in a field you have not been trained can produce happy accidents. I think that it's because I was not trained as an engineer that I thought about the feedback delay concept.
Sequencing modules
Tracker
Tracker is a complex sequencer that allows you to create patterns and to organise them in a timeline. It is made for more traditional composition. It can basically sequence all your instruments triggers / gates, pitch, panning, CV modulations, etc.
The core module is the Tracker module. The other modules are made to output the corresponding voltage generated by the sequence (notes, padding, modulations, etc.)
Regex
Regex is an algorithmic sequencer thought for live coding performances.
It means that it generates both rhythm and note sequences through the use of algorithms. It is highly inspired by the Supercollider pattern sequencing Functions.
Each line is a sequence that can be either a rhythm sequence or a CV / Pitch sequence. You can then connect them the way you want (for example having a note sequence being clocked by a rhythm sequence or a CV / Pitch sequence add random octave shift to another pitch sequence)
For the real geeks, as every sequencer, regex can be used as a weird and broken VCO when clocking it at audio rate ;)
Tree & Seed
Tree is a generative sequencer. It means that it spontaneously generates voltage sequences that can repeat and evolve. Those fixed length sequences can slowly evolve in two distinct ways.
- One with the wind parameter that will change the sequencer output in a coherent way without changing the original sequence.
- One with the mutation parameter that will add a chance to each note to be replaced by a new one.
Seed, an expander module, when placed on the side of a Tree module, transforms these voltage sequences into more usable note + rhythm sequences. It can also use polyphony (multiple channels) to allow notes tails even when the next note starts.
Sound processing module
It’s good cholesterol
It’s good cholesterol is an audio processing module. It records the input (mono or stereo) into a buffer and allows you to control up to 16x playheads to read the resulting buffer. It’s a real sound design sandbox. You can build really simple tap delays but also weird pitch shifted reverse delays with granular extras and it can even be used as a polyphonic VCO (one of my favourite uses of the module !)