Hey everyone, anyone here into VCV Rack or Cardinal ? Or any other similar software like Pure Data for example ?
I’ve really got into it recently, and was wondering if people on Lemmy were interested. Should I post stuff here or start a specific community ?
Why do you use Cardinal and not vcv rack ? So you can use it in a DAW for free ?
I get the temptation to build it with physical hardware too, but as you said, I don’t want to ruin myself financially hah. There are also so many synths and semi-modular synths out there that are so much more affordable than physical modular. For now I’m happy in vcv with some external controllers, that really makes it worthwhile imo.
Edit : I forgot to ask, what kind of music do you make with Cardinal ?
Using it in a DAW for free was my initial reason but I liked using it more standalone on my Steam Deck so I could have something to mess with when not at home. A lot of what I’ve done with Cardinal is making the weirdest noises I can and trying to make generative tracks. I’m not sure I’ve ever recorded something I made but I do learn a lot about synths when I experiment with this stuff. When I go back to other softsynths I feel like I’m tweaking settings with a bit more knowledge and with more intention instead of just twisting randomly.
What are you using for external controllers? I should probably get into that as a next step.
I’ve seen pictures of VCV/Cardinal on the steam deck, how is it ? Does it work well ?
I’ve also definitely learned a lot more about synthesis since using VCV.
I’m using the akai midimix, the cheapest mixer-type controller basically -> 9 sliders, 24 knobs, 18 or 20 buttons. I have a default patch set up that assigns the faders to an 8 track mixer + Master volume, and then I assign the knobs and buttons to whatever I feel like going along, it’s nearly instant with a module called MIDI-CAT. The midimix is not the best controller obviously, but at 50€ second hand it’s great.
It definitely makes using vcv a lot better, you can really play the patches you make, it’s so much better. I really recommend trying it out.