Cherry Audio Voltage modular

[SLiC]

I absolutely welcome more modular style VSTs and this looks very good, if VCV rack didn't exist I would probably have bit at the 99 bucks to get my hands on it. I will try the demo when its out to see how it sounds, but the quantity, quality and creativity in the VCV rack community (which has a bit of a head start) is incredible and often free and open source. This I would assume is very hard to compete against for a business model.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Sorry if this has been addressed somewhere but how does automation work? I'm assuming the number of parameters in a patch and the modular nature of the system means developing a functional automation scheme isn't trivial.

[Captain]

Sorry if this has been addressed somewhere but how does automation work? I'm assuming the number of parameters in a patch and the modular nature of the system means developing a functional automation scheme isn't trivial.

There are 48 automation parameters exposed to the host, and you can assign any knob or button in any module to any of the parameters. In addition there are 8 (EDIT: no, 9!) automatable "perform knobs" and 4 buttons that can control multiple knobs/buttons. And of course traditional MIDI learn. Just quickly tried them in Logic, seems to work as expected!

[NothanUmber]

Sorry if this has been addressed somewhere but how does automation work? I'm assuming the number of parameters in a patch and the modular nature of the system means developing a functional automation scheme isn't trivial.

Every knob and slider (I came across) seems to support MIDI learn. Additionally there are nine global knobs and buttons that can be linked with any other knob or slider in the patch. And these are automatable via VST automation parameters.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Thanks!

[republik]

I just bought this, and after a few hours of using it I can say I appreciate the work put into making it easy-to-use. The workflow is good, with the functionality that you'd expect a plugin to have. i.e. proper preset management, etc. I like the retro feel of the presets, and they do a good job showing what you can achieve with the core modules. Good sound quality, for sure.

The core modules are mostly bread and butter but the performance has been good for me to use a lot of them in combination to get complex patches. I'm excited (and hopeful) to see some more creative/experimental modules in the future, especially for sequencing. More oscillators, effects, etc.

[cherryMitch]

Thanks all for the kind words and support. More answers to your questions…

@Cinebient:
<<Is there a manual pdf somewhere to download?>>

Nope! I literally starting working on the user manual last week. It's coming soon!

<<Can i split midi channels inside of the plug-in so that i can use it for MPE controllers?>>

NothanUmber goes into more detail about this in his post; presently we don't have any modules that will split by MIDI channel, but there's no reason we couldn't make something like this. As I mentioned in my response below, if there's demand for it, we'll more than likely make it.

@NothanUmber:
<<The poly oscillator apparently uses global pitch bend and thus doesn't seem to be meant for MPE usecases - and it is limited to the integrated "lite" A(DS)R and VCA, so e.g. no per-voice key-tracking filters possible that way>>

We honestly haven't messed with MPE up to this point (lot of other stuff to worry about! ). The Poly Oscillator was intended to simply emulate old-school paraphonic synths - definitely wasn't intended for MPE use. I don't code the modules, but I don't think there's a way to pitch bend notes individually with the Poly Osc. Though there may be ways to make MPE work with Voltage Modular, doesn't look there's a quick and easy way to do it at present. If we have enough demand, we would certainly be open to creating some modules that are tailor-made to address the needs of MPE users.

@Funkybot's Evil Twin
I made a quick and dirty video showing how to automate parameters (in Logic) with MIDI. Basically, you can right-click any control to put it in MIDI CC learn mode; in the video I do this to assign a slider from my MIDI controller keyboard, then I hit record in Logic and record the slider movement. But you can also use your DAW's automation (which will record movements directly from Voltage Modular's screen controls); I'll get into more detail when I write this section of the user manual, but this should give you an idea.

https://youtu.be/hRqUS8275Ks

@republik
Thanks for the kind words. We definitely plan to get crazier with module functionality as time goes on, just wanted to be sure we had all the "standard" stuff covered. And we of course encourage folks to create their own wacky modules for Voltage!

[HiEnergy]

I just tried to buy the early access package. Seems I missed the Paypal checkout button on the website.
The shop merely offered me to enter my credit card details. Where do I find the PayPal button?

[Whywhy]

I have ask them :Why no PayPal?

"
Because third parties can build and sell modules via our store, we use a payment system called Stripe that automatically deducts credit card fees and pays each module developer for their sale. It’s a great system. They handle all the credit card transactions directly, which maximizes the income for module developers. Unfortunately they don’t support Paypal payments, which makes sense really, as that would remove an additional 3-4% from the developers’ incomes."

[HiEnergy]

no PayPal

Unfortunately I have no credit card. Looks like this means no Cherry Audio Voltage modular for me.
As much as I would have loved to give this modular system a spin.

[future-bit]

Which method of activation (registration)? Activation via the Internet is always annoying, because I do not want to be tied to the Internet. Sometimes I reinstall the system several times a month (if I try a lot of software).

Does it work well as a VST plug-in?

Are there any problems with the ASIO driver?

[Sequent]

Seems to work fine as a vst and no problems with ASIO so far.

[Whywhy]

Which method of activation (registration)? Activation via the Internet is always annoying, because I do not want to be tied to the Internet. Sometimes I reinstall the system several times a month (if I try a lot of software).

Does it work well as a VST plug-in?

Are there any problems with the ASIO driver?

I have send to cherry audio some questions, here are the answers :

<< About the authorization process: s/n, internet access..... >>

When you run Voltage and log in to your account, every module you’ve purchased will be downloaded onto your computer from our server. The module files are keyed to work on your computer only. You don’t need an Internet connection after that to use Voltage, but with an Internet connection you’ll be able to download module updates and purchase additional modules. You can run Voltage on up to two of your personal computers, and you can use our web site to deactivate an old computer if you want to move Voltage onto a new computer.

<< About the licence: nfr, resell, second hand fees... >>

If you wish to transfer your account to a new email address, you’d simply have to contact our support and request the change. There are no fees to do this.

<< Why no PayPal? >>

Because third parties can build and sell modules via our store, we use a payment system called Stripe that automatically deducts credit card fees and pays each module developer for their sale. It’s a great system. They handle all the credit card transactions directly, which maximizes the income for module developers. Unfortunately they don’t support Paypal payments, which makes sense really, as that would remove an additional 3-4% from the developers’ incomes.

Please let us know if you have any other questions!

[fmr]

I was tempted to buy this, but I hold back when I saw that the oscillator is somehow limited (just the usual) as well as the filter (just the common LPF). Doesn't bring anything new to the table, at the moment, IMO.

Besides, I was disappointed already with Softube Modular, where the really interesting modules had to be bought separately. If this goes the same way, I will rather prefer to pay for extra modules in VCV (at keast the core there is free, and we have way more diversity).

[Whywhy]

From what I read, the filter is a 12/24 and we can output a lp,hp and BP.
I wait the demo version, I don't want to paid for a beta.
I wait for more modules too and see their quality.
For now, I stay with vcv and solo rack
- solorack is really good and need more love I think -