A Basic Modular VST for Noobs

[Japsi]

I became fascinated with modular synths last year and started building my own from scratch. In the meantime, I dug into a few free VST's that offered similar functionality and wanted to share one that's been useful to me. I know that VCV tends to get all the glory, but I found g200kg's "Kamioooka" to be a great sounding, practical plug-in that can help beginners understand the fundamentals of patching.

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Kamioooka&id=1294

It's pretty limited, but it can produce everything from Merzbow-like, high-gain oscillations to dense, enveloping drones.

Unfortunately, it appears to be Windows-only, but I'm sure someone on here will know of a Mac or Linux alternative.

Hopefully it's useful to at least a few folks out there who maybe weren't aware of it.

[jbalsinek]

I found out last night that Reaktor 6 (VST or standalone, both Mac and Win) comes with a modular platform called Blocks. The basic version is free, comes with a quickstart guide and each block (module) has a short description in the app itself. I've only played with it for less than an hour so far but my first impression is that it could be fairly newbie-friendly.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/synths/reaktor-6/blocks/


In the early 2000s, VAZ Modular was an excellent introduction to the world of modular synthesis (and synthesis in general) for me. I didn't bother reading any guides or documentation back then, just trial and error'd everything. I stopped using it in 2004 or so and it is no longer available, although it looks like my old install files still work on Win10.

[Japsi]

I love Reaktor, it's definitely up there with my favorite software but I haven't tried version 6 yet.

If you're having problems getting 32-bit plug-ins to work in a 64-bit DAW, there's a great programme called jBridge that creates an accessible version of your old VST's. I thought I had lost loads of free VST's when I switched to Windows 10, but jBridge saved the majority.

[jbalsinek]

Thanks for the info about jBridge, I didn't know about it. And thanks for the link to Kamioooka, too. I have a whole queue of soft synths already installed and waiting to be explored but I don't mind adding one more. :)

By the way, I've spent a bit more time mucking about in Reaktor Blocks and it turns out the basic free version is somewhat limited. It has your filter, lfo, envelope and a basic sequencer but no effects. So kinda like Kamioooka, actually. I still like the idea of using it in my DAW as sound source though.

[pentd]

if you need modular with "connecting cables" look + method, then theres also this:

XSRDO patchwork
http://vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Patchwork_Modular_System&id=2131

(win 32b only..)

then theres tons of KBplugs, KX77, krakli... but those use more of matrix style

[Japsi]

if you need modular with "connecting cables" look + method, then theres also this:

XSRDO patchwork
http://vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Patchwork_Modular_System&id=2131

I think I've downloaded pretty much every plug-in from that site over the years. It's awesome, and that XSRDO is another great option.

I'm finding Kamiooka really limiting, and the filters sound awful to me so I'll maybe start using XSRDO.

[Edited to add: In fact, I've definitely already used XSRDO in at least one track and thought it was awesome. Much more flexible, more variety, control and a better sound than Kamiooka]

[A-Z]

there's also
https://bluehell.electro-music.com/wren/index.php

an open source modular softsynth inspired by Nord Modular
Nord's own patcher is pretty good, so this one is probably worth checking out

[Japsi]

Nice one, I'll give that a spin tonight!

[anomalie]

Here you go - right from the source and it's free:

https://vcvrack.com