VCAs: Not Just Notemakers!

Why do people say "You can never have enough VCAs"?!
The VCA, modulator of modulations, is the module that makes your modular modular.
www.makenoisemusic.com

[@jonbrouwer4300]

The VCA decides when something happens, and how much of it happens. Great way to put it.

[@robertsyrett1992]

I like to multiplex rhythms using unipolar VCA's. I run a bipolar Euclidean rhythm into the control of one VCA and it's inverted waveform into another, and it effectively switches back and forth like a switch. You can do a similar wave-shaping trick by running the square wave of an oscillator into one input of a bipolar VCA and the Triangle input into the other to create an octave-up sawtooth wave and then animate it by modulating the pulse width. So many happy memories with VCAs. :)

[@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC]

Great ideas!

[@BEDM]

“A lonely, humble module among Titans doing nothing but setting the volume” with that Twilight Zone intro feel.❤️

[@fosferus]

Releasing videos covering the basic building blocks for everyone to learn even after all these years. Fuckin respect.

[@gammakeraulophon]

Alright mate.. calm down! 😂

[@juergenbranz]

such a well done video. walker, you‘re amazing.

[@musicalfungus]

Thanks Walker! Fantastic source of information as always!!!

[@wombra8314]

i use the bastl quad vca to do sidechaining and you can set up a compressor too

[@thomastoews7850]

I like to pair VCAs with my trigger riot. I'll have long gates from the trigger riot open the VCA to let through different rhythms. This gets a lot of mileage out of the trigger riots basic function.

[@dairylandbogurt]

I like putting a vca between a sequence and a quantizer, gives a handy pitch range control and all kinds of other options. like controlling the Amplitude amount of the sequence with another sequence :o

[@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC]

Very nice! If anyone is interested we have a video on the second technique: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWjKpX6lmcd4lck

[@wordscontrolminds]

Patch world percussion loops into modemix for exotic gated patterns

[@TheSilentCartgraph3r]

The Optomix makes the harsh DPO sound like smooth spherical gelatin balls

[@robertsyrett1992]

What would be a non-spherical ball?

[@TheSilentCartgraph3r]

a football

[@nectariosm]

I have patched my old DPO through Veils that is very clean. I almost didn't like it. Its no secret the Make Noise sound has a lot to do with the Optomix. I replaced my DPO with a Shapeshifter (which was a mistake) and its funny how much better it makes the Shapeshifter sound. The dynamic imprint and colour, is just right there.

[@RobertParenton]

Own the system above and very happy with the purchase.

[@geraldgoodiii6993]

Rob Parenton we all are happy with them. Got mine 2 yrs ago. Have another 12u but always come back to the Shared System for some reason. Desert Island Synth

[@MODUS_OP]

Yo dawg, we heard you liked modulations, so we put a modulator in yo modular so you can modulate yo modules!

[@novie160]

Why is Mysteron retired?

[@jmaz1100]

What LPG did you use for the opening sound?

[@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC]

Optomix!

[@jmaz1100]

@@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC I am buying one!!!

[@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC]

@@jmaz1100 Happy patching!

[@jonaseggen2230]

I just fell down the rabbit hole so I'm still learning the basics. Today I used a Synthesis Technology E352 as two LFOs to modulate A Qu-bit Contour. I used my VCA between those, and had two of the modulated and attenuated envelopes going to a Mutable Instruments Elements, that I then sent to Clouds. The two other outputs from Contour also went to Clouds. I also used VCA to tame the VCO in a Mother 32 before I sent this to the Elements. The Clouds then went to the Mother's input for filtering. That was fun, but now I want a VCA with a CV input.

[@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC]

Sounds fun! What VCA are you using that doesn't have a CV input?

[@jonaseggen2230]

Tnx for reply : ) WMD quad atten. Even though, or maybe because of this, what was really fun was that it sounded so sad. The VCO from my Mother sounded like a weeping saxophone, and over this I could play thin supportive voices with a Lyra 8. First time I managed to get my modules and Lyra play together. I also used an Eventide Space.

[@BasariStudios]

I don't know what i am missing but an Attennuator is not a VCA.

[@geraldgoodiii6993]

Basari Modular kinda more of a -CA -- controlled amplifier lol No V in there

[@ron.h264]

I use VCAs to drive the voltage from my hands into a beefy square wave.

[@danieltx7066]

Did you say you’re gonna clock my brains??

[@NickHchaos]

I'm actually sick of this maxim. It's too much of a simplification. I agree it's useful to have VCAs and have used them in all the ways you describe here (ironically, I want to point out, MN has nothing on the order of the ADDAC VCA Mixing Quintet that I use for such things), but in many cases, you really don't need to put voltage through a VCA, when you could achieve a similar or similarly complex effect by a sufficiently complex voltage, e.g morphing LFOs, randoms, basically anything that has enough natural variation in both frequency and amplitude, not to mention switches, which are way more useful and practical for working with rhythm events than just putting clocks through VCA (tried with entertaining results..but no, not the best way). I find it quite interesting that there are virtually no VCAs in a Verbos system, he seems to do all right with it though with the variety of complex cv sources.

[@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC]

"Sufficiently complex" isn't the same thing as using one signal to control the amplitude of another. Complex sources are great too, they're not one and the same though. Dynamic motion is a key component of most music. Whether you "need" it is up to you. The popular phrase "you can never have enough VCAs" is exactly as useful as you want it to be. In my personal opinion, you could also never have enough mults, mixers, or experience :)

[@NickHchaos]

Sure, I agree, they're not the same. But I also don't think VCAs are exponentially (no pun intended) more valuable than those other sources on their own. It's more 50/50 in my book. That's why I think the overemphasis on VCAs is a bit misleading, especially to new people in modular. Definitely agree about mixers! Sometimes I think I have too many but..nah. Also mixing EQ, e.g. l-1.su/VCEQ.html I don't really worry about mults anymore in terms of actual modules..just use those little 5-way splitters, very useful. Also, the MN approach is cool in terms of tactile control, e.g. activating pressure to control a gate or amplitude..but in the big picture, this allows for less dynamic motion to me..there is just not enough I can control by hand simultaneously..hence why I rely on very complex cv sources that change both amplitude and frequency to do a lot of this for me, eg Erica Synths Octasource (and I've also experimented with putting morphing LFOs through VCAs to modulate each other before they go into something else, but at that point, I feel it starts to become not very musically meaningful.)