# Your favourite Modular Synth VST?



## Niah2 (Jan 7, 2021)

Hey Everyone,

What are your favourite modular synth emulations in VST form? 

Thank you


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## ReleaseCandidate (Jan 7, 2021)

Reaktor, although that's not an emulation.


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## sostenuto (Jan 7, 2021)

Waay tough to choose _ONE_ ..... Use Arturia - Analog Lab V + Soundbanks.


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## Niah2 (Jan 7, 2021)

sostenuto said:


> Waay tough to choose _ONE_ ..... Use Arturia - Analog Lab V + Soundbanks.


You can name more  

I'm still pretty new to modular so I want to see what's out there and what people are using virtually since going 100% analog is so expensive :-| I do have a korg vocal modular though and it's so much fun

Thank you for your input guys I will check them out.


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## tf-drone (Jan 7, 2021)

Hi,

as always, there is free stuff:
Kamiooka
XSRDO Patchwork
Soningen Modular
SynC Modular (its programmer went on to program Reaktor)
many different synths by kbplugs
(and more)

then there ist the VCV Rack, which is basically freeware, but has commercial modules too.

and the commercial stuff:
Arturia Modular (see above), looks as sounds like a Moog system
Xils 4, looks and sounds like an EMS Synthi A
I do have both, and both are really cool.

Some more commercial ones:
U-He Bazille
Pulsar P900
Softube Modular
Solostuff Solorack
Cherry Voltage Modular
Kilohearts Phaseplant
EMS Rehberg Synthi A plugin


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## Wes Antczak (Jan 7, 2021)

In terms of an open system, you should check out Cherry Modular from Cherry Audio. There seems to be a good and ever growing selection of modules that includes work from third party developers. It's more or less the same idea as Softube with a slightly smaller cpu hit.


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## Crowe (Jan 7, 2021)

I use Reaktor, but have VCV rack and the Cherry Voltage Core thingy that is/was free.


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## Cinebient (Jan 7, 2021)

P900.


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## cloudbuster (Jan 7, 2021)

I own(ed) more or less half of the aforementioned suspects (+ AAS Tassman) but since I got really serious with Bitwig I use my VSTIs and other samplers far less, including those modular synths ... most of my (ex-)favorite VSTi's are just gathering dust these days, it's ridiculous. 
It's not that Bitwig can really replace them - far from it - but boy do I enjoy the trip & and all those fascinating sonic jewels that pop up all over the place in the Grid. Can't remember having ever been so fascinated by an instrument (DAW) ... YMMV.


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## Niah2 (Jan 8, 2021)

Thank you guys for all your contributions they are making me feel much less lost in this wonderful vast world of mod synths.


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## RobbertZH (Jan 8, 2021)

The only Modular Synth VST I have is the complete one from Cherry Audio (currently for 100 dollar):

https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/voltage-modular-core-electro-drums

I bought this one (instead of other modular synths) as it not only includes monophonic modules but also many polyphonic modules so you can play polyphonic music!

Also, this one can be loaded as VST in your DAW.
I believe there are other modular synths which can *not* be loaded as VST?

If you have never programmed a synth, you may have some learning to do.
This hands-on course could help:

https://www.syntorial.com/

But even without such info, Voltage Modular is easy to use. It is matter of patching cables between modules and changing the controls of the modules including the amount how one modules output influences a parameter of another module.

Many parameters of modules are voltage controlled and you can patch an output parameter of a module to an input of a specific parameter of another module. A logical example is of course an LFO patched to the filter to control the filter cutoff, but it goes much further than that.
For example, you can put an LFO on the speed of the 6-step sequencer so that its speed varies in time.

For learning how to create a self-generating patch, just by experimentation, I made a patch with ocean waves and seagulls. Three lanes for the ocean waves (left, center, right) and two lanes for the seagulls, all with varying and random tempos, etc. Fun to do.

Here is a screenshot:


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## wst3 (Jan 8, 2021)

I really like the Cherry Audio synth, but I am fairly invested in the Softube Modular, I think I have all but one of the plugins, and I've spent enough time with it that I can get around with minimal frustration.

When it is time to learn a new one (and that will happen, it happened with the hardware) I think I will get the Cherry Audio plugin.


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## Jkist (Jan 8, 2021)

Anybody got love for ToyBox? I am looking at investing in that one a bit.


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## doctoremmet (Jan 9, 2021)

Mine are:

Reaktor with full Toybox racks

Reaktor with Euro Reakt by Unfiltered Audio

Cherry Audio Voltage Modular with tons of modules, but I highly recommend PSP Ultimate Bundle and all of Mark Barton’s stuff (MRB). Btw, the Nano pack has a TON of useful content 

Of these I really dig Toybox and MRB the most


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## muratkayi (Jan 24, 2021)

I would like to point out that combining Maschine with Reaktor Blocks (or via midi with VCV Rack) provides you with the best of both worlds. You can turn hardware knobs and have endless modules and you can even easily build your own which is the unique thing about reaktor. 

Also, I am totally in love with the Nanopack by toybox, because 1)it really makes efficient use of screen real estate and 2)it has a separate module for each tiny purpose. There is those bloated blocks like a full synth in there, too (sounds nice, btw), but you can build intricate signal flows from a number of single purpose blocks. Combine that with Maschine's power and there's hardly anything (if at all) from the hardware world you can't do with that virtual setup


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## shawnsingh (Mar 23, 2021)

Just driving by here a few months later. Very interesting to hear about many more "proper" modular synths. I had only known about Bazille and VCV Rack before this.



muratkayi said:


> I would like to point out that combining Maschine with Reaktor Blocks (or via midi with VCV Rack) provides you with the best of both worlds. You can turn hardware knobs and have endless modules and you can even easily build your own which is the unique thing about reaktor.
> 
> Also, I am totally in love with the Nanopack by toybox, because 1)it really makes efficient use of screen real estate and 2)it has a separate module for each tiny purpose. There is those bloated blocks like a full synth in there, too (sounds nice, btw), but you can build intricate signal flows from a number of single purpose blocks. Combine that with Maschine's power and there's hardly anything (if at all) from the hardware world you can't do with that virtual setup



Can you please elaborate more how you use Maschine to control Reaktor? How much of Reaktor workflow can you do with the controller (and how natural/fast does it feel), and what actions do you need to pick up the mouse and computer keyboard again? Do maschine knobs somehow intelligently map to controls as you create them (or for existing modules), or do you need to manually connect midi control every time if you're starting a new instrument from scratch?


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## Alchemedia (Mar 23, 2021)

Sound-wise: Softube Modular
Workflow: Cherry VM
Infinite possibilities: VCV/Reaktor
Then there's Bitwig!


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## muratkayi (Mar 24, 2021)

shawnsingh said:


> Can you please elaborate more how you use Maschine to control Reaktor? How much of Reaktor workflow can you do with the controller (and how natural/fast does it feel), and what actions do you need to pick up the mouse and computer keyboard again? Do maschine knobs somehow intelligently map to controls as you create them (or for existing modules), or do you need to manually connect midi control every time if you're starting a new instrument from scratch?


On a very simple level you can just load up a Reaktor Modular patch like any other VST. The predefined racks have already set up the most important knobs to wiggle. Reaktor Blocks' knobs are automatically accessible via Maschine knobs. If you create a patch yourself you have access to any knob on any module - that gets out of hand quick, so once you know what you want to have quick access to, you set up so called macros on a separate Maschine macro page.

If you are on a mac or if you are on windows AND have a midi routing application running (like loopMIDI) you can also have Reaktor running in standalone and route midi to Maschine knobs. That way you can have a modular patch that makes no sound at all wiggle your general Maschine knobs for you. Just create LFO mayhem, route it all through cv2midi blocks and "midilearn" Maschine knobs.

Patching needs to be done with the mouse. Modulation amounts have to be set with the mouse. Not much of a hassle, if you ask me. Keep in mind that in my opinion the beauty of virtual modular lies in the limited purpose patches. Your modular does not need to do everything all at once. Just build four or five or twenty separate patches.

Also, if you own a Maschine Jam, you can use it as a kickass hardware modular sequencer, as there is a Jam Sequencer Block in the Reaktor User library. You can watch this presentation, here...



EDIT: I forgot one thing...or more like a hundred things, because the Maschine/Blocks combination is as versatile as your imagination, but one thing I love to do is save various states of a given patch into Maschine Lock states. These are just snapshots of everything that pertains to knobs and faders in Maschine, which includes all of the loaded VSTs. The Jam has 64 buttons for this. If you press one of the saved lock states you can configure the change to be instantaneous or have it gradually morph from one to the other. The time it takes these states to morph can be configured to. Let that sink in for a second...


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## Crossroads (Mar 24, 2021)

Reason and Halion. Halion isn't strictly modular per say but you can do pretty much what every modular synth can and perhaps even more.


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