VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

For discussion of the Voltage Modular synthesis ecosystem.
JayBee6244
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Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:18 am

VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by JayBee6244 »

Part info/part request.

The use-case here is VM2 in Standalone mode. I have a new Arturia MiniBrute 2S hardware Semi-modular synth. After watching Omri Cohen’s demo of the MiniBrute 2S connected with VCV Rack and the huge potential of the combination, I followed his steps and within 5 minutes I had my MiniBrute and VCV locked in sync using the Sync out of the MiniBrute’s patch bay, into my audio interface and then routed from VCV’s audio ins to the Clocked module (from Impromptu).Perfect rock solid sync and transport controls (tempo/play/stop/reset from the Brute) - all with a single Eurorack patch cable. Next I try to repeat the same thing using VM2.

3 hours later, I was about to give up.

None of the IO outputs in VM would work - there is just no way to get clock into VM2 without MIDI or without running inside a DAW. I wanted neither - I wanted the simplicity of VCV. I wanted to use VM2 like a proper virtual Eurorack system.

I had one last attempt. I used the MIDI Input module running into the MIDI Clock Divider, and used Andrew McAuley’s MIDI Monitor to see what MIDI CCs were being sent for Start and Stop/Reset into VM2. Then used the MIDI CC Converter Module to send start/stop and the MIDI Clock Divider to provide the external clock for a sequencer. Finally, after over three hours, I’d got (mostly) a comparable solution. But I had to use MIDI.

Please CA team, can you consider a Eurorack-standard clock in for the IO section, or at least a dividable multi-out clock module that runs from an audio channel passing in 12/24ppqn sync from the non-midi non-daw outside world?

Right now, VCV is far easier to co-exist with Eurorack or semi-modular hardware. But I’ve invested in VM2 Core plus a whole heap of modules - so I’d rather use VM2. But there’s such a missed opportunity making VM easy to use as an extension of hardware. Unless I’m missing the obvious?

:ugeek:
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Koshdukai
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Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:34 am

Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by Koshdukai »

Tried it and at 2PPQ it works but you get half the tempo in VM2, so I wished there was a Clock multiplier, with a TAP-like tempo algorithm to keep up, generating more clicks than the ones it receives.
EDIT: Heck, I just noticed there's a SYNC DIVIDER similar to the MIDI CLOCK DIVIDER... searching for CLOCK I would never catch that other one :?

When trying 24PPQ, 48PPQ or even 1 Pulse per Step, the clock pulse wave gets deformed, causing missing "clicks".
I've even tried to use a TRIG-to-GATE (@5ms), to help better shape the pulse, but the "missed pulses" already happened there.

So, it would be nice to have a module capable of generating clock pulses while accepting incoming 2PPQ/KORG/PO clock format.
EDIT: Maybe SYNC DIVIDER is the one but I haven't tried that one yet.
Last edited by Koshdukai on Fri May 29, 2020 12:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
JayBee6244
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:18 am

Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by JayBee6244 »

I'm going to go back through this again and document each step as it seems illogical that a simple pulse sync audio input gets mangled like this.
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Koshdukai
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Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by Koshdukai »

Found a way to use 24PPQ or 48PPQ by increasing the input gain on the audio interface input a bit, helping to square (clip) the source pulse signal, allowing the VM Clock Divider to better detect each pulse.

It was kinda steady for a while, then missed a beat, then after a while, had a misfit and lost a bunch of beats, then it missed enough to get in-sync again.

After adding an extra level of Gain (+12 dB) inside VM, it's been steady for quite a while now.
ClockTestAt24PPQ.PNG
ClockTestAt24PPQ.PNG (346.48 KiB) Viewed 4211 times
JayBee6244
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:18 am

Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by JayBee6244 »

This is very encouraging and great thinking. Can I ask what audio interface you’re using to bring the clock in? I’m using a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 Gen3 - so not DC-coupled.
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Koshdukai
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Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by Koshdukai »

JayBee6244 wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 10:01 pm This is very encouraging and great thinking. Can I ask what audio interface you’re using to bring the clock in? I’m using a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 Gen3 - so not DC-coupled.
I'm using an Arturia AudioFuse Studio.

Here's a snippet of VM Drums + an Arp of the clock source synth @24PPQ recorded with the new Recording feature of VM2 (had to compress it to OGG because of the attachment size and was already looking at it through iZotope RX6 which doesn't do mp3)
Attachments
Voltage Modular Recording 002.ogg
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Koshdukai
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Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by Koshdukai »

One other thing I just found out is that, VM gets sloppy with MIDI Clock input (at least) when using higher audio buffer sizes.

When I tried to do the same test but with MIDI Clock as the source, I got some "drunken" behavior out of the clock MIDI Clock Divider, getting MIDI Clock from a MIDI IN module connected to the same synth as the 1st test.

When trying to use another synth as the MIDI Clock source I noticed that I totally forgot to change my buffer size from 2048 (last night had a huge project loaded and playing) back to 128 or 256 which is what I usually use @48kHz.

Well, as soon as I changed it to 128, the MIDI Clock got tighter inside VM, behaving more like what I expected.

Edit: But this only happens (the "drunken" MIDI Clock effect) when using a MIDI IN module! If I use the "FROM HOST" MIDI source, I get a tighter clock, no matter the audio buffer size :?
(always using the same synth as the clock source, of course)
JayBee6244
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:18 am

Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by JayBee6244 »

I assume “From host” MIDI is only present when VM is used as a plugin within a DAW, and not when being sent MIDI from hardware?
JayBee6244
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:18 am

Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by JayBee6244 »

@Cherry Garcia
@cherryaudio Greg
@cherryaudio Dan

Can you assist?
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Koshdukai
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Re: VM2 - Hardware synth CV/Clock connectivity

Post by Koshdukai »

JayBee6244 wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 7:17 am I assume “From host” MIDI is only present when VM is used as a plugin within a DAW, and not when being sent MIDI from hardware?
Fortunately not.
In standalone, that's the MIDI source coming from all controllers in the MIDI section of settings.
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