Additive Oscillator - worth it?

[whywhy]

+1 Captain,
VM, is a fantastic platform, a tsunami of modules coming from indies dev would give a fresh breath. !.

[Cherry Dan]

Hi everyone,

We have a bunch of new modules from independent developers due to hit the store next week. We also have some great new modules of our own that will be available very, very soon.

We are currently in "soft release" getting ready to do a blast of promotion next week. We're just getting everything set up.

This is all new for us. But we're excited to tell the world about our platform, we're excited to get Module Designer into everybody's hands, and we're excited to show everyone what's coming. Tell your friends!

Dan

[whywhy]

Hi Dan,
I must recognize, when I have bought VM, I was a bit sceptical, ok, let's buy it, you can have a refund...
But after playing with it, I must say, it's a superb modular synth, all is good, the sound, the workflow, the CPU is so low, the anti aliasing is really great ...
And you have a lot of utilities modules who make Vm so powerful.

Keep it up!
Refund : no thanks.

Thanks to all the Cherry audio team, Dan, Mitch, Garcia...

[cherryMitch]

Anyone bought this module?



Based on the documentation (https://docs.cherryaudio.com/cherry-aud ... oscillator) I imagine I'd really like it and would find a good use for it, however there are no sound samples or videos anywhere (nor there is a demo version) and I'm a little reluctant to spend EUR30 just like that - there are full VST synths that cost not much more, like Go2 or Carbon Electra

It really depends on your perspective - these days there's a cheap or free version of any software imaginable. The hardware module the Additive Oscillator is loosely based upon is $700 (except ours actually does more). We are trying to keep our prices reasonable (while still trying to run a business that can continue to make cool stuff and keep the lights on.)

[cherryMitch]

You sound angry. Maybe it's not too late to ask for a refund?

yes, maybe i'm a bit angry. especially when i search within my 90 modules and i can't find a single decent lfo or envelope. give me only 10-15 modules...but powerful ones!
i have 20 (!!) drum modules! i haven't bought VM for using it as a drum machine. and even if i would, there isn't a single interesting drum module!... only 808/909 emulation. the new digi drum modules are definitely not of my taste. they only contain samples from classic drum machines.
the drum sequencer is so limited: at least let us change the number of steps per row!!

but i'm not giving up on VM because:
1) while i don't like the included modules, i like the software. especially the CPU usage.
2) i'm waiting for more modules from 3rd party. hopefully at a lower price, or maybe free.
3) i think that the actual cherry audio business model won't take them too far. once they realize it, they will be forced to lower the prices of the additional modules

I'm hesitant to address the issues you bring up, as you seem to just inherently have a bad feeling about Voltage Modular (which I suppose you're entitled to), but...

Please remember, this isn't Voltage Modular version 14. It JUST came out. We will have more modules that do more stuff. And so will third parties.

The drum modules - I'm not exactly sure what else you had in mind. It's safe to say there are a lot of folks who like 808's and 909's, that's why they're legendary. The same goes for the digital drum machines that dominated pop music for years. More importantly, if you play with the parameters on the drum modules (especially the Electro analog ones), you'll find that they go pretty far beyond the standard 808/909 sounds they're based upon (also, we plan to add more mod inputs on the analog drum modules). I was hesitant to put more controls on them, because they can easily cease to sound anything like "drums." (Also I didn't want them to be huge and confusing to use.)

The drum sequencer was really intended to be a straightforward thing, and it grew to be a self-contained drum machine. I suppose it would be possible to do per-row patt length, but in plain english - no matter how many features you add, invariably someone in a forum finds a feature you didn't include and declares the entire thing unusable as a result. The fortunate thing about Voltage Modular is that we or anyone else can continue making modules, and we absolutely intend to have sequencers intended for more out-there applications; the Drum Trigger Sequencer was really designed to be an easy-to-use 808-syle sequencer.

As for the LFO's and env generators (and other modules), our initial intention was to have straightforward modules at first and then bring out more fully featured ones. Remember that everyone's applications are different... the non-CV dual LFO and env generators in my dot.com hardware modular have served me fine over the last ten years or so; just depends on how you use things. With that said, we have a really full-featured LFO in the works with sync, tweakable waveforms, one-shot or loop modes, etc., and we have every intention of making an env gen with all stages CV-controllable.

Not sure why you would say that "our business model won't take us far." The selling-modules-through-built-in-store model has been wildly successful for Universal Audio, as an example, with the main difference being that our modules cost a fraction of theirs, and we are offering users the ability to create their own modules, much like Apple with the Apple Store, literally the most cash-rich company on the face of the earth. We may not have that kind of success but we think it's not a bad plan.

[cherryMitch]

Anyone bought this module?



Based on the documentation (https://docs.cherryaudio.com/cherry-aud ... oscillator) I imagine I'd really like it and would find a good use for it, however there are no sound samples or videos anywhere (nor there is a demo version) and I'm a little reluctant to spend EUR30 just like that - there are full VST synths that cost not much more, like Go2 or Carbon Electra

BTW, I'm ridiculously biased because I designed it, but this is probably my favorite module. I do intend to make a demo video of it so you can get a better idea of what it does.

[clairobskur]

The drum modules - I'm not exactly sure what else you had in mind. It's safe to say there are a lot of folks who like 808's and 909's, that's why they're legendary. The same goes for the digital drum machines that dominated pop music for years. More importantly, if you play with the parameters on the drum modules (especially the Electro analog ones), you'll find that they go pretty far beyond the standard 808/909 sounds they're based upon (also, we plan to add more mod inputs on the analog drum modules). I was hesitant to put more controls on them, because they can easily cease to sound anything like "drums." (Also I didn't want them to be huge and confusing to use.)

instead of 20 drum modules, release just one... but as powerful as one channel of microtonic (but with CV inputs!)
that's what i've had in mind.

people interested in 808/909 sounds won't use a modular synth for drums anyway. they'll just use "AudioRealism Drum Machine" or nepheton or just samples! way more simpler!

The drum sequencer was really intended to be a straightforward thing, and it grew to be a self-contained drum machine. I suppose it would be possible to do per-row patt length, but in plain english - no matter how many features you add, invariably someone in a forum finds a feature you didn't include and declares the entire thing unusable as a result. The fortunate thing about Voltage Modular is that we or anyone else can continue making modules, and we absolutely intend to have sequencers intended for more out-there applications; the Drum Trigger Sequencer was really designed to be an easy-to-use 808-syle sequencer.

it's definitely easy to use. so much that it's unuseful.

i could stack 4 or more drum sequencer with different number of steps to get some sort of polymetric beat...but that would clutter the rack a lot. definitely not elegant.

As for the LFO's and env generators (and other modules), our initial intention was to have straightforward modules at first and then bring out more fully featured ones. Remember that everyone's applications are different... the non-CV dual LFO and env generators in my dot.com hardware modular have served me fine over the last ten years or so; just depends on how you use things. With that said, we have a really full-featured LFO in the works with sync, tweakable waveforms, one-shot or loop modes, etc., and we have every intention of making an env gen with all stages CV-controllable.

Not sure why you would say that "our business model won't take us far." The selling-modules-through-built-in-store model has been wildly successful for Universal Audio, as an example, with the main difference being that our modules cost a fraction of theirs, and we are offering users the ability to create their own modules, much like Apple with the Apple Store, literally the most cash-rich company on the face of the earth. We may not have that kind of success but we think it's not a bad plan.

there's nothing wrong in "selling-modules-through-built-in-store model". but a user might feel pissed-off having bought VM and discovered that 85% of the 80/90 modules that you claim to offer are useless, and if he wants some usable module he should buy some add-in (at a high price!)

full-featured LFO and envelope should be included in the core package!

i don't even think that the additional modules that you're actually selling are interesting. for example the 16-step sequencer is very basic and boring. this would be ok if included in the core package, but 20$? that's ridicolous..

[martb]

...there's nothing wrong in "selling-modules-through-built-in-store model". but a user might feel pissed-off having bought VM and discovered that 85% of the 80/90 modules that you claim to offer are useless...

I dunno - I've found quite a lot of use for the modules in the core package.

[republik]

...there's nothing wrong in "selling-modules-through-built-in-store model". but a user might feel pissed-off having bought VM and discovered that 85% of the 80/90 modules that you claim to offer are useless...

I dunno - I've found quite a lot of use for the modules in the core package.

I find there's a lot of interesting/complex things you can do with the core package when you make use of all the utility modules, etc. If you want polymetric sequencing it's pretty easy with the clock/sync modules and a divider, etc. It just means you have to construct it rather than having a lot baked into one module. It's a not a huge surprise that people are mentioning this if they've used VCV rack, Reaktor Blocks, etc because they have large collections of really advanced modules.

They've made it pretty clear that will change over time as more modules come out, and maybe with some updates to the core modules (like more CVs for envelope gen). What sets VM miles apart is the workflow. IMO, they nailed it. Once more modules come in I probably won't use VCV much anymore.

[whywhy]

I'm agree with you Republik, it's better to construct module with other than just easy consumerism, it help to understand the process. Flip flop, boolean ...can help a lot, yesterday ii have made a Eod , loop envelope with a xor, and it works well!
If I was good at math, I will make some crazy thing with the formula parser, but , it's not the case.
I would like to make a bernouli gate, I have an idea, I will try it and see if Vm can flip some coins !
A cool feature request: the possibility to make some macro modules, encapsulated modules... ok, we have cabinet, and that feature is a killer thing, but I take some place...
Today, I just discovered that we can zoom with ctr, mouse wheel. And we have some shortcuts to, like ctr1....really nice