Sparkling gems and new releases from the world of Free and Open Source Software
FOSSPicks
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2017/205/fosspicks/lv_morrison_graham.png/716499-1-eng-US/LV_Morrison_Graham.png_medium.png)
Graham Morrison looks at VCV Rack, Audible Instruments, TripleA, Neofetch 3.3.0, TripleA, Eolie 0.9, and more!
Modular synth studio
VCV Rack
Before audio synthesizers were neatly packaged into boxes that contained a keyboard and all the components necessary to make a sound, they were modular. This meant you needed to link each component together with patch cables in a way that created the kind of sounds you wanted. Voltages would modulate parameters to produce audio, which could then be routed into different processing modules. After recording or playing the sound, you'd deconstruct the patchwork of interconnections and start again. This is how Delia Derbyshire worked at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, for example, or how anyone made a sound before Bob Moog came along and changed everything.
Integrated circuits (ICs) eventually pushed these behemoths aside, much as ICs and microprocessors did vacuum tubes. Programmable, neatly packaged synthesizers have now dominated for the last 30 years. But modular synthesizers are coming back, thanks to the combination of a smaller packaging format (called Eurorack), ARM processors, cheap home brew electronics, and a backlash against screens and workstations. Constructing your own sound sources from a mess of patch cables is cool again; sounds are often generative and experimental, with users meeting up to share setups and making the entire scene feel a little like a modular maker community.
The only problem is that this is an expensive hobby. Each module is often constructed by a few individuals and produced in small batches. They need specific power supplies and interfaces to get them talking to your computer. And that's why VCV Rack is one of the most brilliant pieces of audio software I've come across in a while. It's a software emulation of the infrastructure needed to host these modules, connect cables, edit parameters, and save patches. It even includes a batch of modules to get you started. There's a VCO for sound generation, a VCF for filtering sound, and both a VCA and an ADSR envelope generator for changing volume over time. There's also a delay effect, a mixer, an oscilloscope, and a sequencer – a batch of modules that would cost you a small fortune if you happened to be building your first physical modular system.
With VCV Rack you simply right-click the modules into your virtual rack and start connecting outputs to inputs. It sounds just as good as the real thing. But I've left the best feature until last: You can install other modules from external sources, and this seems to be Rack's raison d'être. Rack's author, Andrew Belt, has cleverly taken the open source firmware behind some of the best Eurorack modules available, from Mutable Instruments, Befaco, and Synthesis Technology, and emulated their physical connections in software – from their seven-segment displays to their huge knobs. This means you can run virtual recreations of real hardware running the real firmware for free from a Linux desktop, and it's amazing.
Project Website
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2017/205/fosspicks/figcaf0c18f5e67393a7b5aa2b9a8653242.png/716502-1-eng-US/figcaf0c18f5e67393a7b5aa2b9a8653242.png_large.png)
Virtual audio modules
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.