Grade Level: 5-6
VCV Rack is a free, downloadable program that Grade 5/6 students have been using all year to experiment with sound and music. It is a virtual modular synthesizer where students are able to work with pre-made patches to create their own little songs and drumbeats, or to try patching and tweaking their own unique sounds.
You can find the program for download by following the link below.
VCV Rack is a free, downloadable program that Grade 5/6 students have been using all year to experiment with sound and music. It is a virtual modular synthesizer where students are able to work with pre-made patches to create their own little songs and drumbeats, or to try patching and tweaking their own unique sounds.
You can find the program for download by following the link below.
Before you begin...
- The cables are what make the whole "instrument" work. One cable can be the difference between what you want to hear and nothing at all.
- Cables run from outputs to inputs. On the program's default modules (pictured below) outputs are bordered in black with white writing. Inputs are not bordered and have black writing.
- To insert a cable, you have to click and hold on an input and drag to an output, or click and hold on an output and drag to an input.
- If you want to be able to hear anything, your AUDIO-8 module must have the proper settings (in yellow writing). My picture below shows those settings on a Mac. For a Windows computer, where mine says "Core Audio", yours should say "WASAPI". Where mine says "Apple Inc. : Built-in...", yours should say "Speakers/Headphones".
- When using the MIDI-CV the settings for any computer should look identical to mine with "Computer keyboard" and "QWERTY keyboard".
In the coming days I will be adding lesson files to this page which will be linked below. If for whatever reason these do not work, please let me know.
I have found that on my personal computer, I need to make sure that the program is not open when I try to open a file for it to work. If the program is already open when I try to open a downloaded file, nothing happens.
I have found that on my personal computer, I need to make sure that the program is not open when I try to open a file for it to work. If the program is already open when I try to open a downloaded file, nothing happens.
Module Lessons