Voltage Modular Feature Requests

[GusGranite]

Seeing as it is the new year for many of us, it seems like a good time to take stock and, in the spirit of continuous improvement, collect our thoughts about what features might make Voltage Modular even more fun to use.

I am so impressed with what VM can do and with the amazing 3rd party developers who are really making it something special. I would love to see the community grow and I hope that 2023 is a very active year for VM development.

To the Cherry Audio developers, thank you and I hope you like this idea… Please jump in on the feedback if you have the time! If I am able to edit this first post going forward, I will keep adding to a list of unprioritized requests.

1. Collapsible cabinets. Big space saver. .
2. Bus configs saved in Cabinets
3. Collapsible modules. Minimize what you are not working on.
4. Adjustable sample rates
5. Receive midi clock and transport controls
6. Merge patches
7. Cabinets remember remotes [Implemented!]
8. CPU Meter per module, see which modules are hogging CPU.
9. Adjustable width blank module, stretch it to fit.
10. Cabinet presets, without affecting the other cabinets
11. Oversampling / anti-aliasing library module
12. Save dialogue that shows the presets list
13. Convert Cables to Bus
14. Show/hide cables by colour
15. Favourites filter in the module library
16. User naming of files created by the VM Recording utility.
17. Hide all cables and connections for developer store screenshots.
18. User nameable categories of favourites
19. Shortcut for the 2x interface zoom option or the focus feature from other CA synths integrated into VM.
20. Additional inputs and outputs.
21. 1U modules.
22. Serge and Buchla modules
23. Ability to sync custom categories to account across platforms
24. Ability to sync custom cabinets across platforms
25. Ability to sync favorites across platforms
26. Sort Manufacturers by A-Z in the module library
27. Right-click > insert module would place a module where you click and space the surrounding modules accordingly
28. Saving preferred patch cable color, patch cable transparency and window zoom between sessions
29. Stop the VM library from scrolling back to the top while syncing and downloading updates. [Implemented!]
30. Speed up the VM sync process
31. Filter library by module bundles (such as Nucleus) etc.
32. Duplicate a module for auto-linked stereo pairs
33. Copy paste settings from one module to another
34. Ability to rollback to previous version of module to troubleshoot any update bugs or compatibility issues.
35. 'Sort by module width' option in the library.
36. Include bundle in the ‘Hide Products I Own’ if you own all the modules in the bundle (without actually buying the bundle).
37. Use mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out and the middle mouse button to move on the surface. An option in the settings menu?
38. A 'Recently used' filter in the library
30. iLok or eLicenser support to eliminate the necessity to login to activate when you get a new computer or reinstall your OS.
31. New interface functions in VMD. Dialogs that can accept simple user input, like yes\no, or three-choice.
32. Better formatting options in the VMD dialog boxes. Lined-up columns, colours, etc.
33. Visual feedback on which knobs and buttons are midi controlled.
34. Ability to re-skin modules with a standard skin.
35. A new Mutator function similar to the Nord Modular G2's patch mutator. Also see Cong Burn VST called Strokes.
36. 4 part multi timbral slots (re Nord G1 and G2 Performances)
37. Variation to variation morphing similar to the classic preset parameter morphing
38. Performance knob assign "range". Range as in a highlightable range from 1-127 for each particular performance knob assigned control
39. Consistent display and layout settings when re-opening VM. E.g. last used vs default.
40. VM recognised as a MIDI output device in DAWs so VM sequencers can sequence external sound sources.
41: Review AndyMac's Consolidated Issues and Requests

VM Consolidated Issues and Requests (1).zip

(201.3 KiB) Downloaded 277 times

42: Save a user-defined default patch that can auto load on startup
43: ‘Add Cabinet’ option in the right-click menu to avoid going to the browser
44: Collapse the highest panel with the ins and outs, just like collapsing the library and performance panels.
45: An "alt+left click" or "ctrl+right click" that enables you, like a "hand tool" to drag the GUI wherever you want.
46. Hide/unhide purchased modules in the Library view
47. MIDI key controlled Variation selections to allow jumping between your Voltage Modular variations.
48. A more conventional Save behaviour. CMD/CTRL S should simply save, with no dialog requesting a name, just a flash of the Save button.
49. View the contents of the folder where I'm saving and even navigate to related folders.
50. An option to "lock" a parameter against variation. An example is adding a module like a mixer that you want in all Variations.
51. VMD: mass-kill all the "new or updated" module stars. If you have to flush the cache for any reason, all the modules reload with stars.
52. More granular module update process - list updates, show details, choose which updates to install
53. A method to simply ‘Rescan MIDI Devices’
54. A more fully featured Voltage Modular Arp
55. Cherry Audio Galactic and Space reverbs as modules
56. Full offline registration on Mac & PC that produces a keyfile based on your individual machine code

[Steve W]

I have withdrawn my praise and friendly suggestion.

[tristanshoutsf]

- adjustable sample rate. All modules currently run at 48kHz. Perhaps some built-in support (e.g., stock up/down-sampling filters) for internal oversampling as well.
- receive midi clocks + start/stop/continue to drive the transport section in the standalone version.

[GusGranite]

Updated first post.

[PoohBear]

Merge patches.

Cabinets remember remotes.

[Aarnville]

1. CPU Meter per module, so we can see which modules are hogging the CPU.
2. Adjustable width blank module, so we can have just one blank panel and stretch it to fit.
3. Cabinet presets, so we can load up settings for one cabinet without affecting the others.

[utdgrant]

1. #1 priority for me is a per-module (and total patch) CPU load meter. Please add my upvote to that suggestion.

2. This is more for the developer side but it would improve the lives of end users, too:

I'd like to see an oversampling / anti-aliasing library module in VMD which offers three or four settings of Off, x2 (96kHz), x4 (192kHz) and optionally x8 (384 kHz). This could be applied only to modules which would benefit from oversampling, e.g. non-linear distortion. Nipping alias frequencies in the bud before they exit the 'problematic' module at the standard 48 kHz rate would mean that downstream modules could still operate at the standard rate. This would save overall CPU time whilst safe in the knowledge that no new alias frequencies will be generated in clean-living, linear modules. Of course, MIDI and CV modules in general would never benefit from an oversampling option.

Placing all the upsampling, filtering and downsampling maths into a write-once library module would make per-module oversampling an easier option for developers to offer. Not transparent or zero-effort by any means, but certainly a lot easier than rolling your own solution in isolation. Many optimisations could be made based on the fact that you would only be dealing with a small, finite set of options / sampling frequencies.

From an end-user perspective, having a front-panel switch (or right-click option) would allow you to make a judgement on whether oversampling was worth the cost on a case-by-case, module-by-module basis.

[huggermugger]

Another vote for: collapsible and enlargeable modules, collapsible cabinets, CPU load per module, resizable blanks.

[huggermugger]

1. A save dialog that isn't blind. This drives me nuts. I want to see the presets list I'm saving into.

1.png (38.79 KiB) Viewed 879977 times

2. A "Convert Cables to Bus" option, the reverse of the existing "Convert Bus to Cables".

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3. A selective "hide cables" option, e.g. by colour. I realize the scope of VM's colour palette makes this seem awkward, but I mimic the colouring scheme that Nord Modular used (red=audio, blue=control, yellow=logic), and I can easily limit myself to four or five colours. Oh to be able to hide and show all those trigger/gate cables with a single click!

4. Favourites subcategories in the module browser.

5. User naming of files created by the VM Recording utility.

[Agentslimepunk]

This is a killer list. I agree with all of the above as well