Cardinal

[mridlen]

You know I like to share all the latest and greatest VSTs... this one is really about the most massive thing I've seen.

https://kx.studio/News/?action=view&url ... n-released

I think it has more modules than Buzz itself! It's also free and open source!

Cardinal.PNG (393.44 KiB) Viewed 2959 times

Now I just have to learn how to use a modular synth... goodbye social life...

[MarC]

Had a quick play with this. It does works in Buzz. I found the best way to get it working is to use the 64-bit vst2 dll. The 32-bit version is buggy (according to the authors) and VST3 is experimental.

I downloaded the zip release, and extracted the 64 bit VST2 dlls to my usual buzz VST folder.

It will still work with Buzz32, using the polac 64-bit VST bridge

You need to take the content of the resources folder from the same zip, and put everything in there into c:\program files\common files\cardinal

Like this:

Buzz_cardninal_folder.png (39.75 KiB) Viewed 2919 times

Next, start it up, and it will open with a default set up. It's really really cool. If you hover over the input / outputs, it will tell you the signal level, in terms of voltage, of that in/out. Really really cool.

Parameters are really easy to use as well. In the Buzz pattern editor, set the track parameter and value to what you want. There is a "Host Parameters" module that outputs those parameter values to where-ever you need

Quick screenshot of it running in buzz32:

Buzz_cardninal.png (296.56 KiB) Viewed 2919 times

[mridlen]

Dumb question to any of the regulars at algorithmic composition, but what machines can be rigged to send and (more importantly) receive CV? I found the click'n'pop which you can use to sync BPM from Buzz (although this is doing it the hard way).

Buzz_Cardinal.PNG (148.6 KiB) Viewed 2855 times

You have to set "mode" to P2 for how I have it set up.

[nathansnider]

(I should mention that I've only played around with Cardinal briefly, and I'm basing most of these suggestions off of my experience with the plugin version of VCV Rack, which works slightly differently, though Cardinal is based on much of the same code. I'm kind of assuming that the analogous modules in Cardinal work like the VCV ones.)

If all you need is a clock, there is a Host Time module that should produce clock trigger pulses whenever Buzz is playing. Similarly, Host MIDI will create CVs based on whatever notes you're sending it from Buzz. So if you want to do algorithmic compositions with something like IX Magic, you can just send notes from there to Cardinal and use the Host MIDI module to control stuff inside the plugin.

If you're trying to create envelopes or something in Buzz to send into Cardinal, I don't think there's really anything in Buzz that's purpose built for working with CVs, but you can get there by shaping DC offsets (which is all CVs are, really). You should be able to use a machine that can produce a DC offset (like Joachim's Tool, maybe), then shape that with like a Cheapo Amp, say with level controlled by PeerADSR. If you send that into Cardinal as audio, it'll work as a CV, I think (haven't actually tried this, mind you).

You can also automate Track Parameters via the usual process for controlling VST parameters in Buzz - either by entering them manually or by targeting the desired column via a peer control. The Host Params module in Cardinal should then produce CVs that you can use to control other modules.

For controlling Buzz machines from Cardinal, I think you're probably stuck with MIDI. Maybe you could take the audio output of a CV from Cardinal into PeerEnv and target Buzz machines from there? Anyway, that's all I can think of.