The Geodesics set of modules have piqued my interest ever since I started with VCV Rack. Their distinctive design alone makes me want to use them more and the functionality that they offer is unlike most modules that I've been using so far. But that's exactly what kept me from using them more often: most of the modules never really fit into the patches I was working on.
So if you're interested in a collection of modules, but never get around to actually using them, how can you get to know them more in depth? You start working on a patch in which you use the Geodesics modules as often as you can. And even if there is a different module that does exactly what you have in mind, check first if there isn't a way to do it with a Geodesics module without making it too complex. And yes, that does mean that all the voices are generated by the Dark Energy oscillator. Which I don't mind, because that's the module that I was already using a lot in my previous patches anyway.
As usual, this patch started with a chord progression that is driving the bass line. The Ions module has two 8-step sequences in C minor and will switch between them at random at the end of each sequence. These notes are sent in two octaves through the Dark Energy module, in which the second VCO is switched to the LFO mode. This, combined with the modulation that is applied to the Cross Index and Self Index inputs provides some movement in this voice that occasionally turns into a slight growl.
The second voice in this patch uses the sequence generated by Ions and gets the chord notes based on this from the dIKTaT module (more specific: the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th notes of the active chord). These notes are sent to the top part of two Pulsars modules, which will move up and down these note sequences (where the movement direction and frequency is driven by the "Free will" of a set of Fate modules). The resulting notes are sent in two different octaves through a Dark Energy module into a filter which uses the same Fate modules as before to move the cutoff frequency and resonance. Each of the voices then gets sent into a ping-pong delay, the output of which is slowly crossfaded over the stereo field.
The output of the filter in the previous voice is also reused by the third voice in this patch. It is sent through a Torus module in low/high pass mode, which is then connected to a Pulsars module. An Energy module in LFO mode instructs the Pulsars module which signal to send to a reverb module. Only the wet output of this reverb module is sent to the mixer, where this voice will be panned from left to right by the previously mentioned Energy module.
So far, the Entropia module hasn't been used yet to construct a sequence. The fifth voice in the patch will change this. Two different sequences have been programmed into it, and a slow triangle wave (attenuated by the Torus module) will make Entropia slowly move from one sequence into the other. To add some more randomness to the sequence, a Fate module will occasionally add or subtract a random voltage from one of the notes. Another Fate module randomises how often the clock triggers actually reach this voice. The resulting notes are once more sent to a modulated Dark Energy module.
A final way used to generate a sequence is complete randomness with the Branes module. But even complete randomness must be kept in check, so Branes is set in the yellow "Young" mode, where each incoming trigger will cause only one of the outputs to get a new random value at a time (while the others keep their previous value). Four of these outputs (in the -1 to 1 volt range) are sent to the Blackholes module, where they are attenuated by four different Branes outputs (in the -5 to 5 volt range). The resulting sum defines which note to play. A Dark Energy with no VCA applied to it will play this note. But since the second VCO of the oscillator is set to LFO mode, the resulting notes will still fade in and out. And since there are some extra outputs left on the Branes module, these are used to modulate Dark Energy after being attenuated by a Torus module and being sent through a Slew (to avoid pops and clicks on sudden value changes).
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__ Setup __
- VCV Rack 2.3.0 on Windows
- All audio generated internally within VCV Rack (no external connections)
- Video is captured by OBS
- Audio output is sent through a VB-Audio Virtual Cable to Ableton Live
- Audio recording synced to OBS, and fade added at the end with Reaper
- OBS video and Reaper audio are merged and cut to length using Shutter Encoder.
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