Eurorack emulation VCV Rack V2.0 development update
Andrew Belt of VCV Rack has posted an update on the development of version 2 which includes interesting details on the future of this popular modular platform.
VCV Rack 2.0
It’s not an easy job developing something that’s quite so enormous, has so many moving parts and a massive and enthusiastic user base. Since the beta release in 2017 VCV Rack has grown into a ridiculously versatile and comprehensive software modular platform with over 2,500 modules. This thing is immense and the core software and many of the modules are completely free.
At the end of last year development on version 2 was continuing apace. The development was along the lines of a conversation between Andrew and the community of users. They’d already been through ideas of bridging the currently standalone software to DAWs but that ended up being discarded in favour of a fully VST plugin version. But that takes time and resources.
In the latest development blog update Andrew shares how it’s been difficult both emotionally and mentally to work on the new version which gives us a glimpse at the sort of pressure he must be feeling to get this right. However, he believes that V2 will be an awesome update when it arrives and will solve at least half the criticism of V1. While he apologises for the time it’s taking he really doesn’t need to – he does awesome work and should take all the time he needs.
VCV Rack 2 · Source: VCV Rack
So, what’s new?
The new version of VCV Rack will include the standalone version and the VST2 version in a single installer. Previous ideas of having a separate VST version have been discarded. It also comes with a price for the first time. The VCV Rack bundle will be $99 on release and $149 later on. The pricing may come as a shock but I believe it’s the best way to ensure continued development and support going into the future. Besides, there will still be a fully free version.
Rack CE (Community Edition) is a standalone version that will continue the tradition of a completely free open source version that anyone can enjoy. If you need the VST version and professional support then you’ll need to invest in the bundle version. That all seems fair enough to me.
The development blog lists all sorts of milestones in the development of version 2 from interface tweaks, to browser development, MPE support, tooltips and much more besides.
VCV Rack is an amazing piece of software right now. The music being made, the modules being developed, the expanding of modular minds all pay tribute to this fantastic piece of software. It’s every bit as important and creatively empowering as the rise of hardware modular and I have every confidence that Andrew will get to V2 when he’s good and ready.
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3 responses to “Eurorack emulation VCV Rack V2.0 development update”
I’m not sure I need a VST version, but I’ll probably purchase it to support Andrew’s work. I do hope the heavy CPU usage issue of v1 gets addressed in v2.
HEAVY cpu. Most Problem. Not VST.
seconding what’s said above. the only real priority should be the CPU usage optimisation, not VST.