library/repos/Alikins

VCV Rack plugin

Plugins for use with VCV Rack virtual module synthesizer (https://github.com/VCVRack/Rack)

Modules

IdleSwitch

What

An ‘idle loop’ inspired module for detecting when an input is idle and turns on a gate until it sees activity again.

If no input events are seen at “Input Source” within the timeout period emit a gate on “Idle Gate Output” that lasts until there are input events again. Then reset the timeout period.

Sort of metaphoricaly like an idle handler or timeout in event based programming like GUI main loops.

The timeout period is set by the value of the ‘Time before idle’ param.

Input event

An “Input event” is a gate or trigger (or a CV or audio signal that looks sufficently like a gate or trigger).

After a input event, the Idle Gate Output will remain on until an input event is seen at Input Source. When there is an input event, the Idle Gate Output is turned off until the expiration of the ‘Time before idle’ or the next ‘Reset idle’.

Reset timer

If there is a ‘Reset timer’ source, when it gets an event, the timeout period is reset. But unlike an “Input event”, a ‘Reset timer’ event does does not reset the idle status.

After “Reset time” event, the “Idle Gate Output” will remain on until an input event is seen at Input Source. When there is an input event, the Idle Gate Output is turned off until the expiration of the ‘Time before idle’ or the next ‘Reset idle’.

To use the eventloop/gui main loop analogy, a ‘Reset idle’ event is equilivent to running an idle handler directly (or running a mainloop iteration with no non-idle events pending).

Clock input

If a cable is hooked to the “Clock Input” then the pulse from the clock will determine with the idle time expires. When there is a clock pulse, if there were no input events since the previous clock pulse that is considered idle.

The “Time before idle” display will reflect the time since the last clock pulse. The “Time remaining” display will always show 0 for now, at least until it can predict the future.

Time input and output

The “Time input” expects a CV output between 0 and 10V. The voltage maps directly do the number of seconds for the idle timeout. Eg. a 5.0V CV to “Time input” sets “Time before idle” to 5000ms (5.0 seconds)

The “Time output” sends a CV output between 0 and 10V indicating the “Time before idle” value.

The “Time output” can be used to connect one or more IdleSwitch modules together so they share the same “Time before idle”.

In “Clock input” mode, the “Time Output” will correspond with the “Time before idle” display until the time is over 10s, then the “Time output” will max out at 10V.

Why

Original intentional was to use in combo with a human player and midi/cv keyboard. As long as the human is playing, the IdleSwitch output is ‘off’, but if they go idle for some time period the output is turned on. For example, a patch may plain loud drone when idle, but would turn the drone off or down when the human played and then turn it back on when it stopped. Or maybe it could be used to start an drum fill...

The ‘Reset idle’ input allows this be kind of synced to a clock, beat, or sequence. In the dronevexample above, the drone would then only come back in on a beat.

And perhaps most importantly, it can be used to do almost random output and make weird noises.

MomentaryOnButtons

A set of GUI buttons that send a +10V output while pressed.

License

BSD 3-clause. See LICENSE.txt