Adroit Synthesis modules are downloadable software components in Cherry Audio’s Voltage Modular – a virtual modular synthesizer system that works as a plug-in or standalone program on both Windows and Mac computers.
Voltage Modular is essentially a simulation of a hardware modular synthesizer. But because it is implemented in software it has advantages such as much lower cost, greater portability and the ability to save and reload patches.
If you are new to modular synthesis you can download the Cherry Audio Nucleus package for free and see what all the fuss is about. All you need is a little spare time to explore. Warning: you may become addicted!
Once you are familiar with the basics of Voltage Modular you can download Adroit Synthesis modules from the Cherry Audio Store and use them at no cost for a demo period to evaluate their potential.
Table of Contents
Products
There are five different bundles of Adroit modules available…
The N-Step sequencer
N-Step is a sophisticated extendable step sequencer designed for live performance and generative music applications.
The N-Step bundle consists of N-Step Main, N-Step Aux, N-Step Remote and three modules borrowed from LSSP XL that handle chord and scale information (Chord, Chord Memory and 8 to 1 Poly Switch).
The Adroit Synthesis Granular Synth
The Granular Synth is an advanced granular synthesizer that fully integrates into the Voltage Modular system but can also be used as an instrument in its own right.
The Granular Synth bundle consists of the main Granular Synth module, three modules borrowed from LSSP XL that handle chord and scale information (Chord, Chord Memory and 8 to 1 Poly Switch) along with GS MIDI X a module designed with keyboard players in mind and GS Multiplex a module that offers multi-timbral layering tools and forms an ideal bridge between the Granular Synth and the N-Step Sequencer.
An optional Breakout module is also available that enables even deeper interaction between the Granular Synth and other modules in a Voltage Modular patch.
Click here for extensive documentation on the Granular Synth
The Large Scale Sequencing Project
The Large Scale Sequencing Project (LSSP for short) is a fancy name for the concept of mapping the structure of a musical composition onto a collection of interconnected Adroit Synthesis modules.
Its design stemmed from a sense of frustration with the limited scope of piano roll editing and the fact that existing modular synthesizer technology focuses lots of attention on sound design and small scale sequencing but hardly addresses the problems involved in large scale musical composition.
The diagram below shows an overview of LSSP.
Each of the blocks in the diagram represents one or more modules in a Voltage Modular patch.
This diagram might not make a great deal of sense initially but when you have explored the modules a little it might be worth coming back and looking at it again as it could help you gain a more holistic perspective of the architecture.
One important thing to note is that LSSP generates signals that control other modules and it is these other modules that then generate sounds. LSSP itself doesn’t generally produce any audio signals (although technically some modules are capable of producing or processing audio signals).
The Large Scale Sequencing Project’s raison d’etre is to provide you with modular tools for composing music.
If you are interested in finding out more about the reasoning behind LSSP then check out the Design Philosophy page.
LSSP is a large scale and mostly novel architecture. It’s not a collection of run-of-the-mill modules that are very similar to things you might have already encountered. It’s not ridiculously complicated and many elements should feel at least vaguely familiar but it consists of over 50 different modules and is ambitious in scope.
For this reason a subset of LSSP is available called LSSP 101. This is more affordable than LSSP XL and is supported by a series of easy to follow tutorials that introduce various modules and concepts step by step.
If you opt for LSSP XL rather than LSSP 101 then these tutorials are still very valuable, it’s just that they only require the subset of modules provided by LSSP 101 to work.
The Adroit Toolkit is a handy collection of tools. Some of its modules such as CV Watcher and Note Watcher were specifically created to help test LSSP but have become popular general purpose tools in their own right.
An automatic discount on LSSP XL will be applied if you have already purchased LSSP 101 or the Adroit Toolkit.
Skins
By default LSSP modules use a background that’s called the “classic” skin…
But many people prefer a plain dark background, so a Skin module is provided that enables you to easily select the background you prefer.
