Comments on: MOTU Volta, Mac Software Plug-in for Your Analog Gear, Now Shipping

By: Damon

Damon — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:05:45 +0000

This amazing magic is beyond me… That MOTU guy is smart.

By: Erip

Erip — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:24:12 +0000

So let me get this right: the DA converters inside my MOTU 828 normally send out waveforms, but they can hold a certain potential for a long time? Won’t this break the converter when they have to stay at +3.71 Volts for 10 minutes?

By: magicfromspace

magicfromspace — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:40:53 +0000

i sure wish this worked on presonus gear. i would have bought it :(

By: dan kirkhus

dan kirkhus — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:42:36 +0000

to me, the advantage of using a DAW as the hub for CV is one of control and flexibility. basically, you can do a whole lot more with just one or two pieces of outboard modular gear. and if you’re using a host with beat/loop mangling capabilities (such as ableton live) you can make your modular gear do stuff that was previously impossible, or at least difficult and very expensive.

and then you hit “save” and it’s a preset.

i’ve been using live clips/simplers/drum racks to send CV for a couple of months (i started experimenting when volta was announced.)

you don’t need to learn max, or buy a mac, or even volta to do some amazing stuff. you just need a dc-coupled output from your daw.

i posted some quick tutorials on the toob around a month ago:
http://www.youtube.com/user/tremorcore

By: Skaggs

Skaggs — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:24:47 +0000

@ Peter Kirn

I hope my post didn’t come off as “nay-saying” as I’ve been excited about the recent resurgence of CV/Analog gear over the last 5+ years. Seeing this is an awesome addition to the arsenal of modular bits old/new. It makes perfect sense what you replied with, and I suppose I didn’t take that into account. Thanks!! :)

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:19:59 +0000

Well, look, I think if you watch Matthew’s videos you get an *exact* idea of how this would work. And I think originally this came out of his own personal need and ideas (he was the developer), you know, so it wasn’t as though MOTU sat down at a conference table and said, where’s the money at? I know! Control Voltage!

It’s probably not for everyone, but I would say most great products evolve exactly out of that — out of someone’s personal need. There’s almost always another way of doing it. But people choose to build things because they like doing things in a certain way.

By: Skaggs

Skaggs — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:16:50 +0000

Is MOTU assuming that those who have spent the money on a nice modular rack didn’t add any sort of outside sync abilities?

http://bit.ly/14eD10

Isn’t it simply sending CV commands from a MOTU FW/USB interface as opposed to a module within the rack or step sequencer? Granted you can probably come up with endless modulation curves with a MAC/PC, but beyond that whats the difference? A G.U.I.? If you’re synced to a DAW’s MIDI clock isn’t it just as easy to route the (now in sync) audio from your modular system back into your DAW and add the audio damage plug in there?

Again I’m all for the new, but if you already have a load of modules or step sequencers that are there for sync, pattern sequences and keyboard note commands- is Volta adding a new element or sort of chipping away a few bits of module hardware to accomplish the same task? Equally, say if I’m building a modular system, would it be who of me to strike all the MIDI interface bits and go with a new MOTU FW/USB interface + Volta?

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:50:34 +0000

@manuel: Because this isn’t a MIDI to CV converter; you actually have all of these facilities built into the plug-in, which is convenient. As I said, take a look — there’s more than control there, it can be useful for calibration, etc., too.

@Jurgen: Well, all the Moog stuff is CV-controlled, so that includes much more affordable items like the Moogerfoogers and such. And yeah, Buchla and Moog modulars are rare, but a lot of people have gotten into newer modulars, not to mention plenty of older gear lying around, pre-MIDI, that may have CV in.

I think the number of people proportional to the entire population would be quite low, yes, but of all of the people likely to have that gear, a disproportionate number read this site. ;)

By: manuel

manuel — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:44:46 +0000

can anyone tell me why would you choose this instead of any cheaper hardware that does almost the same

http://www.paia.com/midi2cv.asp

By: Jurgen

Jurgen — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:36:12 +0000

I’m a bit confused about the excitement – just how many of you have a Buchla or a minimoog around? or am I missing that recently there were many devices with a cv gate interface introduced to the market…