So I’ve been using Voltage modular with Renoise and it works good. But VCV has more modules and Reaktor seems more optimized (since it’s older) for low end laptops. What is your take? I can only afford one and I’ve been using VCV rack free version for some time, so I’m familiar with it but it’s always cool to try something new. And if you have an software I’ve missed! Let me know!
All the best/Sam
You should try Cardinal Synth (https://cardinal.kx.studio/) - it is A fully free and self-contained modular synthesizer based on the popular VCV Rack (description from official site). I use VCV Free and Cardinal (vst3/vst3i or clap version). It is opensource and has already built in almost all modules that are in VCV rack.
UPD: Also it can open modules created with VCV (and in the opposite direction).
I’d suggest Cardinal if you’re into modular synthesis, or plugdata if you’re more into the Reaktor-ey build-your-own-synth/fx type of modular.
Thanks for the recommendations. I’m familiar with both cardinal and plugdata. But will check them out again.
Reaktor and alpha forever
Alpha Forever is mind blowing and sounds ridiculously good ,so is reaktor but A.F. gui is just upto date .
Alpha Forever had no updates since 2022.01. It costs 80€.
Reaktor since 2020 i think. It costs 200€ (100€ with summer discount).
Nobody mentionned Max 9 (400€ for perpetual license, 14€/month with a subscription). But it’s more cpu hungry than Reaktor (I’m a Reaktor user).
I suggest Cardinal too. But if you want to build your own stuff, consider Plugdata rather than Pd.
If you’ve got money to spend, Reaktor is still a good choice, because of Rack (Eurorack style) and its user library with hundreds (if not thousands) of free instruments and effects. But be aware that you won’t find resources and tutorials to learn it deeply.
Plogue Bidule is the best modular plugin/system hands down
no it’s not
It doesn’t even have a propre low level dsp language , just some basic math arithmetic and that’s it
There is a big upate coming soon
Alpha forever is absoluttely amazing , while it can do really low level dsp it’s not as optimised as reaktor core since reaktor core has a verry efficient jit compiler , but according to the developer ( who is verry active on discord , well it’s actuallythebrohter of the developer ) this will change in the upcoming release,
Currently lua can be used for more efficient code
Exciting times !
While Alpha Forever is a bit cpu hungry , the audio quality is up there with the best of the best
It reminds of energyXT from back in the day that’s what drew me to it. A lot of stuff under the hood especially if you’re into non conventional midi routing. MuLab is pretty good too IMO. I never heard of Alpha though
Maybe we all have a dfferent understanding of the meaning “modular “
For met it’s not just “wiring together modules “ , it needs to be capable of handling 1 unit sample feedback loops .
Mulab , can’t do that either .
Alpha Forever is not widely known but it has been in development for over 20 years , the brothers used it in their own productions and it had a build in tracker interface ) , then went commercial .
Everything in alpha forver is of the utmost highest quality , from the dsp algoritms to the scalable vector graphics user interface , and I don’t say these things lightly , and everything is handled at the sampling rate , there is no lower clok rate for event processing .
Lot’s of video’s on youtube to show you wha it’s capable off
Few software packages are capable of doing filter design ( you need z-1 feedback loops )
You’re wrong.
Reaktor could do that long before core ( reaktor 5.0 ) , in fact it could do it since the beginning .
But building filters in primary is near impossible because of the cpu overhead , that’s why core is better and optimised
Here it is
Pure primary 1 unit feedback loops .
I send a 1 unit spike into reaktor , creating a feedback loop multipled by 0.99999 , the result is a decaying constant
Building simple fir filters in primary is easy
Also , if primary woulddn’t be able to do z-1 feedback , it wouldn’be able to do karplus strong synthesis etc..which it can btw .
I’ve build phase modulation operator feeedback ( yamaha style fm ) in primary , you wouldn’t be able to do that without z-1 feedback ,
And hey look , they even have a dedicated unit delay exactly for that purpose
People tend to forget , that reaktor really was way ahead of all the rest back i the day
Yeah , certain people don’t like it be proven wrong ,
Kvraudio is the place for you !
Hey don’t be talking smack about KVR 
. Sound design goes crazy in Alpha though.
Alpha looks great! But no demo! No refund policy. And no contact by email. A bit sad. No wonder it doesn’t have the attention it deserves.
I never quite understood why there’s so little content for Reaktor on YT. Official documentation is sparse. The forum is not very active, to say the least.
Learning Reaktor just by watching other ensembles is a bit painful.
Good software is not enough, companies need community management too.
most of my modulars work fine in renoise (voltage/reaktor etc) but these days i really love this one which is under the radar and so far works fine in renoise too… XSRDO Analogy Modular Synthesizer https://xsrdo.blogspot.com/ i dont use it for production but there’s a certain beauty 
He’s verry active on the alpha forever discord server and one of the sweetest and helpfull developers I’ve encountered (well his brother actually does all the heavy lifting ) .
There will be some biig changes coming soon and perhaps he will then again offer a demo period , but you really can’t go wrong it’s an absolutely amazing piece of software .
Buy it ! 
