Modular Thunderstorm / A 5.1 performative soundscape patch in VCV Rack
24Unfortunately 5.1 isn't well supported by Youtube, so I've mixed the original 6 channels down to stereo for this video.
The other day I got the idea in my head and decided to put this together. I've always loved the sound of storms and have really been missing them recently; I can't recall the last time I heard thunder. There are still things that can be fixed and improved on here, but I've had a lot of fun with this cross between technology and nature.
What's going on in this video:
There are three main parts to this. Wind (two sources), Rain (five sources), and Thunder (six sources). This patch is, for the most part, a lot of white noise being manipulated in different ways. For ease of modulation I used a number of Audible Instruments' "Macro Oscillator" modules.
I've mapped controls for the patch which allows the storm to be "performed" so to speak. Elements of the storm can be brought in and out, with parameters of each element adjusted on the fly as well. It's a lot of fun to "shape" a storm. Controls are:
Rain 1 volume
Rain 1 intensity/drops per second
(Rain 1 sounds a bit like rain on an umbrella)
Rain 2 volume
Rain 2 intensity/drops per second (timbre of PRTC preset on AI's Macro Oscillator)
Rain 2 contains four instances of a particle generator being sent to front left, front right, back left, back right speakers individually.
Swooshing wind volume (being panned around the room)
White noise/wind rustling in trees volume (being panned around the room)
Volume of Low thunder rumbles (Constant heavy subwoofer rumbles, back speakers)
Control over 5 separate thunder claps - One that's moving around the room, and one for front left, front right, back left, and back right. These each have controls for volume, and control over how often thunder will be triggered. For ease of shaping the storm, there are also buttons for triggering these thunder claps individually, and separate controls for routing the thunder to the sub woofer for really heavy rumbles.
Download the patch here if you'd like to use it! :) https://patchstorage.com/modular-thunderstorm-controllable-5-1-ready/
Recorded at OC2 Sound in NYC.