MUSICAL FEATURES
MetaModule is a new type of module that is a patched virtual software module that can be controlled using real knobs and jacks. You can create music with your hardware away from your computer while maintaining the flexibility and extensibility of your software.
Module Plugins and Patches
MetaModule includes clones of 4ms Company, Befaco, HetrickCV, NonlinearCircuits, Scanner Darkly, Mutable Instruments, and many utilities.Over 160 built-in virtual modulesThese modules are available for freeVCV RackYou can also use it on your computer with VCV Rack, create patches in VCV Rack and transfer them to MetaModule, or create patches directly on MetaModule. If the 160+ built-in modules aren't enough for you,Plug in even more modulesThere are already over 200 modules provided by third party plug-ins such as Bogaudio, Valley, ChowDSP, NANO Modular and more, and the number is growing.
Patches are created directly in MetaModuleVCV RackPatches can be created and transferred from the MIDI controller to the MIDI controller. Patches can be loaded from a microSD card, USB drive, or via the Wifi expander (see below), and can also be saved to the internal flash memory. Patches can also be named and described.
Knob and jack mapping
MetaModule has12 knobsEach knob has aup to 8Each mapping can be assigned a different range and offset, allowing for complex macro control.knob setYou can also save it as a MIDI controller and use the encoder to switch between the knob sets. The 8 inputs and 8 outputs can be mapped to jacks on virtual modules.USB MIDI hostIt's also possible to map MIDI CCs, notes, gates and other parameters to knobs and jacks, and you can create alias names for your mappings, such as "kick drum level."
Internal structure
The MetaModule has 6 CV/audio inputs, 2 gate inputs, and 6 CV/audio outputs. All CV/audio jacks are 24-bit, 48kHz DC coupled with a range of -10V to +10V. The USB-C jack accepts MIDI devices and USB sticks. Patches and plugins can be loaded via USB drive or microSD card, and the internal flash memory lets you store patches you want to return to at any time. The processor is more advanced than anything 4ms has used before and is one of the most powerful processors found in Eurorack. Start-up times and latency are very short.
expander
WiFi expanderfrom your computer by addingwirelessYou can transfer patches with .knob expanderIf you add , you will get 8 more knobs,button expanderAdding will increase the number of buttons.CV/Audio ExpanderAdding more high-resolution inputs and outputs,Gate in/out expanderAdding not only a gate jack but also TRS MIDI and I2C.
interface
Metamodule's simple and intuitive graphical interface allows you to zoom in for details or get a bird's-eye view of the bigger picture.Patch ViewIn , patches are displayed as faceplates and cables, with knobs, buttons and lights animated in real time.Knobset View" displays only the mapped knobs of the current knobset.Module View" displays just one module and lists the name of each jack, knob, and control in an easy-to-read format.Mapping View" allows you to fine-tune the knob mapping to suit your style and visual preferences.
Hardware configuration
- 12 knobs
- 8 CV/audio outputs, 24-bit 48kHz, -10V to +10V, DC coupled
- 6 CV/audio inputs, 24-bit 48kHz, -10V to +10V, DC coupled
- 2 gate inputs
- USB-C jack: MIDI host or MSC (external drive) host
- microSD card slot
- Internal flash RAM for additional patch storage
- Dual-core 800MHz Cortex-A7 and Cortex-M4 coprocessor
- 512MB DDR3 533MHz RAM
Interface
The explanation of each part is displayed by mouse over
Description Table of Contents
About VCV Rack
VCV Rackis a free, open-source modular synth software released by Andrew Belt in 2017, and it runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. It allows users to connect modules with patch cables to generate a variety of sounds. The modules used in MetaModule are compatible with VCV Rack, so if you want to create a complex patch for MetaModule, it is recommended that you create it in VCV Rack and then transfer it. For more information on how to do this, see
Using MetaModules with VCV Rack
The number of modules available in VCV Rack is constantly increasing, but the library function of VCV is useful for installing them in your VCV Rack. To use the library function, please create an account on VCV Rack.
The modules that can be used with MetaModule are only a portion of the modules that can be used with VCV Rack, not all of them can be used.
Please check here.The ones described above are MetaModule compatible modules.
quick start
A set of modules that are patched and assigned and loaded within MetaModule is called a patch. As a quick start, we will introduce how to save and call patches and update the firmware.
Loading a patch
1. When you start MetaModule, the screen on the right will appear, and you can choose from three options: Load Patch, Create New Patch, and Global Settings. Click "Load Patch."
2. Click on the patch.
3. Click the play icon
Creating a new patch
1.
Click "New Patch" on the main menu.
2.
Select the modules you want to add to the patch
In this example, we will use the Ensemble Oscillator (EnOsc) from 4ms Company.
Click once to show just the panel, then click again to add it.
3. Click on Module.
4. Click the "Action Menu" icon.
5. Select “Auto-Map”.
This maps physical knobs and jacks to EnOsc's virtual knobs, switches and jacks.
6. Play
Connect the MetaModule's Audio Out 1 and 2 to your speakers, turn the knobs on the MetaModule to control the sound, and optionally connect a modulation source to the Input jack.
Scroll to see the mappings, or use "Knob Set View" to see all mappings at once.
To add more modules, click the "+" icon on the button bar and repeat from step 2.
Firmware update
1. Click "Settings" on the main menu.
2. Click “Update”.
3. Download the firmware to a USB drive or SD card
Use the download link above, then save the "metamodule-firmware" folder to your drive.
4. Insert the drive into the MetaModule and click "Update Firmware"
The drive will be detected automatically.
The module must remain powered on during the update.
The update takes about 1 minute.
Editing in MetaModule itself
Check the knob and jack mapping
1. Click the “Knob” icon on the button bar.
2. Knob mapping is displayed
This is the "Knob Set" (see below).
As you turn some of the physical knobs, you'll see the knobs turn on the screen (a patch must be playing).
Click on a jack to view the jack's mapping.
3. The jack mapping is displayed.
knob set
A Knob Set is a group of knob mappings. Each Knob Set maps 12 physical knobs to the controls of a virtual module. For example, a Patch might have a Knob Set for each module. And then another Knob Set might control different tonal parameters, another Knob Set might control rhythmic elements, and yet another Knob Set might manage the overall mix.
A Patch can have up to 8 Knob Sets, but only one Knob Set can be active at a time. One physical knob can be mapped to up to 1 virtual knobs within a Knob Set. See "Multi-maps" for more information.
Switching knob sets
1. Click ">>" to display the next Knob Set
If a patch only has one Knob Set, the ">>" button will not be visible.
2. Click "Use" to activate the Knob Set
Your physical knobs will now control the parameters mapped to your new Knob Set.
Shortcut: The knob sets can also be switched by holding down the back button and turning the encoder.
Creating a New Knobset
There are several ways to create a new Knob Set:
- How to use the VCV Rack when creating patches - see Creating Knob Sets for more information.
- By clicking "(new knobset)" to create a new knob mapping (see next section).
- Select "Auto-map into new knobset" from the module's "Action" menu.
NOTE: Knob Sets can be named, however currently the only way to do so is when creating a patch in the VCV Rack. A future firmware release will allow you to edit the name within the MetaModule.
Create a new Knob Map/MIDI CC Mapping
1. Open the module and click Controls.
2. Click on a Knob Set that has not yet been mapped.
If you want to create a new Knob Set, click "(new knobset)".
Click MIDI if you want to map a MIDI CC to this knob.
3. Move the knob you want to map
If you are mapping a MIDI CC, it will send a MIDI CC message.
4. Click OK. The mapping is complete!
If you want to adjust the minimum and maximum values of the mapping or name the mapping, see Edit a Knob Mapping.
Editing Knob Mappings
1. Click on Mapping from Knobset
2.Go to the Knob View page.
3. Click "MIN" or "MAX" to change the range
When the physical knob is at the bottom, the virtual knob is set to its MIN value, similarly when the physical knob is at the top, the virtual knob is set to its MAX value.
Setting MAX less than MIN will make the virtual knob turn in the opposite direction to the physical knob.
4. Click on the knob name and enter an alias
An alias is the name you choose for a knob mapping. If this is a multimap, the alias applies to all mappings in the multimap.
Mapping to more than one knob (multi-mapping)
You can map up to eight virtual knobs to one physical knob. This is called a "multi-map". When you turn the physical knob, all the mapped virtual knobs turn in unison. Each virtual knob can have a different minimum and maximum value. In this way, a multi-map allows a MetaModule to act like a macro controller.
For example, if your reverb module has separate wet and dry level knobs, you can map a physical knob to both, and then create a crossfade between the dry and wet signals by setting min and max values so that turning the physical knob decreases the dry level and increases the wet level.
Another example would be using multi-maps in a polyphonic patch: you could have one physical knob controlling the pitch knobs of all the voices, another the waveshape knobs, and yet another the envelope shapes.
Multimaps live within Knob Sets, so each Knob Set can have its own maps and multimaps. There can be up to 8 Knob Sets, each Knob Set can have 12 knob multimaps, and each multimap can have up to 8 virtual knobs mapped to it, for a total of 1 virtual knobs mapped in a single MetaModule patch.
Multi-maps allow you to create new knob mappings on physical knobs that are already mapped.It will be automatically created in the current Knob Set. See Creating a New Knob Mapping for more information.
Check out the multi-map
When viewing a module that has mappings that are part of a multimap, the mappings will be shown as normal, but if you want to see all the virtual knobs that are mapped to a particular physical knob:
1. Click on the knob icon to go to the Knob Set page.
2. Multi-maps are displayed below the knob with a scroll bar.
Move the scroll bar left or right to view all mapped knobs.
Patching
There are two types of cables in MetaModule: those that connect the virtual modules to each other (also called internal cables) and those that connect the virtual modules to real panel jacks (also called jack mapping). VCV Rack supports polyphonic cables, but the current MetaModule version only supports monophonic cables.
Patching between virtual modules
1. Click on the jack and then click "New Cable".
The cable can start at the input or output, and if the jacks are already patched, the new cable is "stacked" on top of the existing one (acting as a passive multi).
If this is the first time you create a cable in this session, a pop-up will appear with instructions. Read the instructions and click OK.
2. Navigate to the jack you want to connect to
Find the module you want to patch and click on it, then scroll to the jack you want to patch and click on it.
Only active jacks are shown. You cannot connect multiple outputs to one input.
If you want to cancel creating a cable, click "Cancel Cable" or press the "Back" button on the Patch View page.
3. Done!
Note: Input jacks on a physical panel are treated like outputs, because they send signals to virtual modules. Therefore, if a jack is connected to an input jack on the panel, it cannot be patched to another output jack. You must disconnect the jack from the panel before patching it to another output jack.
Virtual module to panel jack patching
1. Click on the jack and then click on "New Panel Cable"
If the jack is already connected to a panel jack, this button will not appear.
2. Select the panel jack and click "Connect"
The drop-down menu shows any panel jacks that are already connected.
If you connect to a Panel Out jack that is already connected to something else, the existing cable will be disconnected.
If you plug it into a Panel In jack that's already connected to something else, it will stack on top of the existing cable.
Module Action Menu (To be added)
Module display settings (to be added)
Patch View Display Settings (To be added)
Patch Name and Description (To be added)
Patch File Menu (To be added)
Using MetaModules with VCV Rack
VCV Rackis a "virtual eurorack studio" that runs on your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. With thousands of free modules available, it's one of the most popular virtual modular platforms. There's a free open source version and a paid Pro version.
You can create patches on your computer with VCV Rack and play them with MetaModule. For patches that are more than a certain level of complexity, this is much quicker than editing them on the MetaModule itself.
Installing the 4ms module in the VCV Rack
Installing the 4ms module in VCV Rack Before creating a patch for MetaModule in VCV Rack, you need to install the 4ms module in VCV Rack on your computer. There are two ways to install it: as a VCV Rack library or manual installation. At this stage, only manual installation is possible.
Install as a VCV Rack library
We will add a description as soon as the feature is added.
Manual Installation
1. Download the latest version
Download linkClick.
Scroll down to the "VCV Rack Modules" section.
Download the version for your computer type: for Mac, download the x64 version if you have an Intel processor, or the arm64 version if you have a newer Apple Silicon processor.
2. Find the VCV Rack user folder
From the VCV Rack program, select "Open user folder" from the Help menu.
A folder called "Rack2" will appear on your screen.
Alternatively, you can open the folder manually:
MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Rack2/
Windows: C:\Users\AppData\Local\Rack2\
Linux: ~/.local/share/Rack2/
3. Place the downloaded file in the plugin directory
The folder will be named depending on the type of computer and operating system, but will always start with "plugins-".
For example, for Macs with Apple Silicon, it is "plugins-mac-arm64", and for Intel Macs, it is "plugins-mac-x64".
4. Exit and restart VCV Rack
Right-click (or control-click) on some empty rack space to open the Add Module page and ensure the 4ms module appears.
Creating a patch
1. Creating a patch with VCV Rack
Add modules, combine patches and configure knobs and switches just like you would with a hardware Eurorack system. If you get stuck using VCV Rack there are plenty of video tutorials on YouTube. Listen to your work with the VCV Audio module as you create your patches.
All 4ms modules are MetaModule compatible, plus around 800 more!
2. Add a MetaModule
Right-click (or control-click) on an empty rack space to bring up a list of modules. Find the MetaModule Hub (search for MetaModule or browse the 4ms branded list).
3. Map the knobs
First, click on the color ring around any knob in the MetaModule Hub. Then click on the knob, button, switch, or slider you want to map. Tip: When zoomed out, it may be hard to click on the color ring. You can also Shift+click on the knob itself to map it.
Up to eight virtual knobs can be mapped to one MetaModule knob - this is called a "Multi-Map".
4. Map the jacks
Map the jacks of the virtual modules to the MetaModules by patching them with cables.
For example, if you want to output the signal of a VCA Module's Output jack to the Out 1 jack of a physical MetaModule, drag a cable between them. If you want to hear that output, use two cables (Tip: you can create a new cable on top of an existing one by Cmd+drag on Mac, or Ctl+drag on Windows/Linux).
The MetaModule Hub does not send out any signals or do anything with the signals it receives - the cables plugged into the Hub are just there to tell the MetaModule what to map to each jack when you run a patch on the MetaModule.
Completed Patches
5. Save the patch
Give your patch a name by typing it in the top box, you can also enter a description and/or patch notes in the box below.
Click the red “Save” button.
Save the saved yml file to a USB drive or microSD card. You can also save your patches in folders to organize them, however MetaModule will not recognize patches in subfolders of a folder.
6 Loading a patch into a MetaModule
- Insert the disk or USB into the MetaModule.
- Go to the Patch Selector page and open the patch.
- Connect outputs 1 and 2 to an output mixer, speaker, or headphone amplifier.
- Press the play icon to start/stop the audio
Let the play begin!
Set the name and min/max range of the knob mapping
Right-click on the knob of the MetaModule Hub.
Enter a brief name for your knob mapping to make it easy to remember.
If you want to limit the range of the virtual knob, change the Min and Max values. Tip: If you make Max smaller than Min, the knob will rotate "backwards".
If multiple virtual knobs are mapped to this knob, each will have its own Min and Max slider.
Deleting a Knob Mapping
Right-click on the virtual knob.
Select "Unmap" from the menu.
This will remove the knob mapping.
Creating a Knobset in VCV Rack
Knobset Selection
Click on one of the yellow circles in MetaModule Hub.
Each circle selects a Knob Set (1-8).
The knob mappings for the selected Knob Set are displayed in the Patch. Creating, editing, or deleting knob mappings affects only the current Knob Set.
The mapped knob will not change value until you move the knob in the MetaModule.
Knobset Naming
Select a Knob Set and enter a name in the box above the yellow circle. This name will appear in the MetaModule.
MIDI mapping
MIDI Note, Gate, Velocity and Aftertouch Mapping
VCV Rack and MetaModules support polyphonic MIDI note, gate, velocity and aftertouch. The maximum polyphony is 16, but when creating patches for MetaModules, you should usually limit it to 4-8 for load reasons.
In addition to polyphonic note information, you can also map pitch wheel, mod wheel, clock, divide clock, retrigger, start, stop and continue.
These MIDI signals can be mapped to the jacks of the virtual modules by simply connecting cables, but in the case of MIDI signals, you do not connect them directly to the MetaModule; instead, you connect them to the built-in MIDI and SPLIT modules. The MetaModule recognizes these modules and reads their connections to generate the MIDI mapping for your patch. These modules are not visible when you load a patch into the MetaModule, but are used to tell the MetaModule how you want to map your MIDI. And because these modules work entirely within the VCV Rack, you can test how MIDI works on the VCV Rack before transferring it to the MetaModule.
1. Add a MIDI CV module to a VCV Rack patch.
2. Choose the number of polyphony channels
Polyphony refers to the maximum number of notes that can be played simultaneously.
Right-click on the MIDI-CV module to display the menu.
In the "Polyphony channels" field, select the desired number of channels.
3. Add a SPLIT module for each polyphonic MIDI parameter you want to map.
Since the MetaModule does not support polyphonic cables in the VCV Rack, you must use a SPLIT module to split the signal into monophonic cables.
You can now see the amount of polyphony you have just selected. It will be displayed on the SPLIT module screen.
4. Connect the cables from the SPLIT module to each module.
Plug it into any jack you want to MIDI map.
Finalize your patch as you normally would (e.g. mix the outputs and connect the mixer output to a MetaModule).
5. Finishing the patch
Finalize your patch as you normally would (e.g. mix the outputs and connect the mixer output to a MetaModule).
Create knob mappings from a MetaModule. Multi-maps are especially useful for polyphonic patches (shown in the image)
Mapping other MIDI signals
Same steps as above, but since these are not polyphonic signals there is no need to use a SPLIT module - just patch directly from the MIDI module to the jack you want to map.
1. You can use the MIDI-CV module to map pitch wheel, mod wheel, clock, divide clock, retrigger, start, stop and continue.
2. The MIDI-Gate module allows you to map MIDI notes to gates.
You can use the MIDI-CC-CV module to map MIDI CC signals to the jacks.
3. You can use the MIDI-CC module to map MIDI CCs to the knobs.
Click on an empty row in a MIDI-CC module to send a MIDI CC event, then click on a knob to create a mapping.
In the VCV Rack, yellow boxes indicate MIDI mapping, but be careful not to confuse these with the yellow boxes used by the MetaModule's Knob B. If in doubt, hover your mouse over the ring of Knob B. If the boxes of other knobs flash rapidly, they are mapped to a MetaModule.
Using Plugins
Plugin installation
1. Click "Settings" on the main menu.
2. Click on “Plugins”.
3. Download the plugin to a USB drive or SD card
Use the Plugins link above.
Save each .mmplugin file to your USB or SD card. You can save them in the root directory or in a folder called "metamodule-plugins".
4. Insert the drive into MetaModule and click "Scan disks"
Click on the plugin to load it.
Plugin Autoloading
If you want a plugin to always load automatically at power up, you can tell it to autoload in a MetaModule.
Note: The USB drive or microSD card containing the plugin files must be inserted into the MetaModule at power up, otherwise plugins can be loaded normally after bootup.
1. Click on the plugin name displayed under "PLUGINS LOADED"
If the plugin is not already loaded, follow the steps above.
2.
Check "Auto-load"
The autoload status of the plugin will be saved. Next time you power on, MetaModule will search the USB drive and SD card for plugins with the same name.
Note: If you have different versions of the same plugin on the SD card and on the USB drive, or in the metamodule-plugins/ folder and in the root directory, the wrong version may be loaded.
Check the modules in the plugin
1. From the main menu, click "New Patch", or you can click the "+" icon on an existing patch.
2. Click on the name of the plugin to browse its modules
Click on any module to display it without the roller menu.
A second click will add the module to the current patch.
