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VCV Rack VS The Coding Train

Compare VCV Rack VS The Coding Train and see what are their differences

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VCV Rack logo VCV Rack

A cross-platform modular synthesizer.

The Coding Train logo The Coding Train

Online learning resource for beginner-friendly creative coding tutorials and challenges.
  • VCV Rack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-06
  • The Coding Train Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14

VCV Rack features and specs

  • Modular Flexibility
    VCV Rack offers a highly modular environment, allowing users to create custom setups with a wide array of modules available. This provides significant creative freedom for sound design and experimentation.
  • Cost-Effective
    The basic version of VCV Rack is free to use, making it an accessible entry point for those interested in modular synthesis without having to invest in expensive hardware.
  • Community and Support
    A large and active community around VCV Rack provides extensive support, tutorials, and third-party modules, ensuring users can find help and inspiration easily.
  • Expandability
    VCV Rack supports third-party modules and plugins, allowing users to expand their setup with new functionality and sounds as they see fit.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    VCV Rack is available for multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad accessibility.

Possible disadvantages of VCV Rack

  • Learning Curve
    For beginners, the sheer number of modules and the complexity of modular synthesis can be quite daunting, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    VCV Rack can be demanding on system resources, requiring a powerful computer to run smoothly, especially when using numerous or complex modules.
  • Lack of Integration
    The free version of VCV Rack does not support direct integration as a plugin in DAWs, which can limit its use in professional studio workflows (this feature is available in the paid version called VCV Rack Pro).
  • Standalone Limitations
    As a standalone application, it requires additional steps to route audio and MIDI to/from a digital audio workstation (DAW), potentially complicating the workflow.
  • Stability Issues
    Being an open-source project with a continuously growing library of modules, users might encounter occasional bugs or stability issues, particularly with third-party modules.

The Coding Train features and specs

  • Comprehensive Content
    The Coding Train offers a wide range of tutorials and courses that cover various programming languages and technologies, providing a comprehensive learning resource for beginners and advanced users alike.
  • Engaging Teaching Style
    Daniel Shiffman, the creator of The Coding Train, is known for his enthusiastic and engaging teaching style that makes complex topics more approachable and fun to learn.
  • Community Support
    The Coding Train has a strong community of learners and contributors, providing additional support, collaboration opportunities, and feedback through forums and social media platforms.
  • Free Access
    A significant amount of content on The Coding Train is available for free, making it accessible to learners from different backgrounds and financial situations.
  • Creative Approach
    The platform encourages a creative approach to learning programming by integrating art and visual experiments, which can be particularly appealing to visual learners and those interested in creative coding.

Possible disadvantages of The Coding Train

  • Variable Depth
    While The Coding Train covers a wide variety of topics, the depth of coverage can vary, and some complex topics may not be explored in detail, potentially requiring supplemental resources for thorough understanding.
  • Unstructured Paths
    The coding tutorials and projects are available in a non-linear format, which might be overwhelming for new learners who benefit from a more structured, step-by-step learning path.
  • Focus on JavaScript and p5.js
    Much of the content focuses on JavaScript and the p5.js library, which might not be ideal for learners looking to study other languages or frameworks comprehensively.
  • Limited Interactive Features
    The platform primarily consists of video tutorials, which might not offer the same level of interactivity and immediate feedback as some modern coding platforms with in-browser coding and hands-on exercises.

VCV Rack videos

+ Add

VCV Rack vs Hardware: is there a difference? Testing Mutable Instruments Clouds, Rings and Elements

More videos:

  • Review - 10 awesome FREE modules in VCV Rack (Review with techno patches)

The Coding Train videos

No The Coding Train videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VCV Rack and The Coding Train)

VCV Rack

The Coding Train

3D
100 100%
3D
0% 0
Education
0 0%
Education
100% 100
Music Generation
100 100%
Music Generation
0% 0
Online Learning
0 0%
Online Learning
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VCV Rack should be more popular than The Coding Train. It has been mentiond 115 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

VCV Rack mentions (115)

  • Learning Synths
    If you want to understand (Subtractive) synthesis. The best way is to get copy of VCV rack and follow a few tutorials. If you patch one subtractive mono synth voice once, you understand 80% of all subtractive synth architecture moving forward. https://vcvrack.com (open source and wonderful). - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Dynamicland 2024
    I wonder whether someone already has build away to create modular synthesizer using block with knobs on the table. A line on the top of the knob would signal its position. (In the video I saw some shots that looked like sequencers.) You would also need some mechanism to connect the modules together. I played around with VCV Rack [1], but adjusting knobs with a mouse feels very different than using your hands to... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Enlightenmentware
    I have a couple of these to add as well: VCVRack - simply one of the most mind-expanding things a synthesizer-nerd can play with. (https://vcvrack.com/) ZynthianOS - another example of a simple software solution to a problem nobody realized existed, opening the door to an absolutely astonishing array of Audio processing tools (https://zynthian.org/). - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Comment here about whatever you're passionate about at the moment
    > It’s haven’t bought any Modular’s yet but I’m really looking forward to getting into other on the new year. http://cardinal.kx.studio https://vcvrack.com/ The former is libre and gratis, runs as a standalone or plugin and in the browser!! and is based on the latter. Ther former has a libre and gratis standalone version, the plugin version is non-gratis. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
    A music synthesizer. It's a pathway to learning electronics, music, and the nature of sound. There are cheap kits, cheap synths, lots of kinds of synths, and there are much more complicated and expensive systems you can grow into. You can get software synths also, VCV Rack is a free though complex one: https://vcvrack.com/ However I'd recommend an inexpensive hardware one with real knobs you can turn, like one... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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The Coding Train mentions (24)

  • p5.js
    He has a knack for picking visual interesting problems/algorithms and his enthusiasm is unmatched. https://thecodingtrain.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Was BASIC that horrible or better?
    I'd say Scratch is the #1 way kids to day are introduced to programming For parent that have some 8bit experience, Pico-8 (LUA) is also relatively popular. It's basically like running an Apple 2, Atari 800, Commodore 64 as if it booted into LUA instead of Basic. You can trivially draw things, and peak and poke bytes into "Screen memory" if you want to feel like you're "touching the hardware" JavaScript is also... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Sketch execution issues
    You can always look at the help videos by Shiffman at (the coding train) Specifically: help guide to p5js. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: How to teach a kid of 15 Linux and programming
    > how do I get him learning programming in a fun way? Processing / P5.js can be pretty fun to learn. You use a real programming language to create art and animations. With little code you can get a circle on the screen, then making it move, then following your mouse, then adding other shapes, then changing colour depending on some event… It’s conductive to experimentation and a way to gradually introduce concepts.... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Help needed: Rinkeby and other test networks won't appear
    Another great free site https://thecodingtrain.com/ to have in your pocket :D have fun out there! Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VCV Rack and The Coding Train, you can also consider the following products

Pure Data - Pd (aka Pure Data) is a real-time graphical programming environment for audio, video, and graphical...

p5.js - JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences

SuperCollider - A real time audio synthesis engine, and an object-oriented programming language specialised for...

Nature of Code - How can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software?

TouchDesigner - TouchDesigner is a visual development platform that equips you with the tools you need to create stunning realtime projects and rich user experiences.

Processing - C++ and Java programming at the speed of thought.

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