Manual

SpaceTime

A multi-playhead arbitrary function generator for VCV Rack 2, built as a family of contiguous modules.

Release candidate: preview builds may contain defects, including crashes or loss of unsaved patch state. Back up important patches. Installation packages, source code, and issue reporting are available from the public GitHub repository.

Placement

Build the chain from left to right. Heads sit to the left of Program, Stage4 blocks sit to its right, and the optional MIDI module sits directly left of Program. Optional Head All is the far-left terminal. Head 1 is nearest Program; stage 1 is the first slider on the leftmost Stage4.

Head All (optional)Head ×1–8MIDIProgramStage4 ×1–16

A gap or foreign module ends the normal expander chain. A matched Glue Right/Glue Left pair can transport one SpaceTime chain fragment across a gap.

First patch

  1. Place one Head, Program, and one Stage4 so all three touch.
  2. Patch Head CV to an oscillator pitch input and Head REF to a VCA or LPG control input.
  3. Set several Stage4 voltage sliders to different positions.
  4. Choose a faster interval range on Program, then apply it to all stages.
  5. Press Start on Head. The position light moves and the outputs follow the programmed stages.

Core concepts

Stages own programming

Every Stage4 stores its own sliders and stage flags. Reordering blocks reorders the sequence without separating values from their programming.

Heads are independent

Every Head has its own transport, direction, region, clock source, timing scale, and output set while reading the same stage field.

Selection edits one stage

Program's Select control chooses the edit target. Holding Select while applying a modifier edits every stage. The Program context menu also offers a one-shot “Apply next edit to ALL stages” command.

First and Last define regions

First and Last flags can divide one field into multiple playable regions. A head chooses the region surrounding its current position and can loop or reset within it.

Module reference

Continue with the manual page for the module you are using:

Scope and attribution

SpaceTime is an independent software instrument inspired by the Buchla Model 248 and the Tiptop Audio/Buchla 248t, with full credit to Buchla and Tiptop Audio for the hardware instruments. It uses original code and artwork and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Buchla USA or Tiptop Audio. The VCV source and artwork are licensed GPL-3.0-or-later.

This manual describes the VCV Rack edition. The planned MetaModule edition is a separate fused instrument and will receive its own control map and acceptance record.