In VCV Rack, cables carry either audio signals or CV (control voltage) modulation signals

VCV Rack uses virtual cables connecting module ports. Every cable carries one of two signal types: audio (waveforms intended for the speaker) or CV (control voltage — modulation sources like envelope outputs, LFOs, sequencer pitch and gate signals). A module’s output socket is coloured black; an input socket is white. Understanding this distinction is essential before patching, because routing an audio signal to a CV input (or vice versa) will not crash VCV Rack but will produce unexpected results. CV signals for pitch in Eurorack-style modular follow the 1V/Oct standard, where each volt corresponds to one octave.

Examples

VCO-1 SIN output (audio) → Mixer IN. SEQ-3 ROW1 output (CV, pitch) → VCO-1 V/OCT input. ADSR output (CV, envelope) → VCF FREQ input. Observing signal types: audio signals oscillate rapidly on an oscilloscope; CV signals move slowly.

Assessment

Label three cables in a basic patch as either ‘audio’ or ‘CV’. Explain what would happen if you patched the ADSR output (CV) directly into the Audio-8 output module.