4 modules · Helix, Halo, Metro185, Skywave Free download

Atmos

Tone, space and time.

Four VCV Rack modules for shaping tone, space, and time: the Helix transistor-ladder filter, the Halo stereo repeater, the Skywave character delay with reverb, and the Metro 185 step sequencer. A filter, two stereo time effects, and a sequencer to drive them.

4 modulesFreewaremacOS (Apple Silicon)

The four modules

01 Helix

Transistor-ladder filter

A 4-pole Moog-style lowpass that self-oscillates and tracks V/oct, so it doubles as a sine source. Three twists go beyond a clone — DRIFT detunes the poles, FRICTION adds per-stage saturation, TURBULENCE feeds noise into the resonance. Simultaneous LP / HP / BP outs, selectable slope, drive, and 16-voice poly.

02 Halo

Stereo color repeater

A modulated multi-tap delay network with two independent zones and polarizing pitch drift, for smeared, gently detuned echoes that spread a sound across the stereo field.

03 Skywave

Character delay & reverb

A multi-model stereo delay with scatter reverb, themed on radio propagation. Three engines — longwave (tape), shortwave (bucket-brigade), and microwave (clean digital) — plus internal modulation, atmospheric hiss and crackle, freeze, and clock sync.

04 Metro 185

Step sequencer

An eight-stage sequencer in the M185 / Metropolis tradition: each stage has a pitch, a pulse count, and a gate type. The count and gate-type controls are vertical sliders and patchable over polyphonic CV, so the sequence itself becomes modulatable.

Design notes

05 Long-form by default

Set it and listen

Atmos modules assume the listener won't be holding still in front of a knob. Knob ranges resolve into multi-minute evolutions, modulation depths are calibrated for slow movement, and defaults sit at "interesting but not active." Patch one in and leave it.

06 Aesthetic

Warm-gold, few jacks

The family uses a warm-gold accent under each panel header and layouts that favor large knobs over crowded jack rows — these are tools you set once and listen to, not modules you re-cable every measure.

Get it

Each module ships as its own plugin

Free, and built to be played. Each module ships as its own plugin — grab the ones you want.

You'll need VCV Rack 2 — a free download for macOS, Windows and Linux from vcvrack.com/Rack. Download the .vcvplugin files below and drop them into Rack's user plugin folder, then restart — they appear under the SHLabs brand.

macOS (Apple Silicon). Windows, Linux & Intel builds coming via the VCV Library.