Cardinal

by DISTRHO

Virtual modular synthesizer plugin

v26.02 GPL-3.0 inno x64

Install with winget

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

winget install DISTRHO.Cardinal

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1Open PowerShell or Command Prompt
2Paste and run the command above
3Follow any on-screen prompts to complete installation

About Cardinal

Cardinal, the Rack! Cardinal is a free and open-source virtual modular synthesizer plugin, available in AudioUnit/CLAP/LV2/VST2/VST3 plugin formats and as a standalone app for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, Windows and the Web. It is based on the popular VCV Rack but with a focus on being a fully self-contained plugin version. More specifically, this is a DPF-based plugin wrapper around VCV Rack, using its code directly instead of forking the project, with the target of having a self-contained, fully free and open-source plugin version of Rack. See the why section below for the reasons Cardinal exists, also for frequently asked questions check this FAQ document. Cardinal contains Rack, some 3rd-party modules and a few internal utilities all in a single binary. All "Core" modules from Rack have been replaced by Cardinal equivalents, simplified to better work for an audio plugin. Cardinal does not load external modules and does not connect to the official Rack library/store. All VCV branding has been removed (to the best of our knowledge) in order to avoid any trademark issues.

audioeuroracklv2musicpluginsoundsynthsynthesizervcvrackvst

Advanced Install Options

Install (latest)winget install DISTRHO.Cardinal
Install (pinned version)winget install --id DISTRHO.Cardinal -e --version 26.02
Upgradewinget upgrade DISTRHO.Cardinal
Uninstallwinget uninstall DISTRHO.Cardinal

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install Cardinal using winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run: winget install DISTRHO.Cardinal. Winget comes pre-installed on Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11.
What is Cardinal?
Virtual modular synthesizer plugin
Is Cardinal free to use?
Cardinal is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the publisher’s site for full licensing details.
How do I update Cardinal with winget?
Run winget upgrade DISTRHO.Cardinal in PowerShell or Windows Terminal to upgrade to the latest available version.
How do I uninstall Cardinal?
Run winget uninstall DISTRHO.Cardinal to remove Cardinal from your system.