[RWP] automation in reaper

Tue Apr 24 00:31:13 EDT 2012

Often, I find myself prefering the shift+p thing over the routing dialugoe, especially when it's an effect I am familiar with. It takes way less time, for example, to jump to a compressor's threshold, usually near the top of the parameter list this way, and I am usually working in real time with an active audio source, so can hear changes in real time. If I absolutely have to have real values, I'll use the other thing, but for lots of stuff, I don't even bother, unless I need to notch out very specific frequency bands or something. I'm done playing the numbers are everything game. Takes too much time.

It was even more convenient with the old ReaAccess, I think 1.20, since every parameter didn't have an associated number in the listbox.

On Apr 24, 2012, at 12:23 AM, indigo wrote:

> I just loaded ReaControl midi with the effects routing page method, and it looks very interesting.
> ReaControl Midi appeared to have only 1 preset, so showed nothing in the preset combo box, but when I tabbed down there were edit boxes and sliders at the arrow keys.
> It looks like a good way to send continuous controller messages, and use the pitch wheel, when the user has no other controller.
> I'll try automating some effects parameters with it soon.
> I have not tried tweaking effects parameters from shift+P.
> That parameters list is a very awkward way to tweak synth parameters, with so much tabbing up and down on each parameter.
> Just for curiousity, try Snowie's method for accessing effects parameters in some of the Rea plugs that won't show their presets.
> Insert a track with ctrl+T.
> Press enter, then the letter F.
> In the effects routing page, shift+tab up  twice to all plugins, arrow down to whatever kind of effect you want, arrow down 3 times for VST.
> Tab down once to show the VST effects plugs.
> Arrow to a plug and press enter.
> Then tab down to the combo box that ought to be  displaying the plug's presets.
> For many of Reaper's included plugs; in that combo box you may get the announcement No Presets.
> To display the plug's preset list, in jaws press Alt+down arrow, then press page down, and the presets will display.
> In NVDA and Wineyes; you don't need alt+down arrow, just press page down and the presets show.
> You'll be at the bottom of the presets list and need to arrow up through the presets.
> Press enter on a preset, then tab down and you'll find edit boxes and sliders to tweak values.
> 
> This method is very good for exposing effects presets and parameters without using the shift+P method; and way easier to tweak values without all that tedious tabbing up and down, and, instead of 0 to 1000 as values, you get many real world values, ms and frequencies in hertz, and equalizers have their bands and frequencies nicely laid out.
> It gives beautiful access, when you don't need to automate.
> I'll try your ReaControl Midi for that.
> By the way, you can't load a synthesizer from the effects routing page, I tried it in jaws, NVDA and Window-Eyes.
> Soft synths  appear to load, but I couldn't get a peep out of them.
> It works great for effects though.
> Indigo L
> 
> 
> 
> On 4/23/2012 6:12 PM, Patrick Perdue wrote:
>> Try opening something like Sony WaveHammer, a pretty old plugin with no
>> automated controls in that view, then using the shift+P method. You
>> won't get much under than wet and bypass. This is because the plugin
>> doesn't expose anything to be automated, and really has nothing to do
>> with Reaper itself. Same reason why you don't get things like file load
>> dialogues in samplers or convolution plugins in that view, etc. It
>> doesn't make sense to automate those..
>> Now, try doing the same with just about any given VST, included with
>> Reaper or not. Big difference
>> 
>> If a plugin doesn't expose a parameter to be automated, it won't show up
>> in the ReaAccess shift p thingy. Fortunately, many plugins do this for
>> most parameters that are worth changing, although you don't necessarily
>> always know what they are in some cases, like the Antress VST suite of
>> plugins, where most parameters are just labeled as "knob." But at least
>> you can tweak them, unlike with the native plugin UI.
>> 
>> What you described here works if Reaper is set to make all plugins
>> conform to a generic interface, and is the only way I know of to access
>> presets, but you can still get to any of those exposed parameters the
>> other way.
>> 
>> On 4/23/2012 5:14 PM, Indigo wrote:
>>> Then I don't know the difference between automatable parameters and just
>>> plain parameters for Reaper's effects plugins.
>>> Have you tried this method of inserting effects plugs from the effects
>>> routing page, Patrick.
>>> Jim Snowbarger, Royand I have been learning the method for weeks now.
>>> We get all the presets in a combo box, and all the parameters and edit
>>> boxes for their values at the tab key?
>>> Please enlighten as to how these aren't automatable parameters, and the
>>> difference in the parameters you access, okay?
>>> Thanks,
>>> Indigo L
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 4/23/2012 3:04 PM, Patrick Perdue wrote:
>>>> Nope, not really. Effects are effects, whether they are softsynths or
>>>> not. The exposed automatable parameters are accessed the same way for
>>>> either VST, VSTI, DX, DXI, JS, etc.
>>>> 
>>>> On 4/23/2012 2:40 PM, indigo wrote:
>>>>> Calvin, My previous post on accessing parameters by pressing shift+P in
>>>>> track view works for soft synths.
>>>>> You access parameters for effects in a slightly different way.
>>>>> I don't have Reaper on this computer right now to refer to to describe
>>>>> every exact move, but it's like this.
>>>>> Press ctrl+T to insert a track for the effect, press enter.
>>>>> Press the letter F to go from the track view to the effects routing
>>>>> page.
>>>>> Use the same tab and arrow key moves you use to find a soft synth from
>>>>> track view, in other words tab up to all plugins, select the folder for
>>>>> the kind of effect, you want, like JS, DXI, VST, whatever.
>>>>> Once you have an effects plug selected at your arrow keys, press enter;
>>>>> and the effect loads.
>>>>> Then, find a combo box at your arrow keys which displays presets for
>>>>> the
>>>>> plug.
>>>>> If it's a third party plug you've added to Reaper, its presets will
>>>>> already be displayed in a list at that combo box.
>>>>> If it's an included Reaper plug like ReaControl or ReaDelay, etcetera,
>>>>> you will find the announcement No Presets displayed, but don't worry.
>>>>> If you're in Jaws, press alt+down arrow, then press Page down, and the
>>>>> presets lists displays.
>>>>> You are placed at the bottom of the presets list, so will need to arrow
>>>>> up through the presets.
>>>>> Select a preset, press enter.
>>>>> Now, with each tab down, you find parameters for each of the plug's
>>>>> presets.
>>>>> There are edit boxes at your arrow keys to type new values into, or
>>>>> sliders at your arrow keys to change values.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Changes of effect values can be heard immediately.
>>>>> There's no okay key to save changes of values, you can save them by
>>>>> saving your project.
>>>>> In Window-Eyes or NVDA, you don't need to press alt+down arrow in the
>>>>> presets combo box; just press page down to display all the presets for
>>>>> Reaper's included effects plugIns.
>>>>> 
>>>>> As of now, actual automation of effects is still eluding us, unless you
>>>>> do them from a control surface, which is entirely possible, but I think
>>>>> you'll be impressed with how many presets, parameters and values you
>>>>> can
>>>>> access in Reaper.
>>>>> Indigo L
>>>>> 
>>>>> On 4/23/2012 8:28 AM, Calvin Botha wrote:
>>>>>> Hay all. Just stumbled upon this list after Reaper caught my
>>>>>> attention. I like reaper's speed and versitility but am still getting
>>>>>> use to its opporations as i'm a sonar user.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Anyway, I was wondering if it is possible to access the automatable
>>>>>> parameters of vst plug-ins from within reaper like in sonar's track
>>>>>> inspector. This often solved many accessibility issues with many vst
>>>>>> plug-ins.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> For those who have never used sonar, the track inspector allowed you
>>>>>> to see and edit the parameters of the current effect you had loaded.
>>>>>> For example, if you had a reverb plug-in that supported automation and
>>>>>> the interface wasn't jaws friendly, you could go to the inspector and
>>>>>> scrole to, for example, pre-delay and change its value by using the
>>>>>> plus and minus keys.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> My question is, is this possible in reaper?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Kind regards.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> DJ D at rkn3ss
>>>>>> 
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>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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