[RWP] working with multi-channel audio and the master track, plus effect routing

[Patrick Perdue]

Hi all:

I suspect this is all down to limitations of either Reaper 3.x, 
ReaAccess with said, or both, but here we go anyway.

I'm working on a rather odd project that requires four channel audio. I 
can successfully render four channels to one file within Reaper, but 
it's a bit hard to monitor what's going on with channels 3 and 4, 
because there is only one hardware output on the master track, routing 
1/2 to 1/2, the default, of course. I can route 3/4 to 1/2, but still 
can't monitor both sets of channels at once. I can fake this with sends 
and additional tracks with their own hardware outputs, but I shouldn't 
have to do that.
Basically, I just want to add a second hardware output to the master 
track, but as far as I know, there is no easy way to get to all the 
settings for the master track like there is for individual tracks, I.E. 
no associated context menus for the master track.
I could even set individual mono hardware outputs for the four tracks 
set to each channel, but I have specific reasons to avoid that.
If I render a four channel file from the master track, then play it on 
something capable of routing all four channels to where they need to go, 
everything works fine. So, in short, does anyone know of a way to add a 
second hardware output to the master track? Once it's in place, I could 
change the routing from within the ReaAccess I/O for master track, just 
as with any other track, but it has to exist first.

I'm also trying to figure out how to reliably route audio detection for 
effects. Let's say, for example, I have an effect chain that I want to 
run in parallel on one track, feeding multiple tracks to it separately. 
Practical example, I want to feed a track into a chorus, reverb and 
delay, but I don't want the chorus feeding into the input of the delay, 
nor the delay feeding into the input of the reverb, but I want the 
chorus feeding into the reverb's input. I could make three individual 
effect tracks and send my source track to all of them, or I could make 
one track with three effect instances all set up to receive from 
different sets of channels. Let's say the chorus picks up from channels 
1/2, delay from 3/4, and reverb from 5/6 on their respective track's 
input. I know that sending to one track as opposed to three individuals 
is actually a little more complicated, but again, I have specific 
reasons for wanting to do it that way.
This would also allow me to do such fun things as using non-stock 
processors for side-chaining that aren't designed to take input from 
anything but channels 1/2.
I know Reaper can do this, I've seen it before, but now that I'm looking 
for it, I can't find it.

By the way, I'd love to use Reaper 4.x, especially with all the new 
automation tools, and the ability to finally edit envelopes for item 
fades, and much more, but the further you drill into Reaper, the more 
broken ReaAccess in it's current form is. And, as in my case, I'm 
actually using it in a production environment, I can't deal with that.