Questions about Reaper

[Anders Bru]

Hello,

I'm a long time Cubase user, but am now exploring Reaper. So far I'm enjoying the process, but I have a couple of questions that I can't seem to figure out. I'm sure most of these have simple answers, but any help is appreciated.

1. Whenever I load Kontakt from the "Insert virtual instrument on track" action, I get a popup message asking me about routing, and whether I wanna use a stereo out, or 64 out. "Build Routing Confirmation". Is it possible to disable this message or set a default setting?

2. Is it possible to customize the CC-list in the MIDI Editor window? I only use a couple (pitch, modulation, velocity etc.), and it would be nice to have them at the top of the list.

3. Is there a way to get the "Quick add FX" list when left-clicking an empty slot in the mixer, instead of the dedicated FX-list window that pops up. I know I can right-click -> Quick-add FX, but is it possible to set this to left-click right on the mixer slot?

4. I really enjoy how easy it is to route tracks in Reaper. However, when a track is in a folder, there doesn't seem to be a way to route a track directly to the master send. For instance; If i have a folder with synths, routed to the parent folder, I might send that folder to a sidechain track. But if there is a track in that folder that I want to go directly to the master, and not to the sidechain track, how do I do that? "Master send" doesn't show up as an option. Obviously I can just drag the track outside the folder, but I very often use folder for organizing tracks as well as group processing.

5. The default sampler seems to place the center of a sample at key A4 (playing back the sample at default pitch/speed). Can I change this to C3?

6. A feature I love Cubase's media browser is the ability to show all items in subfolders. Meaning I can click on a folder, and it will show me all audio files in all subfolders, and not just the folders directly underneath (hope that made sense). Would love to enable this in Reaper if possible, but haven't found it yet.

7. When I insert a VST instrument, some MIDI continues to the next insert fx. For instance; I load Serum on insert #1. When I load LFO Tool on insert #2, and play very low notes, it changes parameters within LFO Tool. This also happens for Soundtoys Primal Tap, and I suspect other plugins as well. It seems the MIDI is getting sent through the first VST instrument?

8. I would like to set the "Warm" color scheme, that's found in the theme adjuster, to the custom colors, so I can easily add those to tracks. Is there an easy way of doing this, or do I have to manually insert the colors into the custom color slots?

Hope all questions were clear.

Regards,
Anders

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[MartinH.]

4. I really enjoy how easy it is to route tracks in Reaper. However, when a track is in a folder, there doesn't seem to be a way to route a track directly to the master send. For instance; If i have a folder with synths, routed to the parent folder, I might send that folder to a sidechain track. But if there is a track in that folder that I want to go directly to the master, and not to the sidechain track, how do I do that? "Master send" doesn't show up as an option. Obviously I can just drag the track outside the folder, but I very often use folder for organizing tracks as well as group processing.

Only a workaround, but you could make 1 track at the top of the list that is called "to master" and route your tracks from within the organizer folders to that track. If this track is at the top, it will be the first in the list where you pick the track to send to. You can then use the "track manager" to hide this track both in the track window and mixer window.

6. A feature I love Cubase's media browser is the ability to show all items in subfolders. Meaning I can click on a folder, and it will show me all audio files in all subfolders, and not just the folders directly underneath (hope that made sense). Would love to enable this in Reaper if possible, but haven't found it yet.

If your files have extensions, try typing . in the search field. I believe this does what you want, at least on windows and in my Reaper version.

7. When I insert a VST instrument, some MIDI continues to the next insert fx. For instance; I load Serum on insert #1. When I load LFO Tool on insert #2, and play very low notes, it changes parameters within LFO Tool. This also happens for Soundtoys Primal Tap, and I suspect other plugins as well. It seems the MIDI is getting sent through the first VST instrument?

Try if this setting does what you want:

 

[Anders Bru]

Only a workaround, but you could make 1 track at the top of the list that is called "to master" and route your tracks from within the organizer folders to that track. If this track is at the top, it will be the first in the list where you pick the track to send to. You can then use the "track manager" to hide this track both in the track window and mixer window.



If your files have extensions, try typing . in the search field. I believe this does what you want, at least on windows and in my Reaper version.



Try if this setting does what you want:

Thank you.
First two suggestions worked great. I'll just add a "To master" track in my template, although I find it a bit weird that I can't just route a track directly to the master, especially when Reaper is so flexible with routing.

I've messed with the input/output settings, and the only thing that seems to work is to disable MIDI input on the plugin that's inserted in Insert #2, which is not really ideal. I'm sure there's just a setting I'm missing somewhere...

 

[Mornats]

1. Whenever I load Kontakt from the "Insert virtual instrument on track" action, I get a popup message asking me about routing, and whether I wanna use a stereo out, or 64 out. "Build Routing Confirmation". Is it possible to disable this message or set a default setting?

I don't know the answer to your specific question but I add Kontakt a different way. I click the FX button on the track and then add Kontakt and I don't get the routing message:

 

[tack]

For #4, Martin's suggestion is perhaps less of a workaround than he says.

It's a good idea to have a mix bus track that everything ultimately routes to. This is in part because you generally don't want to put FX on the master track for performance reasons (anticipative FX does not apply to the master track). So if you have a track that effectively acts as a surrogate master anyway, you can accomplish #4 by disabling parent send and routing directly to the mix bus.

 

[Anders Bru]

I don't know the answer to your specific question but I add Kontakt a different way. I click the FX button on the track and then add Kontakt and I don't get the routing message:

That works

For #4, Martin's suggestion is perhaps less of a workaround than he says.

It's a good idea to have a mix bus track that everything ultimately routes to. This is in part because you generally don't want to put FX on the master track for performance reasons (anticipative FX does not apply to the master track). So if you have a track that effectively acts as a surrogate master anyway, you can accomplish #4 by disabling parent send and routing directly to the mix bus.

But then you would have to manually add the send to the "new" mix bus for each new track, right? (I add tracks as I go). I know you can disable the Master Send as default, but can you add a separate send as a track default?

 

[storyteller]

That works


But then you would have to manually add the send to the "new" mix bus for each new track, right? (I add tracks as I go). I know you can disable the Master Send as default, but can you add a separate send as a track default?

Just folder them. That keeps it simple. Top level folder track is the master bus. Everything under it then has anticipative fx processing applied to it.

 

[Artemi]

1. Whenever I load Kontakt from the "Insert virtual instrument on track" action, I get a popup message asking me about routing, and whether I wanna use a stereo out, or 64 out. "Build Routing Confirmation". Is it possible to disable this message or set a default setting?

Yes you can turn it off, but I don't remember how though xD

(edit) I think it prompts this only if you're adding a plugin from a Mixer panel, it shouldn't ask you that in Track control panel.

Reaper default settings are pretty strange, but when you'll find all the checkboxes and adapt it to yourself it becomes like a third hand

2. Is it possible to customize the CC-list in the MIDI Editor window? I only use a couple (pitch, modulation, velocity etc.), and it would be nice to have them at the top of the list.

Using SWS actions you can save several CC lists and then recall it using Restore displayed CC slot action.

Here is a gif that shows that



you can also setup shortcuts for any function.

There are lots of useful actions inside a ReaPack, for this you'll need to install SWS extension for Reaper, and then you'll be able to browse for a desired action inside a reapack.

 

[Anders Bru]

Yes you can turn it off, but I don't remember how though xD

(edit) I think it prompts this only if you're adding a plugin from a Mixer panel, it shouldn't ask you that in Track control panel.

Reaper default settings are pretty strange, but when you'll find all the checkboxes and adapt it to yourself it becomes like a third hand


Using SWS actions you can save several CC lists and then recall it using Restore displayed CC slot action.

Here is a gif that shows that



you can also setup shortcuts for any function.

There are lots of useful actions inside a ReaPack, for this you'll need to install SWS extension for Reaper, and then you'll be able to browse for a desired action inside a reapack.

That looks like a great solution. Thanks!

 

[Anders Bru]

7. When I insert a VST instrument, some MIDI continues to the next insert fx. For instance; I load Serum on insert #1. When I load LFO Tool on insert #2, and play very low notes, it changes parameters within LFO Tool. This also happens for Soundtoys Primal Tap, and I suspect other plugins as well. It seems the MIDI is getting sent through the first VST instrument?

Can anyone help with this one?

 

[storyteller]

Can anyone help with this one?

Kontakt has an option to enable/disable pass through midi. Not sure about the others. Otherwise, you may need to unmap any midi mappings you have made in the LFO tool or primal tap.

 

[robgb]

Hello,

I'm a long time Cubase user, but am now exploring Reaper. So far I'm enjoying the process, but I have a couple of questions that I can't seem to figure out. I'm sure most of these have simple answers, but any help is appreciated.

1. Whenever I load Kontakt from the "Insert virtual instrument on track" action, I get a popup message asking me about routing, and whether I wanna use a stereo out, or 64 out. "Build Routing Confirmation". Is it possible to disable this message or set a default setting?

Just add a new track by double clicking either the track panel or the mixer panel. It doesn't have to be a "virtual instrument track" specifically, because tracks are all the same in Reaper. So add the track, add your instrument, arm it and you're good to go. No popup messages.

Ultimately, the best option is to create track templates and add them to a hot key, a menu, or a toolbar button. Then you don't have to think about it.

2. Is it possible to customize the CC-list in the MIDI Editor window? I only use a couple (pitch, modulation, velocity etc.), and it would be nice to have them at the top of the list.

You don't need to. Look in the actions menu for actions that set the CC-lane to Pitch, modulation, velocity, etc., then add those commands to your midi editor toolbar. Then, when you want the pitch CC, just hit the toolbar button. You'll never have to scroll through the list again.

3. Is there a way to get the "Quick add FX" list when left-clicking an empty slot in the mixer, instead of the dedicated FX-list window that pops up. I know I can right-click -> Quick-add FX, but is it possible to set this to left-click right on the mixer slot?

Check your mouse modifiers in preferences. You can set the left double-click to pretty much anything you want.

4. I really enjoy how easy it is to route tracks in Reaper. However, when a track is in a folder, there doesn't seem to be a way to route a track directly to the master send. For instance; If i have a folder with synths, routed to the parent folder, I might send that folder to a sidechain track. But if there is a track in that folder that I want to go directly to the master, and not to the sidechain track, how do I do that? "Master send" doesn't show up as an option. Obviously I can just drag the track outside the folder, but I very often use folder for organizing tracks as well as group processing.

I'm a little dense, so I'm not sure what you're looking for here.

5. The default sampler seems to place the center of a sample at key A4 (playing back the sample at default pitch/speed). Can I change this to C3?

I'm no help here. I never use the default sampler.

6. A feature I love Cubase's media browser is the ability to show all items in subfolders. Meaning I can click on a folder, and it will show me all audio files in all subfolders, and not just the folders directly underneath (hope that made sense). Would love to enable this in Reaper if possible, but haven't found it yet.

Check your actions menu. There's bound to be something in there that will help you with this. The actions menu is your friend.

7. When I insert a VST instrument, some MIDI continues to the next insert fx. For instance; I load Serum on insert #1. When I load LFO Tool on insert #2, and play very low notes, it changes parameters within LFO Tool. This also happens for Soundtoys Primal Tap, and I suspect other plugins as well. It seems the MIDI is getting sent through the first VST instrument?

Again, I'm a little dense. But if you're asking what I think you're asking, you can open your FX window, right click on the routing menu at the top and tell midi output to merge or not merge or go to a specific midi bus or do pretty much whatever you want it to.

8. I would like to set the "Warm" color scheme, that's found in the theme adjuster, to the custom colors, so I can easily add those to tracks. Is there an easy way of doing this, or do I have to manually insert the colors into the custom color slots?

As far as I remember, you have to do it manually. But you can also use the SWS Auto Color extension and set your colors there. So if you name your track "Violin" for example, it automatically gives it whatever color you've chosen in the extension.

 

[md11]

5. The default sampler seems to place the center of a sample at key A4 (playing back the sample at default pitch/speed). Can I change this to C3?

there is a workaround: set the pitch offset to +9 semitones and save it as default preset. next time you load the sampler the default pitch is C3

 

[Anders Bru]

Just add a new track by double clicking either the track panel or the mixer panel. It doesn't have to be a "virtual instrument track" specifically, because tracks are all the same in Reaper. So add the track, add your instrument, arm it and you're good to go. No popup messages.

Ultimately, the best option is to create track templates and add them to a hot key, a menu, or a toolbar button. Then you don't have to think about it.


You don't need to. Look in the actions menu for actions that set the CC-lane to Pitch, modulation, velocity, etc., then add those commands to your midi editor toolbar. Then, when you want the pitch CC, just hit the toolbar button. You'll never have to scroll through the list again.


Check your mouse modifiers in preferences. You can set the left double-click to pretty much anything you want.

I'm a little dense, so I'm not sure what you're looking for here.


I'm no help here. I never use the default sampler.

Check your actions menu. There's bound to be something in there that will help you with this. The actions menu is your friend.


Again, I'm a little dense. But if you're asking what I think you're asking, you can open your FX window, right click on the routing menu at the top and tell midi output to merge or not merge or go to a specific midi bus or do pretty much whatever you want it to.


As far as I remember, you have to do it manually. But you can also use the SWS Auto Color extension and set your colors there. So if you name your track "Violin" for example, it automatically gives it whatever color you've chosen in the extension.

Thank you so much. Lots of great help here

there is a workaround: set the pitch offset to +9 semitones and save it as default preset. next time you load the sampler the default pitch is C3

Awesome, that works!