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Old 10-18-2014, 01:14 AM   #1
Colox
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Default How redirect MIDI input to different MIDI channel?

When playing a multitimbral virtual instrument situated on a track, I can only play on channel 1 on the VI.
To play the sound on channel 2 on the VI, I need to set my keyboard to transmit on channel 2.

I haven't so far found any way to redirect all MIDI data coming in to a track (in real-time) to another MIDI channel. I think I would like that better than to constantly change the MIDI channel on my keyboard back and forth.

Is there any way or tool that allows you to do that in Reaper?

thx
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Old 10-18-2014, 01:23 AM   #2
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I use insertpizhere's midiChannelize, as an Input FX. It is part of his midiPack:
http://www.thepiz.org/plugins/?p=pizmidi

You'll find many useful goodies in there; and it's well worth a donation.
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Old 10-18-2014, 01:51 AM   #3
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Many ways to skin a cat

You can map MIDI input to a specific channel via the track input dialog (right click the record arm button).
In this pic all MIDI data that comes in on this particular track gets transformed to be channel 2 data:



All MIDI data going through this input will be recorded as channel 2.


When using multitimbral VSTi, I typically use a different approach, though.
I use a separate MIDI track for each of the synth's channels. Each MIDI track is routed via a send to the track with the VSTi. I just record everything on one channel and use the channel mapping in the individual send settings to redirect the MIDI to the desired target channels.



All MIDI data is recorded on the original channel (1 in my case) and redirected when it passes the send.
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Old 10-18-2014, 03:36 AM   #4
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It's really too bad - kindof a drag to be frank - that Reaper can't really send MIDI and recieve audio on the same channel - like many DAWs can. It really ought to be implemented. That way you could create 8 tracks, send the MIDI from each track to the same VI using different MIDI channels, and set the VI's separate outputs to send audio back to the same channel. Would be soo much easier workflow.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkStar View Post
I use insertpizhere's midiChannelize, as an Input FX. It is part of his midiPack:
http://www.thepiz.org/plugins/?p=pizmidi

You'll find many useful goodies in there; and it's well worth a donation.
Thx Darkstar. That's a real wealth of goodies. You just messed up my saturday schedule, since now I feel compelled to cancel things and investigating all of these. :P
That, on top of having a very useful MIDI channel select option

Quote:
Originally Posted by gofer View Post
Many ways to skin a cat

You can map MIDI input to a specific channel via the track input dialog (right click the record arm button).
In this pic all MIDI data that comes in on this particular track gets transformed to be channel 2 data:



All MIDI data going through this input will be recorded as channel 2.
Ah, there we go. I should've spotted that. I seem to have been blinded by the input device options above it.
This works like I hoped for, and I hope one can make toolbar buttons for this as well, so one doesn't have to rightclick and dive deep into submenus everytime. Thx
Quote:
Originally Posted by gofer View Post
When using multitimbral VSTi, I typically use a different approach, though.
I use a separate MIDI track for each of the synth's channels. Each MIDI track is routed via a send to the track with the VSTi. I just record everything on one channel and use the channel mapping in the individual send settings to redirect the MIDI to the desired target channels.



All MIDI data is recorded on the original channel (1 in my case) and redirected when it passes the send.
This way I tried, but it doesn't work for me. I was surprised that it didn't.
When I do this, and record arm/play the track which is set to Input ch1 => Input ch2, nothing gets transmitted to the recieving VI. Nothing at all. I was using Kontakt5 to try it. Only when I set the keyboard to ch2 does this solution work for me (with Kontakt).
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Old 10-18-2014, 05:01 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Colox View Post
This way I tried, but it doesn't work for me. I was surprised that it didn't.
When I do this, and record arm/play the track which is set to Input ch1 => Input ch2, nothing gets transmitted to the recieving VI. Nothing at all. I was using Kontakt5 to try it. Only when I set the keyboard to ch2 does this solution work for me (with Kontakt).
There must be something different in your routing. It certainly works with Kontakt and any other multitimbral VSTi I tried. By "the track which is set to Input ch1 => Input ch2", do you mean "the track of which the send is set to MIDI ch1 => ch2"?
My send setting example assumes the input keyboard is transmitting on ch1.
What happens if you set the send to MIDI [ALL] => [ch2] instead? If it starts to work, then your keyboard is not transmitting on ch1.
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Old 10-18-2014, 09:03 AM   #6
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You might also search the stash for the JS MIDI routing matrix. Maybe overkill for this particular application, but if you're doing much MIDI, it can be pretty handy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Colox View Post
It's really too bad - kindof a drag to be frank - that Reaper can't really send MIDI and recieve audio on the same channel - like many DAWs can. It really ought to be implemented. That way you could create 8 tracks, send the MIDI from each track to the same VI using different MIDI channels, and set the VI's separate outputs to send audio back to the same channel. Would be soo much easier workflow.
Why not? While I'm not sure that it's the best idea (at least I don't think it would work for me), I can't see any reason you couldn't do it like that. You have to enable "Allow feedback routing" in the Project Settings, but then it should just work.
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Old 10-18-2014, 09:04 AM   #7
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For channel changing, give this a try:



http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=147684
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Old 10-18-2014, 09:43 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Colox View Post
It's really too bad - kindof a drag to be frank - that Reaper can't really send MIDI and recieve audio on the same channel - like many DAWs can. It really ought to be implemented. That way you could create 8 tracks, send the MIDI from each track to the same VI using different MIDI channels, and set the VI's separate outputs to send audio back to the same channel. Would be soo much easier workflow.
Did you discover the beauty of track folder in Reaper?

Create a folder track and put a child with VI in it, and also children of all VI outputs. Keep the Send to parent checked.

Now set folder track to midi input and monitor on.

Drag I/O button from folder track over to VI-track to route the midi to it.

This track folder takes midi in - and produce audio out.

Now you have a selfcontained unit that you can collapse/expand as you wish - both in track view and mixer view.

Save it as a track template if you wish to reuse at other occations.
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Old 10-18-2014, 02:57 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nip View Post
Did you discover the beauty of track folder in Reaper?

Create a folder track and put a child with VI in it, and also children of all VI outputs. Keep the Send to parent checked.

Now set folder track to midi input and monitor on.

Drag I/O button from folder track over to VI-track to route the midi to it.

This track folder takes midi in - and produce audio out.

Now you have a selfcontained unit that you can collapse/expand as you wish - both in track view and mixer view.

Save it as a track template if you wish to reuse at other occations.
Thx. But, I don't see how this is thought to work.

This is how I see this working. Is this right?:
The child track recieving for example channel 5, sends MIDI (on the channel that they keyboard transmits, for ex channel 2) to the folder parent, which redirects this MIDI into to the VI child, which recieves it and plays the sound on channel 2 sending the audio to child 5.

This means that the track parent needs to be track armed for this to work, and as soon as one wants to play/record some channel apart from this folder array you need to un-arm the folder parent.

Apart from the above, I couldn't get this to work either. Followed the instructions to the letter, and using Omnisphere. I see the MIDI getting transmitted to the folder parent, but that's as far as it goes. :S
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Old 10-18-2014, 04:43 PM   #10
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Hey, Gofer! What is the "M2-In?"
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Old 10-18-2014, 11:31 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Colox View Post
Thx. But, I don't see how this is thought to work.

This is how I see this working. Is this right?:
The child track recieving for example channel 5, sends MIDI (on the channel that they keyboard transmits, for ex channel 2) to the folder parent, which redirects this MIDI into to the VI child, which recieves it and plays the sound on channel 2 sending the audio to child 5.

This means that the track parent needs to be track armed for this to work, and as soon as one wants to play/record some channel apart from this folder array you need to un-arm the folder parent.

Apart from the above, I couldn't get this to work either. Followed the instructions to the letter, and using Omnisphere. I see the MIDI getting transmitted to the folder parent, but that's as far as it goes. :S
Maybe I missed a part.

Create a track to receive midi, as a separate child - and routing from folder track goes to this child. And anything recorded will be kept on this track.

This child in turn has a routing to the VI.

You arm and have monitor on for track folder.

So flow would be

midi port -> armed-n-monitored folder track ->routed to armed-n-monitored midi child - >which is routed to VI.

VI audio outputs (children in folder) have their checkmark send to parent and output audio to folder track.

I could be missing to explain something here like some monitor more, I don't know. If the outs of VI have to be set to channel 1+2 or something. I'm not sitting in front of daw so I have to check next time.

I use this very setup(7 stereo outs) for SuperiorDrummer and it produces a DrumsBus in that folder track. And give ability to put separate effects as needed on each out.

So if in your case with a multitimbre synth you might want separate midi tracks for each channel coming in or something. then you can use midi plugins to redirect anything coming on midi channel 1 to another midi channel to reach the proper instrument in this synth.

Reaper is the most flexible daw out there, so I'm 100% sure you can do what you want. But you might have to map it in your head, like you described earlier. See if my description makes sense above.

Other daws with dedicated track types, like instrument tracks, would be similar to this folder construction in Reaper. But there are many ways to do it. If having one stereo out, you do it like most daws instrument tracks, if you want. But rendering makes you getting midi and audio clips on the same track, and that is usually not what I like better.
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Last edited by Nip; 10-18-2014 at 11:37 PM.
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