Region Render Matrix View: Filter View
Hi friends,
I'm a game audio professional who loves Reaper, after working in Pro Tools for ten +years. I'm wondering if others would like the following:
Region Render Matrix: Filter View
WHY?
Essentially, a Reaper Project represents a large collection of game assets in a way that makes sense for that project. (IE all speech, Title VO, UI SFX, or Level Three SFX, etc, whatever makes sense for that game - and that team... sometimes I'm working with other sound designers, sometimes alone.)
I create Regions by importing CSVs, spaced nicely for revisions, if necessary. (Imagine one region every minute, named according to the asset list.)
Then I use XRaym's script to snap video capture media items to the appropriate regions, when video captures exist. (I can also pull in huge lists of assets, organizing them this same way). This sets up the session very nicely, and fast! I then design away, and move the region boundaries (using some of my scripts) to the appropriate bounds below the capture, or to the ends of the regions automatically.
I've found this workflow in Reaper to be the best I've seen. This allows me to make more sound decisions in quick convenient context of other design decisions, because it's all laid out in the session for me.
The use of CSVs and scripts is paramount. Prior to Reaper, I used Pro Tools but organizing and tracking asset categories via sessions was much more laborious. setup and no render matrix really ate a lot of time in Pro Tools. I finally said, there is too much overhead, and I'm grateful to digging deep into Reaper.
I have written several scripts that read and write TXT files, CSVs, and the console to aid with setting the Render Matrix, but it would be great to have some increased built in usability.
Imagine a Reaper Session with 2000 regions... and you have to track down 17 regions for revision - clicking them to render in the matrix, making sure you're clicking the correct cells. Not fun. So, my scripts allow me to set the matrix from a txt, along with some other small things.
Anyways, the one thing I'm lacking, is a filter view of the matrix... I have to scroll sideways through 2000 regions and many tracks - making sure to click the right submixes, etc. It's very tiring on the eyes. I would like to be able to hide regions and tracks somehow. (IE, I usually am printing folders, not their children) Also, asset names (region names) are always using a naming convention, so I could easily hide large groups of regions in the matrix view, much like you use the the Region list filter view.
With that being said, I don't have a full suggestion worked out other than just a Region Render Matrix Filter View - but I thought I'd throw this out there to see if it helps anyone, or if other folks are doing similar things.
My current solution is to print the status of the matrix, writing only the checked boxes to console or TXT -and then I just read it out of Reaper.
Anyone have any thoughts, or process improvement suggestions?
Thanks,
Divedive
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