Old 04-30-2016, 09:40 AM   #1
Damage Inc.
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Default Switching "Map input to channel"

So you know when you have a multi-channel plug-in or virtual instrument how you can switch the input-channel (for which channel your MIDI-controller affects) by going to:
Inputs (on the track) > 'Input: MIDI' > 'Map input to channel' > 'Channel #'

First of all, is this the only way to switch in terms of the interface, or are there other menus or buttons where I can switch the channel?

Then the main issue; Is there a way to "hotswitch" between the input-channels?

Because it's a very cumbersome way of only switching a channel, and going through the menu could take about 5 seconds, and if I accidentally hit the wrong channel I have to do it all over again. - Besides, there is no way of seeing which channel is which and, if you have to use trial and error to see which channel corresponds with which channel in the plug-in, you need to go through the menus over and over again. It's very annoying and time-consuming.

There just might be hotkeys that you could program for it, but then I don't know what to look for in the hotkey or function list.
I've already had a look, but I couldn't really find anything so far.

If it's not built in, I'm sure there must be a plug-in or script that can do it?


Please let me know, because it's something that really disrupts my creativity and productivity, it literally gives me a headache having to do it this way.
I might have been dumb and missed an easier way, but who knows. :P
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Last edited by Damage Inc.; 04-30-2016 at 09:47 AM.
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Old 05-01-2016, 04:06 PM   #2
Damage Inc.
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Default Just a bump...

Would anyone know of a way to do this?
It's really something that slows me down all the time, and I have a big project coming up that's on a tight schedule and I can't afford to waste any time while working for this one.
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Old 05-05-2016, 02:45 AM   #3
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I don't think there is a quicker way to set this parameter and can't even find a function in the scripting API for it . Would be quite an omission, if true. Maybe if you repost the question in the JS and ReaScript forum someone knows better.


I guess most people switch the output channel of their controller device to achieve what you're after. Myself I use a separate small application outside Reaper serving as a pre-input MIDI processor.
You could insert a MIDI FX plugin in the track's input-FX chain and switch the channel that way.

That said, in most cases I will use separate tracks for individual MIDI channels. Switching channels is done by switching the recording track then.
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Old 05-05-2016, 01:39 PM   #4
ericzang
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Does this action do what you need?

SWS/S&M: Map selected tracks midi input to channel...
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Old 05-05-2016, 01:49 PM   #5
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AH-HAH! That definitely is the right set of actions SWS extensions to the rescue once more, these should be native.

Thanks muchly!
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Old 05-05-2016, 05:43 PM   #6
Damage Inc.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ericzang View Post
Does this action do what you need?

SWS/S&M: Map selected tracks midi input to channel...
That might be it. I'd have to install that extension, but unfortunately I don't have Reaper 5 at this time...
I'll probably invest in it soon, though. Especially if it would add the possibility of switching the channels the way I want to.


Quote:
Originally Posted by gofer View Post
...You could insert a MIDI FX plugin in the track's input-FX chain and switch the channel that way.
Sorry, what exactly do you mean here? More specifically a "MIDI FX"...

Quote:
That said, in most cases I will use separate tracks for individual MIDI channels. Switching channels is done by switching the recording track then.
Yes, I used to do that until I found out how to use the multiple channels in VSTis that support that. haha - But that would mean running multiple instances of the VSTis and while that might not be much of a problem with lighter synths or modelers, it's much heavier when you're working with the heavier ones like samplers and such. - Besides, in some of these VSTis I also have templates of multiple channels. - It just makes it very inefficient...
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Old 05-06-2016, 02:23 AM   #7
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You could download an old version of the SWS extensions athttp://sws-extension.org/download/old/ and hope these actions are already implemented. Alas, I don't know which version was the last to support Reaper v4.x.

Do you know that if you paid for Reaper v4.x then you are eligible to use Reaper up to version v 5.99?


As of MIDI FX, I simply mean FX plugins (VST or JS) which process the MIDI stream. For example I believe there's a JS plugin called something like MIDI Tools can switch the MIDI channel, or you can very likely find one for the job at http://thepiz.org/plugins/?p=pizmidi. But I don't remember whether Reaper v4 already had input FX chains in the first place.



Regarding the track-per-channel method, it doesn't need multiple instances of your multi-channel instrument. You need one track with the instrument plugin and then tracks for each of the MIDI channels you want to use. From each of the "MIDI tracks" create a send to the instrument track. Then you setup each send to change the MIDI channel on the way through.
For example on the channel-2-track you'd set

Audio [None], MIDI [All]->[2]

That way you record the MIDI on whichever channel your controller spits out and on the way via the sends to the receiving instrument the channel is mapped to the one each track is supposed to trigger.

One aspect I like about this method is that you can paste any MIDI onto one of the tracks (say a line from a flute track onto a viola track) and it will immediately trigger the appropriate instrument without need to care about editing the MIDI channel.

Last edited by gofer; 05-06-2016 at 02:29 AM.
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