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Old 09-04-2012, 09:04 AM   #1
ADDIKTION
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Default Render / freeze / apply FX to ITEMS in stem tracks

Hello All

Working a lot with synths and plugins, I like to render FX to items (audio or MIDI) and re-import the results in the session to do some more processing (resampling techniques, layering, experimentations, etc), while still having full and fast access on the original content.
So I took a bit of time to make these custom actions, which allow to do this in a very fast and convenient way.
It is kind of a very specific use feature, but some people might like it as much as I do, so I share.

It renders all selected items (audio, MIDI) of any tracks (by applying tracks and takes FX), and moves the resulting audio items in new tracks, which are duplications of the initial tracks without FX chains (to keep the volumes, pans, routing settings, etc.)

> A simple keystroke will render all your selected items at the right routing places.



Simple example with 1 MIDI item of a VSTi track



More complex example with MIDI and audio items from many tracks




ADVANTAGES (Reaper 4.261 and older)

- It is very easy, fast, transparent, and without any compromise: just select all the items you want to render, hit a key…and it’s done! Original items are muted so that everything is transparent.
- Your original tracks and items stay fully available, editable and independant (you can still mute the initial tracks, or even use the “Hibernation” macro I made if you want to save CPU and RAM on the original tracks)

Compared to the normal “apply take/track fx to item” action, or “export via Render menu and re-import in new track”:

- All selected items are rendered as independent separated items in new tracks
- Your processed items are imported to the right routing place (they will not be processed two times by any track, buss or master fx, you will not have to manually put them in the right routing place to sound the same)
- Your “original vs processed” item volumes are compensated (and the fact that they are different items instead of 2 takes sharing the same item volume makes that compensation consistent)

Compared to track freezing

- You can render separated items instead of full tracks (faster, more flexible, and tails are not mixed, as an example)
- You can edit both original and rendered content, you will not loose edits on the rendered content

To simply freeze a complete track to gain CPU and if you don’t want to edit items, the freeze feature of Reaper is still the better solution, of course. Reaper track freeze is very powerful, as you can (as an example) freeze the track until a selected FX slot of the track FX chain.



REQUIREMENTS

- You need to install the famous SWS extensions (thanks to the people involved in this) to be able to run the custom actions, as I use a lot of actions from them
http://www.standingwaterstudios.com/



THE CUSTOM ACTION

For people wanting to customize these macros to their particular needs (another macro for mono items only, without the fx tail, etc.), here are comments about the used actions. This will help you to understand the process.





ADDITIONAL INFOS

- You can edit the lenght of fx tail to be rendered in the preferences
Example: if you render an item which has reverb processed on it, or anything that plays beyond the length of the actual item, you can tell Reaper to render audio even after the end of that item, so that the end of your reverb is rendered, and not violently cut)




- If you want to set your suffix for the new tracks, this can be set in the SWS Extensions “Command Parameters” menu. But If not already set, the menu will appear by itself the first time you use the macro, I think.

- If you want to set your track icon slot for the new tracks, this can be set in the S&M “Resources” menu, in “PNG images”. But If not already set, the menu will appear by itself the first time you use the macro.



DWNLOADS (with right click + save as)

Here are 3 custom actions you may need, you can download and import them, as they are long to make!
To prevent import from overriding your shortcuts, the actions are not assigned

Apply track FX to items on duplicated tracks
- Does the rendering of selected items on new duplicated tracks

Apply track FX to items on duplicated tracks + Hibernate original tracks
- Does the rendering of selected items on new duplicated tracks and disables (“hibernates”) the original tracks

Hibernation (not an official naming at all) = toggle track fx chain bypass and offline + toggle all track takes fx bypass and offline + mute track + lock track

Apply track FX: Wake-Up selected hibernated tracks
- Wakes-up selected “hibernated” tracks (reverts hibernation process)

or Download the 3 macros in one single file



______________________________________


You are using this at your own risk! Even if you can always undo... hehe

Enjoy!!
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Last edited by ADDIKTION; 09-24-2012 at 05:24 AM.
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Old 09-04-2012, 09:33 AM   #2
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Default And another (specific) one

Here is a different one, where the processed items are rendered in childs of the original tracks.

This has some side effects*, which means it is a very specific action that will be used for particular cases only:

- items of a track that has no FX chain (but you want to render item/take FXs, take enveloppes, etc)
- MIDI items of a VSTi track, when there is no other fx that the VSTi in the chain (be also careful that the VSTi has no audio inputs that are processing the audio coming into it)

* If you have effects running, they will be applied two times on the rendered items (one time at the rendering, and one second time because it’s passing thru the chain in realtime, by the fact that the new track is a child of the original one).
That said, sometimes you can have very good surprises with that side effect. In audio and music, experimentation and mistakes are often very welcome . The important thing is to be aware that this custom action is specific.


TEMPORARY ISSUE

I can not reset the pan width of the new track, you have to reset it yourself for now. I will tell you when it will be solved.
The following action needs to take pan width into account for reset: Xenakios/SWS: reset volume and pan of selected track


DWNLOAD (with right click + save as)
To prevent import from overriding your shortcuts, the action is not assigned

Apply track FX to items on child tracks (my shortcut: Shift+B)
- Does the rendering of selected items on new a child tracks (of selected items' tracks)

Enjoy!
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Old 09-04-2012, 01:54 PM   #3
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Hi, thanks for this. I will try and let you know if find any bug.
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Old 09-04-2012, 07:05 PM   #4
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Default Warning: Reaper 4.26 bug

There is a Reaper bug that can do a routing error if you are rendering items from the last folder of a folder. I will tell when the bug is fixed.

http://forum.cockos.com/project.php?issueid=4337
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Old 09-04-2012, 08:31 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mako55a View Post
Hi, thanks for this. I will try and let you know if find any bug.
You're welcome, thank you for the eventual bug report!
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Old 09-04-2012, 11:22 PM   #6
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seems like it's working for you fine, though you might be able to slim down your macro a bit with the action

sws/aw:render track to stereo stem obeying time selection

I use it quite a bit, and seems to get similar results to what your showing
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Old 09-05-2012, 09:24 AM   #7
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Default Nice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by gwok View Post
seems like it's working for you fine, though you might be able to slim down your macro a bit with the action

sws/aw:render track to stereo stem obeying time selection

I use it quite a bit, and seems to get similar results to what your showing
Wow!! What a shame I did not see this action Thank you!

This is awesome, it is a very good complement to what I have done. I like that this also has the idea about getting a new track for rendered data, set with appropriate routing.
The difference is that this one is track and time selection based, whereas mine is item based (which is what makes it a bit more complicated)

Now we have the choice

-------

Actually the sws action you are mentioning seem to exist as a Cockos action too:

Track : Render selected area of tracks to stereo stem tracks (and mute originals)

The good thing with the Cockos ones is that there are many versions available (mono, stereo, multichannel, pre/post fader, etc).
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Old 09-05-2012, 09:50 AM   #8
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cool man, glad your all sorted,

I think the cockos one will render the entire track, whereas the sws one via obeying time selection will just do the item. both have their uses

though maybe your method has the advantage that multiple items will get processed that are outside of a time selection

one quick tip is to assign a mouse modifier>item>modifier+click>set time selection to selected item - then you can quickly set your time selection to an item with a click and hit render

cheers
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Old 09-05-2012, 12:24 PM   #9
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The cockos actions also work with time selection

Yes I have a shortcut that sets time selection to selected items.
But to use the action you showed to me, we can do a custom action that will use item selection to set time selection

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Old 07-16-2013, 03:42 PM   #10
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Default IMPORT

How Do I Import these?... I have been waiting to know for a long time,... they .txt


Thanks
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Old 07-16-2013, 04:29 PM   #11
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hit the import/export button in the action list.
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Old 07-16-2013, 04:41 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James HE View Post
hit the import/export button in the action list.
Ive tried that, ... the macros ends with .txt
so they show up greyed out!

EDIT: got it, I took the .txt ending and now is not greyed out
Thanks,
awesome macros

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Old 07-16-2013, 11:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amoretam View Post
I took the .txt ending and now is not greyed out
Yes, the file extension is .ReaperKeyMap and not .txt
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Old 02-24-2016, 12:50 PM   #14
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Just posting here to bookmark this thread. This would be quite handy to have.
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Old 12-15-2017, 11:17 AM   #15
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Very useful action list here. Similar to Bounce in Place in Cubase. New to Reaper, so don't know if this function has been added to Reaper v5 as a native feature since these posts.
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Old 12-15-2017, 08:52 PM   #16
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Hummm here there seems to be some strange problem...
just testing... have one track with vsti synth and on that two midi items
I select them both and run the action and do not get any audio in the
render for the first midi item...

the second midi item renders as expected...

LICECap is here:

https://i.imgur.com/PxLLtFc.gifv

when you go there, clk on the gif as it plays to get the enlarged view which IS big enough to see what I'm pointing at...

thanks for any ideas why this happens or what to do about fixing it
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Old 12-20-2017, 06:21 AM   #17
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Hey Hopi,

Wow it has been so long since I did this I am afraid I don't remember right now what could cause this issue. So many changes within Reaper could also contribute to make it buggy.

Sorry, I am not sure when I can have a look to be honest, maybe next week.
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Old 12-20-2017, 09:01 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ADDIKTION View Post
Hey Hopi,

Wow it has been so long since I did this I am afraid I don't remember right now what could cause this issue. So many changes within Reaper could also contribute to make it buggy.

Sorry, I am not sure when I can have a look to be honest, maybe next week.
well no hurry so please do look when you can and if it can be fixed, great... because your custom actions can be very helpful... and yes, it might well be some recent changes in reaper or in what the newest actions do, etc.
I do know it can be 'safer' when building a custom action to use long Command ID instead of just the name since that Command ID will never change

I hope for the best, thank you
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