Issue with applying the same VST to multiple tracks

[Doliv]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if there's a solution for this...

For a rich stereo sound, I recorded the same guitar part four times. When I apply the same VST separately to each track, the sound is very rich and powerful, which is great. The only drawback is, whenever I need to tweak the VST, I have to make the same change four times (in each VST).

I tried grouping the four tracks and applying a single VST to the group track, but it doesn't sound as rich compared to when I have the same VST applied separately to each track.

Are you guys familiar with this issue? I was wondering if there's a way I could control the four tracks with a single VST, but with the rich sound as if the same VST was applied separately to each track. Hopefully this makes sense.

[toleolu]

What you can do is create a fifth track, do a send from your four guitar tracks, with no effects applied to the guitar tracks, to that fifth track, then put the effect(s) you want on that track.

Here's Kenny's video on doing sends:

https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#8tgP8UCcd2o

May be other ways to do it, but that's kind of how I do it.

Good Luck.

[nicholas]

.... or place the four tracks in a folder of their own and add FX to the folder ....

[Never]

Originally Posted by Doliv

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if there's a solution for this...

For a rich stereo sound, I recorded the same guitar part four times. When I apply the same VST separately to each track, the sound is very rich and powerful, which is great. The only drawback is, whenever I need to tweak the VST, I have to make the same change four times (in each VST).

I tried grouping the four tracks and applying a single VST to the group track, but it doesn't sound as rich compared to when I have the same VST applied separately to each track.

Are you guys familiar with this issue? I was wondering if there's a way I could control the four tracks with a single VST, but with the rich sound as if the same VST was applied separately to each track. Hopefully this makes sense.

Just my two cents:
You may want to solo the guitar buss/folder track and mono check the master for phase issues like whenever you make another change to any or all of the concerned tracks.

Happy Tracking!
Never

[rmsstudios]

Or you can just save the 1st VST settings as apresent and then load that preset onto the other instances......

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by rmsstudios

Or you can just save the 1st VST settings as apresent and then load that preset onto the other instances......

This ^^^

When I need to duplicate the sound of a VST to another track, AND I really need more than a single instance, as would be the case if I wanted a chorus effect that isn't synchronized from one track to the next, I just save it as a preset and select it on the next instance.

[serr]

It might help if we knew what this mystery plugin being talked about was!

Which (VST format) plugin are you talking about?

I'd expect an eq on each individual track vs 1 on the bus from those tracks to sound the same for example.

If we're talking about an amp sim plugin, NOW I'd expect night and day results between individual track instances vs a bus. (Sub grouping multiple raw guitar feeds and giving that mix to an amp sim would be pretty far from the intended use.)

If it's a compressor...

I'll stop there. Saying "plugin" or "VST" is more ambiguous than saying "car".

What plugin?

[Jimmy James]

Originally Posted by rmsstudios

Or you can just save the 1st VST settings as apresent and then load that preset onto the other instances......

This^^^

[toleolu]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but those suggesting saving as a preset, is that preferable to doing sends?

I've been using the sends, but if the presets are a better way to go, then I'll start doing that.

Thanks

[Doliv]

Originally Posted by serr

It might help if we knew what this mystery plugin being talked about was!

Which (VST format) plugin are you talking about?

I'd expect an eq on each individual track vs 1 on the bus from those tracks to sound the same for example.

If we're talking about an amp sim plugin, NOW I'd expect night and day results between individual track instances vs a bus. (Sub grouping multiple raw guitar feeds and giving that mix to an amp sim would be pretty far from the intended use.)

If it's a compressor...

I'll stop there. Saying "plugin" or "VST" is more ambiguous than saying "car".

What plugin?

Hi Serr,

It's a Bias FX VST as a full preset - compressor, distortion, amp simulation, EQ and reverb.

I wouldn't have a problem having each VST instance in a separate track, but if there was a way I could change their values from a single location, that would be great. It's a pain to constantly open/close the same VST in each track all the time to tweak the same settings.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by toleolu

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but those suggesting saving as a preset, is that preferable to doing sends?

I've been using the sends, but if the presets are a better way to go, then I'll start doing that.

Thanks

It depends on what you are doing with it. Sends to a 100% wet reverb makes sense, but using sends for something like a flanger or chorus will yield very different sound when you compare a single instance that is shared vs multiple instances on individual tracks.

[toleolu]

Originally Posted by Doliv

Hi Serr,

It's a Bias FX VST as a full preset - compressor, distortion, amp simulation, EQ and reverb.

I wouldn't have a problem having each VST instance in a separate track, but if there was a way I could change their values from a single location, that would be great. It's a pain to constantly open/close the same VST in each track all the time to tweak the same settings.

You know you can right click on the effect in the FX window and copy and paste. You can have all four FX windows open at the same time, right click and copy the effect you want from one track then just right click and paste to apply to the others.

[serr]

Originally Posted by Doliv

Hi Serr,

It's a Bias FX VST as a full preset - compressor, distortion, amp simulation, EQ and reverb.

I wouldn't have a problem having each VST instance in a separate track, but if there was a way I could change their values from a single location, that would be great. It's a pain to constantly open/close the same VST in each track all the time to tweak the same settings.

And you're using the amp sim on direct recorded raw electric guitar?

I would expect that to sound night and day different with a single raw guitar feed vs. multiple bused together.

You can save an fx setting as a preset and then recall said preset on the other instances after saving it if you want that.

Or quickly delete the further instances (option-click) followed by copying from the just adjusted one back to those tracks (left-click-drag)

Whichever one of those workflows sounds quickest. The 2nd one might sound crude but it's probably quickest.