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Old 02-18-2018, 10:18 PM   #1
studer58
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Default Is there a custom action to skip tracks and focus only on folders in mixing ?

I apologize for the description being a bit long-winded, but I'm wondering if there's a way (a custom action ?) to get a control surface (I use Zoom R16 and M-Audio ProjectMix IO) to recognize only REAPER folders...and to skip the tracks contained within them ?

The ZOOM R16/ProjectMix IO as control surface for Reaper responds via the MCU (or MCU Klinke) control protocol. It works perfectly fine for responding to 16 individual tracks, in terms of fader control of volume or writing automation. If I add a folder, it will react to that, as if it's just another track...which is fine too.

However, I'd like to have the controller's faders recognize and control only the Folder faders, and not the individual child tracks contained within them....so directing it to skip/ignore the child tracks.

In the Mixer window of Reaper, I can easily move all Folders to the left...and I can also hide child tracks. However, the controller won't respond to this..it slavishly follows the Track Control Window only, and locks onto every fader (top to bottom), whether it's a child track or Folder.

This (skip function) would make mixing a lot more efficient, and use up far fewer R16 surface faders. At present it looks like the only way (?) is to create custom actions (maybe in Klinke ?) for each fader, unless there's an alternative method of making individual tracks 'invisible' to the R16 ?

To give a practical twist to this, I could have 26 or more tracks (individual tracks plus folders)...yet these could easily condense down to just 5 or 6 folders. So it's a big deal to navigate to the 6 essential folders (which are interspersed within these tracks/folders, and across a few banks of 8) to make a mix !

This would transform typical control surface mixing (with 8 hardware faders) into a pleasure, rather than the track ID'ing and bank-switching nightmare it currently is, as the track count exceeds 16 or more !

Can anyone see a shortcut way of doing this ? Maybe a custom action already exists to 'recognize folders only'...or a way to toggle between individual track recognition and track + folder modes ?
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Old 02-19-2018, 09:36 AM   #2
ashcat_lt
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You could go edit the action list and set it up so that a given CC controls a specific track fader if you really want.

The more flexible option is to not use folder, but rather just "bus" tracks. If you've already got everything working via folders, make new tracks - one for each folder - that receive from the folder tracks and move those all the way left. Turn off master send on all the folders, of course. In future at least consider using these tracks and explicit sends instead of the folder structure. I kind of like folders because they're convenient and really nice for organization, though. There is nothing wrong with running through one "extra" track, though. They don't cost anything. They don't add noise or distortion or change the signal at all. There's no reason not to if it gets you where you need to go.
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Old 02-21-2018, 06:42 PM   #3
studer58
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That sounds like an excellent idea...thank you ! You seem to be suggesting that the buss tracks can be a complete substitute for the folder tracks (although if I retain the folders, then the send from each folder goes to the relevant buss instead of the master )

I agree that to keep both busses and folders seems like duplication...however the folders do allow for some visual compaction when the track count gets large, which busses and child tracks don't allow....so that advantage offsets the requirement for a new buss track per folder ?

I will investigate busses further, as they intuitively resemble an analog console better..and the ability to group them fully left is a big plus when it comes to hardware mixing (via a control surface I mean...rather than with a mouse alone !)
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Old 02-24-2018, 08:02 AM   #4
LugNut
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Hi,
Can't you use the mixer option don't show children? Maybe I misunderstand?
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Old 02-24-2018, 08:33 AM   #5
nofish
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Folder mode in Klinke MCU ?

Quote:
When you switch to Folder-Mode, only tracks are shown that have the Master track as their
root. For all tracks that have children, the LED below the VP OT is illuminated. You can select
these tracks as a new root track by pressing the corresponding S ELECT button for longer than one
second. To move back to the root track, press the G LOBAL VIEW button.
(sorry for the weird formatting, pasted from pdf)
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Old 02-24-2018, 08:52 AM   #6
ashcat_lt
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LugNut - Have you ever tried using a hardware controller for the mixer? It is possible to go in and assign individual faders to specific controllers, but it's easier and more convenient to use a layout where it just controls tracks in sequence. Like my NanoKontrol just does tracks 1-8 and there's a button to shift that up (or down) in groups of 8. Collapsing a folder or even hiding tracks does not change their track number. The control ends up adjusting things on tracks you can't see.
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Old 02-24-2018, 08:15 PM   #7
studer58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ashcat_lt View Post
LugNut - Have you ever tried using a hardware controller for the mixer? It is possible to go in and assign individual faders to specific controllers, but it's easier and more convenient to use a layout where it just controls tracks in sequence. Like my NanoKontrol just does tracks 1-8 and there's a button to shift that up (or down) in groups of 8. Collapsing a folder or even hiding tracks does not change their track number. The control ends up adjusting things on tracks you can't see.
And worse than that, when you add a folder it becomes another fader/track in its own right, so it can really mess with the 'pure' notion that faders 1-8 control tracks 1-8, 9-16, 17-24 (when you don't create folders at all).

Folders at least give a visual clutter reduction, when the child tracks are collapsed...but bring their own problems as outlined above
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Old 02-25-2018, 03:52 AM   #8
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Hi,
Man I misread. If you are using klinkes then what nofish said. Because that's how it works here. Missed the zoom part. Sorry.
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Old 02-25-2018, 07:14 AM   #9
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Yeah, sounds to me Klinke's folder mode is pretty exactly what OP is looking for.
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