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Old 01-24-2017, 11:12 AM   #1
storyteller
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Default Announcing Orchestral Template For Reaper

Hey guys. I'm not sure if this thread is in the appropriate forum, so please feel free to move it as needed.

But I wanted to take a minute today to introduce something that has been a big part of my workflow that I am now making available publicly.

If you are on this forum, you know how incredible Reaper is. You also know the genius developer mindset it took to craft a program customizable for everyone. Many people have moved from ProTools, but the composer community has inherent challenges with transitioning to any DAW. While Reaper is listed as the #3 DAW behind Cubase and Logic among users on VI-Control, we all know it could be so much more widely accepted if the users understood how to program.

The truth is most don't. Some that do, may not have time to build the infrastructure they require. The ones that take the time, end up here. That leaves pre-packaged, out-of-the-box DAWs as the answer for most composers.

So, as I've explored all of the DAWs in the composer world (since the dawn of eMagic's Logic), I finally decided to jump headfirst into Reaper and develop out the infrastructure required for composers. Let's call it a potential industry-standard workflow for the future - a workflow that is not able to happen with other DAWs. Yet, it is the workflow that everyone strives to reach.

So with that said, I'd like to introduce Orchestral Template for Reaper (OTR). It is a package of 250 custom scripts and actions that build upon the Reaper platform. It is kinda like a spit and polished interface for composers (especially those that do not have the desire to program). But that's not all. There are additional features being introduced with OTR that consist of pre-configured Orchestral Templates, and a new feature I'm calling TrackPacks - which make loading everything needed for an orchestral session just a right-click away. In essence, everything a composer would need is just a menu tab or a click away. No more figuring out track routing. No more fighting to set up virtual orchestral halls. No more spaghetti wiring of groups, aux tracks, midi tracks, VI output tracks, etc. It is a masterclass in track organization with a perfected workflow for composers.

The pre-order period reflects a 50% introductory package bundle price that runs until the release date of February 14, 2017 and is available at otr.storyteller.im

There are 11 walkthrough videos available on the website, with many more to come. I hope you enjoy this product. Here is the teaser video below.

https://youtu.be/rxhF_3BmrDk

Last edited by storyteller; 01-24-2017 at 11:22 AM.
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Old 01-24-2017, 11:43 AM   #2
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Looks like a great template. Maybe I'll get it. But I think there is a error with pricing, cause it shows $129 crossed out and the current offer is $119, which isn't 50%.
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Old 01-24-2017, 11:48 AM   #3
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Looks like a great template. Maybe I'll get it. But I think there is a error with pricing, cause it shows $129 crossed out and the current offer is $119, which isn't 50%.
Good catch! Sale price was correct. Retail price was not correct for the bundle. Sorry about that!
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Old 01-24-2017, 12:59 PM   #4
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Good catch! Sale price was correct. Retail price was not correct for the bundle. Sorry about that!
Hey, np.
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Old 01-25-2017, 02:40 AM   #5
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Looks great, a couple of qu:
1. Many of us use VEPro6 to farm out vi's. How do you accommodate the individual choices we've made to put our strings on this pc and brass on that pc etc.
2. How long will we get updates to each individual pack and scrips?
3. Will you integrate with reapack?

Cheers
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Old 01-25-2017, 03:45 PM   #6
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Thanks! Good questions! VEPro6 is a solution where users tend to configure their VIs for their own workflow. So from the start, while integrating a previous workflow into OTR can occur rather easily, it may not translate into the most ideal approach since OTR is intended to reshape workflows more efficiently. However, using pre-existing VEPro setups is easily handled through the numerous TrackTemplates that are included. So, for example, if you have a VEPro Instance used for strings on a slave computer, you would just add that plugin to whichever OTR TrackTemplate accommodates your routing configuration.

Real world example: If you have a Violins patch running on VEPRO that outputs in stereo, you would select a StereoOut Track Template in OTR that sends to either the Virtual Orchestral Hall, or to the Main Mix (where you would configure your own reverb settings for the section rather than use a configured global hall). Depending on which template you chose, you could then type in the articulations on each midi channel tied to the VI, or if you are using a single VI instance for a multi (with no additional midi channels), then nothing else is left to configure. Just set it and forget it.

In the case of TrackPacks, there will be an included NKM patch that is used for the preconfigured Kontakt Instrument TrackTemplate. If you are not using VEPRO, Kontakt (and the NKM) will already be preloaded on the track, making it a right-click away at loading it up. If you are using VEPRO, you would have to add that Kontakt NKM to your VEPRO instance and just replace the Kontakt plugin with your VEPRO plugin.

As for updates, there will be continued updates when needed. Regarding TrackPacks, VST updates are handled automatically when you update your personal plugins since they just point to a certain plugin ID. Most Kontakt instruments do not see incremental updates - but if for some reason, there is a change in the scripting portion of the NKI or NKM, updates will be made available for the respective TrackPacks.

Regarding Reapack - Presently, there are no plans to integrate with Reapack for a variety of reasons. It is a great utility and serves a wonderful purpose, but for OTR, it could potentially hinder workflow versus improve it. That's not to say that choice may be reversed at some point in the future though.

Longterm, I would hope to have this more integrated with the Reaper Team as they can focus on Audio Engine functionality and producers/composers of different genres of music could work on workflow functionality in ways like OTR accomplishes. I have a few ideas on how it could be integrated really easily. That'd actually be ideal.
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Old 01-29-2017, 05:13 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by storyteller View Post
Hey guys. I'm not sure if this thread is in the appropriate forum, so please feel free to move it as needed.

But I wanted to take a minute today to introduce something that has been a big part of my workflow that I am now making available publicly.

If you are on this forum, you know how incredible Reaper is. You also know the genius developer mindset it took to craft a program customizable for everyone. Many people have moved from ProTools, but the composer community has inherent challenges with transitioning to any DAW. While Reaper is listed as the #3 DAW behind Cubase and Logic among users on VI-Control, we all know it could be so much more widely accepted if the users understood how to program.

The truth is most don't. Some that do, may not have time to build the infrastructure they require. The ones that take the time, end up here. That leaves pre-packaged, out-of-the-box DAWs as the answer for most composers.

So, as I've explored all of the DAWs in the composer world (since the dawn of eMagic's Logic), I finally decided to jump headfirst into Reaper and develop out the infrastructure required for composers. Let's call it a potential industry-standard workflow for the future - a workflow that is not able to happen with other DAWs. Yet, it is the workflow that everyone strives to reach.

So with that said, I'd like to introduce Orchestral Template for Reaper (OTR). It is a package of 250 custom scripts and actions that build upon the Reaper platform. It is kinda like a spit and polished interface for composers (especially those that do not have the desire to program). But that's not all. There are additional features being introduced with OTR that consist of pre-configured Orchestral Templates, and a new feature I'm calling TrackPacks - which make loading everything needed for an orchestral session just a right-click away. In essence, everything a composer would need is just a menu tab or a click away. No more figuring out track routing. No more fighting to set up virtual orchestral halls. No more spaghetti wiring of groups, aux tracks, midi tracks, VI output tracks, etc. It is a masterclass in track organization with a perfected workflow for composers.

The pre-order period reflects a 50% introductory package bundle price that runs until the release date of February 14, 2017 and is available at otr.storyteller.im

There are 11 walkthrough videos available on the website, with many more to come. I hope you enjoy this product. Here is the teaser video below.

https://youtu.be/rxhF_3BmrDk
Interesting ... I am intrigued by how you create the different scrips. Is it customizable? There's at least two things I'd like to change:

1. I like to order my instrument groups as woodwinds - brass - percussion - keys - strings, similar to traditional symphonic score.

2. I have a surround setup (well at least quadrophonic for music) - I'm using a different reverb for the rear channels (almost always Eastwest's Spaces - they have different impulses for front and rear reverbs, very nice).

Also, how does this work with different themes? I don't use the default theme but usually Alberto's PT 2.0.5 theme, sometimes the PT12 theme, and once it's released, plan to use the new Imperial theme (depending on how the main edit window will look - right now it's way too dark for my eyes).

Remind, what is the exact pricing again?
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Old 01-30-2017, 01:11 PM   #8
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Hey Peter! I just wanted to make sure I posted this reply here as well as the main forum discussion on VIC.
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Interesting ... I am intrigued by how you create the different scrips. Is it customizable? There's at least two things I'd like to change:

1. I like to order my instrument groups as woodwinds - brass - percussion - keys - strings, similar to traditional symphonic score.
Yep! It is as simple as dragging around the categories into the order you wish. If you wanted to dive into changing the button order on the menus to correspond with your new order, you can right click on the menu, click customize, then drag the buttons around too. Trying to rename the category tracks (the VI-C tracks) everywhere is not recommended though because each track contains attached configuration information that makes the template work.
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2. I have a surround setup (well at least quadrophonic for music) - I'm using a different reverb for the rear channels (almost always Eastwest's Spaces - they have different impulses for front and rear reverbs, very nice).
Yep! I haven't spotlighted this feature yet, but I plan on adding a video for it. In addition to the standard stereo routing that all of the videos have demonstrated, there is also a "classic quad" mode that allows you to do just that, including rendering to quad stems. Full 5.1 and up will be added at a later point though.
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Originally Posted by peter5992 View Post
Also, how does this work with different themes? I don't use the default theme but usually Alberto's PT 2.0.5 theme, sometimes the PT12 theme, and once it's released, plan to use the new Imperial theme (depending on how the main edit window will look - right now it's way too dark for my eyes).
Yes - with a caveat. If the template supports all of the custom track lane skins that the standard Reaper theme used in OTR, then it will be seamless. If the template does not have all of the different track lane skins (such as faders on the track, or long text boxes, etc), then it will still work, but the template might have a slightly different workflow due to those changes. That might be what you want though! That's the beauty of Reaper.
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Remind, what is the exact pricing again?
Introductory pricing is $119 through February 14, 2017 and also includes the TrackPack Collection bundle (which will all be sold separately after the launch). This reflects in a 50% preorder bundle price savings. The retail price of OTR moving forward will be $129 and the included TrackPacks will all be sold separately.
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Old 01-30-2017, 01:31 PM   #9
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Anyone should gather knowledge IMHO and build their own orchestral template based on what they have available. It's made for specific workflow and one gets to know their content, as well as all the routing capabilities of REAPER. One size fits all solutions tend to be messy, bulky or expensive.
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Old 01-30-2017, 01:57 PM   #10
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Anyone should gather knowledge IMHO and build their own orchestral template based on what they have available. It's made for specific workflow and one gets to know their content, as well as all the routing capabilities of REAPER. One size fits all solutions tend to be messy, bulky or expensive.
I don't disagree that knowing what is going on beneath the hood is important. That appeals to certain mindsets. But that's also like telling everyone they should manufacture their own car, build their own house, or do the plumbing themselves. Some people actually do all of those things. Some would rather just live in the house, drive the car they picked out, or call a plumber when there's a clog. Some will stand over the plumber's shoulder to figure out how to do it for themselves the next time.

But OTR might actually surprise you. It isn't built for a pre-made workflow. It is built for everyone's workflow. Using the car analogy, it doesn't enforce everyone to take specific roads to the destination. But it does serve as a GPS system that helps navigate the route and gives the user a set of luxuries that makes driving enjoyable. The alternative would be given no directions, then using hand signals while driving, and eventually having to stop and ask others for directions when lost. The alternative is actually more messy.
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Old 01-31-2017, 10:45 AM   #11
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Still showing incorrectly :

"Introductory pricing is $119 through February 14, 2017 and also includes the TrackPack Collection bundle (which will all be sold separately after the launch). This reflects in a 50% preorder bundle price savings. The retail price of OTR moving forward will be $129 and the included TrackPacks will all be sold separately. "
;-)

This looks v interesting to me and am sure it's worth it, but have difficulty convincing myself in relation to the price of Reaper itself ( well personal use price that is).
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Old 01-31-2017, 06:46 PM   #12
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Hey Peter! I just wanted to make sure I posted this reply here as well as the main forum discussion on VIC.

Yep! It is as simple as dragging around the categories into the order you wish. If you wanted to dive into changing the button order on the menus to correspond with your new order, you can right click on the menu, click customize, then drag the buttons around too. Trying to rename the category tracks (the VI-C tracks) everywhere is not recommended though because each track contains attached configuration information that makes the template work.

Yep! I haven't spotlighted this feature yet, but I plan on adding a video for it. In addition to the standard stereo routing that all of the videos have demonstrated, there is also a "classic quad" mode that allows you to do just that, including rendering to quad stems. Full 5.1 and up will be added at a later point though.

Yes - with a caveat. If the template supports all of the custom track lane skins that the standard Reaper theme used in OTR, then it will be seamless. If the template does not have all of the different track lane skins (such as faders on the track, or long text boxes, etc), then it will still work, but the template might have a slightly different workflow due to those changes. That might be what you want though! That's the beauty of Reaper.


Introductory pricing is $119 through February 14, 2017 and also includes the TrackPack Collection bundle (which will all be sold separately after the launch). This reflects in a 50% preorder bundle price savings. The retail price of OTR moving forward will be $129 and the included TrackPacks will all be sold separately.
Thanks Jonathan - yeah, I saw that on VI. I have some follow up questions, going to post those on VI Control to avoid duplication.
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Old 02-01-2017, 06:20 AM   #13
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Congrats for this release !
Very nice looking website, a lots of high quality tutorial/presentation,
I'm not into orchestral composition at this moment but it looks very powerful !
Quite impressive release as first posts on the REAPER forum !
it seems that you did a LOT of ReaScripting on your own, I'm surprise we didn't see you more on dedicated subforum before

(just a small issue, there some some HTML entity visible on your main page http://otr.storyteller.im/ :P)

Cheers !
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Old 02-02-2017, 09:06 AM   #14
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Congrats for this release !
Very nice looking website, a lots of high quality tutorial/presentation,
I'm not into orchestral composition at this moment but it looks very powerful !
Quite impressive release as first posts on the REAPER forum !
it seems that you did a LOT of ReaScripting on your own, I'm surprise we didn't see you more on dedicated subforum before

(just a small issue, there some some HTML entity visible on your main page http://otr.storyteller.im/ :P)

Cheers !
Thanks! That means a lot! I've certainly seen all that you've contributed to the Reaper community and it really is quite incredible.
As for OTR, I'm really excited about the release and I'm also looking forward to becoming a more active member on this forum. In the days to come I'll also be adding a number of new videos - I've recorded 9 more and should have them edited and posted in the next day or two, with more to come after that....a couple of those spotlighting some really incredible features that I have yet to mention anywhere.

Also - thanks for catching that HTML entity on the website! I'm guessing it imported a little strangely from the development server (it was supposed to be an apostrophe). But it's fixed now
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:30 AM   #15
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Hey guys. I'm not sure if this thread is in the appropriate forum, so please feel free to move it as needed.

But I wanted to take a minute today to introduce something that has been a big part of my workflow that I am now making available publicly.

If you are on this forum, you know how incredible Reaper is. You also know the genius developer mindset it took to craft a program customizable for everyone. Many people have moved from ProTools, but the composer community has inherent challenges with transitioning to any DAW. While Reaper is listed as the #3 DAW behind Cubase and Logic among users on VI-Control, we all know it could be so much more widely accepted if the users understood how to program.

The truth is most don't. Some that do, may not have time to build the infrastructure they require. The ones that take the time, end up here. That leaves pre-packaged, out-of-the-box DAWs as the answer for most composers.

So, as I've explored all of the DAWs in the composer world (since the dawn of eMagic's Logic), I finally decided to jump headfirst into Reaper and develop out the infrastructure required for composers. Let's call it a potential industry-standard workflow for the future - a workflow that is not able to happen with other DAWs. Yet, it is the workflow that everyone strives to reach.

So with that said, I'd like to introduce Orchestral Template for Reaper (OTR). It is a package of 250 custom scripts and actions that build upon the Reaper platform. It is kinda like a spit and polished interface for composers (especially those that do not have the desire to program). But that's not all. There are additional features being introduced with OTR that consist of pre-configured Orchestral Templates, and a new feature I'm calling TrackPacks - which make loading everything needed for an orchestral session just a right-click away. In essence, everything a composer would need is just a menu tab or a click away. No more figuring out track routing. No more fighting to set up virtual orchestral halls. No more spaghetti wiring of groups, aux tracks, midi tracks, VI output tracks, etc. It is a masterclass in track organization with a perfected workflow for composers.

The pre-order period reflects a 50% introductory package bundle price that runs until the release date of February 14, 2017 and is available at otr.storyteller.im

There are 11 walkthrough videos available on the website, with many more to come. I hope you enjoy this product. Here is the teaser video below.

https://youtu.be/rxhF_3BmrDk
Wow. Just watched a couple videos. This will be Huge for Reaper users who don't want to futz with making and saving track templates for hours. Amazing work! this is a very important addition to the reaper community.
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Old 02-04-2017, 10:23 AM   #16
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Wow. Just watched a couple videos. This will be Huge for Reaper users who don't want to futz with making and saving track templates for hours. Amazing work! this is a very important addition to the reaper community.
Thank you so much! I'm really hoping this will help many users migrate over to Reaper that may have been scared away by the do-it-yourself approach. Building bridges... so we can all just go make music and quit figuring out "how" to make the music we want to make.
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Old 02-07-2017, 02:32 AM   #17
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I'd like to introduce Orchestral Template for Reaper (OTR).
Congratulations!

I looked briefly at OTR,
and this might be a game-changer in several ways.

Must be a lot of pit-falls and some learning-curve to it.

VI-composing is not a big thing for me personally,
but I'm sure many will find your offer interesting.

I hope you find a good way of respecting/valuing/pricing your own work vs. what others brings on the table regarding DAW, scripts, theming and so on.

Best of luck!
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Old 02-07-2017, 09:42 AM   #18
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Congratulations!

I looked briefly at OTR,
and this might be a game-changer in several ways.

Must be a lot of pit-falls and some learning-curve to it.

VI-composing is not a big thing for me personally,
but I'm sure many will find your offer interesting.

I hope you find a good way of respecting/valuing/pricing your own work vs. what others brings on the table regarding DAW, scripts, theming and so on.

Best of luck!
Thank you!
I hope users find the learning curve to be very, very easy. That's the goal at least And I know I'm saying that as the creator of it, but really - once a person understands the basic way its laid out (the map of OTR), it should be smooth sailing. Nearly everything is a right-click or button push away.
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Old 02-07-2017, 11:58 AM   #19
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I'd like to introduce Orchestral Template for Reaper (OTR)
This is a very exciting product! Thank you for developing it!

I've been meaning to get into orchestral compositions for a long time, but I've always known that setting up my template would have been a huge undertaking, especially since I would be learning the concepts as I go (quad mixing, articulations, routing, etc.).

It's wonderful to find that someone else has already done all of the hard work!

So some questions:

1) How suitable is OTR for non orchestral compositions (pop songs, prog rock, etc.)? It seems like a lot of its features would still be useful (reverb routing, main output handling, track showing/hiding etc.). Are there categories suitable for non-orchestral pieces?

2) How keyboard friendly are those toolbars? Is the toolbar structure also available via a menu tree that can be navigated with the cursor keys?

3) How suitable is OTR for use with Reaper's subproject system? My goal with large scale compositions is to compose in a modular way, with each section being in its own subpoject. This insulates each section from tempo and Time Signature changes of its neighbouring sections.

With film composition, the idea is that each cue is completely isolated in its own subproject, but you still can render the complete project at the top level.

Does it start to become problematic to have dozens of subprojects open, each with the OTR template loaded? How does subproject rendering work, considering that OTR does not render via the main outs?
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Old 02-07-2017, 05:47 PM   #20
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This is a very exciting product! Thank you for developing it!

I've been meaning to get into orchestral compositions for a long time, but I've always known that setting up my template would have been a huge undertaking, especially since I would be learning the concepts as I go (quad mixing, articulations, routing, etc.).

It's wonderful to find that someone else has already done all of the hard work!
You're welcome! And thank you so much. I'm really excited about it!
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So some questions:

1) How suitable is OTR for non orchestral compositions (pop songs, prog rock, etc.)? It seems like a lot of its features would still be useful (reverb routing, main output handling, track showing/hiding etc.). Are there categories suitable for non-orchestral pieces?
You'll be right at home doing pop/rock/country in the template. Just hide out the categories you don't need. As a whole, the categories should cover all main pop/rock/etc categories as well. For example, there are sections for the drum kit, bass, guitars, vocals, background vocals. I'd say the orchestral side of things is pretty much just a normal session template on extreme steroids geared for the potential of in depth surround mixing. So it definitely covers the basics if that's all you want. But the advanced features are there if you need them.
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2) How keyboard friendly are those toolbars? Is the toolbar structure also available via a menu tree that can be navigated with the cursor keys?
If I am understanding your question correctly, any keyboard accessibility to toolbars would be based on Reaper's native ability to select the toolbar with a shortcut and subsequently tab through the buttons. To be honest, that is not something I've ever utilized with Reaper, so I am not sure how that is natively handled. Hopefully someone will chime in here on that front. You've made made me curious on this topic now too.
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3) How suitable is OTR for use with Reaper's subproject system? My goal with large scale compositions is to compose in a modular way, with each section being in its own subpoject. This insulates each section from tempo and Time Signature changes of its neighbouring sections. With film composition, the idea is that each cue is completely isolated in its own subproject, but you still can render the complete project at the top level.
I had a similar question on this topic asked in another forum earlier today actually. I plan on testing it out more completely (possibly tonight or tomorrow), but I do not see any reason why it would not work as expected. There will certainly be a followup answer from me to this in the days upcoming.
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Does it start to become problematic to have dozens of subprojects open, each with the OTR template loaded? How does subproject rendering work, considering that OTR does not render via the main outs?
While OTR bypasses the master outs for rendering. the audio still flows out the master outs for monitoring so technically, everything should work as it is intended within Reaper's subproject system. If I had to wager a guess, I'm guessing Reaper treats subproject as nothing more than a duration and a multi-out rendered track until it is opened up. So as long as you are only diving into one subproject at a time, I can't see why it would be a bottleneck. Admittedly, I am speaking somewhat blindly to how Reaper handles sub projects natively. But I am going to look into how it is handled and test this further in the days upcoming to provide some better clarity on this.

But I will say this - the larger a project becomes in track count, the higher the idle state becomes on your CPUs. That's the case with any audio engine. But Reaper handles it way better than every other DAW available. So, just speaking logically... if you have a thousand track template being used in a subproject, the way it should be treated is to close out of the subproject once you are finished editing so the CPU isn't taxed unnecessarily. Hope that clarifies some! I'll certainly dive a little deeper into the subproject in the days to come.
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Old 02-08-2017, 09:48 AM   #21
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Thanks for answering my questions!

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If I am understanding your question correctly, any keyboard accessibility to toolbars would be based on Reaper's native ability to select the toolbar with a shortcut and subsequently tab through the buttons. To be honest, that is not something I've ever utilized with Reaper, so I am not sure how that is natively handled. Hopefully someone will chime in here on that front. You've made made me curious on this topic now too.
I guess I was wondering if the toolbars were also available as standard pull-down menus. I've never played with Reaper toolbars (not a mouse person), so I don't know how they work. I'll experiment when I get some time.

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But I will say this - the larger a project becomes in track count, the higher the idle state becomes on your CPUs. That's the case with any audio engine. But Reaper handles it way better than every other DAW available. So, just speaking logically... if you have a thousand track template being used in a subproject, the way it should be treated is to close out of the subproject once you are finished editing so the CPU isn't taxed unnecessarily. Hope that clarifies some! I'll certainly dive a little deeper into the subproject in the days to come.
That makes sense.

Ok - so suppose I'm just starting to compose a new modular orchestral piece in sections, with each section in its own subproject. But I'm still composing, so I want to start with just piano sketches or string pads in each subproject and flesh out the arrangement later.

At the beginning, I might be flipping rapidly between 20 or so subprojects, each with only a handful of tracks. Does the OTR infrastructure for each subproject contain hundreds of hidden empty tracks behind the scenes? Or does each subproject only contain what I explicitly add?

And can I later add full OTR orchestral categories to a project that just started out as a non-OTR piano sketch? Or do you have to start with the OTR template when you start the project?


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Old 02-08-2017, 11:59 AM   #22
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Thanks for answering my questions!
I guess I was wondering if the toolbars were also available as standard pull-down menus. I've never played with Reaper toolbars (not a mouse person), so I don't know how they work. I'll experiment when I get some time.
Ahh! Now I see what you mean. While I have tailored the Reaper pull-down menus to perform the OTR specific actions instead of the Reaper generic actions (where possible), I have not yet put all of the OTR toolbar items into a pulldown menu. For example, if Reaper had a Freeze function in the "Track" pulldown menu, it now performs the OTR freeze action (which includes a few additional subprocesses) instead of performing the basic Reaper Freeze action.

I've also nearly entirely renovated the right-click menu on tracks. You will be able to perform many of the OTR menu-button actions with just a right click (or a keyboard shortcut) instead of having to navigate to the menubar. I will look into adding the menu buttons to the pulldown menu in a future release though.

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Ok - so suppose I'm just starting to compose a new modular orchestral piece in sections, with each section in its own subproject. But I'm still composing, so I want to start with just piano sketches or string pads in each subproject and flesh out the arrangement later.
If the intention is to have a "strings" subproject and a "brass subproject," that may result in an unnecessarily challenging workflow when it comes to the stem rendering process. I don't mean that negatively at all - I'm just speaking with respect to trying to reach the finish line without any hiccups along the way. If you compose in sections because that's your particular workflow, that's perfectly fine. I'd expect many people to do that. Just freeze or render/deactivate those tracks when you are changing sections. You will have the same outcome with less clutter and OTR accommodates that exceedingly well. But the strings, brass, percussion, etc for a particular song should all be in one subproject if they are part of the same movement or song rather than using a subproject render and mixing the sub-project-based sections together to achieve the mix you want. Hope that last part wasn't too jumbled in the way I described it and clarifies what I am trying to say.

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At the beginning, I might be flipping rapidly between 20 or so subprojects, each with only a handful of tracks.
Yep! I'd expect that to be a normal method of approach! I'll use this as the example when I make in the video. I think that could be helpful for everyone.

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Does the OTR infrastructure for each subproject contain hundreds of hidden empty tracks behind the scenes? Or does each subproject only contain what I explicitly add?
The OTR project template contains 160 physical tracks in the stereo version to make it work. Depending on the template, some of those tracks will be stereo, some will be up to 16 channel tracks. That is the baseline.
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And can I later add full OTR orchestral categories to a project that just started out as a non-OTR piano sketch? Or do you have to start with the OTR template when you start the project?
That's a great question, and it will depend on your approach. If you wanted to be very basic during your sketch process, you do not have to load up the OTR template. You could simply load up a blank project, insert your favorite piano VI and go at it. That's probably the quickest way to get going with what you are proposing. But, you will need to copy/paste that track into an OTR project when you are ready to utilize all of the OTR features.

If you have more questions, ask away. The ones you are asking I think will be very great to have on record for other composers looking at the big-picture workflow.
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Old 02-08-2017, 02:41 PM   #23
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Thanks again for the detailed responses!

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If the intention is to have a "strings" subproject and a "brass subproject," that may result in an unnecessarily challenging workflow when it comes to the stem rendering process.
Just to clarify here - when I talk about composing in sections - I don't mean symphonic sections (strings, brass, etc.) - I mean sections of time within a project. Like the film cue example, but with a complete composition.

For instance, with a pop song, you could have a verse section, a chorus section and a bridge section. You could put each section in a subproject, and then arrange the whole composition in the top-level project. Obviously that's a trivial example, and most people wouldn't do that with a pop song.

But for more complicated pieces you might want to, especially if each section has a different tempo or time signature. Or if you want to build a composition up from a variety of pieces.

Kind of like what Brian Wilson tried (and originally failed) to do with the Smile project. Create a bunch of sketches and then assemble them into an album.

(I need a better word than *section* to describe what I mean)
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Old 02-23-2017, 09:42 AM   #24
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Default Dante virtual soundcard

Does this template have a way to integrate Asio channels?

I run 'Dante virtual soundcard' which exposes 64 routable network streams into Reaper.

Or maybe this is purely for plugins and samples. If so, I'm wondering how you would workflow the virtual side with recorded tracks.
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Old 02-23-2017, 12:33 PM   #25
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Does this template have a way to integrate Asio channels?

I run 'Dante virtual soundcard' which exposes 64 routable network streams into Reaper.

Or maybe this is purely for plugins and samples. If so, I'm wondering how you would workflow the virtual side with recorded tracks.
As a whole, if Reaper can do it, OTR can do it. In a similar example on a Mac, you can use a sound driver called "Soundflower" that opens up 64 channels of network streaming. You may have to play with the configurations of your sound devices in OSX's audio panel, but you could certainly capture those routed streams. In the videos I've made, I have to use Soundflower to capture the audio from my mic with the audio from my daw. To do this, I combined Soundflower with my Apogee devices as a "Multi Aggregate" device within OSX's audio panel. When I record the video, I select the Multi-Aggregate device from Quicktime's record audio source options. But that's a slightly different example than you are asking.

In OTR, you'd just need to select a VI-LIVE track from the track templates, and choose your input channel from your sound device. This would mean you would also need to select the appropriate sound device within Reaper's settings (which it sounds like you've done with your Dante virtual sound card). So all in all, the short answer is "YES" OTR is built for live audio as well as VIs.
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Old 02-23-2017, 06:47 PM   #26
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Just downloaded and installed 1.02 - everything seems pretty smooth.

But for idiots like me, you might want to write "mini manual" with just these steps:

How and where do I insert my favorite EW piano (the Boesendorfer), such, that it is properly inserted in one of the instrument tracks, the audio being rerouted to a front, and a rear reverb?

The OTR is so sophisticated in terms routing, simple shit like this just goes straight over my head ...
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Old 02-23-2017, 07:25 PM   #27
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Just downloaded and installed 1.02 - everything seems pretty smooth.

But for idiots like me, you might want to write "mini manual" with just these steps:

How and where do I insert my favorite EW piano (the Boesendorfer), such, that it is properly inserted in one of the instrument tracks, the audio being rerouted to a front, and a rear reverb?

The OTR is so sophisticated in terms routing, simple shit like this just goes straight over my head ...
Let me see what I can put together for you Peter. Hang tight.
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Old 02-23-2017, 09:10 PM   #28
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Just downloaded and installed 1.02 - everything seems pretty smooth.

But for idiots like me, you might want to write "mini manual" with just these steps:

How and where do I insert my favorite EW piano (the Boesendorfer), such, that it is properly inserted in one of the instrument tracks, the audio being rerouted to a front, and a rear reverb?

The OTR is so sophisticated in terms routing, simple shit like this just goes straight over my head ...
Done. How about an easy-to-follow-along video? I just created one and added it to the Storyteller Youtube Channel. The new video is here -> https://youtu.be/NYyilSpwMIU
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Old 02-23-2017, 11:01 PM   #29
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Done. How about an easy-to-follow-along video? I just created one and added it to the Storyteller Youtube Channel. The new video is here -> https://youtu.be/NYyilSpwMIU
FAN - TAS - TIC.

Love you man.

Now my Piano works.

One question though:

In the master reverb channel, only the front channels light up. I know it's quad because that is what I am hearing, but shouldn't the rear channels light up as well?

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Old 02-23-2017, 08:21 PM   #30
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"In OTR, you'd just need to select a VI-LIVE track from the track templates, and choose your input channel from your sound device"

Ok, so I cannot find any info on VI-LIVE tracks in the feature list or videos.

I guess we need the manual to be available, in order to learn about this feature.

You might be missing a trick not delving into this subject deeper, as I would hazard a guess that 50% of users are not VI people, but regular recording types....and if this can dramatically improve regular recording workflow then...
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Old 02-23-2017, 08:49 PM   #31
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"In OTR, you'd just need to select a VI-LIVE track from the track templates, and choose your input channel from your sound device"

Ok, so I cannot find any info on VI-LIVE tracks in the feature list or videos.

I guess we need the manual to be available, in order to learn about this feature.

You might be missing a trick not delving into this subject deeper, as I would hazard a guess that 50% of users are not VI people, but regular recording types....and if this can dramatically improve regular recording workflow then...
Yep. It is covered in the manual (but even then, I think it could probably use some additional explanation on catering to a live-audio workflow). So I think you are right with your suggestion. When I created OTR, I assumed all of the audio needs must be covered first, then build out the workflow for composers and VI Artists. So really, OTR covers everything needed for non-vi users, but also has the additional functionality required for composers and VI Artists. I don't mean to lessen the non VI workflow, but I considered that a required baseline before I could expand upon it for the crazy 1000+ track template and multiple cue compilation workflows for composition.

If you don't mind, could you send me an email that shares more about what you would hope to see in a video? I have some ideas, but I think hearing your suggestions would be very valuable before I create it.

As an aside - the first project I worked on in testing out the commercial version of OTR was a modern pop-rock track (with a handful of VI tracks as well).
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Old 02-28-2017, 04:08 AM   #32
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Default SONiVOX - Orchestral Companion Strings

http://sonivoxmi.com/products/detail...panion-strings

Would be a good candidate for an inbuilt Trackpack.

Why?

This $99.99 plugin was going for $1 not long ago on Plugin Boutique.

A lot of people would have purchased at that price..and so makes sense to at least have it listed for search juice.

Pretty sure the company would be receptive, given their strategy with this $1 sale.
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Old 02-28-2017, 08:23 AM   #33
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http://sonivoxmi.com/products/detail...panion-strings

Would be a good candidate for an inbuilt Trackpack.

Why?

This $99.99 plugin was going for $1 not long ago on Plugin Boutique.

A lot of people would have purchased at that price..and so makes sense to at least have it listed for search juice.

Pretty sure the company would be receptive, given their strategy with this $1 sale.
Good suggestion. It's certainly on my short list to add to the TrackPacks.
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Old 02-28-2017, 02:27 PM   #34
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Default Purple Haze!

The color palette for VI-C tracks seems a bit off today ... instead of soft orange, everything is purple.

?

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Old 02-28-2017, 04:42 PM   #35
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The color palette for VI-C tracks seems a bit off today ... instead of soft orange, everything is purple.

?

All track colors in Reaper and the way OTR implements them are passive. You would have had to do that manually somehow. Don't know what to tell ya on that one...
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Old 02-28-2017, 05:27 PM   #36
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All track colors in Reaper and the way OTR implements them are passive. You would have had to do that manually somehow. Don't know what to tell ya on that one...
Well, as far as I can remember, I didn't do anything peculiar; I added a new VI Group, and a template track below that, and then when I wanted to change the color from the default blue to the orange, all I got was purple.

And that happens to tracks I created before, too.

So, for example, if I go back up to one of the 1st violins tracks (which are now orange), and on top I have the Storyteller Color Palette for Ca selected (with all the orange colors from orange to grey), and click on any of them, the color of the 1st violins track changes from orange to purple. Different shades of purple, depending on which box I click on.

(There's a workaround: just copy and paste from the tracks I created before this happened, and swap out the VSTs for whatever I want to have on a specific new track, but that shouldn't be necessary)
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