Sequencer Megababy overview vid

[lachrimae]

Good evening...
I was unable to find a vid on Megababy so I decided to provide a quick overview video for anyone that might benefit (ok, 23min isn't "quick").

http://youtu.be/Wq2C-Qg9Hp4

Although I've been meaning to set up my screen/vid capture for some time now, this is the first time I've used it. Let me know if there are any issues or questions...

Thanks again to jnif and NandyC for their work on Megababy!

[Barksy]

That's pretty neat, thanks for the tutorial. A cool way to find some beats using Battery that I've never utilised.

[Paul99]

Wow, you've got a beautiful theme there. Is it available or did you make it yourself?
Nice work!

[lachrimae]

Thanks guys.

I'm not at my PC right now but I'm pretty sure that theme is Reaborn Vidalsh http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=122542

[Paul99]

Originally Posted by lachrimae

Thanks guys.

I'm not at my PC right now but I'm pretty sure that theme is Reaborn Vidalsh http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=122542

Unfortunately it is not yours. Maybe you have created it all by yourself?

[EpicSounds]

Thanks for making the video. I don't think I would have used Megababy otherwise.

[hopi]

Nice job! thank you

[lachrimae]

Thanks everyone. I'm definitely not a great presenter so hopefully a few tidbits are useful .

Originally Posted by Paul99

Unfortunately it is not yours. Maybe you have created it all by yourself?

Paull99, I did confirm that I'm using Reaborn Vidalsh. If yours looks different then it probably has to do with some settings in one of the following areas:
1) Options -> Preferences -> Peaks/Waveforms
2) Screensets/Layouts (Ctrl+E default shortcut for that?)
3) Dragging the master and mixer panels to either side of the track panel
4) Track colors

If you'll let me know how yours looks different I'll try to help you make it more similar. Or post up a link to a screenshot.

[Paul99]

You must be right because it looks so incredible different at my screen.
I have chosen under Options-Theme the Reaborn_vidals_final_mod.
I also checked under Preferences-Theme Editor that I selected there both names for Settings for all themes and Current theme.
And I must admit that I don't have a clue what I do... I already ordered a hard-copy of the manual because searching a digital copy is extreme handy but learning for me is better with an old fashioned hard-copy...
I am curious what I did wrong to get such a different screen!

[vanhaze]

Many thanx for your tut, very helpful !

Very valuable to me was the explaining of the midi record settings in the Track where Megababy is on.

[EpicSounds]

Originally Posted by Paul99

You must be right because it looks so incredible different at my screen.
I have chosen under Options-Theme the Reaborn_vidals_final_mod.
I also checked under Preferences-Theme Editor that I selected there both names for Settings for all themes and Current theme.
...
I am curious what I did wrong to get such a different screen!

your screenshot looks like the theme image files are missing.

To install a theme, take the download, and drag it into REAPER. It will put the files in the right place and change the appearance instantly.

[Paul99]

Thanks for the help guys! I really need that hard copy Reaper manual to start reading because I thought that loading the theme via "Themes" in "Options" would do the trick. I already found this a nice way to try out the different themes because I could get back very quick. You know about themes: sometimes they look incredibly great but the settings I need are just not good enough so I stay with the default because somehow I have found my way there and it has all I need. If only it would look a bit nicer..... ;-)

[JimFichs]

Wow, thanks for this. I took a crack at megababy some time ago and it didn't stick. A video like this is something I've been waiting for. Excellent stuff, lachrimae.

[Giano]

Watched the video and tried it with Battery4. Although I did exactly what you said and showed in the video, I did not manage to bounce it to a Midi file in Reaper. Special settings? ? Any idea ?

Ok: I ve selected Record Output Midi now and it´s recording MIDI ! And I forgot to deactivate Megababy when palying recorded Midi File ! Now everything works !

[lachrimae]

Hi Giano,

Make sure you have the track set to "Record: Output (Midi)"
Right click on the track's record button to access that option.

I presume you already have Battery set to Merge With Midi Bus?

Those should be the only settings that affect output (I think

[Giano]

Originally Posted by lachrimae

Hi Giano,

Make sure you have the track set to "Record: Output (Midi)"
Right click on the track's record button to access that option.

I presume you already have Battery set to Merge With Midi Bus?

Those should be the only settings that affect output (I think

Thank you, yes that´s exactly what I had to do Setting track to Record: Output Midi.

[Doc Brown]

Hey lachrimae.

Thanks for the tutorial video very informative. I might of missed it in the video, but I still haven't figured out how to change patterns properly. Let's say I want pattern one to start at measure 1 and beat one and play through until measure 3 beat 3. Can I do that by entering those numbers in the megababy gui? Do I have to rely on midi note triggers only? The problem with note triggers is when you go to print the pattern to the track via record midi output, you will still have scattered notes on the midiiitem also that were used to trigger the patterns correct?

By the way I listened to some of your classical guitar stuff and you sound great. Nice playing.

[lachrimae]

Hey Doc,

The most common way I'd trigger pattern changes would be with a midi trigger file since there isn't a way to trigger changes at specific measure markings within megababy itself.

Fortunately your trigger notes won't carry over to your recorded midi output file since megababy doesn't output the triggers by default (e.g. trigger notes aren't passed through to the final midi recording, they're read by megababy and then done away with).

<edited a second time> Well thanks to another thread I just discovered the command: Apply track fx to items as new take (MIDI output)
Here's a licecap vid of the process (your right-click menu will look different):
https://i.imgur.com/TXMF8EF.gif

Thanks for the comment on the classical guitar stuff (played on a steel string in that instance). I just recently moved my PC out of my studio and into a closet so that I can start recording stuff right in front of the DAW with a decent signal to noise ratio, and without having to run mic cables to a spare bedroom each time I want to record. We'll see if that leads to more playing & recording but I'm hoping so .

[Baxter]

Thanks for the video!
It's very helpful.

I want to try Megababy for laying out drums using the onboard sounds in my keyboard.
However, when I lengthen the piano roll (the green bar) to what appears to be it's maximum length it still cannot cover all 61 keys on my keyboard. Every key has a sound assigned to it so if I can't cover all of the keys I'm losing access to some sounds.
Am I missing something or is there a limit?

If there is a limit, it would great to be able to put in some hits and then scroll up or down the keyboard if I need to access one of the offscreen sounds, but doing so moves everything.
Is there a way to make the notes stay where I've put them when scrolling the roll?

[msea]

I haven't watched the full video... but have had success with Megababy (modified version) and RS5K. I change the patterns with automation envelope (square points). So far so good.

What I'm asking here is:

1) Is there a way to copy all notes in a pattern and paste them into another, new pattern? This would be handy for complicated patterns that you just want to change a little as the song progresses.

2) I tried the vol/vel (whatever it is) adjustment below the grid and it seemed to do nothing in terms of changing volume or velocity of notes.

[sorry I'm a bit imprecise with #2. I'm not at my music computer right now.]

If anyone has any info re 1 or 2, pls let me know. Thanks.

[noise_construct]

1) Ctrl-left clicking a pattern number pastes the current/active pattern and switches to the pattern you clicked.

2) Volume outputs CC7 values for each step, and whether or not CC7 has any effect on the actual sound depends on the connected instrument and it's setup.

The JS code starts with a Quick Guide with all the key commands, you can access it from the Edit button in the REAPER plugin window frame.

[msea]

Originally Posted by noise_construct

1) Ctrl-left clicking a pattern number pastes the current/active pattern and switches to the pattern you clicked.

2) Volume outputs CC7 values for each step, and whether or not CC7 has any effect on the actual sound depends on the connected instrument and it's setup.

The JS code starts with a Quick Guide with all the key commands, you can access it from the Edit button in the REAPER plugin window frame.

Thank you so much. I will try (1), look more closely at (2) and revisit the JS code. I saw the JS code there, but it just looked like so much Greek to me!

---

Later...

So I found the Quick Guide and find it incredibly useful. I guess my eye passed over it cos it's dark and I just saw the white background stuff at right. Totally cool. However, I still cannot get velocity or Vol to have any effect with RS5K. Is there something I have to do to link Megababy to RS5K? I am using one instance of Megababy and sending it to several different tracks, each with an instance of RS5K (drum kit samples).

I tried "link to midi program change", setting both Megababy and RS5K to >> Channel 1. Still, no luck...

---

And a little later....

Also did "merges with midi bus" on RS5K... still not having an effect..

---

The Next Day...

I got it. My fault. The minimum volume in RS5K was set at 0. Decreasing that to -inf made velocity work fine. The volume parameter is still not responding. But that's okay because velocity is the one I'd choose, anyhow. And maybe there's something else I'm not seeing.

I especially like being able to subdivide the notes to get a glitch/electro-roll effect, where you want it. I think if more people spent a little bit of time on megababy it would be a more popular plugin. I like!

[msea]

Any way to easily set note velocity back to default value? Dragging usually goes just above or below 100.

---

Edit - I figured out a way, providing one note is still at default value..

[Beastmode Beats]

lachrimae, maybe you can help out, but is it possible to record gated samples into megababy? I'm using Battery and I want to record a few notes while holding down on the trigger to play the sample a bit longer. If there is a workaround this please let me know.

[lachrimae]

Beast, not that I'm aware of...

I suspect that the behavior could be changed by someone that's comfortable with JS but it didn't look like a simple change to me: