Live: input tracks that are shared _between_ project tabs?

[DeBased]

So I've been using Reaper live for a while, vocal + live (amp-sim'ed) guitar and backing tracks. Because the automation and timing can be complex (eg. automated tempo), each song is in its own project tab. That also makes it much easier to derive song releases from the same projects (and vice versa).

It works well, but the big issue is that I have to duplicate my live vox and guitar inputs on every project. And if I decide to change a global parameter (say a compression or gate param on the vocals), I have to update each projects' vocal input with those changes every time.

That's a pain, but it's really bad with a 'global' effect like a feedback eliminator. It doesn't make sense to have several instances, and only one 'global' instance should learn the EQ to defeat feedback of a particular room. I also don't have time while I'm on stage to copy the learned settings to all the other vox input instances.

How do you guys handle this? For me, 'global' input tracks that are project-independent seem like the solution. Essentially like Monitoring FX, but for inputs. But they would also need to be able to feed inputs to each project, so I can still have song-specific fx and automation for them.


Another way to think of that is a per-device-input-channel plugin chain which affects the inputs in a project-independent way before they hit the input tracks.

Any other ideas?

[DeBased]

.. I wonder if scripting, or (worst-case) hard C++ could fix it (I'm a programmer)?

For example, could an input in a project be routed to a receiver effect script in the Monitor FX (as they are project-independent), run through a few relevant plugins, and then use a return effect script to route the audio back to the project input somehow?

A hack for sure, but if it works I'll do it ...

[domzy]

maybe you could run two instances of Reaper, one for your live input and the backing tracks on the other one. you could route the audio from one to the other using rearoute

[DeBased]

Oh interesting, I hadn't thought of that. Yes you're right, that should work!

I still wonder if it can be hacked into a single Reaper instance though, it would be cleaner, less to crash/go wrong or competing CPU issues to worry about on stage (or to reconfigure if a reload is required for some reason).

I like the idea of abusing the Monitoring FX to do it. But I'll try two instances too.

[DeBased]

With two instances, don't you have to worry about making a preferences change in one (eg. the main one), then closing that instance first (settings are written to disk), and then closing the other (which I presume would still have the old settings and overwrite the new ones when it closes)?

Seems messy ...

[DeBased]

I've thought of another issue with two instances. If you use the first to pre-process the inputs (with feedback elinimator etc), then the 2nd instance gets that processing baked in. That sucks if you also want to record the live show for later offline mixing.

The same would be true if project-independent input fx actually existed (their processing would be baked into recordings).

You could work around it by having the first instance send both processed and unprocessed streams on different outputs. But that complicates the song project configs in the 2nd instance a bit (you now need separate input tracks for outputting, and recording). Doable but messy.

Whereas if you abuse the MonFX as a send/receive from each input track's FX chain, then you can still record an unprocessed signal as normal without needing to create/manage extra tracks.

[domzy]

i'm not sure what you mean about having FX recorded etc. My thoughts were simply to have one instance with your backing tracks in different tabs, using rearoute as your driver - these would send to your master instance which would have your live inputs + your backing tracks, any fx you needed to apply could happen here and wouldn't need to be recorded unless you wanted them to be.
With regards to settings etc. you could have two different setups of reaper pre-arranged beforehand, with different names perhaps, so you wouldn't necessarily need to set it up each time, i don't think.

[DeBased]

Originally Posted by domzy

i'm not sure what you mean about having FX recorded etc. My thoughts were simply to have one instance with your backing tracks in different tabs, using rearoute as your driver - these would send to your master instance which would have your live inputs + your backing tracks, any fx you needed to apply could happen here and wouldn't need to be recorded unless you wanted them to be.

Ah OK, that wouldn't work for me because my live vox and guitar inputs use heavy fx processing and automation that really should live inside each song project. So it makes sense to do all my recording there.

So that would be my 2nd instance. The first would act like an outboard input mixer, where the live input global fx get applied (eg. feedback elimination) and then sent to the 2nd instance.

With regards to settings etc. you could have two different setups of reaper pre-arranged beforehand, with different names perhaps, so you wouldn't necessarily need to set it up each time, i don't think.

I think they would both try to write in the same settings preferences file in the same directory (on Windows at least), ie. C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\REAPER\REAPER.ini

[domzy]

Originally Posted by DeBased

I think they would both try to write in the same settings preferences file in the same directory (on Windows at least), ie. C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\REAPER\REAPER.ini

i was thinking about portable installs.

i take your point about the live tracks being dependent on the backing tracks, processing-wise, though. obviously it'd be pretty simple to send MIDI between the two instances but audio back & forward could get a bit messy.
Good luck with finding a solution though.

[DeBased]

Thanks domzy, the cool thing about Reaper is there are so many ways to skin a cat. And the v. helpful community of course .

[DeBased]

I've created a thread for this project, and will post updates there:

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread....24#post2036724