Accessing samples off-line?

[Fabian]

Is it possible for a JS effect to access the samples of a media item "off-line"? That is, not accessing the samples in the @sample block while Reaper plays, but instead looping/iterating through the samples?

[Xenakios]

Sorry, no, it doesn't look like it. Only way is to "record" the audio in realtime in to the plugin.

edit : If you are really interested in doing something like this, then Reaper extensions or VST plugins could do it, of course with the high cost of having to learn C++ development for Windows/Mac. While not a standard part of VST, Reaper can provide VST plugins quite comprehensive access to the Reaper project it is running in. (Essentially the same capabilities as the Reaper extension plugins have.)

[Fabian]

Ok, thanks, that confirms what I thought.

Yes, coding a Reaper plugin would be the way to go. I have actually managed to code a "Hello World" plugin (and it works!), so I could start from there, but I'm not sure my idea is worth the bother. Accessing the samples in real-time would do, I would just have to wait a little longer to get the result.

Maybe your Python interface...?

Thanks again, Xen.

[Xenakios]

Originally Posted by Fabian

Ok, thanks, that confirms what I thought.

Yes, coding a Reaper plugin would be the way to go. I have actually managed to code a "Hello World" plugin (and it works!), so I could start from there, but I'm not sure my idea is worth the bother. Accessing the samples in real-time would do, I would just have to wait a little longer to get the result.

Maybe your Python interface...?

Thanks again, Xen.

If the Reaper extensions API or the ReaPython thing will be useful depends on what you want to do. They don't really allow processing of the audio from tracks. The audio processing they are capable (though not really yet with ReaPython) of doing can happen at the media item take level, ie. you can create new media item types which can play audio files or generate their own audio in a custom way (examples of that built into Reaper are the click source and the SMPTE generator items). You can also play your custom audio through Reaper's global audio playback system (preview) like the Media Explorer does, or play that audio through the tracks. But there is no mechanism to do exactly something like the regular fx/instrument plugins, for that you have to do JS or VST plugins etc.