combine recording projects into one mixing project

[Laguna]

Hi there,

I have some reaper "recording" projects (one for each song) with the tracks, regions, time/signature and markers and some automation and preliminary mixing.
Except for a featured instrument or a solo, the track structure is very similar between the songs.

Now mixing time is approaching and I wonder what would be the smartest way to make mixing easy. The best scenario would be if I just have one big mixing project with all the songs one after another and I can easily mix all songs in one go (e.g. with minor adjustments between the songs done by automation).
Is there some "import project" feature that I am missing?
If it is not possible to combine projects, what would be the easiest way to copy plugins/settings for multiple tracks between projects?

What I have tried (and what did not work);
* I am explicitly NOT looking for the subproject feature, as this would still lead to multiple projects, where I have to do equalizing on each project individually.
* Copying the items/tracks would work, but will not copy timing/signature tracks. Also the regions are missing.
* Track templates are not giving me what I need, as I only know how to create new tracks from templates, but not pasting settings onto already present tracks.


Best regards and thank you for your help!

[domzy]

if your prime concern is having the same mixing layout for each track, but you aren't bothered about having them on the same timeline, then one way could be to use different tabs for each tune and then a tab for your "mixing desk".
You would need to set up sends from each of the stems in each tune using the JS gmem plugins.
just a suggestion, there are probably loads of ways of approaching this.

[serr]

Keep it simple along the way.

All the songs are currently in the same project and many have the same instruments/tracks? Cool.

Start mixing! Do any "meat n' potatoes" stuff first that applies to everything.

Only when you come to a point where something becomes more of a PITA to keep in the same project than saving as it's own should you do a 'save as' and move on. For example, if you suddenly needed very different settings on a few plugins for one of the songs that meant you'd have to dial the current stuff in with automation to handle all that. Save that one to its own project then and avoid that busywork.

Then if down the road you find some element you want to attend to in all the songs, you can cut/paste it from the project you dialed it up in to all the other separated projects.

Keep everything in the same place on the timeline to facilitate copy/pasting between projects if you do split things out.

If that never comes up, no reason you couldn't mix the whole thing in the same project.

[Laguna]

Originally Posted by domzy

You would need to set up sends from each of the stems in each tune using the JS gmem plugins.
just a suggestion, there are probably loads of ways of approaching this.

Hi there,

Thanks for getting back to me. That would sound like a valid option. However, I cannot find the "JS gmem plugins" on the google search or in the reapack packet manager.
As far as I understand it (which is not very far) I guess that I have to script some javascript files to send sounds between projects? That actually sounds like an awesome Idea, but I am a bit lost where to start (programming experience - though c++ - is present, but a kickstart would be wholeheartedly appreciated.

Originally Posted by serr

Keep it simple along the way.

All the songs are currently in the same project and many have the same instruments/tracks? Cool.

That's how I would like it to be, but that is not the case at the moment. I am trying to get there with the help of this thread.

[domzy]

Originally Posted by Laguna

Thanks for getting back to me. That would sound like a valid option. However, I cannot find the "JS gmem plugins" on the google search or in the reapack packet manager.

they come with reaper as default i think, in the JS plugins folder

[Laguna]

Hah! Some 20 minutes playing around with the JS scripts made audio go from one project to another. However I have some weird audio coming through. That might be a sample rate problem or something similar. Am I doing something obviously wrong here?

My js plugins folder can be found here. Which one is the one to use? If there is a ready to use one? https://imgur.com/Gaa8QWH


my (not yet working) code so far:

desc:gmem_send
//tags: utility
//author: Laguna

slider1:0<0,100,1>SendTo

@slider
c= slider1*2 + 1024;

@sample
l=spl0;
r=spl1;

gmem[c]=l;
gmem[c+1]=r;

spl0=0;
spl1=0;

and

desc:gmem_receive
//tags: utility
//author: Laguna

slider1:0<0,100,1>SendTo

@slider
c= slider1*2 + 1024;

@sample
l=spl0;
r=spl1;

l=gmem[c];
r=gmem[c+1];

spl0=l;
spl1=r;

[domzy]

about 2/3 down the second column

you know there is a search facility - type in gmem into the filter box etc.

[cyrano]

Originally Posted by Laguna

I guess that I have to script some javascript files to send sounds between projects?

Just nitpicking.

These aren't JavaScript files, but JesuSonic. I fell for that too when I was new to Reaper. Everybody always mentions "js" files and most people immediately think JavaScript. But it isn't. And JesuSonic is rarely mentioned.

[serr]

Is this part of some kind of live performance setup where you really need tricky stuff like audio routing between multiple projects? That's an awful lot of work and complexity which should be justified by a true need.

If this is a mixing project with already recorded parts - which the OP suggests - why not just copy/paste the individual song tracks/elements into a single project and get to work?

If there are similarly recorded tracks between songs that you want to work together, then do that in a single project. Start splitting them out again (simply save with a new name) when the need arises. It's all about the final sound of the mix and ease of getting there, not the steps in-between.

[Laguna]

Hi, if you are talking about the gmem_send/gmem_receive, those are the plugins/scripts, that I created (which do not work as described above).

[Laguna]

Originally Posted by cyrano

Just nitpicking.

These aren't JavaScript files, but JesuSonic. I fell for that too when I was new to Reaper. Everybody always mentions "js" files and most people immediately think JavaScript. But it isn't. And JesuSonic is rarely mentioned.

Thanks for the info! I didn't know that and it might help for upcoming google searches.!

Originally Posted by serr

If this is a mixing project with already recorded parts - which the OP suggests - why not just copy/paste the individual song tracks/elements into a single project and get to work?

because I don't know how to copy regions, time markers and signature markers between projects. If there is a easy way to move them between projects, please tell me, because I would love to do it that way.

[serr]

Do you have MIDI instrument stuff that is following timing from time signature markers and all that MIDI stuff going on?

I know there are options for copying the timeline markers. This IS separate from copying items and/or tracks. (That functionality is buried in what's called the Region and Marker Manager and I'm not sure how you tie timeline selections to it. I'm an audio guy, not MIDI.) But I'd suggest that if you have MIDI stuff like that going on and where it's tied to grids and so forth, that it would be much more work to combine such tracks. You've already reached the point where splitting into separate projects is the thing to do.

You can save track templates and plugin settings so make it easy to grab them for another project. Or just open another project with the thing you want to copy in another tab and cut/paste from it.

An option might be to render any MIDI stuff to audio tracks. Then you'd just have normal audio tracks and you could paste all the songs into a project with no need for the markers and regions for the MIDI triggering. If that actually sounds like it could make something easier, it's an option. If it's just more busywork though, just move on.

[Laguna]

After the mixing has finished, I want to tell you how I solved the issue finally. First, let me thank the people who helped here.

While I did not manage to get all tracks into one big project, I decided to mix one song really well. Then I created FX Chains for all tracks in that project and loaded those fx chains on the other songs as well.

This is a bit tedious, but it worked out for me.

@Devs: I still would like to see a function like "append reaper project at the cursor".

Best,
Laguna

[Laguna]

After Clicking Some more things in the DSP Settings, The Option "Alt. Multi-Card Mode" made it work for me.
Unfortunately there is not much info about that in the official RME manuals, but it did the trick for me.

Thanks for everyone who helped here.

Best,
Laguna

[cyrano]

Originally Posted by Laguna

After Clicking Some more things in the DSP Settings, The Option "Alt. Multi-Card Mode" made it work for me.
Unfortunately there is not much info about that in the official RME manuals, but it did the trick for me.

Thanks for everyone who helped here.

Best,
Laguna

Thanks for reporting back with the solution. Seems Multi card mode is only documented in the driver's readme. It was introduced in driver 4.21, according to the man himself on the RME forum.

[ashcat_lt]

This post on Reaper blog has a link to working gmem send/receive plugs. I highly suggest editing it to include

options:gmem = (some unique name shared between send and receive plugs)

This just keeps them out of the way of anything else that might end up using gmem. You still have to sort out your individual instances of these plugs, but you won’t have to worry about any other plugs past present or future.

https://reaperblog.net/2018/05/filtered-delay/