_dB: TempoSync Drifter (tempo-syncs delays with off-beat drifting)

[DeBased]

Something I've wanted for years: you want to sync delays to tempo, but you also want them to drift off-beat a little. Sure you can do that with manual time settings - but if you change the project tempo later, you have to adjust all your delay times to get the same feel at the new speed. And if you automate tempo or play songs live with a different tempo every night, you're sunk.

So, why don't delays have a tempo-sync 'Drift' parameter that adapts to tempo changes? I have no idea! So I posted this FR (the best solution that 'just works'). In the meantime I wrote this JS script:



It reads the current project tempo (in real-time), and allows you to modify it to get some drift. It spits out modified tempo and millisecond values, and a 0-1 modulation value you can use with Reaper's parameter modulation to set the time parameter of a supported delay effect.

Why 'supported'? Well effects are modulated using only 'normalized' (ie. 0.0 to 1.0 range) values, they don't accept milliseconds. And worse, many effects use non-linear parameter curves to make their GUI dials nicer to use. So each effect's time parameter needs to be reverse-engineered to apply the modified time correctly. As a result, you need to select your target effect plugin - if your delay is not in the list the time won't apply correctly (my FR would work with everything).

Currently supported (v0.5b):

ReaDelay (Reaper)
JS: Time Adjustment Delay (Reaper)
Echoboy (SoundToys)
Guitar Rig 5's 'Quad Delay' (Native Instruments)

This is a work in progress (but working for me), beat on it and report issues.

Two versions:
- standard (only proportional 'Drift' option)
- PRO (as above + absolute BPM/ms offsets)

([ ] bracketed sliders are readouts and cannot be set)

Download


Installation:

- In Reaper, Options menu -> Show REAPER resource path in explorer/finder
- enter 'Effects' folder
- drop the '_dB' folder from the zip file into it.
So you should have .. Reaper\Effects\_dB\<the scripts>


Modulating the Time parameter of a supported effect:

- In TempoSyncDrifter, choose the correct 'Modulation Target' from the dropdown list (see above).

- touch (ie. adjust) the target effect's time parameter GUI control first
- in the FX window, click 'Param -> Parameter Modulation/MIDI link'
- Tick 'Enable parameter modulation' and 'Link from MIDI or FX parameter'.
- Choose TempoSyncDrifter -> [Modulation Value] parameter as the modulation control.
.

[DeBased]

(reserved)