Multiple Instances of Same VST with Different Settings?

[gvdv]

Hi,
My tiny brain has drawn a blank with this, and I would appreciate some help.

How do I end up with 3 different (MIDI) tracks, each with the same plug-in, but with different settings in that plug in on each of the three tracks?

I have a virtual piano which has 5 different piano voices/sounds, and I would like to create tracks with 3 of these, so that I can mix them together.

I tried recording the track, and then duplicating that so that I ended up with 3 tracks, but when I switch to one of the different piano sounds on one of the duplicated tracks (one instance of the virtual piano instrument), it changes the other 2 tracks to the same piano sound, and I end up with 3 tracks with the same piano sound on them.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[foxAsteria]

What plugin and how are you switching the sound? What you're describing isn't normal.

If you assigned a MIDI control to switch the sound, make sure it only affects the focussed instance (check the options while mapping the parameter in the MIDI Learn dialog).

Maybe try saving each sound as a Reaper preset at the top of the plugin window and switching that way.

[gvdv]

Originally Posted by foxAsteria

What plugin and how are you switching the sound? What you're describing isn't normal.

If you assigned a MIDI control to switch the sound, make sure it only affects the focussed instance (check the options while mapping the parameter in the MIDI Learn dialog).

Maybe try saving each sound as a Reaper preset at the top of the plugin window and switching that way.

Thanks for the reply, foxAsteria.

I am using Bitsonic Keyzone Classic (a very nice free virtual piano instrument).

I do not see what is not normal about wanting to mix several different sounds (presets) generated from the same plugin - it would be the same as using several mics. on the same live piano, or having three recordings of the same performance and wanting to apply different EQ to each of them in order to mix them together to get a richer sound.

Now, perhaps the way I am trying to accomplish this is unusual or wrong, so if there is a different way to try to accomplish this, I am all ears.

It is not the switching which is necessarily the problem here - I simply want to end up with three instances of the same track, but with each of those instances having one of the three piano presets applied to it, so that I can then mix them together.

I am just trying to be clear here about what I want to do, so at the risk of labouring the point, here is another way of explaining it.

Track 1 - Keyzone Piano preset
Track 2 - Steinway Piano Preset
Track 3 - Yamaha Grand Piano Preset

[gvdv]

Solved it.

Turns out I was on the right track in terms of wanting to create three instances of the track, and applying one of the three presets to each track.

I was wrong, though, to use the Duplicate feature to try to accomplish this.

I just copied and pasted the existing (in my case, MIDI) track twice more, and was able to open an instance of the Bitsonic Keyzone Classic plugin on each track, and apply the different presets I wanted to each of those tracks.

I am sure that I have previously duplicated tracks, but have been able to alter various parameters on each track (such as panning), so I wonder why I could not do this with this plugin.

[foxAsteria]

I meant regardless of how the three plugins got on the three tracks it's not normal for them to behave as a single unit. Duplicate should not do that. It should work exactly as copy/paste.

[gvdv]

Originally Posted by foxAsteria

I meant regardless of how the three plugins got on the three tracks it's not normal for them to behave as a single unit. Duplicate should not do that. It should work exactly as copy/paste.

Ah.
That makes sense.
Thanks, foxAsteria.