"Virtual MIDI Keyboard: Send all input to VKB" shortcut doesn't toggle (FIXED)

574X · 11-05-2016, 05:30 AM

BUG: "Virtual MIDI Keyboard: Send all input to VKB" shortcut doesn't toggle
edit: and the vkb doesn't interact optimally with other program functionality.

It seems logical that if a text box is selected, or if no track is Record Armed it should temporarily disable "Send all input to VKB," like it effectively functions in Live.

To clarify, "all input" doesn't apply to many multi-button commands, as you can still copy/paste, etc. and trigger shortcuts, but not to toggle this.

Workaround: It's possible to close the keyboard with alt-b to turn "Send all input to VKB" off, but you have to both open the keyboard and enable "Send all input to VKB" again, whenever you want to momentarily type text. b is a free key so I've added it as the shortcut, and now I press alt-b, then b to play, and alt-b to turn it off.

Due to the number of shortcuts/hotkeys in Reaper, it's understandable why the keyboard does not play midi notes by default. The general workflow is amazing.

However, consider the most streamlined mobile model: part of the keyboard plays midi notes by default in Live, so as soon as you load a virtual instrument, you're playing music with your computer keyboard. The fixes I'm suggesting would get Reaper nearly to that ideal, while still preserving the extended functionality of having a much wider directly playable range on the computer keyboard than Live has.

These fixes would be of tremendous help especially to mobile, laptop producers. Thank you.

Justin · 11-05-2016, 05:40 AM

Agreed, updating!

EvilDragon · 11-05-2016, 06:00 AM

Justin, it would also be cool if ONLY keys that are defined in vkb.ini were used to send MIDI to the instrument, all others should still be available for their original single stroke assignments!

I very much agree that when text input is being done, VKB should be temporarily bypassed.

574X · 11-05-2016, 06:14 AM

Wow! You guys are fast, I just edited it to make things a bit clearer.

vitalker · 11-05-2016, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

Justin, it would also be cool if ONLY keys that are defined in vkb.ini were used to send MIDI to the instrument, all others should still be available for their original single stroke assignments!

I very much agree that when text input is being done, VKB should be temporarily bypassed.

Agreed! Some other hosts can do it. +1

574X · 11-05-2016, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilDragon

Justin, it would also be cool if ONLY keys that are defined in vkb.ini were used to send MIDI to the instrument, all others should still be available for their original single stroke assignments!

Do you mean preserving the potential functionality of keys like 1, 4, 8, a, f, k which serve as placeholders between groups of black keys?
I like that idea.

It seems like accidental presses wouldn't be a big deal because by default the numbers are set to go to markers and are inactive while recording, and f is just Show/hide the Toolbar Docker.

EvilDragon · 11-05-2016, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 574X

Do you mean preserving the potential functionality of keys like 1, 4, 8, a, f, k which serve as placeholders between groups of black keys?
I like that idea.

That is exactly what I mean.

PitchSlap · 11-05-2016, 01:13 PM

If the virtual keyboard had filtering by scale it would be far more playable, and take less keys to do it...

574X · 11-06-2016, 08:06 AM

EvilDragon's idea is especially important for valuable keys like "delete" which don't play midi notes and are unnecessarily inactive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PitchSlap

If the virtual keyboard had filtering by scale it would be far more playable, and take less keys to do it...

There are midi map vsts, but it would definetly be valuable to have midi map presets of scales across all the keys in the way that the mpc, ableton push, and maschine offer.

Reaper has "JS: Map to Key v2" which seems like it could be setup to have scale presets like that.

While "JS: Map to Key" and "JS: Snap to Key" and even "JS: Midi chord in Key" work with the vkb, midi note mappers like "JS: Map to key v2" or Notemapper by CodeFN42 don't seem to be working with the vkb.

574X · 01-16-2017, 07:28 PM

This is fantastic!

The toggle works properly if vkb has been visible in that session.

However, if the vkb is docked in an unselected tab, the toggle will only work once I select the tab, or use the command to open the vkb. Then, the toggle continues to function properly when the vkb is behind another window in the docker, as though the vkb (toggled off) should be active when Reaper launches.

Any consideration is appreciated, thank you.

574X · 01-19-2017, 04:53 AM

The solution is to always have "Send all input to VKB" toggled on and use alt-b to toggle the opening of the keyboard which will then also send all input to VKB.

It looks like all's well, though it's possible that it's counter-intuitive at first.

11-05-2016, 05:30 AM	#1
574X Human being with feelings Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 31	"Virtual MIDI Keyboard: Send all input to VKB" shortcut doesn't toggle (FIXED) BUG: "Virtual MIDI Keyboard: Send all input to VKB" shortcut doesn't toggle edit: and the vkb doesn't interact optimally with other program functionality. It seems logical that if a text box is selected, or if no track is Record Armed it should temporarily disable "Send all input to VKB," like it effectively functions in Live. To clarify, "all input" doesn't apply to many multi-button commands, as you can still copy/paste, etc. and trigger shortcuts, but not to toggle this. Workaround: It's possible to close the keyboard with alt-b to turn "Send all input to VKB" off, but you have to both open the keyboard and enable "Send all input to VKB" again, whenever you want to momentarily type text. b is a free key so I've added it as the shortcut, and now I press alt-b, then b to play, and alt-b to turn it off. Due to the number of shortcuts/hotkeys in Reaper, it's understandable why the keyboard does not play midi notes by default. The general workflow is amazing. However, consider the most streamlined mobile model: part of the keyboard plays midi notes by default in Live, so as soon as you load a virtual instrument, you're playing music with your computer keyboard. The fixes I'm suggesting would get Reaper nearly to that ideal, while still preserving the extended functionality of having a much wider directly playable range on the computer keyboard than Live has. These fixes would be of tremendous help especially to mobile, laptop producers. Thank you. Last edited by 574X; 11-06-2016 at 10:34 PM. Reason: Edited for clarity

11-05-2016, 06:00 AM	#3
EvilDragon Human being with feelings Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Croatia Posts: 24,859	Justin, it would also be cool if ONLY keys that are defined in vkb.ini were used to send MIDI to the instrument, all others should still be available for their original single stroke assignments! I very much agree that when text input is being done, VKB should be temporarily bypassed. __________________ Edit poly aftertouch in MIDI editor! Entirely (un)dockable UI! \| Improve Render Queue!

11-05-2016, 01:13 PM	#8
PitchSlap Human being with feelings Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 3,835	If the virtual keyboard had filtering by scale it would be far more playable, and take less keys to do it... __________________ FRs: v5 Media Explorer Requests, Global Quantization, Session View Win10 Pro 64-bit, Reaper 6(x64), AMD 3950x, Aorus X570 Master, 64GB DDR4 3600, PowerColor Red Devil 5700XT, EVO 970 2TB, 10TB HD, Define R6

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11-05-2016, 05:40 AM	#2
Justin Administrator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 16,117	Agreed, updating!

11-05-2016, 06:14 AM	#4
574X Human being with feelings Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 31	Wow! You guys are fast, I just edited it to make things a bit clearer.

01-16-2017, 07:28 PM	#10
574X Human being with feelings Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 31	This is fantastic! The toggle works properly if vkb has been visible in that session. However, if the vkb is docked in an unselected tab, the toggle will only work once I select the tab, or use the command to open the vkb. Then, the toggle continues to function properly when the vkb is behind another window in the docker, as though the vkb (toggled off) should be active when Reaper launches. Any consideration is appreciated, thank you.

01-19-2017, 04:53 AM	#11
574X Human being with feelings Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 31	The solution is to always have "Send all input to VKB" toggled on and use alt-b to toggle the opening of the keyboard which will then also send all input to VKB. It looks like all's well, though it's possible that it's counter-intuitive at first.