Reaper Loads Each VST Instance Applied to Each Item.

siniarch · 04-22-2019, 11:58 AM

This will be the second Feature Film, I'm Sound Editing with REAPER. I have nothing but good things to say about the software. It is incredible how customizable the software is and makes you wonder why other companies don't do the same.

That being said, because the nature of the beast that is Film Sound Editing, I tend to apply effects directly to an ITEM rather than to TRACKS. Sometimes 2-4 effects per item. Since a feature film is at least 1hr long, we are not talking about a 4-7 minute project but rather 90-100 minute file. Add to that the fact that every time a character speaks it's a different item and you are left with a huge amount of items throughout your project.

When I start REAPER, it not only loads the effects from the plugin folders (which doesn't take much time), but it goes ahead and loads each effect applied to each item throughout the project. On my last Movie, this would take literally 10+ minutes. So I would just start REAPER and walk away to get coffee or something.

I can always do the same on this new project, but I was wondering if there is a way to tell REAPER not to load every instance at the beginning, and rather as I select and item and open the FX parameter window, then it would take the time to load those effects for that item? This would spread the 10+ minute load time throughout my editing session.

Thanks in Advance.

Lokasenna · 04-22-2019, 12:13 PM

If it doesn't load them until you want to look at them... what happens if you press play? You probably don't want to have to wait ten minutes at that point.

schwa · 04-22-2019, 12:13 PM

You can check "open with FX offline" in the File > Open dialog.

(If you have REAPER configured to automatically open the last project, you can suppress that behavior by holding down the shift key while opening REAPER (or on Windows, selecting "REAPER (create new project)" from the Start menu)).

However, you'll then have to open the FX dialog for each item and set FX online as needed. I'm surprised we don't already have an action for that (there is one in the SWS extension), but we can easily add one.

siniarch · 04-22-2019, 01:02 PM

Lokasenna - as soon as I posted it, I thought about that. I thought of 2 solutions.

1. Would be to load the file as Schwa mentioned "open with FX offline". then the software would start loading the FX in the background while you could start getting your bearings. And if you went to an area and started using, CPU then the FX would stop loading as necessary.
2. Again, open with FX offline, but this time when you hit play, it would load the effects in the next minute or two (this could be a setting as far as how long in advance to look for FXs). This way, once the file opened, you could go to an area, start working there, and if you hit play, it would wait maybe less than 10 seconds to load those FX. Most likely I would work in a specific area for some time.

Anyway, just a suggestion.

Goldreap · 04-22-2019, 01:31 PM

It might be worth thinking about glueing at least some items as you're going (or even most of them). That will print the item FX. You can glue one item at a time if you want. The glued items don't need (and don't load) the FX you had on them.

04-22-2019, 11:58 AM	#1
siniarch Human being with feelings Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 706	Reaper Loads Each VST Instance Applied to Each Item. This will be the second Feature Film, I'm Sound Editing with REAPER. I have nothing but good things to say about the software. It is incredible how customizable the software is and makes you wonder why other companies don't do the same. That being said, because the nature of the beast that is Film Sound Editing, I tend to apply effects directly to an ITEM rather than to TRACKS. Sometimes 2-4 effects per item. Since a feature film is at least 1hr long, we are not talking about a 4-7 minute project but rather 90-100 minute file. Add to that the fact that every time a character speaks it's a different item and you are left with a huge amount of items throughout your project. When I start REAPER, it not only loads the effects from the plugin folders (which doesn't take much time), but it goes ahead and loads each effect applied to each item throughout the project. On my last Movie, this would take literally 10+ minutes. So I would just start REAPER and walk away to get coffee or something. I can always do the same on this new project, but I was wondering if there is a way to tell REAPER not to load every instance at the beginning, and rather as I select and item and open the FX parameter window, then it would take the time to load those effects for that item? This would spread the 10+ minute load time throughout my editing session. Thanks in Advance.

04-22-2019, 12:13 PM	#2
Lokasenna Human being with feelings Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Calgary, AB, Canada Posts: 6,551	If it doesn't load them until you want to look at them... what happens if you press play? You probably don't want to have to wait ten minutes at that point. __________________ I'm no longer using Reaper or working on scripts for it. Sorry. :( Default 5.0 Nitpicky Edition / GUI library for Lua scripts / Theory Helper / Radial Menu / Donate

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04-22-2019, 12:13 PM	#3
schwa Administrator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY Posts: 16,501	You can check "open with FX offline" in the File > Open dialog. (If you have REAPER configured to automatically open the last project, you can suppress that behavior by holding down the shift key while opening REAPER (or on Windows, selecting "REAPER (create new project)" from the Start menu)). However, you'll then have to open the FX dialog for each item and set FX online as needed. I'm surprised we don't already have an action for that (there is one in the SWS extension), but we can easily add one.

04-22-2019, 01:02 PM	#4
siniarch Human being with feelings Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 706	Lokasenna - as soon as I posted it, I thought about that. I thought of 2 solutions. 1. Would be to load the file as Schwa mentioned "open with FX offline". then the software would start loading the FX in the background while you could start getting your bearings. And if you went to an area and started using, CPU then the FX would stop loading as necessary. 2. Again, open with FX offline, but this time when you hit play, it would load the effects in the next minute or two (this could be a setting as far as how long in advance to look for FXs). This way, once the file opened, you could go to an area, start working there, and if you hit play, it would wait maybe less than 10 seconds to load those FX. Most likely I would work in a specific area for some time. Anyway, just a suggestion.

04-22-2019, 01:31 PM	#5
Goldreap Human being with feelings Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: UK Posts: 1,429	It might be worth thinking about glueing at least some items as you're going (or even most of them). That will print the item FX. You can glue one item at a time if you want. The glued items don't need (and don't load) the FX you had on them.