Add effect to all tracks for just a small part of song

[sickpunk]

I want to add a flanger effect on my song on all tracks, but just on one part of the song for a few seconds. How do I do this? And can anyone suggest a good, free, flanger vst?

[panicaftermath]

The most direct way is probably to put the flanger in the master's fx, and automate either its mix, or its volume, or its mute.

Alternately, and preferably I would think, you could create a new Reaper track for the flanger, send all other tracks to that track, use automation (as above) to control it, and then send that to the master. That would give you more flexibility and control.

As for flanger, there are a couple of JS flangers in Reaper, and a few JS chorus plugins that might also suit you.

HTH

[nicholas]

... and if you want a third option, you could contain all your tracks in a top level folder and put your automated flanger in there.

There's an important difference here: which is better depends on what you're trying to achieve.

Adding a separate flanger track is effectively creating a bus - both the direct output of the individual tracks (unless disabled) and the bus output will go the master.

If you use a folder, the other tracks will be directed to the master only thru the folder. The wet/dry control on the flanger FX could control how much is applied. This would probably be my preferred method, but it all depends ...

[daniellumertz]

if you want to do what nicholas said a "bus track" with automation, maybe this script will help you to do that but faster: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=240730

[jrk]

I love this. Psych-Out! But you hardly ever get to do it. Yes, I'd bring all tracks into a folder. (It's usually a Good Idea anyway. I always do it, only using the master for metering.)

Any flanger will work. Melda's MFlanger is good with lots of tweakability (perhaps more than you'd need). MDA "ThruZero" can be good if you want an authentic, er, 'Through Zero' flange - there's a complete null at some point in the cycle - you can reduce this with the dry/wet balance.

Not free, TB ReelBus does a good "tape" flange - if you've got a tape sim, check to see if it's got a flange setting.

[nicholas]

Originally Posted by daniellumertz

if you want to do what nicholas said a "bus track" with automation, maybe this script will help you to do that but faster: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=240730

It must be super-fast then, because it takes only three clicks and a quick drag to create a top level folder!

Joking apart, I'd always advise if there's a quick and easy way to do something natively with familiar commands within REAPER (especially if it's not something you do every day), I'd always prefer that method to running a script.

That's because if you're anything like me within ten minutes of allocating a shortcut to a script you'll have forgotten what it was.

[daniellumertz]

Actually the slow part is copying and makimg the automation there is a video comparing the two methods.

As I understood the OP just wanna the effect in a part of a song this include making a good amount of automation if you don't want the dry sound together (and if the original track had some automation already it include some copy and paste into send envelopes)

ah, forgot to mention, I was thinking with sends not folders. the problem with folders is that all the tracks have to be in together.

[ashcat_lt]

A flanger without a dry signal mixed in is just a modulated delay. If you’re setting up a parallel bus for this, you’d need either just a modulated delay or a “flanger” that goes all the way wet to make itself into a modulated delay. Then you wouldn’t have to automate any of the dry signals at all.

[jrk]

Originally Posted by ashcat_lt

If you’re setting up a parallel bus for this, you’d need either just a modulated delay or a “flanger” that goes all the way wet to make itself into a modulated delay. Then you wouldn’t have to automate any of the dry signals at all.

This is a good point. Don't forget feedback tho'. Also (only important if you want more historically authentic "Through Zero" flanging) you probably want negative delay. I'd use a dedicated flanger rather than rolling my own.