Riding MIDI track faders to generate volume automation envelopes

[uncleswede]

Hi,

Towards the very end of a project, I like to play the song all the way through and manually 'ride the faders' (using the mouse) in real time to create track volume automation envelopes.

I've come from a Sonar background which (if you didn't know) has dedicated MIDI and audio tracks (plus a combined 'instrument' track)and the volume faders moderate the volume on all types of track.

Unfortunately with Reaper, although the tcp/mcp volume faders work fine with audio tracks and virtual instrument tracks, they *don't* work with MIDI tracks that are triggering external MIDI sound modules.

Has anyone come up with a way of 'mapping' Reaper TCP/MCP faders to a chosen MIDI channel and controller (preferably CC:11 - Expression)??

I understand from a forum search that, with custom actions mapped to an external controller fader, this can be achieved but that's not a solution for me :-(

Cheers
CD

[foxAsteria]

Don't completely understand your question, but in the IO button that midi button there switches the volume control to do MIDI volume instead of regular. Might work for you.

[uncleswede]

FoxAsteria: I'll take a look at that, thanks.

To be clearer, can I configure a MIDI track that's driving an external MIDI module so that the fader adjusts the playback volume of that track?

Cheers
CD

[uncleswede]

FoxAsteria: Brilliant - your advice works! Thanks.

Just for those newbs like me who search for this topic in the future, this is how I now set up my external MIDI tracks in Reaper with the ability to automation record track volume ....

1. Create track and change input to "Input:MIDI" and select the MIDI IN of your external MIDI module.

2. Click the IO button and set the MIDI hardware output to your external MIDI module and the MIDI channel to 1

3. Right-click the track number, select & check "MIDI Track Control Panel" (this basically adds the reaControlMIDI plug to the track FX)

4. In reaControlMIDI, enable Bank/Program Select and load a .reaBank file for your external MIDI module (JV1010 in my case).

5. In reaControlMIDI - Bank/Program Select choose a bank and patch

6. In reaControlMIDI - Select channel 1

7. Right-click the track number again, choose "MIDI Track Controls", "Link Track Volume Pan to MIDI channel", Select Channel 1

8. Record Arm the track and set Record Monitoring to ON

9. Save track as as Track Template "EXT MIDI CH.01" or whatever.

10. Repeat 1 - 9 for other MIDI channels (except for channel 10 where you'll need to load a DRUMS .reabank file for your MIDI module, most likely).

You can now select a MIDI patch for a track by clicking on the FX button and choosing a bank/patch. With track "record armed" and "Record monitoring on" you will hear your selected path and can record your MIDI track.

When playing back, if you set the track envelopes automation mode to Touch, you can move the fader and record a volume automation envelope.

Thanks again!

Rgds
CD