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Old 04-17-2020, 06:36 AM   #1
TonE
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Default What is the best workflow for midi composers with Reaper

What is your best workflow for midi composing, e.g. film composing or any set of synths loaded in a bunch of tracks, then composing all via midi, cc and probably also automation items?

Best use cases, workflow tips, ideas, examples, youtube? Thanks in advance.
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Old 04-17-2020, 06:30 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by TonE View Post
What is your best workflow for midi composing, e.g. film composing or any set of synths loaded in a bunch of tracks, then composing all via midi, cc and probably also automation items?

Best use cases, workflow tips, ideas, examples, youtube? Thanks in advance.
I'm jumping in the deep end with my 1st track in Reaper but something I'm finding incredibly useful, is the ReaControlMIDI plugin. That way you need not mess around with the per note stuff in the MIDI editor and you've got tremendous control over the automation. Obviously you would still need the per note control for stuff like velocity but for just about everything else, ReaControlMIDI is a godsent.

Secondly, for precise velocity settings & some other stuff too, you can hit Ctrl+F2 to bring up the "event properties" dialog. That little editor speeds things up greatly.
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Old 04-17-2020, 09:13 PM   #3
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How I compose:
- write music parts
- play them while Reaper records it

Getting the machine between me and the music just slows me down.
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Old 04-18-2020, 06:05 AM   #4
TonE
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Originally Posted by Philbo King View Post
- play them while Reaper records it

Getting the machine between me and the music just slows me down.
Yeah, this is the direct, performance style, or just playing it, like Vangelis for example in its extreme end. This is also my favourite style, directly performing everything, be it using normal musical instruments like guitar, violin, synthesizer or 'electronic performance' style using looping drum machines and live mixing the faders, mutes. Both are my favourite style, as you wrote, nothing inbetween human and instrument.

This topic is for the rest method, where you have for example a given short 1 minute film, and some cuts are given and you want to "design" your music precisely for achieving certain effects in certain points in time, whatever the reason might be, some game intro music maybe, advertisement cuts for certain product, game battle scene, intro, outro.
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Old 04-18-2020, 06:07 AM   #5
TonE
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...I'm finding incredibly useful, is the ReaControlMIDI plugin. That way you need not mess around with the per note stuff in the MIDI editor and you've got tremendous control over the automation.

Secondly, for precise velocity settings & some other stuff too, you can hit Ctrl+F2 to bring up the "event properties" dialog. That little editor speeds things up greatly.
Yes, I know ReaControlMidi and using it as well, but can you give one example how you are using it? Precise examples, not abstract concepts, if possible.

Regarding event properties, there is something better, hackey trackey.
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Old 04-18-2020, 08:17 AM   #6
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Yes, I know ReaControlMidi and using it as well, but can you give one example how you are using it? Precise examples, not abstract concepts, if possible.

Regarding event properties, there is something better, hackey trackey.
Pitch bend and modulation are 2 examples that spring to mind immediately. So, instead of recording those into your MIDI item as CCs, you run them from ReaControlMIDI. This keeps your MIDI item clean in case you want to copy it to another track, where the modulation or pitch bend might be different.

In the pitch & modulation's track envelopes, you set them up to be controlled from your keyboard. You can then record them live like you would with CCs and if need be, incredibly easily tweak the envelopes. Alternatively, you can add bends etc. manually. This has the added benefit that the envelope lane doesn't get cluttered with hundreds of control points.
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Old 04-18-2020, 05:22 PM   #7
martifingers
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It's perhaps not quite what you are asking for (and he is not a Reaper user!) but you may find this guy's videos instructive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdCkDXGhCPo
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Old 05-26-2020, 05:12 AM   #8
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Cool thread. It seems I don't have to start any new ones because they're all here lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxume View Post
I'm jumping in the deep end with my 1st track in Reaper but something I'm finding incredibly useful, is the ReaControlMIDI plugin. That way you need not mess around with the per note stuff in the MIDI editor and you've got tremendous control over the automation. Obviously you would still need the per note control for stuff like velocity but for just about everything else, ReaControlMIDI is a godsent.

Secondly, for precise velocity settings & some other stuff too, you can hit Ctrl+F2 to bring up the "event properties" dialog. That little editor speeds things up greatly.
Just checking that out. But it seems it only allows for only 5 parameters?
And how is this different the actually moving your vst's knobs while recording automation?
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