How to transpose during recording in realtime

[Naji]

Hi,
I know there are two JS plugins for transposing and they work well after a midi recording, but not during.
I would like to play with a small keyboard with 32 keys (A300 pro with "f" as first key), let us say in a minor with the folling chord progressions: a minor and d minor - only these two chords playing all through the song. Since my A300 pro keyboard does not have many keys, I would play kind of funky a minor chord and I would like to switch to d minor by using Reaper's automation while I would be performing. I mean I would play all the time a minor on the keyboard and would not have to go or move to higher keys of the small keyboard. It works great with JS transpose AFTER Midi recording, e.g. just automate it at the 3rd bar of song with transpose value +5 and at 4th bar back to 0.
Is there a way to transpose automatically in realtime during the recording of a performance?
Maybe there is a plugin for midi transpose (transpose, shift or maybe pitch!?) or maybe a plugin for audio would help with one track for midi and another for audio, the latter makes one hear your midi.
Or maybe it is possible to change transpose value in the keyboard by sending a control message or whatever from Reaper to the midi IN of the keyboard?
I appreciate your help!

[Naji]

I forgot to mention that I use a hardware synth. With a VSTi instrument it works, of course, you just have to have JS transoose plugin before the VSTi instrument. But it does not work with hardware?

[fred garvin]

Ooh, this should be a good one. I bet there's a dozen ways to do this just in Reaper. And if you don't like any of those there's lots of MIDI chord assist VSTs out there for instance:
https://www.codefn42.com/chordz/index.html
which seems like a pretty nice one for free, there are more elaborate ones available for $.

Not sure where the hardware synth comes in or why that should be a problem. So you play your MIDI controller into Reaper, which records the MIDI and sends it out to hardware? I'd think what it records would be what it's sending out, MIDI trickery and all.

Me I just use the ol' inversion trick, like if I want to go from root position Am to Dm I'm probably going to just scootch my top 2 fingers up a note, so now I'm playing A D F (Dm second inversion) from A C E (Am root position). A D root etc. can of course be played with the left hand. Please excuse if you know all this already, impossible to know what people know or don't in these situations. But yah if you're not familiar with that it works great and is even generally considered to sound better than using all root position chords.

[Naji]

Thanks for reply, but the inversion does not sound the way that I like it, I want higher sounds when I play d minor, but keyboard is too small.
I do not need it for chords only, but also eg for synth bass.
I have hardware synth with midi in and out cable to unitor8 and then to/from midi interface to/from my pc and reaper.
Interface has also spdif, thats where the sound of hardware synth comes from.
Everything works, I can play and record midi in reaper, and after recording the JS transpose plugin works on midi track, but it does not work during performance or recording!?
With Vsti plugins it works in realtime, but not with hardware synth?
I ve found out now, thatJS Pitch shifter works on audio track, but I would prefer midi, because audio sound is affected by the plugin a little bit.

[Naji]

I suppode JS transpose works with VSTi only and not with hardware synths, because you can only have the JS first followed by a VSti instrument, you can not have JS plugin before a hardware synth, first JS followed by hardware synth, to make the latter transpose in realtime.
But isnt it strange that it works after recording when you playback midi track! So, maybe there is a way!?

[TonE]

What you write makes no sense, what works with vsti, should also work with hardware synths. First find out what you are doing wrong there? Any screenshots of your synths, routing?

Other than that best real-time transposing jsfx is the one created by boreg, did you try that as well? It is called switchable midi transpose! You can automate its parameter 'status' in realtime, between active and bypass, without hanging notes, so you can record all your changes in real-time no problem, no matter if hardware or not. It was a request of mine, long time ago, and genius boreg solved and shared it, now it comes with Reaper by default, I guess, not sure, but reapack might have it as well, also not sure. For me one of the most useful midi fx for real-time fun! Typically I load 4 of those in series, per track, -24, -12, +12, +24, so I can quickly jump among 7 octaves, who needs more! I have assigned 4 momentary buttons to those shifts, I can hold the button to get the required effect, short quick tappings can give interesting results during transitions. Or if you transpose a sample based kick, can be also fun, again for a break feel.

[hopi]

have you tried the jsfx as an Input FX?