Reaper and Vienna Ensemble

[littlewierdo]

I have several DAWS, Cubase, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, and Reaper, Ive settled on Reaper (who wouldve figured the cheaper alternative would be the one I prefer).

However, here is my issue.

I want to do something really simple, create a multi track project using Vienna Ensemble (for the time being, I dont even care about anything else, for purposes of this discussion, Im using excusively Ensemble with Vienna Instruments), be able to record enable a track, play and configure the instrument assigned to that track, and obviously, hit record to record the instrument for that track with all other tracks that have been previously recorded, playing back as I record the new track. You know, like a standard tracker...

In Reaper, I add a new instrument track and select VST 3i Ensemble and answer yes to the creation of 16 tracks (Do you want to add the following tracks for this effect? If not, only the stereo 1/2 output will be audible without further routing, Stereo 1/2->New Track 3 "Out 1/2", Stereo 3/4->Newtrack 4 "Out 3/4", etc.).

Then, in Ensemble, I create several Vienna instruments and route each through their own channel.

As best I can tell, the tracks are already preconfigured in Reaper.

However, the only channel that is picked up is channel 1. So, if I assign multiple instruments all to channel 1, Reaper sees and picks them all up just fine. But as soon as I change an instrument to channel 2, it is no longer audible, the vu meter doesnt register any audio playing, the vu meter only displays a brief blip when I initially hit a key.

What am I missing? And go slow, Im new to to all the additions to midi, the last time I played with it was 20 years ago...

[Paul]

Hi littlewierdo, 

Please send a few screenshots to support@vsl.co.at, so we can see what you see. Could it be that you´re mixing up MIDI Port and MIDI Channel?

Thanks, 
Paul

[LuCsa]

Hello!

I'm also using the reaper. Maybe you should route the first two or three tracks manually to get a feeling for how the routing is done in reaper. Afterwards, when you let reaper create the tracks, you may track down errors more quickly. (At least that's what I did...)
I don't know how familiar you are with reaper and routing, though... :)

Kind regards,
Lukas

[littlewierdo]

Yea, I tried manually routing them, I tried letting the automated thing do it. I even tried creating a midi track and routing it to an audio track and routing the audio track back to 1/2. Its a problem with how reaper works with ensemble and sadly, since I really have no interest in using anything other than vienna (this is just a hobby for me), if I cant figure this out, Im not sure what Im going to do. I cant really afford to spend money on a hugely overpriced DAW at the moment and I really think Vienna ought to look at Reaper as a viable DAW in the market place because as best as I can tell, especially now that it has midi notation (it needs to improve but at least it has it), and Reapers bizarre routing (its powerful but super granular which makes it a super PITA to work with if you dont know what you are doing, aka me) are the only two setbacks that I can see when comparing to Cubase. And in alot of ways, I like Reaper more than Cubase, snap to grid in the piano roll for example is amazingly useful.

[LuCsa]

Have your problems been resolved with the aid of the support team yet? :)

[Soli Deo Gloria]

Hi!

I´m also a Reaper user. Since I am using happily VE Pro with it, I´ll try to summarize the routing process in as few steps as possible (using latest Reaper v5.20 release) :

Say you want to send MIDI from two tracks in Reaper to VE Pro. Each track will send multiple channels to a port in Vienna Ensemble, so, there is one subtlety with the Vsti3 version of VE Pro that you have to take into account : when focusing on the interface of the Vienna plugin in Reaper you have a rectangular box in the top right corner. When you right-click on it you see the audio and MIDI inputs; enter the menu of MIDI inputs and you´ll see an option to "Map Reaper MIDI bussed to VST3 MIDI buses". Assuming that you know how to route MIDI through buses in Reaper, when you send MIDI from a certain track to the track that hosts VE Pro, each MIDI bus in the receiving track equals a MIDI port in VE Pro. So, you create : 

- The track with the Vsti3 VE Pro plugin

- A first track with a MIDI item which will send from one or all of its MIDI channels to the bus 1 (B1) in the VE Pro track.

- A second track with a MIDI item doing the same but to the B2 of the VE Pro track

- To listen to the audio of the instruments in VE Pro, you do just as you did, creating outputs from the VE Pro plug in Reaper (automatically or creating further tracks and doing the routing manually). So, you´ll have two tracks that send MIDI and two tracks which receive audio.

If I am not explaining this properly in english (I am not a native speaker), I can send you a Reaper template project...

Hope it helps...

 

 

:

[michael diemer]

Are you putting in Sends from the track to Vienna? Just hit the routing button on the track, add send and set it to Vienna. Then press the  green Fx button on the Vienna track, and you should see the sends listed as receives. Change the channels as needed (lower right). There are some other things you need to do, but it's best to look at the manual, page 50, "Routing Essentials." Also hit the Reaper forum, that's how I solved my routing problems. I'll try to formulate exacylt how I do it when I'm on my music computer. Although my setup is very simple, I don't let Reaper set up all those channels. I just use one output and route however many channels I need to it.

[LuCsa]

@Soli Deo Gloria: Your template would indeed be very interesting! :)

Is there a chance to study it although I do not own VE pro?

kind regards,
Lukas

[anthomas6]

Hello

I think that I will buy the strings section of the VSL, especially the chamber strings section. I use to record with Reaper so I would like to know if we can use the library sounds as a VST in Reaper or if we necessarily need the VSL "instrument" to use the sounds. 

Thank you 

[Paul]

Welcome anthomas6, 

You always need the Vienna Instruments Sample Player to play our samples. 

Best,
Paul

[minnie]

@Soli Deo Gloria said:

Hi!

I´m also a Reaper user. Since I am using happily VE Pro with it, I´ll try to summarize the routing process in as few steps as possible (using latest Reaper v5.20 release) :

Say you want to send MIDI from two tracks in Reaper to VE Pro. Each track will send multiple channels to a port in Vienna Ensemble, so, there is one subtlety with the Vsti3 version of VE Pro that you have to take into account : when focusing on the interface of the Vienna plugin in Reaper you have a rectangular box in the top right corner. When you right-click on it you see the audio and MIDI inputs; enter the menu of MIDI inputs and you´ll see an option to "Map Reaper MIDI bussed to VST3 MIDI buses". Assuming that you know how to route MIDI through buses in Reaper, when you send MIDI from a certain track to the track that hosts VE Pro, each MIDI bus in the receiving track equals a MIDI port in VE Pro. So, you create : 

- The track with the Vsti3 VE Pro plugin

- A first track with a MIDI item which will send from one or all of its MIDI channels to the bus 1 (B1) in the VE Pro track.

- A second track with a MIDI item doing the same but to the B2 of the VE Pro track

- To listen to the audio of the instruments in VE Pro, you do just as you did, creating outputs from the VE Pro plug in Reaper (automatically or creating further tracks and doing the routing manually). So, you´ll have two tracks that send MIDI and two tracks which receive audio.

If I am not explaining this properly in english (I am not a native speaker), I can send you a Reaper template project...

Hope it helps...

:

Thank you! The vst3 tip works a treat.
Now to get it going in LinVST Linux😊