Author Topic: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini  (Read 12808 times)

Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #60 on: October 20, 2021, 05:04:08 PM »
Yes, REAPER is rather flexible in customization, build-in or with add-ons (BTW SWS is the most popular). But I don't recommend modify anything at the beginning, f.e. don't install "Sonar like" schemas. Changes/flexibility was proposed by particular users, sometimes for particular purpose.  Sure, REAPER can NOT work exactly as any other DAW, even with all its flexible.
Just learn how to do things "REAPER way". Everything is logical and consequent there, the logic is just different from other software.

A track icon is a "decoration element" of "Track control". So, it has no own definitions for mouse operations. Almost everything related to particular interface element can be found in its context menu. In short time, once you learn which interface elements exist, it is rather simple to navigate throw "menu jungles".

But menus is not the only way to do things in REAPER... All operations are "Actions". You can open the Actions dialog and search there (f.e. for "track icon"). Once you have found the Action, there are options how you can call it. You can define shortcut (in the same dialog), add it to toolbar (there are many...) or assign it to some mouse modifier (in Options). So, you can assign it to "Ctrl+Shift+Dbl. Click" for "Track control" area.

Still inconvenient? Why set colors/icons manually every time? Yup, you can set them automatically based on the track name. With SWS extension, "Auto color/icon" enabled and your own rules.
As the result, once you name a track "Gtx 3" its color and/or icon is changed to "Gtx 3" specific, or into "Gtx" (if you don't have "Gtx 3" specific).

If automatic is not what you want... there are still other options. F.e. you can create a toolbar with a set of particular track icons, when you click on a icon there it sets current track icon (color, name, whole track template, etc.) to that one (you will need SWS and a bit of time to prepare such toolbar).


So no, you can't assign it as dbl. click on the icon only, but there are many workarounds  ;)

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #61 on: October 20, 2021, 05:15:57 PM »
actions : nice, I love this kind of customization ! 

It's need a few hours of video tutorial now, and I see that there is a lot of possibilities.
Gives me the envy to move from cakewalk (20 years background) to reaper.
I will definitely try a whole project with it, before buying it.

But then AZSlow will be useless :-(
And I'm afraid to lose this new nice remote control...

Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #62 on: October 20, 2021, 06:57:57 PM »
Just one remark... "AZSlow" is my nick, "AZ Controller" is my program. I don't think I am completely useless in the REAPER world ;)

For controllers... Some projects exist. Most prominent are CSI, MIDILearn and OSCII-bot. REAPER also has build-in MIDI assignments to Actions (also parametrized Actions like Volume).

And nothing prevent you use both DAWs. Or even more then just 2... Ableton, Tracktion, etc. have many unique nice features. Presonus has Cakewalk like DAW with deep integration for own hardware (interfaces and surfaces).

I have found "pros" and "cons" of Cakewalk only after I have looked at other DAWs. My choice of REAPER was driven primary by its tech. Core developers, one of which is the owner, are nice people and programmers (you can communicated with them on there forum, like with Noel from Cakewalk), the last DAW with offline authorization, top in the list of Accessible DAWs (before on top was Cakewalk SONAR 8.5) and the only alternative to Cakewalk which has open source Surface API (well... Ableton and Bitwig are semi-open in that respect).

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #63 on: October 20, 2021, 10:07:37 PM »
> Just one remark... "AZSlow" is my nick, "AZ Controller" is my program. I don't think I am completely useless in the REAPER world ;)

Sorry Alexei !

What did you already commit in the reaper world ? (apart the cake to reaper importer) ?
Did you try to write some plugin ?  I'll have to dive into this ! I saw that you can edit the code of ReaPlugins ! I suppose that you can write your own, and even Virtual Synths I suppose ?

> For controllers... Some projects exist. Most prominent are CSI, MIDILearn and OSCII-bot. REAPER also has build-in MIDI assignments to Actions (also parametrized Actions like Volume).

I'll have a look.

> And nothing prevent you use both DAWs. Or even more then just 2...

rhaaaaa, are you kidding ?  My brain is already a mess. :o  I do not have any memory left to master 2 DAW. Too  many shorcuts and differents logics. I prefer stick to one. And really this reaper is mind blowing !  ;D


Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #64 on: October 21, 2021, 10:24:07 AM »
My commitments to REAPER, apart from ReaCWP, are in fact small (for normal users). Just "lets try" projects:
* NotA... allows use mouse or computer keyboard as a dedicated MIDI controller in REAPER
* FluidSynthVST a wrapper for FluidSynth SF2 Linux synth in VST format, so compatible with REAPER (works under Linux and Windows, for some reason doesn't work in Cakewalk).

Most of the time I have invested into accessibility project SIBIAC, to allow blind users control some plug-ins (which they can't control otherwise). Started for Sonar, the project was migrated to REAPER.

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #65 on: October 21, 2021, 01:49:19 PM »
found something that I miss :
- quantize several items from the track pane, using the same complex quantize menu available in MIDI editor. I did not find any turnaround...

Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #66 on: October 21, 2021, 03:44:46 PM »
I may be wrong, but extended "MIDI editing" is a part of "MIDI editor". If you look at "Content" options in the MIDI editor, it is already quite a mess. Duplicating all that in the track pane will be confusing. I mean Quantize dialog has many options like "Selected events", in addition to still applied settings of "editability" for particular items, influenced by defaults for MIDI editor possibly modified manually in the track list (of MIDI editor...).

I guess that comes from general REAPER concept. Unlike let say Cakewalk, REAPER has some kind of "micro core". Plug-ins always had a possibility to work and modify Items (any) as such. And probably MIDI editor is just a "build-in plug-in". I mean anyone can script "Quantize all selected items to strait 1/4", but mentioned quantize dialog is a part of MIDI editor and so works in its context only (or had to be rewritten as an independent plug-in, f.e. SWS does many operations with MIDI).

In Cakewalk, close to everything is a kind of integral part of internal engine. There is just one known "interface" to MIDI context, CAL scripting. Audio content was made available for plug-ins under ARA only (for specially prepared parts). So "tricks" are easy to implement, since everything is available all the time (with the consequence of monstrosity and so unavoidable bugs).

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #67 on: October 21, 2021, 04:03:22 PM »
ha ha, you give me good developper's reasons, but I think as a final musician user :
once I recorded a lot of separate MIDI takes, I'd like quantize them all at once, or maybe humanize them, of transpose them.
I saw that there are MIDI plugins that can work on tracks, but no quantize here. Maybe they do not work on moving notes in time.

I had a look at SWS, but it only proposes "item : quantize on grid"
I will see later if I can write some kind of plugin in JSFX. It will be a good exercise.

Anyway, I love this Reaper. I just bought a licence.

Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #68 on: October 21, 2021, 05:00:54 PM »
If you want process whole/part of MIDI, you just open MIDI editor and do it there. There are plenty of options to select visibility and locking for particular MIDI items.

Scripting in REAPER are definitively more powerful and user friendly then CAL in Cakewalk. But possibilities take time you can spend for something else (f.e. music...)  ;)

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #69 on: October 21, 2021, 05:40:44 PM »
I loved CAL (but it was so limited), so I'll definitely have a look at JSFX  ;D
wonder how they can optimize JSFX audio plugins that are compiled on the fly.
I suppose that they consume more CPU than classic VST plugins ?

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #70 on: October 21, 2021, 07:02:08 PM »
Just received the Xtouch mini.
Works like a charm under Cakewalk with you template.

But under Reaper, that's something else...
I tried it under mackie mode with Klinke MCU but the mackie mode of the Xtouch is poorly implemented : these are not the functions I want.

What kind of Reaper "plugin" do you advice me to look at , in order to get some of teh functionnality I was looking for with my launchpad
(single track vol/pan/gain/mute/solo/arm + scroll/zoom + set loop points + loop on/off)

And will I be able to light the buttons and the rotaries ?... :-(

Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #71 on: October 21, 2021, 07:15:26 PM »
EEL2 is Open Source, so you can check "how they can..." yourself  ;)
Interpreters/JIT can't compete with global/local optimizations of powerful compilers, so huge calculations will take more time. In practice modern CPUs are fast, JSFX has pre-compiled functions for common CPU intensive DSP operations and EEL2 is for sure not the slowest scripting system. For MIDI processing you will not notice the different, for audio processing you easily can write something slow. But the same can be written about many C++ VSTs.

Well, I could spot the slowness of some JSFX plug-ins when my desktop was 2 cores Celeron based...

For surface in REAPER first look at CSI. May be there are some presets for LounchControl and/or Mini for it.

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #72 on: October 21, 2021, 07:20:42 PM »
For the moment, Reaper recognizes Xtouch when in MC mode, but cannot open it as a MIDI device when in "not MC" mode...
strange.
Because in MIDI mode, I checked with the simple software MIDIOX and the Xtouch does send MIDI messages.
Don't understand why Reaper does not want to open it as a midi device...

Offline azslow3

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #73 on: October 21, 2021, 11:56:58 PM »
It is better use it in MC mode, as I have noted before.
CSI most probably able to use corresponding communication.
It can also work in MIDI mode. At the end, the device is the same, just communication messages are different.
Don't forget remove Mackie surface module. Unlike in Cakewalk, REAPER surface modules block attached MIDI device. Not good for Ableton oriented devices with keyboards and one port, but has no disadvantages in your case.

Offline binbinhfr

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Re: Try to configure Novation LaunchControl Mini
« Reply #74 on: October 22, 2021, 01:56:26 AM »
I forgot to clean my other tests... Now it works.

I found a template for CSI + Xtouch mini that works fine, with nice feedback on rotary leds (depending on rotary value type)
I will adapt it for my needs.