Hello everyone! Does anyone know of good alternatives for this LFO Tool? What I need is an LFO VST that has the following two features:
- allows me to draw custom shapes
- is able to control midi effects paremeters
Thanks!

 

https://www.cableguys.com/midishaper

 

try this one also: https://dialogaudio.com/sequenceprocessor/index.php

should be on Sister site. It might be more than you need. They have an audio modulation one too that is worth a look.

 

Thanks! ... but do you guys have any idea how I could use such tools to control midi notes in Reaper? I've already tried with the TAL filter, no luck. What I need is to control the delay time parameter of a midi delay effect, so that midi notes are delayed and advanced according to a complex LFO wave... does that make sense?

 

Which midi delay effect are you using?

 

I am using JS: Time Adjustment Delay.

Now I know I could go: Parameter modulation > LFO. Thing is, Reaper's LFO offers only simple curves. I could also go with automation, but that would be too time consuming and impractical in the long run for my purposes.

 

so this is the way Midi FX usually work. (keep in mind I really use Logic). You have a Midi channel with a Virtual Instrument loaded onto it. Then you have the actual midi data on the track (like data entered into a piano roll editor). When you hit play in the daw, the Midi notes trigger a Midi Note On message for each note. That midi data then goes to the Midi FX you have inserted, before it reaches the Virtual Instrument plugin. The Midi data is modified by your Modulator before it reaches the synth, which then triggers playback of the notes from the synth.

Usually you will not be automating a modulator, because that is what those plugins are for. Like pseudo-automation, usually with some type of pattern. You can, but usually you won't.

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2023

Gatekeeper
https://polyversemusic.com/products/gatekeeper/

can emit CC signals, MIDIFX too



8 independently triggerable (MIDI note, or host synced) envelopes

 

Last edited: Dec 2, 2023

Luckily there's 2 delay values in there to adjust, so you can use a parameter modulation on both and get the time delay to be as batshit crazy as you want.

 

I wish the LFO to modulate FX parameters in Reaper was a bit more complex, too. If I want something more complex, I just use the usual automation to draw manually in the envelope track. To keep my project view clean, I have the "show all automation toggle on/off" mapped to a hotkey, so I can quickly toggle. Very useful, because before I did that, I avoided having too many track envelopes, because the projects got bloated so fast.

Here is a quote from the SQ4 thing, clone posted:
"Naturally, any in-host applications which lack of extensive parameter modulation, can be controlled."

Could be the solution. Maybe I should check out MIDIshaper again.

I think in the sws extensions of reaper, there was something like a LFO tool, which you could use to automatically draw curves in the track envelopes. Might be worth to check, too.

 

devious machines infiltrator 2

 

what exactly is time consuming about LFO generation of automation items in Reaper?

 

Since it is an audio effect, not a Midi FX modulation plugin; it would mean maybe going back to the instrument plugin to change anything and then re-render it. And while you could sidechain something to just the lfo modified audio; because it is a realtime audio effect, that linked plugin will stop reacting if the audio channel is muted. It's the difference between Cableguys Midi Shaper and Shaperbox. The MFX option is always resources lighter; it's nearly free.

 

Infiltrator from Devious Machines

 

Yeah, but in Reaper you have Parameter modulation > FX, then you can select a parameter from another effect on the FX chain to modulate the original effect's parameter... I've installed Midishaper... But I don't know which of the many parameters from Midishaper I should use to control the delay amount parameter.

Yes, but for my purpose I have to be somewhat more precise with the rate of change. Ear test won't work, because the effect is meant to be subtle, almost subliminal.

Yes, there is! Actually, you can do that via automation item properties; I believe there is a very good video by Kenny Gioia on that. Thing is, for my purposes, it would be way better to have this modulation as part of an enclosed FX chain, instead of having to drag and drop or redraw envelope curves every time and every track.

Thank you! I just need to figure out how to make any of these plugs control a parameter from a MIDI effect, if that's possible at all.

If I have this process enclosed in a container, I'll just load it and put it at the top of my chain. I can even set it to be default at every new track and not think about it... as opposed to having to drag, drop, copy, paste or redraw automation lanes for every track in every project. To me, at least, that's a big difference.

 

probably not what you want to hear but if you want to go wild on modulation you should maybe consider Live or Bitwig as your second creative sound design DAW...

 

Thank you for the tip, but this is the only thing I need modulation-wise for now! Someone at the Reaper Forum suggested coupling Midishaper with the native ReaControlMIDI to control the delay parameter. I still haven't figured out how to bridge both, though.

 

This is how I would normally do something like this in Logic. Maybe it will give you ideas on how you can do this in Reaper.

I setup a bogus channel with a synth plugin on it. I added the Logic MFX plugin Modulator with the Envelope portion enabled. At the bottom of this plugin, there is an Output Target section where I highlighted the Learn Parameter option. In that dropdown menu, you can select a specific parameter if you know it. Or you can Midi learn it. But since I wanted to automate the LFO Trigger and the delay of that envelope, I put the top Midi channel into Latch Automation mode. Clicking Play, then moving the parameter on the plugin begins drawing Automation for that specific parameter into it's own CC lane and you can see the dots representing those values and the lane being for ENV Delay parameter. Just using Latch will automatically setup the correct CC # lane for that parameter. It takes only a few seconds.

This is how I would approach it anyway, but I put automation data in all over the place. Just not on the channel faders, until they end. Constantly having stuff reset and having to re-open automation lanes for channel faders gets annoying. Anyway, Maybe it will give you ideas how to approach this in Reaper in a time efficient way. Latch and Touch automation modes are so helpful, because you do not need to know or lookup the CC#s for anything.

 

Last edited: Dec 3, 2023

Thank you very much, clone! I got it to work with SEQ4, but the increments are way overblown for my purposes and the waves are not easy to draw at all. This got way harder than I figured at the beginning. I'm calling it quits and going the fastidious automation lane way... Thank you all!

 

hmm you're right,
ReaControlMIDI could circumvent that limitation I think