Setting Up In Plug-in Mode [todo]

Overview of Plug-in Types

Reaktor can be used in several different ways within your host software. Depending on which product you are trying to use, you will need to load Reaktor into the correct place. There are several places to insert a plug-in in your host software that correspond to the different types of plug-ins outlined below. Refer to your host documentation software to learn more about how to use the different types of plugins. Types of plugins

  1. Instruments - Receive MIDI and output audio. These types of devices are inserted on an instrument/MIDI track within your host software.

  2. Effects

    1. Audio Effects - Process incoming audio. These types of effects can be inserted on an audio track or on an instrument track in its insert effects section (after the instrument).

    2. MIDI Controllable Audio Effects - Process incoming audio, but respond to MIDI notes and should be inserted on an instrument track. Audio is usually routed into these effects from another track and MIDI messages are used to manipulate the effect which then outputs audio.

  3. MIDI FX - Capable of sending MIDI messages to other instruments or effects. Do not output audio.

How to Set Up a MIDI Controlled FX

How to Set Up MASCHINE 1 for MIDI Controlled FX [NI]

This article explains how to set up MASCHINE to trigger "MIDI controlled FX", e.g. vocoders, with an audio signal. We are taking the example of setting up the vocoder in REAKTOR's RAZOR synth to be triggered with an external microphone signal, but this guide can also be used for setting up other MIDI controlled FX like THE MOUTH.

  1. Click on a Sound track, then click on the Module tab 1. Open the Module menu and choose FX > Plugins > Reaktor 5 FX to load REAKTOR 5 as the source for this Sound.

  2. Open the MASCHINE Audio and MIDI Settings (File > Audio and MIDI Settings), then go to the Routing tab and click on the button Inputs. For Maschine Input 1 L, choose the input on your audio interface that your microphone is connected to.

  3. Close the Audio and MIDI Settings. Click on a second Sound track, then click on Module tab 1, open the Module menu and choose Input.

    Note: If you don't want to use an external audio source, choose another menu entry like Sampler or a plug-in.

  4. Set the Source to External In 1 to receive the signal from your microphone in the Sound track.

  5. Click the Out button to open the output settings for the selected Sound. In the Outputmenu, choose Reaktor5 FX as the output destination for the track. The output signal from the selected Sound will now directly be routed to the input of the REAKTOR FX plug-in you have loaded in the other Sound in step 1.

  6. Choose the Sound track where the REAKTOR FX plug-in is loaded and load a vocoder preset in REAKTOR FX. Play your MIDI keyboard while you feed an audio signal into the microphone to make the vocoder work.

How to Set Up Ableton Live for MIDI Controlled FX [NI]

This article explains how to configure THE MOUTH as a MIDI-controlled FX in Ableton Live. In contrast to common FX plug-ins, MIDI-controlled FX are designed to be controlled via MIDI notes, either by programming them in your sequencer track or by playing a MIDI keyboard.

  1. Create a MIDI track in Ableton Live.

  2. Create an audio track. In this example we have named the audio track Vocals.

  3. Insert Reaktor FX as a VST effect plug-in on the Vocals track.

  4. Open up the Reaktor FX plug-in interface and load THE MOUTH.

  5. In the Output Type drop-down menu (or the MIDI To drop-down if you are working in Live's Session View) of the MIDI track select Vocals.

  6. Record arm the MIDI track and set its monitor to Auto.

By pressing notes on your MIDI keyboard, it is now possible to change the pitch of the audio being processed by THE MOUTH.

How to Use THE FINGER as a MIDI-Controlled FX in Ableton Live [NI]

This article explains how to configure THE FINGER as a MIDI controlled FX in Ableton Live. In contrast to common FX plug-ins, the parameters of MIDI controlled FX can be controlled via MIDI, e.g. by playing a MIDI keyboard.

  1. Create a MIDI track in Ableton Live.

  2. Create an audio track. In this example we have named the audio track Vocals.

  3. Insert Reaktor 6 FX as a VST effect plug-in on the Vocals track.

  4. Open up the Reaktor 6 FX plug-in interface and load THE FINGER.

  5. In the Output Type drop-down menu (or the MIDI To drop-down if you are working in Live's Session View) of the MIDI track select Vocals.

  6. Record enable the MIDI track.

By pressing notes on your MIDI keyboard, it is now possible to switch between THE FINGER's different effects (eg. bandpass, timestretching or looping effects etc.) to process the audio track.

How to Set Up a MIDI Controlled FX in Sonar [NI]

In contrast to common FX plug-ins, the parameters of MIDI controlled FX can be controlled via MIDI, e.g. by playing a MIDI keyboard.

This article explains how to configure MIDI controlled FX like THE MOUTH, THE FINGER or the Vocoder presets in RAZOR in Sonar.

  1. Choose an audio track in Sonar and insert REAKTOR as a Soft Synth (not as Audio FX).

  2. Load an Ensemble from the REAKTOR plug-in.

  3. Choose or create a MIDI track and set its output to REAKTOR.

  4. Arm the MIDI track, start playback and play your MIDI keyboard or draw some notes on the MIDI track.

This will cause the MIDI controlled effect to change the audio material on the audio track, depending on the note you send to it.

How to Set Up a MIDI Controlled Effect in Logic Pro 9 [NI]

In contrast to common effect plug-ins, the parameters of MIDI controlled effect can be controlled via MIDI, e.g. by playing a MIDI keyboard. This article explains how to configure MIDI controlled effects like THE MOUTH, THE FINGER or the Vocoder presets in RAZOR in Logic.

  1. In Logic, create a Software Instrument track.

  2. Click the I/O slot in the Inspector section of the Software instrument track.

  3. From the drop-down menu, select a plug-in of the type AU MIDI-controlled Effects. In this example we select Reaktor 5 FX (Stereo).

  4. In the REAKTOR instance you have loaded, select another track in your Logic project as Side Chain input for REAKTOR. In this example we choose an Audio track containing existing audio material:

If you now load e.g. RAZOR in REAKTOR and choose a Vocoder preset, it will affect the incoming signal from the selected Side Chain track. You can control the preset's parameters using MIDI notes to modulate the sound processed by the MIDI controlled effect.

How Do I Set Up a REAKTOR Effect in Cubase? [NI]

This article explains how to load a REAKTOR effect in Cubase. The second chapter explains how to configure a Cubase MIDI track in order to use a MIDI-controlled effect like THE FINGER, THE MOUTH or MOLEKULAR.

Loading a REAKTOR effect in Cubase

  1. Create an Audio or Instrument track, for which you would like to process the audio output with a REAKTOR effect.

  2. Click the Edit Channel Settings button.

  3. On the Channel Settings window, click on the first Inserts Slot on the left side of the window or the first Sends slot, depending on whether you want to use your Reaktor effect as an insert or send effect.

  4. Select Reaktor 6 FX from the drop-down menu.

  5. REAKTOR FX is now loaded as Insert FX on our Audio Track. To load the effect you want to use, select its folder in the REAKTOR Browser and double-click the .rkplr file to load the effect. In our example, we load THE FINGER from the Player tab of the REAKTOR Browser, so we click the The Finger R2 folder and double-click the TheFinger.rkplr file beneath to load it.

  6. Press play in Cubase. As you can see in the Input and Output level meters, the Audio from the Audio Track is now being processed by the REAKTOR effect.

Setting Up a MIDI Track for the MIDI-controlled effect

In contrast to common effect plug-ins, the parameters of MIDI controlled effect can be controlled via MIDI, i.e. by playing a MIDI keyboard. To control a MIDI-controlled effect like THE FINGER, THE MOUTH or MOLELKULAR, you will have to create a MIDI track and send its MIDI data to the effect. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click on the empty Track List surface beneath your Audio or Instrument Track, and select Add MIDI Track... from the context menu.

  2. In the Add MIDI Track dialog, you can name your MIDI track. Once done, press Add Track to Proceed.

  3. Select the MIDI Track. Click on the MIDI Input Routing Slot and select your MIDI Device from the context menu. In this example, we choose our KOMPLETE KONTROL S25 Port 1 keyboard.

  4. Click the MIDI Output Routing slot and select the REAKTOR FX loaded on the Audio Track as MIDI destination. In our example, it is AUDIO TRACK: Ins 1. Reaktor 6 FX.

  5. Make sure your MIDI track is record enabled or monitoring MIDI input by activating the corresponding buttons. Start playback and play your MIDI keyboard or draw some notes on the MIDI track. This will cause the MIDI controlled effect to change the audio material on the audio track, depending on the note you send to it. Please read the corresponding MIDI-controlled effect documentation to learn more about its operation.

Setting Up Rolodecks In Plugin Mode [MIDI Controllable Audio Effect]

Depending on your host software (Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, Cubase, Digital Performer, etc.), your Rolodecks setup will be different. Please refer to your host’s manual for specific details on how to set up MIDI controlled effects. Here we will discuss setups for Logic, Ableton and Maschine.

LOGIC PRO

You will need to setup Reaktor as a Software Instrument, rather than as an insert effect. This is because Rolodecks is controllable via MIDI and you can’t route MIDI to insert effects in Logic.

1 - Setup Reaktor as a Software Instrument(Track>Create New>Software Instrument)with Rolodecks or RoloEXT.

2 - Route audio into Reaktor’s sidechain in order to process it.

Please note that the only sidechain options are Audio, Inputs and Busses. If you’d like to process another software instrument using Rolodecks, route that instrument to a bus, mute the aux and then choose Bus as the input for the sidechain.

3 - Choose ‘Live’ as the input in the Source section of Rolodecks to pass audio from the sidechain input into the Rolodecks effects path.

4 - Record enable the Rolodecks track and use the white keys starting at note #60 to switch scenes and the white keys starting at note #48 to toggle the individual effects on/off.

ABLETON

You will need to setup Reaktor as a MIDI Instrument in Ableton, rather than as an effect.

1 - Double-click Reaktor from the plugin browser and load Rolodecks or RoloEXT.

2 - Route any audio you like into Reaktor by selecting Reaktor as the ‘Audio To:’ option on that channel.

3 - Choose ‘Live Input’ from the Source instrument in Rolodecks so that Rolodecks is listening for live input instead of the Beatlooper.

4 - Record enable the Rolodecks track and use the white keys starting at note #60 to switch scenes and the white keys starting at note #48 to toggle the individual effects on/off.

5 - Play white keys starting at note #60 to experiment with Scenes.

MASCHINE

You will need to setup Reaktor as a MIDI Controlled FX inside Maschine and use the VST instance of Reaktor.

1 - Open Maschine and choose Reaktor FX VST as an FX module for Sound 1 of a group.

2 - Drag Rolodecks or RoloEXT ensemble onto the Reaktor window 3 - Select ‘LIVE’ as the Source input. 4 - Create a Maschine group or sound and route its output to Reaktor’s input

5 - Play white keys starting at note #60 to experiment with Scenes

Setting Up SCAPES in Plugin Mode [Audio Effect]

Depending on your host software (Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, Cubase, Digital Performer, etc.), your Scapes setup will be different. Please refer to your host’s manual for specific details on how to set up MIDI controlled effects. Here we will discuss both Logic and Ableton.

LOGIC PRO - You will need to setup Reaktor as a Software Instrument, rather than as an insert effect. This is because Scapes is controllable via MIDI and you can’t route MIDI to insert effects in Logic.

Step 1: Setup Reaktor as a Software Instrument(Track>Create New>Software Instrument)

Step 2: Once you’ve opened SCAPES inside Reaktor as a Software Instrument you will need to route audio into Reaktor’s sidechain in order to process it. Please note that the only sidechain options are Audio, Inputs and Busses. If you’d like to process another software instrument using SCAPES, route that instrument to a bus, mute the aux and then choose Bus as the input of the sidechain. Choose ‘Live (External Audio In)’ from the Beatlooper instrument in SCAPES to pass audio from the sidechain input into SCAPES.

Step 3: Once you’ve setup SCAPES so that it is in a MIDI envelope mode you will be able to trigger SCAPES using your MIDI keyboard and take advantage of the MIDI IN and KEY settings in the settings tab. This is not necessary to use SCAPES though, you can always set theenvelope modeto off or seq.

ABLETON - Double-click Reaktor from the plugin browser and instantiate SCAPES. Then route any audio you like into Reaktor by selecting Reaktor as the ‘Audio To:’ option. Choose ‘Live Input’ from the Beatlooper instrument in SCAPES. Setup the SCAPES envelope to aMIDI modeand you can use MIDI to trigger SCAPES.

MIDI FX / How to Route a REAKTOR Sequencer Ensemble to a Plug-in in Ableton Live (ni)

This article explains how to route MIDI from a REAKTOR sequencer Ensemble to an external plug-in (eg. MASSIVE, FM8, etc.) within Ableton Live. We will use the Spiral sequencer Ensemble as an example to walk you through the procedure.

  1. Load REAKTOR as a VST plug-in in Ableton Live.

    Note: On OS X, it is important to load REAKTOR as a VST plug-in and not Audio Unit (AU), since the AU format does not support MIDI output.

  2. Find the Spiral Ensemble in the REAKTOR Browser. It is located in the Player section of the Browser, under: Reaktor Factory Library > Sequencers > Spiral.ens

  3. Double-click "Spiral.ens" or drag it to the main working area in REAKTOR to load the Ensemble.

  4. Enter Edit mode by pressing the EDIT button.

  5. Select the Properties tab on the Side Pane of REAKTOR.

  6. In the Ensemble's Properties, select the Connect tab.

  7. In the MIDI OUT section, click the External drop-down menu and select plugin.

  8. In Ableton Live create a new MIDI Track and load a plug-in instrument of your choice.

  9. In the plug-in's Ableton Live track select Reaktor as Input Type.

  10. Next, select Reaktor as the Input Channel.

    Note: If you do not see a Reaktor entry under Input Channel, you have probably loaded the Audio Unit version of the REAKTOR plug-in. In this case, you will have to re-load a VST version of the plug-in to be able to send MIDI from REAKTOR (see above, point 1).

  11. Press play in Ableton Live. Spiral will start sending MIDI notes to your plug-in, which will generate audio.

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