Control surfaces
From CockosWiki
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| - | [[Main_Page|Main Page]] > [[Reaper_Documentation|REAPER Documentation]] | + | [[Main_Page|Main Page]] > [[Reaper_Documentation#going_quite_a_lot_further|REAPER Documentation, going quite a ''lot'' further]] |
=Using a Control Surface with REAPER= | =Using a Control Surface with REAPER= | ||
If you have a control surface such as a ''Behringer BCR2000'' or ''Novation Nocturn'' then you can use it to control some of REAPER's actions. These might include track panning and volume, mute and solo status, arming and starting/stopping recording, and possibly to physically map the transport bar for '''Play''', '''Stop''', '''Pause''', '''Rewind''', etc. You will need to know the specific characteristics of your device, including how to install and set it up. | If you have a control surface such as a ''Behringer BCR2000'' or ''Novation Nocturn'' then you can use it to control some of REAPER's actions. These might include track panning and volume, mute and solo status, arming and starting/stopping recording, and possibly to physically map the transport bar for '''Play''', '''Stop''', '''Pause''', '''Rewind''', etc. You will need to know the specific characteristics of your device, including how to install and set it up. | ||
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The procedure is similar to assigning an action to a key on your PC keyboard. First select the action, click on '''Add''' then instead of pressing a key on the keyboard, tweak the control surface control and click on '''OK'''. | The procedure is similar to assigning an action to a key on your PC keyboard. First select the action, click on '''Add''' then instead of pressing a key on the keyboard, tweak the control surface control and click on '''OK'''. | ||
=See Also= | =See Also= | ||
| - | [[Main_Page|Main Page]] > [[Reaper_Documentation|REAPER Documentation]] | + | [[Main_Page|Main Page]] > [[Reaper_Documentation#going_quite_a_lot_further|REAPER Documentation, going quite a ''lot'' further]] |
Revision as of 23:09, 20 January 2010
Main Page > REAPER Documentation, going quite a lot further
Using a Control Surface with REAPER
If you have a control surface such as a Behringer BCR2000 or Novation Nocturn then you can use it to control some of REAPER's actions. These might include track panning and volume, mute and solo status, arming and starting/stopping recording, and possibly to physically map the transport bar for Play, Stop, Pause, Rewind, etc. You will need to know the specific characteristics of your device, including how to install and set it up.
You should be aware that different control devices have different capabilities and different applications. Not all control surfaces can be used to control all actions, even those that are listed as midi CC capable.
In overview, however, control surfaces fall into two broad categories:
- Devices which are or can be recognised as a specific and individually named control surface.
- Generic devices which although not specifically and individually recognised, can nonetheless be used as a control surface.
If you are using any of the recognised devices, you should be able to install it on the Control Surfaces page of the Options / Preferences settings. You should also consult the manufacturer's documentation and/or web site for further information.
Even if your device is not shown on this list, you might still be able to install and use it as shown here if it is capable of emulating one of the devices that is listed. For example, the Novation Nocturn can be installed as a Hui because it is capable of emulating this product. Again, check the various documentation and web sites that are available to you.
In every case, make sure that you choose the options that are correct for your device from the various Control Surface Settings options.
More than one control surface can be installed. For example, you might wish to use both a Frontier AlphaTrack and a Frontier Tranzport. This is perfectly possible, so long as each device is installed correctly. You will need to consult the product documentation to ascertain how then your control surface(s) can be used with REAPER.
If your device is not on the list of recognised control surfaces and cannot emulate any of the items on that list, it can probably still be used. An example of such a product is the Behringer BCR2000. Once it has been physically set up and installed on your computer, it will appear on the list of MIDI Devices. Depending on the actual product and which drivers you are using, it might appear on this list with its own name or merely as a USB Audio Device.
Install it as a MIDI Device, most likely Input Only and in most cases Control Only. If you wish, you can assign it a more recognisable name than that listed by selecting the Alias input name option.
You can then assign any action listed as supporting midi CC control to one of the knobs, faders, buttons or rotaries on your control device.
The procedure is similar to assigning an action to a key on your PC keyboard. First select the action, click on Add then instead of pressing a key on the keyboard, tweak the control surface control and click on OK.
