The Bias Live Pedalboard Project - Files included
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I don't know a better name for this, so if you have one, let me know.
Some of you are aware that a few users here and at the REAPER forum and various Facebook groups have been hard at work creating the framework needed to give ridiculous amounts of control over switching, timing, reliability, convenience and utility itself between MIDI inputs and BiasFX for live use.
If you aren't into extremely tweaky micro-management and aren't a control freak with a Napoleon complex, stop reading this and go buy Gig Performer at https://www.gigperformer.com/ Gig Performer can do most of this really easily, with way less hassle on your end. For all I know it could actually do ALL of this, but I wasn't able to get it there.
So here we go. I will link the projects as we create them and hopefully edit and update any major changes so things will always work (hopefully)
First of all, you'll need REAPER
https://www.reaper.fm/download.phpThen you'll need to either grab tons of scripts and new plugs we made, or just import the preferences (the much easier thing to do). Simply grab this file, then in REAPER options/preferences/General/Import Configuration
https://www.dropbox.com/s/28d5gm5a3vvj7b4/reaper conifg.ReaperConfigZip?dl=0Most of this also depends on SWS Live configs to handle various actions
http://www.sws-extension.org/First Sample project is a simple 5 patch file with no crossfading and no spillover tracks. It has a wah that auto engages, switching to a new patch will automatically bypass the wah
In addition to the five patches, there is a tap tempo function and a tuner function which will pop the tuner up and mute the output
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ao5523qwekuu01k/BASIC Live Configs bias test 5 patches.rpp?dl=0IMPORTANT! Do not save this project with a Bias FX GUI open and showing. Close the FX tabs first. There's a potential bug that can happen if it loads an open Bias FX GUI on project startup
Some things to note on this project file:
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This is the most basic type of project showing a proof of concept
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Mute fade time can be set in preferences to shorten the switching time, and also the "tiny fade" in Live configs can be set shorter or longer. I tried to get a good medium between switching time and any clicks or pops
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Again this is EXTREMELY basic, using Live Configs own routing and switching system. A much more complex crossfading plugin and script system has been made if you really hate the dropouts here
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You can easily make a spillover track having delays and reverbs that will smooth the switching and let the tails play out even though the input is cut off
If people find this helpful or interesting, I'll upload some much more complex files
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Sample project #2.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/28d5gm5a3vvj7b4/reaper conifg.ReaperConfigZip?dl=0
This one uses the MIDI Fade FX plugin created by Michael Schnell.
The actions in SWS Live Configs have been replaced by custom macros to mute track groups, reset the wah and activate MIDI Fade X
MIDI Fade X allows crossfading between the patches. You can go into each channel's FX window and modify them to taste.
This is a MUCH more complicated setup to set up, but if you want glitch free, dropout free, near instant switching, this is a way to achieve it
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Project #3. Spillover
Now here's where things can get really interesting. By running parallel paths, you can send to tracks which never mute, allowing "spillover effects" when patches are changed.
In this case, there is a delay and reverb which, while it can have its receive cut off, will still send to the master. Say you have a Chord on the the Clean +FX tracks playing. The delay will keep going, playing clean, even though you switch over to your distorted track.
Lots and lots of different ways to do this
In this case, I have turned the send to master off on the tracks I want to send to spillover. In other cases, you may want to have both sending to master.
Again, lots of ways to skin this cat
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I was told to explain a bit more about the MIDI fro mthe pedalboard side of things, so:
Depending on your MIDI pedalboard setup, you may have some hoops to jump through.
Piz MIDI plugins can remap whatever you want to do https://www.thepiz.org/plugins/
Included in the sample project files below are SWS PC to CC JSFX plugins, so that you can turn your PC commands into the CC commands SWS Live wants.
Here is a pic of how I have my pedalboard programmed so that I can avoid all of that
If you have a Behringer FCB1010 and FCB1010 Manager (https://mountainutilities.eu/fcb1010), you could just download my FCB 1010 files
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7zzx0ba5b9nz2a/3-2-2018 adding MIDI CC table.syx?dl=0
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This is great. Thanks for sharing
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@pipelineaudio - thanks for mentioning Gig Performer (I am affiliated with the company btw.)
Gig Performer is built for live use. I personally have been using it for about 2 years on stage with my guitars (and other instruments).
You can combine your favourite plugins together. If you like BIAS AMPm but would prefer a reverb from elsewhere - you can easily do that.Gig Performer will actually simplify your MIDI setup. You don't have to know what's being sent or do anything fancy. If you need to control a parameter within any of your plugins - just drop a knob, a slider or a button into GP, then select the plugin and press learn (this pops up the plugin's UI and you just move the parameter you want to learn a bit). You do the same now for the MIDI - press the "learn" button in the midi area and move your MIDI controller (expression pedal for example) and GP will learn that and move your widget on screen to let you know it's working and of course, modify the parameter.
this way you can streamline things and have visible only the parameters you need for a particular patch.Unfortunately BIAS AMP 2 does not have any host automation parameters. This has been reported to PositiveGrid after the initial release, but to date it has not been fixed. This is one more reason to use GP where you can create several different amp settings and patches and switch between them instantly.
You can take a look at an older video where we show ho do at a Was-Wah pedal for an amp simulator that does not have one included in their package: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR6r8XT-Pv4
Most likely anything you really want to do can be done with GP. I also use FCB1010. I only used an FCB1010 editor to change the buttons 8 and 9 to send CC messages rather than be program change messages. There are various editors and mods available for FCB1010 - take a look at the KVR thread.
https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6911475