Newbie. Mixer / Meters Red line?

RSullivan

New member
I am new to Reaper and DAW recording. A total newbie!

I have waited four days now to be authorized to post questions on the Reaper (Cockos) site and still am waiting.

I was going to post this in the 'newbie' Reaper forum but have become extremely impatient.

So:
I have read the entire manual, plowed through the forums, viewed dozens of YouTube videos and still have not found the answer.

I have a track using Steven Slate Drums. When i play the track:
1.) The channel strip shows the left and right meters.
2.) The meters are not clipping.
3.) To the right of the two meters (left and right) there is thin red meter type thing that also is not clipping (I think
as it does not get close to 0 Db).
4.) If a send the drum track to a reverb track the red line / meter thing also appear there.
5.) I have plinked a few bars of MIDI into another track with WaveStation on it and this track does not have the thin red meter thing when playing.

Ok, feel free to laugh out loud now!

QUESTIONs:
1.) What is the thin, red, meter to the left of the Right/Left meter on the channel strip?
2.) What is it telling me?

Thanks.
 
Pretty sure that's the MIDI activity on the track. If the VSTi is not allowing the MIDI to pass through it or if Reaper's option to pass the MIDI whether the instrument wants to or not is enabled, AND you haven't specifically set the send to exclude MIDI, then it'll go through to your Reverb track also. Don't know why you're not seeing it on your other track. Maybe that instrument does "eat" the MIDI?

You could try to post a picture or video, but I'm pretty sure that's it.
 
Thanks, so far you are looking like a genius to me!

Track 1: SSD4
This track is still showing the red line.
Routing:
Sends to Track 2
I set the Send to track 2 MIDI:None
Track 2: Reverb.
Sure enough the red line on the meter does not appear any longer.

So you are correct that it is related to the MIDI events on Track 1 (SSD4)

I have another track using instances of the Korg Wavestation.
Track 3: Korg Wavestation
A red line has never appeared on this track, and yes it is outputting.
Routing:
Sends to track 4 MIDI:All
Track 4: Reverb
A red line has never appeared on this track, and yes it is getting input.

I have looked all over Track 1 (SSD4) for a way to get the red line to go away.
I have looked all over the SSD4 VST for a way to get the red line to go away.

Perhaps this is an issue / feature of SSD4?

Any one have any ideas?

When it comes to things like this, I am like a dog with a bone!

Thanks.
 
Open the plugins windows. Right click the title bar thing. You should see options regarding passing MIDI through. Im not sure why this is bothering you so much, but whatever.
 
Hello Mr Sullivan,
Have you seen the excellent videos Kenny Goia does for Reaper?,, They're on the download page Tutorials.PNG
There's a few,(on the right side there's a heading 'Midi & virtual instruments') click on that & there's a selection!, I think everything is covered!.:thumbs up:
As far as I'm aware you don't have to wait for registration on the forum?,,just fill in the form & post??.:confused:

Edit; Oh by the way, You are right; Ashcat_lt IS a genius!.:)
 
Thanks Jiff.
I watched all of the Videos and found nothing that answers my question.
In fact during the videos some of the VST in use show the red 'midi' meter on the track, others do not.


Ashcat:
Being a newbie I have no idea of what you are saying.
If 'Open the plugins windows' means to click on the FX button on the track in question I have done that.
This of course brings up the Steven Slate Drums.

If 'Right click the title bar thing' means to then right-click on the title bar of the VST host window hosting Steven Slate Drums
(The title bar that has the FX Edit Options menu, title is 'FX TRack 1 "Drums') then I have done that.

The pop-up drop down menu that appears is the standard 'FX' menu (Add Fx Replace FX,....).

Perhaps I do not understand what 'Open the plugins windows' really means?

'I am not sure why this is bothering you so much'...

To be clear I am not loosing sleep over it. I simply like to understand the software that I am using. Being a programmer I am also aware that the 'midi' meter which appears on the SSD4 track does in fact cost some CPU clocks to manage. I am also aware that on my machine (Intel Core I7-6700 @ 3.4GHz) it is probably inconsequential. I am simply curious. Whatever........
 
Shit! See now, you go calling me names...

I knew it was all pretty easy in v5, but have kept defaulting to using MIDI eater when I wanted it to go away, and routing around anything that would eat it when I didn't want it to. Yeah, or some other lame excuse.

Right-Click the button that says something like "X out". That gives you the options for MIDI output. If you want the input to pass through this one (and it's not already because of what the plug itself is doing), choose "Merge". I'm pretty sure you can choose "Disabled" if you want no MIDI to pass at all, but haven't actually tried it.

Note that Left-Click on that button gets you to the audio routing pins, where you interface the actual audio ins and outs of the plugins with the track channels. That's where you would go if you wanted different drums on different tracks. Have them come out the plugins on different channels, and create sends from those channels to the individual tracks. If you put Slate in by doing the "Add VST and build..." action, it did that for you.
 
I had a nightmare last night.
There was a row of red MIDI meters all jumping up and down in unison.
I could not wake up so I continued to stare at them.
After a while I realized the meters where all jumping from -60 to 0 in unison.
After awhile I also realized that the meter jumps where all short or long.
Is it? It could not be, Yes IT'S MORSE CODE.

My nightmare continued for some time which allowed me to memorize the pattern, (Dot-Dash-Dash, Pause Dash-Dot-Dot pause,..)
When I woke up I hurriedly wrote down the sequence that I remembered, booted a PC, googled Morse Code and found a sight.

After much work I had disseminated the message the red devils had delivered to me:
WE ARE SUCKING UP YOUR CPU CLOCKS AND GIVING YOU NOTHING IN RETURN!

I cannot for the life of me make the red MIDI meter go away.
I believe it is SSD4.

I have right clicked on '2/24'.
The default is 'Replaces MIDI bus' and 'MIDI Bus 1'.

I have mucked around with the setting 'Midi Output Disabled', 'Merges with MIDI bus', etc,... to no avail.

red meters, Red meters, REd meters, RED meters, RED Meters, RED MEters, RED METers, RED METErs, RED METERs,
RED METERS! DAMN THEM!

This is making me crazy!

Thanks for the effort!
 
Not JavaScript. JesuSonic. I think it's based on EEL, but don't quote me. It's easy enough to work with, though.

That script only works once every buffer block. Then it loops through looking for MIDI and just eating it. It was probably removed when they put in the options to make any plugin eat its own MIDI.

What are you doing to this poor machine that you're worried about such tiny amounts of CPU usage? If you're running out of ticks, either of these things will be the least of your worries.
 
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