From Mod Wheel lane to standard note lane

This forum is for discussing Reason. Questions, answers, ideas, and opinions... all apply.
Post Reply
User avatar
tallguy
Posts: 331
Joined: 11 Jan 2018
Contact:

09 Nov 2018

Some soft synths seem to prefer to record their mod wheel automation in a standard note lane rather than the dedicated Mod Wheel lane. I'm guessing it has something to do with precision.

So my question is: can you transfer automation back and forth between the Mod Wheel lane and a note note lane? When I'm trying out an alternative synth, I often end up losing any automation that's already been done.

User avatar
tallguy
Posts: 331
Joined: 11 Jan 2018
Contact:

13 Nov 2018

I do find the lack of compatibility between different types of lanes rather puzzling. Even if there's for instance a difference in bit depth between them, surely numerical values can always be converted?

WongoTheSane
Moderator
Posts: 1851
Joined: 14 Sep 2015
Location: Paris, France

13 Nov 2018

Once a controller (ModWheel, Pitch Bend or other) has been recorded in a clip together with the notes, there are two options to extract it. This one:



...and another I just thought of:

- Duplicate the whole track.
- Select the clip you want to extract the controller data from.
- Press F8 to show the toolbox, and in "Extract notes to lanes", select "Note Range" to "C-2" to "G8" and select "Move". It will create one lane with the notes, and another with the controllers, which you can then move to wherever you need them, provided it's a note lane and not a controller lane.
- You can then delete the duplicate track.

Be aware though that this last method will create a note lane containing only controller data, not a controller lane. The difference between those two brings us to your second question: you can convert controller clips of any controller type to any other controller type, provided that they are controller clips (and not note clips with embedded controller data), and that they only contain one type of controller data. To convert them, drag them to another controller lane, right-click them and select "Adjust alien clips to lane". If they are controller data embedded in a note clip, you must first apply the method described in the video above to extract them to a proper controller clip, then you can adjust them to any other type.

Not an easy task by any means, but at least it's doable!

User avatar
tallguy
Posts: 331
Joined: 11 Jan 2018
Contact:

30 Nov 2018

Thanks. I finally got around to trying this out. That's a bit of a workaround, but it does work

The lack of drag and drop support between note and controller lanes is still puzzling me. Also, why do certain synths like a Polysix insist on recording their Mod Wheels into a note lane rather than a dedicated lane?

chaosroyale
Posts: 728
Joined: 05 Sep 2017

30 Nov 2018

This has pissed me off ever since I started using Reason all those years ago.

I record a part. Go back later to copy or edit the wheels, and end up with conflicts and/or a confusing messy sequencer.

Or I record 2 different instrument parts, love the wheel performance of one; can't copy/drag parts of the wheel performance from one instrument to the other.

On the other hand, cutting and pasting parts of combinator automation lanes between different combinators works great (since reason 9 I think). I wish the wheels worked like that by default.

sarsoura
Posts: 1
Joined: 01 Dec 2018

01 Dec 2018

tallguy wrote:
13 Nov 2018
I do find the lack of compatibility between different types of lanes rather puzzling. Even if there's for instance a difference in bit depth between them, surely numerical values can always be converted?
Clicking with the pencil tool in an area with no Clips creates a new Clip. You can then draw data into the new Clip.

Post Reply
  • Information
  • Who is online

    Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests