VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[chrisvoco]

Anybody else use Reaper or Vegas? I've developed a nifty little mechanism to help you not really automate, but at least remotely control. My purpose was simply transport control, along with a few other functions. All freely definable , within the limits of what the Reaper API exposes (not the JS or other scripting stuff; this is all in C ). Presently, I have my main surface with eight buttons:

- head
- stop
- play
- record
- "Wham!"

"Wham" means "disarm the current record track, mute it, add a new track with specific VO template, then arm it and begin recording, after returning to the last place I punched in" and I can dig it.

The other three buttons I use for undo, drop marker, and go to last marker. All this does not make use of any standard surface definition (mackie, etc., or the joystick transport scheme) but translates any input you want into whatever command you want, then either talks to your DAW locally (or sends it over the network, if you want, or triggers GPIO if you're really old fashioned - sky is limit).

Yes, you can get a prefab surface for not much bucks these days, but my way lets you have nice cabinetry in the pretty wooden finish of your choice. If you're into repurposing your stuff, you can take Some Thing - a wooden box for knicknacks, say - tastefully arrange your buttons on it, and turn it into a nice *functional* piece for your studio.

Presently on the operating table here is a nice bit of pine, stained, with a routed edge and front lip, with its own processor - in this case, raspberry pi - and making use of the front panel buttons from a busted Prophet 2002 rackmount sampler.

I shall put up some photos here shortly, and you'll either say, "Neat-o!" or "ugggggly." If you want to make one, you can choose your own cabinet materials, of course. I just like to make as much as I can from what would otherwise be junk.

Whatever the case, I mention this because I'd be happy to assist for free with some tutorials or even outright code for anybody else who wants to add some unique, custom control doodads to their studio, just because it's fun. I can do for Reaper or Vegas, or whatever you can send me the API documentation for, but Windows only (sorry!).

Addendum - someone will point out "there's an a for that." Indeed, and I have used a few, notably Touch Daw, which is nifty - but I like actual buttons, sliders, etc., so I can control by feel and muscle memory. Dunno about you, but I can't use a touchscreen without looking at it...
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