ReaConnect: VST Connect for Reaper

ReaConnect is a set of Reaper projects and scripts that include routing and track templates, that, together with Sonobus or Audiomovers ListenTo enable long-distance internet music collaboration and recording between a composer and a performer in the VST Connect style.

Click here to see the detailed diagram

Please note: you don't need to create the routing shown in the diagram above. It has already been done for you in Reaper projects available for download in the Releases section.

It is intended for long-distance composing and recording sessions between two parties. We'll call these two parties Composer and Performer. Composer runs a special Reaper project with all of the tracks and arrangement, MIDI, audio, whatever. Performer runs a special Reaper project with nothing in it, that is setup once, with clever routing, and is then left as is, without Performer having to click anything while the session lasts. All recording is done on Composer's Reaper.

Please note: if you are a Composer and you have a Performer that just needs to record some singing or performance once on a song that's well known and rehearsed, then, you don't need all of this. The easiest way to achieve this is to create a submix of your song, transfer your files over to Performer's machine, install Reaper on Performer's machine (if they don't already have it) and use TeamViewer/AnyDesk/RustDesk/RealVNC to control their computer and use Audiomovers ListenTo or Sonobus to listen to their computer and record them right there. After the recording, you just need to transfer the files back to your machine. For voice communication you can use Mumble or JitsiMeet or p2p.mirotalk.com. This approach works great and is rock-solid as all recording is done locally where Performer is.

On the other hand, if you really need to collaborate with someone, meaning you need to often do back and forth to play/add/change something in an itterative process, then, the above mentioned approach can't be used and your only option is ReaConnect in Reaper world. Keep reading. :-)

Since there is a substantial latency between the two parties, then, Composer has two modes of monitoring: listen-my-time and listen-Performer-time. Performer always hears everything in perfect sync. When Composer wants to sing or play something in real-time, they then switch their Reaper to my-time. This is done by muting the roundtrip track that is returning from Performer and unmuting the local monitoring track (there is a script for easy switching). In this, my-time mode, both Composer and Performer can hear what is Composer singing or playing in real-time. But, if Performer tries to sing or play in real-time, then, Composer will hear it desynced, due to internet latency. So, when it's time for Performer to sing or play, Composer needs to switch to Performer's time which then mutes the Composer's local monitoring track and unmutes the roundtrip track from the Performer, effectively enabling the Composer to hear what Performer hears, and that is their real-time. Of course, there is a script for easy switching.

When recording, Composer records on the designated track titled ReaConnect: REC which records a 6-channel audio holding Performer's stereo audio as channels 1+2, roundtrip mix audio as channels 3+4 and SMTPE sync track as channel 6, while channel 5 holds communications. Once recording is finished, Composer activates a special script ReaConnect_on_record_stop.lua which then analyses SMPTE, nudges the time to compensate for internet latency, nudges the time to compensate for Performer's ASIO latency, creates a brand new track (optionally from a template) as a child of the folder track ReaConnect: MIX, and moves the newly recorded item there, getting rid of extra 4 channels that were needed for processing, now resulting in a clean stereo audio item.

How to install:

• Download the ReaConnectScripts.zip from the Releases section and unzip to your Reaper/Scripts folder.
• Download the ReaConnectProject.zip from the Releases section and unzip wherever you want.
• Start Reaper, open Actions->Show Actions list, then click on the button New action and choose Load Reascript..., now navigate to your Reaper/Scripts/ReaConnect folder and select all files whose names begin with ReaConnect. This will import all needed scripts into your Reaper.
• Create toolbar shortcuts for the following scripts: ReaConnect_listen_my_time.lua, ReaConnect_listen_performer_time.lua and ReaConnect_on_record_stop.lua. First two you will use to switch the mix monitoring latency and the third one you will use after any recording of the Performer
• Done

How to use:

• Composer loads the Reaper project Composer.rpp (obtained from ReaConnectProject.zip downloaded from this project's Releases section)
• Performer loads the Reaper project Performer.rpp (obtained from ReaConnectProject.zip downloaded from this project's Releases section)
• Performer notifies Composer about their ASIO latency, as shown by their Reaper (in+out latency), and Composer types in this value in their Reaper's ReaConnect: REC track name, like, for example: {40ms}, so now Composer's Reaper knows how to compensate for Performer's ASIO latency.
• Optionally, Composer prepares a template track in their Reaper, what they would like to use to listen to newly recorded tracks coming from Performer, and can then add this template track's name to their ReaConnect: REC track name, like, for example: (compressor-EQ-reverb). ReaConnect's on-record-stop script will then create a new track from the template track to save time for Composer.
• Both Composer and Performer setup their AoIP VSTfx send/receive busses, where Composer sends to Performer a 4-channel audio, then, Performer receives 4-channel audio, then, Performer sends to Composer 6-channel audio, and finally, Composer receives 6-channel audio. This can be done either with Sonobus or with Audiomovers ListenTo. So, there are two audio cables, one 4-channel going from Composer to Performer and one 6-channel going from Performer to Composer. The number of channels should be automatically selected by the plug-in once you add it to appropriate tracks. In the Composer's Reaper: tracks ReaConnect: Send and ReaConnect: REC. In the Performer's Reaper: tracks ReaConnect: Send and ReaConnect: Receive. The track ReaConnect: REC is special in many ways and one of them is that track's record mode is Record: Output Multichannel which enables Reaper to record the track's output coming from VSTfx (Sonobus or ListenTo).

There are three scripts of interest:

• ReaConnect_listen_my_time.lua - used by Composer only - when invoked, it will mute the roundtrip track and unmute the local mix monitoring track effectively enabling the Composer to sing or play an instrument in real-time and for the Performer to also hear it in proper sync, but Performer can't sing/play to Composer in real-time now.
• ReaConnect_listen_performer_time.lua - used by Composer only - when invoked, it will mute the local mix monitoring track and unmute the roundtrip track effectively enabling the Performer to sing or play an instrument in real-time and for the Composer to also hear it in proper sync, but Composer can't sing or play for Performer in real-time now.
• ReaConnect_on_record_stop.lua - used by Composer only - activate this script every time you (Composer) finish recording the Performer on the track ReaConnect: REC. It is important that the last 6-channel-recorded-item is selected, which usually happens anyway when you hit stop after recording in Reaper. Also, it is important to verify that your AoIP routing is working correctly by visually inspecting the channel 6 of the recorded item. Channel 6 should hold the SMTPE signal, and if blank, this script will fail. When all recorded correctly, this script will perform several steps in the following order: 1.) analyse the SMTP track in the recorded item and move the item in time to compensate for remote internet latency, 2.) analyse the ReaConnect: REC track's title and look for a number written in curly brackets with a 'ms' suffix, like, for example: {50ms} and, if found, will move the item in time to compensate for Performer's ASIO latency which Composer's Reaper can't figure out on it's own, but it needs to be written down in the track's name, 3.) remove all, now unnecessary audio channels from the recorded item leaving it as plain stereo, 4.) create a new track in the ReaConnect: MIX folder, either as a brand new blank track, or as a new track from a template, again designated in the name of ReaConnect: REC track, with a name inside parentheses, like so (blah), 5.) move the newly recorded and processed item to this newly created track inside the ReaConnect: MIX folder.

Routing with SonoBus explained with screenshots - here.

Design by AtmanActive.

Coding by MPL and AtmanActive.

Developed: 2023.

Links:

• Reaper Forums discussion and development thread: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=272880
• Reaper Stash download section: https://stash.reaper.fm/v/45737/ReaConnect.zip