VAZ Modular automation in Reaper

[Sound_Bear]

Hi everyone, I'm currently trying to use VAZ Mod in Reaper, and it seems I can't create automation for anything but Bypass, Wet, and (in x32 Reaper only) Delta. Other parameters just don't show up when I click on TRIM (in the Reaper channel) or Param (in the VAZ window; neither in the sub menus nor in Last Touched).

Gate, pitch and velocity work fine, both in x32 and x64, but of course I'd like to address the plethora of other parameters VAZ offers.

I'm using Reaper 7.07 and VAZ Mod 3.2.4.1, bought from Martin many years ago. With other plugins, all the parameters show up normally.

What might I be missing? What can I do?

Also, how can I automate the Start and Stop buttons of the CV/ / Control/ Trigger Converter modules?

[mmelon]

Hi. Vaz mod has unlimited permutations for parameter control. That’s why most things aren’t exposed as vst parameters.

Everything is done with midi cc by right clicking and assigning.

You can assign a midi note to start and stop the play button on vaz mod. Other things that are clocked can follow that or run independent.

[Sound_Bear]

Thank you. Right clicking parameters in VAZ brings up Learn. I don't seem to understand how to use Learn in a DAW as opposed to controller hardware. Say I've created (as a crutch) an automation envelope for one of the few default targets, like Volume, then I go to the VAZ UI and bring up Learn, then I move that automation envelope - nothing happens to Learn. What am I doing wrong?

Then there's Menu -> Local -> Controller Mappings (in VAZ). Since I haven't learned much about MIDI yet: What's next after assigning a parameter to a number here?

[whyterabbyt]

Say I've created (as a crutch) an automation envelope for one of the few default targets, like Volume, then I go to the VAZ UI and bring up Learn, then I move that automation envelope - nothing happens to Learn. What am I doing wrong?

You're creating a VST parameter automation envelope. Its not MIDI. Vaz has almost no automatable VST parameters, only that small set Reaper is showing you. Almost everything has to be controlled via MIDI CCs(*)

You'll need to read/pootube up on how Reaper does MIDI automation instead, ie how to get it to send MIDI CCs to a software instrument.

(* And FWIW, the reason Vaz doesnt have parameter automation is basically because its modular, and because VST2. The VST2 standard specified that when the plugin is first loaded into the host, the plugin tells the host which parameters can be automated, and that doesnt ever get updated. That's before a patch/preset is loaded into VazMod, so there's no way for Vazmod to say 'hey Ive now got this module in the patch and it has this list of VST parameters to automate'. )

[EvilDragon]

User can use ReaControlMIDI preceeding a plugin in order to convert host automation to MIDI CCs.

[Sound_Bear]

Thanks to you both. I've now managed to control VAZ parameters via ReaControlMIDI. Questions:

1) Does Ableton Live have an equivalent to ReaControlMIDI? (Can't currently install a Live trial)

2) What could be the reason(s) that this configuration seems to make my VAZ audio output crackle?
Trying to describe as specifically as I can:
short popping noises;
several of them per note (yes, the pops are tempo-dependent, not time-dependent);
quiet but noticeable, unless the audio is very bright;
only appearing with automation envelope values up to 63, and apparently getting slightly more frequent the lower the value;
and I have not yet managed to replicate this with other synth plugins which use VST automation without the need for ReaControlMIDI.
The crackling is probably not related to lack of CPU power or RAM because I can generally run several more synth and FX plugins in Reaper without any stutter or crackling.
Does this have to do with the MIDI to CC conversion, and if so, is there a way to optimize it?

3) When muting an automation envelope, currently the modulated parameter just stays at the last sent value (like a Track & Hold, speaking in modular synth terms). Is there a way I can instead have the parameter snap to the internal VAZ value, i. e. just the sum of its faders and internal modulation inputs without the CC value added?

4) Speaking of addition, is there a way to choose whether the addition of the CC value to the parameter is unipolar or centered (or even the inversions of either)?

As an aside, I guess what @whyterabbyt described is because of VAZ' hierarchical structure with Banks and Patches, right? Other modular plugins like Voltage Modular also don't allow for preconfigured routings, but they do show a huge list of blank targets right from the start/ without the need for CC conversion. Do they have the latter built in?

[EvilDragon]

In Live you would just do a MIDI CC envelope in piano roll.