Applying FX to Clips - how do you do it?

[Barbarossa]

Thanks for your replies guys, but i want to know the following:
imagine you have a finished FX-chain with lots of plugins as insert-FXs on a track. No compromise in quality, only the best plugins are used and that @88.2kHz - the CPU-load is quite dramatic. Absolutely no chance to get the arrangment done without applying FX first and arranging the audio-clips.

So before i start to build the arrangement, i want, no i NEED the FXs being applied to the MIDI-clips. And preferrably, the original MIDI-clip should stay available, in the case, i decide, to use a variation of it in the arrangment.
For me nothing is as frustrating as if a nice idea is complicated and only with a lot of labour to achieve (and that is the case, if things are spread over several tracks [the original MIDI-clip], need to be activated [find track, unmute, mute current], edited [move the original clip where i need it now], rendered again and put in place [and all the activating redone] where needed - no, i've had that for many years - never ever again!!!).

Cubase4 sadly is out of the race, because it only allows 8 insert-effects and from what i've read, the freeze-functionality is quite useless for me.

And since i have no clue, if Reaper's minimalistic MIDI-functionality will be adressed somewhere in the future, isadly have to keep the eyes open.
And from what i know at the moment, only Sonar seems to come close. Therefore, please tell me...

[obstgegenrechz]

in the past i also suffered from this problem but since i realized that keepin all possibilities slows down my creativity...
this way i am forced to decide if the effect would be good or not.
i think it's not good to keep all your rendered midiclips cause then you always can take the step back and change it. this expands you possibilities but too many possibilities dont make me creative.

the same reason why i don't have many vst's... lesser possibilities more creativity, more spontaneous, more "Do-it-right-now!"

... this all was supported by energyXT's cool renderfunction.
no i'm no advertiser..

sorry for bad english

bye

[Barbarossa]

Well, i agree with you, that too many possibilities can kill creativity, especially when everything is tried out and nothing is learned in depth.
But in this case, the necessity to keep the original clip is essential for my way to work. Think of an interlude that should be built on a variation of the hookline. Then SEQs, pads need to be adopted, sometimes the chord-progression needs to be changed.

Usually it's always a decision between the amount of labour and the possible positive effect. And the smaller the amount of labour to try things out and get them done, the more likely it is, i really decide to try them out.
I have discovered this recently again, when i got used to Reaper's concept of Takes. You can create copies of the MIDI-clips, as another 'take', but they all are part of the same clip. This way it's a dream to test different variations of the melody, the harmony against each other.
Therefore I think the more efficient things can be achieved, the better the results.