why don't my Melda plugins work in multichannel?

[llluther]

So, I'm working on a 6 channel sound installation, and using 6 channel tracks (for busses and master) in Reaper.

I'm working with hydrophone recordings which have very high dynamics, and I want to tame them by using Mcompressor, but whenever sounds don't come into ch1or2, the compressor goes to sleep. (this in the VST).

In The AU version, the equalizer plugin starts making a noise when nothing comes through channel 1 or 2.

I'm working with the paid version of the free bundle, downloaded just a few days ago. And I'm on OSX, Reaper 5.96.

In attachment the IO of the compressor plugin. I think that looks fine.

Am I missing something here, or do the Melda plugins just not support multichannel tracks (which would be a shame for any work in surround or VR).

Or do I need to upgrade to other plugins of Melda to get this functionality?

Any help would be greatly appreaciated.

[llluther]

ok, somebody in the reaper forums pointed out that I can switch the channel mode to surround mode in the toolbar of the Melda Plugins. I just tested it here and at least visually it seems to work perfectly, will know for sure when I can test it tomorrow in the studio (no surround setup at home).

[llluther]

Update, yep, I had the channel mode still in LR, and when switched to surround or ambisonics, the melda plugins work just fine in a multichannel setup as well!

[Hexspa]

I still don't fully understand reaper's pin routing.

[Niowiad]

I still don't fully understand reaper's pin routing.

You have a matrix to manage the plugin inputs (on the left) and a matrix for the outputs (on the right)

For both matrices:
Rows are the actual channels in that REAPER track. You can have up to 64 channels per track.
Columns are the plugin's own labelled inputs (left matrix) and outputs (right matrix).
.

reaper in-out pins.png

.

• Starting from the input matrix, any track channel can feed its signal to any of the plugin inputs.
  It goes "right then upward" inside the matrix, as shown in the picture.
• The signal has now reached the plugin.
• Now, using the output matrix, the signal exits the plugin through any of its outputs and goes back to any of the track channels.
  It goes "downward then right" inside the matrix, as in the picture.

[Hexspa]

I still don't fully understand reaper's pin routing.

You have a matrix to manage the plugin inputs (on the left) and a matrix for the outputs (on the right)

For both matrices:
Rows are the actual channels in that REAPER track. You can have up to 64 channels per track.
Columns are the plugin's own labelled inputs (left matrix) and outputs (right matrix).
.
reaper in-out pins.png
.

• Starting from the input matrix, any track channel can feed its signal to any of the plugin inputs.
  It goes "right then upward" inside the matrix, as shown in the picture.
• The signal has now reached the plugin.
• Now, using the output matrix, the signal exits the plugin through any of its outputs and goes back to any of the track channels.
  It goes "downward then right" inside the matrix, as in the picture.

Why isn't this in the *^&($*&% manual? I've been reading it upside down. Your way is much easier to understand. Thank you!

To elaborate, the track includes the fader and panning - though those come later in the signal path, right? I ask because I noticed if I remove 'pins', subsequent plugins won't receive a signal.

Say, for example, I'm sending a kick to the Bass Track's channels 3 and 4. I have to 'pin' 3 and 4 to Sidechain 1 and 2. However, if I 'unpin' 3 and 4, any subsequent plugins won't receive that sidechain signal anymore.

What I'm saying is that those Track Channels actually flow 'through' the plugin. The plugin passes those channels to the next processor in the chain. What we end up hearing only comes from whatever is pumping out of the output matrices.

Is this right? Does it make sense what I'm asking? Basically, you can't arbitrarily pull pins out and expect the next plugin to work. Or is the next plugin only seeing what's coming out of the output matrix? In that case, pulling the Input pins 3 and 4 out of the input matrix is actually just leaving an 'open circuit' so that the plugin isn't putting anything out of 3 and 4 so the next plugin can't see it.

In short, does the next plugin in the chain only see what's coming out of the Output Matrix or is there a separate signal path that gets terminated at the end of the processing chain? I guess the latter is too confusing to be likely - hence my misunderstanding.

[Niowiad]

Pan and Volume have the final say on anything going out of the track.
And unless I'm confusing it, I'm not aware of any separate signal path aside from what happens from one plugin to the next in the chain, regulated by their individual pin-matrices.
The signal can either be passed through a plugin effected/uneffected, cut off, split/merged with some JS plugins.

Input-pins ON and Output-pins ON is the "standard" configuration.
Input-OFF / Output-ON cuts those channels off for the rest of the chain.
Input-OFF / Output-OFF basically seems to bypass the plugin. Same thing for Input-ON / Output-OFF.
The best thing is probably to experiment and go case by case with some trial-and-error.

I have a basic grasp of how the routing works but I've only used it in a "non-standard" way to set-up delay/reverb ducking within the same track as the sound source, instead of doing it the "traditional" way with an auxiliary track. Nothing too special.
But most of the time, I don't really touch it and it's just standard use, nothing crazy, and at least at the present moment I don't deal with surround, let alone ambisonics.
For "creative" routing, I still prefer the standard way of using track sends/returns, which gives me a better control having separate fx chains, one for each track.


About the kick/bass sidechain compression, I might be wrong but as far I understand, the sidechain input only serves the purpose of going inside the detector, but it's not internally predisposed (in the plugin I mean) to leave the compressor. The compressor usually has the standard 1-2 stereo output which is not shared with the sidechain signal.
What I mean is, I don't think the sidechain signal can be passed throughout the chain, and if there are multiple plugins requiring the sidechain input, those should be dealt with individually (aka setting the sidechain on each one separately).
If 3-4 are instead going in "normal" inputs (not sidechain), and the plugin supports multi-channel routing, there should definitely be a way to pass them to the next effect in the chain. But most plugin on the market don't support multi-channel routing.