REAPER: Can i use two midi controllers on the same track simultaneously?

[ghostwhistler]

I have nice but basic midi keyboard. It doesn't have controls I can assign to parameters on the vst beyond the mod wheel.
Buying a new midi keyboard that can do this is expensive right now.
However I could buy the Akai LPD (or similar) which just has knobs and pads. Could I use this in conjunction with my existing keyboard to control parameters as well?
Thanks

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Yeah, there's a MIDI All option in Reaper. Just set the input to that and any MIDI received on that track from any device will work. Reaper can also get super deep with MIDI sends, but you don't even need to worry about those. Just use the MIDI All option.

[pljones]

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[pljones]

The problem with All is you get that -- if you're using multiple controllers (say four) and want two being recorded on one track (drum sequencer, set of sliders to control effects) and two on another (step sequencer, another set of sliders), you don't want one track getting all four controllers (and setting that one track up becomes a pain).

So you're better off having a parent track for the tracks you want "working together" and each of those subtracks taking the specific input. At least then you can record your four lots of input and if you really must, merge the pairs. But I'd say keep them separate.

[FrettedSynth]

Realearn makes what you ask for quite simple once you understand how it works. https://www.helgoboss.org/projects/realearn

[sellyoursoul]

As mentioned, use MIDI ALL as the input for the track if you don't need to target specific controllers. If you do need to target specific MIDI controllers as inputs you can select one of the controllers as the track input, add another track and select the additional controller at it's input, and route that second track's MIDI output to the first track. Reaper has very flexible routing.

[jancivil]

I could buy the Akai LPD (or similar) which just has knobs and pads...

Don't know that one but my experience with an AKAI controller was absurd. It has a standalone mapper that meant nothing to Cubase which only saw the first 8 things it's hard-wired to do, and strictly in that order. No CC number was exposed to it. Their support was insulting and dishonest. It sits in the corner gathering dust. I had my bank take my money back.

I do know of one thing like it that works flexibly and correctly, Arturia Beatstep.

The advice to set a track as ALL presupposes a device that can't be assigned a channel.

[BertKoor]

> The advice to set a track as ALL presupposes a device that can't be assigned a channel.

Two devices (one keyboard, another with knobs) are not only on different channels, but even different ports.

[sellyoursoul]

The advice to set a track as ALL presupposes a device that can't be assigned a channel.

It's just the easiest way to avoid any gotchas, sending all MIDI input to the plugin.

[ghostwhistler]

I bought the Nektax lx3 (iirc) 25 key version.

I like it.


Setting it up was a ballache. But then so was my last controller, which was also by Nektar

Getting used to the workflow is weird. Assigning cutoff etc to keyboard knobs means having to make sure that knob is always set to the desired baseline, so after you start twiddling, you have to reset it to the point you want otherwise cutoff, for example, is either too high or too low. But I guess that's the fun, isn't it

[Halma]

Realearn makes what you ask for quite simple once you understand how it works. https://www.helgoboss.org/projects/realearn

Realearn is great.