It's been half a year since I started using Reaper.
I was able to make songs smoothly and comfortably without any major problems, but recently I started to worry about something.
It's about managing plugin presets.
It's not a problem with plugins that can read and write presets with their own GUI, like Melda, but it's troublesome when you rely on a DAW for preset management, such as PA.
For example, bx_console, which I often use.
When I create and save a preset, it is saved at the bottom of the self-made presets, but it seems that Reaper does not have a function to sort the presets I've created alphabetically.
I can change the order of the presets, but all I can do is click Move Up from the menu and move them one line at a time...
I spent about an hour looking for people who had made macros or scripts to automate processes, but I couldn't find any information.
About four years ago, someone with the same problem as me submitted a request for improvement to the official forum, but the fact that it has still not been improved suggests that there is little hope for it in the future.
Well, if it doesn't exist, I'll just make one.
To be honest, it's a pain to switch to another DAW just for this, and it's endless.
By the way, FL and Studio One will automatically sort the bx_console preset list alphabetically, as you would expect.
Reaper's plugin setting files are managed together in one file per plugin, and after locating the location of the setting file and analyzing the data, I found that I could change the order by rewriting the contents, so I created an automation tool in Python.
The usage is simple. First, find the folder with the target preset file and save it in target_path.ini.
Save the file names you want to sort automatically in target_files.ini, one file per line.
Right-click Reaper_Preset_Organizer.py and run it from Python.
It won't work unless Python is installed on your PC, so if you don't have it, please install it from the official website.
If you set .py files to always be run from Python, you can simply double-click to rewrite the preset files specified in target_files.ini in alphabetical order.
Hooray, I'm free from the pointless task of just clicking Move Up.
I'm always willing to make an effort to make things easier.
If you're interested, please visit the app page on this website.
This happened quite a while ago, but Niconico Video, my current main base of operations, was hit by a ransomware attack by a motherfucker hacker, and I've been feeling frustrated ever since because I can't release the new songs I've worked so hard to create.
If Niconico didn't exist, I wouldn't have been able to upload my songs to YouTube, as I think of it as a completely different world. Originally, I was mainly a composer, and making music videos was just a bonus for uploading them to Niconico, so without Niconico I would have no motivation to make music videos.
Anyway, back to the main story.
As the title suggests, my new song "GIFT" is a collaboration with a friend.
I posted this on a new Japanese music posting site called vvave, and it temporarily took the top spot on the rankings.
This song is a collaboration between me and Beast Soul Nori, a wandering musician currently living in Finland, who wrote the lyrics.
He may not be well known online, but he is a man of many men, with a funky way of life and songs honed through real-life experience, traveling the world while earning money from street performances using his guitar and singing voice, so if you're interested, be sure to check out his YouTube channel.
If you like it, please like and subscribe!
I first met him about 3 years ago.
I met him through another friend when I was living in a shared house in Saitama, and I still remember vividly the first time I heard his song.
He came back to Japan around fall last year, so we had dinner together at a favorite okonomiyaki restaurant and he asked me if I would like to write a song for him because he had lyrics that he hadn't written yet, and I accepted without hesitation.
It was my first time to write a song from lyrics written by someone other than myself, so I thought about it this way and that, and eventually I lost motivation and started writing other songs, and after about three months I finally came up with the basic vocal melody line lol
After that, I agonized over whether to do it in the same style as him, or to use piano accompaniment, or even to make it a rock song with a thumping electric guitar, and then, after a few years of Susumu Hirasawa boom, I decided on the spot to go with strings as the main focus, and created the orchestra in about a week.
Once the image is solidified, it's over in a flash.
For the vocals, I asked Teto from Synthesizer V, who I've always thought would be a great fit for ballads, to sing it.
The song is about the meaning of the name a parent gives to their child, so I thought he was the right choice considering his age, 31, lol.
Teenage girls didn't really click with me.
I can feel his way of life and philosophy in Beast Soul's lyrics, so I'll probably take it on if he comes up with some great lyrics again.
I don't know what kind of song it will be though lol.
P.S.
A version with the original vocals by Beast Soul will be released soon.
We will announce it on this website when it happens.
Universal Audio is a manufacturer that has been running an unusually large number of sales campaigns recently. I didn't know much about them because I've only been doing DTM for about two years, but they are a long-established audio equipment manufacturer that seems to make a lot of great machines.
Many manufacturers make emulation plug-ins for the great machines made by UA, and when amateur DTMers can get their hands on the original, expensive professional plug-ins at a crazy 80% or 90% discount, it becomes a hot topic.
I also jumped on this big wave and bought the LA-2A and 1176 to try them out.
I've only ever used PA's Shadow hills and bx_console as real machine emulation plug-ins, but I was impressed that the sound didn't break down at all even when I applied reduction levels that would have been crushed and degraded by the digital compressor included with my DAW.
For a simple plug-in, it has a wide variety of presets, and I thought it was a good plug-in that could teach me what settings to use when applying them to vocals, guitars, drums, etc.
UAD is great value for money and has a lot of great features. You can get it for cheap on sales, but it has one problem.
When installing plug-ins, you need to use a management app called UA Connect, which also performs online authentication when the plug-in is launched, so you need to keep it running.
This is what happens when you're offline.
No, I understand.
The thieves who steal paid products are to blame, so manufacturers have to take measures such as putting their products in locked cases to protect themselves.
For a mobile creator like me who sometimes does DTM at Starbucks, it's a pain to be required to always authenticate online, but if that's all it is, it's the same for CeVIO, so I can live with it.
But UAD.
Please stop suddenly interrupting the screen while I'm working and telling me to update.
I hate being interrupted when I'm in the creative groove.
It would even intrude on my screen while I was drawing, even when the DAW wasn't running, so I impulsively uninstalled it.
When it interrupted the screen while I was drawing even when my DAW wasn't running, I impulsively uninstalled it.
I looked for a way to switch UA Connect's automatic updates to manual, but it seems there isn't one at the moment.
I guess it doesn't bother some people, but I don't think it's very usable.
I wish they'd at least make it possible to update manually.
I wrote this because the internet was full of articles praising UAD and there wasn't any information like this.
I don't think I'll be using UAD plug-ins again until the UA Connect problem is resolved.
Melda and PA (Plugin Alliance) are perfect for me because they don't require a resident app or constant online authentication, and the quality of their plug-ins is good.
Thank you in advance.
I once again participated in a compilation sponsored by Yudachi P, who I had helped with the previous compilation ``Shukumu Branchout.''
that name as well……
Doomsday Travelers
I should have written a promotion article at the time when I was exhibiting at M3 and Niconico Chokaigi in the spring of 2024, but well, he died from Corona...
Recently BOOTH and Bandcamp has also started mail order sales, so we are advertising it here.
On Bandcamp, you can listen to and purchase each track individually, so you only want the songs you like! If you are interested, please check it out.
The CD version costs 1000 yen, and the DL version costs 500 yen.
The album is about 50/50 vocals and 50/50 instrumental (musical instruments only), and the genres are also different, making it a chaotic album in a good way, with a lot of variety just like the previous album.
I'm participating in the 6th song, "Requiem for the Dead World."
I'd like you to actually listen to the song to find out what kind of song it is, but it's very dark just like the previous compilation song lol
The vocalist is Yukari from CeVIO, the same as last time.
Somehow, I feel like her singing voice has a high affinity with dark songs.
Recently, the 2.0 version of Song Voice was released, and I don't think there is much need for additional tuning even when singing firmly, or rather, I think that the singing has become smoother and more human-like.
The accompaniment last time was almost futuristic with only synths, but this time it's only a pipe organ.
This was my first attempt at a song with a sing-along style that focuses on just one instrument, and it is safe to say that the attempt was a success.
The reason for this is that I naturally fell in love with the finished song.
I think whether or not I, the primary listener, want to listen to the song is one indicator of the completeness of the song.
Regarding the Shuumen compilation, they are releasing a brand called Shuuen Records and seem to be planning to release albums regularly in the future, so I think I will also be participating.
looking forward to.
MMD is an abbreviation for "MikuMikuDance," a character distributed countless times on the internet. It's a great tool that allows you to easily create dance videos.
So, primary creation freaks like me would like to create and move original character models, but creating a 3D model from scratch is quite difficult.
That's where VROID comes into play.
VROID is a wonderful tool that allows you to create original characters as easily as creating characters in online games.
The developer seems to be PIXIV, which is famous for its drawing submission site.
So, how do we introduce the model we created here into MMD? First, we will export it in a file format called VRM.
Since MMD does not support VRM files, you need to convert it to a file format called PMX that can be used with MMD.
There is another wonderful tool developed by a volunteer called VRM2PmxConverter, so I will use it.
Just load the model and press the "Convert to PMX" button.
When you try modeling it yourself, you realize that normally, once you create a model, you would not be done with it; you would need to make difficult settings such as bones and rigid bodies, but it takes care of all those settings for you. That's wonderful.
However, in the case of my model, the hair color seems to be funky like this, so I will correct this.
I searched for a lot of information and did some trial and error, but it seems like the quickest way is to modify the texture directly.
Open the texture in any suitable image editing software.
Copy and paste the original hair color on the far left like this and fill it all in.
Resolved successfully. I did it.
By the way, this is a tool called PMX Editor for editing PMX models for MMD. You can fine-tune various details such as the appearance of the model and the settings of bones and rigid bodies.
All that's left to do is load the PMX model into MMD, borrow whatever you like from the vast treasure trove of information on the internet (stages and motions created by volunteers, etc.), and load it.
Just by doing this, your character model will dance cutely.
Hmm. wonderful.
By the way, when creating an original character model with VROID, it is difficult (though not impossible) to make the accessories yourself, and the facial features tend to look similar, so creators who are particular about the character will modify it using 3D modeling software. .
There are various ways to do it, but in my case I export it as a VRM file from VROID and save it as a 3D file called Metasequoia Import it into modeling software and modify it.
Metasequoia is a domestically produced 3D modeling software that has many MMD users, and because it specializes in modeling, it is simpler and easier to use than integrated 3D production software such as Blender.
Another attractive feature is that it supports reading and writing of VRM and PMD files without any additional plugins.
My avatar, Fujimi-chan, has a fairly distinct nose, and I tried to recreate it by tweaking various settings on her VROID, but in the end I couldn't come up with a satisfactory result.
Once she's finished editing, she exports it again as a VRM file and then converts it to PMX using the method described above.
In fact, thanks to the many volunteers who have made God's tools available to the public free of charge, it is now possible to easily create 3D videos that would normally take years to create.
It's been a wonderful time.