Tracktion Software - VST Plugins & Rewire Devices Video Lecture | Tracktion Tutorial: Master Music Editing - Video & Sound Editing

VST plugins' and rewire devices
tractions basic functions can be
expanded by adding VST format plugins or
rewire slave devices VST plugins appear
in the same new filters list as
tractions native filters and a number of
them are automatically installed along
with traction the Mackie folder contains
various powerful dynamics processes and
your installation may have also included
third-party plugins from companies such
as al in plug unlike some of its rivals
traction does not have specific places
where you must use effects or where you
must use instruments you can arrange
your filters in any order you like but
of course it doesn't make sense to send
audio to a synth that is only expecting
a MIDI input so traction will usually
flag up a little warning on that track
if you try some plugins do not have
their own interfaces these plugs will
have their parameters displayed in the
properties panel at the bottom of the
screen in the same way as the native
traction filter most plugs do have their
own interface however and these will
launch in a separate window when you
choose a new plug from the list or when
you click their filter icon presets can
be loaded and saved via the property
panel though some plugs also provide
their own separate preset management
systems on the main interface
if you want to install more plugins you
will need to click settings at the top
and then the plugins tab on the left to
find the VST plug-in settings page at
the top we have a list of directories
for traction to search for plugs to add
another directory click Add path and
point traction to the folder containing
the plugins you can add several new
directories if you need to or if you
prefer you could create a single folder
with all your plugins organized into
subfolders and add just this one
directory before you can use the plugs
you need to scan the new directory by
default traction will scan for new
plugins on startup but if like me you
have a lot of them you may find it
better to turn this feature off either
way you can force a rescan at any time
by pressing rescan plug-in directories
and choosing either a full rescan which
can take quite a long time if you have
as many as I do or a quick search for
plugs that have been recently added or
updated traction will close your edit
first so you will be prompted to save it
if you haven't already each plug will be
initialized during the scan and any that
do not respond as it expects will be
flagged as bad files and will not be
loaded again these files are displayed
in the files to ignore when searching
box if you think a file has been listed
here incorrectly you can try to scan it
again by editing the list and re
scanning
if traction repeatedly fails to
recognize a plug you should check the
plug is properly installed
choosing a full rescan will clear the
ignored list and scan all directories
again
if you now open and edit the new filter
list should contain all the plugs in
your newly scanned directory if you have
organized your plugin files into
subfolders then this structure will be
recreated in the filter list this is
essential if you have as many plugs as I
do I like to categorize them broadly by
their function so I have a folder for
dynamics plugs and another for EQ but
you can organize them by any criteria
that makes sense to you the style of the
filter menu can be changed to the old
style tree view via the user interface
tab of the settings page
you can now insert your plugins on two
tracks in the same way as the native
traction filters MIDI and audio
connections will be made for you
automatically
if the plug is an effect it will process
any audio it receives from the object to
its left and pass the results on to the
object to its right if it is an
instrument it will process any MIDI it
receives from the object to its left and
convert it into audio which is passed to
the next filter in the chain generally
speaking an instrument will need to be
the first filter in the chain so that it
receives MIDI from the clips on that
track and turns it into audio which can
then pass through a further chain of
effects filters if needed some filters
will pass MIDI data onto their outputs
however and some will allow you to
process it on the way for example the
native traction volume and pan filter
can be placed before an instrument in
the chain and if the apply to MIDI
velocity option is selected in the
properties panel it will scale the
velocity data which might translate to a
volume change in the audio depending on
the instrument you use and its settings
similarly the native pitch shifter
filter can either be used after an
instrument to process its audio output
which will degrade the audio quality
somewhat or it can be used before the
instrument in which case it will
transpose its MIDI input and the audio
quality will not be affected at all
some plugs have more than two audio
inputs or outputs for example the Mackie
stereo sidechain compressor has three
inputs as can be seen if you add a patch
bay filter immediately before it the
patch bay filter also provides a quick
easy way to deal with multi output plugs
such as Lin plugs are m4
multiple inputs and outputs can also be
routed to or from different tracks by
using a rack this will be explained
properly in the rack filters section to
use rewire slave devices you must first
ensure that the rewire option is turned
on in the plugins tab of the settings
page if you need to turn this back on
you will be prompted to restart traction
now switch back to the Edit drag the new
filter icon to the relevant track and
choose the rewire device filter from the
traction filters folder in the
properties panel we should now see an
option to choose the device this will
list all rewire slave devices installed
on your system
once selected we have further options to
choose which of that devices audio
outputs are fed to the outputs of the
rewire filter and which of its MIDI
ports receive the MIDI that arrives at
the input of the rewire filter rebirth
has no MIDI inputs so I get no choices
there but the audio output channels have
several options for now I will leave
these at the default mix left and mix
right and we'll launch rebirth itself
rebirth will realize that there is a
rewire master device running will
connect its main left and right outputs
to the rewire filter we just created and
will now automatically play and stop in
synch with traction the audio from
rebirth emerges from the rewire filter
exactly as if it were a VST plug-in and
can be mixed and processed with further
filters in the usual way if you wish you
can go further and create multiple
rewire filters for the same device this
will allow you to route individual
outputs from the rewire device to
separate channels in traction so you can
use native or third-party plugins to
polish the sound hold control drag the
rewire filter to a blank track to create
a copy and choose a different output in
this case I will choose 3:03 one for
both of the left and right channels as
it is a mono signal
the first synth part is routed to the
new track instead and it can be panned
muted or soloed in the usual way
if you repeat the procedure for 303 to a
909 bass drum you can mix those parts in
the same way or you can create a
separate track for every rebirth part in
which case you would no longer need mix
left and mix ride signal once you have
this setup you may wish to create a
folder track containing all the rewire
champ hold shift to select a whole group
of tracks in one go and press the create
folder containing button you can now
press tab type in a name for Bolden
rebirths patterns must all be created
using its internal step sequences there
is no way to play the synths live from a
MIDI input so there is no MIDI input
provided for that device on the rewire
filter rebirths bigger brother reason on
the other hand has MIDI inputs as well
as internal sequencing features so you
have the option to play its modules from
your keyboard or to use tractions MIDI
sequencing functions instead of its own
the rewire version of BFD is another
such device if I choose that instead of
rebirth some entries appear in the MIDI
bus and channel fields below
BFD has only one midi bus and is not
multi timbrel in the conventional sense
so these fields only contain a single
option now I need to launch the rewire
version of BFD and load up a kit
I have configured BFD to provide eight
outputs grouped as four stereo pairs
when in rewire mode so while it loads
the kit I will create another three
copies of the track and route a
different output to each
well for rewire filters will send the
middie that arrives at their inputs to
BFD so you can enable a MIDI input for
any one of those tracks to play the drum
sounds live and you can record and edit
your playing on any or all of them
alternatively you can put the MIDI on
its own track with another rewire filter
used just to route MIDI to the rewire
device you will need to make sure that
no audio is heard from this filter
pressing the mute button for the track
will not work because that will also
disable the MIDI clips instead you
should select the volume and pan filter
and press the mute button in its
properties panel now we can use the
track mute buttons to mute individual
channels or all the drums by muting the
MIDI part soloing tracks like this
doesn't work however as the MIDI parts
are muted along with all the others we
can cure this by selecting the track
containing the MIDI clips and pressing
its solo isolate button we now have one
track sending MIDI data to the rewire
device and four channels of audio
returning from it which we can mix and
process with further filters as needed
if you have the retail boxed version of
traction three you should have a special
TK version of drum corps this is also a
rewire device and it can be used as a
MIDI drum module in a similar manner to
BFD
alternatively you can browse through the
loops from the drum corps GUI organized
by the drummer or by the styles and
these loops will be previewed in sync
with the traction edit when you find the
right loop simply drag it into the edit
and it will appear as an audio clip