[SOLVED]ARP can't receive ext sound in reaper

[Pipalo]

Hi guys,

In reaper, when I try to send external audio to the ARP pre-amp, the ARP shows no reaction.
The pre-amp led stays off, though, I can hear the dry audio signal on the ARP track,
like passing through it.

The issue was reported before, but no real solution came out.

Anything new ?

[LBH]

Where have this "issue" been reported? Are you sure it's an issue with the ARP PRE AMP?

I'm not able to use the external audio input in my DAW like you apparantly can in your DAW. But what happens if you increase the level of the audio send from your DAW to your ARP PRE AMP and or the PRE AMP level? I think you perhaps send a low signal to your ARP.

If you use the incomming audio signal with a envelope follower for modulation purposes and not as an actual sound source. then the audio will only be used to create modulation.

Also keep in mind, that pressing the ARPs keys can be important.

Perhaps this video can help:
Let's Look at Arturia ARP 2600 V3 - Part 4 - Envelope Follower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geiPv-EzOfY
Please listen carefully to the tutor and note that the tutor use another plugin to show what's going on.

BTW. You can transfer the same principals of using the audio signal as audio and/ or modulation signal to in example Modular V3.

This video show another example to use ARP 2600 V3 with audio input:
https://gigperformer.com/how-to-play-wont-get-fooled-again-with-gig-performer/
Scroll down the page to get to the video.

[Pipalo]

Where have this "issue" been reported?

here:
https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=90226.0

https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=3771

https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=91599.0

https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=86681.0

or here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Reaper/comments/5bo1on/route_audio_channel_into_a_vsti_soft_synth/

some other places on the net as well...
none helped me getting through the issue though,
as the problem seems slightly different on each DAW.

thx for your answer by the way

[Pipalo]

Am I sure it's an issue with the ARP PRE AMP?
nope.
I met almost the same issue with modular V3.

From my point of view, as a reaper user, it's a "compatibility" problem between reaper and Arturia Virtual intrumens, when you want to use them as a plugin.
I can't say much. I just hope there is a workaround.

On my end, my signal is strong enough for sure, it's not a problem of enveloppe follower not being triggered.

As far as I know the keys are not as important.
With the Modular, they are important, so you have to turn the keyboard inputs off, to have it to listen to your audio.
The ARP is different I think, and always listening. The enveloppe follower triggers the modulation.
But triggered or not, the pre-amp led should turn on, to show the signal getting through.
My led stays off. The signal does not seem to get in the plugin.
On the video you sent me, you can see it turning on. I can't get to that point.

[LBH]

I can hear the dry audio signal on the ARP track,
like passing through it.

Does'nt this mean, that you can send your external audio signal through the instrument ARP  2600 V3 in your DAW Reaper?

Notice that the light in the video only turn on, when the signal seems to be loud enough. I'm not sure what the light indicate. It say "on", but perhaps it's showing when it's a usable signal. It would be nice to know for sure.

With the old ARP 2600 V2 that also came in a FX version, that the V3 unfortunately does'nt, the light does'nt turn on if the incoming audio signal is'nt strong enough.
Not all DAWs can send audio to instrument VSTs, and those DAWs that can, do it in different ways. Unfortunately i don't know in which DAWs Arturias instruments external audio input works. I also write this in some of the threads  where the topic is about how to route audio to the external inputs.

Why did you create a new topic, if you have the same issue as in the threads you mention? I see your issue as different, as i undertood you could send audio through ARPs external input.

[Pipalo]

My signal is super strong, believe me. It's an amplified guitar sent post-fx, pretty wild actually.
it fills the db gauge on each track. I can send audio from track to track, yes, but ARP does not seem to care.

Yes, each DAW reacts differently. I hope a reaper know it all shows up. thx for your concern anyway.

I first answered on an old topic,
but the "automated Arturia councelor" told me those were too old, I should create a new one.
I did as told.

[LBH]

When you say "like passing through it", then i understand that audio actually is running though the ARP and not just to the track. Is that correct understood?
If that's the case, then i would believe it should work, unless there is a new bug. If so, then i can suggest you contact Arturia support directly through your account.
I can't test it, as i can't send audio through instruments but only through FXs in my DAW.
You can be lucky that a Reaper user can help.

If you can send the audio to your ARP track, but not through your ARP, then it can be that ARP for some reason does'nt accept the signal, if the audio does come through to the track.


I think there come a warning about, if you wan't to post in a thread that it is old, if you are sure you wan't to post in that thread, when you try to post in an old thread. You can decide to post anyway. But never mind. I'm not sure it's the same issue anyway, if you actually can send audio through your ARP like i (perhaps wrongly) understand you say you can.

[Pipalo]

To me there is no sign showing the signal gets in.

You talked about the Modular V3 in your first answer,
so I tried some experiments.
Here are my results:

Same as usual, I send an amplified guitar sound from the guitar track to the synth track.
Only the synth send to the master, so what we hear comes from the synth track.

If nothing is patched on the V3, we can only hear the amplified guitar sound, not modulated.

If I patch the ext plug to some in plug, the ext led lights up, we can hear the same guitar sound, not modulated.

If I patch more, enough to get a modulated sound out, It's the same. the ext led lights up, we can hear the same guitar sound, not modulated.

It's almost the same as my ARP issue, but the ext led lights up, strangely enough showing sign the signal gets in.
Weird as well I think, this led is very sensitive. If I mute the guitar track, it turns off. But it lights up starting at -140db, infinitesimal signal.

[LBH]

If I patch the ext plug to some in plug, the ext led lights up

This indicate you do have audio in the plugin (Modular), if the ext led lights is the ones in Modular.

Could you please post a screenshot of a simpel Modular and ARP patch you use that use audio in?
Which trigger do you use for the VCA module/s in Modular?
Please describe how you try to modulate the incomming audio in modular too. Triggers can't be seen on a screenshot, so it helps to have both.

[Pipalo]

Yes, Modular is reacting.

So I capitalized on that.
I'm not used to full modular, so back to the basics: Source from the ext to the vca.
In the modular I just add a delay to a clear and simple ext signal.
And I've got my delay happening. It works.

I still can hear the dry sound though, can't get rid of it.
A solution I found on the net is to use the invert phase trick to cancel out the center of the FXed signal.
That does not sound like a descent solution to me.

I read also that the problem happens with the VST versions, not with the AU. The AU works fine, they say.
But there is no AU versions anymore in Arturia's packages.

Thx for your help LBH, and for the company:)

[LBH]

Your welcome. I'm also interested in knowing about how this works in Reaper.  Perhaps others are interested too.

I'm not used to full modular, so back to the basics: Source from the ext to the vca.
In the modular I just add a delay to a clear and simple ext signal.
And I've got my delay happening. It works.

So the audio signal is both comming in and out of the instrument plugin. So far so good.

I still can hear the dry sound though, can't get rid of it.
A solution I found on the net is to use the invert phase trick to cancel out the center of the FXed signal.
That does not sound like a descent solution to me.

I read also that the problem happens with the VST versions, not with the AU. The AU works fine, they say.
But there is no AU versions anymore in Arturia's packages.

There should be no dry audio signal, unless you somehow get it routed to the output.
EDIT: In the basic patch you describe where you only route the audio to the VCA and have no other sound, then there should be no dry signal from the plugin, if you turn down th DRY in the delay. EDIT END

I presume you talk about a dry signal of the incomming audio going through and sound from Modular. Is that correct?
Or is the dry audio signal blended in from Reaper alongside the signal going in and out of the plugin?

If you post a screenshot and tell the triggers you use as i wrote, then i can have a look at it, if you wan't me to.

[lunker]

From my experience, it appears that an external signal on channels 1/2 passes right through the Arturia VST to the output.  I only use Reaper, so I don't know if it does that in other DAWs, too.

I found that setting the external signal to be on channels 3/4 (instead of 1/2), and then setting the VST to use channels 3/4 for input will make it work correctly.  I haven't tried it with all of the Arturia VSTs (I'm not sure which ones can use an external signal), but I have gotten this to work successfully with the ARP 2600, Moog Mini, and Moog Modular.  Once I moved the external signal from channels 1/2 to a different pair, it worked exactly as it is supposed to.

Actually, I found that using channels 5/6 also works.  I don't feel like going through the effort to see if 7/8, 9/10, ... also work, but my guess is that any pair of channels other than 1/2 will probably work, as long as you set the external signal and the VST input to the same set of channels.

Note: I found a post with a similar question in the "Modular" forum, and gave the same reply there : https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=90226.0

[LBH]

Thanks lunker. It's good to be sure, that the external inputs in Arturias applications can work in Reaper.

[Pipalo]

Thx LBH for the offer.

Thx Lunker for your answer,
after a few trial and error, I got it to work.

For the Modular:
in the track settings, in the route settings, when setting the send parameters, sending from 1-2 to 3-4.

For the ARP it was a little bit trickier:
sending 1-2 to 3-4, the same as with the Modular.
Then in the FX window, in the plugin pin connector, in the top right corner, add two pins and set the stereo in and out to send from 3-4 to 3-4.
In the ARP, Push the pre-amp volume to the max, if you want it to grab everything.

So, thanks you two for the help.
This resolved the issue.

I can start playing with it now:)

[lunker]

Yay!  I'm glad you got it working.

I am equally glad that I was able to contribute back to the community.  I have asked so many questions here (many of them answered by LBH, who truly is a "hero member" ), and it feels good to be on the other side of the situation for once.

I am confused, though -- is Reaper the only DAW that is handling external input this way?  I can't think of another VSTi that behaves this way in Reaper.  I did some follow up tests, and it appears that the channel 1/2 input is totally bypassing the Arturia VSTi internals, and being merged directly with the output of the VSTi.  Very strange to me ...