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ReaLearn Introduction

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Benjamin Klum edited this page Aug 10, 2024 · 1 revision

What is ReaLearn?

Probably you know already that ReaLearn is a sort of improvement over REAPER’s built-in MIDI/OSC learn. But what is it exactly? Let me put it this way:

ReaLearn is an instrument. It allows you to take whatever MIDI/OSC controller you have, be it a keyboard or some fader box, plug it in and play … but instead of playing notes, you "play" REAPER itself!

And because ReaLearn supports MIDI/OSC feedback, you can also do the reverse: Let REAPER "play" your controller.

While this is still pretty vague, I think it captures the essence of ReaLearn. From a technical viewpoint it’s a VSTi plug-in, so it is an instrument, quite literally. That’s one thing that sets it immediately apart from the more conventional control surface feature in REAPER and 3rd-party efforts such as CSI or DrivenByMoss. The goal of the latter-mentioned is to equip REAPER with support for specific controllers, typically dedicated DAW controllers such as Mackie MCU that are tailored to control a DAW just like a hardware mixer. And I suppose they do a pretty good job at that.

ReaLearn’s approach is quite different: It gives you total control over which control element operates which REAPER parameter and provides you with a learn function that allows you build your own control mappings quickly and intuitively without writing configuration files. All of that on a per-instance basis. That’s right, by default, the mappings are saved as part of the ReaLearn instance and therefore as part of your REAPER project. No need to pollute your global control mappings just for the needs of one project!

Nevertheless, since version 2, ReaLearn is also a great choice for setting up global mappings for usage across multiple projects. Just add ReaLearn to the monitoring FX chain of REAPER (View → Monitoring FX) and ReaLearn will be instantly available in all of your REAPER sessions without having to add it to a project first. In addition, ReaLearn provides a simple yet powerful preset system to make a set of mappings reusable in whatever project you want.

ReaLearn is designed to get the most out of general-purpose MIDI controllers, which - compared to the big and bulky DAW consoles - usually have the advantage of being small, USB-powered, more versatile and easier on the budget. ReaLearn doesn’t impose many requirements on your controller. Thanks to features like [conditional-activation] and [projection], it can turn even the cheapest MIDI controller into a powerhouse for controlling your DAW.

The usual ReaLearn workflow for a single mapping goes like this:

  1. Add a mapping

  2. Hit Learn source and touch some knob on your controller.

  3. Hit Learn target and touch some target parameter.

  4. Done.

If you want to learn multiple mappings in one go, this gets even easier via the Learn many button which can save you a lot of clicks.

The result are mappings that you can customize as you desire, for example by setting a target value range. All of that with MIDI/OSC feedback support, which was previously only available in the less dynamic, more global control surface world.

Summary: ReaLearn is a sort of instrument for controlling REAPER.

Videos

If you want to get a first impression of ReaLearn, a video is surely a good way.

Here’s a list of official ReaLearn videos:

Here’s a short, non-complete list of user-made videos. Please note that at the moment all of them relate to older ReaLearn versions and therefore might be partially outdated:

Usage scenarios

Ultimately, ReaLearn gains whatever purpose you can come up with. Because it is a VSTi plug-in and provides many MIDI routing options, it’s very flexible in how it can be used. You can "inject" it wherever you want or need it (limitation: using it in a take FX chain is not possible yet):

  • Input FX chain for live-only use: Put it on a track’s input FX chain in order to use it only for incoming "live" MIDI and let it control a parameter of an effect that’s on the normal FX chain, right below a synthesizer. It will be active only if the track is armed for recording. All MIDI messages that are used for parameter control will automatically be filtered by default and won’t reach the controlled instrument, which is usually exactly what you need.

  • Grid controller for song switching: Use some grid controller like the AKAI APC Key 25 to arm/disarm various tracks (effectively enabling/disabling certain sound setups) by pressing the grid buttons - with the LEDs of the buttons indicating which setup is currently active.

  • Combination with other MIDI FX for interesting effects: Slap it on a track FX chain, right between a MIDI arpeggiator and a synthesizer to arpeggiate the cutoff parameter of that synthesizer.

  • Monitoring FX for project-spanning setups: Put it on the monitoring FX chain to have some control mappings available globally in all projects (similar to conventional control surface stuff).

  • Unusual settings for experimental stuff: Create a track volume mapping with only feedback turned on. Choose "<FX output>" as MIDI output and play the synthesizer one position below in the FX chain by moving the track volume slider (whatever that might be good for …).

  • Rotary encoders for avoiding parameter jumps: How about a refreshingly "normal" use case? Let your rotary endless encoder control a track send volume without parameter jumps and restrict the value range to volumes below 0dB.

  • VST presets for easy reuse: Save a bunch of commonly used mappings globally as FX presets.

  • Switching controller and main presets separately: Maintain controller and main presets and switch between them as you like. Easily switch your controller without adjusting your FX presets.

  • Combination of multiple instances: Use one ReaLearn instance to arm or disarm tracks that contain other ReaLearn instances to enable/disable different mapping groups. Group mappings and activate/deactivate them group-wise simply by instantiating multiple ReaLearn instances and enabling/disabling them as desired in the FX chain window.

… the possibilities are endless. It’s all up to you! Use your creativity.

All of that makes ReaLearn especially well-suited for performers, people who use REAPER as a platform for live playing. It might be less interesting to people who are satisfied with a control surface setup off the shelf. But even so, as long as you have some general-purpose MIDI controller and you want a fine-tuned mapping to DAW parameters of all sorts, give ReaLearn a try. It might be just what you need. More so if the controller supports feedback (e.g. motorized faders, LEDs or LCDs).

Summary: ReaLearn is tailored to usage scenarios typically desired by performers.

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