Documentation HeDaMixer

About HeDaMixer

The idea was not to replace REAPER mixer, because displaying many tracks in HeDaMixer can cause more CPU usage than desired, since it is a script and not a native window. But it certainly can handle a number of tracks without issues. It can be helpful as a way to have another window that always shows some desired tracks. For example, VCA tracks, or some BUS tracks, or whatever is needed.

The main purpose/idea I had was to had was to have metering, faders, and buttons for solo, mute, fx and I/O. But more features can be added in the future.

By default, it displays the tracks that are selected. This can be also useful mode to use it as a simple Track Inspector but with HeDaMixer.

Right click anywhere to show the main menu.

Click on Lock to selected tracks. This will lock the current selected tracks in HeDaMixer until you unlock it again to add or remove more. This is useful to have some tracks always visible in the window, independently of your selected track as you work.

There is also integration with Track Inspector tags with special instances that always show tracks by tag.

Installation

Normal installation using the HeDaScripts Manager. It creates 3 actions (instances) by default. HeDaMixer VIP - 1, HeDaMixer VIP - 2, and HeDaMixer VIP - 3. You can create additional instances if you need.

Important: For integration with Track Inspector, If you start more than one tag instance at the same time, it will ask you if you want to terminate instances, or new instance. Select NEW INSTANCE, and check

the Remember my answer box. This way you can have multiple tag instances open at the same time.

Mouse modifiers

Selecting tracks:

  • Click on a track to select that track. CTRL Click and SHIFT Click to select multiple tracks.

Changing track fader gain:

  • Drag a fader to change the gain of the track. If the fader is below minimum scale you can drag it too even if the fader is not visible.
  • Mouse wheel on a track to change the gain by 0.3 dB increments. The increment can be changed
  • Double click to reset fader to 0.0

Scrolling:

  • Middle mouse button Drag horizontally: Scroll horizontally if you have many tracks and they don't fit in the window.

Changing default track width:

  • CTRL+mouse wheel: Changes default meter width. 1 pixel increment for each mouse wheel change. This method requires CTRL+middle click once first, to activate the script window. Then CTRL+mouse wheel will work in this script window.
  • CTRL+middle button drag: Changes default meter width by dragging.

Changing selected tracks width:

  • SHIFT+mouse wheel: Changes selected meters width, 1 pixel increment for each mouse wheel change. This method requires ALT+middle click once first, to activate the script window. Then CTRL+mouse wheel will work in this script window.
  • SHIFT+middle button drag: Changes selected meters width by dragging

Changing minimum scale:

  • ALT+mouse wheel: With the window active, changes the minimum dB scale visible.

Keyboard

To use keyboard shortcuts the script window must be active. When you click to select tracks or change a fader... the script gives focus back again to the arrange. This is by design to not interrupt normal REAPER workflow with the default keyboard shortcuts.

Then, You can activate the script window by:

  • Clicking at the bottom part where the track name and icons are,
  • You can also middle click anywhere to do it.
  • If the window is floating (not docked) then you can also click in the title bar of the window.

With the script window active you can use these keyboard shortcuts:

  • LEFT/RIGHT arrows: Change default meter width.
  • CTRL+LEFT/RIGHT arrows: Change gap after selected tracks. Note it doesn't need to have a separator track.These are gaps assigned after normal tracks
  • SHIFT+LEFT/RIGHT arrows: Change width of selected tracks.

Mixer Tabs

Each tab is a set of tracks to be displayed on a separate page. If you have many tracks, you can then organize them into tabs and switch between them easily without constant scrolling. It also adds the ability to specify some options for each tab independently of each other, like meter type, default meter width...

  • Create a new tab. Select some tracks first and then press the + button. The new tab will have the selected tracks and locked by default. If you want to edit the tracks displayed in the tab, unlock it first, select the tracks you want, and lock it again.
  • Switch to a tab. Left click on the tab button. Or with the mixer window focused, press numbers 1 to 9 to switch between the first 9 ones.
  • Right click menu of each tab:
    • Special Use MCP tab: This tab shows all tracks that are shown in REAPER MCP window. Right click and select Use MCP tracks. Be carefull to use it if you have many tracks and meter type set to RMS or EBUR128.
    • Refresh from MCP tracks: Right click tab and select Refresh from MCP tracks. This reloads the list of tracks displayed from the tracks displayed on MCP.
    • Lock/Unlock tab: Right click on the tab button, and uncheck/Check the lock menu.
    • Change meter type for the tab: Select Peaks/RMS/EBUR128 to change the meter type for all tracks in the tab.
    • Rename tab: Right click tab and select rename tab...
    • Delete tab: Right click and select Delete tab. No tracks are deleted, just the tab configuration.

Creating more instances

If you want, you can Select "Save as new instance..." from the menu. Then assign it a number or text.

For example, create one and name it "VCA". Then this happens: in the HeDaMixer VIP settings folder, a file HeDaMixer - VCA.lua is created Then it is automatically added to actions list in REAPER. Current settings, are copied to _Settings_VCA.cfg. Now you can start this new instance from REAPER actions. Assign a new shortcut to it. All changes, window position, selected tracks, etc will be saved for this instance.

Separators

You can assign a special layout named "Separator" to any tracks. Select the tracks(s) and from the menu, Layout, select the "Separator" layout. Additionally, when you start HeDaMixer, or when you click on "Refresh tracks" in the menu, HeDaMixer scans for the theme layout of the track and if the MCP layout has "Separator" in the name, the HeDaMixer layout will be automatically assigned to a Separator too. 

Gaps

You can also add gaps without the need of tracks with separator layouts. This is by adding a separator property to a track. This will add a visual gap to the next track without having a separator track.

You can do this by selecting the track or tracks, and select Gap after this track, from the menu, or using the keyboard/mouse shortcuts CTRL+LEFT/RIGHT arrows to change it

Meter from other track

I designed this just for my VCA tracks. I wanted to have a mixer for VCA tracks, but I thought maybe it was a good idea to have the meters from the matching output BUS tracks that I use. For the VCA tracks I change the gain faders, but I don't have meters, and for the group BUS tracks, I have metering, but I don't use the faders. So this way I can have the global meters for BUS groups and the VCA in one single place. Maybe you don't need this function at all.