Reaktor/Tutorials/Reaktor as effects processor/Tips: adding level controls

Tips: Adding level controls
To make an effects routing more useable when processing external audio, you can add an audio-in level control. With a MIDI controller assigned to the panel control, you'll be able to externally adjust the send-level of your signal to the R effects chain. The controller becomes the virtual equivalent of a stereo or mono volume pedal patched in front of your effects hardware. One easy way to do this is to insert the 2x2 stereo mixer from the R4 instrument library into your ensemble, right after the Audio In module or anywhere else you want it, then either delete all unwanted mixer panel-control modules in the Mixer structure, or use the Properties window to disable and make invisible everything in the panel except two input channels and the master level control. You'll find an already trimmed-down copy in the downloads that accompany this tutorial.

To keep the effects output level from distorting the Audio Out module or the inputs of the next processor in the chain, you can add a limiter. A simple, CPU-efficient, stereo peak limiter is available as an instrument in the R4 library, and it can be inserted anywhere within or after a chain of other instruments, as often as needed.

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