Using the Reaper Post-Fader System with Airwindows Console Plugins

#Reaper#Scripting#JSFX#Post-Fader#Workflow#Airwindows#Console Emulation#Mixing#Summing

Continuing our exploration of the Reaper Post-Fader Insert script system, this post focuses on another key application: correctly integrating Airwindows Console emulation plugins into your workflow.

(As before, this guide assumes you have already installed the Post-Fader script and JSFX plugins detailed in the introductory video. If not, please refer back to that guide and the AudioIdeas GitHub Repo.)

The Airwindows Console system is a popular free set of plugins designed to mimic the subtle saturation, gain staging, and summing characteristics of analog mixing desks. A crucial part of this emulation is how the signal level feeds into the individual channel plugins. Let’s see how the post-fader system helps achieve the intended behaviour:

The Challenge: Console Gain Staging and Pre-Fader Inserts

The Airwindows Console system typically involves placing a ConsoleChannel plugin (like Console7Channel, Console8Channel, etc.) on each track and a corresponding ConsoleBus plugin on the master fader or mix bus. The idea is that the ConsoleChannel plugin reacts to the level feeding into it, adding subtle non-linearities, and the track fader should ideally control this input level, just like a fader on a real console adjusts the level going into the summing amplifier.

If you place ConsoleChannel as a standard pre-fader insert in Reaper, the track fader adjusts the level after the plugin. This means the ConsoleChannel plugin always receives the same input level (assuming no other pre-fader gain changes), regardless of the fader position. This breaks the intended gain-staging interaction, limiting the emulation’s effectiveness.

The Solution: Implementing the Post-Fader System

By using the Post-Fader script system, we can ensure the track fader controls the level hitting the ConsoleChannel plugin, restoring the intended workflow.

Here’s the setup:

  1. Activate the Script: Ensure the background script is active. Run Script: AudioIdeas_Post Fader volume control.lua from the Action List (once per Reaper session).
  2. Set Up Channel Tracks: On each track that you want to include in the console emulation:
    • Insert JSFX: AudioIdeas Post Fader Start.
    • Insert the appropriate Airwindows ConsoleChannel plugin (e.g., Console7Channel.jsfx).
    • Insert JSFX: AudioIdeas Post Fader End.
  3. Set Up Master/Bus Track: On your master track or main mix bus track (where all the channel tracks sum together):
    • Insert the corresponding Airwindows ConsoleBus plugin (e.g., Console7Bus.jsfx), typically as the first insert.

With this configuration, adjusting a track’s fader changes the level going into its ConsoleChannel plugin, thanks to the Post Fader Start plugin reacting to the fader level. The ConsoleChannel processes this correctly leveled signal, and the Post Fader End plugin compensates the gain afterward. The ConsoleBus plugin then receives the summed signals reflecting the individual track fader levels, just like on an analog console.

Workflow Tip: FX Chains & Track Templates

To speed up your workflow, especially in larger sessions:

  • Select the three plugins on a channel track (Post Fader Start, ConsoleChannel, Post Fader End).
  • Save them as a Reaper FX Chain (e.g., “Console7 Channel Post-Fader”).
  • Even better, create a Track Template that includes this FX Chain, perhaps along with other standard plugins you use on channels.

Conclusion

Integrating gain-sensitive systems like Airwindows Console correctly is vital for achieving their intended effect. The Post-Fader Insert script system provides a seamless way to make Reaper’s track faders interact naturally with ConsoleChannel plugins, allowing for proper gain staging directly within the track’s FX chain without complex routing workarounds.

This makes using console emulation systems in Reaper much more intuitive and effective. Check out the script and plugins at the AudioIdeas GitHub Repo.