Using Ren/Studio inside DAW and controlling plugins

Today's DAWs can host VST, AU, and RTAS plugins. Did you know that while the Ren is used as a plugin, it can still control the sound editing params of other instrument plugins used within your DAW?

This is how using Pro Tools:
1. Select New Track in Pro Tools to create 2 Stereo Instrument Tracks

2. Insert the MPC Ren RTAS plugin on Track 1

3. Inside the Ren, set Track 1 to MIDI

4. Press [Program Edit] button. Now you have access to 96 Qlinks

5. Insert another RTAS plugin on Track 2 (I'm using Pro Tool's Mini Grand).

6. Track 2's MIDI Input is set to 'All' by default. Change it to 'MPC 1'. 'MPC 1' is the port that is used to send MIDI from the Ren to another plugin or MIDI instrument within your DAW

7. Enable Record on Track 2; this enables the transmission of MIDI from the Ren to this plugin

8. Mini Grand has 6 knobs that can be mapped. Right Click your mouse on a knob and select 'Learn MIDI CC'. Since your Qlinks are automapped to output MIDI CC, turning a Qlink will map it to the Mini Grand knob you placed in Lear Mode. Do this for all 6 Mini Grand Knobs using any of the available Qlinks at your disposal

9. Now strike the Ren's pads and turn the Qlink knobs to edit your plugin instrument

There is nothing more to it. Such a simple process.

Here is a video example:


This same process can be applied to any DAW. I am only familiar with Pro Tools so I may not be able to walk you through this process with your individual DAW but it should be very similar.

I have a question using pt with mpc plugin, if I upgrade from 4 gb of ram to 8 gb of ram will it stop freezing with the message of cpu usage issue? its zoo annoying!!
Please let me know brother Thanks!

popbass7 wrote:I have a question using pt with mpc plugin, if I upgrade from 4 gb of ram to 8 gb of ram will it stop freezing with the message of cpu usage issue? its zoo annoying!!
Please let me know brother Thanks!

What is your system specs? What are you doing exactly when this issue happens?

If you are having issues with CPU usage, I suspect upgrading RAM will have no impact.

These are my specs:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,5
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP55.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.47f2
Hardware UUID: 2C1B97D7-E278-5B8C-B77B-2D4181994006


And it happens when im working with a session in protools and using the mpc has a plugin grooving with then gives me a glitch!! then says to increase my cpu usage when its at the highest 90%! thanks bro!!

popbass7 wrote:These are my specs:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,5
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP55.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.47f2
Hardware UUID: 2C1B97D7-E278-5B8C-B77B-2D4181994006


And it happens when im working with a session in protools and using the mpc has a plugin grooving with then gives me a glitch!! then says to increase my cpu usage when its at the highest 90%! thanks bro!!

Do you have any plugins inside the Ren? Do you have any other plugins used inside Pro Tools?

popbass7 wrote:And it happens when im working with a session in protools and using the mpc has a plugin grooving with then gives me a glitch!! then says to increase my cpu usage when its at the highest 90%! thanks bro!!

What playback engine are you using?

Have you tried increasing the H/W Buffer Size, trying different numbers of Host Processors, and ticking the checkbox about ignoring errors on playback/record?

Interesting, I am going to experiment with this, cool thing is i can make use of pro tools and mpc software at same time, this might solve my issue where i wanted to slave mpc ren to mpc 5k, thanks jah for heads up, sound like i will try this as a new workflow, wondering if you can do the same with cubase as i track audio from motif xf via firewire with cubase, opening mpc software within cubase would be the ultimate workflow for me if thats the case, if i can squeeze my mpc 5k in that equation some how , im strait

It should pretty much work with any DAW. When 1.4 is released you will be able to Slave the Ren.

JAH wrote:It should pretty much work with any DAW. When 1.4 is released you will be able to Slave the Ren.

What u mean? How will this work?

Luigi wrote:

JAH wrote:It should pretty much work with any DAW. When 1.4 is released you will be able to Slave the Ren.

What u mean? How will this work?

The Ren can only send MTC and MIDI Clock to external sound modules as of 1.3.1. When used as a plugin, it will automatically sync to your DAW. There is no way to use the Ren in standalone mode and have it slaved to another device.

In 1.4, the Ren can be slaved in standalone mode.

JAH wrote:

Luigi wrote:

JAH wrote:It should pretty much work with any DAW. When 1.4 is released you will be able to Slave the Ren.

What u mean? How will this work?

The Ren can only send MTC and MIDI Clock to external sound modules as of 1.3.1. When used as a plugin, it will automatically sync to your DAW. There is no way to use the Ren in standalone mode and have it slaved to another device.

In 1.4, the Ren can be slaved in standalone mode.

hmmm so does this mean It could be used as external instrument in ableton?

It would have limitations as it doesn't have a multitimbral mode like some of the more recent MPCs. However, you will be able to MIDI sync the two apps. And..while I have never tried it, you maybe be able to route multichannel audio from the Ren to Ableton while they are both in stand alone mode.

JAH wrote:It would have limitations as it doesn't have a multitimbral mode like some of the more recent MPCs. However, you will be able to MIDI sync the two apps. And..while I have never tried it, you maybe be able to route multichannel audio from the Ren to Ableton while they are both in stand alone mode.

You can do this with Ableton and Soundflower (MAC only) i don't know about Windows.

You choose soundflower as your output in the Ren, and your input in Ableton.
Then use the Ren as the output for Ableton and you are all set.