64bit workaround - Audiomulch and ReaRoute (on Windows)

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Al Magnifico
Al Magnifico's picture
Joined: June 24, 2009

Because some folks here said they wanted to shelve AM once and for all due to its lack of 32bit capabilities I'd like to share a workaround for this issue here.

Included in the Reaper DAW (available here www.reaper.fm) there are the ReaRoute ASIO drivers. You can use these in AM and so route audio from Reaper into AM and back thus using AM in a modern DAW with 64bit capabilities. And this is how you do it (important steps are emphasized):

  1. Install the 32bit version of REAPER. You have to use the 32bit version as otherwise AM will not recognise the driver. You can nevertheless use 64bit plugins in the 32bit version of Reaper because it has a bridge. 
  2. In the Installer, make sure you expand the "Optional Features" and check ReaRoute ASIO driver, the installation of the feature is not activated by default.
  3. Start Reaper first, and AM after it.
  4. In AM, select ASIO as driver model and Rearoute ASIO as driver. You have now a couple of channel pairs to send audio from Reaper to AM and back.
  5. The sound card ins and outs have to be handled in Reaper, as AM now has just only the ReaRoute devices and no access to the sound devices any more. So, in case there is no track, add one by double clicking on empty space left.
  6. In the track, first two audio ins are enabled as track input. For sending this audio from Reaper to AM, click on Route and in the routing window add an additional hardware output on that track and choose Rearoute 1/2 ... Disable "Master send" to avoid hearing the unprocessed signal.
  7. Add another track for receiving audio from AM you select Rearoute 1/2 ...as an recording source on a track. (right click on record button and choose from menu).
  8. If you now load a patch in AM with soundin/out stereo pairs, everything should work and sound as usual.
  9. Add your 64bit Plugins before AM by clicking FX on the first track or after AM by clicking FX on the second track.

It needs some effort, but you can also achieve a more complex integration of 64bit plugins in AM patches, say at any given point inside a patch, as Rearoute provides 16 channels max that can be used as aux in/outs in AM.  Routing in Reaper is really capable and to explain it here entirely is beyond the scope so just some hints: There are no differences between tracks, auxes and sub-mixes, it is all about the "Master/Parent send" option. Tracks can have more than 2 channels, if you create a send from say, track 1 to track 2 and switch the send in the routing window to use channel 3/4 track 2 has 4 channel now. There is even an AM -like routing window, show with "View > Track wiring" (confusingly signal flow is from right to left there). 

Some things you'll miss: Unlike Rewire, there is no MIDI part of this, so for MIDI synch you have to use virtual MIDI cables and Chase MIDI in AM. And for the plugs hosted in Reaper you cannot use the AM MIDI parameter control and automation features. (But Reaper has also plenty of it, including Modulation via LFO, envelope follower or automation items).

For the most audio things Reaper is like a swiss army knife, but sometimes I enjoy the clarity and simplicity of audiomulch and furthermore I never found a granulator plugin that could replace dlgranulator (ktgranulator and argotlunar are no options, sound-wise).

Happy mulching!

andjak
andjak's picture
Joined: January 25, 2017

Very interesting, as a reaper user this could be very useful. Thanks for sharing this info.

Al Magnifico
Al Magnifico's picture
Joined: June 24, 2009

I forgot to mention, everybody can be a Reaper user, as the program can be tested without restrictions (just a nag screen for some seconds) and a small business/private license costs only 60$.