howto midi sync VCV with reaper

hello guys, i want to sync VCV with Reaper on the same computer under Linux Ubuntu Studio 24.04 LTS. VCVrack is 2.5.2.

some folks here mentioned, that it is better to use midi over audio. does anyone know a howto or detailed post about syncing that way? or another way, that is stable. btw: i also read, that it is generally better to sync from VCV to daw. is it true? for me the goal is to have a stable synced clock.

i will be happy to hear some hints and tricks. Karl

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i would love if this gets explained too since every time I’ve tried to do it has been a complete desaster.

Pam Sync works, if I understand the problem

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hmm, i will use daw and VCV on same computer, just virtual connections/interfaces/ports. does this work? how does a DC Gate signal go through audio into VCV?

So I am on MacOs (Big Sur) and use Reaper 7.27 and VCV 2.5.2. But this should apply still.

Are you asking how to sync the tempo of Reaper to the VCV plugin? So let’s say you are at 120 bpm on Reaper and want to sync it to a sequencer within VCV, lets use Bogaudio ADDR-SEQ. Take the CLK/N output of the VCV MIDI>CV module and connect it to the Clock in of the ADDR-SEQ. Have the output of the sequencer go into a quantizer, then into a VCO of your choice and finally to the VCV Audio Out. Adjust the voltages of the sequencer.

Now pressing Play on Reaper should begin to move the cursor and play the sequencer in time. Now right clicking on the MIDI>CV module will give a drop down menu. Select CLK/N divider to divide the clock into 1/4 notes, 8th notes, 16th notes and even 12 and 24 ppqn.

Of course this should work with any modules you prefer. This is a stable sync and once you have your VCV track done, record it and it will be in sync with any other track you use in Reaper. Personally, I always use Reaper as the master clock.

If you knew this already or this is not what you meant, my apologies.

But I suspect you want to do this with the FREE VCV version.

yes correct, the free version.

damn i tried this and it worked perfectly. thank you so much. Im on windows 10, i use Reaper and the vcv free version.

By using VCV Rack Free, probably you’ll need an additional software, often named Virtual MIDI Cables, for Linux I don’t know… for Windows 10/11, virtualMIDI virtualMIDI | Tobias Erichsen, or something similar (loopMIDI, loopBe, and so on). But, perhaps your Linux distro embeds this feature!

Try to Google this : linux virtual midi cable

By using VCV Rack Pro (who have VST, VST3, and CLAP plugins) it’s more easy, because you can add VCV Rack as plugin inside your DAW. But VCV Rack Pro is a paid software.

Thank you @Ohmer, but my problem is not connecting the ports. it works with pipewire/jack. my problem is syncronisation. Reaper or VCV are drifting after some time. so i need a way to sync them stable.

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Maybe try something with a click-track, sending/syncing that to the clock in VCV ?

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Thank you, i will check that and come back. Karl

before having VCV pro I used to send a click track from reaper in VCV though Rearoute, then treating it with an envelope follower to have CV short enveloppe, then comparator to turn it into a gate, it gave me much more stable result than any midi options. Other option is to manually set the same BPM in reaper and VCV, and just use MIDI to CV for play and reset control, I never had any sync problem with this option

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I am with Ohmer here, virtual midi cables work well for me on mac. I make sure to use one virtual midi instance for clock only and with that I sync ‚clocked‘ to Reaper or Bitwig. On another instance of virtual midi port I send and/or receive typical note data. I find this to be very stable. Cheers!

Ok, sorry it was a misunderstand by myself. Hope your sync. problem is solved!

Unfortunately no. But i have to investigate the different solutions here.

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