Changing Labels with Scripted Buttons (Ultimate Guide to TouchOSC)

In this video I show you how to create buttons that change label names using a script by F-l-i-x from Github. This script is a great way to show what articulation you are on in a VST like Spitfire Audio strings after pushing a button to change your articulation on your TouchOSC control.
*LINK TO SCRIPT*
github.com/F-l-i-x/TouchOSC/t...
0:01 - Intro
0:47 - Downloading the Script
1:37 - The Script
2:06 - Building in the Editor
2:50 - Adding the Script
5:46 - Testing the Buttons
6:40 - Adding in MIDI Messages
7:36 - Using the Template in Reaper
8:26 - Outro
*LINKS*
🏠 timcorpus.net/index.php/touch...
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 / touch. .
🎮 discord.io/TouchOSC
💻 hexler.net/
📷 www.instagram/timcorpus
🐦 / timcorpus
🔗 github.com/F-l-i-x/TouchOSC
Additional videos have more about creating templates, specific uses, and tips & trips in TouchOSC, so be sure to check those out as well.
**kzbin.info/aero/PL2...
✦ Setting up TouchOSC
✦ Buttons, Faders, & Radio Buttons
✦ Connecting Ableton & Digital Performer
✦ Changing Labels with Scripted Buttons
✦ Connecting Cubase & Controlling an EQ
✦ Sending & Receiving OSC Messages in Reaper
✦ TouchOSC Bridge, Protokol, and Editor Log
✦ Sending Keystrokes with TouchOSC
✦ Connecting PreSonus Studio One & Using Toggles
✦ Tips & Tricks for Building Your Template Part 1
✦ Tips & Tricks for Building Your Template Part 2
TouchOSC is a MIDI control surface for your old iPad, tablet, or phone to work with your DAW and other software. We are using the latest version of TouchOSC, Mk2. Hexler (hexler.net/touchosc) came out with the 2nd version (Mk 2) of TouchOSC in the summer of 2021.
Music (0:10) by Tim Corpus www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu...
*GEAR*
Full List: timcorpus.net/index.php/produ...
TouchOSC: hexler.net/touchosc
My Code Editor: atom.io/
RODE NT2-A: www.rode.com/microphones/nt2-a
Komplete Audio 6: www.native-instruments.com/en...
iPad (Gen 2): www.apple.com/ipad/
Spitfire Audio: www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
Reaper: www.reaper.fm

[@riobit]

Very clear. Great work. Thanks a lot. Saludos desde Buenos Aires

[@riccardowanderlingh]

thank you, actually very helpfull here.

[@TimCorpus]

Glad it's helpful!

[@dominiqueaubin1920]

Super ! Merci, j'ai pu récupérer une partie du code pour incrémenter les pistes de mon looper et gérer le volume de la piste sélectionnée.

[@Chancholoraq]

Hey Tim! Love what you do, right to the point! I did have a question about an ambitious project I’m working out with Control Surface Studio software and TouchOSC Control Surface Studio is a ableton script generator with easy to program ableton functions in reference to your control surface. It’s quite incredible. Since you can further modify the functions of your midi controller and any controller you throw at it, I wanted to add in touch osc to the mix. So my goal is to have my Novation Launchkey 49 MK. 2 keyboard to use my modified ableton script to map the 8 faders I have to the instant macro mapping for ableton’s selected device. This means that whenever I select and arm a track, I can control the armed tracks dynamics, vibrato, and whatever I map to these instant macros. This is where touch osc comes in, If I have 1 page for every instrument articulation and dynamics etc. control faders automatically mapped, I could simply use the control surface studio to send a midi message to touch osc to change pages to the selected instrument track. I know this is a lot of information, but my main question is, “Can I have touch osc receive midi messages from somewhere else to change pages ONLY when the instrument track is selected? Essentially, the page numbers would be linked to the track selected and since the faders and pads are automapped then everything is ready to go everytime I change instruments. It would be an amazing set up, to use my keyboard with my iPad to show my real-time track selection and dynamics modulation. On another note, can touch osc receive text data and other values to show them being modulated live? Specifically showing if an articulation is selected, can I turn on text to show this every-time I change an articulation? Thanks again!!!

[@TimCorpus]

Good question(s). Short answer, yes, TouchOSC can receive MIDI data. Long answer: the tricky part is setting up in whatever software is sending the data, to target TouchOSC. In your tOSC template, you can have a label, or a n object like a Fader, and add a receive MIDI message. Make sure your sending device is targeting the same MIDI channels as the objects on tOSC. You'll also need to make sure the settings in your links are good to so that you can receive MIDI or OSC from the correct port. One way to make this organized is to use the additional connections. Changing pages: Check out this video where I show changing pagers with a plugin in a DAW. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5DFp2RpoJWVd5o I'm talking about Reaper in the video, but Ableton can do a lot of what Reaper can do, so you should be able to get something similar up and running. I haven't tried sending text to a tOSC template, but theoretically it is possible because in an OSC message, you can send the track names or plugin names. So you would need some sort of OSC message from your sending device to send that text information to a tOSC label in your template. Hope this helps!

[@Chancholoraq]

@@TimCorpus thanks a bunch Tim! I’m gonna check out this video and see what I can do, I am a bit unfamiliar with osc messages. I understand they are system messages, but I am a bit confused about their function. 1. Without getting too much into it, how could I use OSC messages to benefit my template that midi messages could not achieve? I’m just trying to assimilate these messages in my workflow so I can think about solving problems differently with these tools. You mentioned that OSC messages can send text. Does this mean that if you set the text of a label as a variable, you could have this variable substituted with the track name of whatever OSC message is providing this data? Have a great day Tim, really appreciate the guidance!

[@SaturnVoyager11]

amazing videos! may you make a video about how to return values/data from the Reaper to the Touch OSC on ipad? thanks so much

[@TimCorpus]

Sure thing. What type of values? Track names? Timer?

[@SaturnVoyager11]

@@TimCorpus it would be cool, track names, maybe the change of dB on a fader, the RMS/Peak level of a channel on Reaper. Is that possible? I´m really new on this. thanks man

[@SaturnVoyager11]

@@TimCorpus you know what would be more than incredible? Creating a template for every type of plugin you really use, using radial knobs to set the virtual knobs of those plugins, and here comes the interesting stuff. For instance, running one instance of the same plugin in two different tracks, one instance per track, and return the values from those instances to the Touch OSC radial knobs every time you select the track where that plugin is, so Touch OSC would be showing the refreshed radial knobs for each plugin each time you select the track where that plugin is running as an fx. Not sure if you understood but something like that would be possible?

[@TimCorpus]

@@SaturnVoyager11 I'll add to the list of topics! It's pretty unique to each person, everyone uses different plugins. But I can definitely show how to get something like that started. Especially with a Reaper plugin.

[@SaturnVoyager11]

@@TimCorpus thanks man 🙏🏼

[@jeffgastineau2053]

Tim (or anyone else with suggestions) I have this set up and working. I'd like to trigger the buttons from MIDI (which I have working) but that is not triggering the label change, only triggering the button status. What would I need to modify to make the label change work? Thanks!

[@TimCorpus]

Not sure I'm understanding the request. Can you explain what MIDI you want to send and receive?

[@jeffgastineau2053]

@@TimCorpus Essentially I'd like to send a MIDI note from Ableton (or any DAW) to change the label (kind of the opposite of what you are doing by sending the MIDI to do your articulations). Using your red, blue, green example text, I'd like to send Note On 36 to display "RED", Note On 37 to display "BLUE", Note On 38 to display "GREEN" etc. I'm able to turn the buttons ON/OFF via MIDI, but the buttons don't execute the script to change the LABEL. The more I think of it, I think it may be easiest to have the LABEL object receive the MIDI directly and execute specific text for each MIDI Note On number. Thanks!

[@mahall85]

Hello, Tim. Had a question regarding labels in TouchOSC. I’m trying to make a toggle button with a label that changes from PLAY to PAUSE, depending on if the button is toggled or not. Do you know how to edit the script in this video to accomplish this? Thanks!

[@TimCorpus]

So you should be able to use a script like the one in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWmmnnpjm9mdo9k I'm on the road right now, but if that doesn't work, let me know.

[@mahall85]

@@TimCorpus I actually reached out to the Facebook group listed in your videos, and many suggested using local messages instead of scripting… and that worked! Are there any downsides to doing local messaging instead of scripting?

[@TimCorpus]

​@@mahall85 If you're comfortable with scripting, go for it!👍 Depends on the situation, but I think a lot of people find working with scripts to be easier.

[@mahall85]

@@TimCorpus So, I think I may need to learn scripting, because I want to send a series of commands when my TouchOSC template lands on a particular page in a pager. Do you have any tips on how I could get started with that?

[@TimCorpus]

@@mahall85 Depends on the messages you're trying to send. You could add messages to a pager, like I did in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5DFp2RpoJWVd5o

[@gregorybullaro7117]

hey, can you help me out! I have a grid of 10 buttons and when I select one, I want that to change the labels on 5 separate faders. having trouble figuring that out.

[@TimCorpus]

Hey, I'm working a show today but I'll take a gander at this tomorrow. It should be doable with that script, but also with local messages.

[@TimCorpus]

I'm looking into this right now. So you want to push a button and have that change the name of 5 different labels at the same time correct?

[@gregorybullaro7117]

@@TimCorpus hi, sorry for the late response. Yes, exactly, I have a button selector for a group of 5 fx faders, when I trigger a bank of fx, I would like my five faders to update with the corresponding fx Label. The faders don’t change their position

[@TimCorpus]

@@gregorybullaro7117 Sorry for the delay. Ya, I know the issue you're mentioning. A few other people have asked me about it. Some DAWs can do this better than others - specifically the ones that can use OSC. I'll add this to my list of videos to make. In the meantime, check on the Discord or Facebook, as I think there are some templates others have made that have fixed this issue.

[@JacobMedrea]

I don't understand how to simply change the name of the label.

[@TimCorpus]

In the controls on the right-hand side under "values" > "text" replace the "Default" (which says Label)