Topic: Reaper gurus please step inside

[SmokinJoe]

I've been using audacity for years, but it doesn't seem to scale well to 20+ tracks, so Reaper seems like the logical next step.  I'm sure these are really RTFM (read the freakin' manual) questions, but experience comes into play too.

I have a vocal track, and I want some reverb while vocalist is singing, but not while he's telling stories between tracks.  Most of the plugins seem to apply to a whole track.   I'm thinking I need to copy a track and have a "wet track" with reverb and a "dry track" without it, and then change the amplitudes on each track for the amount I want?  Almost seems easier to edit the vocal track back on home turf (audacity) then re-import it.  Experience?

Anyone have experience with "control pads" and Reaper?  Like a mixer with sliders, where you can play the song through, adjust the sliders and tweak it with the "sound mixer" paradigm as opposed to the "select a section with a mouse and apply edits like a photo editor" paradigm.

I'll have follow on questions, I'm sure.

[bugg100]

The reverb level is right below each track. toggle the "env" button for the appropriate envelope.

On the latter, are you talking about automation features?

[SmokinJoe]

I haven't played with the env yet.  I will.  Thanks.

In regard to the second question, I am referring to various "DAW Control surfaces".  http://www.tweakheadz.com/control_surfaces.htm
There is plenty of hype about them on the web, but I'm looking for someone who says "it made the job so much easier" or "I tried it for a week and it's been collecting dust ever since".
Maybe they are only for MIDI, but I thought they were usable for general editing, as an alternative to mouse based clicking.

[SmokinJoe]

I'm starting to get the hang of Reaper.  Thanks Bug, "env" was what I needed.  I've been stuck in the Audacity (and photo editor) frame of mind... select some content, apply a change.  It's different to think of the effect as a subtrack with varying amplitude.

I'll ignore control surfaces for now I guess.  Hopefully I learn all the keyboard shortcuts before my hands die from over-mousing.

[bugg100]

I also really like that it is nondestructive editing as well.

Joe

[Matt Quinn]

Hi Joe.....long time no talk!

I have used a couple DAW controllers. The 1st was the Frontier Designs Alpha Track:

http://www.frontierdesign.com/Products/AlphaTrack

I especially loved the fact that the fader/knobs are touch sensitive - when you touch them, the display shows the parameter currently controlled by that knob. Also the fact that the fader is motorized is a huge benefit when working with a bunch of tracks.

I got rid of it in favor of an APC40-

http://www.akaipro.com/apc40


I use Ableton Live, so the APC40 was a no-brainer choice for a controller. Most of the controls are automatically mapped to the DAW. It was made working with multi-track a LOT easier IMO.


Now, I'm not terribly sure about Reaper, but in Live, you can 'MIDI map' functions in the DAW to any part of the controller. You click the little 'MIDI' button, click the on screen parameter you want to control, then move the knob/fader you want to assign that parameter to. Exit MIDI mapping, and when you slide the fader/turn the knob, the on screen controls should mirror what you are doing. I'd assume the same type of system works in Reaper.


Oh, here's a wiki:

http://wiki.cockos.com/wiki/index.php/Control_surfaces

[SmokinJoe]

Thanks Matt.  I'll check that out.

For those who stumble across this thread... this is definitely one of those cases where "read the f'ing manual" pays off.  While I've been bumbling my way through trying to get some mixes down, I'm been picking up the documentation from time to time, even if only for a few pages at a time.  Each time I read a few pages I'm hit with a Eureka moment where I say "no shit... that's a hell of a lot easier than the way I've been doing it."  This software is extremely well thought out, it's just that it has so many features and some of them are not obvious.

[ironbut]

Yup,
Reaper's manual is insanely inclusive. It takes a while to work your way through it and I always have to go back and relearn stuff myself but there's a few ways to do what you want (if I understand what it is you're trying to do).

Off the top of my head, it seems like you might want to split that vox track into "items" that separate the singing from the story telling. Each item can have it's own fx chain so you can set each one up the way you want ( preferences/appearance/media  In the dialog panel,  tick "No fx" in the "media items button" area. Be sure that the "fx" button above it is also ticked. This makes the button that appears in each item toggle the fx).
If you want the same reverb throughout, just copy the items you want to a new track and use the "fx" button on the track control panel.

[SmokinJoe]

Yeah, I figured it out.  It's a case of using an ENVelope, allowing lots of wet mix during the songs, but drop the wet to completely dry during the stories.  After screwing around with all that I decided once I got the EQ and compression right on the vocals, I didn't need to add any reverb.