Getting started with Reaper basics. HELP! cant record

[Glenn Mitchell]

Opened Reaper.
I inserted 2 tracks,
-set one to left and one to right
-armed them to record
-checked that the MBR line out signal was good (tested with earphones)
-patched my Micro Br from the line out to the computer line in using a cord with stereo 1/8" jacks.
-The computer recognized it as line in.
-set Reaper to record and the MBR to play
1.Reaper recorded both tracks, but playback is not in stereo. IOW altho I can monitor it in stereo during record, it records 2 identical mono tracks that contain a mix (the wave forms also look identical). Like switching a stereo playback to mono.
I had the same problem with Audacity.-is my sound card not capable of recording stereo?
I can play MP3's in stereo and if I bring in separate waves in Audacity I can playback stereo by panning)
2. there is random "popping" or occasional crackling on playback.
3.It sounds as if there is a phase shifter installed.(computer not capable of handling the input?)
What am I missing? Seems like the engines are running but I can't get this plane off the ground.

[64Guitars]

I don't know why it's recording in mono. Maybe Flash Harry knows. But I think recording your Micro BR this way is the wrong approach. What you should do instead is export the desired tracks from your Micro BR using BR Wave Converter. Then import those wave files into Reaper. That way, you avoid the unnecessary digital-to-analog conversion in the Micro BR, and the subsequent analog-to-digital conversion in your sound card.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Yes and thanks 64.
I was doing this as a test for recording direct to a DAW.
The final goal is (I was hoping) to use my Korg 1200 as a mixer and using its' master out to get stereo tracks of the mix. (up to 4 inputs)
I would probably record one track at a time anyway, but would have no way to sync subsequent tracks in order to play along.
I have been doing as you say - into Audacity- IOW Imported waves from the MBR with the wonderful BR Wave converter. (Love it!) and then mixed and cleaned in Audacity.
But then I had to take them back to the Korg or the MBR for FX and mastering and MP3s.
Essentially I was just cleaning the tracks in Audacity and the ping pong-ing back and forth is tiresome and was hoping to do it all directly into Reaper using the Korg or the MBR as a mixer(with the FX benefits built in).
Does this make sense?
How else would you input tracks directly to the DAW?
Are these just wrong assumptions?
I might be trying to do things the hard way.
Is it better, for the reason you mention, to do the tracks in the Korg or the MBR and export Wavs as I have been than trying to multi track directly to Reaper? (the Korg Wav export process is painful)
A friend has Protools with an M-Box "mixer" that plugs in to his laptop and that's it!! No bouncing around and swapping file formats etc. He just multi tracks directly with the DAW and then edits and masters etc right there.
Seems very simple, but $800 plus maybe a new Apple laptop seems a bit much if I can do it with what I have. He paid $2500 I think in the end for the hookup simplicity but feels Protools is too complex.
Actually having said it all, if there is no other way than flipping back and forth from hardware to software, $800 is sounding not so bad. (no guarantee my computer will handle it in the end so maybe a new computer too. sigh)

[newi123]

Hey Glenn,

the answer about the best way to do this - and what other hardware you need - really depends on how you want to use your MBR & Reaper..........

Do you mean that you've recorded on the MBR and just want to export the final stereo track to Reaper to edit, tidy, add fx, master and export - Or do you mean you want to be able to plug your MBR into your pc, plug your guitar into the MBR and play through the MBR using the built in effects to record directly to Reaper?

They'll require different solutions.

Reaper is a great program and runs without any issue for reasonable sized projects on my little net book - 1.6ghz, 1Gb ram and xp sp3 - so I shouldn't worry about a new pc yet! It also has great fx plugins included.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Now I record everything on one of my machines (MBR (basic stuff) or Korg 1200( more elaborate, more controls, faders etc)) and then export WAV files to the DAW.
Then I tweak the tracks and send them back for FX, mixing and mastering.
Then out to an MP3. (easy with the MBR but not possible with the Korg so I bounce thru the master out to the MBR and then to MP3)
It just seems a lot of back and forth.
I'd rather go directly to the DAW with option of different inputs and do it all there.
I'm thinking if I can use the Korg with it's 2 mic inputs, and 2 other 1/4" inputs or 4 -1/4" inputs as a mixer, I could have the Korgs FX thru to the master and into the DAW?
This bypasses the record process in the Korg and avoids having to make wavs there which is very slow and awkward. (It was designed to do CD's directly, not hook to a computer).
It does have a digital out but it's a SPDIF in out, (and MIDI in and out), and there is no conversion cables to the DAW from there that work.
IOW I can't plug into the Korg SPDIF out and into the USB of the computer to go direct Digitally.

[newi123]

Ok - so if you are recording on the hardware recorders and just moving tracks to Reaper to tweak and tidy then I'd go with what others have said - use the converter to drop them into Reaper. Once you have tweaked and tidied there should be no need to have the hassle of moving them back to the boss / korg for mixing mastering and exporting as mp3s - this can all be done easily (with practice as it has so many options / functions!) in Reaper.

The difficulty with the Boss original MBR (and I assume the Korg) is that they were not originally designed to deal simply and easily with computers - so as I understand it to export individual tracks is itself a pain in the arse!

If you want to go directly into the computer for recording then you need to buy a dedicated audio interface - taking a 1/8 line out of your current devices and using the standard soundcard audio in on your computer is never going to work I'm afraid. The killer in direct computer recording is latency - the time it takes for the DAW to play the note after you hit it on the guitar. Using the method you describe the latency will be huge.

An audio interface will connect to your PC with usb (or firewire if you have it) and will come with ASIO drivers to (hopefully) kill latency in your system.

If you want to use the Korg for the mic pres and effects there is no reason at all why the signal chain can't be korg into audio interface into computer. You can do as you want then and simply build your project recording individual tracks straight to your PC.

A 1/2 decent audio interface doesn't cost too much - have a look on Amazon to get a guide. All the big manufactures make them.

I say that a good audio interface will hopefully kill latency, because as with anything PC related sometimes things don't work as they should! When it stops working it will drive you up the wall.

I joined this forum as I'm just buying a Boss BR-80, which as far as I can tell has been well designed to offer the best of both worlds in stand alone recording and computer connectivity - as has the BR800 and the most recent recorders from Zoom. I have been recording direct to computer, but personally have found I get more done using a stand alone device.

The BR-80 will allow me to record direct to it - by doing this I take away any technical issues between hardware software and automatically have zero latency. I also don't get distracted by all the other stuff the computer can do! The BR-80 will then allow me to easily export individual tracks into the DAW (I also use Reaper) for mixing, mastering and export - and if I need to I can also use it as a usb audio interface to add further tracks / overdubs direct into the project in Reaper. So £199 seems to be well spent on it!

Hope this all helps!

[Glenn Mitchell]

Hmm. All good points and with obvious experience behind it. Thanks very much.
Buying an updated version of what I already have is a whole new direction, but I am familiar with the BR machines and I will look into the BR800 and BR80 for the interface value and updated benefits.
As I am new to DAW, I am afraid I may be trading one set of headaches for another as you suggested.
I look forward to your experiences with the interface.
Hopefully it goes smoothly after the BR learning curve settles down.

[Flash Harry]

When you arm a track to record, reaper offers you a recording source, you need to select L+R from the drop down underneath the fader. You can record in stereo onto a single track. Or you can select L to one track and R to the second.

The Edirol UA4-FX is a great little box, USB 96KHz 24 bit audio, Midi in/out, Audio in/out, SPDIF in/out, mic in, guitar in and, amazingly, phantom power for your expensive condensers. I bought mine second hand from Oxfam. Zero latency with ASIO4All.

[Glenn Mitchell]

I've seen this elsewhere. It does look perfect -
I take it that it uses the USB for digital in? I don't have SPDIF on the computer

[64Guitars]

The Roland UA4-FX looks like a great little USB audio interface. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued. But if you can find a store that still has it in stock, it's probably a great buy.

Failing that, Roland now offers the Tri-Capture for $129.00.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/roland-tri-capture-usb-audio-interface/h72399000000000

or the Quad-Capture for $269.00.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/QuadCapture/

Although, if you're going to spend money on an audio interface, it might make sense to get a BR-80 or BR-800 instead. Then you can use the built-in COSM effects with zero latency. The BR-800 can also be used as a control surface, allowing you to control Reaper directly via the BR-800's faders and transport controls. The BR-80 cannot be used as a control surface but has the advantages of a lower price, smaller size, and USB 2.0.

Of course, the cheapest option is to use what you already have, using the Korg as a mixer connected to your computer's Line In, as you suggested. It's not ideal, but you can always get a USB audio interface later. Starting with the cheapest option will allow you to try it out and learn whether you're going to be happy with Reaper or not. It would be a shame to spend money on new hardware then discover that you find Reaper too complicated. Not that it is, but any DAW requires a consideral effort to learn how to use it effectively.