Ok then...

[MikeLacey]

Hello All,

I'm quite (very, that is) new to DAW but I'm sorta keen.

If anyone's got a couple of minutes to answer some very general queries (which will immediately reveal the extent of my errm "knowlege") I'd be really grateful.

I have: a keyboard which I can use as a midi controller, a drum machine with some nice sampled drum sounds (Alesis SR16), and some other bits, including a cassette based 8 track recorder which I really don't want to use anymore if I can help it.

I've reviewed the tutorials, both the video and the flash, and I've been reading, and will continue to read the forum. At the moment I'm at the stage where I'm just beginning to realise how much I don't know...

So... Two specific queries and a very general one.

The specific ones first.

I need a way to connect from USB to MIDI - so that I can connect my kbd to REAPER on my laptop. eBay items 250067727785 and 290067294279 look ok to me, do these look suitable? Would anyone recommend any particular product?

How do I get sound, audio from a mic or guitar, *in* to REAPER? Through the microphone socket? Really?

And the general one.

Should I view REAPER as my new mixing desk and just do everything from there or should I use it to control external MIDI things and record those sounds within REAPER? I'm used to the idea of using the Tascam 8 track to control a drum machine using smart fsk - should I be doing something similar here? My general query is, I think - now that I've sat down and written this - is:

Should REAPER be sending MIDI out and then recording the audio output of the devices it's controlling (errm, and how would I get that output back into REAPER - one track at a time?)

Or, should I be using REAPER & VST to play the sounds I want?(sampling those sounds if needed)

Anyway - sorry for such a long post, hope someone can find time to make some comments.

Oh, and Happy New Year everyone.

Mike

[Jae.Thomas]

Ahh, and here is another question that deals with the basics of Digital Audio and Midi/Vst.
I wouldnt go with those items ebay -- those items seem vague and strange --

i would look at an actual online dealer WITH PICTURES to figure out what you need.

however, if you have a device that will do that, it will work very well. If you are looking to record audio as well however, it might be worth it to look into an all out audio/midi usb/firewire device, such as the prosonus firebox ( http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html )! I can truly vouch for this comprehensive and hi quality device and its stability.

If you need more inputs, firepod is the higher end version, which i own.

see, the thing is, you should NEVER put sound into your laptop through a microphone output!!!!!!

that is the worst thing you could ever do. So I would say, if you decide to do audio and midi, i would suggest one box to do both at the same time.

"Should I view REAPER as my new mixing desk and just do everything from there or should I use it to control external MIDI things and record those sounds within REAPER? I'm used to the idea of using the Tascam 8 track to control a drum machine using smart fsk - should I be doing something similar here? My general query is, I think - now that I've sat down and written this - is:"

I dont know what "smart fsk" is. But i think i would say, your drum machine can easily be replaced by easily available vsti -- you could record your individual drum sounds from the machine and throw them into a sampler, using vsti's is much simpler. however...


Should REAPER be sending MIDI out and then recording the audio output of the devices it's controlling (errm, and how would I get that output back into REAPER - one track at a time?)

you CAN do this, and its easy, but you will need an interface mentioned above to do it easily. Send your midi out to the drum machine, then accept the audio in to your reaper audio channel.

however,


Or, should I be using REAPER & VST to play the sounds I want?(sampling those sounds if needed)

this is the better idea

[MikeLacey]

Hello Jason,

Thanks for your reply, just what I was after.

I'll take your comments on board and I'll be having a look at the prosonus firebox and firepod.

Mike

(Smart FSK by the way - Not what you'd call a new technology really. An analogue version of ReaWire, a way of making two or more things run together. In olden days you'd record sync data on one track of your tape machine. This sync track would then be used to control a sequencer, typically a hardware sequencer in those days, and the sequencer would control some MIDI insruments. You'd give up one precious tape track and two mixing desk inputs in return for lots of MIDI instruments.)

[Jae.Thomas]

re: fsk

I get it now, i think ive heard of it.

Thanks for the schooling

[teej813]

hey Mike, and welcome to Reaper.

I'm prob not the one to advise you on MIDI connections. I do pretty much audio only. But i'll add a couple random thoughts.

- Jason is right about the Microphone In. On most sound cards, it's trash. If you're going to record audio, you'll want an input that gives you cleaner sound. Even an onboard sound card's Line In will work, although the units Jason is suggesting would be better.

- For a general understanding of how digital recording works, you might visit AudioMinds. In an hour or so, you can puruse that site and pick up the basics.



tj

[MikeLacey]

Hello Jason,

I had a look at both FireBox and FirePod - and yes, they look ideal. At (at least) twice what I want to pay of course *sigh*.

Oh and no problem *wry smile* anytime you feel a burning need to learn about twenty year old technologies I can probably mislead you.

tj, hi.

Thanks, and I'll have a look at that link.

Mike

[MikeLacey]

Well - I did what Jason advised me not to do and bought a MIDI/USB lead of eBay. To my surprise it works. Not very well unfortunately.

(I might well be buying something better - just not this close to Christmas)

There's a significant delay between pressing a key and the VST instrument (Crystal, and I really like the strings sound) producing a sound. I've checked through what I've done and it looks right to my untutored eye. I can hear what I'm playing, record and play back but not usefully - the delay makes it unplayable.

I've experimented with a "few" VSTs - had a bit of a download fest until about 4am this morning - and the delay is always there but does vary between different VSTs.

My laptop has an Intel Celeron running at 1.30 GHz and 256MB of RAM, not up to the ideal of either REAPER or (say) Crystal but well above the minimum spec and CPU usage is high but not horribly so.

Is my laptop just not up to running REAPER with VSTs or is it more likely to be the naff and unbranded MIDI/USB I've acquired?

Are there changes I should be making to my laptop that will help the performance?

Mike

P.S. I'll stop asking annoying newbie questions and start making a contribution soon, I promise.

[thectrain]

This *probably* isn't a problem with the usb/midi converter. If you are using a regular sound card then most likely it is using the direct sound drivers instead of ASIO drivers. So its not the usb/midi that has latency it is when it actually goes to output the sound.

Try www.asio4all.com I've never used it but a bunch of people on here do use it. It is just an ASIO soundcard driver that is supposed to work with many soundcards that normally dont have ASIO drivers available for them. (ASIO drivers = Drivers designed not to have noticable latency.)

[MikeLacey]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately I did that already, the onboard device I'm using for the moment is the Conexant AMC Audio with the ASIO v2 driver.

I have this annoying thing I have to pay some attention to in the day (work) but I'll be having another bash this evening.

Mike

[Bevoss]

The Firebox is definitely good for starters, I had one...does your lappie have firewire though?

Next level up the Firepod is a lot cheaper now the Firestudio is out.

And if you want quality+. I recommend the RME Fireface 800, 10 channels at once, exremely solid, low latency and great converters. You can pick them up safely for $1200 or less, as here

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RME-FIREFACE-...QQcmdZViewItem

This one is very reliable and fast, and actually I bought one and am extremely happy...or you can go even cheaper at:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RME-FIREFACE-...QQcmdZViewItem

But I didn't trust this one, your call.

Seriously, the Firebox is pretty good for a beginner though, will do 4 tracks at once, 6 if you have a stereo preamp with digital out...but better at that stage to move onto a better interface. You can get them used pretty cheap as well.

Or you can get a tower with PCI Express and get UAD cards later,

[MikeLacey]

Hello Bevoss

Interesting, I'll look into your PCI Express thought.

Mike