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Old 04-14-2017, 01:41 PM   #1
artao
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Default [SOLVED, YES] Can We Record Loopback Audio From the Computer In Reaper?

So I like to sometimes record samples of dialog now and then, for later musical use, while watching documentaries or weird old movies or maybe videos on youtube, online live shortwave radio or webcasts, incredible online rants ... Sometimes a bit of dialog or sound just says to me, "sample worthy."

To begin, I'm running Win 7 Pro 64 bit and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. Reaper is up to date, with SWX extentions, as are my Focusrite drivers. .. My previous on-board sound system was Realtek HD Audio if that matters. I honestly don't recall if loopback worked in Reaper with that.

So can Reaper be set up to record audio loopback?
I can do this in Audacity quite easily, with Audacity set to be using WASAPI as the driver, and selecting "Focusrite USB (Focusrite USB Audio) (Looback)" as the audio source.
I'm not seeing a way to do this directly into Reaper, regardless which base audio system I chose in Preferences > Audio > Device >Audio System (WDM, WASAPI, DirectSound, Wave Out, ASIO). I only ever get the two mono (or combined stereo) inputs of my audio interface.

Sure, I can easily do it in Audacity, but in some cases or situations, it'd be nice to just real quick sample something via my system audio directly into a Reaper project.

I guess it's really not a huge deal or anything, it can just interrupt smooth workflow a bit. Switching apps when you're "in the flow" can be a little jarring.
But then, I suppose if I just wanna grab a quick sample while I'm watching or listening to something in my browser, it's really faster to just open up Audacity and grab the sample quick. Or even just keep it open if something ends up repeatedly sample worthy.
So I guess really this is just more of a case of being curious.

Last edited by artao; 04-14-2017 at 11:39 PM.
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:05 PM   #2
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I make an aggregate device of my audio interface + Soundflower (a virtual device for routing audio between apps). Set the OS output to Soundflower. Assign those Soundflower inputs to a track in Reaper. Output to your interface from Reaper.

Now just let the track record while you browse.
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:08 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by serr View Post
I make an aggregate device of my audio interface + Soundflower (a virtual device for routing audio between apps). Set the OS output to Soundflower. Assign those Soundflower inputs to a track in Reaper. Output to your interface from Reaper.

Now just let the track record while you browse.
No need to go through an interface, is there ?
I select sound flower for system output and then soundflower for reaper device.
I don't think the OP can use it bough, he's on PC.
There are other similar apps available, though, I don't think for free.
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:15 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by bezusheist View Post
No need to go through an interface, is there ?
I select sound flower for system output and then soundflower for reaper device.
I don't think the OP can use it bough, he's on PC.
There are other similar apps available, though, I don't think for free.
No need for the interface no. Simply in my case that that's where the monitor system is already connected to. Convenience.

There are other free apps beyond Soundflower too. Not sure what is Windows restricted or not.

Some interfaces have a return path too. Another alternate approach that might be convenient depending on what you have. Probably what artao was thinking of when asking about "loopback audio".
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:27 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by serr View Post
No need for the interface no. Simply in my case that that's where the monitor system is already connected to. Convenience.

There are other free apps beyond Soundflower too. Not sure what is Windows restricted or not.

Some interfaces have a return path too. Another alternate approach that might be convenient depending on what you have. Probably what artao was thinking of when asking about "loopback audio".
Ah, I forgot that some converters have the loopback option. Makes sense now.
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:29 PM   #6
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Voicemeeter will do it. Loopback is a feature I've made sure the sound card I purchased had built in since something like 1999. Right now my RME's have, before that my Delta-66s had it and so on.
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Old 04-14-2017, 11:15 PM   #7
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Default WASAPI loopback

I can record off youtube etc using WASAPI on Windows 7 machine.

Preferences -> Audio -> Device

Set Audio System to "WASAPI (Windows 7/8/10/Vista)"
Set Mode to "Shared lookback (CAUTION)"

(As far as I can tell, my FastTrack Pro does not have internal loopback function).
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Old 04-14-2017, 11:39 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moocow View Post
I can record off youtube etc using WASAPI on Windows 7 machine.

Preferences -> Audio -> Device

Set Audio System to "WASAPI (Windows 7/8/10/Vista)"
Set Mode to "Shared lookback (CAUTION)"

(As far as I can tell, my FastTrack Pro does not have internal loopback function).
Well there ya go. I just KNEW I was missing something somewhere. I never even thought of looking in that dropdown.
D'OH

thanks Moocow
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Old 04-15-2017, 07:18 AM   #9
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To avoid the audio feedback loop, make sure that you disable the Master/Parent Send on the track getting the looped-back audio. Muting it might do the same.

My M-Audio Delta-66 has a 'Monitor' path which combines the audio from the inputs and from Reaper and makes them available as an input to Reaper. I spent a very useful couple of hours working through the Delta Control Panel working out the routing possibilities and drawing a diagram.
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Old 01-16-2020, 07:50 PM   #10
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I had to do this recently (Windows 10), and muting the track killed the feedback loop.
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Old 03-28-2020, 11:24 PM   #11
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Found this thread. Glad I can do this natively in Windows 10 with reaper and WASAPI in loopback mode. For those setting this up, I had to set it to WASAPI loopback mode and also set the device to "default" and not my actual hardware output, even though it was the same device used for windows.

Quick tip for anyone. This works great for client reference tracks. I would never recommend ripping off music for keeps, only for reference purposes. Before doing this, I would have to rely on streaming services that I subscribe to, or I'd go out and purchase the track if I didn't already have it. I delete the file immediately after mixes. Other than reference, I really have no need for a downloaded file as I listen to all my music on Apple Music or more recently Amazon HD Prime Music.

This lets me pull the reference track into the session and check it right there in Reaper, rather than having to open up a separate app and check.

Additional tip for references: Amazon Music now has an HD upgrade that can let you stream or download the music in FLAC format, which is uncompressed (not mp3). Much better to reference a high quality file than an aac or mp3 lossy compression codec.
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Old 03-29-2020, 05:48 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Superfly76 View Post
Additional tip for references: Amazon Music now has an HD upgrade that can let you stream or download the music in FLAC format, which is uncompressed (not mp3). Much better to reference a high quality file than an aac or mp3 lossy compression codec.
FLAC is still a compressed format, but it does tend to be better quality than mp3 or AAC
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Old 03-29-2020, 08:29 AM   #13
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The fact it's compressed doesn't have any bearing on quality in this case - FLAC is 100% lossless.
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Old 03-29-2020, 11:17 AM   #14
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Quote:
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The fact it's compressed doesn't have any bearing on quality in this case - FLAC is 100% lossless.
In which case? Is that a reply to my post? Have you read the bit i quoted?
All i was doing was correcting a factual inaccuracy.
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Old 09-24-2020, 09:50 AM   #15
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I've used Reaper for loopback recording, but have found it easier to do it with Audacity (it has WASAPI loopback recording as a option) and import the results into Reaper, no need to change Reaper's audio settings at all.
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