Recording - October 2010 - 56
By Darrell Burgan
From this window, one can add VST plug-ins (both synth and audio), as well as DirectX plug-ins, JS plug-ins, REAPER custom plug-ins, and ReWire devices, all by dragging and dropping. In addition, REAPER makes it easy to organize plug-ins into folders and rename them however you prefer, so you can organize your work space the way you like it. For this track, I’ll pick one of my favorite VST synths and add a VST distortion effect and a DirectX delay effect (Figure 3). Together, these plug-ins constitute an “FX chain”. After setting up my FX chain the way I want it for this track, I must next tell REAPER from where to get its input. Since a track can hold audio, MIDI or a combination, REAPER needs to be told what kind of data to record. So I’ll tell it I want to record MIDI (Figure 4).
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Now is a great time to be making music using a computer, with so many great software choices in a wide range of prices to suit all budgets. Today I’ll guide you on a Walking Tour of my DAW of choice, REAPER by Cockos, Inc.. REAPER is available for both Windows and Mac OS X, and also is tested to work with nearly any flavor of Linux under WINE (see my article “Running Your Studio Under Linux,” August 2010). Not only is the software extremely feature-rich and powerful, but Cockos does a superb job of maintaining it, consistently making updates every few weeks, stretching back all the way to 2005. In this Walking Tour, we examine REAPER 3.52; the current version as of press time is 3.66. We’ll go through building a basic song with REAPER from blank screen to rendered CD track, with a special punchline at the end... There is far too much power under the hood in REAPER to cover in the space available, so we’re going to focus on the kinds of straightforward things one might do to create a typical song. I’ll be using a Windows PC for the example figures. Starting your song When you first start up REAPER, you’re presented with a blank slate. Creating a first track is as easy as right-clicking and selecting “Insert new track” (Figure 1). A track can hold audio, MIDI, or a combination of both. Adding a soft synth is as simple as clicking on the “FX” button on the track (Figure 2).
56
RECORDING OCTOBER 2010
Now, when I click the “Record Armed” icon on the track, I am able to immediately begin playing the synth rack that I’ve set up, as well as record what I’m playing. Fortunately, REAPER supports nearly every
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Recording - October 2010
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2010
Recording - October 2010
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Cakewalk V-Studio 20
Abbey Road Sessions—Good Reasons To Be Prepared
AKG Perception 820 Tube Microphone
A Basement Conversion—The Borla/Mouse Basement Studio
DAW Details
SM Pro Audio P-Control, DiDock, and CT-3
Green Glue
Alesis PalmTrack
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 7: Income Earned By Songs—Part 2
Reviewed and Revisited
Plug-In Outlet
Do It Yourself: Rack Panels For Under Four Dollars
Cockos REAPER—A Walking Tour
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Readers' Tapes
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - October 2010 - Recording - October 2010
Recording - October 2010 - Cover2
Recording - October 2010 - 1
Recording - October 2010 - Fade In
Recording - October 2010 - 3
Recording - October 2010 - Contents
Recording - October 2010 - 5
Recording - October 2010 - Talkback
Recording - October 2010 - 7
Recording - October 2010 - Fast Forward
Recording - October 2010 - 9
Recording - October 2010 - Cakewalk V-Studio 20
Recording - October 2010 - 11
Recording - October 2010 - 12
Recording - October 2010 - 13
Recording - October 2010 - Abbey Road Sessions—Good Reasons To Be Prepared
Recording - October 2010 - 15
Recording - October 2010 - 16
Recording - October 2010 - 17
Recording - October 2010 - 18
Recording - October 2010 - 19
Recording - October 2010 - 20
Recording - October 2010 - 21
Recording - October 2010 - AKG Perception 820 Tube Microphone
Recording - October 2010 - 23
Recording - October 2010 - A Basement Conversion—The Borla/Mouse Basement Studio
Recording - October 2010 - 25
Recording - October 2010 - 26
Recording - October 2010 - 27
Recording - October 2010 - DAW Details
Recording - October 2010 - 29
Recording - October 2010 - 30
Recording - October 2010 - 31
Recording - October 2010 - SM Pro Audio P-Control, DiDock, and CT-3
Recording - October 2010 - 33
Recording - October 2010 - Green Glue
Recording - October 2010 - 35
Recording - October 2010 - Alesis PalmTrack
Recording - October 2010 - 37
Recording - October 2010 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 7: Income Earned By Songs—Part 2
Recording - October 2010 - 39
Recording - October 2010 - 40
Recording - October 2010 - 41
Recording - October 2010 - Reviewed and Revisited
Recording - October 2010 - 43
Recording - October 2010 - Plug-In Outlet
Recording - October 2010 - 45
Recording - October 2010 - 46
Recording - October 2010 - 47
Recording - October 2010 - Do It Yourself: Rack Panels For Under Four Dollars
Recording - October 2010 - 49
Recording - October 2010 - 50
Recording - October 2010 - 51
Recording - October 2010 - 52
Recording - October 2010 - 53
Recording - October 2010 - 54
Recording - October 2010 - 55
Recording - October 2010 - Cockos REAPER—A Walking Tour
Recording - October 2010 - 57
Recording - October 2010 - 58
Recording - October 2010 - 59
Recording - October 2010 - 60
Recording - October 2010 - 61
Recording - October 2010 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - October 2010 - 63
Recording - October 2010 - Readers' Tapes
Recording - October 2010 - Advertiser Index
Recording - October 2010 - 66
Recording - October 2010 - 67
Recording - October 2010 - 68
Recording - October 2010 - 69
Recording - October 2010 - 70
Recording - October 2010 - 71
Recording - October 2010 - Fade Out
Recording - October 2010 - Cover3
Recording - October 2010 - Cover4
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