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View Full Version : Save live output to disk - some relevant FR's


Art Evans
09-17-2006, 06:19 AM
The following ideas are not necessarily my own - they arise from discussions with a colleague and from previous discussions here.

This stuff largely relates to using Reaper for live recording, where you are usually wise to have some sort of backup to stereo, or for situations where you want to be able to hand over a rough-mix CD right away.

"Save live output to disk" provides the beginnings of a tool for such purposes but could do with some enhancements which would make it a whole lot better.

IMHO it should be redone like this.....

1. Have a record button in the master track.

2. Right click on that button and you'd get a setup box offering two pairs of choices via radio buttons

Choice pair one -

Continuous record OR Record via transport

Choice pair two -

Record control room output OR record main output

Explanations -

"Continuous record" is what we have now. It's quite separate from the transport's stopping and starting. It enables you to treat Reaper as a mixer to stereo without actually recording any tracks. Once started, the record button would change icon to something conveying that continuous recording was in operation.

"Record via transport" would record only when the transport runs in record mode. In that mode, the recorded items would actually appear in the master track just like as if it was a normal track. The record button would look like any of the track record arm buttons when in this state.

In either case, filename creation would be automatic and would be numbered like any ordinary track. Actually it would be nice if the dialogue I'm discussing also allowed one to set the recording format separately for this live output, so that if you wanted you could record to mp3 or ogg or whatever the whole of a session including the discussions with the musicians and so forth. But otherwise format should be the same as the project recording format.

"Record control room output" is what we have now. At present, if you solo a track, that solo sound get recorded if you are using "save live output". That's not normally what you would want.

"Record main output" would record as if the mixer had separate monitoring and main busses. So solo would not affect the recording.

3. For those with hardware with multiple outputs wanting to hang a CD recorder or the like off an output pair, there would be the means to have the equivalent of the mixer's "main" output (not the control room output which is currently represented by the master) assignable to an output - it would not be affected by any solo operations on individual tracks. I haven't thought through exactly how this would be handled in the gui, though it should be possible to include it in the Routing Matrix as an additional line either above or below the master output line. Or maybe that could be another option in the dialog that pops up when you right click on the master track record button - if you chose to record the "main" output rather than the "control room" output, it would offer a dropdown with the hardware outputs listed so you could pick one to route this special output to.

Any views or questions on all of that? Maybe this would also even be of use to the midiots sometimes, as well as the audiots?

malcolmj
09-17-2006, 06:43 AM
"Record control room output" is what we have now. At present, if you solo a track, that solo sound get recorded if you are using "save live output". That's not normally what you would want.

Agreed.

"Record main output" would record as if the mixer had separate monitoring and main busses. So solo would not affect the recording.

Which should, ideally, be the default.

3. For those with hardware with multiple outputs wanting to hang a CD recorder or the like off an output pair, there would be the means to have the equivalent of the mixer's "main" output (not the control room output which is currently represented by the master) assignable to an output - it would not be affected by any solo operations on individual tracks.

If the behaviour was changed to suit the above suggestions, it should be possible with REAPER's current routing. Just select an Audio Hardware Output from the Main Channels I/O window, after "Record Main Output" is enabled.

Maybe this would also even be of use to the midiots sometimes, as well as the audiots?

I know this is meant in jest, but on a personal note I'd love to see the term "midiot" die. It's easy to develop the belief that audio development is given preference over MIDI development in REAPER, and this sort of term adds to that perception. :)

Cheers,

Malcolm.

(who probably needs to get some sleep and take a break from hunting MIDI bugs for a few days :D )

Art Evans
09-17-2006, 07:14 AM
I see your point, Malcolm - but I'm equally happy to refer to myself as an audiot, and indeed have done so - nothing perjorative whatever intended, just shorthand for "those mainly interested in the midi aspects of the program" and "those mainly interested in the audio aspects". I realise the latter have perhaps had the lions' share recently, but I think those on both sides (and the middle) shouldn't feel constrained about what they put forward and when - of course it's up to Justin to address requests in whatever order he feels best (or just fancies...) - if at all.

malcolmj
09-17-2006, 12:29 PM
I see your point, Malcolm - but I'm equally happy to refer to myself as an audiot, and indeed have done so - nothing perjorative whatever intended, just shorthand for "those mainly interested in the midi aspects of the program" and "those mainly interested in the audio aspects".

Sure Art, my comment wasn't directed at you, just a general statement. :)

I'm equally interested in all aspects of the program, but as you say, it's up to Justin to choose the development priority.

Cheers,

Malcolm.