3 things to make Reaper perfect

[brizola]

Hi!
I have been testing Reaper and it proved to be an amazing daw, it's everything you read here and outside this forum before you try it and even more while you're using it. There are just a few things to make it, in my opinion of course, perfect.

1. No split when loop recording: If you select "splits existing items and creates new takes" all takes are splitted wherever recording started (for instance in the middle of the loop), then you have 2 parts of the same take instead of 1 full take of the loop. And if you select "created new media items in separate lanes" you get the full loop with no split but no takes, and this makes choosing the best recording a pain. Maybe a combination of the two modes? Also, the "free item positioning" option is very interesting but, again, there are no takes when this is selected, just lanes, so you have to mute every lane to choose the one you like.

2. Separated takes instead of "glued" ones. I can't figure how to move/copy/whatever just a take and not the entire group of takes.

3. Alter project lenght (in time) so when you zoom out completely you just see what you want to see. I mean, if I have a song that yesterday was 5 minutes long but today is just 3, I don't know how to reduce the timeline to that 3 minutes.

Maybe it's possible to do this things now, but I have looked and found no way; for me Reaper it would be so perfect then.

Anyway, I'm staying with Reaper, as it is a wonderful tool; Hi everyone and thank you!

[brizola]

Oh a couple of things more:

--- when time selection change playback goes to the beginning of the new time selection; I'd freper it won't.
--- edit cursor & playback cursor: is it possible to have just one cursor?
--- when the mouse is on an empty place of the arrange area I'd like to see an arrow, not a cursor: this is just because it seems I'm on a text editor whenever I see the cursor.

[solger]

Welcome to the Reaper Forums!

In case you haven't already found them, make sure to check out the User Guide (https://www.reaper.fm/userguide.php) and the Videos section (https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php) in general. Additional Actions, Scripts, etc. are available via the SWS Extensions (http://www.sws-extension.org/) and ReaPack (https://reapack.com/).


I'll try to give some hints to your questions:

Originally Posted by brizola

2. Separated takes instead of "glued" ones. I can't figure how to move/copy/whatever just a take and not the entire group of takes.

One option would be to explode the Takes to separate Items or Tracks: https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#gWoipNbCTUI
More info about working with Takes here: https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#ilX2FOyu_Ts

You can also open the Action List and filter for 'Take' related Actions in general. Some additional copy/paste Take Actions are available in the SWS Extensions and ReaPack.

3. Alter project lenght (in time) so when you zoom out completely you just see what you want to see. I mean, if I have a song that yesterday was 5 minutes long but today is just 3, I don't know how to reduce the timeline to that 3 minutes.

Have a look at using Project Markers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BWKJ2iWD_I
The Action 'View: Zoom out project' might also be useful, in addition.

when time selection change playback goes to the beginning of the new time selection; I'd freper it won't.

Disable the Seek Playback when clicked options under Preferences > Audio > Seeking (which are responsible for moving the play cursor during playback)

edit cursor & playback cursor: is it possible to have just one cursor?

Not that I know of. But there are Actions for moving the edit cursor like: 'View: Move edit cursor to play cursor'. Some Edit Cursor related Options can also be found in the Preferences.
Depending on the use case, there might also be other options ...

when the mouse is on an empty place of the arrange area I'd like to see an arrow, not a cursor: this is just because it seems I'm on a text editor whenever I see the cursor.

Have a look at Custom Cursors:

- https://www.reaper.fm/sdk/cursors/cursors.php
- https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=48161

1. No split when loop recording: If you select "splits existing items and creates new takes" all takes are splitted wherever recording started (for instance in the middle of the loop), then you have 2 parts of the same take instead of 1 full take of the loop. And if you select "created new media items in separate lanes" you get the full loop with no split but no takes, and this makes choosing the best recording a pain. Maybe a combination of the two modes? Also, the "free item positioning" option is very interesting but, again, there are no takes when this is selected, just lanes, so you have to mute every lane to choose the one you like.

I'm not sure what you're looking for, exactly. So can you please post more details and maybe attach some screenshots of an example, as well: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=140670

[brizola]

Hey, solger; thank you very much for your reply, and excuse me for the delay: I was immersed in Reaper!

Originally Posted by solger

I'll try to give some hints to your questions:

One option would be to explode the Takes to separate Items or Tracks: https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#gWoipNbCTUI
More info about working with Takes here: https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php#ilX2FOyu_Ts

You can also open the Action List and filter for 'Take' related Actions in general. Some additional copy/paste Take Actions are available in the SWS Extensions and ReaPack.

Now I'm confortable with free item positioning mode activated when recording, so I get "autonomous" layers that I can move independently; I'll come back to this later.

Originally Posted by solger

Have a look at using Project Markers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BWKJ2iWD_I
The Action 'View: Zoom out project' might also be useful, in addition.

Wow, "view: zoom out project" is very useful indeed! But what I really want is to eliminate the empty space, so that the arrange area is only as large as your actual project, not your project plus a few empty minutes.

Originally Posted by solger

Disable the Seek Playback when clicked options under Preferences > Audio > Seeking (which are responsible for moving the play cursor during playback)

This was amazing, thank you!

Originally Posted by solger

Not that I know of. But there are Actions for moving the edit cursor like: 'View: Move edit cursor to play cursor'. Some Edit Cursor related Options can also be found in the Preferences.
Depending on the use case, there might also be other options ...

This did the trick! Now I prefer two cursors instead of just one, especially after disable "seek playback when clicked empty areas of tracks".

Originally Posted by solger

Have a look at Custom Cursors:

- https://www.reaper.fm/sdk/cursors/cursors.php
- https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=48161

Thank you again; I'll check this as it still make me nervous that word-like cursor, haha.

Originally Posted by solger

I'm not sure what you're looking for, exactly. So can you please post more details and maybe attach some screenshots of an example, as well: https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=140670

What I mean is that I'd like to work with takes because it's fast to record a few times the same thing and then pick up your favourite take just clicking it. But what I get here is not a set of entire takes, but a set of divided takes...

>>> https://i.imgur.com/dPoEfqt.png

... where there are two active takes (4/7) that in reality is just the same take --same recording, same file-- sliced in two parts (the slicing beginning where recording started).

I know maybe I can glue this halves, but then it wouldn't be so fast, so I'm following this method: recording with free item positioning mode active, which gives me complete, undivided items, and then "actions: item properties: solo" the layer I like.

>>> https://i.imgur.com/QwC2sNw.png

Of course it would be faster to end recording with just the last recorded take active, and then select the best take by clicking on it, instead of end recording with all layers active and then solo one layer... but I'm kind of getting used to this method and maybe it's faster in the end!

Thank you for your answers!