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09-15-2019, 01:43 PM
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#1
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Help,,Reaper distorting and speed problems.
Hi Everyone. A newbie to this. I downloaded an evaluation version for a while and decided to have a go at recording. I'm of an age were I find this sort of tech' difficult. However, I eventually managed to produce a track, which I was quite pleased with and decided to buy the licence.
I downloaded it and the most recent update. To my horror, whilst everything was fine with the EV, the licenced one is all distorted and the speed is all wrong (fast). My setup hasn't changed, which is;
Presonus Audiobox interface into Imac running Mojave. I'm not using the Audiobox as Output. I'm using the Mac into Alesis Monitors. LOL, as I'm writing, It occurs to me that I've updated to Mojave from High Sierra, which is what the EV ran on.
I've tried running Audacity and iTunes which both run fine. I've also tried a Scarlett2i and got the same problems.
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Regards
John
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09-15-2019, 02:57 PM
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#2
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,705
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Hi Jontie. This indeed sounds frustrating but also puzzling since the evaluation versions and the "paid for"version are identical. In fact the only difference AFAIK is that you enter a serial number to remove the "nag" screen. I think therefore that it's not REAPER directly causing the problem.
Can you say what exactly has changed eg are old projects all distorting or just new ones? Does it affect all tracks? Is it obvious when monitoring tracks when in record?
Have you checked all the settings in the Audio Device section in Preferences? I notice you are using the MAC's output and that the OS had recently changed. I am not a MAC expert but I would check here for a mismatch (perhaps sample rate?) Also is the Audiobox driver compatible with your system upgrade? I know Audacity runs fine but might be worth checking.
As you can tell I have no definitive answer - just suggestions to try till the real experts show up!
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09-16-2019, 03:01 AM
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#3
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Hi Martin, thank you for the reply. I have access to a Mac that's still got the "High Sierra" OS on it. I'll try downloading Reaper into that and see if I still get the same result.
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09-16-2019, 05:05 PM
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#4
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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H Martin,
All tracks were distorting. I've disconnected the interface and put it on the other Mac. Reaper is now playing fine. I'll try the Scarlett in it again tomorrow.
Meanwhile, on the other Mac, with "High Sierra"' I've managed to download the licence version and it played a backing track OK, I then armed a 2nd track, but can't get any sound out of it.
I've selected sample rate 48000, input... audiobox.....Output PnP usb Audio Device and I've got monitor on auto. No movement on the meter with guitar plugged in.
Be gentle with me guys, I'm really struggling here.LOL
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09-16-2019, 06:57 PM
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#5
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Brooklyn
Posts: 2,634
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Hi Jontie,
It sounds like you're saying that when you removed the interface (and let Reaper default to the Mac system audio outputs since it couldn't locate any others) the project sounded right. And that using either interface yielded the distortion.
One thing that immediately occurred to me is that using the Mac's audio output instead of the interface's, while the interface is selected as device in the preferences, is sort of a recipe for odd behavior. Use the main outputs of the interface instead, if only to check this out. Also, using headphones from the interface and seeing how it sounds will be a clue. If it sounds fine there then the distortion is happening after the audio leaves Reaper and is past the interface.
I'll wager Audacity and iTunes are sounding OK because even if the interface is plugged in it's not being selected as being in use by the apps, so it's ignored and not in use. Reaper is working fine when the interface isn't selected, so I think it has to do with if the interface is selected in the prefs then you need to use that for the output.
As far as the monitoring of the track, "arm" the record on the track. First check that the track input is indeed set to get signal from the input the guitar is plugged into, turn up the input on the interface to see level on that input, and push the record button on the track (but don't hit the record function on the transport, it can just stay still). Toggle through the different monitor settings on the monitor button on the track to make sure you're in the mode you want to be in. If all those ducks are in a row, you should see level : )
__________________
The reason rain dances work is because they don't stop dancing until it rains.
Last edited by vdubreeze; 09-16-2019 at 07:04 PM.
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09-17-2019, 07:34 AM
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#6
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Hi VDU', you raise some good points. many thanks. I'll play with it tonight and keep you posted.
Cheers
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09-17-2019, 08:56 AM
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#7
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 12,632
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jontie
Hi Everyone. A newbie to this. I downloaded an evaluation version for a while and decided to have a go at recording. I'm of an age were I find this sort of tech' difficult. However, I eventually managed to produce a track, which I was quite pleased with and decided to buy the licence.
I downloaded it and the most recent update. To my horror, whilst everything was fine with the EV, the licenced one is all distorted and the speed is all wrong (fast). My setup hasn't changed, which is;
Presonus Audiobox interface into Imac running Mojave. I'm not using the Audiobox as Output. I'm using the Mac into Alesis Monitors. LOL, as I'm writing, It occurs to me that I've updated to Mojave from High Sierra, which is what the EV ran on.
I've tried running Audacity and iTunes which both run fine. I've also tried a Scarlett2i and got the same problems.
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Regards
John
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It sounds like the root of your problems is you are not using both of your audio interfaces together correctly.
First, you have two audio interfaces. The one built into your computer logic board and the Focusrite.
DAW apps let you connect to a single audio interface at a time.
You make what's called an aggregate device with your OS audio utility. (This is not done in the DAW app.) Then you select the aggregate device instead of one or the other single devices in Reaper. Use the Audio MIDI Setup utility app for this (ASIO for Windows users).
There's a second step required here to sync the multiple digital devices to the same sample rate clock. It's a little complicated by the fact that one of these interfaces is built-in to the computer and thus has no clock connections. What usually works is to make the built-in interface clock master and make the external interface clock to the built-in interface over the data connection. This usually works at SD sample rates but often not at HD sample rates.
There are more threads around here to look up regarding aggregate device setups.
As soon as you start using more than one digital device together, you need to pick one of them to use the sample rate clock and slave all other devices to it. This isn't just recommended... it's required.
If you only connect to one device (interface) at a time, it stays on the default internal clock setting and you can stay completely unaware of any of this.
Now in hindsight...
Maybe you tried to do something the hard way for no good reason (got to start somewhere) and you don't really need to use two audio interfaces together to accomplish what you're after. If you do though... that's how it's done. If not, maybe this helps explain a couple things and leads to a simpler setup.
Last edited by serr; 09-17-2019 at 09:02 AM.
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09-18-2019, 02:41 PM
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#8
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Hi Guys, Just to put you in the picture, I'm not feeling too well at the mo', so haven't been able to play with it. Hopefully be better by weekend.
Serr, thank you for your reply.
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09-24-2019, 01:14 AM
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#9
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Good Morning all, I'm feeling a little better now (chemo) so I've been playing with it again. Thanks to your help / advice, I've had some degree of success. The interface seems to be working OK. The guitar registers on the meter and it's loud and clear through the monitors, alongside the backing track, which is playing.
What isn't happening though, is that even though I've armed the track to record, it isn't.
No doubt, something obvious, that an old fool like me has overlooked LOL!!
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09-24-2019, 03:05 AM
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#10
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,705
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Hi Jontie. Welcome back and hope things are too awful for you just now.
As to Reaper matters, so you have the guitar registering on the meter, armed the track and try to record. When you press Stop (or use the space bar) Reaper should then prompt you to either Save All or Delete selected takes etc. Are you seeing that?
Also as you record does the waveform appear on the track?
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09-24-2019, 06:36 AM
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#11
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Hi Martin, It asks me if I wish to save the BT. No wave form showing at all.
Thanks
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09-24-2019, 09:49 AM
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#12
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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Martin, silly b****r that I am. It does help if, having armed the track, I hit the RECORD button LOL!
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09-24-2019, 10:46 AM
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#13
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Barrowford. NE Lancs. (UK)
Posts: 19
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success!!
Hitting the RECORD tab does work. LOL. Many thanks to all for your assistance, I've no doubt there'll be lots more silly questions to come from me.
Regards to all
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09-27-2019, 04:03 AM
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#14
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Near Cambridge UK and Near Questembert, France
Posts: 22,754
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Well done for figuring it out! I`m one of the lucky ones, so I know how hard it is to focus on stuff when you`re down. Hang in there!
__________________
Ici on parles Franglais
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09-27-2019, 01:20 PM
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#15
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,705
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Sorry Jontie for missing the last couple of posts - I wish I could claim it was a deliberate policy to allow you to work things out for yourself but it wasn't! Anyhow glad the fog is starting to clear so to speak and that you can start to get creative again.
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