Hi
I'm not a total newbie. I've been having some fun with sound editing back in the 90's, but I know like 1% of how sound editing looks like now and how to use Reaper. Hope you excuse me asking so much at once.
--- Latency
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Is using a virtual instrument instead of MIDI differs in terms of latency? I mean using your PC's keyboard. And can a 5$ cheap QWERTY keyboard affect it? Will I see an improvement when I connect a music keyboard or drum set through MIDI - MIDI-to-USB converter - PC?
I'd like to have no latency when creating, playing live, but also I'd like to be able to record it properly.
What "all track metering" checkbox does exactly?
I saw a youtuber saying you should toggle this (all track metering) to compromise between playback latency and recording.
Can different virtual instrument plugins have different playback latency? I think there's more latency in a free bass instrument I've installed, compared to others.
A modern PC has gigabytes of memory, so I understand the size of the sound files are not a problem, but does the quality or lenght matter? For example, if I load an hour long sound file as a virtual instrument. Would that affect latency in any way?
And if I insert a sound file into Reaper track, does it matter what type of file it was? I would assume it should uncompress everything when adding the file?
Is Asio4all inferior compared to "real" Asio? Maybe I should just use a retro PC with windows XP and audigy 2 for "proper" Asio? Or maybe it completetly doesn't matter? I'm afraid the topic is complicated, with various OSes, various motherboard vendors, USB controllers, APIs etc. etc.
Right now it says 6.6ms in my upper right corner of Reaper window
If I use 30 sounds as samples, each on a separate virtual instrument track, does that affect the latencies?
Does hardware configuration matter?
Would upgrading from overclocked 2600K ancient CPU to something like 10400f help?
Does the amount of cores and threads matter?
--- MIDI hardware and the interfaces
--------------------------------------
I've used to use Sound Blaster Live and SB Audigy 2 back in the days. How does the latency compare nowadays to that? Seems like it's difficult to achieve "no latency" in audio on modern PCs without hardware support as the old sound cards offered 20 years ago, although i only recently discovered Asio4all.
So, could someone please share some knowlege about it? MIDI latency, audio latency.
What do I need?
Any integrated audio will be good enough?
Maybe it's difficult and expensive to achieve the quality I knew from Live/Audigy2 cards and I should consider building up a retro PC? If I should get an interface, which ones are the cheapest ones which would be fine for a something like between beginner and semi-pro music production? So i won't have to buy again once I learn how to create music well. In case I will. Let's hope so
How about this MIDI box?
https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-MIDIS.../dp/B001D5D454
and if I'd like to record how exactly my Yamaha keyboard sounds when i play it as stand-alone intrument, there's no other way than getting a good audio inferface, right?
I've read a bit. Focusrite Scarlett Solo would be first "good enough" according to many, but it's a bit expensive compared to others. Suggestions welcomed
Lastly, a question about editing in Reaper
When I try to just copy a segment, so midi actions are copied exactly the same,
I get this
https://gyazo.com/172668317d3f160f693f95ba5398a42a
(the downward and upward arrows)
this means when I double click on the track to edit the notes, I can only edit in one part of the selection if I want to edit the original and copied part at once.
Actually, one more thing. If I already have a yamaha keyboard and Roland electronic drum set, can I get the same control over Reaper as I would if I bought a physical hardware with pads, sliders, knobs etc? Maybe it's a matter or budget? I know absolutely nothing about the most modern hardware, and surely, it would be awesome to get some hardware, but maybe I'd like to spend like a hundred bucks instead of a thousand and maybe I don't need it if only live performance I'd ever do, would be while being alone and having fun. Absolutely no live performance with any audience will ever happen, that's for sure. I hope I can get everything under a few hundreds. I have yet to do some proper research in terms of which free and non-free plugins I should get.
This thread is already too long
Thank you in advance for any information