Need amp/effects pedals for blues, blues rock, classic rock

Your first step could be to reinstall windows, apply all available windows updates, install latest drivers for the laptop, and latest drivers for your audio interface being used with the laptop. Do NOT install anything else (extraneous software). The more crap you have running, the more things you have looking for software updates randomly, etc the more likely something might try to execute in the background at the worse time (when you're trying to get a recording done).

If that alone doesn't resolve the problem then check back here and with a fresh install baseline it will be easier to assist. Additionally, there should be a guide somewhere that explains how to adjust the audio settings within Reaper (which works in tandem with the audio interface's drivers) to reduce latency and dropouts. It sounds like you're getting dropouts, so as previously suggested you would start looking at buffer size adjustment to address that issue directly.

Most audio card troubleshooting is a "change settings, test" situation. Expect to make a few changes and do a few tests until you iron the issues with the laptop out.

Regarding the amp sims/VSTs, you need to adjust the settings within the VST just like you would on your physical amp. The presets are just that - presets. Too much treble? Then turn it down. Too much fuzz? Turn down the gain and/or swap pedals/distortion effects. The amount of control you have is pretty remarkable once you understand how the amp sim works. Like I said prior, if you can't find an acceptable tone for noodling it's because you're either not trying or don't understand what to do. Both are hurtles you can choose to overcome. ;-) But first you obviously need a computer that doesn't dropout before you can get any meaningful work done. To put it another way, you're trying to race but the car keeps stalling every 100 meters. Fix the car's issues, then you can learn to race it.
 
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sometimes the track stops recording period with the other tracks continuing on their merry way).

I picked up on this little tidbit. There are some plugs that will put dead space in the audio when you are using them in Demo mode. They do that so you can try the product but can't use it for free. Once you purchase and license the plug, the dead space doesn't happen anymore. I mention this because I know you have been using some plugs in demo mode.

I know in the past I mentioned latency and buffer settings to you and I see others have also. It's about trying to find the right balance between near real time recording and system performance. If you're getting drop-outs and glitches, it is because you buffer settings are too low. Gotta find the control panel for your audio interface and bump the buffer/latency settings up.

the sim'd amp/pedals are crackly crap. It's like the signal is both impaired and the nuclear treble booster is on.

This bothers me. Which pedal did you get?? One of the Boss ones, right?? Does it have a headphone jack? Plug your headphones directly into the pedal. It should sound decent. Because you're not getting a good tone from your pedal tells me you've got it plugged in to the wrong place, or you're adding stuff that shouldn't be there.

Stick with it, you're getting there.
 
I picked up on this little tidbit. There are some plugs that will put dead space in the audio when you are using them in Demo mode. They do that so you can try the product but can't use it for free. Once you purchase and license the plug, the dead space doesn't happen anymore. I mention this because I know you have been using some plugs in demo mode.

I know in the past I mentioned latency and buffer settings to you and I see others have also. It's about trying to find the right balance between near real time recording and system performance. If you're getting drop-outs and glitches, it is because you buffer settings are too low. Gotta find the control panel for your audio interface and bump the buffer/latency settings up.



This bothers me. Which pedal did you get?? One of the Boss ones, right?? Does it have a headphone jack? Plug your headphones directly into the pedal. It should sound decent. Because you're not getting a good tone from your pedal tells me you've got it plugged in to the wrong place, or you're adding stuff that shouldn't be there.

Stick with it, you're getting there.

A-ha! the Presonus AI driver block size (buffer, right?) is set to "Auto". It has settings from 64 to 4096, and the Auto setting. I'll start with 512 and go from there. There is a Latency option called Safe Mode that just defaulted to 512 when I select the "Standard" setting, so let's see how things go moving forward.

I like supporting my local shop but they are extremely slow ordering new hardware, the BOSS ME-80. it's been over a week and I've heard nothing, so I've been using the plugins that come with Reaper. I'm checking today, and if it's not in, then I'll cancel and just buy Amplitube...
 
Yeah. Maybe I wasn't super clear, but most of the time you shouldn't be "adjusting audio settings" in Reaper itself. Buffer settings are best done via the interface manufacturer's utility widget whatever. Every one is a little different in where to find things, what they're called, and available settings, but it all works about the same if you squint a little. All of the decent interfaces (AudioBox is definitely decent) nowadays do a fine job of reporting buffer and sample rate settings to Reaper, and Reaper has no problem at all doing what it has to do with that information as long as the driver tells the truth.

There ARE ways to override those settings and have Reaper try to tell the interface driver what settings to use. Whether that works or not, though, depends on how well the manufacturer implemented that. One would imagine that the decent interfaces are programmed to work that way also, but I have never trusted it and haven't ever seen a reason to not just let the software that comes with the interface control that part.


Edit - BTW, in the upper right above the timeline in reapers default layout, the should be a readout of the audio settings - bit depth, sample rate, buffer/latency. If you click on that, it opens Reapers Options|Preferences window right to the Audio Devices page and in the middle of that is a button that will bring up your interface's own utility where you can make those changes. I'd be interested to see what this display says when you set the thing to Auto. Like, what is it trying to do to you?
 
I used the Presonus "Universal Control" program to manage the settings for the AI/drivers. Like you said, you can access this app directly or through the Reaper menu through Options|Preferences|Audio Device|ASIO configuration button.

To answer your question, when block size is set to Auto, it let's you fudge with ALL the latency settings, high to low. If you choose a specific block size, say 512, it seems to default to a specific latency setting. 512 requires the "Relaxed" latency setting.

My BOSS ME-80 arrived.
uWX18kD.jpg
 
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