Reaper on multiple computers?

[RFR]

I just downloaded and installed reaper on my laptop. However, my brand new dedicated recording computer, which is faster and more powerful, has no internet hookup.

Can I copy reaper and transfer it to my main computer?
The manual states you can put it on a flash drive, but its not real clear to me. ( sorry newbie question)
So I guess my question is if I can put it on a flash drive and install it on the other computer as if I had downloaded it.

 

[gecko zzed]

Yep.

Copy onto a USB stick the Reaper installation file that you downloaded to your laptop. The file will be something like: reaper515-install.exe

Pop the stick into your new computer.

Open the USB stick, and double click on the exe file.

Reaper will install on the new computer.

If you paid a reaper licence, you may need to find this and copy it onto the stick as well.

 

[ashcat_lt]

Yep. That ^^^

Edit- There is such a thing as a portable install where you would actually install all of the Reaper files on a flash drive and could move it between the two machines, but I don't think it'll be much advantage to you.

 

[RFR]

Hey, thanks guys.
The portable install is what was giving me uncertainty. Thats the only thing I could find in the manual.

Right now I have a thumbdrive filled with 16 individual wave files. ( I transfered 16 track tape)

So in theory, once I have reaper installed on both computers, I could move audio files back and forth via a thumbdrive. Like if I felt like editing on my laptop at a coffee shop or something. Correct?

 

[DM60]

Hey, thanks guys.
The portable install is what was giving me uncertainty. Thats the only thing I could find in the manual.

Right now I have a thumbdrive filled with 16 individual wave files. ( I transfered 16 track tape)

So in theory, once I have reaper installed on both computers, I could move audio files back and forth via a thumbdrive. Like if I felt like editing on my laptop at a coffee shop or something. Correct?

I would do it by project. Get a folder, start your edits or mix or ??? when you want to edit on another computer, move the whole folder, that way when you bring you your project on another computer, all of your edits are there. Reaper edits are non-destructive, meaning they point to the source files using its own file.

Main thing is, you will need all of the information. Therefore, take the complete folder.

 

[gecko zzed]

Hey, thanks guys.
The portable install is what was giving me uncertainty. Thats the only thing I could find in the manual.

Right now I have a thumbdrive filled with 16 individual wave files. ( I transfered 16 track tape)

So in theory, once I have reaper installed on both computers, I could move audio files back and forth via a thumbdrive. Like if I felt like editing on my laptop at a coffee shop or something. Correct?

Correct.

Once Reaper is installed on both, you can work on a project on either computer, so long as you keep the files for a project together.

You can do this by having a folder containing the files and the Reaper RPP project file on Computer A, dropping the folder onto a USB stick, then transferring all to Computer B. Then doing this in reverse when you've finished at the coffee shop and want to work on the on Computer A again.

However, that's a rather messy way of doing it. A neater way is to get a portable hard drive. Put your files and RPP projects in folders for each song on that, and just use that, swapping it from Computer A to Computer B as required, rather than transferring and transporting files via USB stick.

You have to make sure that Reaper and associated plug-ins are the same in both set ups. If not, you may load up a project fine on Computer A, but if you don't have, say, the same reverb plug-in on Computer B, Reaper will load up ok, but won't find the plug in. It will preserve the plug-in settings, but yo (obviously) won't hear the effect.

If you are gong to be transferring files via USB, it could get messy. You could end up with different versions if you forget to transfer and work on the wrong set of files.

 

[RFR]

That all makes sense. I'm gradually getting familiar with this. Totally new world for me.

Just to try it on for size on my laptop, i imported 16 tracks from tape via thumbdrive. Was easier than I thought.
Playing around with the mixer. Just basics. Pan level etc.

For the life of me I can't get the waveform to show.

Well, lots of playing around to do.


Edit: thanks for putting up with my noob questions, and more importantly, thanks for responding.

 

[RFR]

With your help guys, i got it up and running on my good computer. Thanks.

Now im playing around and evaluating.


Weird mixing and not touching my board, very weird. Panning with a mouse? What a pita! Lol.

 

[VomitHatSteve]

Once Reaper is installed on both, you can work on a project on either computer, so long as you keep the files for a project together.

Does Reaper still use $HOME/.appData/REAPER or something as its default location for storing files on fresh installs?

One thing I recommend is to hit alt+enter (to bring up project settings), switch tho the "media" tab, and make sure the "Path to save media files" is relative to the current directory (e.g. "mediaFiles"). Then, as you record things, it will save everything in a mediaFiles folder right next to the project file.