Reaper By The Numbers: Following Kenny Gioia's Tutorial Videos

spantini

COO of me, inc.
I'm on # 8 now, Fades and Crossfades. These are easy to follow for the most part, although I think Kenny may be using a Mac - and I'm on PC. Some of the items in some of the selected menus don't appear in my menus; or appear in a different format. So far, so good.

Often, the mouse arrow will dip below the bottom edge of the video where it's not visible - Kenny will go down there and click something he's describing, but I can't see what it is. I guess it's not too important, as there seems to be 2 or 3 ways of doing everything.

I keep Reaper in the background with a sample file in track 1 so I can mimic his demos as we go. Every hour or so, I pause the video to play around with the sample track.

Since I don't have my interface installed yet, I had to just sit and watch as Kenny added a track for a mic'd Acoustic Guitar. I opened the same menus and windows he did, but the input channel(s) in his menus were way more than what I've got - he had like 16 channels and my version only shows Left and Right.. not even numbered. I don't know if that's going to matter later. Probably, but I'll figure that out later.
 
IF you don't have an interface installed, the inputs will default to your computer's onboard soundcard, hence the left and right (only). Consider following along with the videos with the user manual open to that section.
 
Ahh yes. As I rewatched # 5 , I caught Kenny saying "his interface" had 16 inputs, as he was explaining how to map the inputs. My 2-input interface isn't installed yet, but the driver is, and I had thought Reaper may have detected the 2-inputs from that. But your explanation sounds better.
 
Those videos are great. He explains each function and puts it into a practical context to demonstrate why you might use it. It's a great way to get to know Reaper obviously, but there's a lot of mixing and editing chops in there as well that also work on other platforms for the most part.
 
I felt a little overwhelmed when I began reading the manual. These videos are a thousand times more effective - for me, anyway. I'm up to 12 (Track Grouping) this morning and I'm surprised at how well I seem to be retaining all of this. I'm not a young man anymore. At the end of Video # 11 , he mentions checking out the additional (unnumbered) videos on the Reaper Home Page, which go deeper into many areas.

I think it's great how much support there is behind this product. It's almost like sitting at a board in a studio while the instructor demonstrates.
 
12. Track Grouping Notes:

First off, this video, along with 13. VCAs, were the most fun to watch and play along with in Reaper - so far. Amazing stuff.

I did see one thing I'd like to see changed: using Win10, when selecting group in track grouping parameters, it opens with the last touched group at the top of the list. I'd like to see this open with group 1 at the top so I won't have to scroll it there to see all groups upon opening. I know I can just use grouping matrix, but I may not want to lay that over the master. I'm ok with working several open windows simultaneously.
 
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Notes on 15. Locking:

Following the video, selected a track item by mouse-click. Then I added a fade-in at the beginning. Now, when I grab the top edge of the track item and drag it down to lower the volume, I don't notice any volume difference in my (desktop) monitor speakers. Puzzling.. unless this is addressed in later videos.

Also, creating a track volume envelope and modulating the volume with a wave drawn by mouse displays modulated volume, and the volume envelope fader does highlight and follows the wave. It automates nicely, but I still don't hear the modulation on playback - just the original volume. Gotta be another setting I haven't come across yet. Off I go..!


For clarity, the project is an mp3 I dragged and dropped onto an open track. No recording going on.. just playback.

________________________________

Ok. It was driving me nuts, so I skipped ahead to 23. Envelopes and Automation. Checking it out now..
 
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Ok. It was driving me nuts, so I skipped ahead to 23. Envelopes and Automation. Checking it out now..

Well.. I followed the video for recording a track volume envelope. I applied the same settings and..

In the video, the green envelope displays recorded fader movements. My play cursor just went straight across with a bunched up group of "points" attached to it at the 0.0dB intersect.

I finally figured it out. Kenny mentioned he was using a controller, but did not say he was manually riding the fader up and down - which created the pattern to be recorded. He just said "Record" and away he went. I had my eyes glued to the green envelope and had not noticed the fader on the left side of the screen wildly sliding up and down. I finally noticed it after umpteen viewings, and it dawned on me that the envelope would record zero movement as a flat line, so he had to be riding the fader. It just wasn't mentioned at the time, and for a newbie it was complicated. Got it now, though. :thumbs up:

Now back to 15. Locking for a refresher
 
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One major problem is my PC speakers just can't handle the fluctuations in volume. What should be heard as a very noticeable volume change is barely perceptible - except for zero volume. Pushing the track's volume envelope to the max creates massive distortion yet little overall increase.

I should have my interface installed tomorrow sometime, and that should correct that problem.

Test Image
VTw2YjX.png
 
One major problem is my PC speakers just can't handle the fluctuations in volume. What should be heard as a very noticeable volume change is barely perceptible - except for zero volume. Pushing the track's volume envelope to the max creates massive distortion yet little overall increase.

I should have my interface installed tomorrow sometime, and that should correct that problem.

Test Image
View attachment 100602

Hi again,
First thing I noticed was your Monitor button, It should look like;Selection_002.png Just click it to change (3 stages?)



And I've changed my item gain to a 'Knob' like;Selection_004.png

@ the top left of the track next the 'info' button, I find that easier to use?


easy enough to change in the prefs!;Selection_003.png

Enjoy :thumbs up:
 
Thanks for the tip on the item gain knob, jiff. My default was: Handle +0.0dB is center of item - that didn't allow for much increase. The knob does.

I did have Monitoring On while working. This image was cut from the panel before I began. I'm still playing around with the default New Project Settings - don't have mine yet.
 
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After skipping ahead to # 23, I rewatched # 15 and am proceeding in order from there.

My interface is installed now, so I'm able to hear all the good stuff my PC speakers robbed me of.

On to # 16. Takes & Comping !
 
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I've watched my way through # 19 Markers & Regions

I don't remember everything, and I have to replay or rewatch all the videos many times. I was having Reaper open so I could pause and follow along with Kenny on YouTube, then the flipping back and forth became a problem for Reaper, so I took a break while I figured how to keep them both running. Now I'm playing around with different recording techniques to get good acoustic guitar into Reaper. I'll get back onto the videos this weekend.
 
;) I was gonna give that a Big Grin, but the icon ain't working.

:D

Oh.. there it is.
 
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And who could forget; "There's another saying in these parts Senator,, Don't Piss down my back & tell me it's raining". :laughings: :D

From the very same film!.
 
Kenny's got a new series of videos on Recording - straight to the point :guitar: I think he saw me floundering and took pity on me.. but I am getting great help from some of the guys here :listeningmusic:
mYvkWWQ.jpg
 
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