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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>So, after literally speaking, playing with
Reaper all day to this point nonstop, since about 6 this morning, , and
practically getting absolutely nowhere more than waisting an entire day of time,
and wearing myself out, I am at two conclusions. Either someone on this
list is going to have to be willing to not necessarily sit here and teach me the
program and all its ins and outs, no pun intended, but at least chat with me
over phone or Skype, and give me a hand, or, I'm gonna probably have to ditch
Reaper altogether, which I really really don't want to do, if I can at all
prevent it! This DAW looks so promising, I'd really like to give it some
chance of credit, but it's blaintantly obvious that I am doing something dead
wrong. I posted some questions this morning, but no one is
answerring. I understand people have jobs, lives, and are busy. I
know that. I would have been willing to wait and be patient for a
response... I still am! willing to be patient. My thing is, I'm
questioning if it's just people being busy, vs. it's people not knowing the
answer to my questions, which I hope isn't the case, considerring how
fundemental not to mention paramount of tasks they were that I'm trying to
accomplish.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>So, again, not to purposely be redundant, but here
is the real shortened run down version again of my questions. Some of
them, I've figured out, I think, though I haven't tested my theories, so I'll
slightly revise where necessary.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>1. I have a track with voice on it. I
want to select a portion of the audio to either delete, or somehow menipulate,
be it copy/cut, add effects, whatever. The bottom line, I have a portion
of audio which needs to be selected. I know about the selecting methods
like alt+shift+left and right brackets to set my bounderies, I know about
splitting an item into multiple items with the S key. I know the
difference in pausing and stopping with space vs. ctrl+Space. My question
is, once I have something selected on that one track in the project, how do I
now play just! that selection of audio between those bounderies? If I
select a range in the timeline, then I hit space bar, it's playing everything,
regardless. I'm sorry, but this is unacceptable behavior for me 99.999% of
the time. I need to be able to hear isolated just! what is selected and no
more. Why? Well? Think about it! What if the right
boundery is slid a little too far to the right, therefore giving a little bit
too much audio at the end. So the right boundery would need to nudge back
to the left just a bit with alt+ctrl+comma. Or say, the left edge
needs to have ctrl+period done a few times to nudge it inward a bit. This
way, I get the exact selection fine tuned really tightly. If I can't
audition my selection without hearing anything else, then how the heck am I
supposed to accurately do this?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>2. When I create a track with ctrl+T, call it
say... voice... hit F7 to arm, then R to record, I'm speaking about 3 or 4
sentences in my mike, then hitting space to stop recording and am choosing save
all. Now, I hit W to go to the beginning of the project. Again, this
is dealing with a one track only project. Now, I hit space bar to
play. Now, I try to read my meters with j for left, and k for right
channels, I'm being told that my levels on each channel seperetly are coming in
around -27DB. Whenever I use any other DAW like Sonar, or ProTools, or
what not, without even moving the gain dial at all on my interface, it says I'm
coming in at -12. Yes, I am aware of the windows sound mixer settings, and
the input volume level under the device properties. In both cases, the
level was never moved from one to the other when switching DAWS. I
thought that maybe it might be that things like ProTools are combining both
channels into one meter, as some of the above DAWS I mentioned only have one
meter, not two, so this would mean if I wanted -12 over all across both
channels, I'd have to divide -12 by 2. Because half of that -12DB would be
distributed to the left while the other half would evenly be distributed to the
right. Well, -12 divided by 2 is -6, says my calculator. So, that
would mean that in all actuality, each of the two meters should show around
-6DB, if my assumption were correct. Well, that isn't the case. It's
showing again, around -25 to 27ish. Then, when I up arrow to my karaoke
track, then! read the meters, it's showing about -18 to -15 for both.
Why? When I import the karaoke track on to a track in any other DAW, then
look at the meters while playing, it's around 0DB. Which makes sense, as
the track has been obviously digitally mastered already to that 0 peek during
the final mix before being released to consumers as myself. So bottom
line, the meters are either not reading even close to correctly, or, I'm just
flat out retarded. No offense by the term meant at all. If you are!
then, my profuse apology. If I can't properly read my meters, then out the
door goes Reaper, no question. It's not open for debate. That is a
kill! of a deal breaker for me. I'm not saying I'm not willing to try
giving it another chance, but someone is gonna have to speak up and tell me what
the hell I'm doing wrong, as this doesn't make any sense. I know that from
DAW to DAW things can waver a little bit in readouts, but come on! Not
from -12 to -20! That's almost twice difference. I could maybe see a
couple! of DBFS difference, but not near! to that extreme.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>3. When trying to press F to open the effects
chain of a track that I've selected with my arrow keys, I have no audio
selected, as I want to apply across the entire track, not the whole project mind
you, just that one? selected vocal track. I make sure bipass is not turned
on, with shift+B. I start the track playing, F6 to solo up the track so I
can hear it better, then, I'm hitting alt+P to go into the chain
parameters. Once looking at the list of parameters for the current plugin,
let's take Rea Verb for example... I go down to the first option in the
list of parameters which set wet. I then tab over and see a combo box
which by default is saying -12DB for the value. While the track is
playing, I start working that combo box in both directions arrowing incredibly
drasticly up and down. Remember, no time selection has been made at
all. Absolutely nothing is happenning as I change the combo box in
realtime. Even if I hit OK after changing the combo box, doesn't
matter. I still! hear no difference. Let's take the JS
parametric EQ, I think it's called. I move to the band parameter.
The edit box when I then tab says something around 4000, give or take.
Obviously this is w'w'w'w'w'w'wayyyyyy! out of the human hearing range of
HZ. So, I moved this to around 100. Then, using the slider just
beyond this, I hear it's a left right slider. So, I used left and right
arrows to move. This way I could boost or cut frequencies around
100HZ. I was trying to notch them by about 2DB. My arrow keys are
not working at all with that slider. No percentages are being spoken as
things may or may not be moving. Yes, I know that ReaAccess may be getting
in the way with left and right arrows. I'm using JAWS 16. I
did an insert+num row 3 to pass through, then hit left arrow, I did this a good
30 or 40 times each direction, left, and right. I heard absolutely no
difference whatsoever. I may be fairly deaf, but I'm not that! far
gone. Come! On! Really?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>So, yeah. Because of these querks, unless
someone can help me, I'm at a point now where I'm literally about ready to
uninstall Reaper and say, it was worth a try, but it lacks a ton to be desired
in accessibility. Again, if someone's willing to work with me to pinpoint
down my issues, then great! By all means, I'm in! Let's go!
I'm certainly willing to give you all a chance to help me, but just know, that
at least for right now, I'm very very much so not impressed.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Chris.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>