So, I started messing around in reaper about a week ago. The problems I encountered were as follows :
1. When I import a drum sample for example kick, I just drag and drop on tracks from reaper's media explorer. When it's imported into reaper, reaper automatically makes it fade in and out's. So it smooth's out the transient of kick. Like this :

I know I used the sampleomatic but, I like to drag and drop samples. Any workaround ??

2. When I insert a VSTi on track, Can I play the VSTi with my laptop keyboard ? I saw the virtual keyboard thingy but i don't like it. It would be way easier if, I can play it with my laptop's keyboard for finding presets.

 

Found the solution for first one.

 

The virtual keyboard allows you to use your typing keyboard or use the mouse/trackpad.

Open the Reaper manual & search for Virtual keyboard for different use scenarios.

Also check here for Reaper video: http://reaper.fm/videos.php

Under MIDI & Virtual Inst, scroll down to Tools and select The Virtual MIDI Keyboard.

Hope this clears things up for you.

 

Just found that both my replies below got made redundant - while I was typing them
I'll leave the comments in place anyway as a summary. Almost certainly huge overlap with the comments above.

Re: Your auto fades problem
It 'might be'... In Preferences \ Project \ Media Item Defaults
See item: Create automatic fade-in/fade-out for new items, length: [e.g., 0.00.010]
Check or uncheck this item (or adjust its numeric values)

Re: Midi via PC keyboard
Not sure how to comment on you wanting to use PC keyboard but not liking Reaper's Virtual MIDI keyboard.
Have you explored it well before 'disliking it'? Here's a decent quick tour of what it does. (Kenny again)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XTIHV2yLSY
(edit: in fact it's the exact same video as quadcore64 recommended)

An alternative would be to install a virtual midi cable (which would show up in Reaper as another MIDI input) and then there are many examples of software keyboards that also use the the PC keyboard and transmit MIDI via that virtual midi cable. Not sure that any of them would offer anything substantially better than Reaper's built in virtual keyboard.

 

Last edited: Dec 6, 2020

I come from Ableton & FL in which you can easily play from keyboard with 1 click. For the virtual midi its more clicks and hassle. First assign it and then open it. Anyway thanks for the help, it's very much appreciated.

 

I'm assuming you're having difficulty with the fact that clicking anywhere else removes the focus from the Virtual MIDI keyboard and you have to click on it again to be able to use it.
To fix that, you can right-click on the virtual MIDI keyboard and click on the option Send all keyboard input to Virtual MIDI keyboard (even when other windows active). The name says everything about what it does. Also, it might be a good idea to pin the keyboard depending on your usage. You can also dock it in the Docker. Hope this helps.

 

I also faced that auto-fades thing. It has been very well explained by these nice folks we have here.

Diving in Reaper's preferences is like "wow... can I adjust this too?" and one minute later "man, that too, and in these four ways!?". Crazy stuff.

 

Not the answer to your question, but if you switch from ableton this config will be useful) He make virtual keyboard in this config by deafult.

But this video in russian Haha)

 

You can prepare it once, and save the situation so next time you open it with one click.

 

I found that later.

 

This would be great if it was in english.

 

You mean save the fx chain ??

 

Did it solve the issue though?

Maybe you could use the auto-translated captions option in YouTube?
Also, I don't have experience with Ableton, so it'd be great if you could point out what the difference is in the Virtual MIDI keyboard situation in both the DAWs. It might help.

 

Upto some extent. Eventhough it's not par FL studio & Ableton. But I will keep digging into it maybe find a solution.
In Ableton, you can arm vsti to play. So if you hold control and arm multiple instances of instruments, you can play them at the same time and with your keyboard. This is also possible in FL Studio.

 

Thanks for mentioning it in a really understanding manner.

 

Wallet-friendly midi controller/keyboard...

 

Better save it as a track template. It will include FX chain and all other configurations.

 

I'm new to Reaper, very new. Jump from Studio One and basically every other DAW. And I start to love it, simple and efficient. I wanna start and setup it for only my daily mixing duty.

Hope you guys can help to educate me so I can set it to fit my workflow.

First of, how to set a default output level for send? Like Studio One each time u assign send it will set to -6db.. I wanna set it that way too in Reaper. Is it possible?

Second, I always on mixer view, but my plugin windows always keep going behind mixer view as if the mixer view is set to always on top. Is there any setting that I can keep the plugin windows always on top?

Third, is there any short cut key to close all plugin windows at once?

Thank you guys for helping a newbie like me.

 

1.


2. I assume you mixer window is undocked and pinned, so it always appears in front. Unpin it by clicking the pin icon on the upper right corner of your mixer window

3. No idea, possibly not.