I need more Reaper help please.

[Lazarus1140]

I am trying to render a recording to MP3, I believe Reaper requires that you download lame software to accomplish this. When I try to download it from Source Forge the first step in the directions is "Download". The second step is supposed to be either "Run or Save", but I get an open file security warning window that says "Open" or "Cancel", and it (the file opener I suppose) is from Topic Bridge. When I hit "open" my anti-malware blocks it.

When this crap happens I never know if it is my protection being over protective or if the devils are trying to steal my guitars and guns again.

How do I proceed?

Will Reaper render into WAV format without requiring downloading another tool/program, and if so, will a CD in that format play in car and home stereos as well as computers?

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

Do you have iTunes? Just use that.
I like using Sonnox Codec Toolbox for bit crushing.

Out of curiousity, in this day and age, there is virtually no need for printing to MP3. Is this a ref for a client?

You can rip ANY audio file to CD. When you burn it to 'audio CD', it will automatically reformat to CD red book, which is 16 bit/44.1 kHz.

If you are recording in 24 bit (which you should be), print your mix down to 16/44.1 and use dithering if you have access. Then use iTunes to burn the file to CD.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

In case you don't know what dithering is: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar10/articles/qanda0310_2.htm

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

In case you don't know what dithering is: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar10/articles/qanda0310_2.htm

It is a foreign language to me.I literally can't understand what they're talking about. I just want to put a song on CD. There are no fadee-ins or outs. There are plently of mistakes, though.

I do not have iTunes, either.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

iTunes is free. It is the easiest way to get a song to CD. Just download it, drag the mixdown of your song into it and select File > Burn to CD.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

Thanks for the tip. As it turned out Reaper rendered to WAV and the file went straight to my Windows Media Player. I burned the CD with it and the CD was good in my truck. When I say "good" I mean that it played.

I suppose whatever adjustments to bit rate were required must have been automatic.

The actual song was full of mistakes and the lead guitar sounded terrible. I don't think I have enough years left to learn to play and and mix well.

The electric rhythm guitars that I mic'd clean sounded great and so did the acoustic. The lead sucked really bad ... the playing and the sound.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

I think you will be surprised at how quick you can pick up on this stuff. As with most things in life, consistency is key: keep at it and you will get better.

Re: WMP's 'automatic' conversion, when you render the song, what format are you mixing down to? It is far better to have any file conversion done here, but I suspect that it is already happening...

Getting a good initial sound, capturing it, and then mixing all the elements together can be a lifelong pursuit on its own, and only you can decide where you will 'get off the bus' so to speak.

If you are interested in learning more about the how and and why of recording, there are two Youtube channels I can recommend: RECORDING REVOLUTION and HOME STUDIO CORNER. Both of these channels have content you can pick up and start using right away without having to be a 'committed' mixing engineer.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

I appreciate the advice and links.

I was getting better with all the recording stuff a few years ago when we had the Riff-Offs.

In Reaper all the adjustments were mada automatically for converting tracks to a stereo WAV file. I really effed up on the second song last night. As soon as I opened the project I named it and "saved as". I got it recorded easily and immediately endered it to WAV. When I was closing out Reaper it asked mw if I wanted to save it, and I remembered all the times before when I've had so many versions saved, so I said no. I didn't realize that I had never save all the tracks and they are gone.

Now I get to do it all again and this time without the benefit of being able to record my amp at volume.

The other challenge is that I am trying to put as much effort into writing and playing and singing, so having to learn the recording and mixing process just adds another demand on my very limited free time

Thanks again for your help!

 

[ginormous]

Re: I need more Reaper help please.

Source Forge is an awful place to get freeware, if you don't know how to implement the downloaded file.

LAME on Source Forge (the real download link) is packed in tar.gz, which is file compression mostly used for Linux. You need to use the 7-Zip file unpacker in Windows to get at tar files.