Wątek: Some questions about reaper
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1 z 15: ArcticMoon
Hello everyone!
I sometimes wonder if it was possible to compose music without a midi keyboard as blind, with VSTs of course. So a few months ago I picked up reaper and tried to learn how to use the thing. Most of you probably know that I'm really into music, I usually play the piano if I have a bit of time, although nowadays university, exams and playing chess eats my time :D but back to the topic, I always wanted to compose some music, not with the classic "let's sit next to the piano and play" style. Of course, I get inspirations from improvising, but you know what I mean.
So once one of my friends told me that it's possible to use the piano roll feature and type notes one by one, together with rhythm, key signature and stuff. I've been taking a look at it but honestly, I can't even get it to be in a working status. I mean, I found something that looks like a piano roll but how am I supposed to work in that thing?
Any tips regarding using this feature would be much, much apreciated!
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06.01.2021 17:25
2 z 15: hermis501
Hi. My knowledge is more to mixing/mastering, what I'm doing with reaper, but yes, you can play instruments without any midi keyboard, just by using your virtual midi keyboard. reaper menu>insert>virtual instrument on new track and from the list choose "reasynth". This track is armed by default, so just press alt +b to show up virtual midi keyboard. Of course in virtual midi keyboard you prevent to get more dynamics and also you discover latency problem, but it's my situation what I'm doing. In short, it's not really confortable, but when you are beginner and don't want to invest in a things you don't discovered yet, it's totaly possible to create good stuff.
Reasynth this is a terrible plugin which comes along with reaper, and even it's very difficult to name it as "instrument".
Later, you can install additional vst synths, drumkits and other various instruments.
The main difficulty is to find which of the plugins are accessible to us.
Sighted person can take any plugin, even fl studio or ableton (programs which don't really need lots of knowledge about midi to create something just by drag and drop), but for us this easy stuff it's inaccessible. We need to experiment more and choose what we can use. Yes, it's possible, just more hours to manage which is a trash, and what it's accessible and usable with screen reader, along with finding scripts/addons to do the task which is more easier if you are able to use your sight.
In my case, I'm experimenting with analog lab.
It's inaccessible, but after tryings I managed a way how to use it I'm 50/50 satisfied.
But as starting point, I recommend you to install Cakewalk Studio Instruments.
As you are pianist, let's try Acoustica Pianissimo.
The presets of piano (electric, classical etc) is not really accessible, but you'll be able to play.
Try to read tutorials about midi (musical instrument digital interface), it's required when composing music.
Also, it's another way how I managed to produce my first terrible hiphop instrumental, is just to get samples (wav files of kicks, snares, guitar notes) and etc, and then combine it just by copying/pasting and changing pitch of a object/item if it's needed. Very anoying work, but it was starting point for some of my friends.
I had to have gigabytes of reaper tutorials, there should be courses for blind about working with midi, just I need to find them.
If I can give any tips, feel free to let me know.
06.01.2021 17:54
3 z 15: ArcticMoon
Yeah, I know. I had some latency issues with that in the past, although I fixed it for now. My problem is the key mapping though, it's so random that I have some notes reversed, meaning that some notes aren't in the right place. And since I can't code or anything like that, I don't dare remapping my keyboard because I don't really know how could I start.
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09.01.2021 13:28
4 z 15: hermis501
Hm, what keyboard/language of the input are you using? cause by default, the keys on qwerty keyboard should be in good notes, and right/left arrows can change the octave. Yes, computer keyboard has the latency when playing midi notes with it and it's not a way to fix it.
09.01.2021 21:44
5 z 15: hermis501
by default, you don't need to remap, unless somehow you did it.
09.01.2021 21:45
6 z 15: ArcticMoon
Yap, that's the problem. I'm having a qwertz keyboard since I'm hungarian.
U3RhbmQgd2l0aCB0aGUgZ3JlYXQgUnVzc2lhIGFuZCBIdW5nYXJ5IQ==
10.01.2021 15:31
7 z 15: hermis501
isn't azerty?
17.02.2021 21:54
8 z 15: ArcticMoon
No, it's qwertz.
U3RhbmQgd2l0aCB0aGUgZ3JlYXQgUnVzc2lhIGFuZCBIdW5nYXJ5IQ==
18.02.2021 11:17
9 z 15: hozosch
azerty is French.
18.02.2021 15:13
10 z 15: hermis501
Aha, understand. Maybe mixed something in my head. qwertz. okay. Arctic moon, try to make english keyboard through your region settings
20.02.2021 17:18
11 z 15: ArcticMoon
I have that one, although it still detects the hungarian structure.
U3RhbmQgd2l0aCB0aGUgZ3JlYXQgUnVzc2lhIGFuZCBIdW5nYXJ5IQ==
20.02.2021 21:20
12 z 15: hermis501
Pff, strange.
21.02.2021 15:41
13 z 15: Tissman2
I had the same problem with the Czech keyboard layout, but everytime when I start reaper, I switch to the English one and it works perfectly.
Strange that it doesn't work your end.
Btw, manual insertion of notes can be done through a thing called the midy editor.
Highly suggest this: https://reaperaccessibility.com/index.php/Editing_midi_in_reaper_using_osara
Also, to create an empty midi item, get a track, select the lenghth of the item using the time selection brackets, and then alt / insert / empty midi item.
22.02.2021 07:45
14 z 15: ArcticMoon
Wow, thank you a lot, Tissman! Yeah, the english one works now, yesterday I looked into it deeper and everything seems to be fine.
U3RhbmQgd2l0aCB0aGUgZ3JlYXQgUnVzc2lhIGFuZCBIdW5nYXJ5IQ==
22.02.2021 14:14
15 z 15: Tissman2
Nice, and np :)
26.02.2021 14:21