[ratb20]

I have read the tutorial and tried following it. downloaded the reaper free trial app and loaded an mp3 but after the trial runs out I won’t be able to pay for continued use. I understand I have to begin by mapping the bpm but i have no idea what to do after ive done that.

I also downloaded the EOF program which is free and seems like an easier to use program.

Ive tried using frets on fire software but the songs i downloaded have no buttons on screen. I using rock band 3 on my ps3 has better performance so I would rather continue using that.

 

I find all of this a daunting task and I’m looking for help from someone who can better guide me through the process, if theres an easier way

[BornGamerRob]

Congrats for taking up the challenge! Authoring can seem daunting at first, but just take it one step at a time. As far as Reaper, it’s a forever trial, so don’t worry about it expiring. You just have to sit and stare at a countdown a little longer and it’ll unlock every time. In other words, you don’t have to pay for it if you don’t want to.

 

Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet for authoring, you just have to read the guides, watch videos, then try and try and try and not give up. The difference between those that author and those that don’t can come down to perseverance. You just have to keep going, even when it seems hopeless.

 

Best advice is to reach out with specifics, as a blanket, “can you help me author” won’t return much since that ask is HUGE and we all are busy little humans and walking someone through step-by-step would be quite the process I can imagine.

 

If you actually have a tempo map for your song, and it’s in time, you’re off to a GREAT start as tempo mapping is one of the biggest hurdles to authoring. Your next step will be to just jump in there and pick a track and start placing notes. I find the drum track is good to start with to ensure you do indeed have a great tempo map.

 

Best of luck to you and keep at it!

[imported_doa]

Start with making sure that you have your software environment set up correctly. Most people here use Reaper, so I would recommend using that. At the minimum make sure that you are using the C3 Custom RB3 Template for each project.

 

I also recommend making sure that you install Python so that you can use CAT. CAT has a ton of useful authoring tasks that you can run – it is a wonderful tool and time saver. You might not use it straight away but once you progress it will become invaluable. Again this step is documented.

 

The first step in creating a custom is creating the tempo map. This is very important because it lines up the grid that you author on to the music you are authoring.

 

For your first custom it might be wise to choose a song that is not too complicated.

 

Search online for the beats per minute (BMP) of the song to get a rough idea. This should help you have a benchmark for the sort of bpm you should see per measure in Reaper.

 

From there you should set up your custom so that you have the count-in for the first two measures with the song starting at measure 3.1 in reaper. The first three measures of the custom should have the same bpm so that the count-in and the first measure of the song are all the same tempo wise.

 

Assuming that the song is in 4/4 you should practice placing a tempo marker on the first beat of every measure from the start to the finish of the song.

 

Turning on the metronome in Reaper and listening back will help you hear if your tempo map is accurate or not.

 

Focus on the drums when creating your tempo map. Only use the other instruments to tempo map if there are no drums.

 

Read all of the documentation and watch the videos, search the forums, and ask questions. Persevere. It takes time, but it’s not an impossible feat. Break it up into small managable tasks and work through it one step at a time.

[ratb20]

Thanks for the replies guys, so I’ve started using reaper and got the metronome in time with the track, however the track is in the “harmony” section of the mix. also I have the rbn2 template but It can not load, I’m trying to find the rb3 plugin as we speak but cant seem to find it

 

edit – I have downloaded the customtools.zip but cannot find the directory %APPDATA%REAPERProjectTemplates folder

 

edit- edit ok, so I figured the customtools.zip should be extracted to “RBN mix template” folder so I will try that. this is messy

 

I managed to fix the track in the “track” channel instead of “harmony”

 

how do i upload images on here to show the error i’m getting? It’s saying I cant upload images from image hosting sites

 

As you can see I’m having a lot of problems with this.

[Buster66]

Hey welcome!

 

Until you get the C3 template working, you won’t have any success following any of the tutorials. Are your primary problems still about getting the C3 template up and running? The video tutorials on this page were beyond helpful to me when I started authoring. Watch all the reaper-related tutorials, even the ones that don’t seem related to your current issue. For example, Nyxyxylyth’s vocals tutorial starts with an explanation of setting up your project and tempo mapping even though it says its about vocals. However they all assume your environment is set up, including the C3 template.

 

If you aren’t authoring in that template, it makes it hard to answer your questions. Your audio file should be in the “SONG AUDIO” track. I don’t know what you mean by ‘track’ channel or ‘harmony’ channel so I’m not sure how to help you.

[ratb20]

thank you buster66

 

I was using that page to acquire all necessary tools. I’m not sure if I have the correct files I only have RBN2 and as I understand I need RBN3? and I don’t even know if I have unzipped them in the correct directory. never the less, reaper is not loading the template still with a couple of error messages when I try to load RBN2, I figure I don’t have them in the right place.

Is it the “customtools.zip” that contains the template?

 

edit- i think i’m using the 64bit version of reaper i’m gong to try 32 bit version and see if that works

[ratb20]

ah ha, now i have the correct version of reaper, the template for RBN2 loads and the preview is visible. I will try to get RBN3 up and running and see how far I can get with this…

 

edit – I cant seem to find the “%APPDATA%REAPERProjectTemplates folder (e.g., c:meAppDataRoamingREAPERProjectTemplates)” directory to place the customtools RBN3 Template, only the “C:Program Files (x86)REAPERRBN Mix Template” folder but yet there is not RBN3 template available in reaper.

 

can I just use the RBN2 template?

[ratb20]

Your audio file should be in the “SONG AUDIO” track. I don’t know what you mean by ‘track’ channel or ‘harmony’ channel so I’m not sure how to help you.

I assumed the media file should be in the “TRKS” track, . there is no “SONG AUDIO” track in the version of reaper I’m using I guess because I’m not using the RBN3 template

[Buster66]

You really want to use the C3 template. The appdata folder is often hidden by default, so in windows explorer navigate to your user directory (something like c:UsersYourUsername), then go Tools -> Folder Options -> View, then make sure ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives’ is selected. A directory called AppData should appear, its icon slightly transparent. Then you should be able to navigate to appdataroamingreaperprojecttemplates

[ratb20]

Thank you very much. Now I’m getting this “project load warning” –

 

The following effects were in the project file and are not available. REAPER will keep their configurations, but things may not sound as desired.

Master: VST: W1 Limiter (George Yohng)

Track 1: VST: W1 Limiter (George Yohng)

[Buster66]

That’s the W1 limiter plugin listed on the thread I linked to. You only need it when you go to render you audio. You put the .dll in your reaper install director (Program FilesReaperPluginsFX).

[ratb20]

Anyhow, at least I’m off to a start and have begun the first few bars of the guitar part as I find it easier than authoring drums, I’m still learning how to use REAPER, for example how to copy and paste a segment of notes rather than doing it all manually. Also I don’t think I have placed the notes precisely as they should be yet it seems in sync with the audio track. That and I’m not sure which notes should NOT be HOPO yet it seems to be doing it automatically. It’s very finicky.

 

could someone have a look at my work and see if I’m doing it right? And give me some constructive feedback?

[ratb20]

That’s the W1 limiter plugin listed on the thread I linked to. You only need it when you go to render you audio. You put the .dll in your reaper install director (Program FilesReaperPluginsFX).

I see, I will have a look for that right now

 

edit – is the beta version okay to use or should I stick with the old version of W1 limiter plugin?

[Buster66]

Yes I could look at it. You could PM me your RPP and audio file. We could take any tweaking offline.

[Buster66]

PM sent.

[Author]

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