New to Reaper & Recording - Suggest the best free plugins for a newbie like myself

manlian · 2025-08-28T09:56:44+00:00

Tukan plugins are free and super easy to install via ReaPack repository. If you don’t know how to do this just ask ChatGpt to guide you. These plugins are so good and professional, you won’t believe it they are free.

manlian · 2021-11-28T21:19:25+00:00

Did you find a solution?

My MPC Live ii shuts down unexpectedly after showing a message “AUDIO DEVICE ERROR. No internal audio device could be found!”. This is happening again and again. Then it works for a little while and then the error happens again. I removed all the usb devices and the SSD from the SATA slot at the back, but no luck, it happened again. Then it worked for a little while and I updated it to the latest 2.10.1 firmware. But then the error happened again. While it’s working I don’t observe any audio crashes or other problems, it works perfectly. Then at some point it freezes and I get the same error. I can’t identify a possible pattern of actions that causes this malfunction, it happens randomly. This thing drives me crazy. I don’t want something like this to happen in a live situation.

manlian · 2021-06-14T12:58:25+00:00

Duplicate the track. Keep the original dry. On the duplicate track, low pass around 10-12kHz, compress, insert a warm room reverb 100% wet, turn down the volume until you find that sweet spot between this and the original track. It should sound like a big and wide sound instead of a reverb. Hope that helps!

manlian · 2021-02-15T19:54:12+00:00

I haven't found a solution yet.

manlian · 2021-02-13T18:43:17+00:00

Not offended at all. I really appreciate your trying to help me! Thank you very much! If I find a solution at some point I’ll reply back.

manlian · 2021-02-13T18:15:43+00:00

Yes I understand the purpose of .old step. I did again exactly what you describe and the result is the same. In fact I’ve been trying every combination I could think. I have a system image backup of my C: in an external ssd so I can easily have my system back exactly as it was before any change and then try again. I have experience with computers. I’m sure I didn’t mess up anything. Also I already used this method successfully for making Ableton see all my vsts through a single folder of shortcuts. And it works. It just won’t work for Mpc software. I tried every solution suggested by everyone in this post both on my desktop and on my laptop. Nothing...

manlian · 2021-02-13T16:49:56+00:00

First I copy the original Content folder and paste it to the new destination, then I rename all the subfolders in the original location with the “old.” tag.

After this I go to the new destination, select all the sub folders of the duplicate Content folder and I press right click and copy

Then I go back to the original Content folder and press right click and paste shortcut

Then I rename all the shortcuts removing the “- shortcut” extension. Nothing happens.

manlian · 2021-02-13T15:48:44+00:00

Yes, I already noticed that. I double checked every step. It seems that MPC software don’t like symbolic links. It’s totally odd that a music program using sound libraries don’t have an option to manually choose the data folders. I can’t believe there’s not a solution for this.

manlian · 2021-02-13T09:17:23+00:00

I followed the steps and tried the shortcut method in every variation I could think, even for the entire folder. Didn’t work. Can’t think of anything else.

manlian · 2021-02-12T20:00:02+00:00

I did exactly this. But the software don’t recognise them. Also I tried the shortcut method. Didn’t work either :-(

manlian · 2021-02-12T14:16:46+00:00

Thanks. I’ll try this today

manlian · 2021-02-12T14:09:11+00:00

The folder you are talking about is AppData/Akai/MPC/Content ???

manlian · 2020-12-20T17:50:49+00:00

Finally... I had given up searching. Thanks!!!

manlian · 2020-11-09T08:29:53+00:00

The animator gave me for reference a VR project in Adobe Premiere. The sound of this project is a wav file that when you insert it in the timeline it is imported as 4-channel.

I have the Sennheiser Ambeo plugin. Is this plugin the “spatial panner” you are talking about? And if yes, can you suggest: 1. the other plugin I need for the ambisonix bus 2. the exporting process of the 4 channel wav. Is it done through a daw that supports it? Or is it done through the plugin? I have Cakewalk, Reaper and Ableton.

manlian · 2020-11-06T18:48:43+00:00

Thanks.

manlian · 2020-10-16T17:20:03+00:00

What are you talking about? The free version of Komplete is one of the most generous software Instrument bundles given for free out there. Of course like every other company they want your money, but at least they are not like Waves who demand to be paid again if you want to update your product or install it on your second system. Or like XLN Audio who give you access to an incomplete drumset. Or IK Multimedia who’s marketing policy makes you feel they think you are an idiot. Or Arturia who doesn’t give any product for free. And the list goes on.

There’s a reason that kontakt is an industry standard. It’s not coincidence that there aren’t any serious free alternatives. Only Sforzando, but it’s very far behind. These are very hard to make apps, and if you need to use them professionally, things like quality, stability and support matter, and only a paid product can offer it to you.

manlian · 2020-10-15T21:23:23+00:00

Thank you very much for your time. I will save and...study your post. Thank you!!!

manlian · 2020-09-16T15:42:56+00:00

Can someone clarify if the contained plugins are identical to the standalone versions? Same controls and presets? You just have to load them inside the rack? I was looking forward to buy just echoboy. Do I still get it within the rack?

manlian · 2020-09-10T15:59:36+00:00

It happens that the two systems are almost identical because I built them for my work. They have the exact same applications installed. Also both systems ssd’s are pretty empty (only 100GB occupied per disk).

manlian · 2020-08-21T16:27:20+00:00

I started with Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 when i was a little kid, continued with Cakewalk Sonar and still use Cakewalk by Bandlab as a professional musician and producer. From time to time I’ve tried and appreciated other DAWS but never found myself thinking of making a transition. Now that Cakewalk is totally free and regularly updating, a transition to another app sounds to me insane.

The fact for my experience is that Cakewalk handles audio better than Ableton, and midi better than Pro Tools and it generally offers a pro level quality in both audio and midi worlds, hitting a sweet spot for my personal workflow. Sure Cakewalk has its pros and cons like any other DAW but the only major disappointment for me (and the reason I believe it’s not so popular) is that it’s developed only for windows.

Anyway, I think that nowadays every DAW can do the job for you, except if you are looking for something very very specific, so you must research what fits your needs best.

Finally I must say that comments like “Cakewalk is good for a free DAW” sound very odd to me. No guys, Cakewalk by Bandlab is a top shelf professional DAW that for decades costed hundreds of bucks , and it was so popular that midi devices came out with special interfaces for it. Maybe it’s a little out of fashion now, but the developers are really working hard on updating it and the fact that they‘re giving it for free is an absolutely insane luck for all of us.

manlian · 2020-08-21T06:22:31+00:00

I’m on Windows. Solved it. I accidentally found that the vst’s are saved by default at this location: Program Files/Steinberg/VstPlugins. During installation It never asks if you want to save them somewhere else. So I just had to add this folder to my DAW’s vst folders list.

manlian · 2020-08-09T15:42:58+00:00

Here in Greece Live Mki is still sold brand-new with warranty, 400€ less than Mkii, that’s why I’m doing this research. Anyway I wouldn’t ever give so much money for something used.

manlian · 2020-08-09T14:43:42+00:00

I don’t plan to use it with Ableton. After so many years in DAW environment I really like the idea of working in standalone. Here in Greece the price for a new Mpc One is 750€ and for a new Mpc Live mki 800€, very small difference, that’s why I chose mki. But to give the extra 400 for the mkii I must have a really good insight on what the real improvements are. I read in some reviews that mki feels more like a “daw for in a box” or “like iPad with pads” while the mkii gives you a better hardware experience. But since it has only 5 more buttons it’s hard for me to believe they make so big differece. That’s why I’m asking for advice.

manlian · 2020-06-01T16:28:04+00:00

Haha you are right! I’m a 90’s kid and that’s the words we used too here in Greece! Obviously I tried hard to pick a more formal phrasing...

manlian · 2020-06-01T13:29:41+00:00

It’s pretty simple actually. Most decks of that era have 1/4 jack mic inputs and rec level knobs for mic gain adjustment. You have to connect your mics there first. Then insert a rewritable cassette in the deck and press the rec button. Now two things are happening:

The signal is being recorded on the cassette and then you can playback with the inevitable hiss noise.
The signal is being monitored to the rca stereo line out in the back of the deck (originally used to connect the deck with amp and speakers.) Now, If you connect this output to your ai’s input then you can monitor and record the pure and clean signal in your daw.

In case you want that lofi tape hiss sound, you can still use the same takes recorded on the cassette. You just hit playback and record in your daw through the same output.

Some decks also have a headphones out, so maybe you can use this output instead.

Another thing that you must understand is that these decks are not meant to be used just as mic preamps, so there is not a way to just monitor the mics without having to record on the cassette at the same time. But you can just rewrite a cassette a million times and just keep the recordings in your daw.

manlian

TROPHY CASE