Using 2 interfaces seperately in Reaper

[paleface]

hello all

ive just got an ik axe i/o one

and i was hoping to use it for recording guitars using reaper

im also using my focusrite scarlett 2/4

and was hoping to switch between the two in reaper

but im getting all sorts of issues ,mouse freeze ect when i change between the two

im also using sonarworks 4 which seems to be trying to switch the samplerate

from 44 to 48khz

does anyone know of a way to make them switchable without it causing issues

im only wanting to use either one at the same time not both

[ajay_m]

In my experience, trying to switch between interfaces can be an issue. For me, for example, any ASIO settings get nuked so you have to go back in and change the buffer size and possibly sample rate.

Projects saved using one interface and loaded with another one active also seem to cause confusion at times.

I *think* ASIO4ALL is supposed to be able to accommodate multiple interfaces though I haven't tried this. It's annoying that Apple seem to have figured out how to manage multiple interfaces (and treat them as a composite interface) but Windows can't do this properly. Windows audio is certainly a lot less fragile than it used to be, and although I'm not sure this is specifically a Windows 11 enhancement, I note that Reaper now when it complains if I forgot to turn my audio interface on when I start up Reaper, it'll recover if I do and acknowledge the error - which is encouraging.

Don't know if anyone has any clever solutions here, I certainly get how annoying it is trying to just switch interfaces without everything going weird.

[James Perrett]

I have no problems switching between a Zoom U-44 and an RME Digiface USB in Reaper. I currently have them both hooked up simultaneously and swap between them as needed. I'll sometimes add a Zoom U-24 into the mix as well. Newer versions of Reaper can remember how many channels you were using with each interface and set the correct number of channels automatically on switchover. Buffer size settings stay constant for each interface so I'll typically leave the Zoom on a fairly large buffer size while the better RME drivers allow me to use a smaller buffer size. I have the sample rate controlled by the project.

However, you need to set each project to use the correct channels on each interface. This won't be a problem if you are only using 2 channel interfaces but, with the RME, some projects have the master output on on channels 17 and 18, some on 1 and 2 and some on 33 and 34 - depending on what I'm doing.

[paleface]

well james what do u think could be going wrong

i get mouse dropouts ,reaper also freezez and wont play the project

[James Perrett]

well james what do u think could be going wrong

i get mouse dropouts ,reaper also freezez and wont play the project

I have encountered badly written drivers/firmware (I'm looking at you Tascam) which are very fussy about sample rates. The Zoom is only fussy about sample rates when it is being clocked by an external digital device. Could you put up some screenshots somewhere of your Reaper audio device settings and possibly also the ASIO control panel for each device?

[paleface]

ive taken some pics james but cant suss how to attach them to my post

[zenguitar]

https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... hp?t=75253

This is a link to a useful guide to attaching images to forum posts, created by one of the forum regulars.

The SOS fora don't host images so you have to host them on 3rd party sites like Imagur etc. Once you've done that, the link above will guide you through.

Andy

[Philbo King]

The easiest way to switch between 2 interfaces in Windows is to use Portable Install (an installation option) to install 2 separate installs of Reaper, one for each interface. It helps to create 2 icons, one for each, and edit the icon text to indicate which interface it uses.

[paleface]

hello

can i add a 1st portable reaper install to my existing permanant install

thatseems the quicikest/easiest way to go?

[James Perrett]

can i add a 1st portable reaper install to my existing permanant install

Yes, just tell the installer that you want to do a portable installation and then install it into a different location to your existing Reaper installation.

[paleface]

thanks for the replys gentlemen

just one more thing

do i have to tell reaper to allow more than one instance and if so
how do i go about doing that?

[Philbo King]

No, you use instance of Reaper only for one interface. Reaper will not be aware the other interface or copy of Reaper exists.

Note that you *might* not be able to use both Reapers at once.