DAW REAPER on Raspberry Pi - portable DAW??

[OG_Blues]

I see that REAPER has an experimental release of its DAW for the Raspberry Pi platform.
It seems that this might offer the possibility of a very inexpensive DAW that would be suitable for
modest requirements and modest budgets, as well as the possibility of a very compact and maybe even portable DAW that provides features way beyond what you would have available in a more conventional
portable recorder.
I downloaded it and installed it on a Pi, and it came right up and ran. I haven't done any recording yet,
but will do so and see how it works. I may also load it onto my Pi in the little 7" touchscreen package
and see how that works - that would be a nice portable setup if it works well!
If anyone finds this interesting, I can continue reporting on what I find.

 

[PapaRaptor]

I see that REAPER has an experimental release of its DAW for the Raspberry Pi platform.
It seems that this might offer the possibility of a very inexpensive DAW that would be suitable for
modest requirements and modest budgets, as well as the possibility of a very compact and maybe even portable DAW that provides features way beyond what you would have available in a more conventional
portable recorder.
I downloaded it and installed it on a Pi, and it came right up and ran. I haven't done any recording yet,
but will do so and see how it works. I may also load it onto my Pi in the little 7" touchscreen package
and see how that works - that would be a nice portable setup if it works well!
If anyone finds this interesting, I can continue reporting on what I find.

What does it use for the A/D | D/A conversion?

 

[OG_Blues]

You would have to use use some external USB interface just like you would with a PC, e.g. a Scarlett or such.
Yes, the interface costs way more than the Pi , but there are some fairly inexpensive USB interfaces
out there now, and probably more coming.
The idea of creating a really compact DAW for portable or incidental use where really high quality is not a
requirement kind of intrigues me, especially with all the plugins that come standard with REAPER, it could
be very powerful none the less.
I am going to test this with a Scarlett 2i2.
An inexpensive USB mic plugged directly into the Pi might work for the input (I'm guessing - would need to test), and the Pi
has onboard audio output so that could theoretically be used for the output. This assumes the software allows that type of
configuration - again, testing needed. What else do I have to do?
Practice playing guitar maybe?

 

[PapaRaptor]

You would have to use use some external USB interface just like you would with a PC, e.g. a Scarlett or such.
Yes, the interface costs way more than the Pi , but there are some fairly inexpensive USB interfaces
out there now, and probably more coming.
The idea of creating a really compact DAW for portable or incidental use where really high quality is not a
requirement kind of intrigues me, especially with all the plugins that come standard with REAPER, it could
be very powerful none the less.
I am going to test this with a Scarlett 2i2.
An inexpensive USB mic plugged directly into the Pi might work for the input (I'm guessing - would need to test), and the Pi
has onboard audio output so that could theoretically be used for the output. This assumes the software allows that type of
configuration - again, testing needed. What else do I have to do?
Practice playing guitar maybe?

I'm wondering how that would compare to just a run-of-the-mill laptop made within the last 4 or 5 years.

Sounds like a fun rabbit-hole.

 

[OG_Blues]

I'm wondering how that would compare to just a run-of-the-mill laptop made within the last 4 or 5 years.

Sounds like a fun rabbit-hole.

Yes, another rabbit hole, no doubt - just something to play with and mess around. Like I need something to waste more time on.
I would guess that most garden variety laptops of recent vintage are more powerful, but the RPi hardware platform continues to improve,
and is so inexpensive. It's meant to be an experimenter's platform. I use RPi's for running a variety of software defined radio (SDR) software
applications, and that software is fairly demanding of the processor, requiring some fairly heavy lifting - it works exceptionally well.
The latest Pi4 that comes in a keyboard package (<$100) is reportedly a pretty good performer, and would only require adding a display of your choice.
I can confirm that REAPER does work on the 7" touchscreen Pi. It's real world usability in that form factor is debatable, depending on what
your needs would be. Just about everything can be controlled via the touch screen, but screen real estate is precious. You could set up
a couple tracks and operate it with no problem, but beyond that would get pretty tedious, requiring a lot of scrolling around. But, for portable use,
a couple tracks is likely all one would require anyway. Setting up a template in advance would make things much more usable.
Adjusting the faders, and even the effects, like dragging EQ points around on the graph work with the touch screen, so that's pretty neat.
Even a slightly larger display would increase the real world usability quite a bit though. 10" would probably be quite good.

 

[jmin]

The conversation reminds me of my first BGU setup: an iPad, with a jam interface, and GarageBand (DAW)(GarageBand comes installed with iPads). It records better than I play.

 

[CaptainMoto]

If it helps people get going, it's good!

 

[dvs]

If it helps people get going, it's good!

Um... If they're calling an arcane tech device a "rabbit hole" (esp. those two!) I somehow can't imagine that's going to turn out to be one of its strengths.

 

[OG_Blues]

My initial tests seem to indicate that REAPER runs and works just fine on a RPi 3 Model B. I plugged my Scarlett 2i2 into it,
set it as the input and output device in REAPER, and was off and recording. On a regular size monitor, it all seems pretty much the same
as it does on my core i7 PC - at least for casual use. I'm sure it would be possible to configure a set up with lots of effects and
what not that would reach the point of choking the RPi, but that's not the point. I was simply curious to see if it had the guts to operate
as a functional, inexpensive, and useful DAW for casual use. It certainly appears to do that. I have no doubt that the newer RPi 4 would do
a considerably better job of it.
Trying to use it on the little 7" touch screen as a DAW proves to be of limited practicality, however, I have a non-music related application for it
that I think will work great. REAPER, with its rich set of built in plug in effects can serve as a powerful real time voice processor providing gating,
compression, EQ etc., no recording involved.

 

[aleclee]

I don't keep up on the state of Linux drivers for USB audio interfaces but I suspect that they're few and far between. That doesn't mean you're out of luck, just that you're limited to class compliant interfaces.

My biggest concern would be latency. The limited CPU resources on the Pi might result in more buffering and increased latency. It's not like Raspbian is optimized for audio performance, either. My next concern would be keyboard, pointing device and display. Sometimes the cheap options are more expensive than you might think, particularly if you place a $$ value on your time.

At that point, I'd probably just buy a Zoom H6 and call it day. You can use the H6 as an interface or a standalone recorder. Record your rehearsals on it with the inputs or onboard mics. Transfer to your computer running Reaper or whatever. Seems way more practical than schlepping a RPi with other stuff to a rehearsal / gig.

Don't get me wrong, I love love love RPi's: I use 'em for a bunch of stuff on my home network. Using one for audio processing isn't in the sweet spot of the device's capabilities.