In Windows 10 I use Reaper and multiple ReaRoute channels to record distinct audio outs from VCV Rack. I haven’t investigated pushing Reaper audio into VCV as it’s not something that I’ve wanted to do, but I have used loopMIDI to handle routing MIDI.
Edit: I have now tested the audio out and back in and works fine.
Atypical, perhaps, but does show that if you start with a “modern” Linux, in particular Ubuntu Studio, the configuration process can be much easier. In my own plugin development work I use Ubuntu 20, and I can tell you I would never want to use a Linux that does not have a package manager! apt-get is my loyal friend.
That’s interesting. When I first got VCV Rack I failed to integrate it with Reaper on one PC with ReaRoute, so cut the gordion knot by running rack on a separate PC and sending it midi either with rtpMidi or with midi hardware. I might have another stab at it out of interest. I like Reaper a lot. So much I even bought it (imagine!!!)
I bought reaper twice! Can I use re-route to record the output of one audio app into the input of another? Hopefully that is the standard use - I need to do that to spy on the szforzando player.
You can definitely route audio around between VCV and Reaper. See example image below I am taking audio in on VCV Audio-16 mono channel 5, processing it in Reaper, sending it back from Reaper on mono channel 7 where VCV uses Ambuance to add effects then passes it back into Reaper on stereo channels 9/10
Probably should add here that I think this may only work with Windows, I don’t know if it would work with Mac now, believe it didn’t before. Another caveat for anyone trying this, make sure you have Reaper loaded before you load VCV Rack or it may not communicate with it properly.I want to route audio from sforzando to reaper (or audition), although now that you mention is, I could probably route from sforzando to VCV and use the scopes I use all the time anyway. Or get host… ok, good ideas…
I don’t have sforzando installed anymore, but if it’s a standalone app then you should be able to choose an ASIO ReaRoute as the driver for audio output assuming the app has basic settings/preferences like most things.
The one I use is stand-alone, but there is also a VST version. I need to use it, as the SFZ standard is “do what sforzando does” 
I must say I only have a few SFZ files, from Karoryfer, but they all seem to work great. It’s lovely to hear my favourite, the Secret Agent Bass, in all its rumbling glory again.
I gotta check those out. They seem to be an interesting collection of samples.
I’m on a Mac running Mojave. I use Bitwig Studio and have Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback, which can route audio all over the place.
For MIDI from Bitwig to Rack:
For Audio from Rack to Bitwig:
I usually arm recording for both the HW Instrument and Audio tracks in Bitwig, with Rack launched and with a patch loaded, and I can hear what I play via MIDI coming through back from Rack, record it, etc.
The good thing about this is I can record MIDI notes and the audio at the same time so if I’m messing around and come up with something nice I’ve got it to play with later.
I REALLY like this workflow as I can build up lots of layers from multiple Rack patches (one at a time, obviously). Really helps me build up tracks.
I have had to mess about with the buffer sizes in both Rack and Bitwig sometimes, but both work fine for me at a block size of 256 most of the time. I tend to do stuff which relies less on live playing anyway.
Screen shots ahoy!
That’s an elegant setup. I don’t have Mac so don’t know the elements, but I could imagine a lot of people would benefit from this pathfinding.
I think that half the battle is knowing that it can be done. Otherwise it’s easy to lose heart when you hit problems.
VCV Rack only. No hardware
Sound design, song-making, mixing and mastering. Start to finish. Essentially built a custom DAW inside rack.
It’s a dream come true.
As someone on MacOS, saying it to Windows users: Audio and MIDI on MacOS is so much more painless and flexible, you don’t know what you’re missing.
