Hello to everyone and a problem with playback sound

Hello everyone, I am a complete novice to DAWs but have extensively searched the forum and am working my way through some great youtube tutorials which have helped get me started with Reaper. My issue is no sound when I playback a track. I noticed a thread below with a similar issue, but didn't want to hijack someone else's thread. I think my issue is something simple but here goes. Computer: Dell vostro 1520 laptop, windows 7 32 bit Soundcard: IDT Driver: I installed asio4all successfully (thanks to a recommendation on this forum) All I wanted to do to get started is laydown a drum beat from within Reaper (no external midi attached, no audio interface (yet!): here's what I did: New Track Insert Midi Item double-clicked the empty bar(brought up the piano roll) In the piano roll window - double clicked to add midi notes (no sound here either) All that went fine so I can my see midi notes opposite the track. When I hit the play button the line moves over the notes but there is no sound. When I play in the piano roll window there is no sound either. Track window - have checked the output, have checked the monitor input, have removed any FX in case they were muting or masking the sound. Have checked the setting in the piano roll window. Have checked the master is not muted. Have checked the audio device setting is set to the Asio, have also tried it with every other combination available! Have checked my laptop volume is not muted. It must be something I have not enabled or checked as I am so new to this or the method of adding a new midi item was not correct which is why I included those steps. Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Nisi

I am absolutely nowhere's-ville when it comes to MIDI. but I do know one thing. MIDI does not make audio. it does not have any sound. it's just like code or something for computers. you might need to get some kind of gizmo in your project that will take the MIDI instructions and turn it into audio. I'm sure people who understand this stuff will be along. welcome.

Thanks Chas51 for the welcome! Yes I see what you mean that midi doesn't make audio. I followed the steps on one of the youtube beginner tutorials, and when the guy was in the "pianoroll window", when he clicked on the virtual keyboard note, a sound did play (snare, or kick etc)before he chose his notes, then double clicked them into the grid, so I assumed that the midi inputted that way would playback for me. I wonder if that's all it is..maybe I need to record the midi notes after inputting them...yep I feel foolish not to know if that is the case, but on the other hand it is really exciting to be learning this. What I do know is how much I don't know :)

Any midi data will do, you don't need to record it. You just need a vsti (plugin instrument) to turn the raw data into sound. If you are trying to do drums, you need a drum plugin, you want a synth sound, you need a synth plugins, etc. There are plenty of free plugins to get you started.

No Sound 

Thanks for the reply Richie43. Reaper has some built in VSTIs though? I am confused now...when I double click my empty bar and the piano roll window opens, is that where I access the plug-in? I have also brought up the Virtual piano keyboard separately to try play some notes, and there is no sound either. I will study and search for threads relating to Reaper's own plug ins.

Also, some DAWs (Cubase for e.g.) have a default piano sound that plays when you have MIDI, even if no instrument is loaded.

Thanks everyone for your patience, I know this is sooo basic. I am coming from a classical background at a time when it was staff paper and pencil. donchilcott, if I understand you correctly, when I open a new track window, it needs to know where to get the notes/sound from. So through the FX button, this will tell the new track what instrument will apply? I thought the FX button was only to apply an effect to the instrument. Maybe where my confusion lies is that when I click the FX button, there is a VSTi folder with 3 files in it. I have added one of these to the track. Is that an instrument applied to the track then, albeit a basic sound? In the tutorial, maybe the tutor already had drum plug-ins which is something I wouldn't have realised. On the plus side I have a yamaha clavinova that I plan to use as my external device when I get an audio interface, but for the moment just wanted to make some sounds and get familiar with how it all works. Fergler, yes I imagined that the Virtual midi keyboard (under the view menu) was something like a piano. I just don't see how to apply a sound to the virtual keyboard to use it to input something simple like doh-rah-me to the track. It's late where I am, so gonna call it a night and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

maybe this will help (I am not sure, though. I did not try it.): "VST= plug-n effect like Reverb, compressor, EQ etc VSTi= Instrument plug-in like Sampletank, The Grand, Halion, Kontakt etc"

I can just envision this scene: "pssssssssssst... hey KID. Come over here. I hear yous lookin' ta' buy a interface - zat right?"