scratchboarding songs and software

[newholland]

here's a question for folks accustomed to editing.

 

here's my deal-- i need to start making assemblages from riffs. i usually use reaper for my engineering tasks-- but i NEVER, and i mean never- edit. i mix like i'm working from tape-- but never do cuts and pastes etc.

 

so what i'd LIKE to start doing is to make song structures out of riffs on a grid so i can assemble stuff into arrangements.

 

i've done this on audacity no problem-- but i'd like to be able to record stuff, and have full capacities to use all my plugins in reaper.

 

is it just a matter of recording on reaper, exporting to something like audacity, and then bumping it BACK to reaper?

 

i know a lot of folks use other programs to do this like ableton and such-- is there a way to do this in reaper that i haven't discovered?

 

i feel like a tard-- but i could definitely use a better solution than all this exporting.. what y' got HCAF? give an old tape guy a hand stepping into the new millenia.