can't change my sample rates

Hi all, VERY green, new reaper/producer user here. Studied for months by reading books and whatnot about production and now I am giving it a go. I recently purchased the M-audio fast track ultra 8r soundcard and I use it with some custom monitors my father built and it sounds great as I open up an audio file in reaper, everything works, sound wise. What doesn't seem to be working for me is getting my sample rates to change. When I open the preferences dialog box, I want to use ASIO and when I click on the check box for "request sample rate", and then try and type in a new sample rate 88200 or 96kHz which my sound card is SUPPOSED to support, it won't let me enter a new rate in the box. So I try and go into the "ASIO configuration" box which opens my control panel for the ultra. I set the sample rate to 88.2 or 96 kHZ, and everytime I click out of the box (or just hit OK in reaper preferences), nothing happens and my project is still at 44100kHz. And when I go back into my soundcard control panel, it is back to 44100kHz. I also tried setting the sample rate in the control panel before I open reaper, but that makes the audio break up (with a horrible sound I might add). I am guessing when I do that, the soundcard wants it in the sample rate I gave it, but reaper isn't recognizing. I can't figure this out. I've messed around for 3 hours trying everything and re-reading the user manual (which doesn't say jack about this.) Can't find anything in the search on here either. Anyone help me here? Ben

What is most annoying me right now is that the box in the -->options -->preferences,(the box to type in your own sample rate (next to "request your own sample rate") will NOT let me type in anything. I can backspace the 44100 that is already in there, but then the cursor just blinks, and I can't type anything. Clearly I am supposed to be able to type something in there?

What audio interface are you using???

uh.... USB 2.0? the card itself is the interface isn't it?

Edit- Sorry, my bad. I didn't notice you had it in the first post.

OK, the only thing that comes to mind is that you have not set the wanted sample rate in the Project Settings. Different than in Preferences. File>Project Settings You should be on the Audio Settings tab. Check the check box next to the sample rate and change it to what you want. If you click OK it will just change the sample rate of your current project. If you save as default it will be the default setting. After you do either of these your sample rate should change (if different). Make sense???

It should work to type numbers into the "request sample rate" box in the Reaper ASIO config window. (You can't type letters in the box though :).) It may be that the sound card won't accept the sample rate request though. What is supposed to happen is that Reaper requests a sample rate and the sound card sets itself to that rate. If the sound card won't accept that rate, you should be able to uncheck "request sample rate", open the sound card controls, and set a legal sample rate there.

if it's anything like the m-audio transit, the sample rate has to be selected from the m-audio control panel before anything starts trying to send audio to it. if it's breaking up at 88khz, either your computer or USB setup can't keep up with it. i think it's only USB1, actually. i'd recommend running at 44kHz unless you have a decent firewire device.

Yeah, I would recommend running at 24 bit 44.1 khz. After a long journey, that is what works best for me. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should. Most likely it's is going to end up as 16 bit 44.1 khz anyway. Or worse- an MP3.

Anyone? I'm still stuck here. My roommate has reaper as well, and he IS able to type into the box for his sample rate, (in the options--> preferences --> "request sample rate" box) yet I still cannot. He has about as much of a clue as I do about why this isn't able to happen. Oh yea, the noise I got was from changing to an external sync source, not for any sample rate change...(I just forgot about it, till I did it again messing around). And yeah, I did mess around with the project settings in the file menu, I just forgot to mention it. There I did change the project rate to 88200 and the "project sample rate" box is checked. I close it and reopen the project settings in the file menu and it still says 88200, but the sample rate for the project shown in the right hand corner of the DAW, and in the preferences menu still say 44100. Why is this? DO I actually have 88200 or 44100?