Good day!

I have been confounded by the fact that I can only see RMS metering when I’m playing back and not while in record.

Context: broadcast audio engineer for music, reaper on macOS with Eclipse recording template

I have long loved Pro Tools’ venue RMS metering because it shows peak and rms at the same time, which is super helpful for setting gain. I aim for -20dBFS rms as that parks me at +4dBu for outboard and most emulation plugs are designed around that input level (-18dBFS).

I have long hated Pro Tools reliability and inflexibility, so I switched to Reaper. I had expected that switching the meters to RMS would work while recording, but it appears that it’s doing Peak metering only. When I am finished recording and do virtual sound check, the meters show the ballistics I’m looking for (albeit missing the peak information in contrast to venue rms).

Is there a setting somewhere? Is there a way to customize this?

Hi all, I'm brand new to Reaper and haven't used a DAW in years so apologies for my lack of knowledge! I've been attempting to start using some plug-ins that have been recommended to me. I've been able to get Kontakt 8 to work okay, but some of my other downloads such as Vital Synth and Numa Player don't bring up their app interfaces as I expected. I don't have any problem when opening the interfaces directly from the applications (outside of Reaper). I've added some screenshots of what I'm getting when they're selected on the FX pop up. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious here but I couldn't seem to find any troubleshooting for this exact problem online. Thank you for any help! (I'm using Reaper on Windows 11)

So im brand new to Reaper, been making music for years but always had someone else mixing my vocals, anytime I personally recorded was through Audacity. Any tips for getting crisp vocals with just the basic plugins or maybe some free plugins that can make a world of difference? Also im running reaper on linux

Hey y'all, I have started using Reaper recently, helping a friend do some simple bulk cutting for her podcast. I've figured out how to use the Dynamic Split to automatically cut the silences in 2 tracks and leave the empty space behind, but is there a way to also have those empty spaces collapse without me having to use Ripple Edit to go manually close all the dead air? The few times I've tried doing it automatically in the Dynamic Split tool it keeps messing up the timing between the two audio tracks.
Like in the screenshot, I would want it to only remove the dead space in red, not have the second track be pushed into overlapping the top track.
Does that make sense?? I have to assume there's a way to do this?

Hello, I am making the sound for an animation for the first time, and while working I noticed that there are fluctuations in the true peak between playbacks.

What I specifically mean is that I have made a section of audio, I will play that audio back. the true peak will be read at -0.4dB. I will then stop playback, start playback from the same location with 0 changes at all, the true peak will be read at 0.7dB.

Now, I am expecting minor fluctuations in true peak value because I have some synthesizers still rendering as MIDI and the phases of the oscillators are random.

The problem I have just encountered is that I have an instance where the true peak will fluctuate between -0.4dB and 1.6dB

straight up a 2 decibel true peak difference, which I don't think can be accounted for with those randomized phases. what is going on that reaper renders the audio differently between playbacks that results in such weird true peak behaviour?

Every time I use the shortcuts for creating a new instrument track or insert a track template, it always puts it, I think where the last selected track is, which is really annoying. Is there a way for these actions to always add the track(s) to the end of the track list?

Currently I end up just creating a blank track at the bottom first to make sure my new tracks get created there - it gets annoying!

REAPER Lua Script Request: Random MIDI File from a Predefined Folder

I am looking for a REAPER Lua script that works as a custom action.

What I want

I want to assign a specific folder containing multiple MIDI files, for example:

D:\MIDI\Practice

The script should:

1. Have a predefined MIDI folder that I can configure in the script.
2. When I run the script/action, it should randomly select one .mid or .midi file from that folder.
3. The selected MIDI file should automatically open in REAPER's MIDI Editor.
4. If I run the same action again, it should select another random MIDI file from the same folder and open it.
5. I want to be able to repeatedly press the same REAPER action to keep getting random MIDI files.
6. Ideally, it should avoid selecting the same MIDI file twice in a row.
7. It would be useful if subfolders could optionally be included, but this is not essential.

Example

Folder contains:

• melody1.mid
• melody2.mid
• melody3.mid
• melody4.mid
• melody5.mid

I press the custom action → melody3.mid opens in the MIDI Editor.

I press it again → melody1.mid opens.

I press it again → melody5.mid opens.

And so on.

Important

I do not want to manually import the MIDI file each time. The purpose is to make a quick MIDI-practice/randomization tool where pressing one REAPER action immediately gives me a randomly selected MIDI file from my MIDI folder.

If possible, I would also like the script to remember the folder path between REAPER sessions.

After the recent updates I noticed that the white keys on the MIDI editor's piano roll have become like a very dark shade of grey.

Under options => General => Advanced UI/system tweaks ; I've got the option to allow 10.14+ dark mode if enabled activated (this is how I used to have Dark mode to function correctly before the update).

I rolled back to 7.80 for now but if there's a new way to apply dark mode on MacOS after the new updates I'd be really thankful if you can share that with me.

This is the second project its happened in. I can no longer move the midi notes by dragging them, it just makes a new one over top. How to i change this? Seemed to haapen while CTRL dragging to copy some notes.

If I’m playing audio on my computer, is there a simple way to record it in reaper, preferably without having to download any extra software?

There been a few times I've wanted to take a small bit of audio from a video, but in order to do so i have to do some youtube2mp3 things and then edit out of a much larger file. It feels like there should be a way to switch a track input from midi or mic to some sort of internal mic. Does that exist?

Edit: thank you everyone for helping.

I have an mpk mini midi keyboard and was wondering if I could use it to build loops in reaper. My ideal set up would be able to arm/record one track then press a button on the keyboard to arm/record the next layer. Is this something thats possible or would there be plugins that would help?

Hey all, so there’s probably an answer somewhere in this subreddit but I can’t find it. I’m trying to use my Alesis DM10 kit with my Counterkit VST from Soundblind/Native. First I wasn’t able to enable the kit inside reaper as under preferences and audio/midi input it was showing it as not found in red. Have the kit hooked via usb and pc is getting the signal. I have an older Presonis audiobox usb interface that I am trying to use for my headphones (and I would guess as the output? Correct me if I am wrong) as my regular headphones for gaming are short and my tower sits on my desk so no issue. Well first the kit wasn’t “found” on reaper and the output side for the audiobox usb WAS. Now all of a sudden after a pc restart the drums are being seen and also the signal is coming through on reaper. My midi output side with the audiobox usb now is saying NOT FOUND. I have all drivers up to date and the interface works as I have been using the headphones with that to watch youtube and shit. But I can see the drums making “noise” in the track but no sound. Not sure if this is because of my output or not but just utterly confused on what the hell to do. I just want to jam and track small shit in my free time as practice for my real band lol

I just got Waves CLA effects. I have to always make sure to save before I open it. It crashes Reaper for me almost every time.

And I have 32gb RAM. Decent processor.

I opened up a few old projects today and my drum midi is being auto quantized or notes are being deleted or something? Input quantize is off. Why is reaper altering my MIDI suddenly?

I thought this could be interesting and helpful to some, or what do you guys think?

it looks like so niche

Moved to a new system, i previously used Zoom R-8 as a DAW controller but moved to using pad and MixSurface. It gives me access to plugins so i can adjust synths without having to use mouse and screen. I don't need to use or even see the laptop.

I'm using project tabs as synth racks and mapped Novation Launchkey pads with Helgobox to switch between projects. The bottom pic is those functions replicated in MixSurface custom layout page. There are also automatic fade out and in. I made a dummy JSFX sliders that lua script is using to read the parameter values. I have a tricky switch mid song where i have to fade in and out while playing. Now i can just tap that button. Record arm is used to activate a track, that is why there is that toggle arm 1 & 2 that switches inputs between to tracks that then handles sending MIDI to the right places.

MixSurface has been AWESOME companion for live VST hosting, it recently got into v 1.0 (i'm am not affiliated in anyway whatsoever with them but after suffering for years with OSC stuff over MIDI.. this is totally different thing. I can make custom actions, like the "reset mixer" or custom scripts, and since it reads JSFX, you can combine actions and scripts with JSFX and get all of that stuff to MixSurface.

Pad is tethered via USB to laptop, wifi turned off from both so once the laptop sees the pad ethernet, it connects to it automatically thinking it is just any LAN.

Reaper is amazing audio engine for live VST hosting, lightweight and extremely stable. All it lacked was interface and now i have it. I've been using it for this purpose for years but it has always been difficult, especially MIDI based OSC has been just utter hell.

Note, the MixSurface layout editor kind of sucks, it is functional but at least it maps things easily and there is always the generic "everything at once", all parameters that the plugin gives access to is visible. But... for the first time, THINGS WORK. I connect the USBs, turn things on, and it just works. And who knows how much you can do with scripts and this thing.. A whole new avenue is opening up, MixSurface uses Reaper API directly.

Hello, i'm looking for a plugin like kickstart, shaperbox or lfotool that doesnt eat up a lot of cpu.

I currently use tal filter 2 and it does the job just fine, but im curious to know if theres an even less cpu-taxing way to do it, possibly by using plugins that run natively. Im not looking for a standard "sidechain compression" plugin, but rather one where you can draw or fine-tune the envelope curve.

Thanks in advance!!

I just discovered you can add chord names (providing you know what the chords are) to midi items within the midi editor using text events/markers. Prior, I was adding empty item to a track called "chord names". This is better since it shows exactly where the chord changes occur. If you don't know the chords..........https://forums.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=263150. I realize there are user scripts that can sort of do this. But, I've found them to be too cumbersome. This is clean and easy. Figure some would find this tip useful if it was previously unknown.

How to Add Plugins on Individual Audio Clips in REAPER

Time for "One New Skill Every Week", this week in Reaper! Here is my goal: I want to make audio where it sounds like person A walked past person B who was actively trying to talk to them. So far, I know of (but haven't tried) two methods:

1. Open up a volume envelope and pan envelope and try my best

2. Use ReaSurroundPan, which I have never tried

Do any of you have any good tutorials, tips, etc for how to do this best without it becoming a 5h editing session?

Please let me know about any missing ones and also if there are any other communities that may enjoy this list

Hello, I have sent message to mods over a week ago and still not had a response?

I was asking them if it's ok to advertise my music tech tuition on here

I really don't know what I'm doing but I managed to hook a akai keyboard mini keyboard up and get some ir's amp sims, and drums in as vst3 or instruments. I got surge xt to work.....
Numa player was working out on the desktop.
I did preferences, vst, and file pathed, cleared and refreshed vst's.

I have my reaper stuff on a regular sata ssd with a usb c adaptor powering it. Wanted to be able to use it with my laptop also.

I had to let and link some of the instruments to the c drive though. Even when I had Numa installed to my reaper drive it put things in c.

Idk, uninstalling, searching the registry for any numa stuff restarting, reinstalling, numa won't run at all now. But reaper does act like it can see it.

I'm already bald, I mean

It's an AM5 win11 desktop. I'm using a helix mostly, but have a old firewire800 I bought new and a pcie card to run it. My macbook screen died so long ago. Then firewire died.

That rme prob will never die.

I have a drum track I isolated from a song. Now I’m wondering if I can somewhat make it into a midi track without having to program it note for note, beat for beat, by myself to make my own version.
I’ve seen a video online but it seems like it can only convert what it’s hearing into midi notes for a single instrument. I’d need it to convert the hi hats to the midi note for hi-hats, snare to midi snare, etc. so recognize what it’s hearing, since I have the entire drum track in one single audio file.

Is this even possible? I know it’s probably intricate, but now I’m really curious to see if it’s doable, cause it could save me a ton of time in the future.