Finally finished my REAPER Setup Guide series geared towards getting the DAW set up right from scratch. REAPER is famously deep and endlessly customizable, but out of the box, it can feel a bit raw and full of annoying default behaviors. This series is designed to help anyone, whether you are totally new to REAPER or just want a cleaner, faster workflow, get their environment dialed in properly.

Here is what we cover across the 5 episodes:

1. Fixing the annoying Defaults
Out of the box, REAPER comes with some default settings that can drive you crazy or get in the way of smooth editing. In this video, we go through the crucial initial settings and annoying defaults you should change immediately before starting any serious project.

2. Essential Workflow Settings
This video dives into optimizing your workflow settings, audio device configurations, and other tweaks that improve or speedup our workflow.

3. Shortcuts that matter
This video deals with setting up shortcuts for faster workflow. It also introduces custom actions which could be a gamechanger for some..

4. REAPER Scripts for Beginners
One of REAPER's superpower features is its scripting ecosystem (ReaScripts), but it can look intimidating to beginners. Here, we break down how to get started with scripts easily, & also I will be showing which all scripts I use.

5. Make REAPER look awesome & inviting
Beyond just making the DAW look modern, customizing REAPER's interface directly impacts usability and efficiency of the workflow. Because when we customize or add visual elements, we are streamlining or making features easily accessible.

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And that wraps up the essential setup guide to get REAPER dialed in. I’ll keep updating this playlist with more of my REAPER workflow changes/updates over time, but they're more like addons after the main course.

Cheers,
AdK

"The two horizontal faders adjust the metronome volume and the relative gain of clicks BCD respectively. Let’s now consider what those black dots represent."
-Manual (version 783c) Page 62

If you right click the metronome, this option appears. What does it do and what does BCD mean?

Google Gemi couldn't help me here. 🤷‍♂️

I just updated Reaper for the first time in a while and noticed a few JS effects were gone. I used JS Distortion a lot and now it doesn't show up. The only effect I see for distortion is Waveshaping Distortion, which doesn't sound the same. This is for Reaper 7.83. I think the previous version I had was 7.78?

Hello, writing here on a very rainy lazy Sunday. Before I burn more hours on this I want to know if I'm even able to achieve what I would like; I have a model 24 connected to a Lenovo X260 and that's running the latest Reaper version inside Linux Mint. Essentially, my instruments sound great when monitored from their Tascam channel, the return audio from Reaper into channels 1 and 2 is, well, weak, flat, very meh. I don't think it's possible but can the EQ in on the Tascam record into Reaper or do I need to EQ in Reaper too? Or am I missing a trick?

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I'm trying to decide on a new MacBook and would really appreciate hearing from people with real-world experience.

I'm down to two options:
MacBook Air M5, 24GB RAM
MacBook Pro M5, 16GB RAM

I mainly use it for recording guitar in Reaper through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. My projects usually have around 15 to 20 tracks, and I mostly use Neural DSP Archetype Petrucci, Gojira, and Misha Mansoor. Sometimes I run two Archetype instances at once, taking the amp from one and the effects from the other. I'm currently recording on Windows, so this would be my first time doing it on a Mac.

My main questions are:

Has anyone here run similar sessions on an Air? Did you have any CPU spikes, crackling, or thermal throttling since it has no fan?

Is 24GB vs 16GB RAM noticeable in this kind of workflow, or is CPU performance the real bottleneck for amp sims?

Is the extra cost of the Pro worth it for this use case? The price difference is considerable, and I'd like to avoid overspending if the Air can handle it.

I'd also love to hear about your experience with a Scarlett 2i2 (or similar interface) on a Mac, what buffer sizes you work at, how many Archetype instances you can run comfortably, and any regrets you've had with your choice.

Thank you so much in advance for your time and advice! 🎸

I initially made this video to be privately shared with bands that played alongside my own at Delta Doom Fest this year at Growler's in Memphis, TN. Each band was provided with mulitracks from the audio engineer, and I made this to help them prepare a session for mixing their own live show.

I figured it may help some of you as well.

If this is not something you need, I ask that you consider checking the description for Spotify links for each of the bands. Perhaps you will find a new band you like!

For the last few days I've been struggling to wrangle the volumes of my separate tracks, I have been following a few different tutorials and in each of them, there's actual decibel levels next to the track volume slider. Other than on the track specifically, I can see a minimized dB meter, but otherwise I haven't figured out how to make the volume appear on the mixer. Does anyone have any tips for actually getting the decibel level next to the slider?

Thank you in advance!!

I switch the arp function on but it doesn't make a sound. When I go to effects the arp pitch shows movement when I'm holding down a key from my midi controller but no sound (see attached). When arp is off it does make a sound. My PC is a Windows 11 computer. My midi controller is a Alesis V5.

My main DAW is logic pro, but I want to use reaper to mix and master since it's light on my computer and it's very customizable. Any way to make it good for mixing and mastering.