Reaper DAW 101:- The Basics - PART 1

Main Ideas and Lessons

The video is a beginner’s introduction to using REAPER as a digital audio workstation. It covers installing and configuring the software, playing and recording audio and MIDI, and making basic edits.

1. What You Need to Get Started

• A computer, an audio interface, and something to listen on, such as headphones or studio monitors.
• Download REAPER from its official website and choose the version for your operating system. The presenter recommends the 64-bit version where supported.
• Download and install the latest driver for your audio interface from its manufacturer. This can improve performance, reduce latency, and help avoid audio problems.
• Connect and power on the interface before configuring REAPER.

2. Set Up REAPER’s Audio Device

• On Windows, the presenter recommends selecting the interface’s ASIO driver. On macOS, he recommends Core Audio.
• Select the interface’s input and output ranges so REAPER can receive and play audio through it.
• Choose a sample rate appropriate to the work:
  • 44.1 kHz for CD-focused work.
  • 48 kHz for video, film, DVDs, or YouTube.
  • The presenter considers 96 kHz excessive for his needs.
• Adjust the audio buffer size to manage latency:
  • A smaller buffer generally reduces delay while recording, making it easier to play or sing while monitoring through REAPER.
  • A larger buffer gives the computer more time to process audio and may help during mixing, especially if the computer is struggling.
• Audio sent through an interface will generally come in and go out through that interface, rather than through the computer’s built-in speakers or headphone jack.

3. Understand REAPER’s Main Workspace

• The upper area is the Edit window, where tracks and media are arranged along the timeline.
• The lower Mixer window displays the same tracks as mixer channels, with controls such as faders, inserts, and sends.
• Create tracks by double-clicking in the track area, using the menu, or pressing Ctrl+T.
• Tracks can be resized and renamed. Clear track names help keep a project organized.

4. Save Projects and Manage Media

• Save the project early using File → Save project.
• The presenter recommends creating a subfolder for the project. REAPER can also copy or move media into the project directory so that recordings and imported files stay together.
• Import an existing audio file through Insert → Media file or the Insert key.
• Use a track’s volume and pan controls to adjust its level and stereo position.
• Delete unwanted media with Delete. Undo accidental changes with Ctrl+Z on Windows or Apple+Z on Mac.

5. Looping and Playback

• Select a timeline region and enable repeat or loop playback using the repeat control or the R key.
• Looping is useful for repeatedly listening to a section, but a very small accidental selection can cause playback to loop unexpectedly.
• Clear a selection with Escape or the relevant right-click option, or turn repeat off with R.

6. Record Audio

1. Create and name a track.
2. Choose the appropriate input for that track, such as the input receiving a microphone or direct guitar or bass signal.
3. Arm the track for recording.
4. Turn on record monitoring if you want to hear the input through REAPER while recording.
5. Press the main Record button or Ctrl+R to start recording.
6. Press Stop and save the recorded files when prompted. The presenter notes that REAPER’s recording prompt behavior can be changed in preferences.

Arming a track does not start recording by itself. The main transport Record control must also be activated.

7. Mute, Solo, and Mixing

• Mute silences a track; Solo lets you hear a track by itself.
• The Mixer window presents tracks as channel strips, making it easier to adjust levels and work with effects.
• REAPER uses a general-purpose track system rather than separate fixed types for audio, instrument, or auxiliary tracks. Tracks can carry audio or MIDI and can be routed to one another.

8. Add Effects: Inserts and Sends

• Insert effects are placed directly on a track’s signal path. The track’s sound passes through them in sequence before reaching the output.
• Open effects from the track’s FX area or the Mixer’s effects controls. The presenter demonstrates searching and filtering the plug-in list.
• Examples shown include:
  • ReaTune for tuning display.
  • ReaComp for compression.
  • ReaEQ for equalization.
• Sends route some of a track’s signal to another track, often one set up for a shared effect such as reverb or delay.
  • For a reverb send, the presenter puts a reverb plug-in on a separate track and removes its dry signal so that the track supplies only the reverb.
  • Add a send from the source track to the reverb track, then adjust the send level to control how much signal reaches the effect.
  • Sharing an effect this way can reduce duplicated processing and lets you adjust the effect in one place.
• The Mixer can be undocked from REAPER’s Docker and placed elsewhere, which can help when using multiple screens.

9. Record and Edit MIDI

• MIDI is performance information—such as which note to play, when to play it, and how strongly—not audio by itself. A virtual instrument plug-in is needed to produce sound from it.
• Enable the MIDI keyboard in Options → Preferences → MIDI devices, then select and enable the appropriate MIDI input.
• Arm the track, select the MIDI input, and record as with an audio track.
• Turn on monitoring and add a virtual instrument, such as REAPER’s basic ReaSynth, to hear the MIDI performance.
• If no MIDI keyboard is available, open View → Virtual MIDI keyboard and play notes with the mouse or computer keyboard.
• Double-click a recorded MIDI item to open the MIDI editor. There, you can:
  • Move notes or change their pitch.
  • Lengthen or shorten notes.
  • Add or delete notes.
  • Adjust note velocity.
  • Select multiple notes and move them together.
• Editing MIDI lets you correct individual mistakes without necessarily recording the whole performance again.

10. Use the Grid, Fades, and Splits

• REAPER’s grid snapping can align edits and MIDI notes to musical divisions.
• Change the grid resolution to suit the task, or disable the magnet or snap control for finer, free-form placement.
• For audio clips, snapping can make edits land on bars or other grid points. Disabling it allows more precise positioning.
• Dragging from the top edge of an audio item creates a fade. The presenter also demonstrates changing the fade shape.
• Press S to split an audio item at the edit cursor, allowing one section to be moved or deleted without affecting the other section.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Adam Steele — Presenter and tutorial narrator, speaking on behalf of Hot Pole Studios.
• DistroKid — Discussed in a brief promotional segment read by Adam Steele; no separate DistroKid speaker is identified in the subtitles.
• Software and equipment demonstrated or referenced: REAPER, an Audient audio interface and its driver, an M-Audio MIDI keyboard, and REAPER plug-ins including ReaTune, ReaComp, ReaEQ, ReaVerb, and ReaSynth.