First Settings to Adjust in REAPER - 2026 Edition

Summary

A REAPER Mania tutorial walks new users through interface and workflow settings they may want to customize. It distinguishes between REAPER’s defaults and the presenter’s suggested choices.

Interface and track display

• Show or hide the transport panel and mixer from the View menu. The mixer can also be undocked into a separate window.
• Create tracks by double-clicking in the track area or using the plus button.
• REAPER hides some track controls—such as input, monitoring, and recording mode—when a track is not armed, keeping the display less cluttered.
• In View → Screensets/Layouts, choose track layout B to keep those controls visible regardless of recording status. Layout size can also be adjusted.

Project and media settings

• Project Settings lets you set a project sample rate. By default, REAPER follows the audio interface’s rate.
• The default timebase is beat-based, so audio can stretch when the project tempo changes. The presenter suggests choosing Time for projects with acoustic recordings that should not stretch with tempo changes.
• The recording format defaults to WAV, 24-bit, but can be changed.
• In REAPER 7, recorded media can be organized in a project subfolder named “media” by default. When saving a project for the first time, the tutorial recommends checking Copy all media to project directory and Create subdirectory for project.
• The tutorial notes that REAPER 7’s default for imported media is to copy it into the project media folder. This uses more disk space but helps keep project backups self-contained.

Project templates and backups

• Preferences allow a project file to be used as a template for new projects and can prompt users to save each new project before working.
• REAPER saves timestamped backup copies when the user saves. The tutorial says the default limit is 50 copies, with options to limit backups by count or days.
• Automatic saving is off by default. The presenter recommends enabling it, using a separate timestamped backup folder, and setting an interval such as five minutes. It can be configured to save only when stopped or not recording.

New-track defaults

• New tracks default to 0 dB. Setting a lower starting level, such as −6 dB, provides more headroom.
• Preferences can make new tracks automatically record-armed, set their default recording mode and input, and determine whether input monitoring is enabled. Monitoring is on by default.
• An additional option can automatically arm whichever track is selected, which is useful when switching among multiple recording tracks, including MIDI tracks.

Fades, crossfades, and looping

• Default fade and crossfade lengths are 10 ms. Fade shapes and lengths are configurable.
• Imported media has no fades by default, which avoids softening transients such as a kick drum’s attack.
• Recorded items have fades by default, but crossfades are not necessarily enabled. The tutorial demonstrates options for crossfading recorded takes, split items, and comp areas, as well as using the toolbar’s auto-crossfade control.
• Items loop by default when stretched, including imported, MIDI, recorded, and glued items. This behavior can be changed in the relevant settings or for an individual item.

Navigation customization

• The Actions list can be used to change how mouse or touchpad gestures control horizontal and vertical scrolling and zooming.
• Users can reverse scrolling or zoom directions, adjust sensitivity, and create custom actions that combine zooming or scrolling with speed modifiers.

Main speaker/source: A single presenter from REAPER Mania, demonstrating REAPER settings and workflow options.