Can You Produce A Professional Mix Within Reaper Using ONLY Stock Plugins?

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Is it possible to produce a fully pro heavy mix within Reaper using ONLY stock plugins?
Producing pro-level heavy mixes can be very difficult and it's easy to blame our tools when our mixes don't sound the way we want them to.
In this video I demonstrate not only that it is possible to produce a pro mix in Reaper using only stock plugins, but that you can do so with tracks recorded on cheap, budget gear.
► Website - frightboxrecordingacademy.com/
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All music in video mixed and mastered @ www.frightboxrecording.com

[@FrightboxRecording]

►► Download your FREE 5 Step Guide To Better Heavy Mixes: frightboxrecordingacademy.com/5-step-guide/

[@activa3125]

grbas las guitarras directamente ala interfaz o conectas algun pedal y el pedal a la interfaz?

[@OrbofShingeki]

I love reaper. Best $60 I've ever spent

[@vadoksam9235]

I spent £0

[@C.E.Alekperoff]

"Learn to use what you have got and you won't need what you have not!"

[@FrightboxRecording]

Well said Chino! Love that phrase.

[@arjunjsatheesh8899]

Exactly what we need to hear. 🤘🤘

[@chrisrowe6835]

Our band had 12 songs written and went studio shopping to see who could give us what we wanted. After hearing several quotes, we kinda felt like we could do it on our own. Fast forward a few months, we bought Logic ($200), borrowed our friends interface and SM7b (so free), and the only 3rd party plugin we used was Ignite Amps Emissary (free bundle). The project now sounds so massive that any time we show someone they ask us who produced it and we get to say ourselves, with stock plugins and a free guitar sim 🤣 if you know how to use the tools, almost any tool can work.💯

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hell yeah Chris! You know what's up.

[@gonzalobravo2830]

So... size doesnt matter

[@alextheconfuddled8983]

"$60 DAW" *laughs in infinite "60 day" free trial*

[@Deconbrio]

If you want to use Reaper’s stock plugins but not Reaper, they have their plugins available to download and use in any DAW for FREE. Also, Reaper is free to try with no expiration date and no software limits.

[@heavymetalmixer91]

The problem is that the ReaPlug pack didn't get any updates since 2016, for some reason the devs abandoned it. Also, it only comes as Windows VST.

[@scarletdawnmusic]

@@heavymetalmixer91 It's a shame. Thankfully, a lot of the community JSFX still (mostly) work and are cross-platform.

[@Deconbrio]

@@heavymetalmixer91 Not true. The latest update is from May of 2020, and it's available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

[@crissabater7698]

What a fantastic video. I have been preaching this for years and it's great to hear someone else say it. I am a Reaper user and love the fact that Reaper has so many stock plugins through the JS plugin system. Cheers.

[@mattbarden803]

This video was insanely helpful. To see how you'd lay out a project in Reaper alone was eye opening, but to see all the stock plugins you'd use on each track too was F'n awesome. I've tweaked a few things to accommodate EZ Drummer/EZ Bass and swapped a couple plugins but damn this was a really good starting point. You rock for all the help dude!

[@larrybyrne]

This mix sounds great! It is a compelling demonstration of how you can abandon the tools you feel tied to if your process is organized and deliberate. Thanks for sharing!

[@NickMythCalifornia]

I’m an independent artist, being said I’m all about the cheap route to good things. I learned to mix in Reaper and to this day I’m learning new things. I’m new to all of this, music, recording, mixing, all of it. Being said, your channel has educated me with a lot in many ways.

[@danielsimpson501]

Sounds sick dude im taking notes, love the melo death tune as well

[@mondragon9282]

This confirms that, even as someone who is brand new to recording at home, I don't need expensive gear to get great results. Really excited to put some work in with the stuff I'm recording!

[@roninenlightened6350]

Reaper user here. I love your mix setup. Clean and creative. Subscribed and I look forward to your future videos. Thank you for the education.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Thanks for watching, Ronin!

[@murdercircus7706]

@7:26 "I am definitely not a Reaper expert..." yet after watching your vids, I feel like I am becoming one. I've been using Reaper since 2013, and I've now started using the stock plugins, especially the multiband compressor, just last week after watching your tutorials. Props. I also found (on another channel) how to align my vox, guitars, etc using Reaper's built-in tools (I thought I needed Vocalign LOL) and how to 'humanize' midi drums - sure, the tools within Reaper are often not as pretty as Waves (or anyone else's) plugins, but they work, and are solid AF.

[@redwoodlloyd4320]

Thanks Bobby. I never truly appreciated this until I needed it. You’re too kind

[@FrightboxRecording]

Any time!

[@anilbahsi]

I love reaper. Everything works perfectly. I wish they have a better UI in plugins.

[@Alterwill]

The mix is absolutely stunning! 🤘

[@nickswitchblades3431]

I swear you are a mind reader. The other day i was like"man how do they get their mixes so loud?" Bam 2 hours later, a video on it. Now you're running through all the stuff i use which is going to help immensely. Please don't ever stop making videos. Seriously, EVER.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hell yeah! Happy to hear that Nick.

[@mdpartslubricantsvn1101]

I'm all new in this DAW... I have to learn more and more... Thanks!

[@user-xp9ff4oz8z]

awesome work man!

[@angrydragonkungfu9164]

Who the shit would give this a thumbs down? Totally killer man! Keep it up and keep uploading your reaper vids!

[@blairthomastoews]

This was really encouraging!! Thanks for making this video :):)

[@FrightboxRecording]

My pleasure, Blair!

[@anantwashere]

Wow that was so awesome.

[@RaVirrTheTrader]

Man, I'm happy I found this channel...

[@OmegaStationMusic]

This is great Bobby, I'm using Reaper (like many other home-recording mixers) and these are some really helpful insights!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Glad you dug it, Rick!

[@maxfreniere3563]

You're right, having an efficient system as a base is the key. It is also an incredibly good and fast way to learn as you repeat again and again the "same" processes (of course, tweaked to fit the production...) Beside stock plugins, there's also a lot of very good FREE plugins all around... I literally use Klanghelm IVGI (saturation/distortion) in every mix...

[@toymachinemusic]

Killing it Leroy!!!

[@TonyBarhoum]

Thanks for being my educator on a consistent basis ❤

[@FrightboxRecording]

Miss you Leroy!

[@mattmedeiros9531]

@@FrightboxRecording NJ Shred God Brotherhood!

[@jasonwalker1015]

Love this video so much, I love the foldering in reaper

[@FrightboxRecording]

Me too, it's super convenient.

[@wolfhawk1999]

Used to use Pro Tools, now I use Reaper. Love it. Never plan on going back

[@elementary8963]

Great video - quick question, you seem to have multiple sends of the snare bottom going to the same reverb - is this correct? if so, why? Thank you!

[@johnwurm1985]

I've only used Reaper. It can do everything I need it to do and the price is fantastic. I tell all my friends about it Keep it Metal!!!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hell yeah, it's amazing.

[@GarretThomas]

I hate when people laugh at us for using only plugins or stock ones. They think they can hear the deferents but yet most will fail on if it’s plugins or stock or outboard gear if they did a blind test they won’t tell the deferent but yet they say they can hear it but they won’t admit it they look at peoples comments first. Me I would fail in a blind test thanks bro for your video keep up the great work

[@FrightboxRecording]

Well said! I agree 110%

[@leearmitage]

great result man, I mainly use waves plugins along with a few stock(studio one) and one or two free plugins

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hell yeah, that's how I roll in Pro Tools as well!

[@leearmitage]

@@FrightboxRecording and recently got some bus glue limiters from JST which I might do a video on at some point (got them in the sale I'm a Yorkshireman after all haha)

[@TheDilligan]

What I like doing is coming Reaper Stock plugins with Airwindows plugins. Because the Reaper is stuff is very clean and digital. So adding the tape and console emulations from airwindows seems to soften it up a bit and add some subtle harmonics and saturation for character.

[@fjoesnisse]

sounds awesome ! i also use reaper. im gonna check out the stock plugins for sure.thanks

[@FrightboxRecording]

They're surprisingly really good. I had a blast!

[@AgentMeat]

Wicked video! I’ve been using Reaper since version 2 or 3 (2010 ish). It’s upsides; very tightly coded (efficient) so it’s easy on your CPU and it’s tiny compared to other DAWs. It is flexible in the extreme; this can be overwhelming when you start as there are almost too many ways to accomplish any task. The stock plugins are very good and it will use almost any format of other plugins; 32-bit or 64-bit AU, vst, vst2 or VST3. Also, a track is a trac is a track. It can be a track or an aux or a bus or.... I find the stock compressor very good but it can be slightly “grabby” by default. If I change the RMS size to 20 it softens up and sounds a little more SSL ish.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Yeah man, I was shocked by how good the stock plugins were in general. I was able to dial in a mix in no-time.

[@Claytons91]

Ive been using reaper for years and never knew it has an amp sim...

[@FrightboxRecording]

I have a newer version, maybe they added it recently. It's one of the JS plugins.

[@HiggsBosonandtheStrangeCharm]

.....hi.....sounds great...........what are the 7 reverbs on track 7? and which reaper reverb is it?

[@Cr3pit0]

That was just the Video that i needed. Now im conviced that buying the FabFilter Mixing Bundle would have been a waste of money. So, Back to KZbin Tutorials i guess :D

[@FrightboxRecording]

I know the feeling! I've spent thousands on plugins I never needed in the first place lol.

[@mikeduckaudio5401]

Thanks..that's a great and informative video! I've been using Reaper for years..love it, and I'm still finding out new tricks, I'm just getting into buss channels, and experimenting with side chain compression. My only problem is getting a loud final master render...any tips would be cool 😎

[@FrightboxRecording]

I explain my overall process for loudness in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2GYgHqFobx9ars

[@jerryarmitage8904]

Reaper is just as good as Pro Tools. Don't let the price fool you. The developers are rich beyond there means. It's why it's so cheap.

[@FrightboxRecording]

I love their business model and how they're giving back to the community.

[@AgentMeat]

Yeah, don’t confuse inexpensive with cheap or poor quality. Justin Fraenkel was the genius behind Winamp and Gnutella (P2P network). Winamp was sold to AOL for a good amount so he doesn’t need the money. He’s passionate about music and wanted a DAW. So he and a small dev team started Cockos and created Reaper.

[@TheDilligan]

As a designer, I'll say you're generally safe to assume ugly is poor quality. But Reaper is one of those cases where the design is just the bare minimum for it to function and that doesn't mean that it's bad. In fact that's probably a large part of why it is such a light weight program and only costs $60.

[@luvidfrankkelyslinares1551]

thank you for the tremendous contribution you make, i am currently a user of magix samplitude x4 pro, and i have been having problems with stability in the daw, for those reasons i am looking for a different daw, and i have been thinking about reaper, once i used it but it didn't suit me, i wasn't inspired by your accessories or the daw, i found it very simple and less professional, since I come from an environment that has tools of high quality and precision, besides I already saw you, I would like your honest opinion since I intend to buy pro tools 12 ultimate and not deal more, and my second option is reaper, your opinion would help me a lot and I would not have like to thank you for your suggestions if you do not mind. thanks

[@CrushingAxes]

I used to only mix and master with waves plugins, but nowadays I realize I can get the same results with Slate or any other plugin, I also try to change the plugins from time to time.

[@FrightboxRecording]

I'm in a very similar boat.

[@drawbackwards]

Also vocals on this sound very At the gates slaughter of the soul ish...very cool

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hell yeah...one of my favorite records of all time!

[@RiverwoodOfficial]

I've never believed theres a Daw better than other till I've met reaper xD And.btw the chorus of that song is heart shaking!!!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Thanks so much! We're working on an EP right now.

[@blueyedrummer64]

Would Love To See Your Drum Routing Matrix in this DAW!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Stay tuned :)

[@alterI4]

Your badass man, and that song is better than most of the metal I hear today! Would you say Repear is alright for lets say a synthwave project?

[@crnkmnky]

Good question, I’ll let you know once I’ve finished one. 😁 The stock effects will probably be sufficient for mixing, but the techniques will be different from metal style. You’ll need a synthesizer if you don’t already have one. There are plenty of excellent free options. Are you wanting to _create_ the tracks in Reaper, or only mix them? I record MIDI and virtual instruments in Reaper, but haven’t developed a consistent process. I still feel like I’d have more fun and less pain in Logic. *Synthwavvve* 😎

[@activa3125]

hola genio muy bueno.

[@wodenoftheangles3339]

Man, you EQ'd the hell outta some of that! lol

[@vikingguitar]

Very nice video! Can you explain what you're getting out of the Stilwell Event Horizon clipper and why you're using that instead of the stock Reaper one? Also, having examples of the isolated groups/busses before/after FX would also be a nice addition.

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hey man! Thanks for watching. I'm actually not using any Stilwell plugins (I don't own any). Every plugin I'm using in this mix is a stock Reaper plugin. I'll be doing more in depth Reaper videos in the future. This one was just a brief overview to showcase how much you can accomplish using cheap mics, a cheap interface and nothing but stock plugins within a $60 DAW.

[@vikingguitar]

@@FrightboxRecording Ah, gotcha. I'm seeing it on the insert chain for the Snare Sample (Track 5). Thinking about it more, a number of the Stilwell plugins have earlier JS versions that a bundled with Reaper, so maybe that's what it is. I know that Stilwell has a separate version they sell through their site. Thanks!

[@elmerseiscientos]

Yes, you can. I have done it. End of the question.

[@gauravgovilkar]

I follow the same rule in Cakewalk by Bandlab (free DAW) and FL Studio. Stock plugins and only the free vsts which are missing in the stock plugins.

[@FrightboxRecording]

I've always wanted to check out Cakewalk!

[@DeeKeyLP]

absolutely. though man, i love studio one, but i've grown out of stock plugins. just love the workflow, it's similar to reaper but the interface and intuitivity is better. it does everything and does it fast. try it out sometime if you want :)

[@FrightboxRecording]

I tried it a few years ago and really dug it! In all honesty, most DAWs are fully capable these days.

[@DeeKeyLP]

@@FrightboxRecording sure, it's a matter of preference nowadays

[@Eric-dd8bk]

Well, the full version of Studio One is like $300, whereas the full version of Reaper is only $60, and you can just keep using Reaper for free with no cripling should you choose to not pay them the $60 even though I do not know why you wouldn't pay them.

[@DeeKeyLP]

@@Eric-dd8bk i'm in reaper now🤫

[@Blackbird36100]

Bobby! Any chance we could get a template with all the track names and fx used?!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hey man! Unfortunately I don't have this particular mix anymore (didn't save it after the video), but that's something I'll definitely be making available in the future!

[@maxduncan4473]

The other thing that's cool about Reaper is that you can install the whole program on a USB...and plug that USB into a computer which doesn't have Reaper installed onto it, and just keep working.

[@marcorodriguez7694]

Great video as I use Reaper myself. Question, how do you make albums sound different from album to album if you're using the same daw? The first 3 Slayer albums sound completely different from one another for example. How do you achieve this with modern technology??

[@FrightboxRecording]

Great question Marco! The truth is that DAWs don't have an inherent sound to them. They're 100% transparent. Unless you're using a DAW that's modeling an analog console, like Harrison Mix Bus, DAWs don't sound like anything. What you put in is what you get out. The truth is that it's hard to make albums sound the same even if you try. There are so many variables that come into play when producing a band that all records usually end up having their own sound by default. For example, all producers have their own unique way of hearing things, so whenever a band uses a different producer...the result will be different regardless of the gear being used. Also, drum choice, drum tuning, guitar choice, amp choice, pedals, mic placement, mic choice, room choice etc....all have a direct effect on the sound of the recording even if you're using a simple DAW and stock plugins. Even in the modern day, variables are endless.

[@marcorodriguez7694]

@@FrightboxRecording I see. Working on my first demo. Just want to make sure my shit doesn't all sound the same lol Thanks for help reply!

[@allisterstewart3209]

that's crazy

[@deanmitchell7129]

Are you using any drum samples in this mix? The nice thing about what you’re demonstrating is that it lets the real sound of the band and mixing techniques shine through

[@FrightboxRecording]

Hello Dean! I'm not a fan of using premade samples. In this case I took my own (raw/unprocessed) samples of the kick/snare of the drummer's kit when we recorded the song and blended them in slightly within the mix. It acts almost like subtle parallel compression and blends in easily since they're taken from the source. If you're interested in how I do it, check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKKzh2mIl72qitU

[@blueyedrummer64]

Great Vid! I'm on Reaper ver. 6.12. Which theme/layout are you using for your TCP and Mixer Panel?

[@FrightboxRecording]

Just the stock theme for the latest version. I love it!

[@blueyedrummer64]

I like the layout you're using because of the routing buttons and how your track colors are solid and not a mix of tints. Curious?

[@blueyedrummer64]

@@FrightboxRecording YES! That's it. Thank You! ROCK ON!!!

[@hamfistTBHP]

Is there any drum sample blending/replacement on this mix?

[@FrightboxRecording]

When I recorded the drums for this song, I took raw samples of the kick and snare. I then blended those samples in slightly in with the mix. I'm not a fan of using pre-made drum samples. If you're interested in how to make your own organic samples, I show you how in this vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKKzh2mIl72qitU

[@hamfistTBHP]

@@FrightboxRecording sweet! Thank you Bobby!

[@robjakala7177]

You kept pressing a key on your keyboard to move the tracks to bring up the effects folders what key is it?

[@FrightboxRecording]

I made a custom key command to close and open the plugins box, Reaper is extremely customizable.

[@robjakala7177]

@@FrightboxRecording I’m still learning so I will figure it out! Thanks for letting me know this is a very cool program this will be a fun journey!

[@NotBubZ]

ik this is pretty late, but for any new people to this video - reaper is *technically* $60... BUT you CAN use it for free, with no expiration date and no limitations. it says it's a trial, but all it does is asks you when you open reaper "do you want to buy?" and you just click "still evaluating!" easy as that, you get reaper for nothing but 5 extra seconds.

[@RtyuiAEIOU]

nice man, did you pan guitar 100% left n right? i always feel reaper pan law kinda funny

[@FrightboxRecording]

Yes, I always pan my rhythm guitars hard left and right.

[@TKAM88]

Hey dude, what's the song name again? Thanks as always.

[@FrightboxRecording]

"Drifting Purpose" by Voidscape: voidscapenj.bandcamp.com/track/drifting-purpose

[@insertanynameyouwant5311]

do you still have that project? can you share it without audio (just empty tracks with plugins)?

[@FrightboxRecording]

I don't but I have something similar in the works real soon :)

[@insertanynameyouwant5311]

@@FrightboxRecording oh cool then!

[@tgstk2]

i only use Studio One.. as i'm a fanboy... you should do a (paid) course on mixing ... all this stuff i so helpful (only need to get the sme results :))

[@FrightboxRecording]

If you're on my email list, stay tuned..I'm releasing something this Monday that you might like :)

[@thetruthisoutthere5173]

Reaper's stock plugins are amazingly light on CPU, you could just stack a thousand. But the GUI is horrible.

[@FrightboxRecording]

lmao very true.

[@joebryanproduction4908]

Themes bro

[@heavymetalmixer91]

Bobby: It's the ear, no the gear! Me: Buahahahaha, another one joins the Reaper family >:) Great video as always, would you be able to stream a mix process in Reaper later on? I wanna see you doing it on the spot.

[@FrightboxRecording]

There's something in the works!

[@131slash]

This presonus digimax dont have usb, how u recorded tracks to reaper using this digimax? You pluged this into usb or what? I want to buy digimax d8, so this information will be very important to me.

[@FrightboxRecording]

The digimax was plugged into an old Digi002 via Adat. I used to always use the Digimax in order to bypass the Digi 002's converters and preamps back in the day.

[@131slash]

@@FrightboxRecording That makes sense. Thank You.

[@mattmedeiros9531]

What was the total price tag for the microphones and preamp?

[@FrightboxRecording]

You can buy all of this gear on Ebay, used for well under a grand.

[@mattmedeiros9531]

@@FrightboxRecording That's bananas! This mix sounds better than records that cost 5 times that to record 10 years ago!

[@FrightboxRecording]

​@@mattmedeiros9531 Yup, it all comes down to how the tools are used. And to think, this was recorded with a dated, cheapo preamp. You can pick up a brand new 8-channel preamp with way cleaner/transparent pres for $200 these days.

[@TheSirse]

I've been mixing my band's album with stock Reaper plugins. Compared to a previous mix I did with paid plugins, I prefer the stock plugins version. Perhaps because it forced me to get creative with things like parallel processing (mostly reverb and compression). I am going to abandon a whole load of plugins. I think your mix sounds okay, lacks some punch and the vocals are a bit "narrow", but that's a taste thing rather than crit on your mix.

[@mj-lc9db]

yes i use stock plugins to produce tbh

[@coveredinthorns7185]

What band is this lol

[@boobo3763]

This is what happens when you know what you're doing...

[@leonline3424]

Reaper offers so much for so little