Mixing In Reaper: Submixes and Routing

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Mixing in Reaper is an absolute dream.
The way it handles submixes and routing is unique, but extremely intuitive once you get a handle on it.
If you’re coming from a more traditional DAW (Pro Tools, Cubase, Studio One), this video might help clarify the often mystified topic of signal routing within Reaper.
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[@FrightboxRecording]

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[@Deconbrio]

Another way to add tracks to a sub mix folder in Reaper is to select all the tracks you want in the submix then drag them onto the submix track (you’ll know you’re creating a submix folder when your cursor changes). This will avoid the issue of having every track below the folder being added to it.

[@hendrix5757]

Lol this was the way I initially assumed he was going to demonstrate this, primarily because this is the only way I deal with 'parent-child' track hierarchy! I was like, 'Why is he making this more complicated and drawn out?!?' Regardless, Reaper is hands down my all time fav DAW! The negligible amount of induced latency inherent to Reaper doesn't even compare to the competition!

[@derekofsorrows]

This is how I do it as well, I learned early on that there are many ways to do the same thing with a lot(if not all) of the actions in reaper.

[@DrSMILE-xc1dp]

this is way more easiest way than this guy.. could have done the video within 1 min

[@AlbertodeVictoria]

Reaper is amazing, so flexible and intuitive.

[@descendinguniverse666]

I like using folders, but If the one needs traditional routing, Reaper can do it either, just sending individual tracks into another track with Master box unchecked, so it will become like traditional bus, more or less

[@ashamael]

Yes. You can send anything to anything, so you can set up busses for your busses wherever you want for comfort in mixing!

[@descendinguniverse666]

@@ashamael I don`t see a point to make buses when there are folders but I do send tracks to reverb and such, plus sending to AUX channels for external effects control

[@hamfistTBHP]

I love Reaper. The simplicity of the track and folder system means less time fumbling around and more time mixing.

[@nv_music1987]

Will always use Reaper. So user friendly and produces just as great results as the other DAWs.

[@FrightboxRecording]

I agree!

[@CrushingAxes]

Man I love reaper! Fast and easy, very nice to work ! Super easy to create groups, you can use a lot of mods, colors and icons, my favorite daw.

[@lizardspawnofdeath]

Personally I don't use folders/parent/child tracks for routing. I create a buss, then click the route icon on the buss and manually assign what tracks its receiving, then uncheck the master box on those tracks so they only go to the buss. It may not be the quickest way to do it but it just makes sense to my brain and suits my workflow. It's only a few extra mouse clicks though. Another option is to simply drag the routing button to a buss. You know it's routing when the icon changes to a little 1/4 inch jack. But any approach is fine as long as it suits your workflow, which is one of the great things about Reaper...there are several ways to do pretty much anything. Thanks for another awesome video Bobby, informative and entertaining as always 😀

[@minnesotapetecampbell6920]

Same brother!

[@pvalenti]

I believe the reference to a "Glue Mix" might be talking about a drum parallel compression (or crush) buss. Good stuff though! Aside from that the term Glue is a function in Reaper that you use to stitch a comp together.

[@JustinNogle]

Reaper + folders = 😍 The vertical folder organization system is exactly what my brain needs to see the audio flow from a top down level. Great video! 👍🏻

[@mohitrahaman]

Reaper's implementation of this actually makes sense as in a file system heirarchy kind of analogy. They even call it folders. I started with Reaper. It bothered me a bit when I learned this is not the usual way in other DAWs.

[@GypsyFvck]

Super helpful! I was doing everything wrong from the get go. Was making a separate track for a sub mix and using sends to it and when I would render a test mix the guitars weren’t coming through! This video solved ALL. OF. THAT. 👏🏻👏🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@nickcrane8329]

You can also create buss/sub mixes by left clicking and holding shift key to select multiple tracks. Then you can drag those tracks up towards the track you want as your master until you see a blue line appear below it. Drag the track slightly to the right until that blue line goes to the right ever so slightly and boom you have your folder track

[@jrfoster1980]

Really useful video. I'm just going through the Heavy Mixing Unlocked course and I'm using Reaper. This covered all my questions, thanks!

[@ruddmedia]

bought it like 2 or 3 yrs ago im just now starting to dive into it its pretty awesome! i need to watch all the videos i can on audio engineering and recording onto reaper!

[@kshitijk14]

i started on reaper, and i feel like i m very comfortable with it, so no idea about others!

[@FrightboxRecording]

Stick with it...I think it'll be the standard eventually.

[@NikolasQuemtri]

Hey, thank you for the video! I've been using Reaper for 12 years currently and I love its routing model. The only significant issue with the folders approach implementation is that they are much more CPU intensive than the conventional routing via sends/receives, and that could be very apparent on large projects with hundreds of tracks and FX on them even on a powerful hardware.

[@stephencline685]

Reapers implementation of folders/master/child tracks is the most absurdly helpful thing for my mixing workflow. Probably because that's really how I learned, but it saves HELLA time

[@JaggerMurray]

Dude! Thank you so much for the shout out and awesome lesson! You literally broke everything down and comparing the two different daws made complete sense! Another awesome video thank you 🤘

[@FrightboxRecording]

Anytime, Jagger! Been wanting to cover this for a while so thank you for your question.

[@davidnovin200]

I still create a MASTERBUS in Reaper, as well as an ALLMUSIC buss as well. I use folders as submixes, and then route the sub mixes to "stem mixes" like "DRMBUS" and "GTRBUS" and "BASBUS" and "VOXBUS" then I route those to the MASTER and AllMusic. I do this so that I can do my master channel processing away from the internal Master bus in Reaper. I se the "traditional" master buss in Reaper for things like SonarWork,s VSX, MixChecker and Waves NX...just the way that I do it...but I, honestly, only ever dragged tracks to create folders, I never clicked the + at the end of a folder...so definitely learned something new! Thanks, as always, Bobby!

[@ashamael]

I got my feet wet at a friend's studio in Pro Tools nearly 20 years ago. 10 years ago, I once again waded into the pool with Cakewalk at another. Around the same time, Cuebase at yet another. Last year, when I decided to finally pull the trigger on my own studio, I went with Reaper. I have yet to regret the decision, and the more I learn about it, the more I am amazed at all it can do. You can also edit video in it, which is really handy when you record a track you're gonna put on YT or IG! Guess what kind of track the video uses? That's right. A track. Such a smooth workflow!

[@joemarta8221]

I love reaper. You can also click the tracks you want to group in a submix/folder by holding control and clicking on each to multi-select, then drag and drop the tracks on top of your empty folder track and it will automatically put them into that track as a folder

[@daveprimmett7429]

Started as a Pro Tools user and happily moved to Reaper. Avid's pricing model is out of whack with what the typical Home User wants. Reaper is way cheaper, well featured, constantly updated, and is actually easier to learn. Love the content by the way. Great Job!

[@firstname7566]

Easier way is to click and drag the routing logo from track to subtrack..and if you hold control key while you click and highlight multiple track then while holding shift click and drag routing logo from any track in the group of tracks that are highlighted to your submit track..then all will be routed at ounce. Then if you want to right click the routing logo on the group and de select master buss ,and your group will be routed only to your sub mix track..

[@redpillmafia960]

Maybe a "Glued Mix" is when you have several segments of audio in one track and in Reaper you are able to render them all together into one single track... like when you are using several different takes to make a master take with all of the best performances... just a guess.

[@naterblade]

Yes very helpful and I love Reaper. This whole video series is awesome thank you so much.

[@monxstiglitz08]

I can't believe I've been doing it right. I use Reaper and watched all of your videos and I'm confused about what is submix and stem. Finally, for once in my life, I'm doing something right 😂

[@DJChrisCruise]

Dude same.

[@davidpearce2514]

This helped ty. It has been a while since i have used reaper

[@Goitbit]

Thank you so much for this video, your explanation was very clear to me!

[@robbyp912]

When you create folder tracks in reaper you can do both steps in 1 by highlighting all the tracks that you want inside the folder then drag and drop them in the parent folder track

[@correametal]

Awesome information Bobby, thanks!!!

[@drewinman7171]

I love Reaper. I was using Mixcraft, but I find Reaper so much more user-friendly..

[@aikevidal]

Thank you so much bobby, You'd help independent artist like us to mix, More power for your channel, from Philippines! ❤️

[@ch3nz3n]

This is the MAIN reason (but not the ONLY reason) that I couldn't get into PT. lol Reaper's track and submix concept is the same as "File Explorer". It's a fairly intuitive process once you see it in action. PT's process is just too... extra. lol

[@FrightboxRecording]

Pro Tools is set up more like an analog console and Reaper is it's own, unique, thing. I dig both for different reasons.

[@jaredturner6560]

Personally I love reaper. For the most part, it’s taken every measure it can to allow you to just get on and create with the hassle of setting up routing etc. 9 times out of 10 I find as well, if you think somethings going to be done in a certain way, it is due to its simplistic nature

[@paulclarke4099]

Reaper is awesome, please do more Reaper specific videos 😊👍

[@kylecalandrelle7209]

Reaper is the jam🤘

[@TheChristianMunk]

Brilliant! Just bought Reaper and this is SO useful. Thanks, man 🤘🏻

[@theretrogamer14]

You're a life saver, thanks!

[@firmans12]

Awesome video man. Yeah man i use reaper until now. My first daw was i choose cubase over reaper but it was so hard for me to understand the workflow. Bcs from the program size reaper is just so light, i kinda underestimate it at first. But after trying reaper I understand it much more easily with just 1 track you can do anything from midi to use vsti just add fx same like using amp sims, no midi/instruments track like in cubase.

[@MegaDartagnan]

Well, what do you know. I've been using sub mixes all this time without knowing it. Thanks, Bobby.

[@shoesr21]

That lead line at 9:45 sounded like something A7X would've wrote.

[@stephane-vitalroy2545]

I watch your chanel and use reaper also. Great chanel by the way and you do a great job at it! I am looking to get a good pair of monitors. I am looking towards the Kali LP-6, Focal Alpha 50, Adam T5V or the KRK Rokit RP5 G4.? What's your take on these? Thanks!

[@FrightboxRecording]

That's a great question..I haven't used any of those monitors. I'd recommend checking them out at the store and seeing which you dig most.

[@ashamael]

I grabbed a pair of Kali LP-6's and have not been disappointed by them at all.

[@cupcakecookie7767]

Hey, great & helpful video. Thank you for sharing. Can you make a tutorial on recording & mixing vocals in Reaper 😊

[@MashreefAhmed]

How to make a group track for all the sub mixes like the pro tools in Reaper

[@marcelbr815]

Wow, those guitars sound killer! Have they been eqd? Are they amp sims? Very defined.

[@FrightboxRecording]

They're live amps and they were slightly EQ'd with the stock plugins within reaper.

[@marcelbr815]

@@FrightboxRecording Thanks! Awesome tone!

[@metalfather8139]

Reaper is very powerful and very stable on PC. Question. Does reaper adjust the output level automaticly to the track you use as a group controller.. ? It's possible having two accedental stereo tracks routed to a group track couses the over loud problem compared to one stereo track . But new user's should be aware.

[@FrightboxRecording]

I don't think it does..and neither does Pro Tools. Thanks for the heads up!

[@johnnypepperonii]

Today i just found out about submixes in Reaper (while working with it not through that video - thats how i came here) and i have to ask if it's ok to use it while recording (like have 2 guitar tracks to record but only one that has the amp sim etc on it) or is it just good for mixing when i am done recording stuff? While trying i got into some interesting phase issues but i cannot track it down if it was the submix or just some pc issues..

[@martotarto9581]

tell about your pan law settings

[@ERB_-we7yf]

Can you please explain how you create fx track for your verbs and delays in reaper. do you put the reverb plugins directly on the track.

[@FrightboxRecording]

No, I put the delay and verbs on their own tracks (no audio on these tracks at all) and send signal from my audio tracks using the "sends" within reaper. You can send signal anywhere in Reaper using sends.

[@ERB_-we7yf]

@@FrightboxRecording Thank You!!

[@FALLENOUTOFTIME]

ok... now how the hell :) I use my analog comp eq on the master ...how to connect without the buggy reinsert plugin ... please :) explain

[@FrightboxRecording]

I haven't used an analog compressor in my chain in over a decade, so I wouldn't know.

[@theradbrigade]

Can you not also Create a tracks and use the sends also to make it a sub mix or bus.

[@ecorona21]

So in Reaper, where should I apply an IR if I´m using track folders (sub mix)? on the tracks or on the track folder? would that matter?

[@joemarta8221]

For virtual instruments and IRs (amp sim) you want that to be an inserted fx on dry DI track, not the folder track it belongs to. Having multiple dry guitar tracks (or piano midis) running into a single amp sim would be like 2 guitars plugged into the same input Jack on an amp. It would probably work but it would sound strange

[@ecorona21]

@@joemarta8221 Thank you!!!

[@4rocknrolla4]

Ripper is the DAW you'd expect from the original WinAMP developers. Use it after old Cubase and was immediately struck by this)

[@Waltila89]

What theme is that?

[@FrightboxRecording]

Pretty sure it's the default theme in the latest version of reaper.

[@Waltila89]

@@FrightboxRecording alright, thanks!

[@theopinson3851]

I still don’t get why people pay so much for expensive DAWs. So far the only real difference I’ve noticed are the builtin plugins...which is rather moot because most of the best ones are 3rd party. Most of the differences between Reaper and other DAWs are in Reaper’s favor.

[@Yanthungbemo]

The thing I like about Reaper 👉🏻 Folders. It feels more natural and simple enough for my Neanderthal brain to follow.

[@DeeKeyLP]

my man. reaper is not user-friendly but very versatile once you master it. imho, for the price there's no competition whatsoever. wanna help you out tho. it's way easier to create submixes by just dragging selected tracks under the "submix" track.

[@firmans12]

Damn man, for me reaper is the most user friendly. I only tried cubase and reaper. I give up with cubase lmao.

[@FrightboxRecording]

I agree. It took me awhile (coming from Pro Tools) to get used to it...but man is it powerful. I use it for all of my live recording sessions.

[@DeeKeyLP]

@@firmans12 for me studio one gets first place in user-frendlieness xD although i'm sure protools would be difficult for me to get used to.

[@ashamael]

Not to plug another YT'er on Bobby's channel, but Kenny Goia has years & years worth of great videos on just about anything you can think of with Reaper. If I want to do something and I'm not sure how, I just check and see if Kenny has a video about it. He always has. (there's links to a ton of them on the Reaper website). I don't know if it has anything to do with it, but I come from a video editing background and Reaper made immediate sense to me.

[@jorrickthole6505]

@@ashamael Goia is a black belt Reaper ninja. That dude is brilliant🤘💀🤘

[@mercenariodevastador]

si tienes que explicar tanto para hacer un bus es que el daw es una porqueria, cero intuitivo