Top Down Mixing in REAPER

[@gabsauvage]

Never saw the face of the Reaper's OG before. You are beautiful!

[@cowbless]

Love that this is basically a whole paradigm of approaching your music mixing, but with a concrete and practical example - this foundation is valuable. Your intros are so badass now btw, amazing work. Thanks for educating us. I got into Reaper largely thanks to your efforts, and I have no regrets.

[@thomasshugar5636]

Not only is Reaper a GREAT daw.....But YOU have created a MASSIVE amount of high quality, easy to understand, videos. IMO- Some the BEST instructional videos, EVER! WE ALL LOVE YOU KENNY! I'm ALWAYS promoting Reaper, AND the fact that they have AWESOME instructional videos.

[@christopherpaul1810]

For those like me who are new to the world of mixing, this right here is the holy grail! Kenny makes it fun and easy!

[@dna598]

This is not only one of the greatest Kenny vids, it is one of the greatest music mixing vids i have ever seen. The correct pace, the clear method, the simple yet revelatory philosophy. No messing about. Brilliant.

[@fumanchu7073]

This ONE video literally just made me tear down all my templates and rebuild them..but my mixes now are AMAZING (to me anyway..) they sound 1000% clearer and with more punch and using less FX than I had before...simple and awesome. Thank you!

[@remochiun266]

I've seen a lot of top down mixing videos but this is the first time I've seen someone eq the master bus, then move that eq curve down into the group buses or individual tracks. Most people seem to just eq the groups and tracks starting from scratch going into a mixbus chain. It's really cool how this approach lets you quickly get the tonal balance and overall vibe you're after before tweaking the groups and tracks. Love this channel!

[@glamhock9057]

These videos are costing Kenny a fortune in cameras. But it's worth it for the slap. Another brilliant tutorial Kenny.

[@REAPERMania]

Yes. One camera per video. LOL

[@fireloks6362]

Davie504 approves of the slap! :-D

[@dannyday1984]

I’ve been using Reaper since 2016. Started in 2007 on Pro Tools M-Powered 7.1 and Waves plug-ins. In the past year, I have nearly gone 100% Reaper plug-ins for mixing and mastering. I use third party for instruments of course, like Reveal Sound Spire, Xfer Serum, XPand!, etc., and I use Valhalla for reverbs, but for the core elements of mixing (EQ, compression, limiting, stereo manipulation), I am able to use all Reaper plug-ins and I don’t even touch my Waves stuff anymore. Thank you for introducing me to the vast library of Reaper plug-ins and for showing me that it can be done with these tools. It really makes my workflow so much faster and I love that most of my necessities are already built right into Reaper. It’s a great feeling, and your channel was part of that for me. Thank you.

[@harpershittheroad6363]

Kenny your channel is truly a treasure to music producers. I've been playing music for almost 20yrs and playing bass in bands for about 13yrs; I'm 30yrs old now. I've only recently started the journey of self production and your channel has been such a blessing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@ryanreach3710]

I've only done this method a couple times, love how you brought the EQ to individual tracks too! Great vid as always Kenny

[@paulatsydney]

Wow. Having struggled with mixing for so long, and I just watched this, then went and stripped a project and restarted, top down mix, exactly same process and plug ins as used here, and instantly, wide open mix with great dynamics and volume and instrument separation, straight away. Took about 8 mins from start to rendering. Sure, can definitely do with some further surgical EQ here and there, but it's instantly 90% there and sounding great! Thank you!

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

Kenny, the Reaper saviour.

[@johnnyfreakinlove]

Hey brother! Thank you so much for all you do here. I was a touring musician for decades and had only ever recorded analog and never actually recorded myself. A year and a half ago the only thing I knew at all about computers was how to check my email and watch porn. 100% thanks to you, I'm about 80% finished and getting ready to release a rather epic 22 song psychobilly album and after, embark on a US and European tour. There is absolutely no way I would have gotten to this point without an exhaustive study of your videos, then constantly going back to them to figure out solutions to the crazy amount of problems and lack of knowledge I had. The learning curve was VERY real and without you even knowing it, you were my Yoda, co-pilot, guru, teacher and voice of reason when I was on the edge of mixing technology with baseball bat and 3rd story window. Thank you so much. I'm going to give a special teacher/mentor credit to you on the album credits liner notes. Cheers! ~Johnny Love

[@martinbajsic4836]

Not jus the most intuitive daw I’ve ever had the chance to work in, but man… your tutorials meant a lot and I’m getting back to them every year or two for the last 7 years. If each software had as good instructional videos as Reaper I’d probably use them all 😂 big Thanks from a big fan!

[@lcd1957]

After a Sunday watching your tutorials I'm definitely making the move to Reaper from my old DAW. Thanks for all the great information and examples.

[@roberthunt1540]

Is it my imagination, or does the 1175 stock plugin from Reaper sound smoother than comp plugins I spent hundreds of dollars on . . ???

[@RobertMurphy-wm3ge]

Many folks get turned off by the standard VST plugins that come free with REAPER because they don't sport neon colored knobs and other "inspiring" digital paint jobs. I've download a couple other free VST plugins from Valhalla but Cuckos is on POINT.

[@larrymargera3662]

I love your tutorials Kenny! Especially the recent ones! It’s always like, I’m thinking about doing something and then boom - your video pops up in my feed or on my notification list and it covers the topic that I’m interested in! It’s always clean and simple and the knowledge you provide can be easily transitioned into any genre of music so rather than giving us „the fish” you give us „the fishing rod” and I love this approach. One of the teachers at my college recommended to look up your channel and I’m really glad I did! Thank you and more power to you!

[@REAPERMania]

What college?

[@larrymargera3662]

@@REAPERMania It’s in Poland as I’m also from there - not from the U.S.

[@harrisfrankou2368]

Thanks, nice new beat intro too.

[@TheSkull698]

I saw this comment below and I have to agree. Kenny is the GOAT when it comes to Reaper. We could never afford the knowledge, and practical application methodology, that Kenny imparts for free. I use what I learn from him every single day. Thank you Kenny!

[@superiauk]

Ive been trying to mix and master for months to not much hope. This killed it thankyou man

[@G_handle]

You have a Face!?

[@DavidMohMusic]

What a beautiful song,, made me wanna watch more!

[@JoeJohnston-taskboy]

I was expecting you to put a noise gate on the sax track to mute the bleed from the other channels. In this case, everything appears to be in phase, but sometimes that bleed can really poop the bed of the mix. All that said, this is a really interesting approach to mixing. I forgot you can drag FX to other tracks!

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodNitpicker]

I was anticipating some gates too, both on the sax and maybe on the kick. I suspect he didn't do it, because it wasn't necessary for demonstrating the technique. However, it's also probable that gating each channel that needs it, is a bottom up strategy. If you're mixing top-down, and you can make it sound the way you want without bothering to do that kind of individual channel manipulation, then don't do it. He may have also been showing that, because having that extra noise didn't hurt the result as far as I could hear.

[@broccoli747]

Wow this is eye-opening in terms of workflow. Great stuff! Work flow videos are very useful. Thanks Kenny!

[@duuchimee]

wow! I've seen about twenty videos where you introduce us to Reaper's features and secrets and this is the first one where at I not only hear your voice but see your face) thank you sooooo much for your channel!

[@jackstanton1091]

Brilliant! Thanks Kenny

[@daxu9605]

Yes for the new intro and Kenny's face!

[@Tgladmusic]

Being someone that likes to make a track and move on, I’ve found this very useful.. thanks man!

[@velierisim]

I was not aware of this approach. Such an eye opener. Thanks!

[@RathCampbell]

The best explanation of top down mixing I have heard.thanks man!

[@REAPERMania]

Believe it or not, I think I invented it. I made a post about 15-20 years ago explaining it without calling it Top Down and later heard other people call it that. So I did come up with it on my own but I don't know if it was parallel thinking or everyone stole from me. :)

[@RathCampbell]

@@REAPERMania That is so cool! It spread like crazy man! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us. I have learned more about production and mixing from you in the past few years than I have in the previous 10. Thank you Kenny, I am eternally grateful!

[@paulmurillo9014]

Been looking for this kind of steps on mixing. Thank you for making things less hassle!

[@dk60ish]

While it definitely has a steep learning curve, once you get into it you'll find that Reaper does everything, thanks for being such a great Reaper tutor!

[@DavidEsp1]

Great! Extremely logical workflow.

[@obongobong1443]

1175 compressor is ma favorite

[@mariosmichail]

Excellent Kenny! Once again!

[@yaroslavkyrychenko8574]

Very nice! I watch every single video of yours and it does not cease to amaze me how you can explain everything in a very understandable and relatable way. More so, in this video I think it's brilliant how you've done pretty much the whole mixing in 12 minutes with just two stock plugins! I know that everyone has their own approach but it's like most other KZbin tutorials keep trying to convince us that we need the expensive and "nice-looking" plugins to make good music. And here you go, showing good mixing with just two stock plugins. Thanks and please keep up the good work!

[@DavidMohMusic]

The fact that this was mixed with stock plugins just amazes me

[@atulah7]

Thanks for the great tutorials, Kenny. My mixes are constantly improving thanks to your help.

[@MerlinsMelody]

Great video, always learned to never eq/compress in solo mode but tweaking the individual sounds and then adjust volume levels and eq parameters in the whole mix is a great trick that I never did before. No words can describe how much value your vids are for reapercommunity and everyone who is interested. Thx !!!

[@BellsCuriosityShop]

I never thought of mixing like this. Must give it a go sometime.

[@MCAlvesPortugal]

Always great tutorials.😎

[@larryleger1658]

Genius man!!! I've learned a lot from you sense I got REAPER 2years ago. Thank you for your time spent helping out!

[@ozlodger]

Wow! Nice work Kenny - you really brought that track to life. Another excellent tutorial.

[@maverickonthemic]

Great to see ya Kenny! Invaluable vid as always!

[@thimovijfschaft3271]

My preferred way of mixing top down is to leave the EQs and compressors on the busses and do more and more detailed moves as I go down

[@REAPERMania]

You can but you'e also adding frequencies to thinks that may not need it.

[@minkorrh]

You can actually somewhat notice the mix 'cleaning up' and becoming sonically clearer with more definition as you go through each buss and refine the EQ. Very cool. Would I be correct in the assumption that this along with the channel compression keeps the frequencies 'in their lane' so they don't mush up their neighbors?

[@nersonangelopis-an942]

Damn finally saw my favorite reaper instructor..

[@jade5364]

Great video and methodology, Kenny! I was wondering - I know your focus these days tends to be on videos that showcase new Reaper features (that honestly seem to pop up every week), but do you think you would ever do a video on how to set up a live performance rig in Reaper? Tackling issues such as Live Configs, optimizing the settings for live performance, balancing VSTi performance and latency, etc? I've convinced so many people to get this software over the years but the most adament group to switch over by far have been people who use Ableton for DJing or sound triggering. And I don't blame them - Reaper doesn't really highlight this as a feature - although it would be nice to be able to point to resources like your channel that could explain how this could be done with our existing tools. Some people think that Reaper just "can't" do live performance, which simply isn't true. Would love to hear your thoughts.

[@TedRichley]

Cockos can be really glad and thankful to have got Kenny Gioia creating these great Reaper tutorials. And I am really glad and thankful that I've got both Reaper and Kenny's tutorials 🙂 👍´👍

[@davecorkum161]

I have an effing great song I've been working on, but at the final mix, it sounds awful. I'm so glad I found this video and can use it to finish the song and get it posted. Kenny, once again, you are a life saver!

[@FlamboyantJeering]

Really impressive! Cant wait to put it into practice

[@Mad7H]

Found this today. Great video, not just for Reapers, but for all of us. I'm using PT, but still learned a lot in terms of top down, eq's and comps. Thank you 🙂

[@elmolewis9123]

Many thanks, Kenny for another great one.

[@MannyDaza]

It’s nice to finally see your face Kenny! Awesome video as always !!!

[@REAPERMania]

Glad you liked it!!

[@jimbeaux4988]

Nice video! I get this a lot where everything sounds recorded pretty well, but then when finally comparing to refs, Ive almost always got that covered with a blanket sound. I now see a cool way to approach fixing it.

[@elypelowski5670]

Fantastic video as always @@@!!!!! Book marking this one for sure

[@RafaelOliveiraBR]

Simple and efficient. Great.

[@ДенисМамсуров]

Спасибо, Кенни! Это гениально! Спасибо огромное

[@danoisemaker9500]

Top video Kenny 👍🏻

[@jamus1217]

Best channel on KZbin for real

[@AlbertodeVictoria]

good source material + 3 plugins. Thats it

[@markfernandez2187]

This process enlightened me well. Thank you so much Kenny!

[@fritzvegaph1252]

I always love your tutorials. Always straight to the point 💙

[@aaronsmith934]

You're great Kenny. Thanks for the awesome content.

[@offset5549]

This was an awesome video!

[@ulfsvensson9710]

This i must try!

[@rjhelms]

This is a really interesting approach! I kind of do something similar on my busses, but never thought to start all the way up at the master. Will definitely give this a go on my next mix.

[@alejandroleiva50]

Cool stuff, Kenny! I’ve never thought about moving the processing on the master bus down to the submixes for more control - awesome idea. That said, when you move the EQ from the mixbus to the submixes in this configuration, aren’t you changing from post-compression EQ to pre-compression EQ? Do you feel that’s a significant detail in this context? Thank you!

[@REAPERMania]

I think order matters but I usually put compressors on the busses and the individual tracks too. In addition to the Master track. Did I mess up their order?

[@alejandroleiva50]

​@@REAPERMania ​If I followed correctly, you compressed before EQ on the master bus to start, then moved the EQ to the sumixes that feed the master bus, ultimately placing the EQ in between the submix output and the master bus compressor. The same switch occurs with the drum bus compressor and EQ when you moved the drum bus EQ to the individual drum tracks. I still love the technique, I just thought it was worth noting that the post-compression master bus EQ is not quite identical to the same EQ on every submix with the master bus compressor still in place.

[@REAPERMania]

@@alejandroleiva50 Yeah. I was moving pretty fast and wasn't being as careful as I could have. :)

[@alejandroleiva50]

Heck yeah moving fast.

[@Lonta54]

Woohoo. Been waiting for this.

[@boxofknives]

Great vid as usual Kenny

[@davidgharrod8174]

Every time I listen to one of your videos, Kenny, I jump a level in my understanding (huh? what? whoa! cool! got it!) of how to use Reaper and make my recordings sound professional. Thanks for the vids!

[@TomTayler7]

Just an awesome tutorial! 🎉 Thank you ❤

[@MoreMeRecording]

Thanks again as always, Kenny. This is great for trying something different and I like the potential of speeding up the workflow.

[@NMTCG]

@Kenny Gioia the EQ on the master was post compressor. Putting it on the busses will sound different as it becomes pre compressor. Great video nevertheless as always!

[@amoretam]

Right

[@burningremnantsmusic]

Thank you Kenny. Real gems

[@leftymadrid]

Just purchased Reaper, had it for a couple of weeks, trying stuff out. To me Kenny is God with Reaper. I am in awe on how much he can control this program, simply incredible!!! I love this guy!! Hopefully I can learn 1/4th of what he knows!!!!!

[@TonyPelosi-music]

Welcome to Reaper! You'll never regret it!

[@JasonFerguson1283]

Game changing. You da man Kenny!

[@HezMusic]

Great 👍

[@ifaber68]

It's a great way to mix fast and functional, I really like it, thanks Kenny :-D

[@joeheukerott9186]

This is terrific! Thank you.

[@TaufanSiswadi]

Amazing.... Thanks Kenny...

[@kevinellis4729]

Why am I being slapped so much?? What did I do?

[@LetsTalkAboutReaper]

Slow down, bro, you're covering ALL the topics and not leaving anything for us little guys ;) Nah, these most recent videos have been great. Would you believe i was today years old when i discovered the general dynamics plugin??

[@REAPERMania]

I only beat you by a few weeks. I knew it existed but couldn't get my head around it.

[@MrFlexID]

Same thing.. Mixing films and other stuff in reaper for more than 5 years by now, and had no clue bout this plugin)

[@andreasfranzmann9634]

Hey Kenny! Do you - or rather Reaper - have a solution for using a Mixbus in Reaper? I mean the method to send every signal to a dedicated Mixbus for processing and leaving the final Master Track for metering purposes only? In Reaper certain things like the playrate can only be changed in the automation lane of the Master Track, also you can quickly switch the routing on and of with an alt-click which makes it perfect for a Mixbus. But the routing ends there so I can't find a solution to bring in reference tracks (without beeing processed) other than using a seperate track as a Mixbuss and route all tracks there. That goes along with the painful neccessity of un-routing every track from the Master Track and losing options like playrate-automation. Is there a method to send the Master Track further (so to speak)? Or is there an even better solution to bring in (unprocessed) references? Thanks for all the effort and structure you put into these videos, you have no idea how much of a help you were and still are for me. Thanks, Andy

[@REAPERMania]

Use a Folder track as your master track and only put things in that folder that you want processed as a master track. The other tracks won't be if they're not in that folder.

[@thefakeguitarplayer4124]

There is a script in Reapack that creates a Mixbus track with a click (or keystroke). Just select the tracks you want to send to the mixbus, click (or keystroke) and you’re done.

[@andreasfranzmann9634]

​@@REAPERMania Did Kenny Gioia just answer to a question of mine??! Now I can die in peace! :-) Thanks Kenny! That's kind of the way I do it already. I just don't do it with a folder but a "regular" track instead because this keeps all my tracks to the very left which I prefer. However it doesn't quite solve the problem as playrate automation is not available on "normal" tracks/folders and using busses for drums, bass, guitars sends my projects into the 3rd order of child tracks. I kinda feel like working against Reaper with this method. Beeing able to route signal from the Master Track or having a "Pre-Master-Track" would be ideal here I guess. Maybe that's something for a feature request? Anyways, who am I to speak like that? Thanks for all you do Kenny, you're the Master! Best, Andy

[@andreasfranzmann9634]

@@thefakeguitarplayer4124 Thanks man, that helps a bit. But only until I decide to create new tracks or want to use playrate automation for tape stop effects. Anyways: Thanks for helping!

[@MrJacksunny]

Sending a track to *hardware* outputs makes you bypass the master, too

[@abacusmia6496]

Oh yeahhh ! i'm always wondering what is Kenny 's point of view about this technique. very good explanation . i know why you're multi platinium awards. Every thing is cristal clear with you .

[@Richorob]

This is great, thanks mate

[@MarkBragg]

Great tutorial. There's reverb going on too... Where does that fit into this mixing paradigm? Is it also stock, like the rest of the plugs used?

[@REAPERMania]

Yeah. I added a bit of ReaVerbate before I started the mix.

[@MarkBragg]

@@REAPERMania I thought it sounded too good to be ReaVerbate haha. That plugin gets a lot of flak, but you make it work. Love that.

[@PlanetBayto]

Fantastic!

[@dfoblio]

This was a great video

[@rudhypaulusrante8211]

Again, thanks for this great tutorial Kenny...

[@willster7272]

Can you do a video on how you got all of those tracks inserted thanks in advance

[@Nethanieal]

Thanks for this lesson .

[@BryanParnala]

Thank you... for teaching us... how to do... top down mixing.

[@Dang...]

Excellent, thank you!

[@bcain5823]

Appreciate all your videos and have learned a lot for others you've posted. There are two things I would like to get a better understanding and mix from; the compression and how to better bring out the bass track in the mix. I have a difficult time hearing the changes between compressing and not compressing but from the VU meter on the right it looks like you've adjusted the peaks to stay just under 6db? Is this a good way to visually adjust compression? Can I use compression so the bass stands out better in the mix and how would you do that?

[@RobertMurphy-wm3ge]

You make some of the best, most comprehensive videos for all users of REAPER, beginner to advanced. Thank you! Are you in any way affiliated with the product itself? I have been toying around with REAPER happily for a few years now and and finally going to make the well deserved donation of $60.

[@DonBernhard]

Why move the EQ? Can't you keep it on the Master AND each bus AND individual tracks? Doesn't EQ work by adding it down the chain? Or does that cause more problems?

[@REAPERMania]

You can keep it but then you're doubling it's effect. The idea is to move it down the chain, change nothing but allow more focused tweaking.

[@MixolydianMode]

What exactly is the benefit of starting top down? Having an initial setup for the eq on every single instruments that sounds good overall?

[@REAPERMania]

Because it keeps your ears fresh. If the mix is dark like this one, you very quickly hear it come to life and work from there. As opposed to soloing the kick and adjusting that, and working thru every track in your mix. You're making the most important decisions first (overall EQ) and only tweaking what still needs adjusting down the line.

[@MixolydianMode]

@@REAPERMania Good advice. I am going to try your approach, thank you!

[@Vuusteri]

3:24 is that right? Doesn't FX on a master track affect summarized audio signal, and is thus dissimilar to having multiple FXs on the buses? Or is the EQ an exception?

[@REAPERMania]

Yes. The Top Down approach mostly is for EQ. As that won't change. Compressors will be different as they get added down the chain. Even though I still add them Top Down.