Note that if the ReaClassical folder already exists, the installer will automatically add a unique suffix to ensure nothing is overwritten.

Install both ReaPack and latest bleeding edge SWS Extensions if you haven’t already. Import my index.xml into ReaPack (see the ReaPack user guide if you are unsure how) and search for ReaClassical for the ReaClassical metapackage and RCPlugs for the classical jsfx plugins. Note that out of the box this does not give you the full benefits of ReaClassical which include keyboard shortcuts, custom toolbar etc but does include ReaClassical themes and a project template which you should use when doing classical editing. It’s an easy way to start if you are already familiar with ReaPack and SWS and want to check out source-destination editing etc. Note that you do need SWS installed for the functions to work as expected. You can follow the update instructions on the current page to grab the custom toolbar and keymap but please heed the warning about using the ReaClassical Updater function as answering yes to either of the questions will overwrite configuration files.

To update just the functions, use Extensions › ReaPack › Synchronize packages. To update the functions and also update/reset the custom toolbar and keymaps to be in line with a standard ReaClassical portable install, run the handy ReaClassical Updater function via Shift+U. This will sync ReaPack to get the latest ReaClassical functions then offer to overwrite your toolbars and keymaps with ReaClassical portable install defaults.

Simply use the shortcut Ctrl+U to open the REAPER update utility.

Either click on the main or pre-release version you are interested in or click on one of the clock icons to select from previous releases. Despite the REAPER developers having a track record of excellent compatibility across even major versions, I recommend sticking with the tested version of REAPER noted here to minimize any issues of compatibility.

The ReaClassical theme is loaded by default. It looks almost exactly like the default REAPER theme. If you’d like to switch to one of several other custom themes, you can do so via Options › Themes. 'ReaClassical Light' is similar to the default but uses lighter waveforms and peak edging. The two 'WaveColors' themes apply coloring only to the waveforms with option for dark or light item backgrounds.

You can open the project settings by pressing P (for 'Project Settings') You shouldn’t need to change any settings here. By default, render resampling is set to the highest quality using r8brain free. Media is saved to a media subfolder. The default recording format is 24-bit wave files but you can set to 32-bit float if using a portable recorder with that capability. Video frame rate is set to 75 to align with the number of frames per second for an audio CD. You can, of course, fill in the notes section with a title, author and notes as desired.

Click on the audio information in the top right of the window or via O (for 'options') navigating to Audio › Device. These settings are operating system dependent. Choice of blocksize etc is also dependent on need and how modern and/or optimized your system is. For general microphone setup, device and recording settings specifically for classical music etc I recommend referring to one or more of the following:

Pressing F5 brings up the ReaClassical Project Preferences dialog. The first line sets the crossfade length in milliseconds for all source-destination editing. The next three lines are for DDP creation. The defaults are for a 200ms track offset (to account for older CD players that couldn’t play audio immediately after a track search), the INDEX0 length in seconds for when to start a CD player countdown display to the next track (a fun visual trick that is, of course, completely irrelevant for purely digital releases) and, finally, the album lead-out time in seconds (essentially the time on a car CD player before the disc returns to the beginning again). There is a setting for the Prepare Takes function to either use the old random coloring method or the newer color scheme that uses blues for destination material and greens for source material. The user can change the checking range (distance beyond an item edge/fade or crossfade) when placing destination IN and OUT markers. Setting to 0 would just check if the marker would be placed inside a item fade or crossfade. If the reference track is set as overdub guide, it will be audible during classical take recording and auditioning which is extremely useful for overdub recording of material after the main session such as a symphonic organ part or narration. Next, you can set 1,2,3, and 4 to add markers at the mouse hover position vs edit cursor. In this mode, you can also enter the fade editor by hovering of the right-hand items of a crossfaded pair and pressing F. You can set the custom playback rate when auditioning via Shift+A. Next there are two settings associated with CUE file production – year of production and audio file type. Finally, you can enable a floating destintion group which shifts position based on the active source group. There will be more on these settings in subsequent sections of the manual. If you are unfamiliar with these concepts, I recommend a quick internet search! If in doubt, just use the default values. It is worth noting that these preferences are set per project.

The choice between what I refer to as vertical or horizontal workflows will depend somewhat on the complexity of the project. For a quick editing session of, say, a choral piece or short self-standing orchestral piece, a horizontal approach will suffice. For a well-drilled ensemble recording session, I can recommend using the vertical approach. Many classical engineers enjoy using a horizontal approach for recording (potentially the least disruptive and making use of the Take Counter window Ctrl+Enter) and then either sticking with that for editing (also taking advantage of the extremely useful Find Take Enter and Jump to Time Tab functions) or, depending on the number of takes, converting to a vertical workflow. Frankly, there are benefits to both routes, and in the end, it simply comes down to personal preference.

See above for the ReaClassical approach to auto setting recording inputs based on track names. There are also multiple ways to manually set recording inputs. First, you can left-click on the meter part of the track panel. Second, you can press Alt+R to open the routing matrix. Once you have set the inputs for the first group, and you chose a vertical approach, simply press F8 to sync these settings to all source groups.

Again, I refer you to the books on classical music production but in general I suggest aiming for around -12dB peaks on the meters. 24-bit recording allows for a lot of headroom so there’s no need to push close to 0dB. Adjust the individual faders to balance. Note that in a vertical workflow moving a fader will automatically move the corresponding fader in the other groups too making same-volume auditioning of different takes extremely easy. When using a 32-bit float device with dual AD converters as an interface (such as the Zoom F-series), ensure that the recording file format is switched to 32-bit float via project preferences P. The recorded levels might seem too low or too high during recording, but they can be easily adjusted afterward in ReaClassical without introducing any extra noise or distortion.

Select the parent or child track of a track group and then press F9 to begin classical take recording mode. If the track group isn’t already record-armed (probably the case before you start your first recording of the session), the function will first simply record-arm the whole group so you can usefully monitor incoming signal. On a subsequent press of F9 recording begins. To stop recording, press F9 again. In horizontal workflow, the key press will maintain record arming and will begin recording on a subsequent press. In vertical workflow, this key press also automatically moves to, solos and arms the next available group so that recording can begin immediately on the next button press. ReaClassical will automatically create new groups as required. To manually add more destination groups when not recording, press \. To pause and unpause a recording without starting a new take, toggle the pause button in the transport or use the shortcut Ctrl+Spacebar. To quickly increment the take number during recording use Shift+F9 but note that this should only be used during moments of silence (i.e. inbetween quickfire session takes) as it creates a new recorded item. During this mode you should use the Takes Counter window Ctrl+Enter to track the upcoming take number (in green) and take number during recording (in red with recording circle). You can right-click on the window to optionally override the automatic numbering and set a take number to increment from in addition to optionally setting a session name to act as media subfolder (which is automatically recalled when the window is reopened). You can left-click to recalculate the track count if you have removed some unused files from the project path. The calculated upcoming take number factors in unused files in the project path so as to avoid any file-naming conflicts. With manual override off (=0), switching back to an existing session will also automatically set the correct incoming take number. Please read the description of the function in Appendix A for best practices.

Once recording is complete, you can briefly use the audition function A which will instantly remove all record-arming from tracks.

During or after recording, you can rank one or more recorded takes. Use Ctrl+= to rank higher, Ctrl+- to rank lower, and Ctrl+0 to remove any ranking. If no item is selected, the last recorded item (along with other items in the same group) are affected. Otherwise, you can select one or more parent items. The ranking system uses a series of colors and a scale system of plusses and minuses (+/-) added as a suffix to the item name up to a maximum of three symbols. This allows for seven different rankings. Positive rankings are 3 intensities of green (good, very good, excellent), negative rankings are yellow, orange, red (below average, poor, unusable), with neutral (no ranking) using the default item color.

When using the take counter for recording (highly recommended!), there is increased safety when using classical take recording (F9) via the automatic switch to a restricted set of keyboard shortcuts. In addition to stopping the recording via F9 and record-pausing, you can rank takes and use various zoom shortcuts. Note that you can still click on the transport buttons. In a future version of ReaClassical an even more robust recording safety feature will take the form of an optional unlock button.

To start (and optionally end) a recording at specific times or manually start a recording to end at a certain time or after a certain duration, right-click on the take counter window and add the appropriate entry or entries in HH:MM format. After pressing OK, the take counter window will display information to the right of the take number. If you enter a start or end time earlier or equal to the current time, the function will assume a next day schedule and will annotate the time with an asterisk (*). Likewise, with both a start and end time, if the end time is earlier than or equal to start, it will assume a time 24 hours later. Don’t forget to arm your tracks before walking away!

To record additional material after the fact (say a separate narration track or an organ part in a church after the main recording session in a concert hall), edit the orchestral material as usual and use a mixdown as a guide track in a new project (or new project tab). To achieve this, use a vertical workflow via F8, add a REF track # and set the ReaClassical Project Preferences option REF = Overdub Guide to 1 (F5). With this setting, audio on the guide track will be audible during take recording and auditioning of folders. Use Classical Take Recording F9 and Take Counter window Ctrl+Enter as normal. You can then S-D edit and mix the overdub material to fit with the orchestral mixdown or, if further mixing and mastering work is required on the original multi-track material, bring the organ part into that project as a new track in the destination folder Shift+T (see below).

To figure out required disk space for a duration of audio or vice versa to figure out maximum duration of audio you can record based on available disk space, use Shift+H to open a browser-based offline calculator. You can set units, channel count, samplerate, bit depth and format (WAV or MP3 at various bitrates).

Set up the horizontal or vertical workflow as desired. Then either drag the audio into the REAPER window or select Insert › Media file…​.

For classical music purposes, you can then choose whether to insert in the same time position on separate tracks or sequentially on a single track. For recordings with multiple takes using separate files, I recommend inserting/dragging one take at a time onto separate tracks on either the source group or first destination group. Once everything is imported you can then drag sets of tracks to the different source groups as desired. If you have a best take that will be the basis of the final edit, place this on the top destination group tracks.

If you use a portable recorder such as a MixPre, you might have a multi-channel combined file. ReaClassical includes a special function for converting these into a stereo pair + mono track set. Import your multi-channel media using a single regular track (for a horizontal workflow) or multiple regular tracks (for a vertical workflow). Then, simply press F10 (no need to select the items). Answer yes to the prompt that appears if the first two channels should be treated as stereo interleaved (i.e. they represent your main pair). Depending on the choice made, the number of tracks in the resulting folder(s) will adjust accordingly. Then you are given the opportunity to name your tracks. Obviously if you decide to move to a vertical workflow after exploding using a single track, you can always use F8 to create your source folders then drag the media to where you want them. If you need to bring in new takes after running this function, simply open an empty project tab, import additional media then run the function there. Afterwards, copy or cut the exploded items into the original project tab to the desired locations.

Use `(backtick) to see the whole project horizontally and/or Ctrl+` to see everything vertically. I chose to separate these functions because one of the axes (often the vertical) is set exactly how you need for editing and it would be a pain to have the axis reset each time. You can also go to the start or end of the project by pressing the Home or End key respectively.

Use Enter on the main keyboard or numpad if you have one to quickly search for a take based on the underlying filename of the media item. This will work for any file-naming system that uses numbers before the file extension such as main_pair-T04.wav, cello-spot-take_23.flac or even ortf_pair(04).wav such as created by Presonus Studio One. Note that if the imported or recorded files have zero-padding that is not a problem. If you have used an item to create an S-D edit, searching for a take will ignore these items and move directly to the original sources.

Press TAB to jump to a specific absolute or relative time using right-aligned logic, similar to video editing applications. This can be an absolute time within the project or an relative position inside a selected item or a set of consecutive crossfaded items. Prefix with + or - to make relative jumps. Once you get the hang of using this input logic, moving to any position is extremely quick!

You can easily shuffle back and forth between item edges by using the Q and W keys. You can move between markers by using the , and . keys (by design given on my keyboard they are the same keys that have < and >).

ReaClassical can hide or show children of track groups. This means that editing multi-track classical music can be as easy as editing a stereo track. When takes have been prepared (see below), all edits are automatically synchronized. Making an edit to the parent track automatically makes the same one to all the children too. To show hidden children select the parent track and press D (for display). To hide, select the parent track and press E (for ensconce). The other benefit is that a whole set of takes can be displayed vertically in the main editing window without too much effort.

To adjust the visual zoom of wave peaks, use Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓. This is purely visual and allows for easier editing of quieter sections.

While I designed ReaClassical to be used efficiently with keyboard shortcuts, there is a custom S-D editing toolbar for those that prefer it. However I do highly recommend learning the key strokes as you will find your editing speeds improve dramatically. The floating toolbar is visible by default on a new portable install. To open or close, use the F6 shortcut.

From left to right, we have: Destination IN and OUT markers (1,2), Source IN and OUT markers (3,4), Delete S-D markers (Ctrl+Delete), S-D Edit (5), 3-point Assembly Line Edit (F3), Insert with Time-stretching (F4), Delete With Ripple (Backspace), Delete Leaving Silence (Ctrl+Backspace), Set Destination Tab Project Marker (Ctrl+Alt+1 or Ctrl+Alt+2), Set Source Tab Project Marker (Ctrl+Alt+3 or Ctrl+Alt+4), Delete S-D Project Markers (Shift+Delete), Copy Destination Material to Source, Move Destination Material to Source, Reverse S-D Edit (6), and finally ReaClassical Help (H).

At the top of the arrange window, you will see a dedicated ReaClassical menu (in between Options and Extensions). While not intended to be used as the primary way of running ReaClassical functions, it is an organized way of discovering the individual available functions and learning the keyboard shortcuts.

While some of these will be covered later in the manual, it is useful to give a summary of track types you can currently use in ReaClassical. First, we have the regular group or groups of tracks shown in the arrange window. These are where you record or import takes. You can record-arm tracks and manually select inputs (if you didn’t set during initial setup or via Ctrl+F9) here (a reminder that only locked tracks need only be set on the first group and then F8 can be pressed to sync across all groups. Second, we have the mixer tracks designated via M: prefix. These tracks shown only in the mixer are where you adjust the usual track controls such as names, pan, volume, phase etc. and also add FX. Their names are synced across the project via F7 or F8. Third, we have aux busses designated via @ prefix. You can route mixer tracks to these to use as a reverb bus etc. Fourth, we have submix busses designated via # prefix. You can route mixer tracks to these as a way to collect together microphones from the same orchestral section etc. Fifth, we have a dedicated room tone track where you can place recorded or generated room tone (more on this in the mastering section). Sixth, we have the RCMASTER bus which leads directly to the master REAPER bus. Here you can gain stage into the master bus, add FX etc. Seventh, we have reference tracks which lie outside of the RCMASTER structure thereby allowing the user to quickly make comparisons with other imported material via the audition shortcuts. Finally, the master bus itself where again you can set final levels, add FX etc. As mentioned elsewhere, try not to delete the mixer tracks or RCMASTER. But, even if you do by accident, simply run F7 or F8 to recreate them depending on your chosen workflow.

Once you have recorded or imported your classical music audio, you are ready to start editing the raw material! Here we talk about the meat and potatoes of the classical editing workflows. Workflows—plural—because I have included different approaches to suit as many tastes as possible within the confines of the REAPER application. I will explain each in detail after this brief introduction. As described previously, you have multiple ways of proceeding. First you can have all your takes lined up in a row horizontally and you place your source in and out markers, destination in and out markers then press a keyboard shortcut to achieve your 2-, 3- or 4-point edit. The second way is to set up your takes vertically and then either use the same marker system to make your edits or use razor edits (my preferred method when working vertically). Whichever option you choose, you will then end up in the crossfade editor view which uses a custom two-lane view with classical crossfade function to make precise edits really easy in REAPER. I don’t often use the fade editor dialog that comes with REAPER even though I make it appear as part of the function.

This is best done using a physical, photocopied score by the conductor or lead musician. I advocate for a “T” system where a large T is inserted into the score at the intended edit point. Either side of the T stem, and under the crossbar, the outgoing and incoming take numbers are written. A wavy crossbar indicates some leeway for where the edit point can be placed. Further notes can be attached underneath the T such as directions for tightening the gap etc.

Whether working horizontally or vertically, you can use the Prepare Takes function. It is intelligent enough to figure out which workflow you are using. Just press T (for Takes). Super simple! Every set of items comprising a take has changed color, is now grouped. In addition, source and destination groups are linked or (re-linked) for various types of editing.

If Prepare the Prepare Takes: Random colors value is set to 0 in ReaClassical Preferences F5 (the default), for horizontal workflows, two shades of blue are used which also helps show the user where edits happen. For vertical workflows, the destination group again uses two shades of blue and the source groups are colored green. In this way they match the colors of the associated S-D markers. If Prepare Takes: Random colors value is set to 1, for horizontally laid-out takes, each complete take is colored with a different random color. For vertically laid-out takes, each folder’s items are given a different random color. This way, however you work, it’s easy to see where edits have come from. Prepare Takes can be re-run at any point to re-sync colors and will preserve any custom colors set via the Colorize function K.

In the cases where you might use the function after editing has begun, the destination group will switch to using alternating colors for items so that you can easily tell where you have made edits.

For horizontal editing, you could use the usual transport shortcuts (spacebar to start and stop playback, for example). However, for both horizontal and vertical editing, it is highly recommended to use the Audition function to quickly solo only the folder (or track) you are interested in hearing. Just hover the mouse over the parent for the full mix or a child to solo a spot microphone you want to hear and press A. This includes any @ aux or # submix track routing in the signal path. You can easily and quickly create your own custom audition mix by engaging solo or mute buttons on the mixer, aux and submix tracks (either with transport stopped or on the fly) and using hover + A on the parent track. You can therefore listen to anything from the full mix down to examining just the woodwinds submix or a single reverb bus. To audition using a custom playback rate, use hover + Shift+A. The custom playback rate can be set via F5. Note that regular auditioning will automatically reset to the standard playback rate.

Don’t forget that you can quickly jump to your various source takes using Enter and jump to a time within a selected item or crossfaded items using Tab.

You set your in and out points using special colored labeled markers via shortcuts 1 and 2 (Destination) and 3 and 4 (Source). Simply press 5 to make the 2-, 3- or 4-point edit. depending on how many markers you set. If you attempt to set one of the destination markers inside of an existing crossfade or within 500ms of a crossfade or item edge, the function will alert you (pressing OK places the marker anyway). This helps avoid awkward sliver edits that can happen especially if you are zoomed out and placing markers by ear. You can customize the check range via ReaClassical Preferences (F5). The check range (in milliseconds) is the distance beyond an item edge, fade or crossfade. For example, setting to 0 would only check for placement inside a fade or crossfade.

You’ll also notice that because you prepared the various takes with colors (and grouping), it is really easy to see which takes compose your final edited tracks. It’s worth pointing out that my S/D and classical crossfade functions place the crossfade immediately before the entry and exit points of the pasted audio. The crossfade length and other values can be set on a per-project basis via ReaClassical Project Preferences (F5). In practice this means that if you visually set a marker (or edit cursor in the case of the classical crossfade function) immediately before a transient, said transient will sound post-crossfade which is what we generally desire. Often, given this important detail, I don’t even need to visit the crossfade editor view.

When using a vertical workflow, make sure you have the source folder selected before you create the source IN and OUT markers. You can do so by clicking on the item at the locations you want to set the markers. This adds the folder number as a prefix to the source marker labels. The various functions will then use this label to know which folder to copy from. This is really useful if you undo the edit in order to tweak the markers by dragging them. It doesn’t matter if you then select other folders/tracks. In the event you use two different folders for the source IN and OUT markers, the functions will prefer the source IN label.

The downside to this workflow when using a vertical approach is that the source and destination markers can get in each other’s way visually if the takes aren’t somewhat staggered, however the process still works as expected. See below for a razor editing alternative.

The floating destination group feature enhances vertical workflow efficiency by dynamically positioning the destination group just above the selected source group. This reduces unnecessary vertical scrolling when setting IN and OUT markers for destination and source groups that are far apart in the project. Additionally, this feature is fully compatible with mouse hover S-D editing and when setting source markers to item edges (F12).

To enable the floating destination group, open ReaClassical Project Preferences (F5) and set the corresponding value to 1.

For example, with floating destination enabled, place a source IN marker (via 3) on any source group. The destination group will reposition itself just above the selected source group. Add the remaining S-D markers as required. Perform any S-D edits via 5, F4, or F3. Select another source parent and place another marker (3). The destination group will continue adjusting dynamically. To temporarily reset the destination group position, run a sync via F8.

It is worth noting that if the destination group moves above a source group, the source marker track number correctly updates to reflect the new order.

To disable floating mode, re-open ReaClassical Project Preferences and set Floating Destination Group back to 0. This will also automatically move the destination group back to the top of the project.

Because of the potential for visual overlap of markers, I much prefer the REAPER razor edit functionality for vertical take work. It works a lot like the process shown in this Pyramix video.

While Pyramix also has additional source-destination marker workflows, I couldn’t help but feel that for professional ensembles that manage a high degree of tempo regularity between takes, this method can be extremely efficient. This isn’t the document to introduce REAPER razor edits as there are plenty of resources online if you do a simple search. Here we are only concerning ourselves with creation of the razor area across all our pairs and spot mics (REAPER’s default shortcut is the rather uninspiring Alt+Right drag). Thankfully, it can become the default editing mode by selecting the razor edit mode on the main toolbar and left-click dragging.

Now that you’ve made your precise edits using S/D workflow or razor editing (no worries if it’s a bit rough!), it’s time to check things through with the help of the crossfade editor view.

While REAPER includes an excellent crossfade editor, it does not reach the same levels as the ones in specialist classical DAWs such as Sequoia and Pyramix. This is mainly due to the inability to see the continued waveforms of the items beyond the crossfade they enter and likewise the previous waveforms of the items that exit the crossfade. The ability to visually align transients and then position the crossfade just before it is absolutely critical (and fun when you have the tools to do it!). So, beyond the standard REAPER crossfade editor what have I provided? Select the right-hand item of a fade (or hover over the item if Add S-D Markers at Mouse Hover is set to 1 in ReaClassical Project Preferences F5), press F and you are moved into crossfade editor mode. Here, the first track is given full vertical zoom, the two-lanes for overlapping items is enabled, colored red and green, and the fade editor toolbox appears (I personally position it to hover over the middle of my mixer. Note also that you are automatically centered on the crossfade and can use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Press F again and you exit that mode. If for some reason you accidentally close just the fade toolbox, either open again using action in the action list or, better still, simply close and re-open the fade editor using F.

So, now you are in the crossfade editor mode, ensuring one or both items are selected, hover your mouse over a blank area and press Z to automatically mirror extend the waveform view of each item. Essentially, it increases the overlap so you can spot and align the transient you want. My own preferred method of getting the perfect crossfade is to locate the transient I want on the red left item, place the edit cursor just before it, then drag my green right item so that the two transients align. Then I press X (classical crossfade) and I’m done! The crossfade happens at the location of the edit cursor (well, just before it as explained above).

I love this method so much that I don’t miss Sequoia or Pyramix any more. Here it is in ordered list form:

In reality, this process can be just a few seconds to achieve the perfect edit. In the unlikely event you need to undo, either use the standard Ctrl+Z combination or simply extend the overlapping item edges again then create a new classical crossfade.

While you could use the auditioning tools in the dialog, I have created something I find quicker and more useful. While the two items involved in the crossfade are selected, try the following:

As you’ll see, the playback stops using a special marker with !1016 as the label which is executed as a stop command. It is deleted automatically after playback ends. If you try to run the function another time before it has finished, just select new instance if you get a pop-up box. You can stack instances and on completion of the latest run, all instances are removed. Better to experience than describe but it works really well. You’ll also see that the edit cursor returns to the middle of the crossfade to aid in mouse scroll zooming keeping the crossfade centered. The mirrored position takes into consideration the overlap of the items so you can have a complicated set of fades and still get an exact mirrored stopping point.

You can shuttle between crossfades using the Q and W shortcuts. Do NOT use the built-in Previous Next buttons on the standard fade dialog box! However, there is still a benefit of having the fade editor dialog in view. You can also tweak the fade using the knobs if you prefer. Center, Start, End and Length knobs are particularly useful here to maintain symmetry. Be aware that the Contents knobs will not ripple markers (but with the introduction of the Create CD Markers, I highly recommend not bothering to create any markers at this point).

In my key map, I include all sorts of useful shortcuts to use during editing. As mentioned above, in vertical editing workflows, the Audition function A is brilliant for listening to various takes before applying a razor or S/D edit. I can shuttle between items with Q and W (the same keys perform a more advanced role when in crossfade editor mode), shuttle between markers with , and . (the same keys with < and > on them on my UK keyboard), S for splitting a long recorded session into takes, `(backtick) and Ctrl+` for zooming out to the whole project both horizontally and vertically etc. There are plenty more for the mastering end of things so I encourage you to explore.

It is worth noting that all regular markers and regions are ripple edited appropriately when using my source-destination editing functions and crossfade editor. I also introduced the ReaClassical_Lock Toggle function which temporarily locks all source groups and engages ripple-all-tracks mode to enable you to drag destination items and simultaneously ripple markers and regions in the regular arrange view. This allows vertical source groups to retain their independence yet still give ripple-all-tracks behavior which is useful for destination album track spacing etc. However, I consider this function deprecated given I strongly feel that the Create CD Markers function is now the ultimate way to deal with CD tracks/markers.

ReaClassical is shipped with various mastering-grade JSFX plugins to cover typical needs although obviously REAPER allows for any 3rd party plugins. For a list of recommended free plugins see Appendix C. In ReaClassical, you should add plugins to the dedicated mixer tracks.

Users have the ability to create aux and/or submix tracks that stay visible (and stay after the mixer tracks). To set up, simply create a single folder via Horizontal Workflow F7 and/or Vertical Workflow F8 then create as many aux/submix tracks after the mixer tracks as you like via #. It is important to keep the @ or # at the beginning of the track but you can add any name you’d like e.g. @hall-verb, #strings. To route, click-drag from a mixer track’s routing stripes to the desired @ or # track. When using any of the ReaClassical functions such as auditioning, these tracks will remain visible.

For # submix tracks, simply add a hyphen (-) at the end of desired track names in the mixer tracks and sync via F7 or F8. Now those related mixer tracks will not route directly to RCMASTER. As an example, say mixer tracks 3-6 are all string section microphones and you’d like to sum them all to a string submix track called #strings. Just add a hyphen to the end of the names for mixer tracks 3-6, sync and then create the routing to #strings via click-dragging from the routing stripes. This routing is maintained during F7 or F8 syncs.

In a live concert recording that contains audience noise in between movements and applause at the end of a complete piece, it is often desirable to give the impression of a clean recording with no audience present. Recorded or generated room tone then becomes very important as an alternative to audio fading to complete digital silence which destroys the illusion of listening back to a live concert. ReaClassical includes a dedicated room tone track for this purpose. This way, the auditioning tool will keep the track displayed in both track and mixer panels. Add via #. Once added, you can add clean recorded noise captured before or after the concert or generate endless roomtone the length of your project from a very small portion of clean silence from the concert itself (hint: try using a white noise generator into a convolver such as ReaVerb that uses a few seconds of clean room tone as the impulse! See Appendix D for the method…). As of ReaClassical 24.12, the Create CD Markers function automatically generates precise volume automation at the track level to seamlessly fade in and out of room tone! See the mastering section for more details. Please not that there is a limit of one reference track per project.

Add a reference track via # to allow for importing a commercial album track or similar to help achieve the desired loudness levels, EQing etc for your own material. The reference track is deliberately placed outside of the RCMASTER structure and can therefore be quickly auditioned independent of any effects you have on the mixer and RCMASTER tracks.

When adding special tracks via #, set Maintain Mixer ⇒ RCMASTER to 0 to add a hyphen (-) to the end of every mixer (M:) track thereby removing the direct connection to RCMASTER allowing for all sorts of custom routing via submixes etc. By default, the final option is always set to 1 to maintain the current routing.

Change to mastering mode via the shortcut Ctrl+M. In addition to making the mixer tracks, busses and RCMASTER available in the arrange window for setting static mixer scenes via envelope points, it also serves to de-clutter by hiding any source group audio. The hide and show child tracks shortcuts still work on the destination folder but in mastering mode also works on automation lanes. Simply select the relevant track connected to the lane and use the usual E and D keys to hide and show automation lanes. Look out for more mastering mode features in the future.

Given ReaClassical is built on top of REAPER, it allows for same high-quality automation workflow with a ReaClassical twist. Beyond the following workflow descriptions, it is recommended to read the relevant REAPER manual section as there are far more features than can be described here. For example, you can add static mixer and FX scenes to automation lanes (very useful for quickly setting up different settings for the various pieces on an album) . It makes most sense to leave any automation work until the destination group editing is largely complete. Start automation mode via Ctrl+I. Mastering mode will be enabled automatically as needed. All the envelope buttons will turn blue (latched preview) and you will see a message box with instructions. Simply set any desired mixer controls or parameters in an open FX window) on one or more tracks and press I to enter the values as points on the automation lanes at the edit cursor position or, if one exists, within the time selection. Continue to add, edit or audition and once completed, exit automation mode via Ctrl+I. The envelope buttons will then turn green (read mode). Hopefully this ReaClassical way can make things faster and easier at the same time. Once multiple static mixes have been set up, you can then, of course, use more detailed automation via the pencil tool or riding the fader to, for example, temporarily bring up spot microphones.

In addition, there are also take envelopes that you can access via right-clicking on an item and going to Take › Take Volume Envelope. This is incredibly useful for transparently reducing very short stray peaks versus using a limiter. Simply create a selection over the problematic area by left-click-dragging and then Ctrl+Shift and drag up or down to just affect that portion of the envelope without needing to add in individual points. It’s such a time-saver! The benefit here is that you can also see how the item waveform is affected in real time.

If you want to exit both automation and mastering modes, press Ctrl+M.

There are two functions which help with reordering or repositioning tracks. First, and perhaps most useful for producing a classical album, is if you decide that you need to reorder one or tracks. Simply select the track you want to move and press either Ctrl+← or Ctrl+→ to switch with the track immediately to the left or right. Note that gaps are preserved too.

The other situation is when you want to start with uniform gaps between a series of short separate pieces. Use the Ctrl+Y shortcut and enter a value in seconds. Your pieces are then automatically spaced and items crossfaded are left intact.

In terms of loudness, I personally aim for about -18 LUFS Integrated for my classical albums though it can be as high as -16 LUFS and as low as -20 LUFS. The new loudness JSFX meter in REAPER along with the normalization of loudness and true-peak limiting in the render dialog are priceless. It’s another reason I couldn’t go back to the big classical DAWs at this point.

I have introduced a workflow to automatically add the CD/DDP markers, regions and room tone automation via Y(track and region names and all metadata are pulled from item take names, markers/regions auto-snap to CD frames, initial 2-second pre-gap, silent roll out and album metadata also added!). It is smart in the sense that if there’s no take name, no marker or region will be created. In other words, press F2 with an item selected to enter track names where markers/regions need to be created. It’s perfect for classical releases where a crossfaded item is likely an internal source-destination edit versus a new track. For CD tracks that you want to have a visual CD player countdown, simply start the item name with an exclamation (!). Preferences such as CD marker offset, pre-gap length and album lead-out can be set via ReaClassical Project Preferences F5. So it’s now very quick to export a DDP set!

Further, you can add audio to the initial pre-gap (an easter egg track) by not giving the first item (or crossfaded items) a take name. The function will assume that this is supposed to be hidden and generate the initial pre-gap length accordingly.

If a room tone track is present in the project, the function will also generate precise track-level volume automation that creates perfectly-matching fades at points where items fade into and out of silence on the first destination track. In other words, slicing and dicing room tone audio to fill in digital silence is no longer necessary in ReaClassical!

After the DDP structure has been generated, open the Render dialog via R and select the ReaClassical DDP option under Presets › All Settings › DDP.

For more information read the description of the DDP function in appendix A.

See Metadata Entry Method 2 for the new preferred way to edit metadata in ReaClassical. Using either method, to quickly remove all the current take names on the destination parent track, run Ctrl+T. Track titles and other DDP metadata are then added to the individual items on the destination parent track by double-clicking on the item or selecting and pressing F2. Note that only items that start CD tracks should be named. The only exception is using the final item of the first track to store album-wide data starting with @.

Press F2 on a first-track item that starts a CD track An example item name and track metadata (aside from ISRC) could be:

For the album-wide metadata, to the final item on the first track of your album add an item name starting with @ and add the album title and any other metadata you desire aside from catalog number (see below). An example item name for album metadata could be:

The UPC/EAN and/or ISRC are then added via the Create CD Markers function Y. On later runs of the function, you can choose to automatically re-use existing Catalog and ISRC values which can save even more time when making last-minute S-D edits, altering album spacing, switching album track order, or renaming a CD track start.

Since ReaClassical 25.3.19, as part of running Create CD Markers function Y, a metadata.txt file is created in the project folder. You can edit this file by adding or modifying metadata entries using a basic text editor. This is now the recommended way to enter metadata given you can be as detailed as you wish and not have to worry about entering keys (for example PERFORMER=) or pipes (kbd[|]) which can be tiresome to enter on certain keyboards. All you have to do to get started with metadata with this method is create a very basic DDP structure of just the track titles on first-track items that start CD tracks and an album-wide title (e.g. @MyAlbumTitle) on the last first-track item of your album. Then press Y, have the function generate the metadata.txt file and open it in a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. Save your modifications and on re-running Y, the function will check for changes and offer to use them.

This function runs automatically as the final part of the Create CD Markers function but can also be run separately via ReaClassical › Mastering › Show Metadata Report.

This is a great way to see all album metadata clearly in one window and could be copied and pasted into a report to send to the factory for checking against the metadata found in the DDP image itself. The function will also alert the user if some track metadata labels (COMPOSER=, PEFORMER=, SONGWRITER=, ARRANGER=) have been used without also using them album-wide via the @ item name. For more information about DDP metadata see here (also available via the Render dialog via Format › DDP and clicking on Help).

A CUE file is automatically generated as part of the Create CD Markers function (Y). You can change the production year of the project as well as the CUE audio format in ReaClassical Project Preferences. The high-resolution audio portion can be generated separately in the render dialog via the preset. The naming defaults to that set by the CUE file which is the project filename followed by the audio extension set via F5.

Create a BIN/CUE pair (either select regions define tracks and render the whole project or select use only # markers and render by time selection if you don’t want the first pre-gap as actual silence at the start of track 1).

When using the shortcut Y, ReaClassical also generates both a plain text and HTML album report in the project folder including details such as pre-gaps, track title, start time, track length, UPC/EAN and ISRC (if present), total running time etc. This is a fantastic and automatic way to send information to clients or a duplication/replication factory.

ReaClassical includes various rendering presets to make rendering extremely quick and easy. In the Render dialog R, click on the presets button then All Settings. The preset names are self-explanatory. The first four entries are for exporting a whole album as a single audio file. The remaining use the automatically created regions after using the Create CD Markers function Y to create automatically named folders of audio files, one per CD track. After selecting a preset, you should feel free to change any render settings and perhaps save as a new preset for future use. By default, the presets use the built-in REAPER standard triangular dither.

Now that r8brain free has been introduced as the best quality resampler available in REAPER (I highly recommend double-checking that it is selected when resampling at render time) I feel I can do everything, including DDP creation, without leaving my favorite DAW. However, generating a CUE file via the Create CD Markers function is still useful for all sorts of things and I often create FLAC + CUE for album playback in my media player or WAV + CUE to easily burn a CD at home.

Use either the built-in REAPER dither options or RCDither as the last plugin on the master chain. If using RCDither or any other 3rd-party dither be sure to keep the master fader at unity and disable all REAPER dither checkboxes.

REAPER has a fantastic rendering feature which allows the user to set a desired loudness and peak / true peak setting. For quick exports that need to meet certain targets (i.e. streaming) this makes things extremely efficient and is very transparent when not set to extreme values.

Another REAPER feature that is outstanding is the dry-run render function which allows for very quick offline loudness and peak checks and much faster than using REAPER’s included realtime loudness meter. It is therefore extremely easy to set up compressors, limiters etc in the project and make small adjustments based on the dry-run values and maintain complete control over the process.

Not necessarily obvious to new REAPER users are the special =START and =END markers (make your markers in the usual way and label them accordingly) that constrain the length of the project. Rather than rely on extended silence at the end of items or time selections, the =END marker is a great way to ensure you have the exact amount of lead-out you want at the end of the disc. Positioning both special markers is great way to generate files for multi-disc releases without having to rely on multiple projects.

You will hopefully notice I have included various shortcuts for manually creating regions (single or multiple) from items and time selection (great for quickly generating demo snippets). Also worth noting is that you can still do some (or all!) of your source-destination editing with your track markers in place as the S/D markers have IDs far higher than any classical CD would have and are automatically deleted after a successful edit. As long as you have your ripple-per-track mode engaged, all your existing marker placements and carefully crafted edits will remain intact. But, again, don’t manually create CD markers at this point as I include a very powerful tool to make light work of that side of mastering.

For a complete set of statistics on the ReaClassical project, either for your own information or to assist with billing a client, go to ReaClassical › Utilities › Show Statistics or use the shortcut F1. For example, you might have a billing system that charges clients based on number of source-destination edits, or mixing/mastering based on the final length of the album. Information includes: final album length, number of CD markers, project age, total project length, total length of source material, total number of items, number of track folders, number of tracks per group, number of special tracks, number of regions, number of destination S-D edits, number of destination item splits, FX count and number of automation lanes.

Document your takes either using the built-in REAPER project notes or SWS Notes (for Notes) which can be attached to items, tracks, markers etc. I personally prefer item notes on the main microphone pair. It’s a very useful tool to have docked at the bottom of the screen.

ReaClassical defaults to placing media and exports into appropriately subfolders making project file navigation easier. Also, ReaClassical defaults to separate folders for automatic backups and auto-saves. These settings are subject to change and can be modified by going to the REAPER preferences O(for Options).

REAPER allows for powerful and complex backup routines. As referenced above, ReaClassical defaults to 10 time-stamped backups and 10 auto-saves every 15 minutes when not recording. Feel free to modify for your own way of working including switching to backups and auto saves for a number of unique days.

If in doubt, keep everything! Otherwise, the File › Clean currrent project directory is an excellent way to reduce the size of your projects. Note that when assigning a session name via the Take Counter Window, currently the above REAPER menu item doesn’t search recursively. In a way, this reduces the chances of accidentally deleting precious takes. You can always manually delete but, from experience, it is much better to simply keep everything.

There are various ways to archive classical music projects. First, you can access the Project Bay by Ctrl+B shortcut. You can then ensure that all media used in the project is contained within the project folder itself. If not, you can select as many as necessary, right click and move/copy into the project folder. After this, you can simply compress the folder as a zip and store on an external drive. A further step to guaranteeing ability to open in the future is to freeze tracks so that plugin effects are baked in (with ability to unfreeze later if possible). Alternatively you can save a copy of the project via File › Save project as…​, converting to a format like FLAC and trimming the media as you wish. Finally, one to look out for in the future is Project Archiver. However, I don’t believe it is quite ready for prime-time yet and recommend using one of the other methods for now.

For a modern Windows 10/11 setup, required tweaks are minimal. Ensure that you are using 'High Performance' or ideally 'Ultimate Performance'. which, if not available, can be activated by opening a command prompt and typing:

You can then select it from the usual power plan dialog. For best device performance, remember to use the ASIO drivers that were included with your audio interface. Consider disabling your network card during mission-critical recording. For further tips see Microsoft’s Unofficial Windows 10 and 11 Audio Workstation build and tweak guide. Of particular interest is Part 3 which discusses what not to do (including not setting your processor scheduling to 'background services').

Performance should be excellent out of the box. Remember to disable energy saving (System Preferences › Energy Saver) so that sessions are not interrupted. Consider disabling your network card during mission-critical recording. If you are experiencing any audio issues while in your DAW, for tips see Focusrite’s optimization page.

Linux users should visit my Arch Pro Audio Guide. Performance out of the box on Linux is getting better with every kernel release and is on par or better than Windows. As a starting point, ensure that your username is set up for realtime privileges (step 3) and that you set several kernel parameters to ensure you are running the performance governor, threadirqs and dynamic preempt (step 4). To make things even easier, consider using a dedicated audio/video distro like AVLinux or Ubuntu Studio where everything is already set up for you.

The good news is that REAPER and ReaClassical run on nine different architectures. You should always be able to open up a project on another machine even if it is running a different OS. Plus, ReaClassical includes various mastering-grade plugins in JSFX format that run on all architectures.