Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need my own REAPER license?

ReaClassical installs its own portable copy of REAPER, so there is nothing to download from Cockos first. REAPER itself is separately licensed software: after its evaluation period you should buy a REAPER license from Cockos.

Can I install ReaClassical into my existing REAPER?

No. The installer creates a separate, self-contained ReaClassical folder with REAPER and everything pre-configured (resource files, theme, keymap and plugins), and installing into an existing setup, including by importing the ReaPack repository on its own, is not supported. See Install.

What if I only want the source-destination editing functions?

You do not need ReaClassical for that. ReaEdit is a free, separate package that adds source-destination editing to regular REAPER, with its own manual at reaclassical.com/reaedit. If you use ReaClassical you already have all of these functions, and many more, so you do not need ReaEdit and should not install it.

Is ReaClassical free?

Yes. ReaClassical and ReaEdit are free and open source, released under the GNU General Public License version 3. There is no license key, no account and no activation. See Licensing.

How many computers can I use?

As many as you like. There are no seats or machine limits.

Does ReaClassical work offline?

The installer needs an internet connection. After that ReaClassical works entirely offline: nothing checks a license or contacts a server while you work. You only need the internet again when you ask for a download: Update ReaClassical, Update REAPER, the Terminal clara command, or an update through ReaPack. REAPER's own projects, of course, are ordinary local files.

Can I carry ReaClassical on a USB drive between computers?

Yes. A ReaClassical folder is portable, so you can copy it to a USB drive and run it on any computer of the same operating system.

Can my school, university or studio use it on many computers?

Yes, on as many computers as you like.

What information does ReaClassical send?

None about you or your work. It never uploads your audio or projects. The installer, Update ReaClassical, Update REAPER, the Terminal clara command and ReaPack download files when you ask them to, which is the only network activity. See the Privacy Policy.

Which operating systems are supported?

Windows (x64, x86 and ARM64), macOS (Apple silicon, 64-bit Intel and 32-bit Intel) and Linux (x86_64, i686, aarch64 and armv7l, including Raspberry Pi). See Compatibility.

Can I use my existing REAPER projects?

Yes. Open the project and use Project Management > Convert REAPER project in the ReaClassical menu. It converts the project in a new tab, flattens folders, deletes empty tracks and moves effects to the mixer tracks, leaving you to recreate any custom routing in Mission Control. See Converting a Standard REAPER Project.

Can I open my ReaClassical projects in regular REAPER?

Yes. A ReaClassical project is an ordinary REAPER project: a standard .RPP file with your normal audio files, so it opens, plays and renders in any current vanilla REAPER, on any machine, with or without ReaClassical. Your recordings, edits, crossfades, markers and mix are all still there. What regular REAPER does not have is the specialist ReaClassical tooling that makes the work efficient: the recording workflow, source-destination and crossfade editing, Mission Control, mixer snapshots, the mastering tools, the DDP metadata editor and so on. Those exist only in ReaClassical. If the project uses ReaClassical's own plugins (the RCPlugs collection), install them in the other REAPER too, or regular REAPER will show those plugins as missing.

Should I choose a horizontal or vertical workflow?

Neither is better; each has its advantages. In a horizontal workflow, recorded or imported takes are arranged left to right in a single folder. A vertical workflow helps organize like material in a recording session: takes of the same musical material are recorded vertically aligned, one folder per take. Functions such as finding a take by number work the same way in both, so choose whichever matches how you like to see your session. You can convert between them later in Mission Control. See Project Setup.

Why can't I rename, add or delete tracks the normal REAPER way?

ReaClassical keeps a set of linked tracks in step with each other (the folders, the M: mixer tracks, aux and submix busses and the routing between them). Doing track management outside Mission Control breaks that link. If you do it by accident, open Mission Control (C) and it will recreate what is missing.

How do I start a recording?

Select the parent track of a folder and press F9. This opens the Record Panel and arms the folder. See Recording.

Where do my recordings go?

Into a media subfolder of the project folder by default. You can change the primary and secondary recording paths in REAPER's Project Settings (P), on the Media tab.

How do I give the musicians the takes while I'm still on location?

Press Ctrl+Shift+D (Distribute Takes, called Quick Export Recorded Takes in the ReaClassical menu). It exports every recorded take as WAV, FLAC, Opus 160 or MP3 320 into the project's Exports/Distribute_Takes folder, using your mixer settings. See Distributing Takes On Location.

How do I import audio recorded in another DAW?

Name the files with a track name and a take number at the end, such as cello_012.wav, put them in the project's media folder and run Smart Import (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I). Multi-channel files from a portable recorder are handled on the Polywav tab. See Importing.

How do I make a source-destination edit?

Set destination IN and OUT markers with 1 and 2, source IN and OUT markers with 3 and 4, and press 5. Press F on the right-hand item of the crossfade to fine-tune it. See Editing.

How do I undo or repair an edit?

Ctrl+Z undoes the last action. To restore the material underneath an earlier patch edit, select it and press Ctrl+H to heal it. If items that should be grouped have become misaligned across the tracks of a folder, for example because ripple-per-track was switched off by accident while dragging items, select any one of them and run Fix Crossfade Sequence Edits (Shift+X).

Why do my mixer scenes not sound right in a render?

Mixer snapshots are recalled in real time during playback, which does not work for a faster-than-realtime render. Before rendering, press Convert to Automation in the Mixer Snapshot Manager. See Mixing.

How do I make a DDP image?

Open the DDP Metadata Editor with Y, fill in your album and track metadata and click the DDP button along the bottom. The result is in the Exports/DDP folder of the project. See Mastering and Rendering.

How do I render each CD track as a separate file?

Use the WAV, FLAC, Opus 160 or MP3 320 buttons in the DDP Metadata Editor. Choose the sample rate, bit depth and dither first, and limit the tracks with the Tracks box if you only need some of them. See Rendering.

What loudness should I aim for?

That depends on where the music is going. The author aims for about -18 LUFS integrated for classical albums, and anywhere between -20 and -16 LUFS is reasonable. REAPER's render dialog can also normalize to a loudness target and apply true-peak limiting, and a dry run gives you quick loudness and peak values without a full render.

Can I use my own plugins?

Yes. Any plugin that works in REAPER works in ReaClassical, and Mission Control lets you add FX to the mixer tracks. ReaClassical also comes with a set of mastering-grade JSFX plugins. See Recommended Free Mastering-Grade Plugins.

Yes. With the Clara accessibility bridge installed, ReaClassical announces what it is doing and provides keyboard-driven windows and modes for every stage of a production. See the Accessibility section.

How do I update ReaClassical, and how do I reset it?

Press Shift+U (Update ReaClassical) to receive the latest version of your major release. A new major version needs a fresh install. To return to the settings from first install, use ReaClassical Factory Reset (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F). See Update.

Is there a PDF manual, and where do I get help?

There is no PDF. The manual is online at https://reaclassical.com/manual and a single-page copy is installed with ReaClassical (press H). For support, see Community and Support.