How to recover a lost or crashed REAPER project
A crashed or lost REAPER project is rarely as bad as it feels. REAPER writes each recording to disk as a media file while you record, so even after a crash or a deleted project file, your takes are almost always still in the recording folder. To get the project back, look in the project folder for the newest backup, a .rpp-bak file or a timestamped copy, open it, and Save As a new name. If there is no project file at all, start fresh and re-import the audio from REAPER's recording path, then rebuild. After that, turn on auto-save and backups so the next crash costs you minutes, not hours. Everything here uses stock REAPER.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to fix a podcast recorded in mono or on one channel in REAPER
If your podcast only plays in one ear, the voice was recorded onto a single channel of a stereo file, almost always because a mono mic was captured on a stereo track. The recording is fine, it is just parked on one side. In REAPER you fix it by setting the item's Take channel mode to the side with the voice, or by exploding two voices onto separate mono tracks, then re-exporting. A true mono recording that plays evenly in both ears needs no fix. Prevent it next time by arming a mono input per mic. Everything here uses stock REAPER.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow close should you be to the mic when recording vocals at home
How close you sit to the mic is one of the strongest tone controls you have, and it works before any plugin. For most home vocals on a cardioid mic, start about 6 to 10 inches away, roughly a fist to a hand-span, with a pop filter a few inches in front. Closer than that and the proximity effect makes the voice boomy and thick; farther and it gets thinner and picks up more of the room. There is no single right number: it depends on your mic, your voice, and how loud you sing, so record the same line at a few distances, level-match, and pick the one that sounds best. Distance cannot fix the room, the noise, or a shaky performance, but it costs nothing and everything here uses stock REAPER.
Audio Repair and RestorationWhy two vocal tracks sound hollow or thin together in REAPER
If two vocal tracks each sound fine alone but get thinner, hollow, or weaker in the low end when you play them together, that is a phase problem, not something an EQ can fix. It happens when a voice is captured by two mics, or when you stack a real double or a copied take, and the two versions do not line up. Try the polarity (phase) button in the track control panel first, which either fixes it in one click or rules polarity out. If it does not, zoom in and slide one take until its waveform lines up with the other. Better still, avoid it at the record stage with one mic, the 3:1 rule when you use two, or a real second take instead of a copied one. Everything here uses stock REAPER, so it costs nothing.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsREAPER not detecting your microphone or interface (how to fix it)
Plugging in a mic or interface and getting no input in REAPER is almost never broken gear, it is a setup problem you can usually fix in a few minutes. Check four things in order. First, let your operating system allow apps to use the microphone: on Windows 11 turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone under Settings, Privacy and security, Microphone, and on macOS enable REAPER under System Settings, Privacy and Security, Microphone. Second, in Options, Preferences, Audio, Device pick the right audio system, ASIO or WASAPI on Windows or Core Audio on a Mac, and install the interface driver. Third, enable the input range in the same panel, for example first input 1 and last input 2. Fourth, record-arm the track and set its input to Mono, Input 1, then watch the meter move. It will not repair a dead interface or cable, fix silent playback, or improve how a recording sounds, but for the common no-input problem this order finds the cause fast.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingWhy your vocal sounds robotic or over-processed in REAPER
A robotic or over-processed vocal almost always means one plugin is doing too much: pitch correction snapping too hard, a compressor squashing the dynamics flat, noise reduction turned up until the voice sounds watery, or several effects stacked past the point where they help. Bypass the whole FX chain, then enable plugins one at a time to hear which one turns the voice robotic, squashed, or watery, and A/B every change at matched volume so louder does not fool you. In REAPER you can fix all of it with stock plugins: slow ReaTune's attack time or use manual mode for pitch, aim for roughly 3 to 6 dB of gain reduction in ReaComp, subtract less noise with ReaFir, and go light on de-essing. It will not tune a badly off-key take, but for the common over-cooked sound the answer is almost always less processing, not more.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to record a voiceover in REAPER for YouTube
A YouTube voiceover is a solo narration recorded to picture, and it needs a slightly different setup from a sung vocal or a two-person podcast. In REAPER, record one mono track at 48 kHz to match video, aim your loudest words around -18 to -12 dBFS so nothing clips, and monitor on headphones. Clean it with a light stock chain: a high-pass in ReaEQ near 80 to 100 Hz, gentle ReaComp for a steady level, and a de-esser only if the take needs it. Check loudness with REAPER's render statistics and aim the finished voice near -14 LUFS with true peaks at or below -1 dBTP, which is roughly where YouTube normalizes playback. Then render a 48 kHz WAV to drop into your video editor. A quiet room and steady mic distance matter more than any plugin, and everything here uses stock tools.
Practical MixingHow to make vocals wider in REAPER with stock plugins
Real stereo width needs different sound in the left and right channels, so the widest and most reliable result is a vocal you actually recorded twice, or separate harmony parts, panned apart, with the lead kept centered. A single lead vocal is usually meant to sit in the middle, and that is a feature, not a limit. You can still add apparent width to one take in REAPER with stock plugins: a light detune with ReaPitch panned to the sides, a short 10 to 30 ms delay on one side with ReaDelay for a Haas-style spread, or stereo reverb and delay around a centered dry vocal. Each trick that adds the most width also costs the most in mono, where phones and small speakers live, so sum to mono with the master track's mono button and back off anything that turns thin or hollow. Keep the moves small, stock plugins only, nothing to buy.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to stop mic bumps, desk thumps, and handling noise in REAPER
Thumps and low booms in a take are usually handling noise: a knock, a footstep, or desk vibration traveling up the stand and into the mic, where most of the energy lands low. The reliable fix is to stop it at the source, because a bump recorded under a word cannot be cleanly removed later. Put the mic in a shock mount, get the stand off the desk or decouple its base, and keep your hands off the desk during takes. Then clean up what is left in REAPER with stock plugins: high-pass the low rumble with ReaEQ starting around 80 to 120 Hz, and split out or gate any thumps that land in the gaps between phrases. A noise gate only helps in the silences, since it is open while you talk, so the one case that resists repair is a loud thump directly under a word, which is usually faster to punch in and re-record.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to remove background music from a recording
You cannot erase music from a mixed voice recording with normal noise reduction, because music is not the steady background sound those tools are built to subtract. Pulling a voice back out from under music is a separation job, and the realistic tool is AI stem separation: run the file through a free separator such as Ultimate Vocal Remover, which uses Demucs and MDX-Net based models on your own computer, then keep the vocal stem and clean it up in REAPER. Expect a real improvement on clearly produced music and a rougher result when the voice and music overlap, with some watery artifacts and a faint musical ghost. Trying two or three models and keeping the best output helps more than any EQ afterward. If you can find the original separate tracks, use those instead, because they always beat separating a finished mix.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to automate vocal volume in REAPER
When a few words jump out or drop back, the fix is to change the level of just those spots instead of leaning harder on a compressor. REAPER gives you four tools that overlap: the track fader for the whole track, the item volume handle for a flat change to one clip, a take volume envelope for shaping level inside a clip, and the track volume envelope for riding level across the song. Even out the loudest one or two words with the item volume handle first, then draw a track volume envelope for the phrases that still drift, keeping moves to a decibel or two. You can draw the envelope by hand or record your fader moves using automation modes like Touch. It is a level fix, not a tone fix, and it will not replace compression when the level jumps on every syllable. Stock tools only, nothing to buy.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to record and layer harmony and background vocals in REAPER
A single lead vocal can sound bare, and harmony and background vocals are what make a chorus lift, but stacking four or five parts often just sounds cluttered. The fullest, most natural result comes from recording each harmony as its own part on its own track, then blending them: pan matched pairs out to the sides, keep the group a few dB below the lead, and high-pass and thin their low mids so they support the lead instead of crowding it. Group the backing vocals in a folder so one fader and one reverb glue the whole stack together. REAPER can also fake harmonies from a single take with the stock plugins ReaPitch and ReaVoice, which is fast and fine for sketches or thickening, but a part you actually sing almost always wins on anything exposed. It all uses plugins that ship with REAPER, so there is nothing to buy.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to fix a vocal that was recorded too quietly in REAPER
Recording a vocal too quietly is a level problem, not a ruined take. As long as the voice sits above the noise, you can bring it up to a proper level in REAPER with stock tools. Raise the take with the item volume handle, the Normalize button (peak, RMS, or LUFS), or gentle compression with make-up gain, then handle any hiss that came up with it and add a limiter to catch stray peaks. The one thing you cannot undo is the ratio of voice to noise, which is set the moment you record, so if the noise is nearly as loud as the voice, re-record instead. Next time, aim for peaks around -18 to -12 dBFS going in.
Tools and RecommendationsThe best free de-esser plugins for vocals (and when stock REAPER is enough)
You probably do not need to download anything to de-ess a vocal. REAPER can do it with the stock ReaComp compressor and its detector input filter, or with ReaXcomp's top band, and for a large share of home vocals that is enough. Learn the stock method first, because the concept carries everywhere: find the sibilance, usually around 5 to 9 kHz, compress only that band, and use as little reduction as you can. Add a dedicated free plugin only when you have a reason. Techivation T-De-Esser 2 is the fastest one-knob fix, with frequency-range modes and a listen filter, though it needs a free account to download. TDR Nova is a free dynamic EQ that lets you de-ess one exact frequency with precise control. Airwindows DeEss is a light, open-source, no-account option that catches sibilance by tracking slew rate instead of pure frequency. Skip abandoned 32-bit-only plugins like SPITFISH unless you already run a bridge. A de-esser only tames harsh ess and sh sounds; it will not fix a muddy, thin, clipped, or badly recorded vocal.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to match loudness between your podcast host and guest in REAPER
A host and guest sitting at different volumes is the most common reason a two-person podcast sounds amateur, and in REAPER you can fix it with stock tools. The trick is to match perceived loudness, not peak level, so start by putting each speaker on their own mono track. Add the stock JS Loudness Meter to each track, play a real stretch of speech, and read the integrated LUFS value for each voice. Bring both to the same number, around -18 LUFS is a good working level, either by nudging each track's gain or by normalizing each speaker's items to LUFS one speaker at a time. Add a gentle ReaComp so the match holds through loud and quiet moments, then set the finished episode near -16 LUFS with true peaks under -1 dBTP. This will not separate two voices captured on one mic, repair a distorted guest, or make two different mics sound alike, but it removes the single biggest thing that makes casual episodes tiring to listen to.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to save and reuse FX chains and track templates in REAPER
If you add the same plugins and dial in the same settings on every new vocal, REAPER can do that work for you. It has two features people mix up: an FX chain saves the plugins and their exact settings from one track as a .RfxChain file, while a track template saves whole tracks, including their FX, routing, and sends, as a .RTrackTemplate file. Use an FX chain to reuse a plugin stack on a single track; use a track template to reuse one or more entire tracks with their wiring. Save from the FX window or the Track menu, and both files land in REAPER's resource folder (Options, Show REAPER resource path), where you can organize them or copy them to another computer. Two things trip beginners up: a track template only keeps sends between the tracks you actually selected, so include the bus, and a chain only stores which plugins to load, not the plugins themselves, so build from stock plugins to stay portable. Saving your setup speeds up every session, but the recalled settings are a starting point, not a finished mix, and no template fixes a bad recording.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to remove a cough or one-off noise in REAPER
A single unwanted sound, a cough, a chair squeak, a desk thump, or a page turn, can ruin an otherwise good take, and it does not need a noise-reduction plugin. The fix in REAPER depends on one thing: where the noise sits. If it lands in a gap between words, zoom in, split the item on both sides with S, and either mute that slice or patch the hole with a copy of nearby room tone so the silence does not stand out, letting REAPER's automatic crossfades hide the seam. If it lands on top of the voice, you can only reduce it, not erase it: a short volume-envelope dip for a quick thump, a narrow ReaEQ notch for a ringing squeak, or REAPER's basic spectral edit for a broadband burst. A subtractive denoiser like ReaFIR is built for steady background noise and will not remove a one-off. This will not cleanly lift a loud cough off a sustained note, REAPER has no dedicated spectral-repair engine, and when the noise cannot be separated the honest fix is to re-record that one line.
Practical MixingHow to use parallel compression on vocals in REAPER
Parallel compression thickens a vocal by blending a heavily compressed copy under the untouched original, so you add weight and consistency without flattening the natural dynamics. In REAPER you can do it two ways with stock plugins. The fastest is a single ReaComp: crush it with a low threshold, high ratio, and fast attack, then raise the Dry slider so the compressed and dry signals mix together. For more control, send the vocal to a second track, compress only that copy, and ride its fader up under the main vocal so the voice gains density and stops disappearing in quiet phrases. Start with heavy compression, blend the copy quietly underneath, and stop as soon as the vocal sounds fuller rather than squashed. This will not fix pitch, timing, or tone, it raises breaths and room noise along with the good detail, and it is not a loudness maximizer.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to record vocals in an untreated room
Home vocals sound roomy because the mic hears the voice and the reflected room at the same time, and in an untreated bedroom you fix most of that for free at the source. Clap once where you plan to sing: a ringing, fluttery tail means reflections off bare parallel walls that will end up in the take. Stand off the dead center of the room and out of corners, then use the mic's own directionality by pointing a cardioid's back at your most reflective wall. Get closer than usual, about 4 to 8 inches with a pop filter, so the direct voice is louder than the room, and treat the small proximity boom as an easy tone fix later. The highest-value cheap treatment is soft mass directly behind the mic: a hung moving blanket, a wardrobe full of clothes, or a mattress on its end, aimed at the bare walls that caused the flutter. Record a mono track at -12 to -6 dBFS with a light high-pass around 70 to 90 Hz. This will not remove room sound already baked into an old take, turn a bedroom into a studio, or fix a vocal that just sits too quiet in the mix.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to install VST plugins in REAPER (and fix plugins not showing up)
You installed a VST but it is not in REAPER's FX list, and almost always the plugin is fine: it just landed in a folder REAPER is not scanning. Installing a plugin is really two steps, run its installer, then make sure REAPER looks in the folder it installed to. VST3 files have a fixed home (Common Files\VST3 on Windows, Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 on Mac) and usually appear on their own, while VST2 (a .dll or .vst) has no fixed location, so it is the format that most often goes missing. The fix is to open Options · Preferences · Plug-ins · VST, add the folder where the plugin installed to the VST plug-in paths, and run Clear cache and re-scan. If it still will not show, check 32-bit vs 64-bit, make sure a VST3 sits in the Common Files\VST3 folder, and on macOS check the system did not block it. This will not conjure a plugin that was never installed, authorise a paid demo, or load a macOS-only AU on Windows. REAPER's own stock Rea-series plugins never need any of this.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to edit out filler words and breaths in REAPER
Raw spoken takes are full of ums, restarts, gaps, and audible breaths, and REAPER has no stock filler-word detector, so the ums and false starts are a manual cut: place the edit cursor on each side of the word, press S to split, delete the middle, and let Ripple editing close the gap. Breaths are different. You reduce the loud ones rather than delete every one, because speech with every breath removed sounds robotic. Strip long dead air in bulk with Dynamic split or Auto trim/split using generous 50 to 150 ms pads so word starts are not clipped, and tame loud breaths by hand with a small volume dip or a gentle ReaGate with the dry signal blended back in. Work in order: cut filler, strip dead air, tame breaths, then listen across every edit for rhythm and clicks. This will not remove steady background noise, set your loudness, or fix plosive pops, and over-editing leaves a voice sounding breathless, so keep the natural micro-pauses. All with REAPER stock tools.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingWhy your vocal sounds distant in REAPER (and how to make it sound closer)
A vocal that sounds distant or far away almost always means the mic captured too much room and not enough direct voice, and then the vocal was left too quiet or missing presence. The biggest fix is at the source: record closer, about 6 to 12 inches, in a deader spot, which raises the direct-to-reverberant ratio that makes a voice feel close. In the mix in REAPER, bring the vocal level up and keep it dry, because a long reverb tail is exactly what makes a vocal sound far away, then add a small presence lift around 3 to 6 kHz in ReaEQ and use gentle ReaComp to pull the quiet detail forward. Name the problem first: an audible tail after words is reverb, not distance, and a weak, airless tone is thinness, not distance, so each has its own fix. EQ and compression will not remove baked-in room reverb or add detail a distant mic never captured, so a take drowning in room is a re-record. All with REAPER stock plugins.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to export audio from REAPER (render settings for WAV and MP3)
Saving a REAPER project and exporting an audio file are two different things, which is where a lot of beginners get stuck. To turn a mix into a playable file, open File, Render (Ctrl+Alt+R on Windows, Cmd+Option+R on Mac), leave Source on Master mix, set the bounds and the folder, and pick a format. Render WAV at 24-bit for a master, an archive, or anything an engineer will work on again, and MP3 at 320 kbps for emailing or uploading; current REAPER makes MP3s with no extra download. The Secondary output format box lets you write both in one pass. Leave Normalize off for rough exports; for streaming, keep peaks under -1 dBTP and let the platform set loudness, because Spotify and the others turn loud masters down rather than up. Rendering will not fix clipping, an unbalanced mix, or a quiet level, so mix first, then always play the exported file back before you send it.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingWhy Your Vocal Sounds Boxy in REAPER (and How to Fix It)
Boxy vocals sound hollow and closed-in, like the singer is talking into a cardboard box, and the cause is almost always a resonant buildup in the low mids, usually somewhere in 300 to 600 Hz. That range also holds the natural body of the voice, so the fix is precision, not a big cut. Find the worst frequency with a narrow ReaEQ boost sweep, then turn that band into a gentle cut of a few dB. Add a high-pass around 80 to 100 Hz only if there is rumble underneath. Boxy is not the same as muddy (lower and heavier, 150 to 400 Hz) or nasal (higher and pinched, around 1 kHz), so name it before you reach for EQ. EQ will not remove room reflections baked into the take or fully fix a mid-heavy mic, and if the vocal is boxy only in the full mix the real fix is cutting the same range on the instruments underneath it. All with REAPER stock plugins.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to remove wind noise and low rumble in REAPER
Wind and low rumble are two different problems and they need different fixes. Steady rumble under the voice, from traffic, HVAC, or a bumped desk, filters out cleanly with a high-pass in ReaEQ starting around 80 to 120 Hz. Steady low wind hiss can be reduced with ReaFIR in Subtract mode, building a noise profile from a gap with no speech, but only for constant noise. The hard part is gusts: the roaring, thumping air that hits the capsule directly is broadband and can even overload the mic, and no stock plugin fully removes it. Test a speech gap first to tell rumble from gusts, high-pass the rumble, subtract the steady wind, and edit or automate a low cut over the gusts. Filtering will not restore a clipped gust or remove buffeting that spreads into the voice, and for heavy wind a windscreen at the source beats any repair.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to double track vocals in REAPER (stock plugins)
Double tracking means performing the same vocal part more than once and playing the takes together, which is one of the quickest ways to make a chorus sound wider and fuller. The best double is a second real take: record the part again on a new track, pan the takes apart (lead center with the double lower and to one side, or both takes hard left and right), and set the double a few dB below the lead so it supports rather than competes. Send the lead and doubles to one bus so you can mix the stack as a single thing. When you cannot re-sing, ReaTune on automatic correction can build a fake double from a single take, and a short ReaDelay copy in the 15 to 35 ms range adds width but is the most fragile in mono. Always sum the mix to mono and confirm the vocal does not thin out or cancel. Doubling will not fix tuning, timing, or tone, and it is often too much on a quiet verse.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to add intro music and duck it under your voice in REAPER
An intro-music bed sounds great until you start talking and the music buries your voice. The fix is ducking: the music drops under your voice and lifts back up in the gaps. REAPER gives you two stock ways to do it. For a fixed intro and outro, draw a volume automation dip on the music track, which gives you exact control over the fade and the dip. When you talk over a bed for long stretches, set up automatic ducking with ReaComp: make the music track 4 channels, send your voice to channels 3/4, and set ReaComp's detector input to that sidechain so the music ducks itself whenever you speak. Start with the music about 6 to 12 dB under your voice, a ratio around 4:1, and a slower release so it eases back smoothly. Ducking will not fix a busy or vocal-heavy music bed, set your final delivery loudness, or clean up a noisy voice.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsREAPER CPU spikes and stuttering? How to lower CPU usage
Stuttering, crackling playback while REAPER's CPU meter spikes almost always means the real-time audio load is too high for your buffer size, usually from too many or too heavy plugins, not a dying computer. Open the Performance Meter with View, Performance Meter to see your real load and which tracks are heaviest, because the number that causes dropouts is REAPER's real-time thread, not your total system CPU. Then work least-destructive first: raise the audio buffer in Options, Preferences, Audio, Device, turn on anticipative FX processing under Audio, Buffering, share one reverb on a send bus instead of copying it per track, and freeze or apply FX on the heaviest tracks. Lower a very high sample rate if you are running one. It will not remove crackle baked into a recording, bring back total silence, or turn a slow computer into a fast one.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to record vocals with a USB mic and no interface
A USB microphone is its own audio device, so you do not need an audio interface to record vocals in REAPER. Plug the mic in, open Options, Settings, Audio, Device and select it as the input, using the WASAPI audio system on Windows or Core Audio on Mac. Add a track, set it to a mono input, record-arm it, and set your level so peaks land around -12 to -6 dBFS using the mic's own gain or the operating system, since there is no interface preamp. Monitor through the headphone jack on the mic itself to avoid a latency echo, and turn REAPER's software monitoring off when you do. On Windows a USB mic and a separate interface cannot run at the same time. It will not improve how the mic sounds or remove latency if the mic has no headphone jack.
Practical MixingHow to use a vocal bus in REAPER
REAPER does not give you a separate bus track, which trips up people coming from other DAWs. In REAPER any track can be a bus. To control several vocal tracks with one fader and one set of plugins, put them in a folder track, which sums them into a submix bus. To share one reverb or delay across those vocals, add a post-fader send to a separate effects track, which acts as an aux bus. Do the per-voice fixes on the individual tracks first, and keep the bus for moves that belong to the whole stack. It will not repair a bad take or fix a wrong balance.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to fix audio that is out of sync with video in REAPER
Out-of-sync audio has only two causes, and they need different fixes. A constant offset means the audio is early or late by the same amount for the whole clip, so load the video into REAPER, line up a sharp sound like a clap with the picture, and slide the audio into place. Drift means the audio slowly slides further out as it plays, which almost always comes from variable frame rate video off a phone or a screen recorder, and the reliable fix is to re-encode the footage to a constant frame rate first with a free tool such as HandBrake, then re-sync. Match your project frame rate and sample rate to the video. It will not fix recording latency, dropouts, or the sound of the take, only its position in time.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingWhy your budget condenser mic sounds bad (and how to fix it in REAPER)
A cheap condenser that sounds harsh, thin, boomy, or full of room is almost never a broken mic. Budget condensers are sensitive and bright by design, so they expose an untreated room and a rushed setup more than an expensive mic would. Before you blame the capsule, check three things: gain set so the loudest words peak around -12 to -6 dBFS, distance of about 6 to 12 inches slightly off to the side, and something soft killing the room reflections. Then clean up the tone in REAPER with a high-pass and a small EQ cut using stock plugins. A new mic fixes the capsule, not the room or the setup, so it will not rescue a bad room, undo clipping, or fix proximity boom.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to record a podcast in REAPER, start to finish
The part that trips people up is not any single button, it is the order of operations. A whole episode in REAPER is six steps: set up one track per voice pointed at your interface, record with a few seconds of room tone, cut mistakes and dead air with ripple editing so tracks stay in sync, clean up with a high-pass, gentle ReaFIR noise reduction, and light ReaComp, add music if you want it, then level to about -16 LUFS with true peaks under -1 dBTP and render to MP3. It is all built in, and it will not rescue a bad room, undo call compression, or make a thin USB mic sound like a studio, so record clean first.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsREAPER has no sound? How to fix it when playback is silent
Opening a project to dead silence in REAPER is almost never broken gear. Split the problem in two. If the Audio system box shows Dummy Audio or no device, pick a real one in Options, Preferences, Audio, Device, using ASIO for an interface or WASAPI otherwise. If a real device is selected and the meters move but you still hear nothing, it is a mute or routing problem, so unmute, route the track to the Master through channels 1/2, and check your system output. Usually a five-minute settings fix, and it will not repair a silent recording, an empty take, or a disconnected interface.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to gain stage vocals in REAPER (set the right recording level)
Gain staging a vocal is one decision: set the recording level so the loudest part peaks with room to spare and never hits 0 dBFS, where clipping happens. Record in 24-bit, then set the gain on your audio interface, not REAPER's fader, so the loudest sung part peaks around -12 to -6 dBFS with the average near -18 dBFS. That leaves headroom so you never clip, and 24-bit is quiet enough that you never need to record hot. It will not repair a take that already clipped or change the tone of the voice.
Tools and RecommendationsThe best free reverb plugins for vocals (and when stock REAPER is enough)
For most home vocals, the reverb you already have is enough: REAPER's stock ReaVerbate on a send, set to a plate or small room, covers the everyday job. Add a free third-party reverb only when you want a specific character, and the ones worth downloading are OrilRiver for natural rooms and halls, TAL-Reverb-4 for classic plate sheen, Dragonfly Reverb for a full hall/room/plate bundle, and Valhalla Supermassive for long ambient washes. All four are genuinely free with no time limit and run in REAPER on Windows and Mac. No reverb will fix a bad recording or remove reverb already baked into a take.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to fix crackle and clicks in a recording in REAPER
Before you fix anything, find out which kind of crackle you have. If it lands in the same spot on every playback, it is baked into the file: remove a few isolated clicks by splitting the item around each one so REAPER's tiny edge fades smooth the seam, or dip the volume over the spike. REAPER has no stock declicker, so send dense, continuous crackle to a free tool like Audacity's Click Removal. If the crackle only appears while you record or play back and moves around, it is not in the file at all, it is your buffer or CPU, and you fix it in settings. Some damage, like missing samples from a dropout or heavy clipping, cannot be fully restored.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to remove plosives (p-pops) from vocals in REAPER
That punch of low-frequency boom on a p or b sound is a plosive, and it is easy to fix in REAPER without buying anything. For a few clear pops, isolate each one by splitting the item around it, then add ReaEQ as an item FX with band 1 set to high-pass around 120 to 150 Hz, or simply dip the volume over the pop. For lots of small pops, a gentle track-wide high-pass around 80 to 120 Hz works, but push it too far and the voice goes thin. Stock plugins only, and no filter will rescue a pop so strong that it already distorted the recording.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to record two people in one REAPER session (two mics, separate tracks)
Recording a co-host or guest in the same room? The hard part is not REAPER, it is getting two mics in as separate channels. Two separate USB mics usually will not work together, because the computer talks to one audio device at a time, so use an interface with two inputs. Then add two tracks, set them to Mono Input 1 and Mono Input 2, record-arm both, set each level to peak around -12 to -6 dBFS, and record. You get two independent takes to edit and mix, though separate tracks will not remove mic bleed or fix a bad room.
Practical MixingHow to add delay to vocals in REAPER (with stock ReaDelay)
Want an echo or a fatter lead vocal? REAPER already ships with ReaDelay, a capable multi-tap delay. Put it on its own send track with Dry pulled all the way down, set the length in milliseconds for a slapback around 80 to 160 ms or to a musical note value so the repeats land in time, keep feedback low, and filter the echoes so they sit under the voice. Stock plugins only, and delay is a creative effect, so it will not fix timing, pitch, tone, or room echo baked into the take.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to record vocals in REAPER step by step (for beginners)
Just installed REAPER and cannot get your voice into it? Point REAPER at your audio interface, add a track, set it to your mono mic input, and record-arm it. Set the level on the interface so peaks reach about -12 to -6 dBFS, sort out monitoring, save the project, and press Record. Stock REAPER only, and a clean capture will not tune, de-room, or mix the take for you, but it makes every step after it far easier.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingVocal compression settings for beginners in REAPER (with stock ReaComp)
A vocal that jumps from too quiet to too loud needs compression, not more EQ. Add stock ReaComp, start around a 3:1 ratio, lower the threshold until the loudest phrases show 3 to 6 dB of gain reduction, use a medium attack and a quick or Auto release, then match the output level. Stock plugins only, and compression evens out level but will not fix tone, pitch, sibilance, or noise.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to fix a remote guest's bad audio in REAPER (with stock plugins)
A remote guest often comes back thin, boxy, echoey, noisy, or quieter than you, and each of those is a separate fix. Get them on their own track, then work in order in REAPER: high-pass the rumble, reduce steady noise with ReaFIR Subtract, gate the room echo, restore presence with ReaEQ, and even the level with ReaComp. All stock, and it makes a rough call listenable but cannot undo internet codec damage, so capture a clean local recording next time.
Practical MixingVocal reverb settings that sound good in REAPER (with stock plugins)
Home vocals usually sound amateur because there is too much reverb, or it is dumped straight on the vocal track. Route ReaVerbate as a fully wet send, keep the pre-delay around 20 to 40 ms and the tail short, highpass the reverb near 200 to 300 Hz, and use less than you think. Stock plugins only, and reverb will not fix a muddy dry vocal or remove room echo.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to comp vocal takes in REAPER (build one great take from many)
No single take is ever perfect, so comping builds one strong vocal from the best parts of several. In REAPER 7, set the track to Fixed Item Lanes, record a few passes, arm a comp lane, and swipe the best moments together. The classic show-all-takes-in-lanes method still works too. Stock features only, and comping picks between takes but will not fix pitch, tone, or a bad performance.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to tune vocals in REAPER for free (with stock ReaTune)
REAPER ships with a free pitch corrector, ReaTune, so you do not need to buy anything to tune a vocal. Feed it a dry, mono lead, set the real key and scale so it stops snapping to wrong notes, and pick a vocal algorithm like elastique 2.1 SOLO. Use Automatic mode for quick cleanup or Manual to fix only the off notes, and know that tuning fixes pitch, not timing, tone, or a shaky take.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to fix clipped and distorted audio in REAPER (and how much you can actually recover)
Clipping deletes the peaks of your waveform, so no plugin fully restores it. Check severity first: light, occasional clipping can be rebuilt with a declip tool like Audacity Clip Fix or iZotope RX De-clip, and REAPER's stock plugins can soften mild cases, but a brick-walled waveform is gone. Then prevent the next one with headroom.
Tools and RecommendationsThe best free vocal plugins in 2026 (and when REAPER's stock plugins already win)
REAPER's stock plugins already cover EQ, compression, de-essing, reverb, and pitch, so start there. Here is a short, honest list of genuinely free third-party plugins that add something real: TDR Nova, Klanghelm DC1A, Valhalla Supermassive, Auburn Sounds Graillon, and Voxengo SPAN, each verified free in 2026, plus what they will not fix.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to fix thin vocals in REAPER (add body and air with stock plugins)
A thin vocal is missing low-mid body, or your own high-pass or compressor took it out. Bypass the chain to check the raw take, then add weight around 150 to 250 Hz and a touch of air with stock ReaEQ, and know what it will not fix. Stock plugins only.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to set up a vocal template in REAPER (so every session starts ready)
Stop rebuilding your vocal setup every session. Save your track, FX chain, input, and routing as a REAPER template and load it in one step. Covers FX chains, track templates, and project templates, plus what a template will not do.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsHow to fix recording latency in REAPER (the delay in your headphones)
That echo or delay in your headphones while recording is monitoring latency. Lower it with a low-latency ASIO driver, a smaller block size, and hardware direct monitoring, and know what no buffer setting will fix.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to de-ess vocals in REAPER (with stock plugins)
Harsh, whistling ess sounds are a level problem you can fix in REAPER for free. Find your sibilance frequency, then reduce it dynamically with ReaComp, ReaXcomp, or clip gain, and know what it will not fix. Stock plugins only.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to reduce reverb (room echo) from a vocal in REAPER
Reverb is recorded into the same track as your voice, so stock REAPER can reduce it but not remove it. Use ReaGate as a gentle expander to tighten the pauses, trim room boom with ReaEQ, and know what it will not fix. Stock plugins only.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to reduce background noise in a podcast in REAPER
Steady noise like a fan, AC, or hiss is reducible in REAPER for free. Capture a noise profile with ReaFIR, subtract it, add a gentle gate, and know what it will not fix. Stock plugins only.
Practical MixingVocal EQ cheat sheet for REAPER (frequency by frequency)
A frequency map for vocals: mud near 200 to 400 Hz, nasal near 1 to 2 kHz, presence and harshness in 1.5 to 5 kHz, sibilance in 5 to 9 kHz, air above 10 kHz. Starting points, not rules, with stock ReaEQ.
Audio Repair and RestorationHow to remove hum from a recording in REAPER
Mains hum sits at a fixed pitch, 60 Hz or 50 Hz depending on your region, plus harmonics. Here is how to notch it with ReaEQ or subtract it with ReaFIR using stock plugins.
Podcast and Spoken-Word AudioHow to get your podcast to -16 LUFS in REAPER (measure it, then hit it)
Most podcast apps expect about -16 LUFS integrated with true peak under -1 dBFS. Here is what LUFS means and how to measure and hit it in REAPER with stock tools.
REAPER Audio WorkflowsThe REAPER vocal chain with stock plugins (build order for beginners)
A complete vocal chain with REAPER's stock plugins: high-pass, corrective EQ, ReaComp, a de-esser, and reverb on a send. Here is the build order and why it matters.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to fix harsh vocals in REAPER (with stock plugins)
A harsh, edgy vocal usually has too much upper-mid energy around 2 to 5 kHz. Here is how to find it with a sweep and tame it in REAPER with stock plugins.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingHow to fix nasal vocals in REAPER (with stock plugins)
A nasal, honky vocal is usually one loud resonance around 1 to 2 kHz. Here is how to find it with a sweep and reduce it in REAPER with stock plugins.
Home Vocal Recording and MixingWhy your home vocal sounds muddy in REAPER (and how to fix it)
Mud is a lack of clarity, and it is a tone problem you can fix without new gear. Here is how to find the low-mid buildup and clear it in REAPER with stock plugins.