3.25 Recording with Empty Events
This section, along with most subsequent sections in this chapter, uses images showing the REAPER 5 default color theme.
Kind: concept (user-guide-section) Chapter: 3 Recording Audio and MIDI Source: REAPER User Guide v7.70
This section, along with most subsequent sections in this chapter, uses images showing the REAPER 5 default color theme. If you wish to use this theme, choose Options, Themes, Default_5 from the main menu. Otherwise, you should have no difficulty applying the instructions using the REAPER 6 default theme. Empty events are a device which can be helpful when you are overdubbing or layering. If you know exactly the regions where you want recording to start and stop, you can define these regions by inserting empty events. Then, when recording is commenced, only those regions defined by the empty events will actually be recorded. Let’s take an example where a vocal track has already been recorded, and we want to lay down a harmony vocal, where this harmony is only used for the chorus line of the song. This is how you would do this:
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Insert a new track to be used for the vocal harmony. Ideally, you should name this track straight away. 2. Arm the track for recording. Assign an audio input in the usual way. Turn on Monitor Input for this track, and make sure the output from the Master is directed to your headphones. 3. Use the Options menu to ensure that Record mode: auto punch selected items is chosen. Notice the appearance of the Record button in the transport bar changes. 4. To create an empty item, first make sure that your new track is selected. Click and drag to define a time selection, then use the Insert, Empty item command to create the empty item. Repeat this as often as required. If necessary, click and drag to adjust their exact positions. An example is shown here.
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If you need to resize any of them, hover the mouse over the border between the end of the event and the background, about half way up. Click hold and drag to the left to make it shorter, or to the right to make it longer, then release the mouse. 6. To select all the required events, hold the Ctrl key while clicking on each in turn. If you need to reposition the play cursor before recording, click on the Timeline. Arm the track for recording. 7. Press Ctrl R to start recording. When finished, press Ctrl R again to stop. If prompted, accept the option to save all files. Your previously empty media items will have been replaced with your newly recorded material. Disarm the track.
