3.4 Creating and Naming Tracks
A project can contain as many or as few tracks as you want.
Kind: concept (user-guide-section) Chapter: 3 Recording Audio and MIDI Source: REAPER User Guide v7.70
A project can contain as many or as few tracks as you want. Tracks are added by using the Track, Insert new track command, by pressing Ctrl T, or by double-clicking in the empty track panel area. The new track is inserted immediately below any currently selected track. To insert a track after the last track, double-click in the track control panel below the last track or choose Track, Insert new track at end of track list from the main menu. Another option is from the track menu to choose Insert new track as first track. It is advisable to name the tracks before you start recording. Double-click in the track name area, type the name and press Enter. The media file created when you record will then be given a name that matches the track. Under Options, Preferences you can display the Recording settings page and select from the Wildcards list any other items to be automatically included in your track’s file names. These can for example include track number and the date and time of the recording. We'll look at more of these recording preferences shortly. REAPER supports multitrack recording. The number of different sources that you can record at the same time is limited by the number of enabled inputs (under Preferences, Audio, Device) on your audio soundcard. Before commencing recording, for each track you will need to:
REAPER's Preferences include Project Track/Send defaults which you can use to set track defaults (e.g. default volume fader level). These are explained in Chapter 22.
- Arm the track for recording.
- Assign the Input that is being used.
- Check that the sound level is right for recording.
- Check your input monitoring setting (default is on).
- Optionally, select a format other than the default. Note: You do not need to specify whether a track is to be stereo or mono. When assigning the track input for recording, you can use either a single mono input or a stereo pair. Stereo and mono tracks can be panned between the left and right speakers as you wish. Panning is discussed throughout this guide, e.g. in Chapter 5.