REAPER Interactive Tutorial
Guided beginner course · REAPER
Turn two practice audio files into a deliberate eight-bar arrangement, with independent edits, a sensible balance and a verified stereo render.
REAPER User Guide 7.83 is the main versioned reference, checked 27 October 2026. Quick Start is general; the separate troubleshooting extract is version 6.04. The 2017 SONAR transition guide is a labelled legacy cross-check for basic setup and channel controls only; those controls were also checked in 7.83. Custom themes and mappings can differ.
Before you start
- Download and unzip the DeviceCritique practice pack. Beat WAV and Melody WAV are original practice fixtures: mono, 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, 16 seconds, eight bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM. They are not recordings of this DAW.
- REAPER installed with saving/rendering available and a working listening output.
- Use the supplied audio, so no microphone, MIDI controller, external plug-in or recording setup is needed.
- The webpage records your own completion acknowledgement; it cannot hear or inspect your DAW.
Work in a practice project and keep the supplied files together. The checks on this page record your answers and your own confirmation that you tried the exercise.
Practice lab: listen, mix and download
Start with the same two parts: a beat and a simple melody. Both are eight bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM—16 seconds each. The pack also includes MIDI notes and three drum one-shots.
Original DeviceCritique synthesized teaching audio. Your DAW instrument can sound different; the exercise is about timing, editing, balance and a complete export.
The full-length WAVs are mono, 44.1 kHz / 16-bit. Unzip the pack for MIDI and kick, snare and closed-hat samples. Keep a copy of your editable DAW project as well as your final audio file.
Try the balance here
Play the two stems together. Lower the melody to hear the beat on its own, then bring it back. Use the same listening decision in your DAW.
Press Play when you are ready to listen.
Lesson 1 of 8
Choose the device and meet the tracks
By the end: Find the listening output and understand project, track and item.
A project holds the arrangement, tracks separate its parts and media items are editable blocks. Begin with the output path. This import-based course needs no microphone or recording input.
Select the output
Open Options > Preferences, then Audio > Device. Choose your actual output device. On macOS, use REAPER’s Preferences location if the application menu differs. The 2017 transition guide confirms this basic route; it was cross-checked in 7.83.
Identify the workspace
Locate the timeline, track-control area, transport and master output. Leave recording disabled for this import-based course. A track’s audio normally reaches the Master through its parent/master route.
Hear the source first
Play Beat WAV outside REAPER, note its rhythm, then stop that player. You will compare that recognisable sound with the imported item in lesson 3. Legacy routing troubleshooting is for basic output checks only.
Check your project: You know which device REAPER uses and can distinguish a track from a media item.
If your result is different
If an external player works but REAPER does not, inspect REAPER’s selected device and master hardware output. Do not change every level at once.
Lesson 2 of 8
Set a predictable musical grid
By the end: Create and save a 120 BPM, 4/4 project before importing.
Eight bars at 120 BPM in 4/4 last sixteen seconds. Set that framework before import and keep tempo steady. Item timebase affects later tempo changes; we are leaving that variable alone.
Name the project
Create a new project and save it in a dedicated folder. Give it a recognisable practice name. This first save makes the destination explicit; we will collect imported media after it exists. Project basics and saving.
Set the framework
Open File > Project Settings. Set project beats per minute to 120 and time signature to 4/4. Leave the start measure at its normal first bar. Do this before importing audio.
Show useful divisions
Open Options > Snap/grid > Snap/grid settings and use measure-based spacing for this whole-bar exercise. Make sure snapping, as well as grid visibility, is enabled. Find bar 1 and bar 9 on the ruler.
Check your project: The project is named, 120 BPM/4/4 is set, and eight bars on the ruler have a clear start and end.
If your result is different
Visible grid lines are a display aid. Confirm snap is enabled before relying on a dragged item to land on a bar boundary.
Lesson 3 of 8
Import and identify both parts
By the end: Place the practice audio on separate tracks at the project start.
Import one source at a time so mistakes are easy to locate. The mono files belong on separate tracks. Keep Reference Mix outside the project rather than doubling the same material.
Import the beat
Put the edit cursor at the project start. Choose Insert > Media File and select Beat WAV, or drag it into empty track space. Confirm that an audio item appears and plays. Official Quick Start import controls.
Use a separate track
Return to the same start point and import Melody WAV onto another track. If both files landed on one track, undo the second import and place it in separate empty track space.
Inspect the alignment
Check both left edges at bar 1 and their ends at bar 9. Listen to each part alone, then together. Stop after the first complete pass so you judge the actual import before editing.
Check your project: Two independently controllable tracks play the beat and melody in time from the same origin.
If your result is different
If one part starts late, fix its item position before trying time stretching. Wrong position and wrong playback speed are different diagnoses.
Lesson 4 of 8
Create a rhythm-only opening
By the end: Split the melody and remove its first two bars while keeping later timing.
Let the beat establish itself for two bars before melody appears. Save first, then make one targeted split. You are arranging existing audio, with a result you can immediately hear.
Place one split precisely
Select only the melody item and place the edit cursor at the start of bar 3. Use the documented Split items at cursor command, or the default S shortcut if your mapping is unchanged. Media-item editing chapter.
Remove the opening block
Select only the melody block before bar 3 and delete it. Keep later material in place: inspect ripple-editing state first, since ripple editing can move material after a deletion.
Check the new entrance
Play from bar 1 through bar 4. The beat should run continuously while melody first enters at bar 3. If you removed too much or another item changed, undo and narrow the selection before repeating.
Check your project: The beat starts at bar 1, melody enters at bar 3, and the remaining melody has not slid earlier.
If your result is different
If multiple tracks were split, more than one item was selected. Undo, clear the selection and select the melody item alone.
Lesson 5 of 8
Make the edit feel intentional
By the end: Use item boundaries and fades to refine the entrance and ending.
Inspect the melody entrance and ending by listening. Change one boundary at a time, keeping the beat as a timing reference. A clean-looking waveform is only part of the check.
Inspect the item edges
Zoom around the melody entrance. Drag an item edge only if its visible start or end needs adjustment. With snapping enabled, check the resulting position against the intended bar. Quick Start item-edge controls.
Add a small fade
Use the item’s fade handle to soften an abrupt melody edge. Start short and listen; a large fade can erase the very note you wanted to introduce. Repeat at the end only if it helps the intended finish.
Compare and restore if needed
Listen across the entrance with the beat, then across the ending. Use Undo to compare an unsuccessful change and keep the version that serves the phrase. Save after choosing, rather than accumulating edits you cannot explain.
Check your project: The melody entrance is recognisable, both parts end intentionally and you have listened across each changed boundary.
If your result is different
If resizing unexpectedly repeats material, inspect Loop source in Item Properties. A looped source and a simple trimmed window are different item behaviours.
Lesson 6 of 8
Balance the parts, then judge the whole
By the end: Use track volume and Solo/Mute with a clear listening goal.
Aim for a melody you can follow over a supportive beat. Choose the relationship by listening, not a universal fader value. Optional processing can wait until the basic balance makes sense.
Inspect each part alone
Use each track’s Solo to hear its audio, then clear Solo. Locate track volume, Mute and the Master meter. These basic controls appear in the labelled 2017 transition reference and were cross-checked in the 7.83 guide.
Set the relationship
Lower both tracks initially, then adjust one at a time while listening to the full section after bar 3. Leave room at the master; if its overload indication appears, lower the contributing track levels and check again.
Write a listening note
Audition Reference Mix separately at a comfortable level, then return to your arrangement. Note whether the melody is clear and whether the rhythm still feels supportive. Choose one adjustment for a stated reason.
Check your project: Both parts can be followed, all temporary solos are cleared and you can explain your level decision.
If your result is different
Moving track meters with silence at the speakers calls for routing/device checks. Raising every fader is not a useful first diagnostic.
Lesson 7 of 8
Collect, render and reopen
By the end: Preserve editable media and make a separate stereo listening file.
Keep both the editable project and a listening file. Collect the imported media after it exists, then check the actual render and reopened project instead of assuming a successful dialog proves everything.
Collect existing media
Use File > Save Project As and select Copy all media into project directory for the media now used by the project. Use a separate named destination and leave original practice files intact. Saving and collecting media.
Define the render
Choose File > Render. Use Master mix as Source, suitable Bounds such as Entire project, a clear filename/destination, Stereo channels and WAV output. Inspect the intended start/end before rendering. Quick Start render route.
Check both deliverables
Play the WAV outside REAPER from beginning to end. Then reopen the saved project and confirm both sources play. Keep a note of any silence, cut-off ending or missing-media message and correct it before calling the exercise complete.
Check your project: A collected project reopens and a separate stereo WAV contains your complete eight-bar arrangement.
If your result is different
Too much silence or a cut-off render usually deserves a Bounds/time-selection check before changing track levels.
Lesson 8 of 8
Rebuild a short arrangement independently
By the end: Use the same skills to create a contrasting version without copying the earlier recipe.
Make a second arrangement with a different melody entrance and one contrasting moment. You are demonstrating timing, edits and delivery. A coherent finished sketch matters more than a large track count.
Plan before editing
Write a one-sentence brief naming the melody entrance and the contrast. Create a saved 120 BPM, 4/4 project and import the two audio parts. Check their alignment before splitting anything. Project and item foundations.
Build and listen
Use a selected-item split, trim or position change to realise the brief. Smooth a changed edge if needed, and balance the parts. Listen through the transition with all intended tracks playing. Compact editing reference.
Deliver a version you can revisit
Collect the media, render a stereo WAV and listen outside REAPER. Reopen the project. Write down the most effective change and the next skill you want to practise; the official video library offers follow-up lessons. REAPER videos.
Check your project: Your second project matches your own brief and survives both a reopen check and an external-file listening check.
If your result is different
If custom mouse mappings make a gesture differ, use the named menu/action and REAPER’s help rather than guessing a modifier key.
An eight-bar alternative
Create a fresh 120 BPM, 4/4 project with the two supplied audio parts. Choose your own melody entrance and one contrasting moment. Deliver a collected project and a stereo WAV, with one sentence explaining the arrangement.
- Two parts are independently controllable.
- The melody entrance matches the written brief.
- Edits were listened to, including the ending.
- The collected project reopens with its media.
- The stereo render plays correctly in another player.
You have recorded your practice checks and answered the knowledge questions. Keep your editable project and listen through your exported version once more.
Official manuals and lessons used for this course
Documentation-based instruction, checked 27 October 2026. Progress and quiz answers stay in this browser. Use the checkpoint descriptions to assess your own DAW project. The original practice audio demonstrates an exercise; it is separate from the manufacturer interface reference.