[HiSPL]

You can invest in a whole bunch of AD/DA converters and physically route all your channels in and out of the console like that. This essentially treats the computer like an old tape deck. The console benefits from being an "inline monitor" style where it essentially has two inputs. One mic in for the microphones, and another line in from the tape deck (reaper in this case).

You record your mics using the console pre's with eq and whatever and each channel sends to a track in reaper. Then you press the "line" button on each channel then reaper is playing back through the desk. You can mix things down using EQ, Comp, and Gates if the console has them, plus any inserts you physically patch in to the desk channels. THis can all be mixed down to the master fader which gets re-recorded in Reaper. There's your mix.


OR you can buy a controller which mimics this setup but is in reality all down inside reaper.