Some Basic Help Needed on Saving Files Please

[Will-E]

Hello, I have my good buddy of 30 years visiting in a couple days to jam for a long weekend. I'm new to Reaper and at this point have just played around with some basic stuff. Our plan is to record about a dozen songs over 3 days.

I use a Windows laptop that's only a year old and has good memory, processor, etc. My interface is a Focusrite 3rd gen. 1820I. I have all kinds of instruments (drums, synthesizer, 2 guitar amps, vocals, bass amp all mic'd up and plugged into the interface. Today, my goal is to get all the signal levels set so we can hit the ground running Friday morning.

So here's my question: Again, I'm new to reaper and the goal is to spend as little time as possible on technical stuff while he's here. That said, what would be the most efficient way to setup a file with all my above mentioned devices already setup on tracks in Reaper so that after we record a song, I can save that song and then use the same track arrangement and settings to start a new song (over and over again) without having to recreate it each time.

I understand the save-as feature and possibly that the best option. If so, all the data/recorded tracks from the last songs will still be there. So what's been elusive to me in Reaper as I get my feet wet, is how do I easily delete what's been recorded on each track so can start with a clean slate?

Thanks so much for any/all help. Any and all feedback will be greatly appreciated.

[mixer9]

Project template and or track template. This may help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMEcHXOsi1w

[serr]

If you first do a 'save as' and make a folder with the project name, any audio recorded is pointed at that folder. Save first to be convenient. (Note the features available in the file window for making new folders and copying and moving files.)

You can save repeatedly with different names. Do versioned saves by adding a number or whatever to the name. That leaves you a trail of breadcrumbs as it were to revisit work in progress along the way.

You can open any project and use it as a starting point.

The recording session should be driven by convenience. Do you need to keep each song separate in its own folder from the start? Then do those 'save as' as you go to do that. Or maybe it's plenty convenient to have the whole recording session in a single folder as a project. Don't make extra work in that case. And you can always 'save as' with a new name at any point when you want to separate some bit of work from the rest.

If you land your projects in their own folders, you can move those folders around conveniently. Reaper defaults to looking in the project folder (ie the folder where the .rpp file is saved) for the project audio files.

Those are the basics. It can be that matter of fact simple.

[Will-E]

This is all very helpful. Once I do "save as" and want to clean the slate and wipe all the existing content, how do I erase what's previously been recorded. I know this is basic but is oddly where I'm getting hung up.

[serr]

Save a project before recording if you want a template to return to. That's really the simple solution to a lot. Saving often and with versioned names. You can return to any point. There are template features and versioned save features too. I'm just kind of simple with saving projects.

The .rpp project files are tiny, FYI. You can keep 100's of them around if you wish without using any noticeable space. The audio files are separate.

Command-A to select all and then delete. Save as you go and save convenient starting point projects/templates though. Shouldn't have to "erase and start over" like pre-computer times.

[Will-E]

Originally Posted by serr

Save a project before recording if you want a template to return to. That's really the simple solution to a lot. Saving often and with versioned names. You can return to any point. There are template features and versioned save features too. I'm just kind of simple with saving projects.

The .rpp project files are tiny, FYI. You can keep 100's of them around if you wish without using any noticeable space. The audio files are separate.

Command-A to select all and then delete. Save as you go and save convenient starting point projects/templates though. Shouldn't have to "erase and start over" like pre-computer times.

Thanks, funny how the mind works and often times works better when you don't try so hard. For example, I woke up this morning and the first thing that came to mind as I'm getting out of bed is exactly what you suggested. Once I have my template setup, I'll just save-as 25 times and all is well.

[Will-E]

So I've now built my tracks and did save-as so got a dozen song files ready to start recording on. I'm now realizing I don't know the difference between "SAVE" and "RENDER". What is the RENDER feature for and when do I do that instead of SAVE?

[serr]

You render to create new audio files. Like a render of the mix you're dialing up, for example. 'Save' saves the document file (.rpp).

Just FYI on workflow. I'll record a tracking session of many many songs into a single project. I'll start working on it that way. There are usually common things to do across everything. Only when something gets in the way will I 'save as' to a new project name and work on that bit there.

[redddog]

just a note...if you save a project to as a template, any audio recorded will be there when you load the template.

I wish there was a way to save a template without audio/media files.

[Will-E]

Sorry, but I'm still confused on the concept of Render. Is that what I do at the end when I want to attach a file and send it to someone?

Now a new mystery to work through: When I open one of my new saved blank template files and make a change to a couple track settings (w/o recording anything) and hit save, I now have 2 of the same named files in my folder. Why is the folder retaining the last version? Appears like every time I hit save, it creates a new version with same name. I can tell them apart based on the timestamp of each in the folder. How do you make that stop so it just overwrites the existing? And to clarify, when I say template, I'm not creating a template but as it may refer to a feature in Reaper but just calling my files that I'm making copies of templates so I don't have to setup all the tracks and name them over and over as I basically intend to use the same mic routing paths and track names for all songs I'm going to record this weekend.

[serr]

Reaper is your mixing board.
You don't send a mixing board out... you send the results of your work. Audio.

The saved .rpp project file is the saved settings from your mixing board.
You mix from source audio you record or sample.
Creating a new audio file that is the output of the mixing board is called rendering. (The term is used for video work as well, FYI)

Of course the project file also saves where you had audio bits placed on the timeline. Not the audio itself! Those are separate standard audio files. (.wav files) And any fx dialed up, etc etc etc.

[Will-E]

Originally Posted by serr

Reaper is your mixing board.
You don't send a mixing board out... you send the results of your work. Audio.

The saved .rpp project file is the saved settings from your mixing board.
You mix from source audio you record or sample.
Creating a new audio file that is the output of the mixing board is called rendering. (The term is used for video work as well, FYI)

Of course the project file also saves where you had audio bits placed on the timeline. Not the audio itself! Those are separate standard audio files. (.wav files) And any fx dialed up, etc etc etc.

Thanks for breaking it down like this. So after I record tracks with my .rpp project file and ready to save, should I then select RENDER as the way to save the file that I presume now has the combined data and the mixer settings combined instead of selecting SAVE?

[serr]

You understand the difference between writing notes about how you set the controls on the mixing board vs recording audio. Rendering is creating audio from the output of this mixing system. Saving is saving how the mixing board, fx, etc were setup. (The project file is some_name.rpp) That's how you recall your work in progress. You can save more than one version of your work in progress. There is no audio saved in the .rpp project file.

The audio files you make are standard audio files. They have no "memory" of the data and mixer settings in any way. That's why we also save the project file.

[Will-E]

Thanks Serr, Is it correct that I should then RENDER after I'm done with a project so that all the recorded data is saved? If I'm understanding you correctly, SAVING is not sufficient in itself. The reason I'm so confused possibly is that I've recorded a few songs, but never hit RENDER, and I can still pull them up and play them back.

I appreciate your patience with my novice questions on this pretty fundamental but important step.

[serr]

You are always free to launch Reaper, open a .rpp project file, and (assuming your source audio files are where you had them last time) roll the mix you have dialed up.

This isn't supposed to be cryptic between the document file (.rpp) and audio files (.wav). The document has all the settings you dialed up on the mixer. You have your source audio files that you either recorded or created from samples. You can roll your mix from saved .rpp files as you please. Make changes and save new .rpp document files as you go.

When you actually want to give a piece of audio work to someone else to listen to... They will be expecting an audio file to throw at their favorite media player. Not having to install a DAW app and load GB of source files to run it! In the same way that you record your voice to an audio file, you record the output from the mixing board to an audio file. Just a standard audio file that has no "memory" of the technical details that went into creating it.

Audio files are audio files.
Reaper's document files save your current settings for this audio mixing/creation tool.

[skylar_battles]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tk6WLW...ature=emb_logo