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Who is using Reaper for Film Scoring?

jemu999

Active Member
Hey folks,

Im seriously considering dropping Cubase and migrating to Reaper. My question is who is using Reaper specifically for scoring music to Film?

I know Reaper relatively well, but have been messing with it quite a bit as of late, and there are so many customizable features that I like. I know its strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to composing. But in terms of scoring to film, I'm looking for more info if anyone can share.

Thoughts from experienced users?
 
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I am :) I've found it really easy to score to film. Especially with the use of sub-projects - they're like projects embedded as media items within a project. You can edit the subproject on a different tab and when you save it it automatically renders it and updates the full project. I use a different subproject for each cue - this way everything is easily accessible. Pair that with Vienna Ensemble Pro and there are no loading times for sample libraries when switching cues.

You should also check out https://www.sws-extension.org/ which adds heaps of functionality. I use it to automatically fit bars to hit points/stretch tempo.

The power of scripting is awesome and it basically lets you add anything which you find is missing. I've begun creating my own little tool box of scripts which is available on my website.
 
I am :) I've found it really easy to score to film. Especially with the use of sub-projects - they're like projects embedded as media items within a project. You can edit the subproject on a different tab and when you save it it automatically renders it and updates the full project. I use a different subproject for each cue - this way everything is easily accessible. Pair that with Vienna Ensemble Pro and there are no loading times for sample libraries when switching cues.

You should also check out https://www.sws-extension.org/ which adds heaps of functionality. I use it to automatically fit bars to hit points/stretch tempo.

The power of scripting is awesome and it basically lets you add anything which you find is missing. I've begun creating my own little tool box of scripts which is available on my website.


May I ask how much RAM you are running? I seem to find that 32gb is not enough but I am currently only able to upgrade to 64.
 
I'm switching to it. Have tried it on and off for the last few years, but ever since Reaper 5 the program has truly come together for me. I just have some problems with setting up and using certain things pertaining to workflow. Caleb, if you would be so kind, and have the time and patience, could you explain two things for me that I cannot seem to truly grasp:

1) The age old question of how to setup VEPro within Reaper, been trying it for ages, sometimes works, but it always ends up being a big mess due to not being able to distinguish between what track does what and where and how.

2) The use of subprojects, and specifically, how do you create these? Do you use a certain template when starting a new subproject? Do you copy over your tracks, mix settings and all? How do you swap midi files and audio files between them?

These are as of right now my biggest questions. Would love to hear from you about this! Thanks in advance!
 
Caleb, same here :) I'm asking probably too much, but a short video showing your scoring workflow with Reaper would be great.
 
Thanks for the heads up on VEPro... I tried Reaper again recently, and it really has matured, to the point where I am considering adding it to the tool chest, if not switching. VEPro would be a deal breaker for me though, so perhaps I will wait a little longer...
 
I'm switching to it. Have tried it on and off for the last few years, but ever since Reaper 5 the program has truly come together for me. I just have some problems with setting up and using certain things pertaining to workflow. Caleb, if you would be so kind, and have the time and patience, could you explain two things for me that I cannot seem to truly grasp:

1) The age old question of how to setup VEPro within Reaper, been trying it for ages, sometimes works, but it always ends up being a big mess due to not being able to distinguish between what track does what and where and how.

2) The use of subprojects, and specifically, how do you create these? Do you use a certain template when starting a new subproject? Do you copy over your tracks, mix settings and all? How do you swap midi files and audio files between them?

These are as of right now my biggest questions. Would love to hear from you about this! Thanks in advance!

1) I'll have a video up soon explaining the best way I've found to manage this. Generally I just have a track template for a VEP Instance with all the audio routing pre-configured and I have a separate track template for a MIDI Input to send to the VEP Instance with 16 channels pre-configured.

2) I'll also have a video up soon concerning this. However I do just set up my template in each subproject and go from there. You can literally use copy and paste in between any of the projects.

Caleb, same here :) I'm asking probably too much, but a short video showing your scoring workflow with Reaper would be great.

I'm making a video now. I'll make one each for VEP and Scoring Workflow :)
 
Hey folks,

Im seriously considering dropping Cubase and migrating to Reaper. My question is who is using Reaper specifically for scoring music to Film?

I know Reaper relatively well, but have been messing with it quite a bit as of late, and there are so many customizable features that I like. I know its strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to composing. But in terms of scoring to film, I'm looking for more info if anyone can share.

Thoughts from experienced users?

I am - I love it.
 
Thanks Caleb!! Very generous of you to make the video. I have downloaded the reaper scripts from your website which are also very helpful.

So as I experiment with film scoring with reaper, here are a few thoughts:

I'm loving the custom scripts abilities and adding them as buttons on custom toolbars. Big plus!

I'm loving the audio engine, which puts a significantly lower stress on my CPU. By far superior to Cubase.

What I'm not too crazy about is the master channel tempo mapping workflow. Switching between linear and square is cumbersome as I try to align sync points. Also, if you have a gradual linear ramp that ends on a specific bar, you cannot add an additional square tempo mapping point on the exact same bar. It can only be added slightly to the right, and not on the bar. What am I missing?

Thanks for your video. There is a huge deficiency of videos specifically about scoring to film with reaper! Would love to see your workflow on this, also the sws: move closest tempo marker to cursor feature, and the subgroups method of film cues!

Thanks again!
 
also the sws: move closest tempo marker to cursor feature
I made a little .gif that perhaps will help with this: tempo to cursor.gif
As you can see at the end, it responds very differently based on what timebase the item is set to. I've used it in the past to map tempo to an already existing audio track, but it's also useful to add a little feel to midi tracks. Hope it helps a bit!

Best,
 
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