Adapted from Will Kuhn, Ethan Hein - Electronic Music School

Technical Goals⌗

  • Understand transport and track controls in the DAW.
  • Use Looperman to find clips and place them onto tracks.
  • Add, delete, and move clips on the timeline across multiple tracks.

Creative Goals⌗

  • Gain exposure to part layering and basic arranging.
  • Begin mixing parts by adjusting volume levels.
  • Learn about structuring a composition using eight-bar phrases.

Requirements⌗

  1. The composition should be 32 measures long.
  2. Use 4- and 8-measure phrases, with at least one phrase having a variation.
  3. Create a composition using at least 7 tracks.
  4. Name each track with a descriptive title (e.g., “Kick Drum,” “Synth Lead”).
  5. Only use audio clips (no MIDI).
  6. Use WAV files only.
  7. Avoid using full song loops; instead, use single instrument loops.

Use Looperman to source loops and focus on learning Reaper’s features. The quality of the composition is secondary to mastering the software. Ensure that none of your tracks or the master channel is clipping. Mix your track volumes so that all loops are clear and distinct.

Submit a rendered WAV file and a zipped Reaper project folder containing the loops used.

Tips⌗

  • Set your tempo to match the first track you import.
  • Adjust other tracks’ tempos to match the project tempo.
  • If items don’t auto-adjust, manually adjust them with option (alt) + drag.
  • Enable snapping to the grid for precise alignment (Shift + S).

Submission Instructions⌗

  1. Rendered WAV file: Export your composition as a WAV file (File -> Render -> Select WAV format).
  2. Consolidated Reaper project:
    • Go to File -> Save Project As…
    • Check “Create subdirectory for project” and “Copy all media into project directory.”
    • Save the project.
    • Zip the entire project folder.
  3. Submit both the WAV file and the zipped Reaper project folder to D2L.