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Adapted from #shorts - REAPER 7 - Convert Take Lanes to Fixed Item Lanes - YouTube and Track Lanes & Comping in REAPER 7 - YouTube

Converting Takes to Fixed Item Lanes

By default, recording over a media item in Reaper creates takes. To use the track lanes and comping features in Reaper 7, you’ll need to convert existing takes to fixed item lanes.

Step 1: Access the Action List

  1. Go to Actions > Action List.

Step 2: Find and Execute the Conversion Action

  1. Search for ‘Take Explode’ in the Action List search bar.
  2. Select all tracks you want to convert, then run Take: explode takes on selected tracks to fixed lanes.

Introducing Track Lanes

Track lanes are a Reaper 7 alternative to the traditional stacking of takes. To start recording with track lanes:

  1. Accessing Track Lanes: Navigate to the options menu and find the ‘Overlapping recording behavior’ section.
  2. Enable Track Lanes: Choose the ‘Add Lanes (new lanes play exclusively)’ option. New takes will now create separate lanes instead of stacking.
  3. Recording with Track Lanes: Record additional takes — each new take creates a new lane.

Basics of Comping

Comping lets you compile the best parts of different takes into a single track.

  1. Enable Comping: Right-click on one of the yellow item lanes buttons and choose ‘Comping’ > ‘Comp into new empty lane’.
  2. Create a Comp Lane: Reaper adds a new lane for your compiled track.
  3. Select the Best Parts: Play through your takes and drag to select the best parts from each lane.
  4. Refine Your Comp: Listen to the comp track in real-time to check transitions between selections.
  5. Finalize Your Comp: Right click and select ‘Show/play only lane’ to compress the takes into one item.

Advanced Comping Techniques

  1. Switching Between Takes: Click on a take to select it for playback, or use T for next take and Shift + T for previous take.
  2. Cropping to Active Take: Once you’ve chosen the best parts, right-click > Take > Crop to Active Take (or Shift + Cmd + T).
  3. Saving and Comparing Comps: Instead of cropping, you can save comps for comparison: right-click > Comp > Save as New Comp. Switch between saved comps using the Comp takes: Activate next comp action.
  4. Collapsing Lanes: Toggle Options > Show all takes in lanes (when room) to collapse or expand lanes when you’re done comping.