How to Export Multitrack in Reaper

Exporting a multitrack from REAPER means rendering each track to its own audio file, so a mixing engineer or another DAW can open the session without your project file or your plugins. REAPER does this in one pass from the Render to File dialog. The settings below match the current REAPER 7 dialog and the official user guide.

Field names from the official REAPER User Guide (v7.84, chapter 21, “Exporting Files, Mixing Down and Rendering”). This is the spec our engineers ask for on every project.

Before you render: prepare the session

Ten minutes here saves a round of re-exports later. If you want the longer checklist, see how to prepare a multitrack session before mixing.

1. Save a copy. File > Save project as, and add “for mixing” to the name. Your original project stays untouched.
2. Name every track. “Kick”, “Bass_DI”, “Gtr_1”, “Lead_Verse”. Because the file name comes from $track, a track called “Track 7” becomes “Track 7.wav”.
3. Print virtual instruments. A MIDI track only renders if the synth on it is working, and the engineer won’t have your patch. Render it to audio, or make sure the instrument track itself is selected for the stem render.
4. Decide on effects. Bypass EQ, compression and reverb you added only to make the rough mix listenable. If an effect is part of the sound (amp sim, a special delay, a creative filter), send that track twice: “Gtr_1_Dry” and “Gtr_1_Wet”.
5. Check editing and tuning. Stems are exported as they play. If the vocal still needs comping or pitch work, do it now, or ask for vocal tuning and timing editing as part of the order.
6. Check levels. Play the loudest section and watch the track meters. No track should clip. Peaks somewhere around -6 dBFS leave plenty of room.

How to export multitrack stems in REAPER, step by step

1. Select the tracks. Click the first track in the track control panel, then Shift+click the last. Ctrl+click (Cmd+click on Mac) removes a track from the selection. Only selected tracks are rendered.
2. Open the render window. File > Render, or Ctrl+Alt+R.
3. Source: choose Selected tracks (stems).
4. Bounds: choose Entire project. If your project has markers named =START and =END, REAPER uses them as the start and end. Leave one or two seconds after the last note so reverb and delay tails aren’t cut off.
5. Directory: click Browse and make a new folder named after the song and tempo, for example “MySong_92BPM”.
6. File name: open Wildcards and pick $track.
7. Sample rate as the project, Channels stereo, and enable the Tracks with only mono media option so mono tracks render as mono files.
8. Format: WAV, 24 bit PCM. In Postprocess, make sure normalize and the brickwall limiter are off.
9. Render. The button shows how many files will be written, for example “Render 24 files”. If that number doesn’t match your track count, check the selection before you click.

Which Source option to use

REAPER offers several sources in the Render dialog, and the names are close enough to cause mistakes. For sending stems to a mix engineer, only the first one is what you want.

• Selected tracks (stems): one file per track, with the track’s own FX, fader, pan and automation. Nothing from the master track. This is the one for mixing.
• Master mix + stems: the same stems plus a stereo file of the master. Useful if you also want to send your rough mix as a reference, which we recommend.
• Selected tracks via master: each track passes through the master FX and fader. A limiter or EQ on your master gets printed onto every stem and can’t be undone. Avoid it for mix stems.
• File > Consolidate/Export tracks: a different command. It writes one file per track starting at zero, but without track FX, pan or faders. Use it if you want completely raw files.

Common REAPER export mistakes

• Folder tracks render twice. A stem includes everything routed into that track, and folder children feed their parent. If you select the folder and its children, the drums end up in the “Drums” stem and in each kick and snare stem. Select the children only, or only the folder if you want a submix.
• Reverb sits on a bus. A stem holds the track’s own output, not its sends. If your vocal reverb lives on a separate bus track and you want it printed, select that bus as its own stem.
• Tails are cut. If the project ends on the last note, the final reverb tail is lost. Add an =END marker a little later.
• Stems were normalized. The postprocess normalize option is useful for masters, not for stems. Each file ends up at a different gain and the balance you sent is gone.
• Different start points. Rendering a time selection that doesn’t start at the song’s beginning, or rendering items instead of tracks, gives files that don’t line up.

Check the export and send it

Open a new project, drag all the files in at the start, and play a minute from a few places in the song. Everything should be in sync and sound like your rough mix minus the master processing. Then zip the folder and upload it with your order, together with a stereo rough mix and a short note with the tempo, key and any tempo changes. For mastering only, one stereo WAV of the mix without master-bus processing is all we need.

The same steps in other DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Cubase and GarageBand. Not sure what counts as a stem? Read what stems are in music.

Stems ready? Send them to an engineer: our online mixing service starts at $113 per song, and mixing and mastering together from $133, 2–3 days per song, 6 revision rounds included. All prices are on the pricing page.