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Download Links Reaper Software
Lesson Summary
This lesson introduces REAPER, the recording software used throughout Meditation Maker. You’ll see how to download and install it and get an overview of how it will be used to record your voice, add music, edit your tracks, and create the finished audio.
Transcript
Module 3: Recording Software.
The software we’ll use for recording is simple to operate, has many features you can grow into, and provides all its features during a 60-day evaluation. It’s called REAPER.
REAPER is an accessible but full-featured digital audio workstation, or DAW. It’s the software I learned to record with, but that isn’t the only reason I’ve chosen it for this course. At the time this lesson was recorded, a discounted single-user license cost US$60. It provides a broad set of recording and production features at a much lower price than systems such as Pro Tools.
REAPER also has extensive online training and a helpful forum community. Make use of those resources alongside what you’ll learn in this course. Other free digital audio workstations are available, but once you’ve learned the recording workflow in REAPER during the evaluation period, I think you’ll be glad you did. It’s a capable program that you can continue growing into; even after using it for more than five years, I had explored only a portion of its capabilities.
Meditation recording is not highly technical, and REAPER’s functionality makes the techniques in this course easier to demonstrate. From an editing and production perspective, I also find it straightforward compared with alternatives such as Audacity.
During the course, you’ll learn how to locate and activate your Samson USB microphone inside REAPER and record your voice in Module 4. You’ll import music files created in other programs in Module 5, perform basic track editing in Module 6, and mix and master the recording into a stereo file suitable for CD production or digital upload in Module 7.
Before installing REAPER, determine the operating system version and architecture currently running on your Windows or Mac computer. A web search can lead you to instructions for checking the Windows or macOS version and whether your system is 32- or 64-bit. The course resources include a link that explains where to find this information in your computer’s Control Panel or system settings.
Remember that the 60-day REAPER evaluation begins when you download and install the program, whether you use it immediately or not. Make sure you have the equipment discussed in Module 1 before beginning so you can make the most of that evaluation period.
Once you know the appropriate operating system and architecture, visit www.reaper.fm and select “Download REAPER.” Choose the version for your operating system. In this demonstration, I’m using 64-bit Windows 8.1, so I select the corresponding Windows download.
When the download is complete, find the installer in the folder where your browser saves downloaded files and open it. Accept the license agreement and choose the destination folder for the program files. In this example, I allow REAPER to select its standard program folder. You can alternatively choose a portable installation if you want to install it on a suitable external drive.
Select Next, review the components REAPER needs, and choose Install. When the installation finishes, select Close and then run the program. REAPER displays information about the 60-day evaluation; select “Still Evaluating” to enter the application.
REAPER is now installed and ready to use. Let’s move on to Module 4: Recording Your Voice.