OK, So there is some debate over the functionality of folders in Reaper. I'll be using this thread to show how I use folders on my mix racks and how they operate to manipulate audio.
To be totally clear, I'll be posting screenshots as I go so if anyone wants to follow along they are welcome to do so. You can call this an experiement, tutorial, or just a look at folders in Reaper.
Step 1: Setting up TracksOpen Reaper, create a new project. Create 5 Tracks in that project. Label Track 1 as SUB1, track 2 as VOX, track 3 as Track, track 4 as DDL and track 5 as REV. Now go ahead and set up your rev and delay on the two appropriate tracks, and configure your vox track to accept your mic input. You can add an audio track to the Track track at this time if you wish as well. You will want to have the inputs of the SUB1, DDL and REV track to be set to 'none' as you don't want them to accept any external input from your interface. Now add sends from your vox and track tracks to the rev and ddl tracks, make them post fader and send them a strong, audible signal. When you are done, you should have a mixer view that looks something like this:
At this point there are a few things that you should verify. Firstly, make sure that the rev and ddl from the mic input (or track if you are using that) are indeed post fader. If you pull the Vox fader down, the ddl and rev should also fade as you do so. When you have the vox fader all the way down, take note that the fader on teh vox channel is still showing you your mic input in a pfl fashion, meters on track channels display the track input. You will notice that the meters for the ddl and the rev have both faded down as you pulled down the vox fader, and this is because you have essentially faded out those tracks inputs. The meter on the Master output is post fader, so the meters will fade as you pull the Master fader down.
OK so, we have verified that everything works as we expected it to.
Step 2 Setting up the Folder:I don't have empty folders set up in my theme for my mixer, and they are not common in most mixer themes, so you need to go to the tcp view to se up your folders.
Go into TCP view and click on the folder on the SUB1 track, making it the first folder in the group (the Folder Master) and then go down to your DDL track (track 4) and make it the last folder in the folder group. This will leave track 5, your REV return, outside of the folder group.
In TCP view you will have something that looks like this:
Now go back to your mixer view. Turn your VOX track down and you will see that there is no input to the DDL or the REV as the meters (PFL) will not move and you won't hear anything. Adding the tracks to the folder made no difference, as you would expect. So the mixer and meters look like this:
Now, put the vox fader back up and the ddl and rev inputs will return as expected. Now grab the SUB1 folder and pull it down, but before you do so take a second and think about what you would expect to happen. I expect that when I pull the Sub Group fader down, I will see input to my MIC channel, input to my DDL channel - but I won't hear either of those. I should however, still see input to my REV channel and I Should hear it as well, as it is outside of the Subgroup.
Go ahead and pull down the Group fader and see what happens:
I hear nothing. The inputs to the Rev and DDL have been faded out and there is no output from any channel to the Master fader.Why would this happen? The only logical explanation I have is that the Folder fader is acting like a VCA and it is turning down the output of each of its child tracks. Allthough the fader for the child track does not physically or virtually move to show this action, it is the only logical explanation I can come up with to explain this behaviour.
I've just noticed in preview mode that the images appear to be chopped, and you can't see the master fader and its meter. You can view the screenshots unchopped here:
http://www.tourtech.ca/pub/ReaFolders/If anyone else should decide to try this and they get different results, I'd like to hear about it. I have 2 Mix Racks, a Studio PC and the PC that I am writing this on, and they all behave in this way.
When I came home late last night.....
The wife left a note on the fridge:
"It's not working, I can't take it anymore!!
Gone to stay with my Mother."
I opened the fridge, the light came on, and the beer was cold.........
What the hell is she talking about??????