Reaper, as with most DAWs is a complex, capable, and overwhelmingly powerful tool for working with audio. We have not even began to scratch the surface of what it is capable of.

Yet, even with this powerful tool, there are reasons to extend and add to its capabilities. Reaper, as with all modern DAWs, can “host” external plug-ins. As you learned earlier, a plug-in is a separate software program that runs from within a DAW. One of the strengths of this architecture is that it allows for users to add 3rd party plug-ins to the DAWs, thereby creating additional opportunities for creativity.

Plug-In Formats

A plug-in, as with a video file, word document, etc. can be one of a few different types. Likewise, certain DAWs have the ability host only certain types of plug-ins. This is due to issues such as optimization and system architecture, as well as issues such as licensing fees for various plug-in formats.

Reaper has the ability to host VST-based plug-ins. VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology and was originally a plug-in format developed by Steinburg Media Technologies, makers of music and sound software and hardware. So, any plug-in that has a VST version and can run on your operating system can be added to Reaper.

{ NOTE: } There are two types of VST plug-ins you may run across, VST and VST3.

Go Get A Couple Plug-Ins

For this week, I want you to be able to utilize two processes, that are not capable in the basic version of Reaper you downloaded. So, we are going to install a few plug-ins to offer this additional capability.

Since these are freeware plug-ins, they do not come with fancy installer programs, and we will need to install them manually.

SocaLab Tone Generator

The first plug-in I want you to install is a Tone Generator from SocaLabs. This tone generator will serve as a sine wave oscillator.

The plug-in is available for download from:

• socalabs.com/developer-tools/tonegenerator/

Since these plug-ins do not come with an installer, we need to manually place them in the system plug-in folder.

for macOS

On macOS, you will need to do the following to install these plug-ins;

• Navigate to finder
• Under the “Go” menu, select “Go To Folder…”.
• Type in the following: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/

• After opening this folder, you will see a number of sub-directories.
• Reaper can use anything in the VST, VST3, and AU directories.
• The plug-in from SocaLab is a “VST” plug-in. So open that directory.
• You can then simply drop in the .vst file from the ToneGenerator_Mac directory.
• This is a system level directory, so you may need to authenticate this action with your system password.
• { NOTE: } If this directory does not exist, you may need to create it.

for Windows

• On windows you will want to similarly open your system’s VST directory.
• This directory should be C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins\
• You can then drop in the ToneGenerator_64b.dll file to this directory.

on Both Systems

After moving the plug-in to the directory, you should open Reaper (or close and reopen, if it was already open).

Once open, click to add a plug-in in a track. When the “Add FX to” window comes up, search for tonegenerator and you should see your newly installed plug-in.

Trouble Shooting

If you are unable to find your plug-in, and you followed the procedures above, you should next try the following;

• Open Reaper’s system preferences
• Navigate to the “VST” tab under “Plug-ins”
• Click the “Auto-detect” then “Re-scan” buttons.
• Finally click “OK”.
• Try finding and opening the plug-in again.

soundhack

The next set of plug-ins is from Tom Erbe and his Sound Hack project. Please download the “Delay Bundle” from the following website. (You should select the correct version for your operating system.)

• SoundHack

You will install these plug-ins just like above.

Valhalla

The next plug-ins we are going to install this week are three from Valhalla DSP.

These plug-ins come with installers, so, they should install themselves automatically.

• Valhalla Super Massive - Valhalla DSP
• Valhalla Space Modulator: Flanger Plugin - Valhalla DSP Plugins
• Valhalla Freq Echo: Freqency Shifter Plugin - Free Reverb Plugin

++audio

Finally, please install the “Rubbadub” delay plug-in from ++audio.

• Rubbadub - ++Audio

Like the Valhalla Plug-Ins, these include an automated installer.

Video Demo