REAPER: duplicate inputs, armed tracks not recording and monitoring

Inputs, device selection and recording in REAPER

First decide whether you need to record physical inputs, a track’s output or both separately. The device, selected source and recording mode are checked in different places.

REAPER sees the device: check the device and input range

Record whether the signal arrives over Dante or USB-B. For DVS, Audinate 4.5.x, pp. 38–39 instructs you to start DVS before opening the application and select it as the interface. On Windows, use ASIO with a compatible DAW; on macOS, use Core Audio. The SQ USB driver serves the other transport.

For SQ over USB-B, §13.3 of the V1.6.0 reference, p. 115 says to set the sample rate before opening applications. For DVS, change the sample rate with the DAW closed and DVS running, in Controller > Device View > Device Config (manual, pp. 21–22). Make these changes outside a take; do not copy a screenshot’s value without checking the setup.

1. Choose the interface receiving that signal

   On Windows, open Options > Preferences > Audio > Device. Select ASIO and the appropriate driver. On macOS, check the device in Audio > Device. If you selected SQ USB while the routing sends audio to DVS, review that selection before changing the console patch.

2. Enable the range you need

   On Windows/ASIO, check Enable inputs and the first/last input range: REAPER §1.15.1, p. 21. An input outside that range will not appear in the track’s selector. Compare the names reported by the driver with your routing map; a track number does not assign an input.

3. Separate capacity from assignment

   First check that the device provides the channel count and sample rate you need. Then check which input each track uses. For the SQ card and DVS license, see the linked channel-planning guide; expanding first/last does not increase the receiver’s channel capacity.

Every track receives Input 1, or the input selector is missing

In REAPER 7.81, §§3.4–3.6, pp. 59–61, each track needs to be armed and assigned an input. Choose a mono input for a mono source, or the two agreed inputs for a stereo pair. A track numbered 2 can still use Input 1. Name the source before expanding the session.

The Focusrite guide to REAPER also separates Record Enable from input selection. For REAPER 7’s default theme, §3.5 states that arming a track makes Input settings visible. If your panel does not show it, enlarge the area and check its layout; you can also select the input from the Record Arm context menu.

1. Test two different sources

   Arm two tracks, assign different inputs and send a reference signal to each source separately during rehearsal. If both tracks respond to the first source, compare each track’s selector and the routing upstream of REAPER. Extend the setup to the remaining tracks after identifying where the signal is duplicated.

2. Assign a sequence without relying on track names

   For consecutive mono inputs, select the tracks, open Input and use Assign inputs sequentially with the intended range (§3.6, p. 61). Then check every assignment. If the patch is not consecutive, assign inputs according to the production sheet.

3. Review a loaded template

   Section 3.11, p. 63, states that templates retain inputs, outputs and other settings. Compare the loaded settings with the current device and routing map; a template from another concert may retain an input that now carries a different source.

An armed track can monitor without recording audio

Record Arm selects which track participates; the mode determines what is written. Section 3.27, p. 70 documents Record disable (input monitoring only). That track can remain armed and audible without making the recording you expected. Return to the intended mode before repeating the take.

To capture an audio input, check Record: input (audio or MIDI) and the selected input. To capture a track’s output, review §3.29, p. 71: mono, stereo or multichannel, and the tap point. Receiving a send from another track does not by itself make Record: input record that output.

Monitoring and files: listen to the take that was actually saved

Recording a track’s output is an internal capture, different from recording microphones through DVS. If you copy Input: None to a track that should receive the interface, that capture loses its interface input.

Turning off Monitor Input is not the same as selecting Record disable. Section 3.5, p. 59 describes monitoring through the device and turning off REAPER’s monitoring for that listening path. Record where you are monitoring: console, interface or DAW. Check the file separately.

Disarm the tracks before listening to the take. Section 3.40, p. 78, calls for preventing live inputs from mixing with recorded material during this evaluation. If you still hear the microphone while looking for a missing track, you may be hearing the input rather than the file.

In Record: input, the track fader controls playback, not the recording gain described in §3.5. If you need to preserve sources without processing added by REAPER, also check Input FX: §3.26, p. 70, states that this chain is applied to material during capture. Do not attribute a level or tonal change to the file until you compare it through an identified listening path.

Rehearsal take, saving and verification worksheet

The REAPER multitrack worksheet is blank. Fill in the event, system, REAPER/build/theme, interface or DVS, sample rate and routing map. Record input, arming, mode and monitoring in separate columns; a single “OK” does not show what you checked.

A suggested short take: a reference from each source, a passage with all sources active and a final reference. Stop normally, keep the media if the save dialog appears and save the project. REAPER §3.5, p. 60, distinguishes stopping methods and the dialog for keeping or deleting the take; check what appears in your configuration.

Open the saved files in a copy of the session, with tracks disarmed, and listen to each intended source separately. Record the file, identified input, beginning, end and any duplication. If a source is missing, correct only its path and repeat that check before extending the test to the event’s duration.

To trace the signal before REAPER, see SQ and Dante: channels and patching and Dante clocking and dropouts. For another USB recording path, see SQ backup coverage. Render-channel selection is covered in event recording and the final checks in recording delivery. Prepare routing and monitoring with audio systems.