Reaper Render Presets for Podcast and Music: The Setup Most Tutorials Skip

Why Reaper's Render Dialog Looks Like a Spaceship Cockpit

Reaper is the Linux of DAWs: free for individuals (well, $60 for indefinite use), powerful, customizable, and intentionally not friendly to beginners. The Render dialog has 30+ options across multiple panels. Tutorials usually walk through one specific use case and ignore the rest.

This post covers the four common output targets (podcast voice, music master, stems for collab, broadcast deliverable), with full preset configurations you can paste into Reaper's render dialog. Save them once, use them for years.

For audio format encoding outside Reaper, our audio converter handles common conversions.

Reaper's Render Dialog Structure

The dialog has these main panels:

• Source: what to render (master, stems, regions, time selection)
• Bounds: time range
• Output: file format, sample rate, bit depth
• File: filename pattern, location
• Tail: post-roll silence
• Options: dithering, summing, normalization, advanced

The interaction between these matters more than any single setting. The same Output config produces different results depending on Source choice.

Preset 1: Podcast Voice (Single Track)

For a podcast where you want one finished MP3 from a stereo master:

Source: Master mix
Bounds: Project (or specific region)
Output:
  - Format: MP3 (LAME)
  - Quality: V0 (best VBR)
  - Stereo
  - Sample rate: 48000 Hz
File:
  - Pattern: $project_$date.mp3
  - Location: project folder/exports/
Options:
  - Apply normalization: Off
  - Dither: Off (MP3 doesn't dither)

V0 produces about 245 kbps average bitrate, indistinguishable from V0 320 CBR for voice. Save 30-40% file size vs CBR.

For voice-only content, mono saves another 50% file size:

Output:
  - Channels: Mono
  - Quality: V2 (about 190 kbps for voice)

V2 mono is sufficient for spoken word.

Preset 2: Music Master (24-bit WAV Plus MP3 Delivery)

For a song where you want both a high-fidelity master and a streaming-ready MP3:

Source: Master mix
Bounds: Project
Output (multiple format checkboxes):
  - Format 1: WAV
    - Bit depth: 24-bit
    - Sample rate: 48000 (or 44100 for traditional CD-style)
  - Format 2: MP3 (LAME)
    - Quality: 320 kbps CBR
    - Stereo
    - Sample rate: 44100 Hz
File:
  - Pattern: $project - master.wav (and matching .mp3)
Options:
  - Apply Normalization: Off (you're handling loudness in mastering)
  - Dither: 24 to 16 (for the MP3 step)
  - Triangular dither

Reaper renders both files in one pass. The 24-bit WAV is your master archival; the 320 MP3 is your delivery copy.

For releases targeting streaming, render an additional MP3 at -14 LUFS integrated. Reaper has an offline LUFS rendering option, or master with a LUFS meter inserted on the master bus.

Preset 3: Stems for Collaborator

For sending tracks to a remixer or co-producer:

Source: Stems (selected tracks)
Bounds: Project
Output:
  - Format: WAV
  - Bit depth: 24-bit
  - Sample rate: 48000 Hz (or project rate)
  - Stereo
File:
  - Pattern: $tracknumber - $track - stem.wav
  - Location: project folder/stems/
Options:
  - Bypass FX in render: Off (apply track FX, leave bus FX off if unwanted)
  - Tail: 4000 ms (capture reverb tails)

The Tail setting matters. Without it, reverb tails get cut off at the bounds, making stems unusable for the collaborator.

To bypass master bus FX during stem render: enable "Bypass master fx in render" in the Options panel. This way each stem is "pre-master" and the collaborator can master their own way.

Preset 4: Broadcast Deliverable (BS.1770 LUFS Compliant)

For radio, TV, podcast networks, or broadcast deliverables that require LUFS compliance:

Source: Master mix
Bounds: Project
Output:
  - Format: WAV (BWF if your destination wants timecode)
  - Bit depth: 24-bit
  - Sample rate: 48000 Hz
  - Stereo
File:
  - Pattern: $project - broadcast - $date.wav
Options:
  - Apply normalization: ITU-R BS.1770-3 LUFS
  - Target: -23 LUFS (TV/radio standard) or -16 LUFS (podcast)
  - True peak ceiling: -2 dBTP (broadcast) or -1 dBTP (podcast)
  - Dither: 24-bit needs no dither, but enable if going to 16-bit

Reaper's BS.1770 normalization is reference-grade. The output meets EBU R128 / ATSC A/85 broadcast specs.

For broadcast deliveries with timecode, use BWF instead of WAV. BWF embeds timecode metadata for synchronizing to picture in broadcast workflows.

Save Presets to Render Queue

For batch processing of multiple projects with the same render config:

1. Configure render dialog
2. Click "Add to Render Queue"
3. Continue editing or open another project
4. Process the queue when convenient via Render Queue dialog

The queue keeps each project's full state. You can render 20 podcasts overnight without manually loading each one.

Sample Rate Conversion

Reaper's resampler is reference quality at the highest setting. In Render dialog > Options > Resample mode > "r8brain Free SRC" produces clean conversions.

Sample rate conversion matters when:

• Project is 48 kHz, delivery is 44.1 kHz (CD standard)
• Project is 96 kHz, delivery is 48 kHz (broadcast)
• Mixed-rate sources need consolidation

For any sample rate change, set Resample mode to r8brain. The default Reaper resampler is fine for editing but uses simpler math; r8brain is reference grade for final renders.

MP3 Encoding Specifics

Reaper uses LAME for MP3 encoding. Quality settings:

For most music delivery: V0 or 320 CBR. For podcast voice: V4 mono.

OPUS Encoding (Reaper 7+)

Reaper 7 added Opus encoding. Settings:

Format: OGG Opus
Bitrate: 128 kbps (music) or 64 kbps (voice)
Bitrate mode: VBR (default, recommended)

Opus delivers cleaner audio than MP3 at significantly lower bitrate. For browser-based and mobile-app delivery, Opus is the modern choice. For compatibility with older players, MP3 still wins.

For background on format selection, see Audacity Export Settings.

FLAC Encoding

FLAC is lossless. Reaper renders FLAC at any compression level (0-12, 12 is smallest):

Format: FLAC
Compression level: 8 (production default)
Sample rate: project rate
Bit depth: 24-bit (matches typical projects)

For archival masters: 24-bit FLAC at compression 8 produces files ~1/3 the size of WAV. No quality loss.

Render Speed

Reaper offline rendering is fast. A 10-minute song with 100 tracks and heavy plugins typically renders in 2-5 seconds on a modern CPU. Bounce time is dominated by plugins that report themselves as needing realtime processing (some hardware emulations, certain reverbs).

To force full offline mode:

Options > Offline render only

This treats all plugins as offline-renderable. Some plugins may produce different output offline vs realtime; verify on the first render.

Common Issues

Render starts at wrong time: bounds are set to time selection, not project. Switch to "Project" or "Custom range" in the Bounds dropdown.

Output is silent for parts of the song: muted tracks. Check Mute states before render. Frozen tracks render their frozen state, not live state.

File size doesn't match expected bitrate: format mismatch. Verify you selected the format you intended (WAV vs MP3 vs FLAC) and the bitrate setting.

Stems are clipped: master bus FX engaged during stem render. Enable "Bypass master fx in render" in the Options panel.

Long render time on simple projects: a track is set to "Render in stems" mode. Check track settings in the Routing menu.

For automation-heavy projects, see Batch Processing Files Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Reaper render to AAC?

Not directly. Reaper renders MP3 via LAME but doesn't ship an AAC encoder. Render to WAV, then convert to AAC with our audio converter or FFmpeg.

What's the difference between "Stem" and "Track" rendering?

"Stem" rendering bounces tracks with their pre-master bus state. "Track" rendering can include master bus processing depending on routing. For collaboration, "Stem" with master bus bypass is correct.

How do I render with a click track or count-in?

Add a click track from Reaper's Project Settings, set click to Pre-roll mode. Render with "Apply pre-roll to render" option enabled.

Should I use Reaper's normalization for streaming?

Use ITU-R BS.1770 normalization to -14 LUFS for streaming targets. Don't use simple peak normalization (it doesn't account for perceived loudness). The BS.1770 option is in the Render dialog > Options panel.

Can I render multi-channel audio?

Yes. Reaper supports up to 64 channels per render. For 5.1 surround: set channels to 6 in the Render dialog. For Dolby Atmos: see Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio.

How do I batch render an album?

Add each song's master section to the Render Queue. Process the queue overnight. Each song renders to its own configured filename pattern.

Related Reading

• Audacity Export Settings
• Logic Pro Bounce Settings
• Audio Format for Streaming Services

Bottom Line

For Reaper renders: save four presets covering podcast voice (V0 mono), music master (24-bit WAV + 320 MP3), stems (24-bit WAV with tails), and broadcast (BS.1770 LUFS). Use the Render Queue for batch overnight processing. Our audio converter handles formats Reaper doesn't (AAC, M4A) directly.