To route tracks in Reaper, click a track’s I/O (routing) button to set where its audio goes, or use the routing matrix to wire many tracks at once. Reaper lets you send audio to other tracks, group tracks into folders, and feed everything to the master — all without a fixed mixer layout.
Understanding how to route tracks in Reaper is the key to building submixes, parallel processing and clean monitoring. Because Reaper has no fixed channel count, any track can become a bus, which is powerful once it clicks. If the concept itself is new, our explainer on what a bus is in mixing covers the idea before you wire one up.
The routing button and the master
Every track has a routing/I/O button (the small button near the record arm and pan controls). Click it to open that track’s routing window. By default each track’s output goes to the Master/Parent, which sums to the master track and out to your speakers. The same window shows hardware outputs, receives (audio coming in) and sends (audio going out to other tracks).
Creating a send to another track
A send copies a track’s signal to another destination, which is how you build effects buses and submixes:
- Open the source track’s routing window.
- Under “Sends”, choose the destination track (for example a “Reverb” track).
- Set the send level and whether it is pre- or post-fader. Pre-fader keeps the send level steady even if you move the channel fader; post-fader follows the fader.
This is exactly how aux/effects routing works in any DAW — our general guide to sends and returns explains the pre/post choice and why one reverb on a send beats ten separate reverbs.
Folder tracks: Reaper’s submix buses
Reaper uses folder tracks to group and submix. Create a track, name it “Drums Bus”, then make the individual drum tracks its children by clicking the folder indicator on the parent track. The children’s audio now flows through the parent, so one fader, EQ or compressor on the folder controls the whole group. This keeps big sessions manageable and is far tidier than processing each track individually. If you work in more than one DAW, the same thinking applies when you route mixer tracks in FL Studio, even though the interface looks very different.
The routing matrix for the big picture
Press the routing matrix shortcut (the Routing Matrix from the View menu) to see a grid of every track’s outputs against every possible destination. Click a cell to connect a source to a destination. This is the fastest way to wire complex routing — multiple sends, hardware outputs, or feeding several tracks to one bus — because you see all connections at once.
Understanding signal flow: parent, child and master
The thing that confuses most people coming from a traditional mixer is that in Reaper there is no separate “bus section” — buses and channels are the same kind of track. Signal flows in a clear order. Each track plays its media and runs its plugin (FX) chain, then its volume and pan are applied, then the audio is sent to its parent or to any manual sends you have created, and finally everything converges on the master track. Knowing this order matters because it tells you where a plugin will actually act. A compressor placed on a folder track processes the summed children, not each child on its own, which is the whole point of a submix bus.
It also explains a common surprise: if you add a send and leave the Master/Parent send enabled, the signal reaches the master by two paths. That is usually fine for an effects send, but if you are building a true alternate path you often want to disable the default parent send so the audio only travels where you intend.
How to choose between sends and folders
Both sends and folders can group audio, so which should you reach for? A simple rule: use a folder when you want a track’s whole signal to pass through a bus and be processed together, and use a send when you want to tap a copy of the signal while leaving the original output untouched.
- Group processing of a kit or section — use a folder. Drums, backing vocals or a synth layer all flow through one parent fader and one set of plugins.
- Shared effect such as reverb or delay — use a send. Several tracks feed one effect track, and you dial in how wet each source is with its own send level.
- A separate monitor or cue mix — use a send to a hardware output, because you want an independent balance that does not affect the main mix.
- Stems for delivery — use folders, then bounce each folder so the grouping you mixed with becomes the grouping you hand off.
Practical routing setups
- Parallel compression: send a drum bus to a second track with heavy compression, then blend it under the dry signal. If the technique is new to you, parallel compression explains why the blend of squashed and dry signal works.
- Headphone mix: create a separate send to a hardware output for the performer’s cue mix, the same approach we walk through for setting up a headphone mix in a DAW.
- Stems: route instrument groups to folders, then bounce each folder separately.
That last point connects directly to bouncing stems in a DAW. If routing-heavy projects start to feel cluttered, organising a DAW project will keep your folders and buses readable. For the wider mixing context, the mixing and mastering hub ties these techniques together.
Common routing mistakes to avoid
- Doubled signal to the master. Leaving the default parent send on while also sending manually to the master sums the same audio twice, which makes a track sound louder and harder to balance. Check the routing window if a track seems oddly hot.
- Wet reverb on the source instead of the send. When you build a reverb send, set the reverb plugin fully wet on the effect track. If the plugin still mixes in dry signal, you will hear a phasey, smeared version of the original.
- Pre-fader sends used by accident. A pre-fader send ignores the channel fader, so pulling a track down in the mix will not pull down its reverb or cue feed. Use post-fader unless you specifically want an independent level.
- Feedback loops. Sending track A to track B and B back to A creates a loop. Reaper will warn you, but it is worth being deliberate about the direction signal travels, especially in the routing matrix where connections are easy to add quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a send and a folder in Reaper?
A send copies a track’s signal to another track (useful for effects buses and cue mixes) while leaving the original output intact. A folder track physically routes its child tracks through the parent, making it a true submix bus.
How do I create a reverb bus in Reaper?
Add a new track, load a reverb on it, and create a post-fader send from each source track to that reverb track. Set the reverb plugin to 100 percent wet so the dry/wet balance is controlled by the send levels.
Why is my track routing to the master twice?
You likely have both the default Master/Parent send active and an extra manual send to the master or a bus. Open the routing window and remove the duplicate so the signal is only summed once.
Can a folder track also have sends in Reaper?
Yes. A folder track behaves like any other track, so you can add sends to it as well as receive its children. For example, you might send your whole drums folder to a parallel compression track while the folder itself still flows on to the master.
