File Preparation & Delivery Published August 28, 2026Updated October 27, 2026

How to Export Stems in REAPER for Mixing (Step-by-Step Video)

Learn how to render every track as its own stem in REAPER, with the right Render settings and a short video that shows each click.

Bounce stems in REAPER video guide thumbnail by Mix & Master Engineers

A mix engineer can only work with what you send. When your stems are clean, the same length and named clearly, the mix starts on the right foot. When they are not, the first hour goes to fixing files instead of making your song sound great.

REAPER makes stem export fast once you know where everything sits in the Render window. This guide walks through each setting, and DGUNZ's short video below shows the exact clicks in a real REAPER project.

▶ Watch the REAPER stem export video on YouTube

Before you export

Name every track. REAPER can name each file after its track, so "Track 14" becomes a useless file name. Rename tracks like "Lead Vox", "808" or "Gtr L" first.
Check your folder tracks. If you select a folder and its children, you get the folder sum plus every child. Decide which one you want, and select only that.
Freeze or render virtual instruments you want kept. If a synth relies on a plugin you might not open again, render it to audio inside the project first so the sound is locked in.
Pull plugins off the master. Limiters and bus compressors on the master do not print onto track stems, but they change how you judged the balance. Bypass them so what you hear is what gets sent.
Find the true end of the song. Look for the last reverb or delay tail so you know how much extra time to allow.

How to export stems in REAPER, step by step

1. In the track panel, select every track you want to export. Click the first one, then Shift-click the last one to grab a range, or Ctrl/Cmd-click to pick tracks one by one. 2. Open File > Render. 3. Set Source to Stems (selected tracks). In some versions this option reads Selected tracks (stems). Either one renders each selected track as its own file. 4. Set Bounds to Entire project. This makes every file start at the very beginning of the project, so all stems line up on import. 5. In the File name field, use the $track wildcard. Each file is then named after its track, which saves a lot of renaming later. 6. Choose an output folder you can find again. A new folder named after the song works well. 7. Set the output format to WAV, with 24-bit PCM. 8. Set the sample rate to match your project, for example 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. Do not convert it. 9. Add a tail, such as 1000 ms, so reverbs and delays can ring out at the end instead of being cut. 10. Leave normalize switched off. Your levels are part of your balance. 11. Click Render and wait for REAPER to finish writing the files.

Prefer to follow along? ▶ Watch the video

Recommended export settings

File type: WAV
Bit depth: 24-bit PCM
Sample rate: Same as your REAPER project
Start point: Project start (Bounds: Entire project)
Length / tail: Full song plus a 1000 ms tail, or longer for big reverbs
Normalize: Off
Master bus processing: Off, or bypassed

Common REAPER export mistakes

Rendering the master mix by accident. If Source is left on "Master mix", you get one stereo file. Switch Source to the stems option before you click Render.
Using time selection bounds. If Bounds is set to a time selection that starts at a later bar, each file starts there too. That can work, but it is easy to get wrong. Entire project is safer.
Doubled parts from folders. Selecting a folder and all its children sends the same sound twice. Pick the folder or the children, not both.
Generic file names. Without the $track wildcard, every file can end up with the same base name plus a number. Add the wildcard so each stem is labelled.

Check your stems before you send them

Open a new, empty REAPER project. Drag all the new files in so they start at the very beginning. Press play and compare against your rough mix. It should sound almost the same. Check that nothing is missing, silent or cut short, and that each name makes sense. Then zip the folder and upload it.

From the studio: what REAPER sessions teach me

In 15+ years of mixing, I have found REAPER users tend to be careful and technical, which I appreciate. The issue I see most is not the settings. It is selection. Someone renders with a folder and its children both selected, and I end up with a drum bus plus every drum inside it, all playing at once. The other one is a missing tail, where a vocal throw stops dead in the last bar.

Both are easy to fix before you upload. Look at what is highlighted before you open the Render window, and give the end of the song a little room. A lot of the rock and electronic sessions I receive come from REAPER, and when the stems are labelled and lined up, I can spend my time on punch, space and feel, which is where your mix gets better.

Stem export guides for other DAWs

Using a different DAW, or working with a producer who does? Each guide below has its own short video:

Ready for a professional mix?

Send your REAPER stems to our online mixing service and start with a free sample mix so you can hear the difference first. You can compare packages and pricing or contact the studio with any question about your files.

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About the author: Charles "DGUNZ" Alison is the lead mixing and mastering engineer at Mix & Master Engineers, with 15+ years of experience across hip-hop, Afrobeats, gospel, R&B, pop and more. He trained at Point Blank Music School (UK), is an approved Apple Digital Masters provider, and is a Top Rated, Vetted Pro engineer on Fiverr with 2,200+ client reviews. Meet the engineer · Contact the studio