Custom actions creating, importing, exporting- Part of How to Reaper for the Blind

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Custom actions, how to make the darn things.

Note on my system: For this demo I used Reaper 6.34, and Voiceover on Big Sur on Mac.

What are custom actions anyways?

Custom actions is a way to string other actions together into one action. It’s as simple as that. It can however get as complicated as you need it to be. Think of it as a series of actions that you can start by using a single shortcut. It’s the ultimate productivity booster in Reaper.

To create some elaborate actions will take a fair bit of nerdy and luckily there are plenty of custom actions already created.
(These are called key-maps.)

Note that the difference between scripts and custom actions can sometimes feel a bit blurry. But for the time being, let’s just say that scripts you need to install while custom actions you create.
In this demo I am creating a simple custom action that set a few actions in motion to make my workflow faster. It’s really not complicated as long as you keep in mind Reaper’s context sensitivity.
Whatever Reaper has selected, whether it’s a track, multiple tracks, and item, or an item take, that is what Reaper will act on.
This is important when creating a custom action as the first action you add to a string of actions will need to match what you want it to do. As in any code, one faulty line will most likely break the entire program.

Listen to the demo:

or Download mp3. If download doesn’t start, Use Ctrl Opt M, then choose to Download Linked File

Note that this demo is created on a Mac. For this specific process, the procedure is similar enough to Windows that it should not pose any problems for you.
Remember: Use F4 and F12 for the action list and shortcut help respectively. These keys are your friends.

A note on demos and tutorials: Some of my demos are created quickly because someone needed a demonstration quickly or an answer to a question while in a bit of a panic. This means that production and editing can be minimal or non-existent. It also means that they don’t go into depth and do not cover all options or related issues.
For questions and demo requests, send me a note using the contact link up above.

If you love what I do and want to make sure i keep doing it, feel free to
Buy me a coffee!
Jenny K. Brennan

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