making tracks in a daw

Question

I only use 1 track in reaper daw, with 30 vsts. Most are off some are on. But in reality all of them are on, cause i can here them as a build a bunch of vsts in a track strip. Which i like. Is it better to open 8 track strips, over just 1? esp. Because i use a 8 channel interfaces. Would it sound better to have more tracks with vsts spread around, over just using 1 track insert. Thakyou, michele v

Answer 1

One important thing to note is how each plugin is influencing the next plugin in a chain. For example, if your plugin chain is EQ > Compressor > Reverb, your compressor is receiving an EQ'd input, applying compression, then sending that into the Reverb. When you have 4+ plugins on a single track, it can be hard to make adjustments to plugins early in the chain, as it will affect what every subsequent plugin is receiving/processing. This workflow also forces you to send 100% of each plugin's output into the next, which can make it hard to make fine-tuned adjustments, as you'd have to open each plugin up and adjust the wet/dry mix.

In instances where you want greater control of your signal processing, you may want to begin experimenting with Aux tracks, which allow you to "Send" a certain amount of its signal to specific plugins. Instead of having one track with 8+ plugins on it, you can create 4 different Aux's, each with one or two different plugins on it. From there, you be able to easily control how much of the original signal is going into each, as well as control the output of those effects using the track's fader. This workflow is what's known as "Parallel Processing"

At the end of the day, there is no "right" and "wrong" way to mix; it all comes down to whats most efficient for you!

Here's a video for you as an introduction to Aux Sends in Reaper you may find helpful: https://youtu.be/MEoIFszHrYY?si=-MK13V4U0bfI5I3P

Feel free to reach out with how this worked out for you or if you have any more questions!

Happy producing!

Answer 2

In terms of Performance: Is it better for CPU to spread VSTs across tracks?

yes, especially if:

1. Some plugins (like reverbs or synths) are CPU-heavy, and you’re stacking them all serially.

Using 8 tracks might help REAPER and your system distribute the load more efficiently, especially if you’re using multicore processing.