Freeze
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Main Page > REAPER Documentation > Reaper Suggestions
What
Freeze is the ability to free cpu resources by rendering a track prefader or at a user definable "freeze point" in the fx chain. It's complement is unfreeze or thaw allowing the user to easily reverse the process.
Why
Some users don't have the cpu resources needed to run unlimited amount of fx and virtual instruments. Other users may want to freeze some tracks in order to keep latency lower while mixing or recording new tracks. This could be accomplished by rendering tracks, but this is a process which is cumbersome and entails increased screen clutter and book keeping for the user.
The proposed freeze function should be easy to use, non destructive and transparent to the user. In no way should it result in an audible difference in project playback or rendering.
Proposal
Due to reaper's complex routing and advanced feature set, a simple function like freeze becomes quite complex. The following different types of freeze could be implemented.
- Track freeze
- This type of freeze basically renders the prefader signal (or up to the "freeze point") of the track to new file/s and replaces the original item/s with the rendered item/s (in the track view).
- It then locks the items to prevent them from being edited, moved, having "per take-fx", take envelopes, fx-modulation, or pre-fx automation applied.
- This would be visually indicated by possibly greying out the items and controls to indicate their uneditable state.
- It then marks the the frozen insert fx as frozen, possibly with an asterix or snowflake in the fx windows enable fx checkboxes. If the mixer fx bins use red to indicate offline fx and green to indicate online fx, it could possibly use a themable blue colour to indicate the frozen state.
- This operation can only be applied to tracks having no receives, as freezing a track containing receives could result in unpredictable behaviour. Reaper would either inform the uses that the track can not be frozen due to the existing receives, or prompt the user to freeze all the tracks sending to the track in question.
- Pre-fx sends would send the signal of the original (unrendered) items including per take-fx, take envelopes, and pre-fx automation.
- Pre and post fader sends would send the signal of the new items, including whatever fx is present after the freeze point.
- Item freeze
Still under development
- VSTI freeze
Still under development
- Unfreeze or Thaw
This function would reverse the freeze process while keeping any additional insert fx, post-fx/postfader automation and volume/pan changes that have been subsequently applied. It would also delete any temporary media files created by the freeze.
- Editing frozen tracks ?
Probably impossible...
- Feed back routing ?
- Freeze history ?
This proposal is a first draft and any edits or comments are very welcome.
