How to Add Markers in REAPER

Markers in REAPER let you label song sections, flag a bad edit, or jump straight to the second chorus while you work. They sit on the ruler above your tracks, and each one gets a number you can use to jump to it.

How to add a marker

1. Place the edit cursor where you want the marker. This works while the project is stopped or playing.
2. Press M. REAPER drops a numbered marker at the cursor.
3. To add a marker and name it in one step, press Shift+M instead.

Pressing M during playback is the fastest way to flag spots on the fly, for example while you listen through a mix and mark every moment that needs attention.

Jump between markers

• Press the number keys 1 to 9 to move the edit cursor straight to markers 1 to 9.
• Double-click the space between two markers to select that stretch of time, ready to loop or edit.

Rename, recolor, move or delete a marker

• Rename or recolor: double-click the marker, or right-click it and edit its name and color. Colors make sections easy to spot at a glance.
• Move: drag the marker along the ruler. Turn snapping off if you want to place it freely.
• Delete: hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and click the marker, or right-click it and remove it.

Turn a selection into a region

Markers flag a single moment. Regions cover a whole stretch, like a verse or an ad break. Make a time selection with the mouse, then press Shift+R to turn it into a region. Regions can be named and colored the same way as markers.

See every marker in one list

Open View → Region/Marker Manager. Untick regions and tick markers to see only your markers. From here you can:

• Rename markers by double-clicking a name, then press Tab to jump to the next one.
• Change colors, one at a time or for several markers at once.
• Right-click and choose Renumber in timeline order, so the number keys match the order of your song again.

Keep notes in REAPER

• Project notes: open File → Project settings and use the Notes tab. Tick Show notes on project load to see them every time you open the project.
• Item notes: right-click a media item and choose Item settings → Item notes to attach a note to that clip.

Turn collaborator comments into REAPER markers

Markers keep your project organized, but feedback from an artist, a producer or a client usually arrives in emails and texts. With Notetracks, you share a bounce by link and collaborators leave timestamped comments right on the waveform. They don't need an account to comment. Then you export every comment straight into REAPER as markers.

1. Open the project in Notetracks, open the track's menu and choose Export Markers → Reaper.
2. In REAPER, open View → Region/Marker Manager.
3. Right-click inside the Region/Marker Manager window, choose Import regions/markers and select the file you exported.
4. Every comment now appears in the list at its exact time, with the commenter's name and any replies.

Comments on a single moment come in as markers. Comments on a stretch of audio, like "from here to the two minute mark", come in as regions with their start and end times.

Now you can jump from note to note with the number keys and work through the fixes without hunting for "the bit around 2 minutes in".

Try Notetracks free →

Using a different DAW? See how to add markers and notes in every DAW.