In this video, Akash Thakkar discusses some tools that have drastically enhanced his workflow in Reaper for game audio. He emphasizes that these tools are not required, but they have helped him a lot and will likely help others as well. Thakkar demonstrates the use of four tools, some free and some paid, that have made him insanely fast at sound design.
The first tool is NVK Folder Items. This tool consolidates all of the audio and MIDI data inside of folders in Reaper into folder items, which are little rectangles that allow you to add fades to all of your items, move them all together, and edit them all at the same time. This tool makes it easy to render out each of these items quickly and batch rename them all at once. This is especially useful when dealing with thousands of sounds per game, as it saves a lot of time and speeds up the workflow.
The second tool is Global Sampler by birdbird. This tool allows you to record audio output in the background at all times. You can click and drag and highlight a region of the recording from the top bar and drag it down into your project. This tool is especially useful when working with synthesizers, as it allows you to use synths in your sound design workflow and manipulate them further from there. It makes working with synthesizers fast and easy.
The third tool is Content Navigator by LKC Tools. This tool is ultra-simple but ultra-helpful. As you work on bigger and bigger sound design projects, the amount of sounds you end up making is pretty crazy, especially when it comes to variation and iteration. This tool allows you to search for tracks, hide them, jump to them, and generally make your life a lot easier.
The fourth tool is a variation on the NVK Folder Items tool called LKC Render Blocks. Render Blocks allows you to choose a bunch of items in your project all at once, turn them into a block, and render that out as an individual file. This tool makes it much easier to take all of those layers, package them up, know which sounds you're exporting, and render them out. The Render Blocks and Content Navigator bundle are really helpful, and LKC Tools has free versions of these as well, so be sure to give them a try.
In conclusion, these tools have completely changed Thakkar's sound design workflow in Reaper for game audio. They have made him insanely fast at sound design and have saved him a lot of time. While these tools are not required, they are highly recommended for anyone looking to enhance their workflow in Reaper. Thakkar thanks his viewers for watching and encourages them to check out his other videos on Reaper for game audio. Overall, the video is informative and helpful for anyone interested in sound design in Reaper.
