Okay I changed the topic because scripting was not the answer. I was thinking too complex. I already tried to find out options to do a “batch job” in reaper but used the wrong keywords for my search.
The keywords needed are Custom Actions and Action Sequences.
I wanted to render the same project in 50-150BPM with 5 BPM increments.
It’s possible to create custom actions. Actions -> Action List:
Custom actions: New…
I just created the same drumtrack with 20 different BPM in 5 minutes and it’s even easier to do for the next drumtrack. I finally found the way to not do this tedious work by hand.
Yes, they are. So much that I think I won’t ever need scripting. I think those scripting things usually go way deeper into sound shaping and I would have to know a lot more about the physics of music/sound to create something worthwile there. I am more than happy with the possibilities custom actions provide.
It was just one example but of course you can do whatever. All things you “normally” do in Reaper are Actions so you can pick and choose combinations however you like.
Additional information that might be interesting to anyone interested in using custom actions:
3 possible ways to activate:
In the Action List: Run or Run/close
If “Show in actions menu” checkbox is checked then obviously in the actions menu
Shortcuts! You can set shortcuts for all actions including customs
So if you have a task in which you notice that you repeatedly do the same 3 actions in sequence you can create a custom action, set a custom shortcut and you have saved a lot of time.
The other option worth mentioning is the “Consolidate undo” checkbox. It is quite simple - if the checkbox is checked the custom action counts as single action for the undo function and unchecked you can undo every step of the custom action.
Then something not directly related to actions but to my initial task of rendering the same project X times in different BPM: Use wildcards in your filename! For example I used “drumbeat_$tempo” so rendering with the custom action did not prompt me with the overwrite dialogue and I got files named “drumbeat_50.mp3”, “drumbeat_55.mp3” and so on.
