I'm not sure how to use the metronome. I know how to turn it off and on and how to open the dialogue box but I"m not sure how to set the bpm. It defaults to 120 but how do I find the actual bpm of the song I'm recording? For instance a slow song. Surely it's not 120 bmp but something slower. How does that work? Thanks, Don.....

Hello The project BPM is set in the transport bar. You can click and type a value, use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the bpm, or use the tap button to enter the tempo using the left mouse button. Does that help? Rob

BPM (beats per minute) is just how the tempo is measured, so setting the BPM is the same as setting the tempo. The metronome is the audible indicator of that speed. It may not appear so, but if you click on the number underneath where it says "BPM" you can change that number directly, ie enter 160 or whatever. And as noted you can change it with the mouse wheel, and you can also tap the letters "BPM" in rhythm and it will set the tempo that way. I notice you're saying "match" - are you starting a song from scratch or importing an existing song? The above would apply to the former, but if it's the latter, there are probably some workflow adjustments you'll need to make.

If you didn't record to the metronome in the first place, the metronome's going to be useless due to natural speed variations while playing. You'll have to map the tempo envelope to your recording in this case if you want to hear it in time with your song. You can find an approximate tempo for your already recorded song if you make a time selection that's 1 bar (zoom in, loop, look and listen) and then run one of the 'detect tempo' actions. You'll also need to open the Project Preferences and set Timebase to time before adjusting the tempo or you will change the speed of your recording. If you want to start recording to a metronome (which makes editing 1000 times easier), start by clicking on BPM (it will say "tap" when your mouse is over it) in time with how you would tap your feet to keep the beat while you listen to a recording of it or "play" it back in your head. But some songs won't sound right recorded to a continuously even beat, so you'd have to go with the first method to accommodate the variations.

Hmmm, thought I responded to this but I don't see it. I have seen the videos before but didnt quite understand it and it seemed difficult. I've watched them a couple more times now. Still not completely understanding but I'm going to work with it tonight. Thanks everyone, Don.....

What I find easier to get the BPM of a song is use - Play the song in Reaper and tap the tempo on the space bar. Then set the tempo the site shows in Reaper - The metronome will automatically pick up this tempo.