Reaper text/resolution

[Sam Spoons]

I know I could just change the monitor screen resolution but that seems a crude approach and will compromise other uses. So is there a simple way of making everything on the screen larger from within Reaper's preferences?

I have a large screen on the studio Mac but as it is behind the mixer and monitors I struggle to read the text/legends from my mix position.

I've searched the Reaper user guide and also the mag to see if I can find an answer but no success yet.

Cheers

[OneWorld]

I know I could just change the monitor screen resolution but that seems a crude approach and will compromise other uses. So is there a simple way of making everything on the screen larger from within Reaper's preferences?

I have a large screen on the studio Mac but as it is behind the mixer and monitors I struggle to read the text/legends from my mix position.

I've searched the Reaper user guide and also the mag to see if I can find an answer but no success yet.

Cheers

I am looking for the same within Cubase and I think within applications, it isn't possible. Although work areas might be zoomable, or whatever, the actual menu fonts aren't changeable, except i some cases where with Windows there are utilities tweakers that allow some changes. The Font increase in Win10 makes the fonts fuzzy, ironically, Win7 seemed to do it much better.

Sorry this is more of a moan than a fix

[n o i s e f l e ur]

I'm not overly familiar with Reaper as I use it as an adjunct to Ableton Live, but ISTR there are definitely options to resize various areas of the UI.

You can increase the size of fonts in Windows, but it's not the most granular solution - nor do the effective scaling settings make a lot of sense.

If you can live with changing the resolution, the way to do so without compromising other apps is to run Reaper on its own virtual desktop and set a custom resolution on that desktop.

[Sam Spoons]

I think I've found the solution. There us a 'scale UI elements' option which simply increases the size of everything on the UI by a fixed amount just like changing the screen resolution*. In my case 1.2-1.5 seems to work ok. But it would be neater if I could also increase the text size within the text boxes by a greater amount. 1.2 x only just gets the track labels and input assign labels big enough to read, 1.5 x means the track windows can no longer display the input assign box without resizing them and using up too much screen real estate (and showing fewer tracks at one time).

There is a fair bit of white (or coloured) space in the track windows so they could accommodate larger text boxes.

* I've found running an LCD monitor at other than it's native resolution can seriously adversely affect the image quality.

[Ariosto]

I would like to find this out as well as I'm finding the dB readout on the mixer too small to read.

[n o i s e f l e ur]

Hah, just found the option you're referring to - and it's not actually the same as the settings I was referring to, which is Options>Layouts. Gives you somewhat more granular control over different sections of the UI.

I would try 1.25 as opposed to 1.2.

Now to have a little play around to see how the different available options interact.

Agree on LCD non-native res BTW, it's generally awful, only as a last resort.

Just to add more info - the option Mr. Spoons is referring to is;

Options > Preferences > General > Advanced UI / System Tweaks

[Sam Spoons]

Knowing just how tweakable Reaper is I'd be surprised if there wasn't an option to resize the text/text boxes.

[shufflebeat]

I did explore the theme building options at one point and seem to (mis?)remember this is an option.

It is a serious rabbit hole though and I')) need to have a few days in bed before I go there again.

[The Bunk]

Hah, just found the option you're referring to - and it's not actually the same as the settings I was referring to, which is Options>Layouts. Gives you somewhat more granular control over different sections of the UI.

I would try 1.25 as opposed to 1.2.

Now to have a little play around to see how the different available options interact.

Agree on LCD non-native res BTW, it's generally awful, only as a last resort.

Just to add more info - the option Mr. Spoons is referring to is;

Options > Preferences > General > Advanced UI / System Tweaks

....THAT has answered something I've been wondering about for a long while (and specifically trying to get the faders larger to make it easier to make minor adjustments)!! Although my display now looks like the equivalent of one of those "Calculators for 80-year-olds". Still, it works for me...

[n o i s e f l e ur]

Heh, yeah . . . it does go a bit Fisher-Price when scaled up. You'd definitely have to get into the skinning engine to get everything scaled to taste across the entire UI and as Shufflebeat says . . . that's a rabbit hole with a can o' worms lying within!

[Martin Walker]

I've just change mine from 1.0 (default) to 1.1, and it's just enough to make reading plug-in names easier, while avoiding the Fisher Price look.

Oh, and if anyone tries it and nothing happens, as well as changing the 'Scale UI elements...' multiplier, you also have to tick the box to the left of this text before clicking on OK

Martin

[Jack Ruston]

The thing that annoys me is the text in the v small panel just below the track panel display, where it gives you the relative change in dB value when you edit envelopes...or selection length changes etc. It's TINY.

[Arpangel]

I’m having the same problem reading text in the track panels, it’s a real pain, I’ve resorted to having every track a different colour, for reference to instruments/people.
And, on top of all this, you just don’t expect issues like this with such an expensive DAW like Reaper.

[Sam Spoons]

I've just change mine from 1.0 (default) to 1.1, and it's just enough to make reading plug-in names easier, while avoiding the Fisher Price look.

Oh, and if anyone tries it and nothing happens, as well as changing the 'Scale UI elements...' multiplier, you also have to tick the box to the left of this text before clicking on OK

Martin

And, on my setup at least, it requires a restart to take effect (Reaper not OSX...).

[Martin Walker]

On my PC system the display changes appeared immediately I pressed the OK button.

Martin

[Sam Spoons]

It does on my MBP on Reaper V6 but not on V5.97 (I've just upgraded).

[Arpangel]

I've just change mine from 1.0 (default) to 1.1, and it's just enough to make reading plug-in names easier, while avoiding the Fisher Price look.

Oh, and if anyone tries it and nothing happens, as well as changing the 'Scale UI elements...' multiplier, you also have to tick the box to the left of this text before clicking on OK

Martin

Really greatfull for this thread, I’ve just found out how to enlarge the track text, it’s a revelation, I can actually see the meters now too, from across the room, so no need for an external meter,

[Sam Spoons]

Have you found a way to increase the text size within the text boxes? There's plenty of real estate in the track windows for bigger boxes and bigger text.

[Martin Walker]

It does on my MBP on Reaper V6 but not on V5.97 (I've just upgraded).

Aha - that makes sense, as I've also upgraded to Reaper 6 (currently at version 6.04).

Martin

[Arpangel]

Have you found a way to increase the text size within the text boxes? There's plenty of real estate in the track windows for bigger boxes and bigger text.

AFAIK, everything’s just increased in size, I’m on the latest version of Reaper. I put in 1.50.00

[Martin Walker]

I'm also looking for a way to increase marker text size if at all possible.

Martin

[Sam Spoons]

Yeah that's where I'm at so far, I'm finding if I do that I can only display 4 or 5 channels. What I'd like is a skin that makes the text larger without the track windows getting bigger.

I've just put V6 on the laptop and it only displays the input text box the record enabled I suppose they decided some biggish visual changes were justified to step up from V5.97 to V6. Shame, the skin/GUI could remain the same with a few additions which would not involve a new learning curve for what are purely cosmetic differences (and I thought I'd never say something like that about Reaper.....).

I was about to buy a new licence as mine dates back to V4 but that and a couple of other unnecessary GUI changes have almost put me off (and I am an ardent supporter of Reaper and their business paradigm).