Subproject (Child Project) Actions

This group of actions revolves around REAPER subprojects: pack the contents of selected tracks into an independent subproject, jump back from a subproject to its parent, render subprojects back into the parent, set the =START / =END markers that define the render range, and automatically sync cursor position when entering a subproject.

A subproject is identified by a pair of =START / =END markers, which also determine the render range. All “is this a subproject” checks below look for these markers. Unless otherwise stated, each action is one Undo.

Create

Pack the contents of selected tracks into a Subproject Item — the selected tracks’ Items are moved into an independent project, and the parent project keeps a Subproject Item that carries them.

Exact Action List display name	Behavior
Subproject - Create Subproject From Selected	Pack selected track contents into a subproject; the parent project keeps a Subproject Item that carries it.

You must select at least one track first, otherwise a prompt is shown and nothing is done.
The project must have been saved (so the project directory is available); otherwise you are prompted to save first.
A dialog lets you enter the subproject name (pre-filled with a cleaned version of the first selected track name by default); pressing Cancel aborts.
Creates a Subproject Archive folder under the project directory and stores the generated subproject in its own subdirectory named as you entered (duplicate names automatically get _1, _2 suffixes; nothing is overwritten).
The subproject’s =START / =END markers automatically snap to the actual content range (no extra blank space).
The Subproject Item in the parent project aligns its geometry to the content — length is exact, fades are cleared, start offset is zeroed; the track that carries it is renamed to the subproject name.
If the selected tracks’ content is segmented (gaps in the middle), the generated Subproject Item is automatically split into multiple pieces, skipping blank areas, with each piece landing where the original content was.
The subproject view is automatically zoomed to the content and the cursor is moved to the content start so you can begin editing immediately.

Jump to Parent Project

Executed inside a subproject — jumps back to the parent project that contains it, automatically selecting, zooming, and locating the corresponding Subproject Item.

Exact Action List display name	Behavior
Subproject - Jump to Parent Project	Jump back to the parent project, clear the existing selection, select only the corresponding Subproject Item, zoom to it, and scroll its track to the center of the view.

Only takes effect when the current project is a subproject; otherwise does nothing.
The parent project must already be open (in a project tab); otherwise it cannot be found and no jump occurs.
If one subproject is referenced by multiple Items, jumps to the first one found.

Render

Save and render each open subproject once, so Subproject Items in the parent project reflect the latest content. Three variants differ in render range and whether the parent Item geometry is repaired.

Exact Action List display name	Render range	Repair Item geometry?	Stops at
Subproject - Render all Subprojects (auto save)	All open subprojects	No, only renders; parent Item length / splits stay unchanged	The project you were in before executing
Subproject - Render all Subprojects and Fix Main Item (auto save)	All open subprojects	Yes, repairs each Subproject Item in the parent project	Parent project
Subproject - Render and Sync Selected Main Items (auto save)	Only subprojects corresponding to selected Subproject Items	Yes, repairs only the selected Items	Current project

Common behavior:

Automatically finds target subprojects (project tabs with =START / =END markers), saves and renders them one by one; each subproject is automatically saved.
Even if you have REAPER’s “automatic render on save” option disabled, rendering is forced here.

Variant differences:

Render all Subprojects (render only): Renders all open subprojects, then returns to the project you were in before executing; only renders, does not repair Item geometry — Subproject Item length / splits in the parent project remain unchanged. Silently returns if no subprojects are open. If you changed subproject content length or added/removed splits and want parent Items to align accordingly, use the Fix / Sync variants below.
Render all Subprojects and Fix Main Item (render and fix all): After rendering, switches to the parent project and repairs all Subproject Items — when the number of Items matches the number of content segments in the subproject, each Item’s length and start offset are aligned to each segment; when they do not match (you added/removed segments in the subproject), the earliest Item is used as the baseline to rebuild and re-split, and changes on the other Items (volume, FX, etc.) will be lost. Fade and snap offset are always cleared during repair. The action ends in the parent project. When segment counts mismatch, non-baseline Item processing is discarded; if this matters, confirm the subproject segments are consistent first.
Render and Sync Selected Main Items (render and sync selected only): From the selected Items, automatically picks out Subproject Items (normal Items are ignored), saves and renders the corresponding subprojects one by one, then repairs the geometry of these selected Items to align with subproject content — when segment counts match, length and start offset are aligned per segment; when they do not match, a dialog warns of structural changes and asks whether to continue. Continuing uses the earliest Item as the baseline to rebuild and re-split (changes on other Items will be lost); cancel skips that subproject. Fade and snap offset are always cleared during repair. If no Subproject Items are selected, a prompt is shown and nothing is done. Involved subprojects must already be open (in project tabs); otherwise the names of unopened subprojects are listed and the operation aborts.

Set START & END Markers

Set the subproject’s =START / =END markers to the ends of the specified range, defining the render range. Two variants differ in where the range is taken from.

Exact Action List display name	Range source
Subproject - Set START and END markers to Time Selection	Start and end of the current time selection
Subproject - Set START and END markers to Items	Item range (selected Items preferred; if none selected, uses all Items)

Common behavior:

=START is set to the range start, =END to the range end (no extra padding).
Existing markers with the same name are moved to the new position; new markers are created if absent.
If the current project has no =START / =END markers, a dialog warns “this may be the parent project”; only continues after confirmation.

Variant differences:

Set markers to Time Selection: =START / =END are set to the time selection start and end; does nothing if there is no time selection (or the selection is invalid).
Set markers to Items: If Items are selected, uses the leftmost start to rightmost end of all selected Items; if no Items are selected, automatically uses the range of all Items in the project; does nothing if the project has no Items at all.

Cursor Sync

A toggle action. When enabled, every time you switch from the parent project into a subproject, the play cursor in the subproject automatically jumps to the position corresponding to the parent project cursor, so you can continue editing from the same spot.

Exact Action List display name	Behavior
Subproject - Toggle Auto-Sync Cursor from Parent	Toggle; when enabled, entering a subproject syncs the cursor to the corresponding parent-project position.

This is a toggle: one execution turns it on, another turns it off (menu / toolbar shows whether it is currently lit); it is a persistent switch and does not affect Undo.
While enabled, the moment you switch to a subproject tab: the current parent-project cursor position is taken, converted to an offset relative to the subproject’s =START, and the subproject play cursor is set to the corresponding position.
Only syncs when entering a subproject; direction is parent → child only; switching back to the parent does not sync in reverse.
The parent-project cursor must be near the Subproject Item range (about ±1 second tolerance) for sync to occur; too far away and nothing happens.
The subproject must have an =START marker to serve as the reference point.

Subproject (Child Project) Actions ​

Create ​

Jump to Parent Project ​

Render ​