YouTube → New Track

A REAPER ReaScript that downloads audio from multiple platforms and imports them directly as new tracks with real-time progress indication.

Supported Platforms

• 🎥 YouTube - Videos, playlists, and live streams
• 🎵 SoundCloud - Tracks and playlists

Features

• 📋 Smart URL Detection: Automatically detects YouTube and SoundCloud URLs from clipboard
• 🎯 Real-time Progress Bar: Live progress window showing download status
• 📊 File Size Tracking: Shows downloaded MB and estimated progress
• ⏱️ Live Timer: Displays elapsed time during download
• 🔄 Non-blocking: REAPER remains responsive during download
• ✅ Automatic Import: Creates new track and imports audio when complete
• 🧹 Auto-cleanup: Removes temporary files after import
• 🔇 Silent Operation: No console output or command prompt windows
• 🏷️ Platform-aware: Shows which platform you're downloading from

Requirements

• REAPER 7.0+ (tested on 7.42)

Installation

For Windows Users (Recommended)

1. Download and run YouTube_to_NewTrack_Setup_v2.0.exe from the releases page
   • Automatically installs yt-dlp and ffmpeg dependencies
   • Installs the ReaScript in REAPER
   • Checks for and prompts to install SWS Extension if needed
   • Sets up everything you need in one click

For macOS Users (Recommended)

1. Download YouTube_to_NewTrack_v2.0_macOS.dmg from the releases page
2. Mount the DMG and run install_youtube_to_newtrack.sh
   • Automatically detects REAPER installation
   • Checks for SWS Extension (all naming patterns)
   • Installs yt-dlp and ffmpeg via Homebrew
   • Copies script to REAPER Scripts directory
   • Creates desktop alias for easy access

Manual Installation

For advanced users or other platforms:

1. Install SWS Extension for REAPER
2. Download YouTube_to_NewTrack.lua and load it in REAPER:
   • Actions → Show Action List → ReaScript → Load
3. Ensure yt-dlp and ffmpeg are available in your system PATH

Usage

1. Copy a YouTube or SoundCloud URL to your clipboard
2. Run the "YouTube to New Track" script in REAPER (find it in Actions → Show Action List)
3. Watch the platform-aware progress window while download happens
4. Audio automatically imports as a new track when complete

Version History

• v2.0 - Multi-platform support (YouTube + SoundCloud), silent operation, platform-specific features
• v1.2 - Real-time progress bar with live updates
• v1.1 Beta A - Enhanced console feedback
• v1.0 - Basic working version

Files

• YouTube_to_NewTrack.lua - Main script (v2.0)
• installer/ - Windows and macOS installers and setup files
• LICENSE - MIT License
• README.md - This documentation

Technical Details

• Multi-platform URL detection - Automatically identifies YouTube and SoundCloud URLs
• Cross-platform execution - VBScript wrapper on Windows, shell execution on macOS
• Hidden execution - No command prompt windows or console output
• Real-time monitoring - File growth tracking via reaper.defer() loops
• Platform-specific optimization - Different download strategies per platform
• Smart file naming - Platform-aware temporary file naming
• Automatic tool detection - Finds yt-dlp and ffmpeg from system installations
• Proper REAPER integration - Full undo/redo support with platform-specific naming
• Comprehensive installers - One-click setup for Windows and macOS with dependency management

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify!