EZDRUMMER 3 Multi-Out Routing in REAPER

The Golden Standard

Getting individual control over every drum piece from EZDRUMMER 3 (EZD3) is the key to a professional drum mix. This step-by-step guide walks you through the definitive, clean multi-out setup in REAPER and highlights the one organizational mistake that causes phantom duplicate signals.

We will use the EZdrummer3 Bright Room Classic kit for this tutorial, but the process is identical for any kit.

Step 1: Initialize the Master VSTi Track

First, we create the single track that will host the EZD3 engine.

1. Insert VSTi Track: Right-click in the Track Control Panel (TCP) area and select “Insert virtual instrument on new track…”
2. Load EZD3: In the pop-up, type EZ into the filter, select EZdrummer 3, and click OK.
3. Rename: Rename this new track EZD3 Master (or EZD3 Engine).

⚠️ Critical Warning: The Folder Track Trap

You may be tempted to create a folder now for organization. Do not make this EZD3 Master track a Parent/Folder track.

If you make the track containing the VSTi a folder, REAPER’s automatic bussing will route the VSTi’s internal stereo mix directly to your master out, causing a loud, unmixable duplicate signal that bypasses your individual drum tracks. Leave the track as a standard track until after recording is complete.

Step 2: Automated Multi-Channel Routing

REAPER can automatically create all the necessary auxiliary tracks and routing sends.

1. Open the FX window for the EZD3 Master track.
2. In the FX chain, right-click on the VST name (EZdrummer 3).
3. Select “Build multichannel routing for output of selected FX.”

REAPER will instantly create 16 new auxiliary tracks named EZdrummer3 1/2 up to EZdrummer3 31/32. These tracks are now set to receive audio from the EZD3 Master VSTi track.

Clean Up: Fixed Item Lanes

To keep your TCP clean and allow for easy grouping later:

1. Select all the newly created tracks and the EZD3 Master track.
2. Right-click on any of the selected tracks and deselect “Fixed Item Lanes.”

Step 3: Configure EZD3’s Internal Mixer

Now we tell the EZD3 engine which kit piece should go to which stereo output pair (which correlates to the new auxiliary tracks).

1. Open the EZD3 plugin interface and go to the Mixer tab.
2. For each channel strip, locate the Output dropdown menu below the volume fader.
3. Assign the outputs according to the following table. Crucially, ensure all channels you are not using are set to “None.”
   • Recommendation: Record drums without heavy internal effects like Parallel Compression or Crunch, as you can add these in your mix later.

Kit Piece (In EZD3 Mixer)	Output Destination	Format	Notes
Kick In	1/2	Mono
Kick Out	3/4	Mono
Kick Sub	5/6	Mono
Snare Top	7/8	Mono
Snare Bottom	9/10	Mono
Hi-Hat	11/12	Mono
Rack Tom 1	13/14	Mono
Rack Tom 2	15/16	Mono
Rack Tom 3	17/18	Mono
Floor Tom 1	19/20	Mono
Floor Tom 2	21/22	Mono
Ride	23/24	Mono
OH (Stereo)	25/26	Stereo	Overhead Mics
Ambience (Room)	27/28	Stereo	Stereo Room Mics
Room (Mono)	29/30	Mono

Step 4: Verify and Silence the VSTi Track

The EZD3 Master track is only the router—it should not send any audio itself.

1. Verify Master Send: Click the IO button on the EZD3 Master track. Ensure the Master/Parent Send box is UNCHECKED. (REAPER often does this automatically, but it’s worth the check).
2. Verify Sends: Check that sends have been created for all the output pairs you used in the table (e.g., 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, etc.).
3. Disable Recording: The EZD3 Master track should only hold MIDI, never the final audio. To prevent accidental audio recording:
   • Right-click on the Record Arm button (the red circle) on the EZD3 Master track.
   • From the sub-menu, select Record: disable (input monitoring only). This ensures the track is ready to send MIDI to the VSTi but won’t accidentally capture audio input.

Step 5: Configure and Prepare the Aux Tracks

These auxiliary tracks are where your final audio will live. We must now prepare them for mono or stereo recording.

1. Set Mono/Stereo Input Format:
   • Select all the tracks listed as Mono in the table (Kick In through Room Mono).
   • Right-click the Record Arm button on any of the selected tracks.
   • In the Record Output sub-menu, select the appropriate Mono option.
   • Repeat this process for the two Stereo tracks (OH and Ambience), selecting the appropriate Stereo option.
2. Set Aux Recording: Ensure all auxiliary tracks are set to Record: Input (Monitor Input).
3. Rename Tracks: Rename the generic tracks (EZdrummer3 1/2, etc.) to the descriptive names from the table (e.g., Kick In, Snare Top, OH Stereo). You can do this before Step 4 or here.

Workflow Tip: You can save this set of tracks as a track template at this point, allowing you to avoid doing all of these steps for future projects. Select all of the tracks (click the top track, hold down SHIFT and click the bottom track) right click on any of the tracks and choose “Save tracks as track template” from the menu. In the template save dialogue box that opens, name your template (e.g., EZD3 Setup or something similar) and hit the “Save” button. You can now open this set of tracks in any project by right clicking in the Track Control Panel (TCP) and hovering over the “Insert track from template” menu item and selecting your track template from the submenu. At that point, you’re ready to complete the following steps in this article.

Step 6: Program, Record, and Organize

Your routing is now complete and clean!

1. Program: Create or import your MIDI pattern onto the EZD3 Master track.
2. Record: Arm all the individual auxiliary tracks and hit Record.
3. Organize Post-Recording: After you have successfully captured the audio onto the auxiliary tracks, you can finally hide the VSTi engine track and create your drum bus:
   • Open the Track Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+M on Windows, CMD+SHIFT+M on Mac).
   • Locate the EZD3 Master track and click the dot in the TCP column to Hide it from the TCP, as it is no longer needed.
   • You can now select all the recorded audio tracks, Insert a new track, and make that new track your Parent/Folder Drum Bus without risk of breaking the routing.

You are now ready to mix your individual drum channels!

My Final Thoughts

The problem of “no signal” often boils down to one small, misaligned setting, typically the Master/Parent Send on the VSTi track or a misconfigured mono/stereo input. By following this sequential, deliberate process—especially the rule about not creating the folder until the audio is captured—you bypass the most common pitfalls and ensure a perfect, mix-ready separation every time. This robust setup turns a complex multi-out routing challenge into a simple, repeatable process.

I’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts

What is the first kit piece you plan to start mixing now that you have full, isolated control over every drum hit? Let me know if you run into any snags with the mixing process!