Manual contents

Mono tracks in REAPER

REAPER creates every track with at least two channels and never asks a plugin for a mono layout, so it opens PhaseLock as a stereo instance on every track. When a track holds a mono item, REAPER copies that one signal onto both channels. PhaseLock receives two identical channels and shows them as a left and right lane, even though the source is mono.

What this looks like

A mono drum track appears in the session as a pair of lanes, such as Snare L and Snare R. Both lanes carry the same signal, so their offset, polarity, and coherence measurements match each other. Nothing is broken. PhaseLock is reporting the two channels REAPER handed it.

Set the track’s mode to Mono

PhaseLock has a per-instance channel mode. Set the track’s MODE to MONO, either from the MODE chip in the lane row or from the CHANNELS control in the inspector. The instance then contributes a single lane, named without the L or R suffix, and it analyzes and corrects that one signal.

Use this when the track is genuinely mono and you want it to behave as one lane in the session. It works in every host and plugin format, and it needs no change to REAPER’s routing.

Request a mono instance in REAPER

You can also have REAPER instantiate PhaseLock as a true one-in, one-out plugin:

  1. Open the track’s FX chain and select the PhaseLock instance.
  2. Click the plugin’s I/O button, the pin connector, at the top of the FX window.
  3. Under Request VST3 bus channel count, choose Mono.

PhaseLock now runs as a genuine mono instance with a single lane. This control is VST3-only; the AU does not expose it. Save the result as an FX-chain preset or a track template to reuse it, and REAPER restores the mono configuration each time.

Which should I use?

MONO mode is the fastest route and works in every host and plugin format. The pin connector gives a genuinely mono instance in REAPER’s own routing, at the cost of a per-instance setup step that only VST3 supports. For most sessions, set the MODE to MONO. Reach for the pin connector when you want REAPER itself to treat the insert as mono.