Guides / DAW conversion

How to convert Ableton to REAPER

Updated August 2026

Ableton Live saves projects as .als files; REAPER uses .rpp. Neither DAW opens the other's format. Doseedo converts the project itself: upload the .als, download a native .rpp with the arrangement rebuilt.

Why there's no built-in way

Ableton and Cockos have no interchange format between them. REAPER cannot open an .als, and Ableton Live has no REAPER export. Rendering stems works, but the project stops being a project. A native conversion keeps it editable — and since REAPER's evaluation is free and fully functional, the converted project opens anywhere.

How the conversion works

Doseedo reads the Ableton Live project with the same native engine that powers its other directions and writes a REAPER project folder: a plain-text .rpp with the session rebuilt, plus an Audio/ folder holding the media with relative references — so the download unzips into a folder REAPER opens with everything in place. Zip the Ableton project folder (the .als plus Samples/) so the audio travels; a bare .als converts structure and MIDI only.

What carries over — and what doesn't

REAPER conversion is the newest direction in Doseedo's converter, and the copy here is deliberately honest. What arrives editable: tempo and time signature, the arrangement (every item becomes a clip at its real position), MIDI notes with velocities, audio clips placed where they were with the media traveling alongside, markers, and per-track volume, pan and mute.

What doesn't carry yet: FX chains and instrument state (tracks arrive named and placed, devices empty), envelopes/automation, sends, and per-item stretch. A project with tempo changes converts at its starting tempo. If your session leans on those, expect to rebuild them — the arrangement, notes and audio will be waiting.

Do I need Ableton or REAPER installed?

Not to convert. You need REAPER to open the result — and REAPER's free, fully-functional evaluation means that is never the blocker.

Related guides

• Convert REAPER to Ableton (the other way)
• Ableton to REAPER converter (the tool)
• Every way to move a project between DAWs
• What carries over, field by field

FAQ

Can you convert an Ableton Live project to REAPER?

Yes. Upload an .als project to Doseedo and download a native REAPER .rpp project. The arrangement, MIDI notes, audio clips, tempo, markers and track levels arrive editable.

Does Ableton Live export to REAPER?

No. Ableton Live has no REAPER export, and REAPER can't open .als files. The only routes are rendering stems (which flattens the project) or a native converter that rebuilds the project format — that's what Doseedo does.

Do plugins carry over from Ableton to REAPER?

Not yet. Tracks arrive named and placed with their MIDI and audio, but FX chains, instrument state, envelopes and sends have to be rebuilt in REAPER. The conversion is honest about this rather than silently dropping things.

Do I need Ableton Live installed to convert to REAPER?

No. The conversion works on the project itself — you only need REAPER (whose evaluation is free and fully functional) to open the converted result.