Reaper Script: Time at Cursor and Dynamic Timer – v5.6

Set a Virtual Zero. Stop Doing Mental Math.

This script lets you set a virtual zero position in your Reaper project and display the time at your cursor relative to that position.

I originally built this for album mastering.

Imagine you have a project with ten songs. A client writes:

“On track 7, at 1:44, there’s a small click.”

Before this script, I had to:

• Go to the start of track 7
• Look at Reaper’s absolute timeline
• Calculate where 1:44 lands in the full project
• Move the cursor manually
• Fine-adjust to find the exact spot

Slow. Unnecessary.

With this script:

• Place a Reset marker at the start of track 7
• Type 00:01:44
• Jump directly to that exact position

Done.

I often jump a few seconds earlier and play from there. Client revisions become significantly faster.

Practical Uses

Exact Spacing Between Tracks (The Original Reason This Script Exists)

This was actually the reason I built the script in the first place.

When mastering albums, I often want a very specific gap between tracks. For example exactly two seconds between every song.

Without a tool like this, you either eyeball it or manually calculate positions on the absolute timeline.

With this script:

• Place a Reset marker where the audio of a track ends
• Enter the desired gap. For example 00:00:02
• Use “Cursor to” or “Play from”

The cursor jumps exactly that many seconds to the right of the Reset position.

That position becomes the start of the next track.

This makes it extremely easy to:

• Keep consistent spacing across an entire album
• Adjust spacing precisely
• Experiment with different gap lengths
• Maintain exact timing without guessing

The offset function, where you jump a specific number of seconds from a defined point, was built specifically for this workflow.

Over time I started using it for many other things, but spacing between tracks was the original motivation.

Measuring Track Length

• Place Reset at the start
• Move cursor to the end

The script shows exact duration relative to the Reset point.

Simple. Accurate. No mental math.

New in v5.6

This version includes several major workflow improvements.

Pass-Through Shortcuts (Major Workflow Upgrade)

You can now keep the script open and continue using all your normal Reaper shortcuts.

The script forwards keyboard commands to Reaper even while the script window is open.

You can:

• Keep the timer visible
• Add and jump between Reset markers
• Continue editing normally
• Use all your existing key commands

It behaves as if the script is not blocking your workflow.

Tested on both Windows and macOS.

Pass-Through Shortcuts Option

At the bottom of the interface you will find:

Pass through shortcuts

When enabled, the script forwards keyboard commands to Reaper even while the script window is open.

If you disable it:

• The script stops forwarding shortcuts
• Reaper must be in focus for shortcuts to work
• Shortcut behavior returns to traditional focus-based handling

This is less convenient, but it can prevent conflicts with certain scripts or custom setups.

In short, if you experience issues, disable “Pass through shortcuts”.

Active Zero Marker Highlight

The currently active Reset marker is always yellow.

When you:

• Create a new Reset marker
• Jump to next or previous Reset
• Change zero position

That marker automatically turns yellow.

This makes it immediately visible in the main Reaper window which marker is acting as your current zero reference.

You always see your active zero.

Full Undo Support

Everything now writes to Reaper’s Undo history.

• Add marker
• Remove markers
• Remove inside time selection
• Jump between resets
• Change zero position

All undoable like native Reaper actions.

You can work fast without worrying.

Split Time Input (HH : MM : SS)

Instead of typing something like 00123, you now get three separate fields:

HH : MM : SS

You can:

• Type directly in each field
• Use Tab to jump between fields
• Scroll the mouse wheel to increment or decrement
• Auto-format single digits. 1 becomes 01

It is significantly faster in real-world use.

Scroll Control

Hover over Hours, Minutes, or Seconds and scroll.

Minutes and seconds wrap correctly between 0 and 59.

Fast and practical.

Marker Color Selection (10 Colors)

You can color-code Reset markers directly from the GUI:

White
Gray
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Cyan
Blue
Purple
Magenta

Useful for separating Reset markers from other marker types in complex projects.

Custom Start ID for Markers

You can define a custom Start ID manually.

Example:

Set Start ID to 1000
Your Reset markers become 1000, 1001, 1002, etc.

Very useful if you already use CD or DDP marker ranges and want to keep Reset markers outside that range.

Remove Markers Inside Time Selection

Two removal options:

• Remove All
• Remove in Time Selection

Create a time selection and remove only Reset markers inside that range.

Practical for large projects.

First-Time Setup

The first time you close it from Reaper using the script shortcut, Reaper will ask:

• Start new instance
• Or terminate existing instance

Choose:

• Terminate
• Tick “remember this choice”

After that, pressing the script’s shortcut will toggle the script.

Core Features

• Time at cursor relative to custom zero
• Dynamic playback timer
• Add Reset markers
• Jump between Reset markers
• Cursor to Reset
• Play from Reset
• Cursor to Offset
• Play from Offset
• Stop button
• Project state saving inside the RPP file

All settings are saved with the project.

Installation

If you used an older version, it will be replaced automatically.

If not:

Download and run the installer.

Open Reaper.

Go to Actions → Show Action List.

Click ReaScript → Load.

Navigate to the Noisebud folder inside Reaper’s script folder.

Select the time.lua file.

Assign a shortcut if desired.

Note: The toggle works best with a single key. Key combinations like SHIFT + T register as the resulting character, not the combination itself.

Download for Patreons (full versions):

Main Download Hub
https://www.patreon.com/posts/74683988

Reaper Script Download Hub
https://www.patreon.com/posts/121395463

Higher Tiers Download Hub
https://www.patreon.com/posts/136388838

Ways to get your hands on Noisebud plugins, scripts, and tools:

Become a Patron – $6/month
Get instant access to almost everything. There are just a few exceptions reserved for higher tiers. You do not need to stay subscribed. Once you download something, it is yours to keep. If you want updates later, simply re-subscribe for a month.

One-time payment – $15 (scripts) / $30 (plugins)
Buy a single item via the Patreon shop. This includes all minor updates until the next major version. Example: Buy v5.00 and receive v5.01–5.99 free. Upgrading to v6.00 requires a new purchase.
Note: This option gives access only to the item you buy.

Original post link:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/119416027

This link is included so that when the post is shared externally or through RSS feeds, traffic always points back to the original Patreon post. If you are already reading this on Patreon, it will simply open the same page.