Convert RX2 to WAV

A DAW, hardware sampler, video editor, or collaborator may accept WAV but not the tempo-aware REX2 loop supplied in a sound library. Rendering the loop as WAV provides conventional audio samples, but removes REX2 slice and tempo metadata.

REX2 and WAV

RX2 is the usual extension for REX2 files, a proprietary loop format created for Propellerhead Software's ReCycle and later used by Reason Studios products and sample libraries. A REX2 file stores sliced audio with tempo and slice-position data, allowing compatible hosts to change a loop's project tempo by repositioning slices instead of applying continuous time-stretching.

Reason, Ableton Live, Cubase, and other REX-compatible music applications can import REX2 files. Many audio editors, media players, video applications, and hardware devices cannot decode them directly.

WAV is a RIFF-based audio container, most often containing uncompressed PCM audio. It is widely supported by DAWs, editors, samplers, and video software, and is appropriate when the recipient needs an ordinary audio file rather than a tempo-following loop. WAV files are usually larger than REX2 files and do not retain slice markers, loop tempo, or REX-specific metadata.

Convert in Reason or Ableton Live

Reason is a reliable choice because it natively supports REX2. Create a song, drag the .rx2 file into the sequencer, and set the song tempo to the loop's original BPM if the WAV must retain its original duration. Set the left and right locators to the required loop boundaries, then choose File → Export Song as Audio File. Select PCM WAV, the required sample rate and bit depth, and export.

In Ableton Live, drag the REX2 file into Arrangement View, set the project tempo, and place the arrangement locators around the required loop. Choose File → Export Audio/Video, select WAV, and export the selected range. Disable effects, normalization, and fades unless they are intentional parts of the rendered file.

If the destination already supports REX2, importing the original file is preferable: it preserves tempo adaptation and individual slices. Convert only when ordinary WAV audio is required.

Online conversion options

For a short, non-confidential loop, services such as Zamzar and Convertio may offer .rx2-to-WAV conversion. Upload the source file, select WAV, convert, then audition the download against the original. Check the service's current RX2 support, file-size limits, retention policy, and terms before uploading commercial, unreleased, or licensed material.

Online converters provide less control over project tempo, sample rate, bit depth, and rendered loop boundaries than a REX-capable DAW. They also cannot preserve REX2 slice data in the WAV output.

Tempo and quality settings

REX2 playback commonly follows the host project's tempo. Exporting at a different project BPM intentionally changes the WAV's duration and rhythm spacing; set the original BPM before export when an unchanged loop length is required.

Export at the source sample rate when possible to avoid unnecessary resampling. Use 24-bit PCM WAV for further editing when the receiving software supports it; use 16-bit PCM only when required by the target device or delivery specification. Exporting a 16-bit source at 24-bit or 32-bit float does not restore lost detail, although 32-bit float can be useful during processing in compatible software.

Keep the original .rx2 file alongside the exported WAV. The WAV is a rendered result; it cannot later recover the REX2 slice layout or tempo-following behavior.