it is a config/theme set designed specifically for newbies to Reaper and for people coming from Tracktion.
Because that's what I am, and that's what I needed when I made it.
Features:
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* Simplified skin
* Simplified menus
* Better default options
* Better mouse behaviour
Firstly, the UI Skin is a modification of the brilliant and inimitable Reaction skin.
I edited it and removed the double-up's in the interface and simplified it. ie. there is only one volume knob. There is only one pan knob. There is not duplicated functionality all over the place. It's less complex. Also did a bunch of color-editing so it was clearer and more pretty. There is also per-track clip-colouration by default courtesy of SWS extensions.
Secondly I modded the menu set from a combination of the original set and Reamenu's. It's less complex, I stroked out a lot of the more 'advanced' behaviour and options. So, right-click menus are greatly simplified and hopefully more intuitive for first-timers. I haven't really altered the top-bar menus (File, Edit, etc) at all, so all the advanced behaviour should be there if you need it, it's just the context-click behaviour that's modified.
Thirdly I option-tweaked, and option-tweaked. Hopefully everything is a bit easier/simpler now.
Fourthly I edited the shortcut keys and mouse-click modifiers so they're all quite similar to tracktion, and a bit less braindead than the standard defaults.
The overall effect is something that's a bit easier to use, a bit dumbed-down for n00bs like me, and simplified. Also looks good.
Installation:
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Requirements:
Reaper, installed.
SWS extensions, installed.
0. If you are already a reaper user, you need to backup your configuration files, because you are going to lose your settings. You probably already know how to do this. If you can't figure it out, an easy option is to install Reamenu then use the Configuration Files->Export function from the options menu.
1. Open Reaper. Download the Reatraction ConfigZip.
2. Drag Reatraction.ReaperConfigZip onto the reaper window. Reaper will restart. Import all settings (do not tick "Remove local data that is not in imported file"). Don't worry if it says it couldn't import some settings. Close the import window.
3. Go to the Options Menu->Themes and select "Reatraction v1.00". Done.
4. This is personal preference but integral to my approach: right-click the master mixer panel->Controls->Untick "Show Sends when size permits". This appears to be a per-project setting. This just stops Reaper from inexplicably filling up half of the mixer panel's effect slots with 'send' slots, which makes no frikkin' sense as sends are no-way near utilised as much as effects, in any project. Sends are still very easily accessible (and more usable) via the sends button. I also recommend hitting alt-L and changing the minimum grid to 16 pixels (also a per-project setting) for clarity.
Usage:
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The main difference from default Reaper UI, along with the simplification of settings and options, and prettifying of the interface, is the reduction of buttons. No longer are there two or three places to access things.
Volume, pan and FX are now only on the mixer panel.
All recording options are on the track panel.
The exceptions to this are mute/solo.
The second main difference is the mouse modifiers. I've tried to make these make sense a little less confusing for noobs but honestly just more straight-forward in general. For example, left-click-and-drag on the main edit window no longer does a time selection - it only does this if you click-and-drag on the timing panel at the top of the edit window. So changing position in the edit window can now be done simply by left-clicking without the danger of changing the time selection if you slip up. This is one of many mouse-access modifications I've done, I don't have time for them all but here's an overview of the basics (some of these are the same as regular reaper, this is an outline for n00bs):
* Left-click edit window: change mouse position
* Right-click anywhere: context menu
* Alt+left-click-and-drag edit window (or just right-click-and-drag): select clips
* Left double-click edit window: Start playing from this position
* Middle-mouse-button click edit window: Start playing from this position (position is affected by snap settings)
* Middle-mouse-button click-and-drag edit window: Equivalent to 'hand tool' in Adobe Reader, drag/scroll the edit window around.
Some basic shortcut keys:
* Alt-G - Toggle snap grid display on/off
* L - Toggle looping (repeat) on/off
* / or S - Slice a clip/selection of clips. Unlike the default settings, with this setup reaper only slices selected clips.
* Alt-S - Solo
* Alt-M - Mute
Here's how to do some very basic things in Reaper (for n00bs like me):
* Quickly add an effect from your VST folder tree: right-click the Fx button in the track's mixer panel. Go to VST-folders.
* Quickly add a frequently-used effect: right-click the effect button in the track's mixer panel. Go to Favourites.
* Turn on track input pass-through: Click on the little speaker icon in the track panel.
* Mute an effect: shift-click on it in the mixer panel.
* Remove an effect: alt-click on it in the mixer panel.
* Copy an effect to another track: click and drag it in the mixer panel.
* Copy a bunch of effects to another track: left-click the Fx button in the mixer panel, select the relevant effects, right-click and copy. Do the same and paste for the destination track.
* Select your recording input device: left-click the track panel item highlighted.
* Insert an edit marker: right-click the marker area as shown in topmost image, or press Shift-M
* Quickly select a send: right-click the outputs button. (the left-click window is a bit more useful in this regard)
Lastly, having worked with both extensively now, here are some of the things I like in Tracktion and Reaper:
First up, hands down, Tracktion has the better interface, by default. Reaper you CAN configure things to your liking to an extent, but the defaults are terrible. Having said that, there are a few things I liked more in reaper:
* FX on folder tracks - saves needless routing
* Automation lanes are better
* control point manipulation is... mixed - just different. Overall, better.
* Never crashes. And if something does go wrong with a plugin, the whole thing adapts pretty well to the situation.
* Midi editing is better
* If there's something you want to do, there's going to be a way to do it, generally-speaking.
* Great cross-computer plugin farming - much better than fx teleport
* 64-bit/32-bit plugin bridging is great, even though the extraneous extra boxes everywhere are unneeded and infuriating.
And here are the things I like in Tracktion:
* The overall GUI, which is laid out better and doesn't require popups or 'schemes'
* The default settings, which're better if uncustomisable
* Folder tracks are better designed, FX issue aside
* Just easier on the eyes, easier to parse from a visual perspective, more intuitive and logical at the same time
* Per-clip volume/pan/fx is done much better and is easier to adjust with groups of clips
* Plugin work is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better - dragging plugins, selecting groups of them... the plugin-as-object viewpoint just makes work and life faster.
As an individual, I love working with Tracktion. However, as a music studio, I can't afford something that crashes on me - and there hasn't been a Tracktion version that doesn't crash on me since it's inception (I've been using it 10 years). Client work and confidence are actually too important. Frankly, there is something just wonderful about working in reaper and knowing that things aren't going to crash regardless of what you do. It means work just feels better, you feel less anxious, you get more done because you're more confident. On the other hand, I lose time and energy working with reapers outdated plugin interface and unfriendly control system. So I'll probably use both for different things but mostly use Reaper, from now on.
Very nice work that you've done - much credit deserved. Nice to see that you used what is by far the best theme for Reaper - the one that I've been using since it was released - the only one, imo, that makes the app look like a, dare I say it, professional application. I tried to do something similar to this around 2 years ago (using the same theme as well coincidentally) but ultimately it ended up being more complex than I intended because it needed to fit my way of working.
