KVR Audio

enroe · Post by **enroe** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 8:26 am

What's so special about Reaper?

Recently we must assert that Reaper is one
of the most used DAW - here at KVR and
also at Gearsluts: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-c ... -most.html

So what is so special about Reaper?

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What's the difference between Reaper and other DAWs
like Cubase or Logic?

It is easy: Imagine that you just want to set the mouse-
modifier to "shift --> move vertically only".

In Cubase or Logic you go to the "preferences" and
choose "shift --> move vertically only". This behaviour
applies to all items, folders and parts in the arrange-
window and also to all notes in the midi-note-editor.
That is all, and it is perfect!

In Reaper you go to the "preferences" also. But then
you have to choose between "main arrange window"
or "midi-editor" or "inline-midi-editor". Then you have
to choose between "note", "item-edge", "item-left-edge",
"item-right-edge" ... Then you have to choose between
"left-drag" and "left-click". Then you have to choose
between "vertically only", "vertically ignoring time
selection", "vertically ignoriering time selection and
grouping". Then you have to choose between "cook
coffee simultaneously", "create harmonies also" and
"apply colourscheme also".

That is the way to go in Reaper - it's more defined and
more flexible of course, but it also takes away a lot
of time - and it's cumbersome sometimes.

Vortifex · Post by **Vortifex** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:41 am

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:44 am

enroe wrote: Recently we must assert that Reaper is one
of the most used DAW - here at KVR and
also at Gearsluts

Fair enough, even though i highlighted the important part for you. I haven't really read of heard of much use of Reaper outside some forum communities. Typically, when i speak to someone who has to do with music in real life, they use Cubase.

trtzbass · Post by **trtzbass** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:48 am

enroe wrote:What's so special about Reaper?

ACTION STATIONS ACTION STATIONS, BRACE FOR IMPACT! INCOMING IN 3..2..1...

felis · Post by **felis** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:15 pm

Never used Reaper - I use Cubase.
But I always thought so many people were attracted to Reaper because of its low cost.
I think it started out free too, so a lot of people jumped on it.

You can get Reaper for $60, but for a tiny bit more ($99), you can get Cubase Elements.
I think most people would be more than satisfied with Elements, and still have a nice upgrade path.

But DAW's are a pretty individual thing. They take a while to learn and get comfortable with,
the features and work flow can be different, and what you start with can influence your
later choices.

I've been using Cubase so long, it's hard to imagine switching to something else.
I never understood the attraction to Live either, but it seems like that one is
pretty popular too.

Scrubbing Monkeys · Post by **Scrubbing Monkeys** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:23 pm

It is not the holy grail of DAWs but having used it for 6 years now, everything else seems strange. I am sure if I put the time into something else It would be the same. But for me there is nothing Reaper cant do. Set up some tool bars and everything is one click away.

Granted it doesn't have instruments but its price will leave you with some change to buy what you want.

Logic seems to be king of the value.......if it wasn't tied to a OS that makes hardware obsolete every 2 years it may be a consideration.

fluffy_little_something · Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:33 pm

Yes, the price mainly. You get the full thing for 60, not some stripped-down version that lacks certain things you want while installing mediocre stuff you don't want. If Cubase Elements etc. didn't lack important things, nobody would upgrade to more expensive versions.

Also, the version cycle is pretty long.

It is robust, the included bridge seems to handle almost any 32-bit plugin well.

It is CPU-efficient.

The download is small by modern standards, not least as there are no samples and third-party plugins.

What I personally like is that the pitch bend info can be moved along with the notes. In Mulab the pitch bend info gets separated when I move notes, totally screwing things up.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:33 pm

Scrubbing Monkeys wrote: Granted it doesn't have instruments

Or any other content. Don't want to state that as a point of criticism, it's just that people often seem to forget that, when comparing it to other hosts.

Scrubbing Monkeys wrote: but its price will leave you with some change to buy what you want

Unless you do what you do professionally, then you need to purchase a commercial license for $225. Also not a point i want to criticize, just stating it, because it's another thing people often seem to forget.

fluffy_little_something · Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:36 pm

Most users are probably so unsuccessful that they qualify for the discounted version

Nielzie · Post by **Nielzie** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:47 pm

It's super fast, reliable, very flexible and low cost for hobbyist (the vast majority here and on GS). Lots of good tutorials around on the internet too. Oh and very frequently updated.

Apratim · Post by **Apratim** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 12:58 pm

trtzbass wrote:
enroe wrote:What's so special about Reaper?
ACTION STATIONS ACTION STATIONS, BRACE FOR IMPACT! INCOMING IN 3..2..1...

Even I was going to say that lol

himalaya · Post by **himalaya** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:01 pm

chk071 wrote:
Scrubbing Monkeys wrote: but its price will leave you with some change to buy what you want
Unless you do what you do professionally, then you need to purchase a commercial license for $225. Also not a point i want to criticize, just stating it, because it's another thing people often seem to forget.

The cheaper version is licensed for:

personal and small business use

himalaya · Post by **himalaya** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:02 pm

"What is so special about Reaper"?

It all boils down to the way it allows me to customize the workflow and the tool set to the wide range of tasks that I need to perform. So, from music production, audio/sample editing, through to mastering, I have my own workflow, which differs from the one the comes pre-configured by default.

This customization coupled with a vast array of options, really makes my life easier.
Of course, deep customisation comes at a price, and sometimes customising Reaper can be a bit of a nuisance. Still, customisation is not the end of it. The way the devs listen to the feature requests is also extremely attractive. I needed a feature (that no DAW had), a feature that was crucial to how I manage edited samples, and it was implemented very quickly. This one feature alone, keeps me using Reaper for my pro sample editing sessions.

But then, the initial reason I started using Reaper was its audio engine performance and its handling of plugins. I came to Reaper from Sonar, where simply adjusting the fade envelope of a clip in playback mode would cause audio drop outs, whereas Reaper run without a glitch for me. That alone was a revelation to me. For years, this issue in Sonar went unanswered, and here was a new DAW which run with no such problems...

But I do have a love and hate relationship with Reaper. There are aspect of it that do drive me mad. Still, on balance, there is nothing like Reaper on the market (for my needs). Having said that I dip my toes into Logic sometimes and am trying to start using Bitwig for making new tracks. If Live had MPE support, I'd probably use Live for this, as I know it better.

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:09 pm

Knock,knock

bazwillrun · Post by **bazwillrun** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 1:13 pm

Cubase 9.5 £480.00
Reaper 5.9 £45.00

The price for starters !...