Tracktion Software

BushmasterM4 · Post by **BushmasterM4** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:01 am

A friend of mine has Cubase (I think 5) and I tried it, while visiting him. All I can say is what a cluttered mess !!!!! Reaper is somewhat better, but still a work flow nightmare. Ive said a few times if Tracktion is dumped by Mackie, then I would switch to Reaper or Cubase. But after spending some time with them, all I can say is NO WAY IN HELL !!!! Sure maybe given time I would be more effiecient with other DAW's but still, five clicks of a mouse to do what Tracktion does with one or two. 20 years from now I'll still be using Tracktion. Probably Tracktion 3, but its so user friendly, it makes recording enjoyable. Im a Tracktioneer !!!!

skipkent · Post by **skipkent** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 5:53 am

Whatever gets you there. Track on!

Just remember that one man's mess is another man's beloved box of tools 'n toys.

glokraw · Post by **glokraw** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:10 am

Not likely any dev will get 40 or 50 features located in a way that will please everyone. But Reaper is easy for a newbie to turn out quality multitrack recordings, prior to having been immersed and deep-fried in minutia.

filter303 · Post by **filter303** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:28 am

I wonder why people always tend to think that Reaper is only a good program for newbies? I've been writing stuff for almost 15 years and it suits my needs very well. What I mean is that I am not a pro but I not a complete newbie either. For me it has all the tools that I need. The onboard fx could be better of course but I am using my own fx collection anyways. Only thing that's really bugging me in reaper is that if you bypass the fx any vsti's on that same track. I have dropped them my own request about this issue but I guess they already are their knees deep in other people's requests.

skipkent · Post by **skipkent** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:25 pm

Reaper is plenty deep, no question. Scripting, tons of options and configurations, constant updates and such. The biggest clue to Reapers seriousness is the scope and breadth of the issues being discussed on their forum. People there talk about music making and studio solutions. Very little chat about which daw is best.

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:30 pm

skipkent wrote:Very little chat about which daw is best.

that's because they come here when they're wanting to pimp reaper at people.

BushmasterM4 · Post by **BushmasterM4** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 9:02 pm

I admit Reaper was easy to set up and works fine. But the GUI is just like every other windows based program (shit). Not very productive in my opinion. But thats me.

skipkent · Post by **skipkent** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 1:06 am

If you spend time with it, it'll click, but it sounds like T is working well for you, so by all means stick with that. I use both myself. Tracktion's racks and workflow suit me well, but sometimes I need the depth of Reaper. For the price, you can't beat either one.

BushmasterM4 · Post by **BushmasterM4** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:05 am

I printed out the manual for Reaper and do plan on using it more. Alot of pages

Im glad my laser printer toner is cheap.

mandolarian · Post by **mandolarian** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:47 am

BushmasterM4 wrote:I admit Reaper was easy to set up and works fine. But the GUI is just like every other windows based program (shit). Not very productive in my opinion. But thats me.

And me too!

b-pole · Post by **b-pole** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:52 am

every person should use his own favourite DAW

Nielzie · Post by **Nielzie** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:14 am

I've never found a host easier to work with than Orion and EnergyXT. Never tried Tracktion though

UncleAge · Post by **UncleAge** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:07 pm

BushmasterM4 wrote:But the GUI is just like every other windows based program (shit). Not very productive in my opinion. But thats me.

No it's not just you. Quite a few have wondered the same. Imagine if Tracktion had never come along. And imagine if you had always/only used stuff like Cubase, Sonar, PT, Acid and Samplitude. The appearance wouldn't seem as off-putting (maybe) and the workflow might seem a bit more streamlined.

What I have found is that Reaper's strengths are somewhat hidden, kind of like Ableton's Live. Whereas in Tracktion just about everything is layed out in front of you. Reaper is more like a construction kit, if you have the time you can customize the heck out of it. You can even tailor those long-ass menus down to just the items that fit your own workflow. What I finally realized is that I prefer a mouse/tool based workflow rather than a keyboard/menu workflow. And since my brain works this way I'll probably never get along with tool-less (creative) apps.

All-in-all though it's just one of those things that you have to work out for yourself. For me, I create everything in Live and then bounce it out to Reaper for the final mixdowns. That's just me. IMO, your remarks speak more to the genius of Tracktion than to the shortcomings of other apps. And it echoes why we have all been frustrated with Mackie's lack of communication regarding the long term future of what is/was a great app.

Good luck with whatever transition you make and ummm.... Do you have something new for me to listen to?

(You always put out some really good stuff)

BushmasterM4 · Post by **BushmasterM4** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:52 pm

Thanks Uncle

I have been reading up on Cubase, and there is alot of bells and whistles in it. Seems to have a better MIDI editor, built in pitch correction, and the composer portion of the program looks nice. I guess if I can look past its GUI.

UncleAge · Post by **UncleAge** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:08 am

That's the kicker though. When you are staring at that screen for hours on end the GUI makes a difference.

Tracktion Software

KVR Audio

So I tried Reaper and messed with Cubase !!! All I can say is "They Stink"