Would you still buy Reaper if it will cost you as much as the other DAWs ?

[liquidsound]

Maybe the original question should be reversed because it force you to think the other way around.

Would you still buy Reaper if ALL the other DAWs would cost $60?

If yes then the case should be closed. Reaper is really that good.

I was gonna say the same thing. After buying REAPER I've considered purchasing Live, Samplitude, or ProTools but can't really justify the expense. REAPER's not perfect...I am sometimes frustrated that so many of its features are invisible, and I don't quite understand their religious zeal for key commands/against mouse tools.

Yes this is what many here are not really answering. It's not about Reaper usage or a better way of doing something, but more about clarity of mind and decision. Do you REALLY pass on a Live or Cubase for $60 and stick with Reaper? Do you really....

I would easily. I wouldn't change to any other host no matter what the cost.

This is what this topic was all about. Thank you.

[jancivil]

As for Cubase I don't know enough about it but ... I'm pretty sure the interface is quite messy with lots of windows

I wonder how many computer programs have features that you can access without having to see any window at all?

Sorry, no offense but that's some serious fanboi shit right there.

[Bronto Scorpio]

I call it keeping my options open. I don't think there is any one DAW that meets all my needs - Reaper comes closest but there are things in others I like too.

Exactly. There isn't really a solution which will do everything you want since everyone has a unique workflow. That's why I bought Fruity as an addition to Cubase since it's pretty much the complete opposite of it

I guess that's one of Reapers biggest strenghts since it is highly customizable

Cheers
Dennis

[Astromann]

It's quite obvious (to me, anyway) that Reaper is not immediately usable or fluid beyond basic recording tasks. If you just need to set up an input, press record and go then it's actually VERY easy. Dig a little deeper and you'll need to run to the forum or peruse the manual
Disclaimer as always is: imo and ymmv

Hi Blueman.
I get your point, but I have to respectfully disagree.
I am currently working on an orchestral piece with a load of midi, some audio and a lot of automation, I have to copy sections, transpose sections, do all manner of automation for swells and access a load of muti timbral stuff like Play, Kontakt and lots of others...no problems, it has been a breeze.

I guess I have a different work approach...I practically never go to the forums and I have never read the manual, yet my Reaper is totally customized and fine tuned.
What I do (and it takes no time at all) is if there is something that I need to do, I put keywords relating to that function (say "hide" or "Hide Docker" for example) and search thru the actions list, if I find it...(and its usually there)then I immediately assign it to an icon on a toolbar or a hotkey...all this takes about 30 seconds at max (less time than posting on a forum) and that functionality is there forever.
All my toolbars are labelled according to functionality...such as Takes, Markers-Regions,Project etc...and all are neatly docked where I like them.
(Ctrl and left mouse drag tabs of Toolbars)
Now his may sound like a lot of work, but its very easy cause you just do it as you go bit by bit, and as you build it up there is not much need to do it anymore.
In this way I can do things in Reaper I would NEVER attempt in Logic, and I never clicked with Cubase anyway
(I had difficulty in CB with the clutter and windows, thats not to say its a bad app, its obviously not, it just never worked for me).
I dont agree with blanket statements like the user interface of Reaper is clunky (although parts of it could use refinement) its definitely not clunky for me and I ask a lot from Reaper.
I often suspect (not yourself) but from some who post those kinds of statements here as tho ..Reaper is clunky and that is the law...that they dont have clue how Reaper works (and its not rocket science), its kind of reverse fan boy stuff.
I do agree that some refinement is necessary for sure, but on the whole..
if all apps were the same price, I would probably add Studio One maybe and possibly FLS, not Cubase, but thats me, Reaper fills my needs and the user experience is pretty much a breeze (not perfect) but a lot less frustrating than other DAW's that I have used.
Cheers

[aMUSEd]

As for Cubase I don't know enough about it but ... I'm pretty sure the interface is quite messy with lots of windows

I wonder how many computer programs have features that you can access without having to see any window at all?

Sorry, no offense but that's some serious fanboi shit right there.

Nonsense! I have no particular attachment to any programme, I just find Reaper does more of what I want right now than the others I've tried but I can see its faults too. However it's well established that Cubase is one of the few DAWS that has not (yet) moved to a single single-window design. Seriously this "Reaper fanboi" bs is 90% mythology anyway.

[liquidsound]

I call it keeping my options open. I don't think there is any one DAW that meets all my needs - Reaper comes closest but there are things in others I like too.

This is also interesting and I found myself asking the same questions.
Are our needs dictated by the endless options offered by the Developers, by our gadget mania or by the pursue of making better music? Reaper seems to me to be in the first option (daily updates!!!)...followed by the others market players.

[hanzo]

Well yes and no. Apart from me using mainly Live lately because I've moved from production to more live performance stuff, I think Reaper lacks a couple of little details to really go a level higher in pricing.
Most pro DAW applications come bundled with a nice selection of software instruments and FX. Reaper has a couple of really nice FX (like reaverb and reaFIR) but totally lacks virtual instruments. Also it lacks some added content (you know the usual loops and samples) that come with most DAW packages, even Renoise does have those.
So if they wanted to start to charge like the others and I wasn't more interested in something with live capabilities, I'd expect them to add some stuff to it.

[LawrenceF]

Bookie called. Odds on 20+ pages? Only 1.5 to 1 and moving down...



Reaper threads are always epic.

[hibidy]

Bookie called. Odds on 20+ pages? Only 1.5 to 1 and moving down...



Reaper threads are always epic.

I'll play "don't pass"

[trimph1]

Me neither.

[hibidy]

So this was a multiple choice thread? The OP seems to be implying recently that the "correct" answer is "f**k yeah, I'd buy any of those other hosts if it was reapers price"

The title asks if we would but REAPER if it was more expensive.

[blueman]

What I do (and it takes no time at all) is if there is something that I need to do, I put keywords relating to that function (say "hide" or "Hide Docker" for example) and search thru the actions list, if I find it...(and its usually there)then I immediately assign it to an icon on a toolbar or a hotkey...all this takes about 30 seconds at max (less time than posting on a forum) and that functionality is there forever.
All my toolbars are labelled according to functionality...such as Takes, Markers-Regions,Project etc...and all are neatly docked where I like them.

(Ctrl and left mouse drag tabs of Toolbars)
Now his may sound like a lot of work, but its very easy cause you just do it as you go bit by bit, and as you build it up there is not much need to do it anymore.

That's an excellent approach! Thanks for the tip

I suspect the difference with my criticism compared to some others is that I am not trying to hate Reaper or prove it false or unworthy I use it nearly every day and I am quite confident that the GUI can be A LOT better! The perceivably incomplete GUI is for me, why it's priced right at $60.

The S1 GUI with Reaper's features would be the idea match for me

Ymmv,
Rich

[deleted]

DELETED

[forbiddensilence]

cubase all the way, even if reaper cost £1 or $1.

[UncleAge]

The price is a factor. No doubt. I bought into Reaper a while ago, Jan '07. However, my choice at that time was to support a few up-n-coming hosts. I understood what I was going to get with Cubase, Sonar and ProTools. I also had a chance to play with them on other people's system for a period of time. I didn't like the design and workflow of any of them so I threw money at Reaper, EnergyXT and Podium. Reaper has been the least disappointing of the bunch (to date). With that said if I had to do it all over again and that event started right now, and the price of entry across the board was $60 I would not put my money on the Reaper square. In a lot of ways it became the same big mess that I was trying to stay away from when I found Sonar and the other hosts. It became so, IMO, because the loudest voices on the forums drove the development. And maybe that's the way it should be. But it seems to me that all they did is try to make Reaper into the same mess that they were trying to leave in the first place.

Nowadays, just like a lot of other folk, I end up working in a number of hosts for a number of reasons. I like Reaper. It is my preferred host to mix in. I like Live. It is my preferred host when I create and compose. I like Studio One as well, for a number of reasons. At $60 though, with me being on a Mac nowadays I'm pretty sure I'm going to either lean towards Logic, PT or Live Suite. I have Live Suite now. There are few things that I would trade it with Reaper for. They are all just sets of tools. I don't wave flags or get religious about any of them. However, I think Logic, PT and Live Suite have a lot of tools in the box and would be pretty tough to beat at that price point. my .02