Studio One 4 v Reaper Comparison

[chk071]

S1 is designed to start, create and finish songs with an easy to use UI and all the required features.

Reaper is a tweakers paradise, made to configure, change and rearrange your setup without limits.

Ask yourself, are you taking existing projects and trying to mix them in your technically perfect calibrated environment?

Or are you making music from scratch and need a comfortable place that has everything you need?

For me, music comes from the heart and soul not the brain.

I like to launch my DAW and start making music ASAP. Never needed to change menu items or anything like that. As I would turn on a hardware synth and start making a sound. I do not need to change the place of a filter knob. I just get used to where it is. For me never ending customization is stolen time.

Totally agree.

[Psuper]

I agree completely with rewrite, which is the exact reason I choose Reaper. I don't have all the extra garbage I don't need, and just play, sing, record, and mix - no distractions.

[rewrite history]

I agree completely with rewrite, which is the exact reason I choose Reaper. I don't have all the extra garbage I don't need, and just play, sing, record, and mix - no distractions.

Unfortunately, Reaper doesn't come with a complete sound library or wide instrument selection.

[THE INTRANCER]

Studio One Pro does come with 31.577 Gigabyte of sound content you can download at your leisure *, not counting the sound content you can find vie the the inbuilt browser on the Presonus Exchange. The Start Page is often looked over, but it's really useful with all the personalisation / project access / integration, configuration, news feed updates which help you explore new musical techniques and discover those within the music business that use the program vie interviews and such like. It's that kinda thing that can inspire your creativity I think and rounds out the program and keeps you up to date as well. Then when you get into the program, you have a built in help bar that details the functions and shortcuts, and concise to the point menus.

I guess what I'm saying is that, it's these sorts of things that make Studio One inviting and easy to get to grips with from the outset...and it's these sorts of things that separate it from programs like Reaper.

*Certain content required.

[Kalamata Kid]

This is not in defense of Reaper but I have so many VST's that I do need the DAW to provide any additional ones for me. I suspect though that this may be an important issue for some or maybe even most producers. So the included plugins in S1 and the lack of virtual instrument in Reaper is meaningless to me.

I rate the top DAWs from 88 to 94 out of 100. So they are all great and a few just a tiny bit more than the others. The DAW times are good and this is why I am having a hard time deciding. Top Daw's = Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, FL Studio, Samplitude, Cakewalk, Digital Performer and Logic.

[chk071]

This is not in defense of Reaper but I have so many VST's that I do need the DAW to provide any additional ones for me. I suspect though that this may be an important issue for some or maybe even most producers. So the included plugins in S1 and the lack of virtual instrument in Reaper is meaningless to me.

Same here. For the most part. I must admit though that Cubase, for example, comes with a fine selection, and i did make use of Retrologue, Padshop, or Groove Agent SE already. Impact XT in S1 is alright as well, even though i found Groove Agent SE to be better. It's surely enough to not make me crave a drum sampler, though.

Of course, third party drum samplers usually come with a better library.

[Psuper]

I agree completely with rewrite, which is the exact reason I choose Reaper. I don't have all the extra garbage I don't need, and just play, sing, record, and mix - no distractions.

Unfortunately, Reaper doesn't come with a complete sound library or wide instrument selection.

True, which is why I choose Reaper as I mentioned - the default extra crap typically "included" with other DAWs is bloat garbage I didn't ask for, nor want.

I already have a plethora of my preferred VSTs when needed, including Reason, and I do a ton of live recordings. I avoid samples like the plague. I prefer live, modeled, or created sounds. Haven't installed a single a Kontakt app in over 3 years now. Couldn't be happier.

[Kalamata Kid]

The Studio One ARA implementation is already ARA2.

Did ARA2 and Melodyne 4.2.1 or newer in Studio One bring anything new or any enhancements. Was anything gained by S1 using ARA2 over ARA1?

Looks like ARA2 has added some new features over ARA1.
https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-p ... ven-closer
But still I am wondering if Studio One has implemented the ARA2 features.

[jancivil]

I definitely have zero need to "calibrate" the environment to some abstract kind of perfection, I simply don't think about it like that.
It seems like an interest quite outside making music, a fascinating nerd sort of hobby activity to me. And I don't want to look for outside script, certainly not to make scripts. Life is too short, I have this little setup in order to create music.

[THE INTRANCER]

I've used Melodyne perhaps once in a blue moon whilst howling at the moon... but I just use Studio One's built in pitch correction in 99.9% of the cases. It's GUI just doesn't look right with Studio One's dark scheme palette settings and reminds me of the ugly white underlay that Reaper has, fonts are completely different and tiny compared with the programs default one. If Melodyne didn't have ridiculously ugly waveforms, and actually looked part of Studio One, then I might have made use of it. Weirdly whilst in the midst of producing music, I pretty much forget that it's even there. It needs a face lift rather than looking like something you might have seen 20 years ago.

[THE INTRANCER]

Ok, now this young excitable guy sounds like he's been drinking too much coffee, but he does highlight some techniques that you might not have thought of, which could be useful. Not really a direct comparison with Reaper, but worth a watch with the sound turned down a bit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scLJHaL1I-8

[AdvancedFollower]

I definitely have zero need to "calibrate" the environment to some abstract kind of perfection, I simply don't think about it like that.
It seems like an interest quite outside making music, a fascinating nerd sort of hobby activity to me. And I don't want to look for outside script, certainly not to make scripts. Life is too short, I have this little setup in order to create music.

I think it's definitely possible to fall into the trap of needing the "perfect" setup before you can even begin to make a track, let alone finish one. The perfect DAW with the perfect workflow tailored for your very particular and unique needs and preferences, the perfect compressors, EQ's, synths, headphones, control surfaces with every button and knob mapped out exactly how you want them etc.

Heaven forbid some toolbar icon is in the wrong place or you have to open sub-menus to access some feature because there's no shortcut key. You'll never be able to finish any tracks now

Of course that doesn't mean being able to customize stuff to taste is a bad thing, as long as you don't get obsessive with it. There are tons of things in Studio One that I'm not entirely happy with, but nothing that prevents me from making music (and lots of things that make it easier). Most artisans just buy the tools they need off the shelf, they don't have them custom made...

[jinotsuh]

Started with REAPER back in 2007/2008, drifted back and forth between reaper and SONAR for a bit, then switched to Studio One with the release of v3, (3 to 4 years ago) never looked back since, wouldn't touch SONAR or CbB again, and not much chance of returning to REAPER, Studio One is just a dream to work with, does everything I need with ease. Studio One - REAPER . . . no comparison, Studio One every time.

Studio One 4 wipes the floor as an overall program for music production/songwriting/mixing/mastering. No comparisons!

indeed

[Kongru]

Ok, now this young excitable guy sounds like he's been drinking too much coffee, but he does highlight some techniques that you might not have thought of, which could be useful. Not really a direct comparison with Reaper, but worth a watch with the sound turned down a bit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scLJHaL1I-8

Great video, thought I had Studio One all figured out but learned a few things from this!

[LawrenceF]

It seems like an interest quite outside making music, a fascinating nerd sort of hobby activity to me. And I don't want to look for outside script, certainly not to make scripts. Life is too short, I have this little setup in order to create music.

In defense of Reaper and other workstations with scripting, that's a really narrow minded point of view.

1. Nobody has to do it. It's 100% voluntary.
2. If you do need X function, you can wait two years for it to maybe get added to an application or maybe a "nerd" can give it to you tomorrow? You don't have to do anything but ask in either case. Nobody is asking you to script anything.

Why anyone would argue against the ability of other users to just give you new functions is beyond me. Reaper didn't actually invent that, Vegas did it for ages. Those guys are "nerds not making music" right up until they code something you need, then they're handy to have around right?

That's the main reason I don't share my S1 scripts anymore, that point of view that if I know how to script in it and I take an hour or two a month to add something I actually want, I must be a nerd not making music. To those people I say... "Fine, wait 3 years for your Feature Requests and I'll just do me."

Here's some things on the S1 FR list that I already have... a short list.

• Remove all unused instruments
  Solo In Front
  Remove Empty Tracks
  Filter Tracks by name
  Find tracks by name
  etc, etc, I script little things I need as they come up.

Things that make working or mixing easier.