LOVE REAPER......

[careyletendre]

Well looks like the reaper fans have taken over the thread.

Shocking.

LOL. Seriously? A thread about Reaper, that results in posts about Reaper. Shocking.

If you can't see my point I won't bother explaining it to you.

[lessera]

LOL. Your point was quite evident... unless you allude to some deep, esoteric message hidden within those few words.

[enroe]

Well looks like the reaper fans have taken over the thread.

Shocking.

Why shocking?

Well, it would be nice if we could get away from simple sentences
like "xy doesn't work in Reaper". Because just as almost
everything works and functions in a DAW, almost everything also
works in Reaper. Briefly presenting this does not mean that "Reaper
fans" have taken over the thread.

It's more interesting to point out the differences between Reaper
and most other DAWs. And that reminds me of the

--- airplane comparison ---

Imagine all DAWs being like a Cessna: You do a few checks, sit
in and with a few transparent operations you can take off - and
have a fantastic flight.

In this comparison Reaper is like a F-16 Falcon: You cannot
just climb into the cockpit and take off. No, you have to learn
all the instruments and switcher first, you have to take
lessons until you can fly such a jet fighter.

Reaper is like a F-16: After learning Reaper you can do things
much faster, but in all other DAWs you do things without learning
so much.

[spigmu]

Imagine if REAPER didn't have access to the third party plugins. You wouldn't make much with it (unlike, say, Reason or FL Studio).

DAWs like Reason or FL Studio are such different animals, geared toward looping compositions, songwriting, club tracks etc. in ways that other DAWs just leave to them.

I don't do loops. So in your opinion I cannot make a symphonic music in Reason and FL Studio? Do they restrict me in that?

I'm not even hinting at that in the least. I said Reason and FL Studio's selling point is their workflow that is based on composing. People who want a DAW as a recording and mixing software generally choose one that is centered on that. I don't know any recording engineers/mixers who do not write and arrange on their DAW who use Reason or FL Studio as the center of their rig. Of course you can do anything you want on it, but I personally wouldn't use Reason for live orchestral recording or even a basic session for a rock band. Again, you certainly could. But that isn't their niche market.

[mdkb]

Do you lose anything by having REAPER installed as a 'Portable Install' as opposed to normal old install method? any draw backs?

The ability to have .rpp files assigned to reaper, and the ability to use ReaRoute, I think they're the only limitations. ReaRoute is a deal killer for me, but if you have one system install and then use portables for other things, it's not a huge deal.

There is a trick to installing the portable that might fix this for you.

When installing, first install the portable version but at the end don't run Reaper, instead run the install again to the same location, but choose full install the second time round and point it to the portable folder again. Then run Reaper after that. It makes you a portable version, but as a "full install" .

This is why I love Reaper and will likely never need another DAW (ex Logic, then Cubase) because once you get under the hood, everything is possible. It's just finding the answers is sometimes hard but if Kenny Gioia. doesnt. know. Then the cockos forum does.

Here is the link about the portable install trick https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=241436

[ghettosynth]

Do you lose anything by having REAPER installed as a 'Portable Install' as opposed to normal old install method? any draw backs?

The ability to have .rpp files assigned to reaper, and the ability to use ReaRoute, I think they're the only limitations. ReaRoute is a deal killer for me, but if you have one system install and then use portables for other things, it's not a huge deal.

There is a trick to installing the portable that might fix this for you.

When installing, first install the portable version but at the end don't run Reaper, instead run the install again to the same location, but choose full install the second time round and point it to the portable folder again. Then run Reaper after that. It makes you a portable version, but as a "full install" .

This is why I love Reaper and will likely never need another DAW (ex Logic, then Cubase) because once you get under the hood, everything is possible. It's just finding the answers is sometimes hard but if Kenny Gioia. doesnt. know. Then the cockos forum does.

Here is the link about the portable install trick https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=241436

Quoting for posterity, tnx!

[mdkb]

Since this is a "love Reaper" thread, here is why I do.

I was forced to use Reaper initially because I needed to do a backroom mobile recording on a lappy and was having problems with my existing DAW (Cubase). I hated the name Reaper and thought it sounded like cheap shiz.

I had an old version of Ableton that I was not willing to update for silly money. I'd left Logic when Apple took it over, and had been using Cubase since vrs 7 right up until a patch caused hell for me and version 10 was looking like bloatware that wouldnt install properly without breaking all my plugins. So, I downloaded Reaper in a desperate bit to get something recorded I had to get done. I had no choice.

First thing that blew my mind was I could install it anywhere on any old crappy laptop running linux or windows, for free - no proprietery lock in bs. no dongle required. Of course, I assumed this meant it would be crap.

Second thing was an article on it had said I could use a track for anything, even video. So, I put midi, audio, and video on one track and they all played. wtf voodoo was this!

Third thing was the Kenny. Gioia. videos. So, there was a selection of 15 min videos to get started with using the thing. You need it. That is one drawback, but then...der... its a fully fledged DAW that can do anything, so hardly a surprise.

Fourth was the speed of the code, it was so lightweight to run it compared to Bloatbase and iLogic that I expected there to be a catch, but there wasnt.

Admittedly the JS coded stuff feels archaic and unfriendly without GUIs or instructions. Figuring out that you will need Reapack is not obvious either, but when you come to realise Reaper is ALL about the scripts (Action list), then you start to realise what it can do. The limitations are yours, not the DAW's. (bit of poetry there)

Sure, I accept that it's not for the light-hearted mutton heads who just want to pay +$600 every year and think they have the superior DAW coz they have a proprietary service and post pig pictures at us Reaper heads. It's for those who don't mind getting under the hood just enough to feel like they are helping the engine purr, but without getting too much oil on their clothes. It might look like a Cortina from a 1970s Sweeney episode, but it has the grunt... and the ladies know it.

Even if you don't care for it, and love your current DAW, there is actually no valid reason why not to install it on an old lappy and keep it around for those moments your +$600 DAW refuses to do something because its that time of the month. Anyone dissing Reaper, just hasnt understood what it can do, or why it should be in everyone's kit list. It' free, and with the right script can do anything your DAW can do. anything. and in some cases more.

One example: The portable install... I run hundreds of plugins and need iloks and usb sticks and all sorts for them. But my Reaper install is a streamlined beauty that needs very little. It takes me 5 minutes to back it up (350mb portable folder on the c drive of my windows machine) admittedly the plugins with iloks and usb sticks and bla bla bla are not so portable, but that isnt going to change. Reaper itself backs up and is reversable in minutes to any version I have saved. Minutes. Tell me you can do that with any other DAW when you upgrade it. lol.

If you arent using Reaper, you are missing out. simple as that. You think you have a lambo and can leave everyone in the dirt, but that geeza in the Cortina you were laughing at with the long hair, oily shirt, and 3 day old stubble who is currently giving you the finger, has a nitro kit in his pants. You might think there's a contest, but there really isnt. And that is why I love Reaper.

[rafa1981]

... be in everyone's kit list. It' free, and with the right ...

This pops up recurrently. Reaper is fully closed source commercial software, not free at all.

It has a 1 month demo period but the only thing it does when the demo is expired is reminding that the demo terms are being violated. Cockos doesn't want cracks floating around and to spend development efforts on an arms race with crackers.

So in case you are using it "for free", you love it and you can pay it, the dev's gonna eat and would appreciate you buying a license.

[lotus2035]

Bloatbase...

[mdkb]

... be in everyone's kit list. It' free, and with the right ...

This pops up recurrently. Reaper is fully closed source commercial software, not free at all.

It has a 1 month demo period but the only thing it does when the demo is expired is reminding that the demo terms are being violated. Cockos doesn't want cracks floating around and to spend development efforts on an arms race with crackers.

So in case you are using it "for free", you love it and you can pay it, the dev's gonna eat and would appreciate you buying a license.

Thanks for the clarification. I think you are right to call this out, it is likely why Reaper gets a bad rep. Calling it "free" immediately conjurs thoughts of cheap crapola and that was what I was expecting when I first approached using it.

TBC, once I realised its power and versatility and saw how cheap the license was it was no brainer compared to what I was facing with Ableton upgrades and Cubase to go from 7 to 10 at the time. Definitely one to support by paying for it.

I feel like a Reaper cultist lathering the balls of Cockos here, but it really was nothing short of a biblical experience to discover a DAW without a focus on locking in customers.

I am still up for testing Bitwig and Studio One at some point, but when I look at the price for the full versions, I just can't see the point.

[ghettosynth]

... be in everyone's kit list. It' free, and with the right ...

This pops up recurrently. Reaper is fully closed source commercial software, not free at all.

It has a 1 month demo period but the only thing it does when the demo is expired is reminding that the demo terms are being violated. Cockos doesn't want cracks floating around and to spend development efforts on an arms race with crackers.

So in case you are using it "for free", you love it and you can pay it, the dev's gonna eat and would appreciate you buying a license.

Thanks for the clarification. I think you are right to call this out, it is likely why Reaper gets a bad rep. Calling it "free" immediately conjurs thoughts of cheap crapola and that was what I was expecting when I first approached using it.

TBC, once I realised its power and versatility and saw how cheap the license was it was no brainer compared to what I was facing with Ableton upgrades and Cubase to go from 7 to 10 at the time. Definitely one to support by paying for it.

I feel like a Reaper cultist lathering the balls of Cockos here, but it really was nothing short of a biblical experience to discover a DAW without a focus on locking in customers.

I am still up for testing Bitwig and Studio One at some point, but when I look at the price for the full versions, I just can't see the point.

OMFG, ROFLCOPTERS!!! I feel you mate.

[Danilo Villanova]

I simultaneously 100% understand people who don't like Reaper AND think people who don't use it don't know what they're missing.

[dermage]

Is there any base function missing in Reaper which ProTools has?

[Kalamata Kid]

my DAW preference list.
1. Studio One
2. Reaper
3. Studio One
4. Reaper
5. Mulab plugin
6. FLS 21
7. Cubase

I even spent around $40 for a printed Reaper manual.
I will have to make the decision soon.

Which DAW has the best ARA implementation?
Reaper not multitouch capable.

[CrystalWizard]

I'm making the full switch to Reaper. I've used it for tracking, some mixing, and "mastering" for years. I've used Ableton Live for live gigs, ITB synths stuff, midi, etc. It crapped out on me at a live gig last Sept. Worst live music experience i've ever had. So bye, bye Ableton, you've gotten less reliable as the years roll on. Reaper finally crashed on me last week. First time in a good while. For those who want the flexibilty, power, and portability, Reaper is likely worth the time it takes to learn to use it.