Is REAPER the current best long term choice?

[ralfrobert]

What I fear about reaper is that the developer one day will get bored and abandon the project.

while that of course could happen, there are no signs of such a thing yet.
and businesses quitting is happening everywhere, and this could be happening to you almost everywhere, not just with Reaper.
or Ableton and other "larger" companies might go completely subscription only.

and as long as it is running on your system, it's not really an issue either.
sure - new features are nice, but far from a necessity considering what state of possibilities most DAWs are already offering you now / or already have been doing for the last 20 years or so.

I have the impression Justin needs coding like a vampire needs blood. Daily development builds, tons of small new features.

[rod_zero]

What I fear about reaper is that the developer one day will get bored and abandon the project.

while that of course could happen, there are no signs of such a thing yet.
and businesses quitting is happening everywhere, and this could be happening to you almost everywhere, not just with Reaper.
or Ableton and other "larger" companies might go completely subscription only.

and as long as it is running on your system, it's not really an issue either.
sure - new features are nice, but far from a necessity considering what state of possibilities most DAWs are already offering you now / or already have been doing for the last 20 years or so.

But reaper isn't a company motivated by profit, it is a vanity project so the probability of the lead developer and owner leaving the thing all together is higher. In ABleton two of the founders are not longer there and I wouldn't be surprised if the current CEO leaves soon, but the company will continue.

I do fear they could go subscription one day but so far they have fend off take overs by venture capital, so at least I expect it will take long if ever.

[do_androids_dream]

What I fear about reaper is that the developer one day will get bored and abandon the project.

The beauty of Reaper is that even if this does happen it's completely uncrippled and will continue to work for a very, very long time. You couldn't say this about almost any other DAW. I've built my perfect working environment with a portable install using version 6.46 which is already over a year old. I have no plans to update it because it already does everything I need it to.

[enroe]

But reaper isn't a company motivated by profit, it is a vanity project so the probability of the lead developer and owner leaving the thing all together is higher.

What is a "vanity project"?

I see it the other way around: Because Reaper is not profit-oriented, the
motivation of the developers is not extrinsic, but intrinsic. The developers
don't develop to make money, have a job, etc. No, they really are primarily
interested in the software itself. And you can really see this high level of
motivation.

But ... no one can predict whether someone will leave a project - regardless
of whether they are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated.

[do_androids_dream]

But reaper isn't a company motivated by profit, it is a vanity project so the probability of the lead developer and owner leaving the thing all together is higher. In ABleton two of the founders are not longer there and I wouldn't be surprised if the current CEO leaves soon, but the company will continue.

I do fear they could go subscription one day but so far they have fend off take overs by venture capital, so at least I expect it will take long if ever.

I see no evidence or justification for labelling Reaper a vanity project?! I have no idea how you arrived at that conclusion. It's just not covered with a veneer of 'traditional' (ie. prone to being bs laden) marketing. It's clearly a love that Justin has for making it that's driving it.

I fully expect Ableton to go down the subscription route before long because it will likely be the only way they can continue being competitive and continue turning a profit as other companies do the same.

[Michael L]

I've built my perfect working environment with a portable install using version 6.46 which is already over a year old. I have no plans to update it because it already does everything I need it to.

Yes, if someone wants to be a Reaper user and stay sane you need to first identify your standard workflow in detail, and then make a portable install with shortcuts etc to eliminate the insane menu diving.

Kenny Gioia told me that he has eight portable installs, one for every workflow, and I think standardising Reaper in that way is necessary to maintain mental health with this particular software.

[audiojunkie]

To me the simplest solution is to stick to a DAW with a simple copy protection, that can be activated offline and stick to the native devices, for this I chose Ableton Live.

What I fear about reaper is that the developer one day will get bored and abandon the project.

I have serious doubts you'll have to worry about this. Justin is one of the good guys, and is not struggling financially due to his previous successes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Frankel

If EVER there was a company that you could trust, it would likely be Cockos.

[syntonica]

To me the simplest solution is to stick to a DAW with a simple copy protection, that can be activated offline and stick to the native devices, for this I chose Ableton Live.

What I fear about reaper is that the developer one day will get bored and abandon the project.

I have serious doubts you'll have to worry about this. Justin is one of the good guys, and is not struggling financially due to his previous successes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Frankel

If EVER there was a company that you could trust, it would likely be Cockos.

That dude has more money than the rest of us out together. He made it abusing llamas.

[rod_zero]

To me the simplest solution is to stick to a DAW with a simple copy protection, that can be activated offline and stick to the native devices, for this I chose Ableton Live.

What I fear about reaper is that the developer one day will get bored and abandon the project.

I have serious doubts you'll have to worry about this. Justin is one of the good guys, and is not struggling financially due to his previous successes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Frankel

If EVER there was a company that you could trust, it would likely be Cockos.

I know who he is, and that he has money. I also know he is a good guy and Reaper is his baby,

Nevertheless he can just get bored and stop developing himself, sell it, pass it, etc. The future of reaper is too dependent on him and his mood.

[a9k1tp]

Piano roll and midi notes editing is the weakest part of Reaper. Good luck finding and setting up scripts just to make the piano roll work like every other piano roll.
All other DAWs are miles ahead in midi programming without midi keyboard.

Another thing is parallel fx, which is coming in near future. Thank god, who wants multiple tracks for parallel fx processing?

[ghettosynth]

Another thing is parallel fx, which is coming in near future. Thank god, who wants multiple tracks for parallel fx processing?

Maybe you're talking about something different, but, you don't need multiple tracks for parallel fx. You just add channels on the track to hold the parallel chain and then mix them down using the JS downmix plugin. Routing is a Reaper strength. It's been this way since forever.

[skijumptoes]

I've built my perfect working environment with a portable install using version 6.46

Do you have some examples of music you've released before and after the 'perfect' environment? That's the only factor that matters and I'd be interested in hearing how much a difference it has made for you.

In my experience, Spending time getting everything looking and acting how you want does not equal good music, in fact it had the opposite affect on me as I was diverting away from actually producing or song writing - which is what I love.

[do_androids_dream]

I've built my perfect working environment with a portable install using version 6.46

Do you have some examples of music you've released before and after the 'perfect' environment? That's the only factor that matters and I'd be interested in hearing how much a difference it has made for you.

In my experience, Spending time getting everything looking and acting how you want does not equal good music, in fact it had the opposite affect on me as I was diverting away from actually producing or song writing - which is what I love.

I use Reaper for mastering. Here's a portion of my work:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/4134099-Loz-Grover

When I was writing music - which was mostly around 20 years ago (!!) Reaper didn't exist of course - I was using Fruityloops Version 2 and Reason Version 2.5 iirc but.. I still dabble and I've written the odd track here and there with my Reaper install for comps and a remix here and there.

[skijumptoes]

I use Reaper for mastering. Here's a portion of my work:

Ah ok, I thought you were producing. I guess with mastering the workflow is king. So do you look to achieve a leaner, somewhat stripped back approach?

I've put hours and hours into perfecting the best environment and it leads to proscratination for me - one of the reasons I avoid REAPER. Maybe I'm concentrating too much on what I want (Or is available), rather than what I need.

You've certainly been busy, great to see!

[do_androids_dream]

Ah ok, I thought you were producing. I guess with mastering the workflow is king. So do you look to achieve a leaner, somewhat stripped back approach?

Yes, I generally aim for a stripped back only-the-tools-I-need approach to software. Reaper is absolutely perfect in that regard. I can strip out any unnecessary menu items/toolbars etc.

I've put hours and hours into perfecting the best environment and it leads to proscratination for me - one of the reasons I avoid REAPER. Maybe I'm concentrating too much on what I want (Or is available), rather than what I need.

Oh I can very much relate I've spent a lot of time customising Reaper - probably lost a lot of hours over the years and I can totally understand why folks use an environment that needs no customisation. I just love having that ability not only to customise, but blissfully easy to maintain, backup and move from machine to machine.

You've certainly been busy, great to see!

Thanks I'm always trying to get back into producing again.. just time and mental energy in between the mastering work needed!