Reaper is not an ugly duckling anymore !

[Bevoss]

Worth mentioning Reaper also has the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry.

And it's the only host I know of that can record directly to compressed format, lossy OR lossless.

Good points! AND it runs off a flash drive, so you can take it away with you ( I just installed it on a spare 256 MB USB drive for kicks, with heaps of plugins, and it works fine!)

[Mutant]

Then you'd suddenly think, "this feels kinda busy and claustrophobic, and I'm not 100% sure why."

No I would never think something like this ! We are different hehehe.

[bullshark]

Worth mentioning Reaper also has the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry.

And it's the only host I know of that can record directly to compressed format, lossy OR lossless.

Good points! AND it runs of a flash drive, so you can take it away with you ( I just installed it on a spare 256 MB USB drive for kicks, with heaps of plugins, and it works fine!)

The flash drive thing is more helpful than one think. For starter, even if you don't flash drive it, it means installing Reaper won't take over and make system wide changes that you may not want at all, like other well known hosts do (no, I'm not talking Tracktion here, installing that is pretty sane as well even thought not as self-contained as Reaper).

Also, the "copy protection" is extremely user friendly: you get a license code upon purchasing the license and that code is good forever as it isn't tied to any hardware; so you don't need Cockos permission every time you want to install the app. They trust their users, figuring if you were honest enough to purchase a license to begin with, you're honest enough to respect the license and won't go around giving it to everybody and their brothers. And since the demo is uncrippled, you won't ever be caught with your pants down even if you were to temporarily loose access to your keycode.

[Lunch Money]

Then you'd suddenly think, "this feels kinda busy and claustrophobic, and I'm not 100% sure why."

No I would never think something like this ! We are different hehehe.

Clearly!

Empty spaces are important, fasheezy. When I'm done formatting a pdf mini-book I'm working on, I'll show you the original version and my formatted version-- which uses sideheads. Sideheads are very common in technical documents-- basically, the headings are at the left margin (say, 1"), while the entire rest of the text is indented an additional half-inch or full inch. That means on most pages, you have huge globs of white space on the left side of the page.

Very very important white space. In technical documents, no less!

Greg

[original flipper]

HI

Worth mentioning Reaper also has the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry.

I found the opposite with my DAW: several months ago I was looking at a few host's including Reaper and on my dual Xeon found Reaper was not using all 4 cores very efficiently.

Maybe things have changed - I will give it a go with the old Ambience test!

Flipper.

[Lunch Money]

Worth mentioning Reaper also has the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry.

Is it a "fact" that they have the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry? I'd be curious to see the metrics.

And it's the only host I know of that can record directly to compressed format, lossy OR lossless.

That might be true, and if true (no intermediate WAV file needed) it's pretty useful especially for the "memory stick" usage. For desktop usage, not so important (and you wouldn't WANT to record to lossy unless you had to).

Good points! AND it runs of a flash drive, so you can take it away with you ( I just installed it on a spare 256 MB USB drive for kicks, with heaps of plugins, and it works fine!)

The flash drive thing is more helpful than one think. For starter, even if you don't flash drive it, it means installing Reaper won't take over and make system wide changes that you may not want at all, like other well known hosts do (no, I'm not talking Tracktion here, installing that is pretty sane as well even thought not as self-contained as Reaper).

Also, the "copy protection" is extremely user friendly: you get a license code upon purchasing the license and that code is good forever as it isn't tied to any hardware; so you don't need Cockos permission every time you want to install the app. They trust their users, figuring if you were honest enough to purchase a license to begin with, you're honest enough to respect the license and won't go around giving it to everybody and their brothers. And since the demo is uncrippled, you won't ever be caught with your pants down even if you were to temporarily loose access to your keycode.

I have to give credit where credit is due: the portability and non-interference of Reaper is pretty sweet. Tracktion's not likely to ever be portable in the same way except perhaps as a shady mem-dumped version. It's a pretty cool selling point for recordists on the go.

The "copy protection" is OK, too, and perhaps more flexibile than Tracktion's. I'm not willing to hold it "against" Mackie, who have the right to protect their interests (just as Justin has the right and probably more freedom to not care), though, that their scheme is one of the friendlier. A keyfile is also good forever, and even though it IS tied to hardware, you can get another one. Common mythology (I can't say it's a fact) maintains that if Tracktion were to fold, a universal "forever" key would be issued to owners. But again, credit where credit is due: Justin has very loose "protection" which in turn makes the users' lives easier.

Greg

[Mutant]

Then you'd suddenly think, "this feels kinda busy and claustrophobic, and I'm not 100% sure why."

No I would never think something like this ! We are different hehehe.

Clearly!

Empty spaces are important, fasheezy. When I'm done formatting a pdf mini-book I'm working on, I'll show you the original version and my formatted version-- which uses sideheads. Sideheads are very common in technical documents-- basically, the headings are at the left margin (say, 1"), while the entire rest of the text is indented an additional half-inch or full inch. That means on most pages, you have huge globs of white space on the left side of the page.

Very very important white space. In technical documents, no less!

Greg

Bad example.
Remember that we are talking about computer software not about books - 2 completely different things IMNSHO.

[bullshark]

HI

Worth mentioning Reaper also has the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry.

I found the opposite with my DAW: several months ago I was looking at a few host's including Reaper and on my dual Xeon found Reaper was not using all 4 cores very efficiently.

Maybe things have changed - I will give it a go with the old Ambience test!

Flipper.

That's strange, not doubting your words but doesn't reflect other users experience. And Reaper has the advantage of starting fresh only recently, so Justin build it with multi core/processors support right from the start; and I know he test on a dual quad (height cores ). do report back your finding (maybe on the Cockos forum?).

[original flipper]

HI

I have!

I think an issue might be that I have 2 x CPU's and wonder if they act differently or are recognized/accessed in the same way as a multi-core that is 1 x CPU?

I will do a few tests again though : Reaper is up-dated so often that things may have changed?

Flipper.

[Lunch Money]

Bad example.
Remember that we are talking about computer software not about books - 2 completely different things IMNSHO.

IMNSHO, not a bad example at all. Both involve looking at 2D rendered information. The principles of ergonomic and sound presentation of information aren't limited by the media, even though they can be informed by the media. It seems like it'd be pretty tricky to convince you otherwise, but your original question was, "what's the usefulness of empty space?" and the simple answer is "ergonomics." Which it still is. Whether or not you buy my analogy is irrelevant to the original answer.

That said, a technical document is a perfect analogy, especially given the example screenshot. The folders and 1st-level tracks are the sideheads, tracks within folders are indented for additional clarity, and the tracks are the "body" of the text. You can scan in my screenshot and instantly identify the tracks by name, as well as the containing folders. Technical documents aren't always "books" either-- there's all kinds of information that a technical document might be exposing. Illustrations embedded in text have a lot in common with tracks embedded in textual information, no? What about advertising copy? If you don't like my "book" analogy, there are others...!

In any event, the example was far from being "bad," whether you personally buy into it or not. Your opinion that it was "bad" doesn't make it so. I suspect that you agree that whitespace (via sideheads or whatever) is important for books, that empty space is important in other arenas, but that you don't want to extend the same importance of space to your recording environment. Which is fair enough, but completely individual... I can't possibly know what you as an individual prefer for various things, but I can speak to GENERAL design aesthetic, which will always emphasize the importance of empty space.

[Mutant]

Bad example.
Remember that we are talking about computer software not about books - 2 completely different things IMNSHO.

IMNSHO, not a bad example at all. Both involve looking at 2D rendered information. The principles of ergonomic and sound presentation of information aren't limited by the media, even though they can be informed by the media. It seems like it'd be pretty tricky to convince you otherwise, but your original question was, "what's the usefulness of empty space?" and the simple answer is "ergonomics." Which it still is. Whether or not you buy my analogy is irrelevant to the original answer.

That said, a technical document is a perfect analogy, especially given the example screenshot. The folders and 1st-level tracks are the sideheads, tracks within folders are indented for additional clarity, and the tracks are the "body" of the text. You can scan in my screenshot and instantly identify the tracks by name, as well as the containing folders. Technical documents aren't always "books" either-- there's all kinds of information that a technical document might be exposing. Illustrations embedded in text have a lot in common with tracks embedded in textual information, no? What about advertising copy? If you don't like my "book" analogy, there are others...!

In any event, the example was far from being "bad," whether you personally buy into it or not. Your opinion that it was "bad" doesn't make it so.

OK I have nothing better to do now so wait few minutes and I'll make a new thread/poll with pictures.

[Lunch Money]

Make sure the poll and pictures aren't custom-made for your purposes. If you approach it objectively, it could be interesting.

[bullshark]

HI

I have!

I think an issue might be that I have 2 x CPU's and wonder if they act differently or are recognized/accessed in the same way as a multi-core that is 1 x CPU?

I will do a few tests again though : Reaper is up-dated so often that things may have changed?

Flipper.

Actually, the performance options have been "sanitized" recently, so yeah, worth to check again.

[bullshark]

Worth mentioning Reaper also has the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry.

Is it a "fact" that they have the best multi-core, multi-processor support in the industry? I'd be curious to see the metrics.

Metrics have been made, but you'll have to search the Reaper forum for them as I usually make a point of forgetting those things pretty fast

And it's the only host I know of that can record directly to compressed format, lossy OR lossless.

That might be true, and if true (no intermediate WAV file needed) it's pretty useful especially for the "memory stick" usage. For desktop usage, not so important (and you wouldn't WANT to record to lossy unless you had to).

I spent last winter recording looong jam sessions (we're talking 4-5 hours non-stop here) in wavpack or mp3 format (tested both, ended using mp3 most times) in what stands as my little studio; since this was only used as reference in case something really interesting and worth pursuing further turned up, lossy didn't really matter but the saved HD space did matter. It's a cool useful feature that works well.

[Lunch Money]

Definitely sounds like a great feature.