Is REAPER the current worst long term choice?

[VOODOO U]

Jeez, man, Reaper really hurts your feelings
Don't like it - don't use it, no drama here.

Speaking of drama, my favorite bit was him telling me he wouldn't emulate me if i write and produce albums in 20 minutes.
As if I'm going to - *Drop to the floor 1940s diva style, back of the hand to the forehead* "Oh No! What will I *ever* do!!?" *sob* *weep*

it's the for those who are against developers dictating you, their own workflow -

Which is why modular hosts are imo the best way to go. This way to each their own on how one likes things laid out and how they want it to work. Reaper may not be modular in the typical sense but it's very flexible.

[lingyai]

Because for some folks, cost is measured in time as well as money

Well then turn.off the TV, turn.off the internet, close the doors to the man cave or woman cave and put the time in. You put the time in as a beginner so if you're an experienced user it shouldn't take you light years to come to grips with another DAW.
Otherwise be a masochist and suffer your DAW.

I've always felt it's pointless to preach about why one DAW is "right," as clearly it's a personal thing, and as a practical matter, how someone else chooses to make music doesn't impact me in the least, because meanwhile I'm free to do my own thing, so live and let live. Someone prefers Reaper? Cool, whatever, enjoy.

This is why I find comments like yours, while perfectly ignorable, to be so very obnoxious - the presumption that Reaper is the One True Path: "Choose it! Make time for it ! Devote yourself to it! I did, I struggled, but in the end I AM A BETTER PERSON NOW and if you don't YOU ARE BENIGHTED," seems to have a healthy dose of need for validation by having others do what you've done. Like the guy who REALLY wants you buy a Tesla, or do a Keto diet, or whatever, because, well, deep down ... because that's what he did. In particular, your equating not using Reaper with masochism is like something Tony Soprano's mom would say: "Oh go on, ignore my advice, suffer your whole life, and then for eternity with Satan, see if I care." It's incredibly blinkered, patronising, and unpersuasive.

Your advice (actually it's expressed as a command) that I turn off the TV, unplug from the internet etc - to put in the time to learn your favourite DAW - misses a few key points.

One, I don't need advice on how to create free time. (I don't even watch TV btw). The focus here is on how I choose to use that time.

Trigger warning: I'm into making music more than learning software.

For me, software is a means, not an end. My aim with a DAW is making music without having to pay too much attention to the DAW. The best software IMHO is the kind that becomes kind of invisible while you concentrate on the task at hand, with a minimal upfront time investment. As Alfred North Whitehead said, progress can be measured "by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them." Whereas Reaper seems to maximise the number of things you need to think about before you can even get going. The Great Reaper Customisation and Setup is always framed as some rite of passage, "but you'll be soooo glad you did! I am, and just look at me!"

I put in some time to learn my chosen DAW, and don't feel at any loss musically just because it was easy using it as it shipped, i.e. I used a GUI designed by someone else; if it is reasonably inuititve and fast enough for me, I learn it and get on with making music. My "mouse muscle memory" kicks in and does the job. I have no need to "make it entirely my own," as though that's some kind of Nirvana goal and in and of itself. I don't crave this with any other software.

I drafted a book, which gets good reviews, in MS Word, without customising it at all. I was able to start typing and formatting immediately. Neither a reader nor a listener cares at all whether I used any custom hot-keys. And best of all - while Word (like Excel) does have a huge range of functions, features and options if you like learning about software, sometimes over years, you don't need to know much at all to get up and running.

A few years ago I jumped ship from Sonar. I'd used a few other DAWs as well so knew what I wanted one to do. To test one, I decided what musical idea I wanted to try out, downloaded the demo, opened up the developers' demo project, pressed play, and started mousing, clicking and right-clicking around. Didn't consult any documentation. After about 20 minutes, I closed that, started my own project, recording audio, as well as midi chords feeding an arpeggiator feeding my favorite Kontakt instruments, setting up fx chains, sends and automating a number of things. I got a lot going in an hour before I had to look anything up in the help file, which proved to be 30 second detour. Most things were a right-click away. It all made sense, and did what I wanted it to do.

You'll never convince me that I was not having fun and realising my idea well, just because because I was not suffering through the initial hazing of a Reaper setup/customisation. Or that the music sounded - or sounds now, as I ended up going with that DAW- any worse for skipping that.

Moreover, your advice to unplug from the internet and get learning Reaper is a non-starter, because to have a clue about Reaper you've got to constantly learn there. I've used six DAWS over the years and I must say I found Reaper quite counterintuitive, and the plethora of options daunting as hell - something for people who enjoy complexity, Linux etc but not me.

This is where the Reaper True Believer says, "Yeah, but all DAWs have learning curves" - which like saying that all mountains have inclines, therefore Everest is a breeze - and "If you get stuck, don't worry, there are tonnes of videos on Youtube to help you! And you can always ask on the forum!"

That's great, but I don't actually want to watch tonnes of videos, or any, or to keep pausing and asking online something which should already be obvious enough, if I can at all avoid it, because I'd rather work out that harmony idea that's been earworming me all day.

This is what I mean by the value of time as well as the price paid for a DAW. Some things are worth paying for. Some folks just want a music making tool, not a New Way of Life, or an Electric Friend.

Again, if you dig all that makes Reaper Reaper, great. But pause to allow for the - trigger warning - possibility that not everyone is like you.

And if you worry that about how much they'll be missing out by not spending months or years optimising their DAW workflow, just let it go, it's none of your business.

Most Reaper people I've encountered are like polite Mormon missionaries, they really want to share their Truth and are happy to help, but will take it in stride and back off if you say "No thank you." Whereas Reaper people like you are like Scientologists. Not everyone buys what you're selling, deal with it.

Again, I can't see why anyone would get worked up over someone else's DAW choice.

Jeez, man, Reaper really hurts your feelings
Don't like it - don't use it, no drama here.
Reaper is not for spoilsports, Reaper is a nice community of people who like helping each other, it's the for those who are against developers dictating you, their own workflow - or how to use software. Reaper - use it how you and only you like it!
Thats why Reaper is the best choice

My point is not that that people shouldn't use Reaper if they like it - I make that clear early on, you'd have to willfully filter that out to claim otherwise- it's rather that people who put others down for not using it (as masochists, hostages to other developers' GUIs etc) are annoying, preachy assholes.

[jancivil]

it's cultish behavior to be that condescending for no good reason. The whole it's totally customizable argument says to me here's someone with a basically very different hobby than mine (creating music). "it's for those who are against developers dictating..." is essentially political ideology.
"Reaper really hurts your feelings laughing emoticon" is ultra immature. I have no interest in DAW design or coding. This is a solution in search of a problem afaic. It's a fact that features which are absolutely crucial for me require adding a script to the thing. I'd have to spend time once that's done to have any idea if that is even the same thing. If someone finds that a worthwhile expenditure of time, fine. Some of us are preoccupied with music. If there's time left in a day I want something rather more edifying than making an application do things its creator hadn't thought to include. and there's a million things that are.

[morelia]

Is REAPER the current worst long term choice? Yes.

[JasonSpatola]

Everything going okay in everyone's personal lives in here?

[jethrobull]

Reaper was my first choice 16 years ago. The very reason was the price. I used cubase at college and at a friends for years and liked it a lot, I could just never afford to purchase it myself. Tried all the other usual DAW's, and liked some of them, but again, it came down to the cost for me. So I purchased reaper and never bothered with anything else. I really don't care for all the customisation and scripting, like most, I just want to make music. I have never used a 'theme', the default has always been fine. It's been said before, once you know your way around any DAW it's really not that difficult. So, Reaper is a GOOD long term choice for me. The beauty of life is we have choice and freedom, I hate the taste of Mushrooms but I love the effects of psylocibin

[toitoi]

it's cultish behavior to be that condescending for no good reason. The whole it's totally customizable argument says to me here's someone with a basically very different hobby than mine (creating music). "it's for those who are against developers dictating..." is essentially political ideology.
"Reaper really hurts your feelings laughing emoticon" is ultra immature. I have no interest in DAW design or coding. This is a solution in search of a problem afaic. It's a fact that features which are absolutely crucial for me require adding a script to the thing. I'd have to spend time once that's done to have any idea if that is even the same thing. If someone finds that a worthwhile expenditure of time, fine. Some of us are preoccupied with music. If there's time left in a day I want something rather more edifying than making an application do things its creator hadn't thought to include. and there's a million things that are.

Firstly if you are so against the technical side don't use DAWs, no DAW is needed for music practises, use any instrument you want and stay away of computer than nothing will interfere your "preoccupation with music"
You completely misunderstood what I was talking about, you're wasting your time trying to master someone else's way of thinking, and Reaper offers the freedom to decide for yourself, That simple, but it's easier to make false accusations of some kind of ideology wasting your precious time on typing disgruntled comments instead of making music.
Or you prefer someone who you consider smarter to make decisions for you, that's where the real immaturity is. Installing a script requires an absolutely critical 4 mouse clicks, which ultimately speeds up the workflow and leaves more time for music. Choice is yours

The creator can't provide for everything especially since there are only two of them and everyone has different needs and requests, instead of that Reaper provides an environment where you save time not wasting it on routine actions, make it comfortable for your way of working so you don't suffer because of someone else's bad decisions, which means less frustration with the software and it doesn't affect your creativity or songwriting. Anything you can imagine has most likely already been done by other people, no coding is required, just be open to communication and ask others. But again, choice is yours

[Starbright]

it's cultish behavior to be that condescending for no good reason. The whole it's totally customizable argument says to me here's someone with a basically very different hobby than mine (creating music). "it's for those who are against developers dictating..." is essentially political ideology.
"Reaper really hurts your feelings laughing emoticon" is ultra immature. I have no interest in DAW design or coding. This is a solution in search of a problem afaic. It's a fact that features which are absolutely crucial for me require adding a script to the thing. I'd have to spend time once that's done to have any idea if that is even the same thing. If someone finds that a worthwhile expenditure of time, fine. Some of us are preoccupied with music. If there's time left in a day I want something rather more edifying than making an application do things its creator hadn't thought to include. and there's a million things that are.

It's somehow funny to see how much this post has gone down the rabbithole
But why so much hurt feelings? Yes some reapewr fans can be pretty anoying, but they also come with most daws (even Audacity, though it's not a daw).
But I'm interested: what feaures are you missing? (just asking out of pure curiosity)

[havran]

Somehow you GENIUSES miss the point - that the thread this one mocks is itself a troll.

In my case a year and a half has passed since this thread was started, and I have no idea what other thread you are referring to.

If you had meant this seriously, I would ask, " 'the current worst long term choice' in what sense or with what considerations in mind?"

[BertKoor]

Since I had no idea about the parody as well:

Screenshot_20250930_161921_Opera.jpg

Wasn't expecting that!

[jancivil]

it's cultish behavior to be that condescending for no good reason. The whole it's totally customizable argument says to me here's someone with a basically very different hobby than mine (creating music). "it's for those who are against developers dictating..." is essentially political ideology.
"Reaper really hurts your feelings laughing emoticon" is ultra immature. I have no interest in DAW design or coding. This is a solution in search of a problem afaic. It's a fact that features which are absolutely crucial for me require adding a script to the thing. I'd have to spend time once that's done to have any idea if that is even the same thing. If someone finds that a worthwhile expenditure of time, fine. Some of us are preoccupied with music. If there's time left in a day I want something rather more edifying than making an application do things its creator hadn't thought to include. and there's a million things that are.

Firstly if you are so against the technical side don't use DAWs

that is, no exggeration, a totally idiotic thing to take from what I said. There is no sign in my post that would in the wildest reach have posited your 'anti-technical side'. I suggested a feature Reaper isn't shipped with: Warp Timeline. If you can demonstrate yourself coding the equivalent you'll have a point. So far all we have is that I understand there is an external script that has been asserted performs this function that I don't need or have the time to investigate

You have quite proved my point, that is an interest in an ideological point that has nowt to do with music or actual use of this particular technology. I don't find any interest there. It's also an obnoxious attempt to put yourself above people that don't share that interest while having offered exactly nothing in support of why or how you are making smarter decisions than people who code DAWs for a living.
The only read I have on that is here is a person here to work out their insecurities who's found a topic as though it'll foster a sort of illusory superiority.

If telling yourself you're smarter than the average bear because there's a way offered in this product to perform minor adjustments - or add scripts to make up for its deficiencies - is useful to you, I'll reiterate what I said per the time suck of adding scripts as a good time for you, that's fine by me. Seeing this, though, you can kiss my ass.

[fedexnman]

Does Reaper perhaps need more cowbell ?

[gauderbock]

Does Reaper perhaps need more cowbell ?

EVERYTHING needs more cowbell

[VOODOO U]

Another good reason Reaper is an excellent long term choice is you never run out of tracks. I've written HUNDREDS of songs and i still have plenty of tracks left. Both MIDI and audio.

[toitoi]

it's cultish behavior to be that condescending for no good reason. The whole it's totally customizable argument says to me here's someone with a basically very different hobby than mine (creating music). "it's for those who are against developers dictating..." is essentially political ideology.
"Reaper really hurts your feelings laughing emoticon" is ultra immature. I have no interest in DAW design or coding. This is a solution in search of a problem afaic. It's a fact that features which are absolutely crucial for me require adding a script to the thing. I'd have to spend time once that's done to have any idea if that is even the same thing. If someone finds that a worthwhile expenditure of time, fine. Some of us are preoccupied with music. If there's time left in a day I want something rather more edifying than making an application do things its creator hadn't thought to include. and there's a million things that are.

Firstly if you are so against the technical side don't use DAWs

that is, no exggeration, a totally idiotic thing to take from what I said. There is no sign in my post that would in the wildest reach have posited your 'anti-technical side'. I suggested a feature Reaper isn't shipped with: Warp Timeline. If you can demonstrate yourself coding the equivalent you'll have a point. So far all we have is that I understand there is an external script that has been asserted performs this function that I don't need or have the time to investigate

You have quite proved my point, that is an interest in an ideological point that has nowt to do with music or actual use of this particular technology. I don't find any interest there. It's also an obnoxious attempt to put yourself above people that don't share that interest while having offered exactly nothing in support of why or how you are making smarter decisions than people who code DAWs for a living.
The only read I have on that is here is a person here to work out their insecurities who's found a topic as though it'll foster a sort of illusory superiority.

If telling yourself you're smarter than the average bear because there's a way offered in this product to perform minor adjustments - or add scripts to make up for its deficiencies - is useful to you, I'll reiterate what I said per the time suck of adding scripts as a good time for you, that's fine by me. Seeing this, though, you can kiss my ass.

Didn’t realize saying something positive about Reaper counted as elitist aggression—who knew praise was a crime. A simple mention of the freedom of choice Reaper gives its users completely triggered you and turned into a full-blown manifesto on insecurity, superiority, cultishness and whatever crusade you’re on. Read the topic title You’ve turned a discussion about Reaper’s advantages into a personal attack on anyone who dares to appreciate it. If every opinion sets off your superiority alarm, time to check your inner wiring.
Funny how you’re constantly complaining about not having time to learn the function or script you need, yet somehow have all the time and energy to “analyse” Reaper users and write bitter complaints about a DAW you don’t even like. That’s quite a choice.
If your musical attempts are as deep as your psychological takes, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing worth hearing—might be time for you to pick a new hobby.
Also—what language are you even speaking? Warp Timeline is a some marketing term? I assume its something on disableton language, not everyone uses or even knows what it’s supposed to mean, ease up on the moral outrage.
Now, either get back to discussing Reaper—or go psychoanalyze your toaster next.