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Post by jcoutu1 on Dec 15, 2016 14:32:17 GMT -6
What's the story with Reaper? What are the disadvantages? What does Pro Tools offer me that Reaper doesn't? Who is using it all the time?
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Post by gouge on Dec 15, 2016 16:18:19 GMT -6
I've been using reaper with lynx aurora converters non commercially for 4-5 years. I have never had a glitch. it has been flawless. everything works. have done plenty of 3-4 day tracking sessions and many all day mixings session and have never had a hiccup.
I ditched Cubase after 3-4 years to go to reaper as Cubase was a big pile of dog doo. it was constantly causing issues, lockups etc.
I read of the issues people are having with software and converters and I wonder why. I don't even think about software or conveters. the stuff was hooked up the day it arrived and since it's worked.
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Post by svart on Dec 15, 2016 16:45:21 GMT -6
Been using Reaper since the first beta release, 2004-2005 timeframe. It's a little different since it's more in line with it's roots, which was open source, so it's been inherently designed by folks who needed certain features over others. Upgrades are free for a certain range of versions, and it's constantly being updated with fixes and improvements, however I usually don't upgrade. I jumped from the beta to 2.x and then from 2.x to 5.x. I probably won't update for a few more years now.
I can't say what it has or does not have compared to ProTools, as I've only used older versions of protools, and lightly at that. As for Reaper, I don't even use half of the options and features that are in it and I don't even notice.
Since Reaper has a very generous trial policy (essentially forever), I'd simply suggest downloading it and giving it a try.
It can be a little different to get running. You have to manually set up the audio settings by specifying the I/O range, choosing the I/O assignments, etc. I keep multiple project templates so I can just grab the ones I use most and create new projects without much work.
You can also run Reaper directly from USB sticks, which is something you can't do with other programs. You can keep your license and executable on the stick and just take it with you wherever you go.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 17:44:14 GMT -6
Appreciate you're probably after feedback from the Pro's who have used other DAW's and can offer comparisons, but .. I'm still on version 4.75, win xp 32 bit - it will spit the dummy if you overload the CPU, but the workaround is simple - freeze tracks if you're not ready to print. I've learnt to hit the save button a lot, but you can program this if you want. Otherwise works seamlessly. It constantly evolves in a good way (i.e. non of the upgrade issues that other manufacturers seem to have), great online community and company ethos. I think version 5 now includes the ability to assign VCA's and a load of other improvements. Oh, and only $60 If you do download a test drive, this may help ...... reaperblog.net/2016/02/learn-reaper-5-with-new-free-series-from-kenny-gioia/ Endlessly customisable with sws extensions if that's your thing - can act similar to Pro Tools (never used PT so not sure how near this is )
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Post by popmann on Dec 15, 2016 19:20:47 GMT -6
Make it $500....remove the "endless demo" period....it's use base becomes 1% of what it is.
Love the idea. So much that I demo it every time there's a new release hoping it matures. It hasn't.
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Post by jjinvegas on Dec 15, 2016 20:37:58 GMT -6
Make it $500....remove the "endless demo" period....it's use base becomes 1% of what it is. Love the idea. So much that I demo it every time there's a new release hoping it matures. It hasn't. Well, I am not sure if one percent would be the actual number, but hopefully we will never find out. I am sort of curious what you meant by waiting for it to mature, as I can't think of anything I want to do that it doesn't have a pretty intuitive solution available. I am not sure why anybody would have a CPU issue, you can find a fifth gen i5 with Windows 7 for peanuts these days, you are going to have to run a lot of cabinet sims and reverbs before you even get close. And it does some things that suit certain approaches really well, like drums. You can record them all on one track for ease of handling/editing. Or anything else that has multiple microphones that you might want the ease of fiddling with one track instead of many. The elastic engine is really amazing, once you figure out some little tricks for applying markers you can make unruly, sloppy teenagers sound all organized in short order. I came from a hardware background, and first worked on PT for a bit, but then ran into Avid's stubborn protectionist tendencies trying to activate a donated PT 6.3 that came with an Mbox 2 that was never used and was about five years out of date, just so I could get up to speed. Thankfully, they managed to piss me off at every turn, because Reaper was custom made for someone with conventional signal path preferences. I understood the routing immediately, there were no limitations on what a channel could be, summing, midi, audio, midi control of other devices, it has worked with everything I ever plugged into it, from a Sabrent dongle that cost 7 bucks to eight inputs plus eight more lightpipe, without any mystery or headache. I justt recognized them and worked. I do some sequencing, but it is not my primary focus and I guess longtime Cubase users fell like the MIDI editor was a little clunky, but compared to everything I had used before it was intuitive, quick, and that is key for me. Do I want to read or spend time on forums, trying to find answers, or just have a system designed in a logical fashion that took me very little time to start flying around as a stubborn digital virgin, at least on computer-based sytems.
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Reaper.
Dec 15, 2016 20:40:39 GMT -6
Post by popmann on Dec 15, 2016 20:40:39 GMT -6
But, also...."what it offers" is quantifiable....what it offers that YOU need/want/utilize is a whole different discussion. I do all my "photo editing" on the iOS photos app. I would turn down a free copy of Photoshop. Let alone...pay however much for one....
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Post by bowie on Dec 15, 2016 21:06:59 GMT -6
I fought with Reaper for a couple years until finding Studio One and have never looked back. Don't get me wrong, I liked Reaper better than PT, but it's ultimately no where near as intuitive for me as Studio One. With Reaper, I had to look up how to do every procedure I wanted to do, same as when I learned PT. In S1 the majority of things are laid out where I would expect and I rarely have to look up instructions.
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Post by jjinvegas on Dec 15, 2016 21:31:56 GMT -6
But, also...."what it offers" is quantifiable....what it offers that YOU need/want/utilize is a whole different discussion. I do all my "photo editing" on the iOS photos app. I would turn down a free copy of Photoshop. Let alone...pay however much for one.... Well, i am sort of with Svart on the quantification of what it does do, the list is so long I haven't really scratched the surface, maybe you can quantify it for us. I checked out your song on Bandcamp, it sounded good, but I didn't think that you would somehow be unable to get the exact same results in Reaper. Conventional aesthetic, pretty straight ahead, I liked it. I guess my photo editing experience is a sum total of using what came with Windows, so i am not sure about your point. But I started recording people back in '81, when the idea of being able to make a video to accompany a song, for free, and just a little fiddling around was crazy talk. Now I can do this, and make a client smile..... goo.gl/photos/7M8xxLzgLuA5PZxHA
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Post by Johnkenn on Dec 15, 2016 21:36:04 GMT -6
I fought with Reaper for a couple years until finding Studio One and have never looked back. Don't get me wrong, I liked Reaper better than PT, but it's ultimately no where near as intuitive for me as Studio One. With Reaper, I had to look up how to do every procedure I wanted to do, same as when I learned PT. In S1 the majority of things are laid out where I would expect and I rarely have to look up instructions. That's kind've the way I feel about Logic...It just seems illogical to me.
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Reaper.
Dec 15, 2016 21:57:45 GMT -6
Post by popmann on Dec 15, 2016 21:57:45 GMT -6
I can quanitfy it. Oh my goodness can I quantify it. If we leave off all MCE needs....which they should, Apple and Yamaha have them owned by decades of dev....where someone wanting a simple audio only recording/mixing app has to deal with those big bloated apps. I could make a list a mile long but let me start with:
-test their PDC. Use all third party plug ins. -test their IO compensation....wait, that's manual? For typical IO, that's a fairly static setting for tracking and irrelevant for mixing analog....but, for their hardware insert plug in? Right--you functionally can't insert hardware, because you have to manually set it....
There are a million UI things that drive me batty, but without the above, what is it a DAW does? My fave though, is the default to ask me to save a file every time I hit stop while recording? really? I would imagine there's a preference buried somewhere to change that behavior...but, I always found that sort of telling. Like, whose brain's workflow thinks that's a good idea? Like "I just got done with a solo--let me name that and save it over here to THIS folder instead?"
While technically an MCE thing....not having a consideration for dual buffering for a virtual instrument any input side software is seriously lacking and part of the audio engine itself. If you have to have a single process buffer, that means anyone using a virtual instrument that process buffer HAS to be blow 256....ideally below 128....which I guess is digression from the above--but, I bring up because most MCE things are workflow/UI stuff (where my musical notation? ....but, that's a core of the audio engine. So, if they were going to spruce that up, they might start considering how they do that....
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Post by svart on Dec 15, 2016 22:04:53 GMT -6
Make it $500....remove the "endless demo" period....it's use base becomes 1% of what it is. Love the idea. So much that I demo it every time there's a new release hoping it matures. It hasn't. Care to expound on "mature"? It records, it edits, it does takes, lanes, groups, glues, infinite routing, latency comp, plugs, on-the-fly resampling, mixed format tracks, full automation, and everything else that every other DAW does.. And then it's skinnable to emulate ANY other DAW, updated every month, low CPU and memory usage, small HDD footprint.. And tons of other things that others don't do.. What else would it take to "mature"?
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Reaper.
Dec 15, 2016 23:07:14 GMT -6
Post by popmann on Dec 15, 2016 23:07:14 GMT -6
They did add MCU extender support. In time for mine to be on the fritz!!
Don't get me wrong...I just downloaded the latest because I haven't seen it since 4, and I'm staring down the barrel of a $300 upgrade from Steinberg if I want to keep running it on OSX.
....but, so far I've literally had to set a 10 preferences that simply are weird defaults. Asking me if I want to save a file every time I hit stop is weird. for whom is that logical? Midi CCs not set to reset on stop means anything using a sustain pedal will just keep going-where is that a good idea, I hope it chases properly. Every time I open a plug in, it throws me back to the other desktop....that's an Apple thing, but still...that means that they don't want you to use full screen? Not something they test on OSX?
Can't figure out how to disable software monitoring. I had to just stop the software feed and open the hardware control panel mixer.
End results being similar isn't really what one app or another is about, is it? I record fairly linearly and do very little editing at all. I'm quite sure I could achieve similar results in Reaper....or probably a $5 Garageband....now that the racks of hardware inserts and auxes are sold off...it's all about speed and intuitiveness. And for me, yes-it's also going to be composition tools now. For 20 years I ran an audio recording system....and a MIDI/sampling/sequencing system....the desicion to merge then waslargely based on it turning out that the best native audio engine when I tested a few years ago WAS in fact also the best compositional environment.
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Post by jjinvegas on Dec 15, 2016 23:59:49 GMT -6
One thing about the preferences, once you set them they go wherever you go, from version to version, as do the layouts and themes. I am not sure what system you are using, but Reaper is backwards compatible I think to the Beta version, ask your local Protools nailbiter how that is working for him. Oh, no wonder he is nervous, all those plugins he bought are obsolete. Nice. As for hardware inserts, it is no different than how i used to approach it if I wanted to insert a limiter AFTER the EQ stage in a console, send it out from the direct output and bring it back in another channel, which is far more painless when you have unlimited tracks. I undersand that latency might be a factor, monitor the return in your software mixer just like an analog overdub. This kind of thing just doesn't really bother me too much, but I spent many years freelancing, showing up at places where the patchbay labels were optimistic, head contact was suspect so time code was a constant issue, crosstalking SMPTE being such a lovely accompaniment in those quiet, sensitive passages. Situation Normal, All Fucked Up. Maybe asking some newcomer with a 320 GB hard drive filled with pictures of Carmen Electra if he wants to save his track might be a good thing, Carmen is sort of a looker.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2016 0:25:38 GMT -6
Maybe asking some newcomer with a 320 GB hard drive filled with pictures of Carmen Electra if he wants to save his track might be a good thing, Carmen is sort of a looker. which reminds me, I must switch that function back on ..... popmann - $300 just to upgrade and continue to be able to use a daw? That's 5 Reaper licences - you'll be sitting on an air cushion reminiscing by the time that runs out
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Post by junior on Dec 16, 2016 0:56:05 GMT -6
I dunno... I use it for editing 6 shows a day at my radio gig and a music project here and there. It's always been rock solid - never a hiccup. Plus, there's a lot going on under the hood if you take a little time to investigate. The SWS extensions are a must, BTW.
As far as comparing it to other DAWs, I came from Cubase. Since getting to know Reaper, I haven't felt the need to send Steinberg any money for upgrades in a while.
My recommendation is to download it, watch a few tutorials on youtube and see if it works for you. Just my .02
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Post by nick8801 on Dec 16, 2016 6:42:06 GMT -6
I've been using Reaper for 8 years now. It's fantastic. Everytime I'm at a commercial studio I watch the engineers use pro tools to see if I'm missing anything by using Reaper. I do not feel that I am. I have no plans to switch to anything else.
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Post by illacov on Dec 16, 2016 7:06:28 GMT -6
They did add MCU extender support. In time for mine to be on the fritz!! Don't get me wrong...I just downloaded the latest because I haven't seen it since 4, and I'm staring down the barrel of a $300 upgrade from Steinberg if I want to keep running it on OSX. ....but, so far I've literally had to set a 10 preferences that simply are weird defaults. Asking me if I want to save a file every time I hit stop is weird. for whom is that logical? Midi CCs not set to reset on stop means anything using a sustain pedal will just keep going-where is that a good idea, I hope it chases properly. Every time I open a plug in, it throws me back to the other desktop....that's an Apple thing, but still...that means that they don't want you to use full screen? Not something they test on OSX? Can't figure out how to disable software monitoring. I had to just stop the software feed and open the hardware control panel mixer. End results being similar isn't really what one app or another is about, is it? I record fairly linearly and do very little editing at all. I'm quite sure I could achieve similar results in Reaper....or probably a $5 Garageband....now that the racks of hardware inserts and auxes are sold off...it's all about speed and intuitiveness. And for me, yes-it's also going to be composition tools now. For 20 years I ran an audio recording system....and a MIDI/sampling/sequencing system....the desicion to merge then waslargely based on it turning out that the best native audio engine when I tested a few years ago WAS in fact also the best compositional environment. Bro you need a Reaper buddy. I have no idea how your initial experiences are so shitty but one thing to note is that Reaper users can share preferences and profiles. I may not have the same hardware as you but its easy enough to switch that in the prefs window. The ReaInsert thing just sounds totally bizarre. Its outputs, inputs, PDC and volume. You can even save an instance of ReaInsert for each physical i/o patch and rename it as your patch. It sounds like you have a weird thing going on with your profile. I have Reaper on my pc and on the mac at church. We record sermons with the mac and the record monitoring is always something I have to turn ON not off when I hit record. If you have a digital dsp monitoring system then I understand your angst. I have an RME system with Total Mix. Does anybody here have some solid prefs or profiles they want to share? Mac users? Thanks -L.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Dec 16, 2016 7:20:31 GMT -6
I'm planning on installing it on a clean Mac install today and taking it for a spin.
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Post by svart on Dec 16, 2016 7:38:32 GMT -6
They did add MCU extender support. In time for mine to be on the fritz!! Don't get me wrong...I just downloaded the latest because I haven't seen it since 4, and I'm staring down the barrel of a $300 upgrade from Steinberg if I want to keep running it on OSX. ....but, so far I've literally had to set a 10 preferences that simply are weird defaults. Asking me if I want to save a file every time I hit stop is weird. for whom is that logical? Midi CCs not set to reset on stop means anything using a sustain pedal will just keep going-where is that a good idea, I hope it chases properly. Every time I open a plug in, it throws me back to the other desktop....that's an Apple thing, but still...that means that they don't want you to use full screen? Not something they test on OSX? Can't figure out how to disable software monitoring. I had to just stop the software feed and open the hardware control panel mixer. End results being similar isn't really what one app or another is about, is it? I record fairly linearly and do very little editing at all. I'm quite sure I could achieve similar results in Reaper....or probably a $5 Garageband....now that the racks of hardware inserts and auxes are sold off...it's all about speed and intuitiveness. And for me, yes-it's also going to be composition tools now. For 20 years I ran an audio recording system....and a MIDI/sampling/sequencing system....the desicion to merge then waslargely based on it turning out that the best native audio engine when I tested a few years ago WAS in fact also the best compositional environment. I LOVE the "ask on stop". It IS a setting, a simple check box and option list of what you want to do when you press stop. I use it ALL the time for the function it was intended for, to select the tracks that were good, and delete the tracks that were bad during the take. Say you have a 3 piece band playing and everyone but the bassist nails the take. You can simply choose not to keep the bass tracks at that point rather than have to go through and delete the tracks or keep takes you don't intend to use. Stopping monitoring is easy, there is a small speaker icon on the bottom of each fader. You click it until you get a red NO circle. Sounds to me like you are jumping the gun and trashing something you don't even know enough about to use properly.
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Post by schmalzy on Dec 16, 2016 8:46:25 GMT -6
I have to reinforce the Reaper love that's happening in this thread.
I've used a few DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic's film-centric brother called Soundtrack Pro, Studio One a little...Reaper just works with how my brain wants to work.
And, if it didn't, I could MAKE it work the way I wanted rather than having to just adjust to something else's way of working (which I'm just as likely to have small problems with).
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Reaper.
Dec 16, 2016 9:07:57 GMT -6
Post by NoFilterChuck on Dec 16, 2016 9:07:57 GMT -6
the few times I've used reaper, i really did not like how they handle loading up software instruments and routing them so you can hear. it's really confusing. Both reaper, cubase, and protools are terrible in that regard. Logic is so simple for that.
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Reaper.
Dec 16, 2016 10:12:46 GMT -6
Post by popmann on Dec 16, 2016 10:12:46 GMT -6
Svart, of course I can turn off the monitoring. Maybe I should phrase it that it doesn't have any hardware monitoring I could find to enable--hitting that ""small speaker icon" should transfer the feed from the hardware mixer on your interface... Who's NOT jumping the gun? Defaults matter. Whether that's because you're coming from another app....or you are new and don't know what you're doing. The initial impression is key to marketing. Ask me how long I had the new Garageband open before there was a whole arrangement going(from things I played not loops)? 15min? I've never used Garageband for longer than "whoops--what did I just run? That's not Logic. Close." And Reainsert, a quick search says that they first even attempted to auto compensate in v5. So, when I tested in v4, it was 100% manual. Back then, it was my number one determining factor, as I had a whole studio of hardware to integrate. Without that, it was out of the running. Now, I don't use any hardware inserts. I mean, I have gear I can test it if need be, but if I were new in 2016 I wouldn't bother testing it. I am happy it exists. I know more than a few musicians who claim it's "how their brains work". They all have the common thread of no real (software)DAW or MIDI experience coming in-and are all 100% Mac H8trs who would never use anything with a dongle protection "period"-many of them bought Sonar went "WTF**" and tried and liked Reaper....it works for them, and that's what matters. Maybe Jessi will love it. While people obviously read this as "trashing"--I love the ideals of Reaper. DAWs are mature things. When I just demo'd Cubase 8.5--they've reorganized the furniture and repainted effectively....at some point, they have to get cheaper. They can't GET more capable or stable. It's why they're all moving into the Music Creation Environment market. It's the growth market. **which is always MY thought when I open a version of Sonar, too.
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Post by henge on Dec 16, 2016 11:11:01 GMT -6
popmann proves a huge point. SWITCHING to a new DAW is a HUGE pain in the ass. I've been using Reaper for years and know it very well. Anytime I've demoed another DAW it's been almost impossible to break my workflow habits with Reaper because of default settings. Same can be said of a PT guy moving to logic,Cubase S1 etc. "They all have the common thread of no real (software)DAW or MIDI experience coming in-and are all 100% Mac H8trs who would never use anything with a dongle protection "period" ". That's been your experience...not mine and many others I know.
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Post by junior on Dec 16, 2016 12:55:52 GMT -6
You know, the funny thing is I've never encountered the "ask on stop" thing - I didn't even know it was an option, LOL.
In my case, it wasn't on by default. Which makes me wonder if there was something messed up in the prefs or something?
Anyway, the point about learning curves is accurate. I didn't get on so well in the beginning being used to Cubase and all. But, after watching some tutorials and playing around a bit, everything started to click and I'm pretty comfortable not going back to Steiny. What's funny is I still have PT installed but I hardly ever fire it up, FWIW.
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