I highly recommend REAPER

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

crow
steve albini likes it
Posts: 392
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2003 10:57 am
Location: Austin, TX
Contact:

I highly recommend REAPER

Post by crow » Tue Mar 24, 2020 12:34 pm

Rather than completely hijack Larry's thread, I just thought I'd put my 2 cents into this one, and say that I switched to REAPER about 10 years ago and every single time I fire it up I'm glad I did. The software is great. When I was still on the learning curve of transferring from Cubase/Nuendo and Logic, every time I would learn how REAPER does something differently from other DAWs, I would think "wow, why doesn't everyone do it that way?" It's great for regular recording and composing, and its absurd customizability and scripting environment allow complex workflows and mundane repetitive tasks to be made easy.

And almost more importantly than the software merely being great, the company itself is the antithesis of the standard modern software/marketing/hype world that drives many of us crazy. The developers are quite approachable and listen to the users, and foster a fantastic and supportive user community. They are conscientious about backwards-compatibility, and seem to prioritize making users' experiences satisfying. They issue updates with bugfixes and new features sometimes as often as weekly, depending on their progress at the moment, and sometimes they are minor, sometimes they are major, and never are they driven by marketing. I love nothing more than seeing that there's a new feature that is not at all glamorous, just a workflow enhancement such as wildcard-based file naming (which is not a new feature, just one I love). And knowing that I'm depending on a company that is not going to try to extort money out of me because they think I have no choice but to use their product is a great feeling. In my 10 years of using REAPER, I've downloaded countless updates and installed them, often moments before a session begins (it can be downloaded and running in as little as one minute!) and NOT ONCE has it messed up. Not a single time has updating or upgrading been a problem. And the only times it has cost me any money have been when it has progressed through two major release cycles (Buy REAPER 3, get 4 free, buy REAPER 5, get 6 free, etc). And when it does, jeez it's cost-effective.

I think I've bloviated enough for one post, so I'll stop now. I should add that I have no business or official relationship with the folks who make REAPER, I'm just a rabid fan. So don't try REAPER, or you might end up like me...

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by vvv » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:15 pm

I'm likely to reco a lot of things when I am :high: .

That said, yeah, Reaper is really good, IMO, a PT killer.

As it were. :twisted:
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

User avatar
Snarl 12/8
cryogenically thawing
Posts: 3510
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:01 pm
Location: Right Cheer
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by Snarl 12/8 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:45 pm

I wanted to use Reaper recently, but I couldn't even figure out how to arm a track. So I'm back to doing "sound on sound" in Audacity.
Carl Keil

Almost forgot: Please steal my drum tracks. and more.

Magnetic Services
suffering 'studio suck'
Posts: 444
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:21 pm

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by Magnetic Services » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:58 am

Snarl 12/8 wrote:
Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:45 pm
I wanted to use Reaper recently, but I couldn't even figure out how to arm a track. So I'm back to doing "sound on sound" in Audacity.
:?

MoreSpaceEcho
zen recordist
Posts: 6671
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:15 am

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:42 am

Love REAPER, can't say enough good things about it as a DAW and Cockos as a company. I'd echo (ha!) everything crow said, and add that it's super stable, pretty much never crashes ever.

The only bad thing I can think of is the default theme is ugly, but of course there are 80 billion other themes you can use, and if one of those isn't quite to your liking, you can get in there and tweak away. So great!

kslight
mixes from purgatory
Posts: 2968
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:40 pm

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by kslight » Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:49 am

How can it possibly be as good as paying $200+per year for an incremental update 6 months late (latest OS support basically) and then a couple follow up patches related to the same thing? :???: Meanwhile same crashes from the beginning of pro tools time....

MoreSpaceEcho
zen recordist
Posts: 6671
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:15 am

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:05 am

Just read Larry's thread and man it is just crazy that any DAW has problems with BTD in 2020. Just add up the damn numbers come on!

kslight
mixes from purgatory
Posts: 2968
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:40 pm

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by kslight » Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:24 pm

Yeah, I’m tired of it too. I haven’t touched a current gen HD system in a long time, and it’s more so crazy that Larry is using Avid’s plugins too.

I’ve never had problems with bounce to disk, fortunately. But I’m on vanilla.

User avatar
Brett Siler
moves faders with mind
Posts: 2518
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Evansville, IN
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by Brett Siler » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:57 pm

I used Pro Tools for 15 years. I first had a Digi 001 on PT 6.4. I then upgraded to a TDM system with 3 24/888's that I bought off eBay for pretty cheap for Pro Tools prices 10 years ago. It was still PT 6.4 but it was TDM now. The zero latency monitoring was pretty cool, even with plugins; and that version was pretty stable. The occasional crash when mixing. It didn't have any delay compensation for plugins though. The software was too old, and I couldn't upgrade because of the proprietary hardware and the cost was just insane.

Eventually I got a PC, and RME interface and checked out Reaper and I fucking love it! Reaper is so insanely solid, Ive mixed live shows on a laptop with it! Every I session I use it on I'm not even joking I think how much I love the program. I don't ever see myself going back to Pro Tools. It's not worth it at all anymore.

User avatar
Brett Siler
moves faders with mind
Posts: 2518
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Evansville, IN
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by Brett Siler » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:57 pm

double post
Last edited by Brett Siler on Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Brett Siler
moves faders with mind
Posts: 2518
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Evansville, IN
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by Brett Siler » Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:57 pm

Triple post!? :shock:
Last edited by Brett Siler on Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
trodden
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5651
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:21 am
Location: C-attle
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by trodden » Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:21 am

Brett Siler wrote:
Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:57 pm
I used Pro Tools for 15 years. I first had a Digi 001 on PT 6.4. I then upgraded to a TDM system with 3 24/888's that I bought off eBay for pretty cheap for Pro Tools prices 10 years ago. It was still PT 6.4 but it was TDM now. The zero latency monitoring was pretty cool, even with plugins; and that version was pretty stable. The occasional crash when mixing. It didn't have any delay compensation for plugins though. The software was too old, and I couldn't upgrade because of the proprietary hardware and the cost was just insane.

Eventually I got a PC, and RME interface and checked out Reaper and I fucking love it! Reaper is so insanely solid, Ive mixed live shows on a laptop with it! Every I session I use it on I'm not even joking I think how much I love the program. I don't ever see myself going back to Pro Tools. It's not worth it at all anymore.
You and I have similar Pro Tools timelines, starting with the dig 001 back in 2001 or so and moving up to a TDM rig. I got rid of the TDM 6.4 and 888's for an HD2 system in 2015, sold my tascam MS16 for the cash to buy the HD setup, wow, delay compensation made mixing fun again and the plug ins actually sounded good! Currently using PT 9 on a creaking Mac Pro from 2011 and my 192 seems to be finicky at times. Thinking, i don't want to invest in another old protools rig once this one dies, since that's all i'll be able to afford and perhaps just moving over to Reaper on a Mac Mini and investing the money into an Apollo set up along with it. My buddy Tad has done the same and loves it.

User avatar
digitaldrummer
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3476
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by digitaldrummer » Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:48 am

I'm certainly not a fan of Avid, but I don't see myself not using it right now. I did look at Reaper a few years ago but it was not quite as intuitive to me at that time. Of course I don't know if anyone has ever said PT is intuitive, but I feel like I know it pretty well.

I also had a Dig001 and 6.4, then moved to a Digi 002R on PT7, then got a Black Lion mod, moved up to PT9 then tried a Lynx 16 and an Orion 32, and finally settled on an Apollo 16, which I have been very happy with. All of this while running on a PC too... I can't say it doesn't have its challenges, but when it does I'm also pretty good at (and comfortable) troubleshooting it.

In Sept 2019, my PT subscription was up and I decided to buy 2 years of support ahead of the new subscription model. That gets me to 9/2021 and then I will have to make a decision. I really don't like the idea of forfeiting my perpetual license, that I PAID FOR, to have the luxury of paying Avid an annual subscription fee? F%^# them. Honestly I'm hoping something changes again before then, but if not I've prolonged the need to make that decision...
Mike
www.studiodrumtracks.com -- Drum tracks starting at $50!
www.doubledogrecording.com

kslight
mixes from purgatory
Posts: 2968
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:40 pm

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by kslight » Thu Mar 26, 2020 1:37 pm

digitaldrummer wrote:
Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:48 am
I'm certainly not a fan of Avid, but I don't see myself not using it right now. I did look at Reaper a few years ago but it was not quite as intuitive to me at that time. Of course I don't know if anyone has ever said PT is intuitive, but I feel like I know it pretty well.

I also had a Dig001 and 6.4, then moved to a Digi 002R on PT7, then got a Black Lion mod, moved up to PT9 then tried a Lynx 16 and an Orion 32, and finally settled on an Apollo 16, which I have been very happy with. All of this while running on a PC too... I can't say it doesn't have its challenges, but when it does I'm also pretty good at (and comfortable) troubleshooting it.

In Sept 2019, my PT subscription was up and I decided to buy 2 years of support ahead of the new subscription model. That gets me to 9/2021 and then I will have to make a decision. I really don't like the idea of forfeiting my perpetual license, that I PAID FOR, to have the luxury of paying Avid an annual subscription fee? F%^# them. Honestly I'm hoping something changes again before then, but if not I've prolonged the need to make that decision...
I considered buying a year or two before the price hike but 1. Didn’t want to reward their behavior (seemed like a way for them to raise a lot of short term cash from people panic buying) and 2. I don’t expect Pro Tools 2022 to be much different from current pro tools, if the last years are any indication, just (maybe, eventually) compatible with whatever next horrible Mac OS comes out which I am also not “upgrading” to so I don’t care.

I realize studio owners have business things to consider but I feel like for my home studio, pro tools is not necessary. Just something I happen to be comfortable with, hopefully I can become as comfortable in something else.

User avatar
Brett Siler
moves faders with mind
Posts: 2518
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Evansville, IN
Contact:

Re: I highly recommend REAPER

Post by Brett Siler » Fri Mar 27, 2020 12:02 am

trodden wrote:
Thu Mar 26, 2020 10:21 am
You and I have similar Pro Tools timelines, starting with the dig 001 back in 2001 or so and moving up to a TDM rig.
I still have both my Digi 001 and TDM system with my Mac G4 10.3.9! None of that shit sells for anything so I'm just hanging onto as a backup/nostalgia.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: joninc and 51 guests