Reaper DAW 3.2

[Dood]

Hey everyone..

well, after a chat with my guitarist earlier today, we thought we would give Reaper a spin.. I have just finished tracking the bass to a new song demo and have to say I am mighty impressed! I have been a long time user of Cubase.. and always found that the later versions just had TOO MANY bells and whistles to cope with. I often found that I had to relearn the program everytime I wanted to do something new.

Reaper kinda reminds me of how easy Cubase 5/32 was to get running all those years ago, but comes with some really nice features that bring it bang up to date and feels as nice as Pro Tools in some ways.

I have found a few minor issues that can make it glitch on my PC.. if I work it hard, but Cubase actually complains more!

I think I am likely to buy after the evaluation period.. unless it lets itself down later in the month!


Some things I have found I really like so far... The install foot print is tiny! (11.8Mb on mine) - You can install the whole program to a USB stick and take it to another PC, retaining all your settings and sessions. It doesnt hammer my processor! I am only running a P4-HT 3Ghz and even with the processor reporting switched on it still hovered around below 10% for tracking stereo Bass against a midi guide track.

So! Anyone else using Reaper?

[lowdown]

I am a Nuendo user...
But have given Reaper a Try.[you just have to, dont you.! ]
And yep it is very good.
For my own preferences i find it lacks a lot on the midi side of things,
Compared to say , Cubase/Nuendo.
But the Bussing side is geat.
The plugs/Efx that come with it seem pretty good.
I am really surprised that folks on a tight budget dont go for it,
As opposed to the cut down versions of the major DAW's.
Its pretty feature packed for the price to be honest.
Good luck with it.


Garry

[cheddatom]

I have been using Cubase fine for years. I have no trouble doing anything I want to do, and I can't think of anything I could possibly want to do that i can't in cubase.

However, can someone give me some specific details where Cubase falls down when compared to other DAWs? I have used ProTools and thought that was fine as well, but it didn't have the Reason/Rewire link up that I like.

[dr.funk]

[quote name='dood' post='218934' date='Jun 14 2008, 06:26 PM']You can install the whole program to a USB stick and take it to another PC, retaining all your settings and sessions. It doesnt hammer my processor! I am only running a P4-HT 3Ghz and even with the processor reporting switched on it still hovered around below 10% for tracking stereo Bass against a midi guide track.[/quote]

That sounds interesting. I would really like to give this ago after installing cubase and ending up not using it because it was overkill for what I wanted. I must say I enjoy the lite version of Ableton Live that came with my soundcard for just tracking down ideas but its a bit limited when you want to expand them. This might prove to be a good solution.

Apparently it works well under linux using WINE too..

[lowdown]

Not sure that Cubase does fall down compared to others.
They pretty much do the same these days.
You will always get users saying this is better because..Blah Blah.
Its just finding what works best for you.

OT...
I even had a Music Tech Teacher telling me the other day that
Macs have a better sound than windows... [Not much hope for his pupils]
We know that it is down to sound cards.
And if the Audio is not even leaving the computor...
That dont even come into play..

Garry

[cheddatom]

I think it's just a matter of finding the sweet spot with a PC. Macs will come ready tuned, so that's why your teacher thought that!

Heh, not to sound arrogant, but when I was a school doing A levels, they installed a "studio" so I thought I would do music tech for my last year there. They basically just had the studio built, and then the music teachers were either expected, or they thought they knew what they were doing. It was only a Roland VS-2480 thing, but the teachers really couldn't figure it out, and I ended up doing most of the teaching for of the hardware and etc, and I also did most people's practical coursework - and all I had used before was cakewalk guitar on a PC!

Well, that does sound arrogant, but it was supposed to be a point about teachers not knowing enough about their subject matter.

[dr.funk]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='220517' date='Jun 17 2008, 12:25 PM']only a Roland VS-2480[/quote]

I have a soft spot for them. We did a few cds all plugged into that live and it was the best recording we ever made

[cheddatom]

[quote name='dr.funk' post='220520' date='Jun 17 2008, 12:27 PM']I have a soft spot for them. We did a few cds all plugged into that live and it was the best recording we ever made [/quote]

It's a great bit of kit! It's just not as easy to work with as a PC.

[lowdown]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='220517' date='Jun 17 2008, 12:25 PM']I think it's just a matter of finding the sweet spot with a PC. Macs will come ready tuned, so that's why your teacher thought that![/quote]

I am Glad to say he was not my Teacher..
I was there at his Private School Networking up his Music PC's.
He was Moaning about PC's not up to the standard of His Mac...they are slow..
I had to send him to Audio Tweeks for XP.
How the F... do these People get these jobs.?
Mac vs PC Arguments went with Dick Turpin.
I use Both .Both have Faults,Both have great points.
Its knowing your software.
I am amazed at folks who dont,or can not be arsed ,
Then blame the programme.


Garry

[cheddatom]

I agree it's nothing to do with mac or pc, it's all about the software you're using.

I think the mac/pc debates can be relevant when trying to choose an "all-rounder".

Either way, how many training days and courses and etc do these teachers get? I couldn't beleive that my music teachers were expected to teach this music tech A level (and they thought they could!) based on a manual from roland. They couldn't even search google for help if they got stuck!

[lowdown]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='220570' date='Jun 17 2008, 01:42 PM']They couldn't even search google for help if they got stuck![/quote]


Good one

Anyway...Thumbs up for Reaper....

Garry

[cheddatom]

but not much point in me making the switch?

[lowdown]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='220586' date='Jun 17 2008, 01:59 PM']but not much point in me making the switch?[/quote]

Not Really..
But try the Full working Demo..I thinks about a month...
Even then it does not stop working,
In theory you are then meant to buy a licence for commercial use.

Garry

[Dood]

[quote name='lowdown' post='220593' date='Jun 17 2008, 02:14 PM']Not Really..
But try the Full working Demo..I thinks about a month...
Even then it does not stop working,
In theory you are then meant to buy a licence for commercial use.

Garry[/quote]


After a month the software carries on just the same, but you get a 6 second nag... but for the price of the software against it's ability, you'd have to be a real tight wad not to buy a non commercial licence!

[cheddatom]

I am a tight wad and a theif!

Any plus point to put it above cubase dood?

[slaphappygarry]

[quote]They pretty much do the same these days.[/quote]

And lets face it, if all you need is audio in and sound out, Audacity could stand up to the giants.

I like Pro Tools and have used it for years. When you get up to tracking 30 odd channels at once it just operates so much better than the rest in my opinion and is designed to be used effortlessly.

I think this more in the interface (actually how things are laid out and 'feel') than what it does over the likes of Logic and Cubase.

Nice to hear of one of the underdogs getting praise though.

G

[charic]

I prefer pro-tools for recording and editing, then editing further in logic. But im awkward. Unfortunately I now have no software. In the future I want a loooooooovely protools system. No sure MAC or PC yet as both have major faults. But we shall see when i have money eh?

[ped]

I have just upgraded Ableton to version 7 lite and it is brill - the same as far as I can tell but allows more tracks tobe used at once. Before you were allowed 4 audio and 4 midi at once, but now I think it is 8 of each. 4 was enough for making 'notes' at home easily, but I call it a pretty good deal for free...

[Dood]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='220738' date='Jun 17 2008, 04:45 PM']I am a tight wad and a theif!

Any plus point to put it above cubase dood?[/quote]


Well I havent really had enough time to make an informed opinion.. but I liked the fact that, for tracking bass against an imported drum track for example, I was up and running very quickly indeed. Reaper seems to put everything in really easy to find places, with useful meaningful names.

Anyway.. There's probably a lot that Cubase and it's heavy weight counterparts have that Reaper doesnt.. but I havent seen another install to a USB stick, so you can take your project and the program it runs on, with you! lol.

It seems to have a fiarly small memory footprint too.

It reminds me of the simplicity of Cubase VST 5/32 .. I only upgraded from that as other musicians had downloaded copies of SX!

[ahpook]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='220570' date='Jun 17 2008, 01:42 PM']Either way, how many training days and courses and etc do these teachers get? I couldn't beleive that my music teachers were expected to teach this music tech A level (and they thought they could!) based on a manual from roland. They couldn't even search google for help if they got stuck![/quote]

aaah, the fun when top-loading video recorders first appeared in classrooms...

[noisedude]

Reaper rules! It blows the paradigm of routing and channels ... every channel is a buss is a send is a return, everything is unlimited and flexible. Want to send a snare to 100 different channels and mix that to a hundred different busses? You can do that.

Want to have an mp3 in track one and an ogg file in channel two, with a mix of wave and ogg samples on channel three? You can do that. And all at different sample rates, no conversion or importing needed.

Ultra efficient, amazing sounding plugins, everything works how you want it to (rather than spending an age working out how to work how Cubase wants YOU to), excellent support community, well written user guide, frequent updates .... what more could you want?

[cheddatom]

Well that's a blinding review. I doubt it has more routing capabilities on the mixer than cubase?

Dood - the small footprint is cool. If I could actually afford to buy myself some usb memory I might do that instead of carrying my pc to and from the studio.

[noisedude]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='221155' date='Jun 18 2008, 09:52 AM']Well that's a blinding review. I doubt it has more routing capabilities on the mixer than cubase?

Dood - the small footprint is cool. If I could actually afford to buy myself some usb memory I might do that instead of carrying my pc to and from the studio.[/quote]
Miles more mate ... go look into it. It makes Cubase look like clunking bloatware for recording. Cubase has more extensive MIDI still but Reaper has made great strides to catch up.

Look up a chap called Aaron Carey who goes under the username Pipelineaudio, he has worked with the likes of Megadeth, Sheryl Crow, Rick Rubin, Dokken etc ...he, along with several other pros, has scrapped his Pro Tools rig in favour of turning up at studios with Reaper and a handful of free plugins from Schwa on his flash disk.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='noisedude' post='221337' date='Jun 18 2008, 01:03 PM']Miles more mate ... go look into it. It makes Cubase look like clunking bloatware for recording. Cubase has more extensive MIDI still but Reaper has made great strides to catch up.

Look up a chap called Aaron Carey who goes under the username Pipelineaudio, he has worked with the likes of Megadeth, Sheryl Crow, Rick Rubin, Dokken etc ...he, along with several other pros, has scrapped his Pro Tools rig in favour of turning up at studios with Reaper and a handful of free plugins from Schwa on his flash disk.[/quote]

Impressive! I will give at least have a look at it.

[Dood]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='221155' date='Jun 18 2008, 09:52 AM']Dood - the small footprint is cool. If I could actually afford to buy myself some usb memory I might do that instead of carrying my pc to and from the studio.[/quote]


[url="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132173"]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132173[/url] £18 for 8Gb USB2.... just don't go to the pub one night and it's paid for! Reaper as an install is 11Mb ... I tracked some bass for a new song and that was only 30Mb the other day .. so thats hulluva lots of USB space for zero cash!!!!