I have used quite a few DAWs in the past, my last one is an outdatted ProTools which I got with student license it has long expired, now Pro tools is a subscription based service and I am having hard time convincing myself to keep using it especially when Reaper is a fraction of the cost.
Unfortunatelly my trial expired and I only have used Reaper for maybe a day, I was under the impresion that it counts actualy usage days and it’s not a timer. I got super busy at work and didn’t have time.
So going by needs as purely home use / hobby. What am I getting with the full paid version? What does reaper have and doesn’t have compared to other DAWs? Froim what I see reaper doesn’t have any “instruments” , which I so not need I have 3 Elektron machines, I own Native Instruments synths and plug ins. I onlyt need editing plug ins, like EQs, compressors and some effects to process my recordings.
How’s Reaper supported by other companies? What about Overbridge? I remember reading that early version of Overbridge were supported by Overbridge but now I do not see it as being listed.
So basically I am loking for any feedback from whoever users, send any impressions my way, assume I know nothing - all info is appreciated. Consider me a hobbyist and a lght user, purely making music for fun and as a free time activity.
Thank you.
You can continue to use reaper as a trial, just wait for the five second timer in the Pop up window to count down. Unless that has changed in a super recent update. The trial version of reaper is the full DAW.
You are correct, it doesn’t really come with any of its own instruments has some stock fx and eqs though. Reaper is great for handling recording incoming audio.
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No, I have no timer and there is just the window to purchase the license.
That’s a bummer. There is a non commercial license, available for 60$. It’s the same as the regular license except you aren’t supposed to use it for commercial work. There is only one version of reaper so the full and non commercial license get you access to the same program
If you wait five seconds, this button turns into a “close” button and you can use Reaper.
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Oh wow, yes indeed. I tried closing with X, I am on Windows OS. Thanks for the tips. The window went away. There is a timer showing how long have I actually beend using it. Thanks for that. I can still sample it.
Well, since I opened the topic, tell me what you guys think of Reaper anyway 
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While I tend to use Ableton for production needs, I can’t stand tracking things like drums and vocals in it. This is where I use Reaper and it’s awesome. That dude Kenny’s tutorials are awesome too, I strongly suggest watching them. While the plugins serve utilitarian purposes, there are other things of ridiculous value like the Valhalla reverbs which you may want to check out also. I’m a big fan of Reaper, but it still follows the console and tape model of recording where Ableton feels more like I’m playing/producing on an instrument. Sort of a subjective answer, sorry…
I used Digital Performer and ProTools a ton back in the day. Honestly, with it’s customizable interface, Reaper can in many ways do a lot more than the standard DAW. I can blow $60 in one night out easily, so it was pretty much a no-brainer for me.
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I really like it for working with audio, just something about the interface and the tactility of the audio chunks in the timeline. Kinda reminds me of working with Acid when I was starting out with computer music.
It is insanely customisable, if you can be bothered (I never have). There’s even an addon you can buy to give it an Ableton style session view.
I’ve never really used it with midi much so I can’t comment on that.
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I’ve used Reaper for years. I’ve used others (Bitwig, Live, Renoise, Mixbus…) and came back to it.
It’s not the best as an instrument. As you noted, it has no real built-in instruments. The MIDI is designed for precision rather than speed. Very different from other DAWs in that regard.
BUT it is a very stable and efficient host for VSTs.
For recording, it’s just the best imho. Absolutely everything is routable in any configuration. It’s very easy to set up recording templates customised to your particular setup.
And for mixing, fantastic. It’s easy to work at an insane level of detail and attack the audio from any angle. Having got used to Reaper, other DAWs made me feel like I was being treated like a child. It’s comparable to Elektron instruments – there’s menu diving, arcane terminology, and times when you feel like something that should be simple is being hidden from you. But once it clicks you have a level of control that empowers you.
So if your workflow is hardware --> edit audio in software --> mix with whatever plugins, it’s very suitable. Not so much as a ‘production centre’ a la Ableton. (It’s possible, of course, but will be a massive kludge of VSts and third-party scripts and so on.) (Or if you have the patience to work mostly by editing audio on the timeline, which can produce exquisite results but most people find too exhausting.)
…yes I’m a fan. And all for $60, with a very active and helpful forum that renders official support pretty much unnecessary.
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