Turtlerock Forum

I'm new here, so I hope I'm not re-running any tired topics with this...

I've been a loyal Sonar disciple for the last 7 years, and while I've been really happy with it as a music-creation DAW, I've found that it tends to get unstable when high track count/complex mixes get to the final stages. X2 was horrible, & X3 (revision E) was a lot better, but definitely still somewhat buggy.

I've been hearing a lot about Reaper, & how it's been stealing a lot of major DAW users. Since I've had the demo of Reaper on my computer since I did some on-site recording for a band who used it a few months back, I decided to take the plunge, buy a licence, & give it a spin on a "practice" mix before I took the plunge & used it on a client's mix.

I have to say, Reaper completely lived up to the hype - it was relatively easy to get my head around, it's unendingly configurable, the routing options are out of this world and it is super cpu light. I run a 64 bit system, and Reaper 64bit even ran a heap of my favorite bit-bridged 32 bit plugins without a hiccup. In short, it has won me over (at least for mixing).

I mean, I know it's just a DAW, and in essence, they all do pretty much the same thing. It's not like my mixes will suddenly be better because of the DAW, but I really like the fact that I haven't had to deal with technical issues while I'm in creative "Mix Mode".

So... Is anyone else here a Reaper refugee? Interested to hear your thoughts, experiences.

Ive given it a go and often record live to Reaper but still mix in Logic as I know my way around much better. Love Reaper though.

Chris H wrote:Ive given it a go and often record live to Reaper but still mix in Logic as I know my way around much better. Love Reaper though.

Hey Chris...Yeah, I totally understand that. Different hot-keys & shortcuts were hard to get used to (although they are also completely customizable), but I was surprised how quick I adapted. I do use a few different graphic art/design platforms in my day job, so I guess I'm somewhat used to "switching headspaces" in that regard, which is an advantage....

I was worried that I would miss all of my "go-to" native plugins in Sonar, but most of the time, I was able to use Reaper's native plugs to achieve the same result.

Argghhhhh - just lost my whole post.... so bullets:

- extremely small footprint / runs off USB key - excellent
- some nice skins available now
- ugly menu panels
- I miss the smarttool (from PT)
- some workflows aren't real intuitive to me....

Similar experience to OP, did my band's album in Sonar X1, it struggled and was unstable as the project got large and complex. Tried Reaper out for the next thing I did and have been using it ever since. For some reason I have paid for two Sonar upgrades in the meantime but have not actually used it. Might not buy the next upgrade!

I also have Protools 7 and find it very unfriendly and hard to use, maybe switching between Reaper/Protools is not as easy as Reaper/Sonar?

Drumstruck wrote:Argghhhhh - just lost my whole post.... so bullets:

- extremely small footprint / runs off USB key - excellent
- some nice skins available now
- ugly menu panels
- I miss the smarttool (from PT)
- some workflows aren't real intuitive to me....

Sonar has a cool smart tool too... I think what fazed me at first about Reaper was the bewildering array of options available. Reaperblog.net is a good place to get some great pointers.

Kurt wrote:Similar experience to OP, did my band's album in Sonar X1, it struggled and was unstable as the project got large and complex. Tried Reaper out for the next thing I did and have been using it ever since. For some reason I have paid for two Sonar upgrades in the meantime but have not actually used it. Might not buy the next upgrade!

I also have Protools 7 and find it very unfriendly and hard to use, maybe switching between Reaper/Protools is not as easy as Reaper/Sonar?

I don't really have any experience with ProTools- I demo'd ProTools 7 when I first got an Audio Interface - that's about the limit of it... But I can completely understand why those who are long term power users would be reluctant to learn a new DAW. I've also spent far to much money on Sonar upgrades

Due to various reasons i'm waiting to authorise a copy of PT 11 on my laptop. Needing to get to work I downloaded Reaper, while I feel like a fish out of water i'm working! I can work for 60 days while I evaluate the program, genius. While i've been loyal to PT for a long time (4.x) this program might make me re think my future plans, especially with my main machine still being a G5. (Although my studio does look like like a vintage Mac parts store, thanks Wez, iaudio)

Me too Barney - I'm milking the G5 (and content with it too), but hoping soon to jump ship onto Reaper.
Questions that have always held me back though >
Can hardware like 192's (+ third party expansion I/O's hanging off the 192's) talk to Reaper?
How does the I/O stuff work in Reaper - limits on physical hardware?
Also do any existing plug in formats work in Reaper - like VST/AU/Rtas etc?

The Tasmanian wrote:Can hardware like 192's (+ third party expansion I/O's hanging off the 192's) talk to Reaper?
How does the I/O stuff work in Reaper - limits on physical hardware?
Also do any existing plug in formats work in Reaper - like VST/AU/Rtas etc?

Little doubt that any h/w / expansions will work with Reaper - I've used Delta 1010s, Profire 2626 and 610, Ta@#$% DM4800, the inbuilt mac and windows audio and el-cheapo sound cards with no issues. Have also used Mackie MCU and Ta@#$% control surfaces.

No limit on track count in Reaper - mac <edit> h/w amalgamation and the windows hardware consolidation work (the name eludes me atm).

Most of the plugs work - I think RTAS may have some issues - the Reaper forum has answers to all those.

But the download is free - and the trial version is the full version - it's not crippled and doesn't time-out - if you purchase a licence you just punch in the number and it continues to function. If you don't purchase the licence it gives you a pop-up and still continues to function.

add me to this list too.
Im thinking of making the switch and am interested in opinions.
im thinking of going with an antelope orion with reaper

Only the first 8 in and outs of a 192 will work with reaper. This is a restriction implemented by Digidesign's core audio drivers with protools HD cards.

If you want more than 8 channels of I/O, you will need to upgrade to a Protools HD Native card that will let you run the full 64 channels via core audio.

As far as reaper goes, it certainly sets the bar high for bang for buck! It drives me nuts though. It always feels like its trying to be everything to everyone. Since upgrading to HD11 I haven't opened reaper once. I only used it for recording/editing, etc that benefited from speedy offline bouncing.

Not to sound like a fanboy - there are peculiarities in Reaper...... the workflow is not quite as intuitive (to me), the interface is not as pretty, you can't get rid of the mixer panel in the edit view, the reaper devotees hate everything but reaper (generally), more will come to me ....

Ain't nothing wrong with having enthusiasm for the tools you use, Ian!

Forgot iLok today ......

Another win for Reaper.