He's not only the leader of the company but also the lead programmer (together with a guy called Schwa). It keeps boggling my mind that Reaper is being developed by only 2 people, especially considering the fast release cycle.
I don't know why a link to this site would be on the front page of HN. Is there something more interesting about this DAW over the others?
I happen to use this one myself though. I have found it to be relatively easy to use and one of the more affordable options available at $60 for non-commercial use. They just released 6.0.
EDIT: Removed Audacity mention as an alternative because Audacity isn't a DAW.
Or you don't understand all of the meanings and uses of the term 'legacy'? I meant as in "legacy band"? But probably a poor choice - given there are a lot of coders here who probably associate the term with legacy systems.
One of the things on my TODO list that I never get around to is getting back up to speed with the Audacity codebase and making its PCM waveforms look like the actual wave rather than join-the-dots.
So many random people use Audacity because it's zero cost, and every one of those people is an opportunity to implicitly teach what's actually going.
Yes, they could all go watch Monty's excellent video showing what's going on, but they needn't do that if the tools we give them show everything properly in the first place, they'd just assume "Right I guess it's magic somehow" and only need Monty's video if they needed to actually understand (or argue with people who are wrong on the Internet).
Everything else about Audacity is pitched just right for an audience that doesn't need a full-blown DAW anyway.
That video is top-tier educational material - engrossingly entertaining even though I knew the subject matter already. If only high school had been like that.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of ardour and I'd rather see that on the front page of hn opposed to reaper myself. It's been updated fairly regularly over the years i've used it and it's an awesome DAW to use. The open source audio software community doesn't really get the credit it deserves. Most of the software has come a long way over the last ten years and getting a professional level setup using only open source software is doable without insane amounts of effort.
Reaper to me is the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to DAWs. I purchased it about 7 years ago for $60 and I'm still receiving updates to this day. They just added linux support not long ago and I was thrilled. Also the Reaper installation is tiny compared to most big DAWs probably due to not being bloated by huge sample libraries and virtual instruments.
It also comes the the ReaFX plugins which may not be pretty but damn are they useful. I believe you can get them for free to use in other DAWs.
On the other side of the coin it probably isn't the easiest to get started in and it's not the best for making Electronic Music IMO (FL Studio and Reason are much better adapted for this).
I'm another REAPER fan. It's wonderful if you're looking for a reliable, slim, portable, cross-platform DAW.
A few notes:
+1 that you can get most of Reaper's plugins for use in other DAWs (maybe only for Windows though?): https://www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/ - almost any DAW seems to have decent stock plugins these days but Reaper's do some nice stuff like a clean N-band multiband compressor.
Upgrades do go on for quite a while - though @abaga129, unfortunately your free update train just ended a couple weeks ago. Purchasing a license at version N gets you all updates for major releases N and N+1, but N+2 is a paid upgrade (and would come with all upgrades through N+3). Version 6 was just released this month, so it's a great time to jump in and get a license if anyone's been running that trial past the intended period.
Reaper is absolutely worth $60 (for studios with a decent amount of revenue it's $300 or so IIRC), but for some musicians I think other, more expensive DAWs can be a better deal, for example Studio One when it's on sale, or Logic Pro X for Mac users at $200 - it has a huge amount of stock plugins and instruments that Reaper really doesn't match. Perhaps you don't need them. And many people likely end up with tons of third-party plugins anyway so it won't matter. And of course there are plenty of good, free third-party plugins online.
Though elephant in the room (for me) for Logic is whether Apple will continue to support the pro line. Having a nice MBP refresh and the new new Mac Pros out is a good signal.
Students can grab Apple's Final Cut Pro X + Logic X + other stuff bundle for $199:
https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/product/BMGE2Z/A/pro-apps-...
For everyone, you can likely purchase iTunes gift cards at a discount and use that for apple's pro software.
Reaper has a fully-functional 60-day trial and is a well-behaved app on your system (no USB dongle drivers for example). Totally recommend trying it out.
I have used most of the major DAWs at one point or another (including deep dives into Cubase, Ableton, Logic, and Pro Tools). I switched to REAPER years ago and never looked back. It's absolutely outstanding.
People often cite it as the "best deal in audio," and it certainly is that. But honestly, DAWs are not the big expense for us (my studio monitors cost twice what my laptop cost; the most expensive DAW out there is still one of the cheaper elements of my studio).
I use REAPER because the answer is always "yes." "Hey, can you? . . ." You name it. If it has something to do with audio, REAPER can probably handle it. And it's hands-down the most stable DAW I've used. I can't remember the last time it actually crashed, but I guarantee you it was a wonky plugin.
I've heard it described as "the emacs of DAWs," and that seems about right. As with an industrial-strength editor, there's a bit of a learning curve (maybe an endless one). But if, by some miracle, REAPER can't do what you want out of the box, you can almost certainly hack something on top of it that will.
(my studio monitors cost twice what my laptop cost; the most expensive DAW out there is still one of the cheaper elements of my studio).
Wow, that's up there in pro studio territory. I hope you've invested in appropriate room treatment.
Having also used Logic, Cubase, Ableton, and Reaper, I can't say I was too impressed with Reaper. Logic Pro X, OTOH, is amazing, and Ableton is excellent in conjunction with Push 2 (the only reason I use it).
there's a bit of a learning curve (maybe an endless one).
Ah, there's the catch. Yeah. Reaper seemed clunky to me.
Is there something in Reaper akin to Max4Live in Ableton? Or a nice way to interface with max/pd or even supercollider? That's one of the largest reasons why i consider buying the full Ableton version.
Is Reaper suitable for all types of music or more suitable for music you record from live instruments, i.e. traditional band music vs electronic music.
I was looking into Bitwig[0], because I like its modulators and the way you can automate things.
Honestly, if you're a total beginner, you almost can't go wrong with DAWs these days. All the mainstream ones are superb. After awhile, you may well find that one or another is more to your taste, but that's the kind of thing that can only reveal itself gradually over time.
You'll hear lots (and lots) of talk about which DAWs are best suited to which types of music, but honestly, I've written symphonies using Ableton Live and electronica using REAPER (and I'm hardly alone). It's true that some communities of composers/producers gravitate toward certain DAWs, but -- especially if you're starting out -- that fact isn't as important as it might seem.
Here's my advice on the matter: Pick a DAW (Bitwig is amazing), and commit to not buying a single third-party plugin for at least a year.
The problem beginners have is that they think there's something wrong with their software, when the reality is that they don't yet understand how compressors, and EQs, and reverbs, and delays, and filters (and all that stuff) work. And they think that if they drop a fortune on fancy third-party versions of those things, all their problems will disappear. They won't. Truth is, the "stock" versions of these things that come with DAWs nowadays are absolutely fantastic.
I have close to 300 third-party plugins in my plugin folder. That gives me all kinds of shades of color and nuance that I can use to create certain kinds of sounds and moods. But if someone asked me to make a record using only the stock plugins in Live, or Logic, or Studio One, or REAPER, that wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Wait until you really understand how those components work before you start chasing down "that sound." And remember that some of the best records ever made were made using equipment that is startlingly primitive in comparison to the audio facilities of your phone.
Everything on the internet says otherwise, but it's all about the music and your knowledge. It is almost never, in the end, about the gear.
I have tried ProTools, Cubase, and few others but after finding Reaper I never looked back... my second option would be probably Bitwig, but pricetag is too much crazy.
I've been a Cubase user since the v1.0 for PC arrived on one floppy disc. Over the years I've tried to switch to Logic, Ableton and Reaper but found I cannot be as fluent as I am on Cubase. I also noticed it's like a religion - users of one Sequencer/Daw are unlikely to switch to another permanently and will swear by their platform of choice. Pretty much like the old Amiga/Atari or PC/Mac arguments. I wish it was an easier learning curve to switch because I'd love to diversify but every time I try it's comes to a point where I'm either creative right now or learning. But not both, so I revert back to the church of Cubase (albeit an old version I still use).
I installed the new version the other day and I'm a bit puzzled by the enthusiasm about the new dark skin. I'll have to test it more as I've reverted for the 5.x look for now.
Reaper is amazing. Some of its default behaviors regarding tracks management (especially multi-takes tracks) are a bit weird coming from another DAW though.
The most impressive features for me is the a-track-can-be-anything and the routing capabilities.
It's hard to describe all the reasons why but to me it really feels like a DAW made for developers.
35 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 97.9 ms ] threadI happen to use this one myself though. I have found it to be relatively easy to use and one of the more affordable options available at $60 for non-commercial use. They just released 6.0.
EDIT: Removed Audacity mention as an alternative because Audacity isn't a DAW.
So many random people use Audacity because it's zero cost, and every one of those people is an opportunity to implicitly teach what's actually going.
Yes, they could all go watch Monty's excellent video showing what's going on, but they needn't do that if the tools we give them show everything properly in the first place, they'd just assume "Right I guess it's magic somehow" and only need Monty's video if they needed to actually understand (or argue with people who are wrong on the Internet).
Everything else about Audacity is pitched just right for an audience that doesn't need a full-blown DAW anyway.
ReaScript: can program high level UIs/project manipulation/etc in Lua or EEL2
JSFX: can write realtime signal processors in EEL2
Video: can write/edit video FX in EEL2 (a ton of included presets are there which can be tweaked on the fly)
It also comes the the ReaFX plugins which may not be pretty but damn are they useful. I believe you can get them for free to use in other DAWs.
On the other side of the coin it probably isn't the easiest to get started in and it's not the best for making Electronic Music IMO (FL Studio and Reason are much better adapted for this).
A few notes:
+1 that you can get most of Reaper's plugins for use in other DAWs (maybe only for Windows though?): https://www.reaper.fm/reaplugs/ - almost any DAW seems to have decent stock plugins these days but Reaper's do some nice stuff like a clean N-band multiband compressor.
Upgrades do go on for quite a while - though @abaga129, unfortunately your free update train just ended a couple weeks ago. Purchasing a license at version N gets you all updates for major releases N and N+1, but N+2 is a paid upgrade (and would come with all upgrades through N+3). Version 6 was just released this month, so it's a great time to jump in and get a license if anyone's been running that trial past the intended period.
Reaper is absolutely worth $60 (for studios with a decent amount of revenue it's $300 or so IIRC), but for some musicians I think other, more expensive DAWs can be a better deal, for example Studio One when it's on sale, or Logic Pro X for Mac users at $200 - it has a huge amount of stock plugins and instruments that Reaper really doesn't match. Perhaps you don't need them. And many people likely end up with tons of third-party plugins anyway so it won't matter. And of course there are plenty of good, free third-party plugins online.
Though elephant in the room (for me) for Logic is whether Apple will continue to support the pro line. Having a nice MBP refresh and the new new Mac Pros out is a good signal.
Students can grab Apple's Final Cut Pro X + Logic X + other stuff bundle for $199: https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/product/BMGE2Z/A/pro-apps-... For everyone, you can likely purchase iTunes gift cards at a discount and use that for apple's pro software.
Reaper has a fully-functional 60-day trial and is a well-behaved app on your system (no USB dongle drivers for example). Totally recommend trying it out.
I've used it for more than 10 years, and it's my go-to DAW ever since.
People often cite it as the "best deal in audio," and it certainly is that. But honestly, DAWs are not the big expense for us (my studio monitors cost twice what my laptop cost; the most expensive DAW out there is still one of the cheaper elements of my studio).
I use REAPER because the answer is always "yes." "Hey, can you? . . ." You name it. If it has something to do with audio, REAPER can probably handle it. And it's hands-down the most stable DAW I've used. I can't remember the last time it actually crashed, but I guarantee you it was a wonky plugin.
I've heard it described as "the emacs of DAWs," and that seems about right. As with an industrial-strength editor, there's a bit of a learning curve (maybe an endless one). But if, by some miracle, REAPER can't do what you want out of the box, you can almost certainly hack something on top of it that will.
Wow, that's up there in pro studio territory. I hope you've invested in appropriate room treatment.
Having also used Logic, Cubase, Ableton, and Reaper, I can't say I was too impressed with Reaper. Logic Pro X, OTOH, is amazing, and Ableton is excellent in conjunction with Push 2 (the only reason I use it).
there's a bit of a learning curve (maybe an endless one).
Ah, there's the catch. Yeah. Reaper seemed clunky to me.
Is Reaper suitable for all types of music or more suitable for music you record from live instruments, i.e. traditional band music vs electronic music.
I was looking into Bitwig[0], because I like its modulators and the way you can automate things.
PS. I'm a total beginner.
[0] https://www.bitwig.com/en/bitwig-studio.html
You'll hear lots (and lots) of talk about which DAWs are best suited to which types of music, but honestly, I've written symphonies using Ableton Live and electronica using REAPER (and I'm hardly alone). It's true that some communities of composers/producers gravitate toward certain DAWs, but -- especially if you're starting out -- that fact isn't as important as it might seem.
Here's my advice on the matter: Pick a DAW (Bitwig is amazing), and commit to not buying a single third-party plugin for at least a year.
The problem beginners have is that they think there's something wrong with their software, when the reality is that they don't yet understand how compressors, and EQs, and reverbs, and delays, and filters (and all that stuff) work. And they think that if they drop a fortune on fancy third-party versions of those things, all their problems will disappear. They won't. Truth is, the "stock" versions of these things that come with DAWs nowadays are absolutely fantastic.
I have close to 300 third-party plugins in my plugin folder. That gives me all kinds of shades of color and nuance that I can use to create certain kinds of sounds and moods. But if someone asked me to make a record using only the stock plugins in Live, or Logic, or Studio One, or REAPER, that wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Wait until you really understand how those components work before you start chasing down "that sound." And remember that some of the best records ever made were made using equipment that is startlingly primitive in comparison to the audio facilities of your phone.
Everything on the internet says otherwise, but it's all about the music and your knowledge. It is almost never, in the end, about the gear.
Reaper is amazing. Some of its default behaviors regarding tracks management (especially multi-takes tracks) are a bit weird coming from another DAW though.
The most impressive features for me is the a-track-can-be-anything and the routing capabilities.
It's hard to describe all the reasons why but to me it really feels like a DAW made for developers.