Can REAPER do anything any other DAW can?

[tabqwerty]

I just wanted to make sure my decision is 'future-proof' in not having to choose Slow Tools.

[mb945]

Yes. It can do anything important that any other DAW can do.

[tabqwerty]

Can it do this yet? https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=147807

[Zlornick]

Sorta yes, and a lot more from what I can tell.


https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=190385

[FKAB]

Can any other DAW do what Reaper can?

[Lokasenna]

No. There are plenty of specific things other DAWs have that Reaper can't currently do.

For instance, I the newest release of Studio One lets you use the chord track to change the chords of audio, not just MIDI. Or something... I haven't looked at it.

Reaper has no chord track to begin with, and certainly no polyphonic audio abilities. You can fake a chord track decently with scripts and an extra track, but the latter isn't possible at this point.

There are also dozens of nitpicks where other DAWs handle feature X better, and we might not be able to fix it on the scripting side of things.

For the other 95% of things you might want to do, Reaper can do everything. It also does a lot that not all other DAWs can, and can do a HELL of a lot that few, if any, of the others are able.

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by tabqwerty

I just wanted to make sure my decision is 'future-proof' in not having to choose Slow Tools.

tabqwerty, Reaper is insanely powerful and can also be overwhelming. Keep the manual on your tablet and read it regularly in the bathroom and before bed at night. You don't have to learn it all, just know what it has. For example, you don't have to learn how all the comps work if you don't need them but know that they are there.

Also, watch the famous Kenny videos that make short work of learning major blocks of functionality. Reaper is really a fantastic app and you will either love it or hate it in the first month or so. The forum has the most awesome people and you will get wonderful help for your effort.

What kind of recording do you want to do? Looping, Live, Full bands ? That helps you learn what to focus on. Rock on and welcome.

[woogish]

that's a lie!

[_Stevie_]

Originally Posted by Lokasenna

For instance, I the newest release of Studio One lets you use the chord track to change the chords of audio, not just MIDI. Or something... I haven't looked at it.

That's indeed a great trick Studio One learned there.

Originally Posted by Lokasenna

There are also dozens of nitpicks where other DAWs handle feature X better, and we might not be able to fix it on the scripting side of things.

That's true, however, often it is the other way around. DAW X doesn't have feature X and period. There's nothing you can do about. It's like a dead end and you are just hoping that the marketing division of your favourite DAW will be kind enough to take this feature into account. Usually this won't happen, because the big DAWs try to satisfy the needs of the masses.

[Glennbo]

REAPER only extracted $60 from my wallet. What other DAW can make that claim?

[peter5992]

Originally Posted by tabqwerty

I just wanted to make sure my decision is 'future-proof' in not having to choose Slow Tools.

Not sure what you mean by "Slow Tools" - Pro Tools? Reaper can do pretty much everything that other DAWs also can, and I greatly prefer it over PT which I do have (10 and 11). Much more intuitive, no weird crashes, downloading and installing takes 1 minute instead of several hours.

The one thing that PT has and which I wish Reaper had as well, is a "comment" box at the beginning of each track where I can leave notes to myself. There's a workaround for that with Reaper, but it's not quite as elegant. But I can live with that.

[tabqwerty]

Could we create our own mods (like on PC games) to suit what we're looking for? It'd be cool to still release them in case others are interested.

[Lokasenna]

Originally Posted by tabqwerty

Could we create our own mods (like on PC games) to suit what we're looking for? It'd be cool to still release them in case others are interested.

I'm confused. You're aware that Reaper scripts and extensions are exactly what you suggest, right?

[tabqwerty]

Originally Posted by Lokasenna

I'm confused. You're aware that Reaper scripts and extensions are exactly what you suggest, right?

Is there a guide on how to do it? I modded Skyrim to its capacity, but still haven't really learned how to create the mods. I'd rather put that effort toward something more productive.

[Lokasenna]

https://www.reaper.fm/sdk/reascript/reascript.php

[CDS]

Originally Posted by woogish

that's a lie!

Which lie are you referring to, there are so many it is hard to keep up.

[woogish]

blistering!!

[Plazma]

OP has been using Reaper since 2013 - check his posts. I smell a troll....

[mschnell]

Comparing Reaper to just one other DAW instead of any (which obviously does not make any sense at all):

Can a boat do anything a car can do ? -> No
Can a car do anything a boat can do ? -> No
Are there a lot of things both can do ? -> Yes
Is a boat future-proof ? -> Yes for some, no for others
Is a car future-proof ? -> Yes for some, no for others
Are there other options than a boat and a car ? -> Yes, quite a lot


-Michael

[Coachz]

Originally Posted by mschnell

Comparing Reaper to just one other DAW instead of any (which obviously does not make any sense at all):

Can a boat do anything a car can do ? -> No
Can a car do anything a boat can do ? -> No
Are there a lot of things both can do ? -> Yes
Is a boat future-proof ? -> Yes for some, no for others
Is a car future-proof ? -> Yes for some, no for others
Are there other options than a boat and a car ? -> Yes, quite a lot


-Michael

https://www.watercar.com

[DarkStar]

@ tabqwerty

The answer to your original question is no.

But, all you need to do is decide on what tasks / activities you need to do, install Reaper and try to do them. If you get stuck, just ask back here for some guidance.

Only then will you be able to decide is Reaper does enough for you.

[machinesworking]

Depends on your definition of "anything".
I've used a lot of DAWs and Reaper hits more large targets than any of them. All DAWs have one or two areas where they're much more ergonomic, and quicker to use than other DAWs, but most have major flaws due to limited thinking on the part of the developers, of the ones I'm familiar with:

Logic has no direct MIDI port access to software instrument plug ins, you cannot assign Port 1 channel 13 on your MOTU/MAudio 8 etc. out MIDI rack to Kontakts instrument track etc. It only allows a generic channel 1-16. To me that's annoying..

Live doesn't do SysEx, 128 parameter limit in it's automation, that you assign yourself.

DP has no MIDI items or objects, MIDI is not object oriented in DP, no cut, glue etc. to use MIDI as objects like chunks of audio in the arrange.

Both Live and DP do not support MPE, no VCA faders etc.


With reaper it pretty much covers everything, any complaint might be in the execution, but it at the very least will do all the latest greatest things in the pipeline.

To be fair, DP has Chunks, Logic has the Environment, and Live has Max MSP and the Session View. There are things about each that might have you use them over Reaper, but if you're looking for basic audio recording and decent MIDI support as compared to Pro Tools I think you're more than safe learning Reaper. The fact that it's really CPU friendly means lower latency, which means better monitoring while recording etc.

[woogish]

I love Reaper, but...........
Logic's Environment is THE most powerful feature of ANY DAW in the business, and
no other DAW can even remotely approach it. For example:
Want 16 or 32 or 64 separate but concurrent channel control over your Mixer tracks(volume, pan, automation-etc. etc.), bi-directional, using ANY controller that has enough knobs ( I used 2 BCR2000s), using NO extra software, or Bank assignments? Do it easily in the Environment!!

[mschnell]

While I never want such a thing, it's rather obvious that this (and much more, such as banking and plugin parameter control) will be possible by means of Geoffs "CSI" extension.

-Michael

[machinesworking]

Originally Posted by woogish

I love Reaper, but...........
Logic's Environment is THE most powerful feature of ANY DAW in the business, and
no other DAW can even remotely approach it.

That's just wrong, on many levels. The environment for one is only MIDI, and in the case I mentioned it cannot even overcome the basic shortcomings of Logic when it comes to AU and it's own embedded plug ins in terms of MIDI ports, that's a checkmate move right there. Max4Live for instance is both an audio and MIDI environment that allows the end user to create all sorts of solutions for Live that far surpass what the Environment can do. Reaper has it's own programming languages for christs sake..

Logic is cool, but saying it's MIDI is somehow the best is off by a long shot. You can't even send MIDI out from a plug in like Maschine or Chtulhu without having to use the IAC driver routing MIDI out of Logic etc..

[Thonex]

The short answer is "No". That said, Reaper can do an amazing amount and often much better than other DAWs. I'm slowly transitioning from Cubase/Nuendo to Reaper. For Recording sessions I'm still using Cubendo, but I'm optimistic with the pace that the Reaper Devs add new and requested features.

[Musicianaire]

Originally Posted by tabqwerty

I just wanted to make sure my decision is 'future-proof' in not having to choose Slow Tools.

Take it from me as a tire kicker when I came to this side: It's a decision you will not regret, if you follow the advice in this thread.

Buy Reaper and... wait for it.... reap the benefits.

[Tod]

Originally Posted by Thonex

For Recording sessions I'm still using Cubendo, but I'm optimistic with the pace that the Reaper Devs add new and requested features.

Hi Andrew, out of curiosity, may I ask you why, and what there is about the recording in Cubendo that you prefer?

Is it maybe that you feel safe at this point with Cubendo? If so I can sure understand that.

[Thonex]

Originally Posted by Tod

Hi Andrew, out of curiosity, may I ask you why, and what there is about the recording in Cubendo that you prefer?

Is it maybe that you feel safe at this point with Cubendo? If so I can sure understand that.

Sure Tod,

I'll quote what I posted in another thread:

One critical feature missing from Reaper for anyone doing orchestral (or any recordings where there are tempo changes) is the ability to pre-record during the Count-Off (NOT to be confused with Pre-Roll).

Currently, there is no way to record during the Count-Off to capture players who may come in early… or who may be playing a lead-in note or an anticipation. In reaper, you would have to have pre-roll engaged. The problem with pre-roll is if there is a different tempo in the previous measure, all the players will coming at the wrong tempo on the downbeat of the punch-in measure.

Nuendo/Cubase have a simple record buffer in seconds and using it in conjunction with a count-in solves all these issues.

Having done this for 20+ years… it’s clear to me this count-off pre-record amount should be in seconds or ms, NOT tempo based. The benefits are that each recording will have the same amount of pre-record no matter what meter or tempo and makes comping and editing in other DAWs as well as Reaper MUCH easier since all the recordings have the exact same amount of pre-record.

[Tod]

Thanks Andrew..

[karbomusic]

Currently, there is no way to record during the Count-Off to capture players who may come in early…

Not with the current pre-roll feature but I've never really used that feature - maybe because of this, not sure, just never needed it because... - I always have a click track (insert > click source) where I keep a count-in of a bar or two.

I just slide it to wherever I want the count off to start, create the selection where I want the overdub/etc. to go, then enable auto-punch time selection - because auto-punch time selection does record what occurs before the selection begins and I'm not tied to any pre-roll settings or anything, it's all right there.

If what I'm explaining isn't obvious, I can demo assuming I'm not missing anything I forgot about but even if pre-roll pre-recorded, I still likely do what I do now.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by karbomusic

I always have a click track (insert > click source) where I keep a count-in of a bar or two.

Hehe, this is one of those rare times then?

[karbomusic]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

Hehe, this is one of those rare times then?

So much so that that thread crossed my mind when I needed to type something and which to use, oh which to use, but I didn't say bar was rare, I said measure is not rare.

[Glennbo]

Originally Posted by karbomusic

So much so that that thread crossed my mind when I needed to type something and which to use, oh which to use, but I didn't say bar was rare, I said measure is not rare.

You know I'm just razzing ya'. Hehe, I personally never say never!

I may type the shit out of it, but I avoid saying it!!!

[karbomusic]

Originally Posted by Glennbo

You know I'm just razzing ya'. Hehe, I personally never say never!

I may type the shit out of it, but I avoid saying it!!!

That may one of the few times I've used bar, in this instance, it was typing 3 letters instead of 7.

[Thonex]

Originally Posted by karbomusic

Not with the current pre-roll feature but I've never really used that feature - maybe because of this, not sure, just never needed it because... - I always have a click track (insert > click source) where I keep a count-in of a bar or two.

I just slide it to wherever I want the count off to start, create the selection where I want the overdub/etc. to go, then enable auto-punch time selection - because auto-punch time selection does record what occurs before the selection begins and I'm not tied to any pre-roll settings or anything, it's all right there.

If what I'm explaining isn't obvious, I can demo assuming I'm not missing anything I forgot about but even if pre-roll pre-recorded, I still likely do what I do now.

Hi karbomusic,

Thanks for sharing your solution… and I have thought about that.

A few of things:


1) This is a workaround… and when dealing with odd meter etc.. it takes massive focus to not screw up. Much easier to have the count-in and a record buffer. No fuss, no muss… just works with no screwup. Less human error.

2) Prepping the project with a lot of meter and tempo changes can also be time consuming.

3) I Cubase/Nuendo, this feature is also a dream for MIDI… (although not technically using an audio buffer for MIDI)it will catch the lead-in notes for before the downbeat of measure. (this may be possible in Reaper… but haven’t located it).

4) The instructions for the session players are very simple… “You will get a count-off in the tempo and meter of the measure to be punched in.” Done.

I try to make my recording sessions as streamlined and as fast as possible. This one feature with the pressures of an orchestral stage is probably the main thing keeping me from using Reaper in this type of session.

Now… editing-wise… I’ve fully moved over to Reaper!

[karbomusic]

Originally Posted by Thonex

Hi karbomusic,

Thanks for sharing your solution… and I have thought about that.

A few of things:

I agree it could get fiddly with more complex stuff but wanted to toss it out there for anyone it may help. I do think pre-roll should act the same way by default and record data.

[woogish]

Using Logic (5.5 Win XP):

BCR2000 sends CC8 to Logic Audio on channel 1

Before it reaches the "fader", it is converted to CC7 through a converter tied to that particular fader.


When fader is moved onscreen, it sends CC7 to a converter tied to that particular fader.

Before it goes out to the BCR2000, it is converted back to CC8 through a converter tied to that particular fader, which causes BCR knob to respond accordingly.

For each set of 16 channels you simply set a different incoming and outgoing CC# to convert.

so-
CC7 in from BCR --->converted to CC7-->to fader--> then:

onscreen fader movement sends CC7-->coverted to CC8-->sent to BCR, which reacts
accordingly

all endless rotary knobs work correctly with this setup.

I'd be very interested to know which other DAWS can do this. And especially if Reaper can, this simply.

[woogish]

Diagram of Logic Audio

[Tomm]

Check out JS: MIDI CC Mapper

a couple of those with a ReaControlMIDI between to act as an onscreen fader might do the trick relatively simply

I used to do a ton of work in Logic PC, it's been years ( decades? ) though. besides the odd SysEx-heavy hardware interface design constructed in Logic Environments, mostly everything else is simpler in Reaper. I do miss a few convenient features of the MIDI/Score editor, but a quick venture into JS scripting can fix a lot of those things. A bit more complex if you aren't used to programming, but I'd say learning advanced Logic back in the day wasn't exactly a cakewalk either...