Reaper

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Brother Number One
Member Since: Jan 22, 2008

Oakey Doakey,

A few people have mentioned Reaper as being fully functional shareware. Before I go to teh hastle of downloading and installing it. Will it actually fill my needs?
Basically will it do everything Cool Edit does? i.e. set the timing of a session, chop up tracks and shift them round, create and use drum loops and beat splicing to the session tempo, add effects, panning, mixing etc.

Basically, how good is it? What are its drawbacks? Would I be better off just upgrading to Adobe Audition?

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Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 12, 2008 09:58 am

Reaper is non-invasive install, meaning if you install it, it does nothing to your registry, or other stuff. It can be cleanly removed, and even run from a flash drive, if you're moving around.

And, it's only 3.1mb, so it's pretty easy to DL and install.

I've been using it for around 1.5 years, spending half of that in trial, and the last .75 actually using full time, ditching N-track.

I don't anything about cool edit, but I'll try and field a few of the other questions.

I've not done timing in reaper, but I know others do. I've usually set my timing in FL studio, do my drums, and import to reaper, so I don't really use it's internal timing. I know it's there, and many people use it.

Chopping up tracks is a cinch, letting you cut (split) wherever you want. You can listen in realtime, hit 'S' and it splits a track where you hit it.

Moving stuff around, duping, changing, is a breeze, and keeps getting better. Justin just added per item FX, so you can have an FX on just a part of a track, but then have track FX as well.

Looping features are pretty well developed, but I don't use it a bunch. I've dabbled with it, but without knowing what I'm doing, I can't comment on how effective it is. Reaper users seem to like it and use it much.

Beat splicing, again, i'm not familiar with. I know what it is, but don't do it. There's a few users over there that have made macros to splice up drum tracks, so the functionality is there, but it may take a macro.

Speaking of that, everything can be put into macros. There is a large following of creating hot-keys to speed up your workflow.

Many Reaperites speak well of Reaper's CPU efficiency, playing larger number of tracks than other DAW programs.

There's also the huge amount of included plugins. Many of which are very top notch, coming from well developed audio gurus. ALso, if you're inclined, you can create your own FX, using Reaper's Jesusonic scripting language. You go right in there and make up your own FX, and use it just like any other plugin. It'll only work in Reaper, but at least the possibility is there.

I wish I knew more about Audition, I can't compare the two.

A few of the drawbacks, I know MIDI hasn't been developed to the level of other programs. Reaper was developed as an audio program first, and is getting more midi as it goes. I use FL studio for midi work, and it works well, so I have no real beef with reaper/midi.

I've heard some people cheesed that the automation isn't up to other's standards. Automation in Reaper does everything I need, so I'm not sure if it would apply.

The forums are very lively over there, with a lot of people adding in. They're pretty decent, for the most part, and pretty helpful for converts.

Oh yeah, new releases are on a daily / weekly basis, often 3 new versions will be released in a week. They may be .# releases, but often they are bug fixes and tweaks. Upgrades are painless, no uninstall required, just drop the new one over top the old version, and fire it up.

Also, you can speak (post) with Justin (main developer) pretty often. He stays active in the forums, helping people out when stuck, or adding in his .02$us where required.




Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Feb 12, 2008 10:20 am

Cheers Mate,

I think I will download it and have a bash.
The main thing I'm worried about it that I know where I stand with looping in Cool Edit and find it easy to set the session tempo and make a loop to fit the session tempo. I make some loops by just chopping up and assortment of bits and bobs (be it drums sounds or the sound of beer bottles opening and me munching into an apple) sticking them together, mixing them and turning them into a loop and I'm happy with that in Cool Edit.
Hopefully one of you guys will have significant experience of looping in Reaper and will be able to give me some guidance.
I assume Reaper works fine with UX2.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 12, 2008 10:39 am

I know that you can grab the end of a loop, or item, and drag the right edge out, and it becomes a loop.

So that part should be easy, creating loops on the fly. I've done it by accident, thinking I was moving an item, but instead I created a loop of it.

I'm thinking that your more specific questions may be better answered over on the reaper forum. I know they post ideas about looping, slicing, beat tempo stuff, etc., pretty often, I just don't know quite what they're meaning, so I skim over it.

I don't know why it wouldn't work with a UX2, it works with my US122 just fine. Different companies, i know, but as close as I get =).

Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Feb 12, 2008 10:51 am

If you can grab something and just slide it out it shouldn't be a problem. I can just build all the bits of my loop and mix them into a single wave then insert them into a session so it shouldn't be a problem.

Would be nice to be be able to beat splice and stick'em to the session tempo but it wouldn't be that much hassle to make tempo specific loops in Cool Edit (the looping tool still works fine) and then insert them.

I might log on to the reaper forum after I give it a go so I can give them some proper specific questions about session tempo and splicing etc

Answer:On a good day, lipstick.
Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004


Feb 12, 2008 11:00 am

Wow PJK you nearly converted me!

Great answers.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 12, 2008 11:08 am

I didn't even get into the routing. That alone has converted many a person.

Folders work great, for grouping tracks and applying FX. Folders in Folders is not yet implemented. The gurus use sends and receives quite often, to send output from one (or many) tracks to a reverb track, or something similar. I don't do that much, but I know they do.

What else, ReaMote, lets you use a second PC as a slave, to run FX on for tracks on the master. ReaInsert, lets you run external hardware devices plugged into your PC, with latency compensated. ReaXComp is a fantastic multi-band compressor, slick as snotty marbles, and uber-easy to use.

I'm sure there's other neat things I'm forgetting, but you get the idea.


re: tempo matched beat slice, I believe that works, as I know they've talked about it on the forum, but again, I don't know enough about it to say yay or nay. Best to get the answers from them that use it.

Answer:On a good day, lipstick.
Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004


Feb 12, 2008 03:30 pm

I was just looking at their website and the ability to export from "Cubendo" as they call it. Looks easy. If I can get my PC running it, I might just start using it. What exactly are the MIDI drawbacks? I don't use a lot, but I'm starting to get more into it.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Feb 12, 2008 04:20 pm

er, ah, I don't know =).

I'm pretty much in FL Studio for midi, so I never really go over and look at reaper's midi.

I probably should, but then I'd un-justify me spending the real money that I did on FL, and that'd suck.

Anyhoo, more and more users are staying in reaper for midi, so it's coming along. I think quantize was one of the problems, but I think it may be solved now. Otherwise, I think it may just be the way the actions work, and what the workflow is like.

basically, i dunno =/.

Your favorite rockstar
Member
Since: Feb 03, 2003


Feb 14, 2008 10:36 am

I use Reaper for MIDI quite a bit. There's not a good drum editor, but MIDI recording and editing is supported very well.

I switched to Reaper from ACID 6, and I absolutely loved ACID. A friend told me to try Reaper out. I decided to give it a chance on my next couple of songs.

I haven't used ACID for anything other than exporting old projects since.

Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Mar 03, 2008 04:14 am

Started using REAPER over the weekend, I properly got into it. I've got to say I'm really impressed. Particularly now I have the UX2 with GearBox.

I did try using Cool Edit, but I think I have some sort of conflict using the two together or there it just puts too much stress on my CPU 'cos while I could open up Cool Edit as soon as I pressed record, I got a blue screen of death.

Its a pretty decent computer but I think, with Vista and all the crap that is installed by HP, HP update, a few other things, Norton etc, when I had cool edit running with GearBox it was curtains.

No problems with REAPER though, its seems really resource light, and with all the effects etc in GearBox I dont have to have any effects on a particular track.

I've also just about cracked the looping problems I had with it after my first try, although I am tending to build tempo spacific drum loops now, which is probably no bad thing.

I still have to work out some stuff with shortcuts, e.g. when I go to "Insert", "Media File" It goes to the REAPER directory in program files, I haven't worked out how to get it to default to my recording directory yet.

Anyway, I had a good crack the other day and started writing a new song so you should have some stuff from me to assault your ears with soon. I cannot believe how heavy the sounds I can create are!

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Mar 03, 2008 07:55 am

One thing I've done, and have heard others do, is when starting a new project, to set the project directory first, then save the project.

Go to file -> project settings -> audio settings.

Browse to the directory you want, or create a new one. Then save the project, so it stays that way.

I did this just now, and 'insert -> new media file' goes to this directory. It also stores newly created recorded files into that directory as well.

Hope that's what you meant.

Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Mar 03, 2008 09:43 am

Nah, thats not quite what I meant. I'm having no trouble saving my projects where I want them, the problem I have is that for every project I'll be using the same directory of drum loops, various things I've been building myself and loops from Beta Monkey. I want "Insert" "Media File" to default to this directory regardless of the project.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Mar 03, 2008 10:02 am

oooo, i see. that is a good one. I'm at work now, but I'll have to see what I can find later.

I bet you can make up a macro / hotkey to do that.

I may read through the reaper forums later to see what I can find. The manual probably has a bit on macros / hotkeys.


Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Mar 03, 2008 10:07 am

I've asked on the REAPER forums the answers I got were generally a bit vague though, just telling me to get the explorere box up at the bottom of the screen. Maybe I didn't actually explain myself that well.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Mar 03, 2008 10:56 am

Yeah, I thought of that too, but now I know what you're after.

That makes sense too, having a 'repository' directory, and being able to get right to it when you need to.

I'm thinking a hotkey is the way to go.

Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Mar 03, 2008 11:02 am

Maybe, I'll just have to work out how to make a "hot key" whatever that is.

I've always had that though. I've have my loops directory and in that there is my "useable loops" which are the ones I have made out of single hits etc. another directory of stuff I've downloaded and another which is my Beta Monkey disk.

If I know exactly what loop I want, and that it will work with the song then I dont mind navigating to it, but when I am building something new and am looking through 100s of hi hat or snare sounds to find the right one it gets laborious inserting one after the other if I have a lot of clicking to do to find the right one.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004


Mar 03, 2008 11:42 am

That's where the media explorer is nice, you can open that in the docker (or not), then zip through and click on one, and it'll play.

Nice for auditioning samples, etc.

Member
Since: Aug 01, 2008


Aug 01, 2008 10:49 pm

Hi. I'm having a problem with Reaper. When I record multiple tracks, the playback delays anything after track 1. So, even though I'm playing in time synch with track 1, there is a slight delay with other tracks during playback. I'm using XP in case that matters. I'd appreciate any ideas you might have. Thanks. Stan

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Aug 01, 2008 11:09 pm

What is the sound card you are using? That might have a bit to do with the problem as well.

Member
Since: Aug 01, 2008


Aug 01, 2008 11:13 pm

I'm using the Zoom H4 as my external sound card.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Aug 01, 2008 11:59 pm

That would be latency then. Even though they claim it will function as a USB audio interface it was not initially meant to do that.

One thing is to look into making certain you have the latest firmware installed in the H$ itself. Then check to see if they have a current driver version for its interface use.

But the first thing to look at is the audio buffer settings. I am guessing they are set at 5112 or higher and that may or may not work well for the unit on your PC.

What are the specs of your CPU and Ram on the PC or laptop you are using?

Brother Number One
Member
Since: Jan 22, 2008


Aug 03, 2008 06:07 am

I've read a lot about latency since I've been on this board, sounds like a right pain in the arse. Not experienced it my self though using REAPER and a TonePort

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