...............yet!

 

Yes, but with the little help of friend Chat there is a LUA script for this:

Spoiler: Select First Note

-- Script to select the first note in a chord in REAPER MIDI editor
local editor = reaper.MIDIEditor_GetActive()
local take = reaper.MIDIEditor_GetTake(editor)

if not take then return end

-- Initialize variables
local _, notes, _, _ = reaper.MIDI_CountEvts(take)
local firstNoteIdx = nil
local firstNoteStart = nil

-- Loop through all notes
for i = 0, notes - 1 do
local _, selected, _, startppq, _, _, _, _ = reaper.MIDI_GetNote(take, i)
if selected then
if firstNoteStart == nil or startppq < firstNoteStart then
firstNoteIdx = i
firstNoteStart = startppq
end
end
end

-- Select only the first note
if firstNoteIdx ~= nil then
reaper.MIDI_SelectAll(take, false)
reaper.MIDI_SetNote(take, firstNoteIdx, true, false, nil, nil, nil, nil, nil)
end

reaper.MIDI_Sort(take)

Did not tested it, since I do not need it. I am a very simple user of Reaper. But it shows what Reaper is capable of for even very smart and elaborate use.

 

Perhaps it can be done in less convoluted way but in my current workflow, I'd export that midi clip from Piano Roll and save the instrument chain for a later use with that midi file.

 

You can save selected track(s) as track template and include midi items, works great!

 

I use Reaper every day for years. This is not a hate post, only reality. It is one of the worst DAW's for ITB creative songwriting and production workflow, and costs the same as or more than other DAW's once you add on the simple necessities to bring it up to the times.

-Drum rack
-Sequencer
-Sampler and Slicer
-Modulation
-Live loop/clip launcher

It doesn't have the above or has outdated and poor implementations, relies entirely on community scripts or paid add-ons that cost more than Reaper.

If you are using stock windows 10< and not floating FX, Reaper IS ugly, and does not give a shit about giving you dark mode menus. Scripts and their workflow is ugly mess.

The community and scripts are cool, but they are not stable across all systems like stock Reaper. You will not reach close to Reapers optimisation capabilities once you start opening scripts. A lot of scripts give frame rate lag across whole project with only a few tracks open, in big project this is death. Many are too big to dock, do not live peacefully in background, require actions bring back up, and have a host of bugs on playback and render.

I come across a lot of threads and posts about how godly Reaper is but they are really far from truth when it comes to creative song writing and production. Use another DAW for this, any, seriously. Reaper hardcorists and those stuck in the honeymoon won't like this. And pay attention to how many people bring up scripts, and why 95% of this shit isn't baked into stock reaper.

 

Thank you for posting this. That’s kinda how I feel as well and I’ve been using Reaper for 5 years. I’ve got tonnes of custom scripts, community made mods and extensions etc. And it still feels like I’m making music in something that was never meant to be used as a composing tool (I’ve got all the scripts in the world regarding the piano roll and MIDI). The same goes for the themes, I don’t get people who simply change the skin and claim it looks like a different DAW. It doesn’t. It looks as ugly as before, just a little different.

What DAW do you use for songwriting, if I may ask? How do you like it and how better is it from Reaper?

 

I agree 100%. I wasted a year trying to make it useful for songwriting and creation. In the end, I gave up on it; I'll not go down that path again! (FYI, I've settled on Logic as the best DAW for songwriting.)

 

Max for Live. Its a never ending slew of user created devices. Theres so many incredible free ones. Some of the most unique synths out in the world are done in Max. Theres incredible sound design and mixing tools too. My favorite transient shaper is Max, spectral processing sound design, sequencers and midi warpers, etc etc etc. I know Reaper has JSFX, but Max still beats it, and you can run JSFX in ableton as well. I could be wrong, but im pretty sure you cannot run Max inside reaper. Although with their recent updates, Max seems to be heading in that direction.

 

Reason taught me about modular routing, from basic to advanced, in a way Reaper never could... But Reaper is way better at it in the end.

 

I love Reaper and like I said, I have it heavily modified to suit my needs, the thing is, you never know when you're going to need something when you're deep into the songwriting process. I could be writing and then all of the sudden I feel like there's some function that would really help the workflow and boom, the flow is gone :P

In addition to that, it just always feels... I don't even know, like this thing I put together with duct tape and toothpicks or something. The commands work, Reaper is fast in general, I'm lightning fast with it, but I don't know, something always feels very "bootlegy" at all times, even after all these years, be it a screenset not loading properly (some ugly grey bar appearing on some of the UI elements out of nowhere from time to time, with no apparent reason) or some random floating toolbar window appearing with the video window, when I only want the video window up.

I don't know, just small things like that make it feel kinda rough. Don't get me wrong, this is probably the best DAW I've ever used and I love it, I start missing it and its functions whenever I switch to Ableton or Cubase, but this general feeling of clunkiness can sometimes manifest itself in a very unpleasant, uninspiring way.

 

Last edited: Jan 28, 2025 at 10:17 AM

Yeah, if we're talking about Pro Tools vs. Reaper, it's always Reaper for me, no contest.

 

I don't think "doesn't come with X or Y by default" makes for a strong argument one way or the other when most people (especially those on this forum / sister site) test drive 15-25 third party alternatives for every minute feature before settling on one of them anyway.

 

Not for plugins sure, but when you're talking about built in audio editors and sequencing tools (say, notation or whatnot) it definitely is a strong argument. You can of course use an external wave editor, but that's a hassle, but I don't think anybody would use a separate MIDI editor.

 

Container + RS5K = Drum rack

Just ignoring the fact that every DAW is a sequencer by itself:
1. MIDI Sequencer Baby
2. MIDI Sequencer Megababy

Sampler: RS5K
Slicer: Dynamic Split

* Tremolo
* Chorus
* Flanger
* Phaser
* Ring Mod
* Automation Items
* Parameter Modulation

No modulation? I am confused...

Reaper is neither Live nor Bitwig. Just like all other DAWs that are not called Live or Bitwig are not Live or Bitwig.

It may not surprise you, but Microsoft can't get its shit together. The Reaper devs are at least as frustrated about this as you are.

That is ungrateful. And yet there are some script developers who are putting a lot of work and effort into both aspects. And usually at the unbeatable price of “for free”.

UI and UX design is harder than most people think, by the way.

 

Last edited: Jan 28, 2025 at 2:26 PM

third-party script such as MK Slicer is probably what @carrots means

 

Well, one can never argue with this is great and solid argument!

Further, I don't get these "What is the best XXXX". There is no best tool. It is all about what is the best tool for YOU. And that's a matter of taste and willingness to learn.

For me:
- Reaper was way more easy to start working with than my first DAW, which was Cubase SX3. I did not understand the logics of SX3, even after reading the manuals.
- The fact that the GUI is "ugly" has never been a problem for me. I could find what was necessary for me and that's all what a GUI is about FOR ME.
- Reaper is waaaaaayyyyyy cheaper than any other commercial DAW. I have a license for $60 that is valid for about 6 years of updates.
- The Reaper community is a true gem: I have never had a question that was not solved within 1 or 2 days.
- Reasonable substantiated new features are implemented within a very short period of time.
- The number of customizations is incredible.
- Reaper works in Linux, so it made it very easy for me to switch from m$ to Linux.
All this makes Reaper FOR ME the best tool.
The fact that Reaper is the best tool FOR ME, doesn't mean anything about what it will be FOR YOU.

 

Sure, I know. But Dynamic Split fulfills the same function.
And @carrots argument is that there is no native slicer (or only an outdated one) in Reaper. This does not correspond to the facts.