LUFS overhaul, I just read the dev changelog......that's gonna be a HUGE LEAP for my workflows,
until then I was relying on iZotope RX batch converter for bulk loudness operations, and various plugins for loudness metering....but if Reaper handles this natively, I'm all in!

 

Agreed. Reaper has added some things for engineering technicians as its focus. Other DAW's are more fully-geared towards composers other than the lightweight aspect of Reaper.

 

Have you checked out Reaper ReWorked? I haven't used it myself, but I know a lot of composing oriented users love it.

I think that Breeder is mostly a composer, and he made the ReWorked version with composing in mind. I know that it doesn't add anything new at all, but it could make a big difference in workflow

 

Reaper already offers everything composers need...

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjvmrOUg3J0qpyLea1FiRBrpfWyRaUbgg

 

So it can create and print scores for Orchestras at publishing quality, large ensembles and in any time signature? It has full dynamic control in MIDI and has MIDI expression? It can interpret an external 64 part Orchestral MIDI file played in by a composer in another application and instantly have the correct time signature, tempo and every single controller from a different application mapped correctly without having to edit anything? With nothing in any of the 64 imported instruments needing to be edited or aligned?

If you mean everything for a songwriter I'd agree. If you mean a composer I'd say no they are two different things. There are two DAW's that do the above and have done for two decades through not quite as good as Finale and Sibelius and additionally, every other major DAW feature. Every major film scorer in the world because of the lightweight and fast nature of Reaper would be using it if so but they do not. I am sure there are a few but they are in the minority.

If you export a Finale or Sibelius 128 part Orchestral file to MIDI, then import it into Logic Audio Pro or Cubase Pro, it will map the MIDI near exactly to the original. Not even Ableton or ProTools can do that as well and I also tried in Reaper because it is fast and was considering it. Reaper aborts parts of the MIDI file of that calibre badly. It is great for songwriters but not composers.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 29, 2021

In addition to what BaSsDuDe reported, I don't lose hope of having a better support dedicated to musical notation, even if it is in the near future, 'cos I really would like to have a notation editor more like Cubase, although I think that this isn't a priority for the vast majority of users, but a typical "problem" for literate musicians... so, this question is a real pain in the ass for me!

 

I am not anti any of the DAWS. When COVID hit at one point and nobody could go out, I installed all of them Reaper, studio One, Ableton, Fruity Loops, Bitwig and compared them all with ProTools, Cubase Pro and Logic Pro.
The funny thing is while they are all similar they are all different too. I do not believe they can be compared.
I can see why people love Ableton, Reaper and Fruity Loops... very quick and easy to learn. I can see why people like Studio One it's clean.
But for me and perhaps you and others too, I need certain features to work seamlessly with external composing applications on export and some fall short. I am sure they all will eventually do the same things, but at present, they do not. Music iXML is fine but with Cubase and Logic you do not need it even though it has it to translate from other MIDI exporting apps. That's mainly for nearly every other DAW/MIDI app.
I like Cubase and Logic's notation but I found if you use Sibelius and Finale then export a score as a MIDI file, they read it near perfectly.

If you start Cubase and do not create any project and just import the Sibelius exported MIDI file, it creates the project for you with the right tempo, time signature mapping - even if they change in the piece, dynamic markings translated to velocity and MIDI expression, length and anything that MIDI can understand.
That's unbeatable for a composer. It means more time is spent on the DAW mixing and getting the right sounds instead of having to completely re-edit the score.

 

Well, it's true that there are a lot of things, but some improvements could be done.
Right out of my head:
- In the staff / Score view /print
- The way you can manage different ides for the same piece/song
etc ..

I'll check it, thank you very much for the information

 

If native loudness/TP metering and loudness normalization during render/batch export in Reaper is not groundbreaking for you, well, you're just...

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2021

fair points - it definitely comes down to what a composer really needs,
I mean, if someone does professional notation, they don't really need an audio software in first place,
if you can provide some sample of such MIDI file(s), I'd gladly take a look, seriously

I assume there are too few composers needing such thing in Reaper yet, else it would have been implemented/fixed already I guess

Reaper can display MIDI as music notation and also export it into PDF for like 5 years or so already

 

You do know Cubase and Logic have been doing this since late 1980s? Logic was Notator then. PDF's no because that is later technology and originally only on a MAC back then.
Reaper is great no argument, but so are the others and they are all different and wonderfully so
Most of the DAWS built on what preceded them. It does not mean that the originals are best by any means. It is hoped like teaching that the student exceeds the master and software is not too different.
However, they all have something good to offer.

EDIT: EMAGIC Gmbh invented 'Notator' and it became the benchmark for most software after it as a minimum to be considered worthy notation software for musicians, composers, arrangers and publishers. unfortunately, since Apple purchased it (Logic Pro), not enough has been done to keep up with dedicated notation software.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jun 30, 2021

That may all be true. But in my opinion, one should not forget to include the price and the duration of the life cycle in the context.
Cubase Pro costs more than 10 times the price of a Reaper commercial license. It SHOULD be able to do some things better.

 

It does. @No Avenger is an avid Reaper exponent and loves it. Perhaps he might explain the differences impartially
Personally, I am grateful, that Steinberg did not go the ProTools path because if they did, nobody would have any access to the vsts's they do now. I think it's great that it is open market for any DAW developer as a result because we all benefit.

 

I know that cubase does some things better. I meant it HAS to do these things better because of the price point.

Me too. Reason -> Cubase -> Pro Tools -> Reaper (& happily married)

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2021

I laughed at that because it is almost ironic and not incorrect either - The thing is as someone who pays for updates that are not that bad in price though progressively climbing... if you said it should theoretically for the starting price do something that no other DAW can possibly emulate I'd totally agree. You could say the same for ProTools too.
ProTools used to be triple the price of Cubase at one point and thank God they got rid of the proprietary hardware demand. Cubas in price has not changed too much with inflation. It has always been high-featured even before it became a fully fledged DAW. Better? I no longer know what that is.
If anyone asks me I am pretty consistent. i tell them to download all of the popular DAW trials and pick the one that feels natural and easy to get around for them.

 

Which differences do you mean? All between Cubase and Reaper? That would require that I know Reaper as good as I did know Cubase (5) which isn't the case yet, sadly. And it might never be.
Additionally, I'd need a couple of hours for a small essay.
Cubase's main advantage for my purposes was the Logical-Editor which is unrivaled up to date, AFAIK and which I used in every single project.
Some of Reaper's advantages are the price, performance, stability, unlimited plugins per channel (each pre-FX, post-FX prefader and post fader switchable) and a higher plugin compatibility.
If that is what you meant.

 

Cubase 5 now very old (Feb 2009) does not have those. Cubase 10 and 11 do, however. the stability depends on your system components as it does with a variety of DAW's. Reaper's greatest feature to me is it is lightweight. No DAW is comparable there. The vst compatibility in Cubase is the highest of all because it is its native environment which is why on all those vst threads with issues, you so rarely see a Cubase problem with them unless it's a global coding error. Cubase 5 is also 32bit not 64bit.

 

Reaper is the Frankenstein of DAW's. Sure it resembles one, but there's a glaring dark side and all the scripts in the world can't patch it up...

 

I bought reaper right when they decided to add score notation, but not as complicated as a classical score, just try to get a clean score from a funk jazz saxophone part from reaper, and you'll see what needs to be improved.
IE there is no way that notes and symbols don't overlap, also no control on how many bars per line etc...

Even at relatively slow tempo you can't get it clear.

Don't misunderstand me, I like reaper and use it, but as I said, there are still many things to do for composers. Not only the score thing.
Working with midi loop is also not practical compared to other DAWs like FLStudio.

 

Last edited: Jul 1, 2021