I don't give a flying fcuk what Reaper looks like out of the box. I have a customized version of Smooth 6 that does the job for me very well (i.e. it does not come between me and my work, doesn't distract me, and provides the controls I need within arm's reach). With that said, I am under no illusion about how Reaper looks. For the most part, it looks like shit. It just doesn't matter for me.

What does matter is the fact that Reaper does things that I haven't been able to do in any other DAW. Case in point, I use is for mixing. I have my calibrated mix template in it that I import into projects using Snapshopts and I can just start mixing in two minutes. Most importantly, I CAN MIX USING REAPER WITHOUT TOUCHING THE KEYBOARD AND MOUSE. This is accomplished using two controllers, a Minilab MK2 and an Akai LPD8 for a total of 24 rotary encoders and 24 buttons at the same time. I can control my entire project, including volume, pan, send levels, and map each and every plugin I use. It is the closest I can ever get to mixing with a console. This is done using the ReaLearn integration and OSC. That is the difference between me finishing a mix in 30 mins vs. 3+ hours. That matters. A lot. TIme is money.

Any other DAW that can do this while looking much better? I'll try it out if there is.

 

I keep flip flopping between daws.
Thought when r2r cubase came out I would use that because I had been jonesing for it since H2O.
Spent a lot of time on the training videos and I still think Reaper is easier and more powerful right out of the box.
Then FL Studio new version, then Studio One new version.
Always come back to Reaper to test out new vsts and now I am going to stick.
So tired of programs running copy protection in the background.
It will take you less than a day to learn everything.
Also if you are old school and remember winamp it was made by that guy after he retired with millions and he started to play around with music and did not like the daws available so he made Reaper.

 

I'm curious about this plugin window problem. Do you have an example image as I've never noticed any problems.

 

which theme is that? The forum link is not working at the moment

 

Reaper was the first DAW that I ever used, and all the other ones I have tried since just seem weird to me.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9su2evfejxx9b17/I LOGIC V3.rar?dl=0

 

iLogic V3.9, he's offering it for free (previously donationware).

I'm actually now using iLogic V2.65, which is even more like Logic. But he closed that project (https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=187971):

 

This one looks much closer to Logic, than the one posted earlier in the thread. All the non-Logic/Apple icons in that versions toolbar below the clock are an abomination. This one is pretty damn close. Does Reaper have Summing Track Stacks and not just Folder Stacks, and do they also look/function the same as Logic? I think I will check the different versions. Cool piece of work anyway.

 

I'm currently using reARK, RADO and the stock skin at the moment. RADO is cool for the pan & width sliders when mixing.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2023

Sorry but I disagree with you. I'm a composer, I simply use one or 2 themes as they come depending of the situation, and have no distraction while composing, writing music, and or recording musicians. The fact that there are possibilities does not necessarily mean that I use them or lose my time with them.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2023

I'm sure that you are aware that REAPER's approach is very different from Ableton and FL Studio? Ableton Live, as well as FL Studio have a rather straight-forward design that enables you to start making music without delving deeply into the intricacies of the program. In fact, they have a reduced feature set, but one that gives you access to all the most useful features in a convenient manner. REAPER is the opposite here: you can do almost anything you can imagine with it, but it's not straightforward in any way. Most of the advanced options require an understanding of customization and scripting.

I think that REAPER can be a very good option for mixing and mastering, after you have composed your track in another DAW. It's also very good option for "guitar genres" like rock and metal, where a huge part of the composition evolves around recorded and processed tracks. But its not really the first, second or third best option for midi-based / sample-based / loop-based type of composition (think EDM, house, techno, HipHop and basically all other modern genres of the past 30 years), as most users of FL Studio and Ableton do.

 

I'm a legit user, and used it for contracts and make money using it, so I pay for it.
The cracked version works I think, but it's not necessary as you can download Reaper form the official site and try it with all functions for how long you wish. There is only a short nag screen appearing after 15 or 30 days.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2023

My comment was not so much about using a specific or the default theme, but more about the way REAPER is designed in general. Basically UX, the user experience when using the software for a specific task. With that being said: it of course depends on your use scenario. I have a copy of REAPER currently installed, but only use it for mixing. The things that I do in Ableton Live (and have previously done in Cubase - which I used for more than 15 years) are much straightforward to accomplish in Ableton than in REAPER. Creating loops using mostly samples and virtual instruments and then arranging them into full songs / instrumentals. I love Ableton for that and it was a huge jump in productivity and quality of music going from Cubase to Ableton for me personally, since doing the same things I do now in a traditional linear DAW like Cubase was just not as straight-forward. Cubase UI is a bit on the cluttered side (not as cluttered as REAPERs though) and more geared towards traditional sound engineers and producers, who are not accustomed to modern creative workflows, which often entail spontaneity and require tools that allow you to quickly capture and modify ideas. Cubase is far from ideal in that regard, but still better than REAPER.

 

What? Reaper is a Linear DAW. Just like Logic, Protools, Cubase, Studio One, Samplitude, Cakewalk, and even Ableton to an extent. FL, Reason, and Bitwig are more easily grouped together as a general overview. Every Linear DAW works Left to Right along a timeline to the right side of the track Inspector and channel strip, with the exception of Ableton.

I'm not sure why needing to know scripting is desirable. Cool to have available to you, but when you start to need these things for basic functionality it is off-putting. If you want to nerd out in Logic, you have to look only as far as the Environment. Most Logic users don't even know it is there still, it isn't necessary to use at all.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2023

I am have tried out Reaper for the last hours and I am really impressed by it.
But there is one thing I haven't figured out yet: When doing right click on the left side there is the window with "Insert Audio Track / Insert Instrument Track etc.." But when I click on it nothing happens, is this a bug or what am I doing wrong?

 

Yes, obviiously Ableton is made for this. While when I speak about composing, I mean playing, recording and / or writing each notes, so it's a completely different approach to music. I never use sampled phrase nor loops.

 

THis is what he is talking about:

 

lol, cant believe it.
I installed it. trial, load the "reasynth", just to check
And? AAAAAND?

I played 3 notes and it freezed the whole program, with one note stuck sounding (similar to what happened 7 years ago, without the screaming noise though thank god). wtf.

But i wont give up on it, but i cant hide that we dont seem to get along.

 

Thanks, I either click on the FX in the mixer view or right-click on the FX icon in the track view to get the image on the left, so I never experienced that problem.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2023