I wonder how it compares to more expensive software like Abelton or Logic Pro. I'm not going to shell out the extra money but is there actually a big difference?
Logic Pro is actually pretty darn affordable as DAWs go ($199, which is more than base Reaper but actually less than Reaper commercial license), and it's essentially an upsell of Garage Band and almost a loss leader for Apple to keep a "creative" tinge (except I'm sure they make money on it, just less than they could if they pushed it - it was more expensive before Apple bought it). It's well worth trying if you have a Mac, comes with lots of virtual instruments that are arguably worth the price alone - but it is opinionated about AU format whereas Reaper is nice and compatible with other things, programmable, etc.
Ableton is a different and interesting beast, a DAW but also oriented towards live performance, electro-DJ-loop stuff, etc. If that's your bag then definitely give it a go (the full version is expensive but you can get Ableton Lite for free or close to it via special offers and hardware bonuses), but if you're working with more sequential music then a traditional DAW is probably more natural. (See also in this space, Bitwig and FL Studio.)
At the end of the day, all modern DAWs can do all the same common/core tasks. It's just a matter of community and workflow/UX - different tools are optimized for different things and entrenched with different users. And Reaper is almost a meta-tool that you can optimize yourself, if you take the time to do it.
Also if you want some Ableton training geez https://www.youtube.com/c/TomCosmNZ/featured I've been watching him play sets for > a decade. Blokes a wizard with Ableton.
Since moving to Reaper I’ve feel like I’ve been in a dream land. Things work in their own way, and I can customise it to my hearts content. Programmable too!
Very happy camper over here.
Jumpcut editing - popular amongst some of the youtube crowd - can be way more frustrating for some consumers than hearing a person periodically pause with an uhm / ahh, or insert the word 'like' several times a sentence, or start every sentence with 'So...'.
* Ripple editing (Alt-P, once to enable for one track, twice to enable for all tracks - keeps stuff in sync, prevents gaps)
* Auto crossfade (enabled by default; just split a clip with by hitting "S" and drag one part on top of the other to create a smoothly editable fade)
* Jump to transient (Tab/Shift-Tab for next/previous, Ctrl-Tab for nearest)
* Peaks: Toggle spectrogram and peaks (this one doesn't have a shortcut, but you can find it in the actions palette that opens when you hit "?")
First, during your recording session, record a track with no performance at all, just the mic in the location that you'll be recording, with no noise gate. I usually record about 5 minutes of that and then loop it to create a track. Having this room sound in the background of the track means that if you split out a word or sound from the performance track, there won't be a discontinuity in the ambient room sound.
I also use the Markers feature in Reaper heavily- the first time I listen back to the performance, I'll add markers wherever I hear a mouth noise, click, or an umm/uhh which sounds awkward. If nothing else, I can look at the markers and get an idea of how much work there is to do, and having the markers makes it easy to move the cursor to the next edit.
For the actual edits, I typically just zoom in on the region around the sound, use the keyboard split shortcut to split the region, and then hit the shortcut for toggle item mute for the item with the word. Reaper has an option to automatically crossfade items on split, which I have enabled, and I can drag the volume envelope to keep the previous word from getting chopped too sharply.
I've been using the Izotope Declick/Denoise plugin, which is inexpensive and seems to work pretty well. I suspect that there are some things I could be doing to dramatically speed up the process I mentioned above- fortunately youtube is loaded with Reaper tutorials for this sort of thing, and I look forward to learning some new tricks!
Where it's going to differ (and you could say lack) is in the support, integration with other technologies, and unique design features that certain DAWs have chosen to specialize in. Reaper seems to be right down the middle and not specialize in any notable way or offer something that other DAWs do not.
For example, Ableton Live (a full-featured DAW that you can do every part of the production process in) has been designed from the ground up to primarily be a performance tool. It's features prioritize stability of audio, flow, ease of use, speed, and the ability to do powerful gestures with a minimal effort, all without stopping playback of the audio at any point. It's favored by musicians who want to improvise or get an idea as fast as possible and with minimal fuss.
In contrast, A DAW like Pro Tools is rich with features that allow for ultra-detailed tracking, editing, and mixing. It's very powerful in these areas, but lacking when it comes to sequencing or doing anything that favors electronic music.
Logic, on the other hand, is a jack-of-all DAW that sits right in the middle. It also comes with an exceptional array of plugins and instruments and a sizeable sample and loop library to get people started who don't already own a large collection of third-party tools. A great beginners DAW that you would never have to feel like you're missing out on by using.
Each of these DAWs have their niche uses. Reaper seems bland or undefined in this sense.
It's very good for doing 4/4 dance music - simply terrible for anything else.
For example, for well over ten years, when you stretched a MIDI track, it would stretch _just the notes_ and leave all the other MIDI information where it was.
Which means if you played a performance on any MIDI instrument that has any controllers at all, it's now broken.
I reported it to them and I was told that was how it was supposed to work. I asked them for some scenario where this wouldn't break your track, and instead they asked me why wanted to do this.
I explained that sometimes I'm a little slow or fast in a track and want to tweak it; but more, I compose by playing freely with the metronome turned off, and then editing the result to match bar lines.
They were like, "That's your problem, then, you must always have the metronome on when recording." I said, "But I don't want a metronome. Often I don't even know what tempo I am going to end up in." They said, "You're just trying to be difficult."
And I ran into this over and over again. For example, they hyped Max For Live for years, and when it finally came out, it didn't handle system exclusives AND it didn't handle more than one MIDI channel(!) Hundreds of people complained about this, but it still wasn't fixed over five years later.
Here's an article I wrote about ten years ago: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sh7fG1cVtjVb5Ml5nYXeew9c...
Back when I started using it, when v3 was new, IMO it was held back slightly by -- no judgment, we all start somewhere and can have fun playing with tools -- one user segment of novices using it for free indefinitely against the license since the trial is WinRAR-style -- and another user segment that seemed to be more interested in customizing the interface and trying different skins than hitting the record button (maybe appropriate given its winamp heritage!). But it's used in professional studios; you can see it pop up in youtube music production videos in the background in studio tours where they're going over tens of thousands of dollars in analog gear.
However - I agree with a sibling post's note that Logic in particular comes with a ton of extra content. I never use apple loops but they're everywhere. There's pretty decent organ/piano/synths included in there. There are products built off a Camel Audio acquisition years ago, some of which cost more than Logic itself. The modeled compressors/eqs are sleepers since many people start buying third-party equivalents. I don't think you should choose a DAW based on value, but I believe dollar for dollar Logic beats out anything except where you divide by zero.
Logic has also had seven years of free updates. Reaper gives you two major versions then you repurchase. Both of those are among the better deals in the industry.
All that said, IMO the best DAW is the one you know or enjoy the interface of, and the second best one is the one used by people you're collaborating with. Also IMO I see way too often the temptation that if you _just_ switched to a new DAW or got a new plugin that magically your album would write itself and you'd find an audience.
Or to directly answer your question, IMO no there's not a big difference. They're both worth more than their asking price. Realistically computers are so efficient now and all DAW software is fairly to very good once you learn the interface. It's one of those things that we take for granted these days but would be completely amazing to someone 30 years ago. Pro Tools' 30th anniversary is coming up and back in the first version most processing was destructive and offline. Now you can run dozens of tracks of simulated instruments and recorded audio with studio-grade effects processing in realtime with cycles to spare.
Like Reaper, it was built by one man (gol) and I believe he's still the lead programmer for it. The quality on stock plugins used to range from ok-to-great, but they've updated most everything old to newer tech (while not removing access to these older plugins if you need/like them) and have added tons and tons of features. Pitch correction (like Melodyne), a fully modular DSP platform (like Max or Reaktor), a full-featured WAV editor (like Sound Forge or Audacity), a very good 303 emulator (like Rebirth), a bunch of very high-quality (if sometimes experimental and difficult to program) synths and samplers, and a considerable content/sample library.
(I'm just a happy 15 or 20 year customer, not paid to write this in any way)
Oh, and the Wave Editor (called Edison) is probably my favorite to use, between it, Sound Forge, and Audacity
I completely agree. While it is true some DAW mentioned have unique features, the gaps are closing all the time.