REAPER vs Pro Tools, is it really better?

[@jboston4660]

Big one: reaper doesn't force you to specify track type. Saves a lot of time and means if a vst is only available in stereo, I can still use it on a mono clip

[@jboston4660]

And another thing... You can mono the master track on Reaper. Nice little feature for testing mono compatibility

[@gjkoolen]

I do this for all my guitar tracks: record mono, and then use stereo plugin. Indeed great!

[@ErickMcNerney]

Yeah, something I've taken for granted since I've basically started with Reaper. But it's great.

[@ColtonAtkins]

@@jboston4660 sorry if this is a dumb question but does that help with lowering CPU usage?

[@jboston4660]

@@ColtonAtkins Ooh no idea...I'd guess pro tools would be more CPU efficient in this respect, as the function each track is more tightly specified. But I don't really know.

[@m1santana882]

5:15 can't lie I thought my thing froze😂

[@joeymusic]

We can help it freeze for real. Have you heard of this thing called “pro tools 10” ?🤣🤣🤣

[@soundfontmusicproduction]

And I thought my connection went off 😂

[@assshakerstudios549]

@@joeymusic OMFG I still have PT10! I've hated it since PT 7.1 where I had to pay $100 to buy an MP3 codex so I could bounce my clients Scratch Track for them to listen to on their Ipod in the car on the way home! Took me 4 hours to do it! Problem is now I'm old and have Dementia so learning new software is beyond me! It's the worst thing ever! Don't do drugs kids! Weed is a fucking drug too even though it's legal now!

[@renetorres7211]

HAHAHA

[@Jacksoni69]

I used to hear horror stories from Pro Tools users about you should NEVER update your DAW in fear of breaking their projects. After downloading the latest Reaper updates for over a decade I can say that it has never happened to me with Reaper. I think the biggest reason some people don't think Reaper is professional is that they have heard of it 10 years ago and thought that because Pro Tools is the same now then Reaper must be as well 😂

[@halimdrummer777]

yehhh

[@squidcaps4308]

We used to have a week long break from both studios when it was tome to update OS or PT. It was never just a simple process but often required a rollback and wait another half a year until users reported that certain combos work.. It was NEVER stable.

[@marcusjosephmusic]

Literally, that constant fear and lack of updating and total lack of intercompatibility between projects and new updates was what pushed me over the edge. Had a ton of projects I couldn't access, then I learned PT used decades old source code, they weren't letting me cancel my subscription till a year was up...yeah, I divorced their system.

[@SHARt_murmur]

Gunna be sending this to a lad that was told Reaper wasn’t “professional.” Good stuff!

[@joeymusic]

Share it with him ASAP! We have to spread the info to let people make the right choices😀

[@SHARt_murmur]

@@joeymusic already did! :)

[@djsusan00]

I've been using reaper for 13 years and I still love it

[@SHARt_murmur]

@@djsusan00 right there with ya! :D

[@djsusan00]

@@SHARt_murmur I keep telling people to switch if they use GarageBand, or some sort of lite version of ableton ect. Because it litterally has no limits, and I used the trial until a few years ago because that's when I actually got serious and wanted to sell my music, and or record people. Please if you use some software that is limited just switch and thank me and Jacob later.

[@francescobarrali637]

Justin Frankel and the whole team behind REAPER should be shouted out with nothing but praise for the great work they've been doing.

[@duncan-rmi]

I just paused the video when his picture appeared, stood the fuck up & saluted.

[@miamidolphin7519]

@@duncan-rmi this comment literally made me laugh out loud🤣🤣🤣 -Miami

[@nickcollins9893]

Justin Frankel gave us The Winamp, AND The Reaper. Nothing but respect for this man and his team!

[@Agiyi]

"Justin Frankel and the whole team behind REAPER"... I used to think there was a team as well... Turns out they are just 2 people... 2... Like 1, 2. They are BEASTS.

[@nickcollins9893]

@@Agiyi Wow. That's incredible!)

[@theworstintentions9761]

I’ve been using pro tools for 15 years. I’m in the process to switching to reaper for these exact reasons.

[@_A_n_d_r_e_]

I did the jump this last year after almost 20 years of PT. No regrets. Reaper does everything and more

[@Mansardian]

You won't regret it. Give yourself some time to learn it and you'll be amazed!

[@kedskies]

You won't regret it bruh... Go for it

[@peterorany]

Just do it ASAP. And never back to PT

[@jeulod.madriaga3940]

welcome to the club that's the reason why Glenn hates Pro Tools i am using reaper for a year it works flowless.

[@Poparad]

I used ProTools for over a decade but after getting fed up with Avid jacking up the annual prices, last summer I gave Reaper a try out of curiosity since the demo was generous and the full version was affordable if I liked it. I've actually never opened ProTools since, except to export some stems from an old session so I could switch them over to Reaper!

[@frankpratte8358]

And it's not a stripped-down Demo version, it's the full version that you can Demo.

[@raifaustino]

The audio community needed this video, thank you so much

[@joeymusic]

That’s what we’re here for!

[@uniworkhorse]

Reaper is the Blender of DAWs. The future is bright!

[@Vyrus-1980]

Reaper allowed me to use it's software fully functional free of charge when the pandemic world shut down live music and I suddenly found myself having to do a rapid evolution into DIY home-recording musician. This is a huge factor imo, as most of us working class musicians don't have a ton of expendable cash lying around to get started, so the ability to create and learn the craft while you get your feet under you is of massive importance imo. I just purchased my license for it now that my finances stopped being so chaotic and I'd recommend it to any musician trying to get into recording, both for the functionality of the program and because of their musician friendly business model.

[@joeymusic]

This is a huge point! Reaper cares about its customers! That’s a huge one.

[@210201941]

Avid gave PT for 90 days when the whole thing started.

[@shayvalenz]

How did you get it free? I’ve been recording on Reason 10 for a little while now but using vst sucks. Luckily I found an engineer who can get my dry stems sounding good. Even though $60 is cheap for what sounds like an amazing DAW, free sounds better.

[@Vyrus-1980]

​@@shayvalenz The way that Reaper has its model set up is that you can download and use it fully functional as long as you want. You'll get the pop-up notice when you start it reminding you to purchase your copy, BUT after you click past the pop-up nothing is locked and you can continue to use a fully functioning DAW. This means you can still be productive while you are working on improving your financial situation to purchase your copy and get rid of that pop-up screen. By far the most working class friendly business model for a DAW I've seen so far (others are going the opposite way and joining that whole "live service" model where they want you to pay monthly/yearly in a never-ending cycle, which is rediculous)

[@shayvalenz]

@@Vyrus-1980 Ok ok. I have been recording vocals on Reason 10. My engineer gets them sounding pretty good. But it has problems using VSTs and just overloads the CPU easily. So maybe I’ll try Reaper, is there a good place to get some good VSTs at a good price?

[@jordandayman1356]

I've been using Reaper for ten years. Turns out I was right all along!

[@joeymusic]

You were for sure! Reaper is amazing!

[@MixYourWay]

+12 years PT user here. When I got into Reaper, customized it, set it all up, never went back and never will.

[@kedskies]

Wise choice (in Davie 504 voice)

[@lastdaysguitar]

I used Protools for over 20 years, switched to REAPER 3 years ago and its the best software decision of my life. Avid has mismanaged and destroyed Digidesign's once leading product, and meanwhile Justin Frankel is making audio history. I really do think there will be a day when Justin will be as revered as Rupert Neve - they are both leaders and visionaries.

[@newmanh]

REAPER IS AMAZING. AND IT IS TOO PROFESSIONAL THAN ANYONE THINKS. I JUST LOVE IT

[@guitarguy4372]

Reaper UI needs to step up from the 'Winamp' look and feel. Other than that it's great.

[@lastdaysguitar]

@@guitarguy4372 Oh, dude you need to look more carefully! - go yo their resources page and select "Themes" they have HUNDREDS of themes that are superb and easy to install to modify the look and you can create your own too!

[@lastdaysguitar]

@@guitarguy4372 Watch Reapermanias vids on themes.

[@ErickMcNerney]

@@guitarguy4372 I love the dark theme and it looks very modern. Doesn't seem winampy at all to me.

[@agirotto1]

Reaper has the web interface for remote controlling implemented in itself. Don’t need for external dongles or extra software. Depending on your workflow, this is huge.

[@mitchnelson2295]

I have used this feature and was absolutely floored at how easy it was to set up and how well it functioned. I used it on my Android phone and my iPad and it worked flawlessly.

[@evillano]

yeah, no app needed! just from your phone's web browser.

[@TheB1gduk]

I did not know this but will play soon 💪

[@Poparad]

One of the best advantages that Reaper has over ProTools is VST! No more proprietary AAX format. I can use the thousands of free or cheap VSTs out there and not be limited to whether a company happens to have an AAX version of their plugin available. Additionally, I love how every track can be anything: mono, stereo, instrument, buss. If I change my mind halfway through, a session, I don't have to build the track from scratch again.

[@ThrashXCV]

I bought reaper a long time ago and don't regret it. I'm now doing a deep dive so i can learn all the bells and whistles/

[@derrick_martin_g.]

Been using Reaper since 2008. After many years on a console and grudgingly making the switch to a DAW, it just felt great and intuitive compared to others I demoed. I have pushed resource usage into the 90% range and it just sails right along without a hiccup. Thanks for spreading the word.

[@stonail665]

The most important feature in Reaper is the Action list (custom actions, macros, scripts). New Razor editing is also very useful.

[@NLongleng]

REAPER is the Future !!!! Period.

[@eightfootmanchild]

I am a new Reaper convert, after 21 years as a Pro Tools user. I'm happy, and I ain't lookin back.

[@Billyssword]

Another reason to use Reaper: You can do 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, 8 channel etc.. with reaper whereas in Pro tools you need the ultimate version do be able to do surround sound. Working in film post-production, this makes a HUGE difference (especially concerning the pricing).

[@alexandre7634]

It must be hard to work in film with reaper, I mean everyone works on pro tools from sound editing to mixing and they only have pro tools in the studios

[@potestoniko]

​@@alexandre7634well it's not imposible, and to be fair, there's a group of engineers myself included that are trying to make reaper a new standard there too.

[@Barryislarge]

Lots of larger studios are actually beginning to implement Reaper. There's a reason David Farmer uses Reaper for his Sound Design work; nobody would call him unprofessional.

[@joeymusic]

David Farmer is a kingggg! -Miami

[@anupamc176]

Is it true that studios are on a shift? If so then it's really good💕

[@mattxoverbey]

I’m so used to Pro Tools because that’s what I’ve had to learn in school and I’m comfortable with the workflow. Having said that, I’ve loved Reaper since I purchased it. Can’t wait to spend more time with it once I graduate.

[@joeymusic]

Great to hear you gave it a shot and are gonna spend more time with it!

[@khalnayakji]

What are you doing ? What are your courses?

[@mattxoverbey]

@@khalnayakji it’s a recording arts program. It goes into recording and mixing for music, film and video games.

[@badfish41969]

You can get a pro tools theme for reaper, might help your work flow 🤷‍♂️

[@mattxoverbey]

@@badfish41969 True that. Time to search the reaper forums. Haha.

[@Eljulitus]

As a professional within post production for 23 years I absolutely adore Pro tools....when it comes to _audio editing_ only! This is due to the incredible _speed_ PT is offering shortcut ninjas like me. Shortcuts are not adjustable in PT. And yet no other DAW I`ve bought and know (Reaper, Logic and Cubase) , is nearly as good with shortcuts. Moving a region/sound clip to another track, from..say two ours timestamped back one hour in the timeline, strip silencing it, adjusting the start length and the clip`s overall length, and in perfect lip sync with the picture, will take me approximately 8-10 seconds. Without the use of macro programs, and with minimal use of mouse. PT has other benefits over other DAWs too, like a very wide functionality of the markers and the Suspend Automation, just to mention some. Btw: *Whether you`re using mouse, shortcuts or a controller, slip editing works perfectly fine in Pro tools! And has done so for at least 15 years already.* Combine PT with a third party macro program like QuicKeys, and the possibilities are basically limitless! I did a job in 2 days that would normally take me 2 weeks. Shortcuts and speed were important to _me_ because of the dead lines. But mostly because I have tendinitis in my arms, which makes it impossible for me to use a mouse for too long at a time. *And this would have been the ONLY reason for me to keep using PT professionally!* Because any other DAW than Pro tools is preferable for all other reasons than tendinitis, speed and key commands. I have no problem with crashes ( I always use PT on Mac). Yet, in my opinion; AVID sucks! They ruined Pro tools by breaking it up into pieces you had to pay a fortune to put back together. Command8 and old PT HD was all I needed back then. Today, everything with PT is utterly expensive. The company I worked for had to replace a lot of equipment to meet AVIDs requirements. At least my job could afford it. But I cant afford one at home anymore. AVID is not treating their customers well. Any other DAW sounds just as great anyway. Besides, I find instruments and midi programming and editing in PT clumsy and impractical compare to Logic Pro X and Reaper.

[@SeleDreams]

I'd say, one thing they didn't mention in the video is that reaper supports plugin programming to extend the reaper editor, this allows people to make plugins adding new shortcut capabilities and all so on this level with a plugin you probably could setup reaper to get a workflow as good as the one of pro tools for shortcuts

[@georgyj111111]

I edit faster in Reaper. Took some configuration time in the beginning.

[@Eljulitus]

@@georgyj111111 I bet. I dont edit faster in anything else without AHK, that is 😊

[@malegria9641]

I’m a year late but I absolutely agree. I use it with QLab when I’m doing sound for plays n shit, but I could never imagine using it for music. I’m too used to fl studio for that 😅

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

0:00 - Short answer: Yes. Yes, it is. The only excuse for using Pro Tools is really just legacy. When I started home recording, Reaper's price tag was just a no brainer, and it has never disappointed me since. Heck, now I even edit my _videos_ with it; and while it does have its limitations there, it is orders of magnitude faster and hogs far less system resources than, say, Da Vinci Resolve - and I get far more powerful sound editing options than in _ANY_ video editor - sidechain compression for speech just to begin with. It is fast and portable and priced incredibly affordable. What more could anyone want? Oh yeah, legacy...

[@uniworkhorse]

wait, video editing in reaper? That sounds like a great idea! The sidechain compressor for dialogue must be a game changer!

[@godboy159]

Naw, I use pro tools because I like the workflow and tracking with the HD version with HDX cards with no latency without having to drop buffers is indispensable for someone that tracks a lot. I could never get into Reaper even though I tried to use it for a year a while ago. I tried to love it because it's freaking cheap. lol.. But hey enjoy Reaper! Just don't speak for those of us that actually enjoy working inside Pro Tools. Besides I make enough off of my pro tools system to justify the cost. Interestingly I own every major DAW available to be able to open what ever session comes into my spot including Reaper as any professional mixer or studio owner should. You edit video with Reaper? You sound ignorant. Davinci Resolve (which I use) has had side chaining or ducking available since 2018. Like with Pro Tools/hardware/tracking features I use Resolve with appropriate hardware in order to edit and color grade multiple layers of 4 to 8k RAW video at full resolution. The color grading features in Resolve alone are worth the price of admission (FREE) to use Resolve. lol And I can easily move my sessions between Resolve and PT for deeper audio editing and mixing using the file transfer feature. Though Resolve with Fairlight has the most feature based audio editor of any NLE.

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

@@godboy159 No other app kept crashing as reliably as Da Vinci for me, with abysmal loading times that Reaper beats by several degrees. Sorry, in terms of reliability, this is no contest for Reaper.

[@godboy159]

@@Noone-of-your-Business lol, like I said. I don't have the problems you have. I run all my software on machines that can support them properly. I haven't had a Resolve crash in probably over a year. But I run it on an 8 thousand dollar machine built exclusively for Resolve. And the last time I had a crash it wasn't Resolve, it was a new driver from NVIDIA that caused an issue. I also run over 100 TB of raid arrays to stream upwards of 1000 MBps uncompressed or lightly compressed RAW video. I rarely edit Mp4 files since I shoot video with proper cinema cameras where 1 file for 2 minutes can be upwards of 100 gb of data. You can't color grade video in Reaper. It's like Pro Tools, it has a basic video engine where you can do basic edits. Pro Tools is similar for me. I run 2 HDX rigs (With every DAW on it) and a portable laptop. I don't have the problems you are having. And I run huge sessions daily. In a former life I was a system builder and 9 times out of 10 the crashes were the fault of the user and how they had the machine setup. But I do understand that Reaper has an ultra light load on the system and I wish other apps did as well. But that's not the case and I don't choose the software I use because it runs on my cheap ass machine. I match the machine to the software because I choose software to do a job. I don't sit in my bedroom doing a job here and there. I do it for a living.

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

​@@godboy159 See? Not everybody has $8,000 to spend on a computer,not everybody earns their money editing video, and not every video needs Hollywood level image processing to be good and informative - like this one here. And I dare say I am part of a majority there.

[@theinsolent2522]

Awesome Video! I'm using reaper for two month now and I love it! I tried ProTools First a little over a year ago and totally failed. I nearly gave up on my dream of recording music at home. In just two month of reaper I got multiple Songs down and thinking about dropping 3 of those as an EP So Reaper is AWESOME :)

[@curseleisure5507]

Great video! Another feature I like in Reaper is the ability to add plugins to individual clips. This has saved my butt quick and easy many times to make different takes match each other (or sound different if needed) with clip-level EQ, reverb, etc.

[@eduardopatricio]

Reaper is amazing!! Using it for about 13 years now.

[@joeymusic]

13 years?! Legendary

[@uniworkhorse]

Bro your segue game is on another level!

[@joeymusic]

Appreciate you bro! I put my soul into them 😂 -Miami

[@DimitriFantini]

I've used $10k Pro Tools rigs for years and years, currently I run a commercial studio with every DAW available ... I'm using Reaper 95% of the time and moving to producing in Reaper 100% of the time

[@joeymusic]

This is exactly my reality! -Miami

[@filipwojcik778]

Same here. I passed school with PT, but since working on my own reaper is 100%, and even my teaher isn't so fast on PT. I made dozens of custom actions. ;)

[@BamBamTheInfluence]

Reaper: 1. 64 audio channels per mixer track 2. Advanced routing features 3. Advanced "side chaining" for All parameters 4. Built-in pitch correction (both auto & manual) 5. Great stock plugins plus use any 3rd party plugin format 6. Extremely Advanced render options & render queue with flexible naming options when rendering multiple items. 7. 16 customizable tool bars 8. Create your own keyboard shortcuts 9. Create custom macros which automates multiple commands into 1 action then map that to a keyboard shortcut 10. Portable install 11. Advanced multiple layered "track freeze" with the ability to go all the way back to the original state even after closing the project 12. Load project in offline mode to troubleshoot buggy vsts 13. Extremely low RAM & CPU usage 14. Amazing noise removal 15. Vocal alignment function built-in 16. Versatile time Stretch options 17. Open & switch between multiple sessions 18. Remote session collaboration tools (NinJAM) 19. Online repository with over 2000 community based enhancements including plugin 20. Sub-project linking 21. Remote control daw via any web browser 22. ChordGUN 23. MIDI key lock 24. Save "undo" as a part the project for unlimited "undos" at anytime 25. Loop record & create take lanes for both audio & midi to capture the perfect performance or use comping to achieve the perfect take 26. Tempo lock samples to your project with built-in sample browser 27. Delta solo 28. Ara support 29. Agnostic tracks... Meaning there are no specific track type. 30. Put Midi, audio, mono, stereo, video or image files, all on the same track 31. Media browser can show 🎶 notes being played in the sample being previewed 32. Video editing & rendering

[@Songbuilderstudios]

Right on man. Very well laid out video here. I've used PT for 17 years but using Reaper more and more....

[@drutgat2]

Very informative, and it is so nice to listen to somebody who is so articulate. Thank you.

[@waedi73]

Great show. There is so much disadvantage in the internet about PT that I even don't try to find a hacked version.

[@joeymusic]

Glad you’re loving the episodes man!

[@philipdubnick7776]

One friendly correction from a regular user of both PT and Reaper: While Reaper’s implementation is, in fact, a bit more elegant, PT has long had the equivalent of slip edits - there are shortcuts not just for nudging clips as a whole but also for nudging the content within clip regions, which is the same as slip editing and isn’t as clunky as just nudging the clip then adjusting bounds and re-crossfading. Reaper’s take is perhaps more efficient by a very slight amount, but PT’s audio editing workflow and key command layout for editing audio really is worthy of praise - it is insanely well thought out and implemented. Not a Reaper hater by any means - PT and Reaper are my daily drivers and I’d even say Reaper covers a few more bases for me in a way I prefer than PT, but slip editing isn’t something that PT lacks.

[@georgepelekoudis]

Thank you. You saved me writing a well detailed comment 😅 Also a PT user since V5 + REAPER user for the last five years. I’m using PT Ultimate, and I believe there’s also a case to be made for the advanced automation features.

[@ErickMcNerney]

I've found that it's fairly easy to discover new features and abilities in Reaper. If that feature in PT was mistakenly omitted in the video, then it would seem the feature wasn't very intuitively implemented. It would make sense just based on my limited experience with PT. Back when they gave away that joke of a free version, I tried it out, thinking - "this is the industry standard... so I'd better give it a go".... but it was so cumbersome and complicated looking and it was not clear at all what I was able to do with it. So I never bothered with it again. I just keep using Reaper. I also tried Cubase a little bit. I liked it better than PT, but the authorization process didn't work right half the time, and when I'd have to switch PCs it was a pain. So...through it all Reaper has been consistent and just made intuitive sense. So there's no reason for me to force myself to use PT.

[@godboy159]

@@ErickMcNerney Mistakenly? No, it's because people like this don't know what they are talking about because they are not deep into Pro tools. It's the biggest mistake people like this make when doing videos. Not realizing the full depth of such and such program. For me a long time Pro Tools / Nuendo user that tried to get into Reaper because of it's price found it just wasn't very intuitive for me. See how that works? This was because I was used to other programs. I used to sell, install and teach audio software hardware systems and since I knew how to use almost every program available I would suggest based on the user. Many times I suggested Ableton live even though that wasn't my main choice because of how if flows for loop based song creation and recording. Something neither Pro Tools nor Reaper can compete with. It's in its own league. Another thing to for a client to think about is compatibility with other users. And the fact that if they are doing this "professionally" you kind of need to purchase and be able to use almost every DAW. Like for me I own every DAW in order to open up sessions from clients to transfer them into Pro Tools. Trust me, I wish I could get into Reaper for it's price alone. Not happening here. It also looks like shit. The Gui reminds me of windows with its crappy font integration.

[@piscesman54]

@@godboy159 You don't seem to be the average user. Many musicians (especially us older ones) are not that tech-savy. When I started out, I went crazy with PT. I did not find it at all intuitive, it crashed frequently, and after a few months, I simply could not get the hang of it. Somebody told me about Reaper. I was up and running in a matter of weeks and was able to start working without forking out a single dollar. People who are very computer-savy seem to have a hard time understanding that not everybody is like that, and many don't even want to be like that. Did I mention I'm able to run it on a 10-year old computer with a 2nd generation processor and 6 GB of RAM? And I've run project with up to 80 tracks crammed full of heavy plugins. Try that in PT. I did. On the same computer. It was a freaking nightmare.

[@godboy159]

@@piscesman54 I find Reaper to be something you need to be more computer savvey to operate. I've never had ANY of the problems you had with pro tools except with the free version years ago. What a mess that version was. I'm glad you've found something to work. But I'd say it's user error, or that over PT software I mentioned. I still run my Pro Tools sessions on 10 year old Mac pro's. Video editing on the other hand for high resolution / RAW files requires a bit more so for that I have newer high end PC. So really I'm doing the same as you and I don't have the issues you had. My audio projects run on 10 year old 2012 Mac Pros. One of them, I have 3 (1 for each room) is a 2010 mac pro and it handles most sessions just fine. And I'm 51 years old and I've installed and taught many many older people how to use these systems. Some of ya'll are just dense. But I'm glad you found something that worked. I work with thousands of artists and need to be compatible with all. I track large bands and I need a system that can track and punch in with near to 0 latency with proper monitoring. I either do that with Pro Tools HDX or via a UA Apollo Quad. So I call BS.

[@mellowords]

Really nailed the main philosophical points. You didn't even have to mention Render Queuing...when I have to make alternate mixes for either artists (mix1, mix2_more reverb, mix3_mastered etc), or production music houses (track_no drums, track_piano, track_bumper, etc), it feels like an absolute necessity. I feel so sorry for engineers who have to sit there and wait for every render one by one. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that.

[@NoThumb]

I'm currently in a community college course to learn the basics of recording (in case I missed anything) and we're being forced to learn Pro Tools which is crazy. I've been using Reaper for two years so I figured I'd be able to use it in the class but since Pro Tools is the "iNdUsTry sTaNdArD" we have to learn that and it's super clunky compared to Reaper I really didn't want to even try learning it

[@malegria9641]

Same situation here, but I use FL 😅

[@samuelconnolly347]

Great video. I used to work in a developing country and we set up our own little recording studio. Pro Tools and the other big DAWs were miles out of our budget (as in, more than a teacher's salary). Reaper on the other hand? Cheap, and they gave us a generous discount. I'd never heard of it before and I was skeptical, thinking we might as well just use Audacity if we were going to use some unknown software, but boy was I wrong. Never used anything else since. Amazing software and so consumer friendly. Now all we need is for Cockos to take on Adobe so we can have a consumer-friendly alternative to Creative Cloud...

[@Blue_3rd]

Thanks for the video. I started using Reaper a few weeks ago. I had it installed and working so quickly it surprised me! I have found it easy to use so far, especially when I do something stupid and need to recover or ‘repair’ a track - I am sure that I will use slip editing very often :) The on line Reaper community is very quick to help too. Subbed. Cheers!

[@ErickMcNerney]

I'm not sure if other daws can do this, but I know in Reaper you can run FL studios, Ableton, and Reason (and maybe you can run more DAWs in it, but those are the only ones I've used). And you can just use them as if they're a VST instrument and record parts with them.

[@DogBoots77]

So many things: I'm gonna mention Spectral Peaks. Try editing/time aligning an entire 13-piece big band horn section playing legato runs. With spectral peaks you can see where the individual notes are. HUGE time saver.

[@illegaltendenciesstudios6302]

20 Avid engineers disliked this video

[@kedskies]

@@doktorsardonicus335 true words lmao

[@teashea1]

Very well done. Articulate and intelligent and efficient presentation with excellent production values.

[@Endever42]

One of my favorite features: the rendering window with all its highly customizable glory... there is even a rendering matrix letting you choose exactly what to bounce to where, using whatever name you want with wildcards and in multiple file formats... Excellent for bouncing rehearsal recordings to individual songs

[@dynamic.staccatto8241]

Joey man, when you were talking about software crashing, I spit out my morning coffee when you froze and immediately subbed. That shit is so funny.

[@joeymusic]

Just a heads up, the person in this video is Miami, the director of content for Joey Sturgis Tones! But glad you loved the video man! We’re happy to have you here

[@dynamic.staccatto8241]

@@joeymusic I quickly realized my mistake when I started down the rabbit hole of this epic channel. Keep up the great work!

[@JackPonissi]

I just came out of a pro tools course at my university. Got by fine with pro tools first to pass my exam, but it was enough to make me hope I never have to use the program again. I never had a program crash so much on me, I’m definitely not giving avid my money anytime soon. By the way, if your software has a CUSTOM crash window it does tell you something, doesn’t it?

[@ThenSoItGoes]

You can slip edit within regions in PT, BUT you are still restricted to the nudge value. Highlight your region you want to slip edit and then on Mac: Command+Option+Plus/Minus (+/-) keys. Windows: Ctrl+Alt+Plus/Minus (+/-) keys

[@leonline3424]

i've been using reaper since 2008 , never looked back !! Has so many options !!

[@MarkJKLawrence]

I bought Reaper in 2010 (v3) and had been using it for quite a while before. By far the best DAW out there!

[@rumar4u]

I know it's not something outrageous, but PT uses iLok (which I learned to accept) while Reaper... you know the rest :)

[@BillMellow]

For a single system user, yes iLok could be seen as something you need to begrudgingly accept. If you are like me and use up to 11 different systems on both OSX and Windows in the span of a week, iLok is amazing.

[@joeMW284]

One of the reasons I ditched cubase for reaper is I was so goddamn tired of sweating over that USB key. I was on my second one and it was being held together with duct tape. I travel a lot and not having crap sticking out of my USB ports is a beautiful thing.

[@EvilDragon666]

@@BillMellow But that's simply not even necessary. Reaper's "copy protection" is not invasive or intrusive. You just copy the license file and GO GO GO!

[@godboy159]

Half my plugins are on Ilok. So I need to use the ilok anyways. Oh, and I've never had an ILOK fail up to this point. 10 years strong so far. I get the feeling someone is using cracked software for their plugins.

[@rumar4u]

@@godboy159 You have a wrong feeling about things buddy. I constantly switch between my workstation and my laptop for live gigs. And nothing is more frustrating than forgetting your iLok dongle in your other machine while traveling or just when you got to another studio.

[@markoburrows]

This is a phenomenal video Sir, well done and thank you very much!

[@joeymusic]

So glad you liked it! What was your biggest takeaway?

[@richmiester2555]

I dumped Pro Tools 3 years ago for Reaper. Reaper is far more powerful(which can be a bad thing if your new to DAW). However you don't have to dive deep unless you want. One thing the video didn't mention was the free plugins that come with Reaper and being able to use VST files.

[@lyledurand]

Reaper gang for the last decade now!

[@joeymusic]

Heres to 10 more years!

[@newmanh]

I AM A FULL FAN OF REAPER. HOWEVER MUCH ALL MY BEATS ARE MADE FROM SERATO...BUT I JUST LOVE HOW REAPER MAKES EVERYTHING EASY STRAIGHT AND MULT....

[@rogueshadow12]

Hey Miami! Ever since you've been in charge of content, JST videos have become way more entertaining and educational. Keep doing what you're doing man!

[@TheOneAndOnlyFroBoy]

I use Reaper at home and PT at work and the main difference that's pushed in favor of PT over other DAWs incl. Reaper is more of a hardware advantage. PT, when run with the proprietary hardware, allows for DSP outside of the host computer, which is awesome. However, MOST engineers aren't going to be able to justify purchasing the AVID converters on top of the ridiculous software pricing in order to take advantage of that feature. So in the end, with similar setups, Reaper could be the more logical choice for anyone in the beginner to mid-tier level (which is most of us). I would just say that knowing both is a great skill set to have, as would knowing other popular DAWs that are on the market.

[@AdamClairmont]

A lot of great points! I agree with it all as a Protools user for over 15 years. Biggest problem isn't the whats best, its the what people know and what people (most studios) have invested in. It's just hard for so many to abandon it for another DAW that could be a better fit, when so many clients and collaborators are in PT. Great video dude!

[@joeymusic]

Thanks so much Adam! Your name sounds familiar, do you work in film? -Miami

[@AdamClairmont]

@@joeymusic hey man, yeah a little bit in post for tv and film. Some music, etc. Audio junkie so I do alot of things ;) I'm gonna be spendingg some time checking out more of your vids. Really think you did great on this. More please!!!

[@TheRajaonarisoa]

In Reaper you can "sidechain" all parameters inside of your plugin ! This is amazing !!! You can use it for mastering or for sound design ! 🤪😜

[@rafaelceottomusic6918]

Reaper is amazing not only for the price but every single advantage over other daws.

[@kayleblarkin773]

I have been using reaper for 8 years now ha. My music teacher in high school owned his own studio in Canada, and this is what he started all of us on. Still using it to this day.

[@Canu16]

Not to mention the priceless work of Kenny Gioia (and others) on YT!!! I’m learning so much thanks to his content!!!

[@Derpadeedooda]

I used pro tools for over ten years and just recently switched to Reaper and I love it. The ability to customize almost every aspect to suit my workflow is amazing.

[@ravenconacher]

I just opened up Protools right now just so I could prepare a session to share. Man Reaper is so amazing. I didn't even have to learn the key commands as they were so logically set up. I hope this industry standard BS goes away ASAP I'm a Reaper guy forever.

[@Anyatra_Alabhya]

It was a great video! Things I feel should have been mentioned are 1. Multiple Hardware Outputs from a track in Reaper 2. Clip Effects where we can use external plugins as well But in PT you can't

[@AntonSedlovskiy]

Reaper is one of those programs that make you fall in love. Some times when you don't want to work you can play with Reaper adjusting futures or changing look, or discovering scripts and js plugins... It's such a good toy. :) But it's even better for working. You can create effective workflows, automating repetitive tasks.

[@SorooshMhs]

Reaper user here. I wouldn’t call myself an audio engineer or anything and i’ve never gone to school for it. I started using the phone version of garageband when the pandemic hit and it was very limiting. After buying an audio interface in late 2020, i transitioned to Reaper (my transition game is strong too :D) and i’ve been able to learn so much because of Reaper’s user-friendly and intuitive workflow. I’ve done composing, recording, mixing, and mastering all in Reaper, all by myself :)

[@osbornebinghamjr.559]

And I love the fact I can now track with plugins thru "input FX" with " NO LATENCY "!!! ... I used to buy outboard gear for that back in the 90's.... So goodbye UAD systems. I also benchmarked a session with 89 tracks using 128 plugins in post, and still no latency when I opened a Schepp omni at 128 buffer to track some more vocals..... just to see if it would... Thats amazing to me

[@mod3l]

I don't know if this relates to your point, but if you use Reaper for any live situation, like playing virtual instruments, you go into the FX window options, then under ''chain PDC mode'' tick the ''Ignore plug-in delay''. The FX chain will not be delay compensated and will not play right with inserts or recorded midi, but will have 0 latency for live input. Hope it makes sense, it's a feature that's often overlooked and can really help you get tight timings on weaker systems.

[@osbornebinghamjr.559]

@@mod3lthanks for that info, although Im strictly a studio rat these days.. but I do have musician friends and associates that may need that information someday.. thx again

[@peetrwilson]

Reaper is completely customizable in almost every way. If you wondering how to do something there's usually an action just for it. Reaper is awesome and is my main DAW now.

[@jeffbridges6110]

LoL. Dude. Great video. Funny as hell. So many people are hating Pro Tools. It's time for Reaper to become industry standard.

[@theopinson3851]

I would add: latency. I don’t know why, but for some reason I had a much harder time getting latency issues under control in PT than Reaper. This was on the same system with same interface.

[@MrAxel1892]

Behause the jitter in PT is enormous high. No reason to name it professional system still. Reaper is beside Bittwig and Cubase the fastest on the market, although the latest deals with a lot of jitter too or it adds latency.

[@godboy159]

@@MrAxel1892 Nonsense for an HD system which I use everyday. No DAW/Computer can compare with HD's low to almost 0ms of latency. And even when I'm running PT HD at home with an apollo quad I don't have any of the issue ya'll are talking about.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

That's also because it took 8 years for Avid to add PDC to PT and it still is crap.

[@masoneismonstudios3016]

As someone who started on Reaper and went to Pro Tools for school, oh jesus get me back on Reaper. It is so much more intuitive. I sit in the middle of this argument, as I use Logic Pro for most of my mixing needs, but if I'm on windows, its Reaper every day of the week. It is the most intuitive DAW I have used and I love the fact that I can go from session to session in a few clicks without having to close every single little window. Plus it was super good for me during my early stages cause of the whole JS platform. Free plugins anyone? Can't beat it.

[@joeymusic]

It’s the goat daw! -Miami

[@mntnwzrd66]

You taught me something. I thought all DAWS, indeed all 'non destructive digital editing,' like video, had that free-flowing slip editing. Yes. You can with Reaper just cut in anywhere, cut off the piece with the beat you care about, slide it to the right place, and then move the fade-in and fade-out points so it sounds like it belongs there, with or without shifting everything forward of that point to match. I am working more out of Samplitude lately, but it is good to know it may just be limited by design in ways Reaper is not. I can't assume every function I may be looking for is buried in there somewhere.

[@joeymusic]

I’m so glad you understand the feature and how useful it is! There are a ton of people that don’t get the difference from this free flowing slip editing to the one that pro tools has! -Miami

[@DoctorMcFarlandStudios]

I use the Pro Tools 12 theme in Reaper

[@joeymusic]

you are not alone lol. I change it sometimes depending on my mood lolol -Miami

[@jimmyfingers95]

Im a music hobbyist and have always used Acid pro. Last year I switched to Reaper and it was very easy to pick up and learn.

[@jussgotlifted3822]

I am just getting into music creation and was bombarded with PT users when asked about a good quality DAW. I have since watched several vids on Reaper and for me it's a no brainer.

[@coryhofing-drummer7441]

I cannot argue with all these point. Recently started using pro tools and actually considering going back to reaper now.

[@joeymusic]

Join us Cory! 🤣🤣🤣

[@gabopenav]

Reaper with SWS extension is 🔥

[@joeymusic]

What’s your favorite script?!

[@gjkoolen]

Nice feature: record to FLAC. Don't know if Protools can do that, but I record most tracks on 18 bit FLAC, consuming only half the size of 16 bit wav. Super!

[@TheAerovons]

The Render Queue is amazing, what a time saver ! And Sub Projects....amazing.

[@bernie8835]

The best move I made, moving from Cubase to Reaper, great DAW.

[@Morroh]

One of the biggest things that’s been requested for years in protools is the ability to add note names to the midi piano roll. If your someone that programs drums by hand that’s a must have. Reaper also lets you tap from the back of the piano key to the front to sample the velocity sound, once you do this it will set your velocity for you when you pencil it in. IMO that’s huge if your going for realistic cymbal/hi hat variations.

[@KevinSoriano]

Well, once I added 12 (native)effects over my guitar signal for 2 reasons. 1. To shoegaze without spending on pedals 2. To test how far can i push the latency when monitoring on reaper. To my amusement, it worked flawlessly. I tried to do the same on Live, and when i strummed the guitar, it played the next day. (i'm exaggerating, but it did feel like that)

[@mikebullock8196]

thanks brother JOEY this was a GREAT full of good INFORMATION FOR ME BECAUSE Im JUST starting my first studio and I upgraded to big sur on my mac computer and now my logic pro x does not work in it , so I will get reaper for sure your video is the one that caused me to make the choice thanks again bro all the best to u man BLESSINGS peace mike

[@joeymusic]

Glad we could help you make a decision Mike!

[@clintoncunningham2341]

I use Reaper and love it, and as most has stated ,it's rare to have it crash. 🙂

[@frankcoffey]

OK, that slip editing thing and the new razor tool is fantastic. Very entertaining video dude thanks.

[@cosmicsimonmusic]

Pro Tools was crashing so much at a production studio I worked at to record a podcast that we had a backup recording method with a mini disc. Yes, two tracks and it would crash, and we had a 8 core Mac Pro top of the line...

[@theyrecousins]

I took the plunge on Reaper about 3 years ago after using Cubase forever - I wish I'd done it sooner (especially before paying for a couple Cubase upgrades). I'm sure I'll be learning new tricks on this thing for as long as I use it.

[@segfault-berlin]

It works on Linux, it works on XP, it works on my old powerpc mac. that's invaluable, because you're free to use it on whatever crappy hardware you have lying around

[@brianespinoza2034]

DOOOOD! thanks! this was highly informative and convincing. I'm definitely going to investigate Reaper. I Love/Hate Pro Tools for all the reasons you pointed out and some.

[@joeymusic]

You’re welcome! We will be doing a lot more breakdowns like this so make sure you subscribe!

[@dannychane]

What I like about Reaper: It works with so many formats, while I heard that ProTools ditched VST for some reason. I'm a Cubase guy learning Reaper. It starts so much faster than Cubase, you don't need a dongle. However, I like to use VariAudio on Cubase.

[@joeymusic]

Pro Tools has the AAX format which is their own format.

[@mikesperling9878]

Man... I use reaper a long time now... And i know it really from front to back and i never want ro change my DAW ever! Even if people look a me strange, i just drop one of my tracks i mixed in it and they go like... "he mixed that in reaper?" Like the DAW matters how your song will sound. XDDDD Great video! :)

[@joeymusic]

My old favorite was “pro tools SOUNDS better”🤣 -Miami

[@mikesperling9878]

@@joeymusic jep! Got the same answer sometimes. XDD

[@nickagervasi]

I have used a handful of DAWs...Cubase, Studio One, Pro Tools (digidesign 002 days), SONAR (cakewalk days) and Reaper. I always come back to Reaper. Mostly because it is light and easy to use... But ALSO because there is a massive amount of help on forums and videos about how to do stuff in Reaper. So if I can't figure something out, I likely can find someone who DOES know how to do it.

[@lllazarrr]

I've been using Cakewalk, since it's fully featured free DAW that's really easy to get around. But you do make such a strong argument for Reaper, damn it! :D

[@joeymusic]

Come to the dark side Lazar! It has a free trial, at least give it a shot!

[@dirtyharry1881]

@@joeymusic It has a free trial for ever... But I don't really like to tell people. Everyone should pay for Reaper, because Justin did a service to all

[@dirtyharry1881]

Used both. I wanted to re-use Cakewalk because of the Pro-Channel. But it was almost impossible to return to Sonar after Reaper. Reaper has x2 faster workflow

[@lllazarrr]

@@dirtyharry1881 I've been binge testing it for a while, it's definitely very CPU light. And I like you can customize everything, it drives me nuts that zoom in Cakewalk is Alt+Scroll, as opposed to Ctrl+Scroll, as in any other non-music software.

[@gabsauvage]

Btw you didn't talked about the custom actions that you can set up, SWS extensions, cycle actions, asigning the way you want every single shortcut or actions to any key or midi cc you want...

[@darkflamesquirrel]

It's a rabbit hole I swear lol.. and also, ReaPack.....

[@olofolofsson8544]

Swiping mutes and solos is a good one. LOve that. The SWS autocolor is a huuuuge timesaver. Customizabilty in general is a big one, not one way of doing things, but thousands!

[@GinkoYoki234]

Love the segues to the different sections of the video. I've been using Reaper since v4.x and it hasn't crashed on me once. Like one of my fellow audio engineers says it, "ProTools is like trying to swat a mosquito with a sledge hammer."

[@calebhohneke8482]

I have been convinced for a while that Reaper will eventually take over as the "industry standard". All hail the Reaper! \m/ \m/ P.s. Thank you for making this vid. I have been spreading the word about Reaper for several years now....A fantastic DAW

[@joeymusic]

We still have a lot of work to do to get the word out!

[@johnwalter6410]

It will never be the industry standard but its way better than pro tools. I used it for years but Studio one is simply better.

[@Chipicui]

I would love to agree with you but... you know what? .. Reaper (sadly) won’t ever be the industry standard because it’s cheap. You know... in this horrible world that we live, you can’t be “pro” if you’re not using tools that costs insane amounts of money. I love Reaper with all my heart and I’d love Justin to be rewarded as the genius and generous guy that he is.

[@brutuslaurentius8729]

I'm a huge fan of reaper and you did a good job of this!

[@joeymusic]

So glad you liked the video dude! Reaper for life

[@nxtroot]

New to reaper and seeing that slip editing trick is a huge game changer. Thanks for the info!!

[@joeymusic]

It definitely is! You’re gonna love it

[@LetsTalkAboutReaper]

Grouped drum tracks with slip editing is fantastic. Using a few customized actions can make it even faster. Shameless plug, but I have a couple of live drum editing sessions on my channel where you can see the Fast Edit action and how to create a couple of toolbar icons to trigger this action to change your mouse modifiers for drum editing

[@MrManumendes]

I use em both, and it really depends on what you're doing. For making music I love using reaper and its flexibility, customization options and the programmable side of things. When it comes to really fast editing, and I mean fast, Reaper is not even close to Pro Tools. Mainly I do Dubbing, Radioplays, Foleys, Voice Overs, Podcasts, Audiobooks and things like that (for a living). I really tried to be as fast as Pro Tools with reaper, for a long period of time, but there's no way. If you don't need the outstanding Editing capabilities of Pro Tools, go with Reaper. Avid drives me crazy... But for Editing, only Pro Tools for me.

[@DaleC1980]

Agreed, I got started in Pro Tools for radio 20 years ago and nothing I have ever trried has come close to be honest