Reaper. It’s more than just a grim story. It’s also a DAW – or Digital Audio Workstation – from Cockos. It’s also the DAW of choice for Glyptic Minority.
When I first started making music electronically on a PC, somewhere in the mid to late 90’s, I bought Sonic Foundry‘s Acid. They were cutting edge at the time and held the title for some of the best audio editing tools available. They later sold their audio tools to Sony for only 18 million. I spent a lot of cash on their various products over a 15 year period. Once you get into a work flow, it can be difficult to change.
In the end, Sony all but killed the Acid Pro family. Version 7 is still the latest pro version, and has been for years. A few years ago I wised up and started looking for a better DAW. Acid just wasn’t cutting it (pun intended). That’s when I found Reaper.
In comparison to Acid, Reaper had a very similar workflow, which really turned me on to using it. The major difference was that Reaper was so more advanced, and easy to use, that my mind was blown. What else was amazing was the price and upgrade policy. Not only did it cost much less than Pro Tools, Logic, or others, it included 2 full version upgrades. I used to drop $100 to $150 for an upgrade to Acid. More for other DAW’s.
There are other DAW’s in a similar price range, but they pale in comparison.
Every producer is partial to their own DAW. In the end, it boils down to workflow and personal preference. Reaper is an amazing tool. If you’re looking for one or just want to give it a try – go ahead and download it for free.
