Boasting a 64-bit audio engine, Reaper supports multiprocessor computers and, amazingly, has a hard drive footprint of a mere 3MB. In fact, you can run it from a USB key or any other removable media device, if you so choose. That’s a real plus for those who like to bounce between computers or studios.
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Long-time users have watched Reaper grow into a powerhouse program over the years, thanks to Cockos’ seemingly non-stop barrage of updates. Version 2.0 sees the addition of advanced timestretching functions (courtesy of zplane.development’s elastique Pro), drag and drop support for effects routing, plus a host of other tweaks, including a tasty new default look.
On the surface, Reaper seems a lot like any other DAW, with the left-hand side occupied by the various tracks, and the right-hand side taken up by the horizontal waveforms and MIDI clips for each track.
Below is an area that’s ostensibly devoted to the mixer, though it can be used to view Reaper’s flexible routing matrix too.
Unlike some apps, Reaper doesn’t differentiate between audio, MIDI or effects tracks. A track is a track, and is assigned to whatever inputs and outputs you want. These can take the form of MIDI ports, audio interface connections or even other channels.
Every track can send to an unlimited number of other tracks, and audio sends can be pre- or post- effects, volume and/or pan pots.
All this might at first seem a little overwhelming, but it’s a cool way to work. If you get lost, you can consult the Routing Matrix window to see what’s going where.
MIDI support is getting better with each release, and most of the basics are now in place. MIDI files can be dragged into any track, and you can edit velocity, pitch and CC data via a familiar piano roll editor.
You can, naturally, use VSTi/DXi instruments, as well as VST MIDI effects. There’s ReWire support, too.
As you’d expect, automation is supported, as is ripple-editing for those times when you’d like to edit an object while keeping any associated markers intact and maintaining sync relationships with later events in the same track. This can be applied to all tracks as well.
Designed as a true alternative to the likes of Sonar, Cubase and Pro Tools, Reaper offers a few unique features and a pricing structure that seems a world apart. In a harkening to the past, it’s a shareware product in the truest sense of the term.
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Life in the Fast Lane
Reaper is a no-nonsense, full-featured digital audio sequencer. You won't find any trialware for third-party products or splashy eye-candy graphics. What you will find is a reasonably priced multitrack recording and production application that's just over 3 MB in size and has no copy protection. It's currently for Windows only, but a Mac version is in beta and should be ready by the time you read this.
If you want to try Reaper, you can simply download it. Its small size means that the program downloads quickly and is lean enough to run in nearly any version of Windows while residing on a USB flash drive.
