Any longtime Cubase users tried Reaper? Thoughts?

Steinberg Lounge
22

Hey there, are you still using Digital Performer?

I’m in a similar situation, working on heavy trailer projects in Cubase is a nightmare for me. I’m straining the CPU non-stop, and freezing tracks is very slow. So I’m considering Reaper, but after reading your input, I’ve become hesitant.

Thanks in advance, and the info you’re sharing is very helpful!

23

Not to detract from any of the detailed and valuable experiences others have shared (and will share from this post), but in addition to reviewing the comments of others, my opinion is that there is nothing more valuable than downloading the trial/demo and reconstructing your specific project with your assets, artifacts, and most importantly, your workflow. Document how many 3rd party plug-ins and “feature support” bolt-ons you’ll need, and use that overall experience to gauge the total sum and scope of effort required to land you in the same production posture you find yourself in now. Then, of course, produce your deliverables to specifications and determine if the process en masse suits your needs, and on the hardware you are already using.

Relying on subjective, ambiguous, and unquantified impact from the experience of others, good or bad, is like reading a book on how to ride a bicycle before you’ve put your feet on the pedals. Even if everyone here says Reaper is horrible, you may find it the best thing you’ve ever done. The reciprocal is true as well.

Just a suggestion on the side, and not a replacement for collecting opinions.

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24

Completely agree with you. I’ve already started learning Reaper

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25

I’ve been using Cubase for 14 years. I’m currently evaluating Reaper not because of any complaint against Cubase but because of Microsoft… I’m evaluating the possibility of switching to Linux, and loss of my audio tools is my biggest concern. I’ve only been evaluating Reaper for about 6 hours over 2 days, but here’s my first impressions:

  • After seeing a lot of comments and YouTube vids about how “difficult” it is to get up and running in Reaper, I respectfully disagree. At least for me, it was no more difficult than when I transitioned from Cakewalk to Cubase 14 years ago.
  • I said I have been evaluating for about 6 hours. But I had 16 bars of a song tracked in less than 2 hours, including double-tracked rhythm guitar, bass, MIDI drums, and a lead guitar line. The rest of my time has been starting to dig into the nuances of this software.
  • The customization options could overwhelm you if you let it. I recommend just diving right in and start tracking something. Ignore the plethora of options until you absolutely need to do something. I felt it was pretty easy to connect to my audio interface and get going.
  • The most difficult part of the setup was getting Native Instruments Kontakt to work. You need 3 channels to do it (MIDI routed to Kontakt host channel routed to audio output channel). Other virtual synths can be used directly on 1 channel. I think the complexity comes from Kontakt’s 16-in/16-out configuration, which necessarily requires more routing.
  • There is far more dependency on key combinations + mouse left/right/wheel than Cubase’s use of toolbars. But again, Reaper is customizable to the Nth degree. I have already found ways to tweak many (but not all) things to better match my Cubase muscle memory :slight_smile:

Conclusion: So far, the only thing I know I’m going to miss is Cubase’s VariAudio feature. But, on the flip side, there are some cool things Reaper does that I haven’t seen Cubase do. And, naturally, some functionality exists 1:1 but is hard to find because of different terminology. Internet searches are your friend, and there are lots of great YouTube channels out there as well. My cursory evaluation thus far has left me much more concerned about losing all my non-Linux plugins than about loss of functionality in the base software.

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