To date myself, my audio journey began in 1999 with a dubiously obtained copy of Cool Edit Pro, which I used in high school to record and mix music. When I studied audio at Indiana University I learned Pro Tools, which I used for the first ten years of my career working in music and post production. I transitioned into game audio full-time and worked in Nuendo for a few years before finally switching to Reaper. Given my background and the fact that Pro Tools is the reference point for many in sound design and post production, I’d like to outline some of the benefits of using Reaper compared to Pro Tools. The following list is not comprehensive, but highlights some features particularly relevant to sound design tasks and workflows.
Reaper Benefits vs. Pro Tools
Customization
Reaper is touted for its high degree of customization, and rightly so. Users can change shortcuts, create custom actions, write scripts in Lua, EEL, and Python, download or create GUI themes, and change a wide variety of options that drastically affect how the program functions. This flexibility allows each user to tailor Reaper to their specific desires, ensuring an optimized and personalized experience. Additionally, there is a huge community of users developing handy scripts and extensions which bolster the core feature set of the DAW.
Media Flexibility
Tracks are just…tracks…
Reaper’s track system is incredibly versatile. Unlike Pro Tools, which has specific tracks for specific purposes, like mono, stereo, or multichannel audio tracks, Reaper treats all tracks the same. This means you can place a wide range of media items on a single track—whether it’s a video, a still image, a GIF, a 5.1 audio item, a midi item, or more.
Real Time SRC and non-destructive processing for items
One of Reaper’s standout features is its ability to perform multiple media operations, including sample rate conversion on the fly for media items. This means that you can import audio files with different sample rates into a project without needing to destructively convert them beforehand. For sound designers, this flexibility is invaluable. It allows users to work with high-resolution audio files—such as 96kHz or192kHz recordings—in a 48kHz project, enabling the ability to pitch down these files without sacrificing high-frequency content.
In addition to real-time sample rate conversion, users can also downmix, re-arrange channels, normalize, and reverse items easily and non-destructively.
Take fx
Plugins (fx in Reaper parlance) can be applied directly to media items. This is incredibly convenient when you only want an effect on a single item, and not the entire track. Additionally, users can render take fx onto new takes while leaving the fx chain disabled on the previous take, ensuring the user can always return to the raw audio to make adjustments.
Robust Exporting Features
Reaper has a wide range of export functionality, including batch exporting items, regions, or tracks, wildcard support for naming, applying fx or loudness normalization on export, secondary format export, render presets, metadata functionality, and more. These wide range of features are particularly great for those working in game audio projects, which tend to have complex and strict naming and exporting conventions.
Video Editing
Reaper not only supports video playback but also offers video editing capabilities, making it a versatile tool for sound designers. This functionality is particularly handy for those who need to export video reference files alongside audio assets. In Reaper, users can perform basic video edits such as trimming, cutting, and splicing directly within the DAW, eliminating the need to switch to a separate video editing software.
Additionally, Reaper allows users to add graphical and text overlays to videos, providing further customization options. This feature is invaluable when creating video references that require annotations, captions, or visual markers to communicate specific points or instructions. The ability to handle both audio and video in a single environment streamlines the workflow, enhancing efficiency and ensuring better synchronization between the two mediums.
Batch File Processing
Reaper has a built in batch file processor that can do a variety of tasks, including loudness normalization and applying plugin FX chains.
Parameter Modulation
While not as robust as Bitwig Studio, Reaper has a built in system for modulating fx parameters that is incredibly useful for sound design. Users can use Audio control signals, LFOs, or other midi or FX parameters to modulate plugin controls easily and quickly. This can help immensely to add creativity and movement to your sound design.
Saving/Recalling Track Templates and FX Chains
In Reaper, users can create Track Templates and FX Chains which can be saved and recalled with various actions. This is incredibly useful for saving certain FX chains used to formulate sound effect source, or saving entire routing setups as a singular Track Template (a track template can contain one or more tracks).
Project Tabs / Multiple Open Projects
Reaper can open many different projects at once, and makes copy/pasting items and tracks between projects incredibly easy. This is super convenient for project management. I often create source assets in one session and have a separate session that is more for editing and design to picture/video reference.
Spectral Peaks
Reaper has an option to turn on Spectral Peaks for the waveform display. This means that the power of different frequency bands are represented in color. What it means in practice is that it can be really easy visualize the primary frequency content of the waveform from moment to moment. I’ve found this to be most helpful when editing long source or field recordings. Specifically, it becomes incredibly obvious where talking in between or during takes occurs, making it incredibly fast to spot and cut out.
Lightweight and Portable Install
Reaper is an incredibly lightweight application compared to Pro Tools with a 15MB installer that takes up just 143MB after installation. It can even be installed as a portable installation, which means all files required for it to run are stored in a single folder, which can be placed anywhere. Users can have multiple portable installs on their machine at once, with certain installations specifically tailored for specialized tasks. Or, they can keep a backup of their previous installation when upgrading versions. Multiple instances of Reaper can even run on a single machine at the same time!
Reaper Downsides vs. Pro Tools
Customization
Customization in Reaper is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allows users to create uniquely tailored workflows that fit their specific needs. However, this high level of customization also means that there is no standard operating environment across different users. While this might not be a significant issue for individual users, it becomes a challenge when collaborating closely with others. For instance, when providing feedback or working alongside another sound designer, the lack of uniformity in shortcuts and hotkeys can be problematic. Each user’s Reaper setup can be so distinct that it hinders interoperability, making it difficult to quickly navigate or drive another person’s session.
Steep Learning Curve
Reaper’s extensive customization options and flexible workflow can lead to a steeper learning curve for new users. Unlike Pro Tools, which has a more standardized and user-friendly interface, Reaper’s interface and functionality require more time and effort to master. This can be a barrier for those new to DAWs or those transitioning from other software. I bounced off Reaper once in frustration before I eventually committed to using it as my primary DAW
Lack of Industry Wide Adoption
Despite its powerful features and flexibility, Reaper is still not as widely adopted in the industry as Pro Tools. This can pose challenges when working on projects that require collaboration between multiple users or studios. The industry’s preference for Pro Tools often means that project files and workflows are optimized for that platform, making it difficult for Reaper users to integrate smoothly. This lack of widespread adoption can lead to additional steps in the workflow to ensure compatibility, potentially slowing down the collaborative process.
However, the game audio industry is a notable exception to this trend. Many audio teams in large game studios utilize Reaper as their main DAW due to its flexibility, scripting capabilities, and efficient handling of complex sound design tasks. The support for integration with middleware like Wwise (ReaWwise) further enhances its appeal in this field.
No Native AAF/OMF Support
Reaper does not offer native support for AAF or OMF files, which are commonly used for exchanging project data between different DAWs and video editing software. This lack of built-in support can be a significant drawback, especially in professional environments where seamless project transfer between audio and video teams is crucial. While third-party solutions exist to bridge this gap, they often add extra steps and potential complications to the workflow. This can be particularly frustrating when collaborating with teams that rely heavily on AAF/OMF for their project interchange.