Audacity vs. Reaper?

[Gettin' Better]

What would switching from Audacity to Reaper buy me? I've recorded mostly solo fingerstyle stuff - normally 1 track, sometimes a 2nd for rhythm or some percussion and have been pleased with the results. I'm using an older M-audio MobilePre with an M-audio Nova large diaphragm condenser mic.

I'm about ready to start on the next round of recording and am wondering what benefits would come from switching to Reaper? It seems to be well thought of here, but from looking it over, it appears way more complex/powerful than Audacity. I use Audacity to manage the recording (overdubs, etc), edit out the flubs and excess string squeaks, and to add a little compression and EQ as needed. What is the benefit from going to a "bigger and better" tool? (or should I just get a better interface or mic?)

Dennis

[Rudy4]

I downloaded and played around with Audacity a bit about a year ago. It worked OK but seemed very rudimentary. I suppose it's a bit like comparing a trip across country in your old Matador compared to settling back in a Lexus. They'll both get you where you're going.

The very first thing I noticed with Audacity was it's very rudimentary input metering abilities. That was a deal-killer for me before even hitting the record enable. It IS free, though...

You already answered your own question when stating it appeared much more complex and powerful than Audacity. For the single use license fee asked by Reaper you get a LOT of very nice features not the least of which is a pretty great selection of plug-ins.
It even comes with a pretty usable version of and Auto-tune type of pitch correction.

The down-side is it has a greater learning curve that will require a bit more work on your part, you have to be willing to woodshed with it a bit. The rewards are great, though.

For basic recording it's not going to make much differance in what you're able to do, that's going to be much more a function of the hardware side as in Microphones and you're interface preamps and A/D converters.

All that said, the biggest bang for the buck will be your recording environment and the basic techniques that you use. That all happens before you ever hit "RECORD".

[KenW]

I like the editing capabilities in Reaper. Fades are automatic at the split points, and you can play with where the split happens as much as needed to get it right.

[Tele1111]

I switched quite quickly from audacity to reaper. The above posts are pretty accurate. Reaper also allows you to use video. The learning curve is slightly higher, but the rewards are definitely worth it. I'm sure he'll chime in, but for a better look at reaper, head to Fran's home brewed music blog.

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/

Mark

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by Gettin' Better

What would switching from Audacity to Reaper buy me? I've recorded mostly solo fingerstyle stuff - normally 1 track, sometimes a 2nd for rhythm or some percussion and have been pleased with the results. I'm using an older M-audio MobilePre with an M-audio Nova large diaphragm condenser mic.

I'm about ready to start on the next round of recording and am wondering what benefits would come from switching to Reaper? It seems to be well thought of here, but from looking it over, it appears way more complex/powerful than Audacity. I use Audacity to manage the recording (overdubs, etc), edit out the flubs and excess string squeaks, and to add a little compression and EQ as needed. What is the benefit from going to a "bigger and better" tool? (or should I just get a better interface or mic?)

Dennis

The single most important thing I would note is real-time effects preview. Instead of having to apply an effect before hearing the result, you can add and subtract effects and make adjustments to their parameters while you listen to the result.

I don't see how REAPER is more complex than Audacity if you simply ignore MIDI and VSTi. If you stick to the same functions you used in Audacity the workflow is pretty similar. REAPER is in some ways simpler because it records directly into a WAV file so you can use those files directly without exporting. Finalizing an edit still requires a "render" step so that's not much different from exporting in Audacity.

There are many excellent free tutorials for REAPER, a free downloadable manual, and an active and friendly support forum.

And thanks, Mark (Tele1111) for the link to Homebrewed.

Fran

[islandguitar]

Fran, Can I assume that a file can be loaded into my computer via USB connection from my H4n as I now do with Audacity and worked with in Reaper? (I only use the Zoom for recording)
Thanks very much,
Fred

[SimplyLuo]

Originally Posted by islandguitar

Fran, Can I assume that a file can be loaded into my computer via USB connection from my H4n as I now do with Audacity and worked with in Reaper? (I only use the Zoom for recording)
Thanks very much,
Fred

I'm not nearly as qualified as Fran, but yes, you can assume so. That's what I do whenever I borrow an H4n

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by islandguitar

Fran, Can I assume that a file can be loaded into my computer via USB connection from my H4n as I now do with Audacity and worked with in Reaper? (I only use the Zoom for recording)
Thanks very much,
Fred

Yes, you can easily load those files into REAPER. Just like Audacity, you'll need the LAME libraries to do MP3 files, but it handles WAV files right out of the box.

Fran

[always guitar]

Reaper is well worth a try. Nothing to be lost, the demo is fully functioning. I am a FAN.

AG

[SimplyLuo]

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

Yes, you can easily load those files into REAPER. Just like Audacity, you'll need the LAME libraries to do MP3 files, but it handles WAV files right out of the box.

Fran

Just wanted to clarify, by "do" he means encode. It reads and works with MP3 files out of the box, but it can't encode them

[jcmccorm]

Well just to clarify, and risk being redundant, if I have the LAME executables I can encode MP3s with Reaper right? (Just like Audacity does with export)

I don't like MP3s particularly and prefer to keep everything in WAV format, but every now and then you've got to email something and quality isn't the priority.

Cary

[always guitar]

If you have the LAME encoder in the same folder as Reaper it is no problem writing MP3s. That's how it works on a Mac, at least.

AG