Audacity Vs. Reaper and Windows 10

polarred21 · #1 12-19-2018, 02:01 AM

Haven't recorded anything lately and my old Windows Vista machine crashed.

Fast forward I have a new HP Pavillion with Windows 10 and own a Blue Yeti usb mic. My recording consists of me, the PC, the Blue Yeti, Sennheiser headphones, PC speakers, and my office.

I have past experience with Audacity and was able to record a few rough multi tracks with it.

So here is the question....since I have to start from scratch again, what is now preferred? Reaper was highly touted 3 years ago after I already downloaded Audacity. Any Windows 10 issues?

I don't mind paying for software, but it needs to be simple for my needs.

Thanks

RedJoker · #2 12-19-2018, 05:17 AM

I switched from audacity to reaper several years ago on Windows 10 and haven't had any issues. Initially I thought reaper was more difficult but now I'm used to that workflow and think audacity is difficult.

JakeStone · #3 12-19-2018, 05:19 AM

I've used both on my Win10 workstation.

I now only use Reaper... the software looks much better to me and also appears to be way more advanced, But as a beginner, I barely break the surface.

There are lots of very good tutorials to get things started. I watched the ones on their website by Kenny Gioia and are very good.

https://www.reaper.fm/videos.php

KevWind · #4 12-19-2018, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polarred21

Haven't recorded anything lately and my old Windows Vista machine crashed.

Fast forward I have a new HP Pavillion with Windows 10 and own a Blue Yeti usb mic. My recording consists of me, the PC, the Blue Yeti, Sennheiser headphones, PC speakers, and my office.

I have past experience with Audacity and was able to record a few rough multi tracks with it.

So here is the question....since I have to start from scratch again, what is now preferred? Reaper was highly touted 3 years ago after I already downloaded Audacity. Any Windows 10 issues?

I don't mind paying for software, but it needs to be simple for my needs.

Thanks

"but it needs to be simple for my needs".
Herein lies the rub.

First I think that if you are starting from scratch It is definitely a good time to consider a move to a more Full Featured DAW.

There are pros and cons to to making such a move

The pros :
You can make a move that will become your go to DAW and will be less likely to entertain the idea of making a switch. And can become the DAW you will stay with.
Basic recording is pretty similar on all DAWS so you should be able to start recording fairly quickly.

Cons : Full featured DAW's have a much bigger and longer learning curve, especially as you delve into the more extensive features
Depending on which DAW it can be more or less suited to you particular learning style.

For PC/Windows I would suggest there are three major DAW's to consider

Reaper/ from Cockos = the least expensive, most user customizable BUT arguably the longest and most difficult learning curve (again depending on personal learning style) As Jake suggested if you go with Reaper Kenny Gioia's vids , accessed directly from the Cockos / Reaper web sight, and are invaluable to get someone started in Reaper .

https://www.reaper.fm/

Studio One ( now version 4) /from PreSonus this is said to run great on Windows
has a great feature set with lots of automatic routing and drag and drop workflow features . Many feel it is the best combination of both Cubase and Pro Tools .

https://www.presonus.com/products/Studio-One

Less well known, but one that is in fact favored by a number of Professional recording and mixing engineers is Samplitude / from Magix (runs only on PC

https://www.magix.com/us/

Johnny K · #5 12-19-2018, 01:16 PM

I am using the Ableton Live Lite 9 that was included with my Scarlett Solo. It also came with Pro Tools First. My only gripe with Ableton is that the EQ8 plugin does not come with it. It only has EQ3 plugin. I have to buy the pay for play version to get the EQ8 plugin. I have a laundry list of gripes about ProTools First.

As FOC DAW's go, Ableton is great. ProTools First, not so much.

I use a 4 chan Behringer UMC404HD now and Ableton handles it great. ProTools First, not so much.

polarred21 · #6 12-19-2018, 01:17 PM

Many thanks. I think I'll just download Reaper and give it a shot. I was fairly proficient with Audacity but it's been a while so I thought I would just start over.

KevWind · #7 12-19-2018, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polarred21

Many thanks. I think I'll just download Reaper and give it a shot. I was fairly proficient with Audacity but it's been a while so I thought I would just start over.

You can download for free a 30 or 60 day trial of Reaper (if I remember correctly)

Chipotle · #8 12-19-2018, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polarred21

Many thanks. I think I'll just download Reaper and give it a shot. I was fairly proficient with Audacity but it's been a while so I thought I would just start over.

I used Audacity for quite a while. Once I tried Reaper, there was no looking back. Far more capability. You can use it quite simply, like Audacity, but can do far, far more with Reaper; it's worth learning a bit.