I thought about getting Reaper and there’s something I want to tell the others: seems one can get a temporary license in lockdown times:
I assume there’s also some kind of trial period, but this makes sure that I at least try that DAW out.
4 Likes
Yes, they give you a 60 day trial before they ask that you pay the $60 for the license. This has always been the case, way before the lockdown.
Even after the trial period is over the app doesn’t lock up if you haven’t paid, they just gently remind you that it’s not free and put you on a guilt trip if you don’t pay.
I was happy to pay the $60 after my trial, Reaper is very much worth the price.
4 Likes
So, I thought I’d give Reaper a spin.
That was a bumpy start. I spent at least half an hour getting the configuration to the point where I could walk through the “First MIDI Song” video…
So the jury’s still out for me.
2 Likes
I started a “Reaper Questions” thread, so feel free to ask questions or get help there. There are a couple very knowledgeable Reaper experts on this forum. I’m not one of them.
2 Likes
Good to know. I was about to do the same.
1 Like
2 Likes
Funnily enough, that was the FIRST thing I figured out!
1 Like
Well, that’s not good. I’ve not been using my daw (ableton lite) for ages now, but I wanted to put a few things together yesterday and found that all my sound patches won’t load correctly.
Turns out the external hard drive is broken.
So that’s every single sound on my PC that needs to be re-downloaded when the replacement drive comes. I’ve estimated that it will take approximately 48 hours!!!
I knew there was a reason I was just playing bass physically and ignoring DAW’s 
1 Like
Oh man. That sucks.
Yeah, it’s a bit crap to say the least. And the native instruments frontend programs that you need to have installed for the komplete kontrol and the mashine mikro are now completely confused as I attempted to install them again in a different location. So now they’re looking in a new location but also trying to find the old location - no matter how many times I uninstall the programs.
It’s all just a big mess
3 Likes
@eric.kiser have you ever seen or tried the iRig HD 2?
Works on PC, have all pedals for cheap price and recordings.
I’m loving it
1 Like
Sorry but Logic pro x is my holy grail.
Is it only for Mac?
Yes.
In my early days it was Atari only and now even garageband is such a cool thing although it is a free onboard solution
On a mac I would definitely recommend Logic Pro X.
For me, my favorite is Reaper. I’m totally bought in at this point and it’s really, really powerful. Excellent MIDI and plugin support, perfect host for VSTi’s, and comes with so much stuff that I am still constantly finding new cool stuff. To the point that even on my mac I still use Reaper now over GB or Logic.
1 Like
And what hardware you recommend? For beginners…
1 Like
For computers? Or for recording hardware?
For computers I would recommend a mac if you like them and can afford a decent one but your software selection is better on Windows for music just like everything else. I use both and greatly prefer MacOS as a user, but my mac is a laptop and my PC is my real beast machine, so I do everything in Windows. Unfortunately as much as I love linux (and I use it daily), I can’t recommend it for music. In comparison to the Mac and expecially Windows, your choices are extremely limited there.
I recommend getting a real audio interface. Even the entry level ones are much better than something like an iRig. I like my Zoom U-24 a lot, but the Focusrite and Presonus entry level options look great to me too. Behringer’s inexpensive ones are worth checking out too.
I also recommend investing in a good quality pair of studio monitor headphones but that’s optional. Still, nothing is better for mixing.
4 Likes
Opinions on this one?
And what interface would I need?
I’d recommend getting the 2i2 instead of the Solo. Two inputs are nice if you ever get another instrument and the combo XLR/TRS inputs are a nice feature.
This would connect to your computer via USB and you plug your bass or pedals directly in to it.
3 Likes
I just got a used 2i2 today and I’m pretty happy with the quality and the sound
3 Likes